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Avalanche showcasing strong bounce-back after low point | Locked On Avalanche

After hitting a low point last week with a loss to Chicago that made it seven losses in eight games, the defending champs are getting back to business.

DENVER — The defending Stanley Cup champions hit a low point last week, losing to the last-place Chicago Blackhawks.

The loss capped a run of 7 defeats in 8 games, a string of results that kept the Avalanche on the outside looking in with respect to the Western Conference playoff picture.

While that was concerning to the hosts of Locked on Avalanche, they knew it wasn’t a death blow by any means.

“You still have half a season to go, but we both had concerns,” said Locked on Avalanche co-host Chris Miceli on behalf of himself and co-host Kyle Sullivan. “To me, you still have 41 games to go, you’re just not playing well at the moment. And that’s going to happen during the course of the season.”

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Still, rebounding with recent wins over the Ottawa Senators (7-0) and Detroit Red Wings (6-3) was vital.

“But when you lose to a team that you absolutely should beat in Chicago - and there’s not many teams in the league you should say that about - you should come back and beat Ottawa. And even though Detroit is better, an improved team, the Avalanche stuck it to them too.

“So sure, two games, you can start to feel a little bit better, but clearly there’s still a long way to go.”

A couple wins over Eastern Conference teams may be what the doctor ordered for head coach Jared Bednar’s club, aside from the obvious lack of luck on the injury front this season. 

Most notably, captain Gabriel Landeskog has yet to play this season after undergoing knee surgery following the Cup win. He had 30 goals, 29 assists, and 59 points in 51 games last season, along with 11 goals, 11 assists, and 22 points in 20 playoff games.

The Avs have also missed Nathan MacKinnon and Valeri Nichushkin at points this season, as well as promising young defenseman Bowen Byram.

Needless to say, their depth has been tested, especially after losing Nazem Kadri and Andre Burakovsky to free agency back in the summer. 

Now, the Avalanche are 5 points out of third place in the Central Division, and 4 points out of a Wild Card spot, so there’s still an uphill climb ahead.

They do have 3 games in hand on a team they’re chasing in the Calgary Flames, who happen to be their next opponent.

A win over Kadri’s new club would really put them on the right track.

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