The Denver Post’s Adrian Dater wasn’t worried when the Colorado Avalanche started the season 1-4-2. But after last night’s 5-2 loss to Vancouver, a game the Avs led 2-0 until the 19:56 mark of the second period, Dater is finally, officially...concerned:
For me, the game was totally lost when Henrik Sedin scored with four seconds left in the second period. The Avs lost every puck battle for the final 40 seconds of the period and, finally, Semyon Varlamov couldn’t bail his teammates out. Sedin scored, and you could see everybody start to hang their head and skulk into the dressing room.
The third period was 20 minutes of astonishingly poor hockey and the Avs thoroughly got what they deserved, a 5-2 loss. By the end, boos filled the air. It felt like every game from 2011-13.
The Avs held a players meeting after the defeat, which dropped their record to 3-6-5. But according to defenseman Erik Johnson, it’s time to turn all the talk into results.
“We have talked and talked about what we need to do, but if we don’t start doing it the season is going to slip right through our fingers,” he said. “If we don’t wake up soon, it’s going to be too late. Everybody has to look in the mirror.”
Related: Are the Avs due for a downfall?