Colorado Avalanche superstar defenseman Cale Makar was an integral part of Team Canada’s win at the 4 Nations Face-Off. And in his second game back from the best-on-best tournament, Makar reached another career plateau on offense — but the Avs still lost the game to the St. Louis Blues, by a 3-1 score.
Makar”s assist on Devon Toews’ goal to open the scoring was his 42nd assist of the season, but it was also the 400th point of Makar’s stunning NHL career. Makar reached the 400 mark in his 374th-career regular-season game, but unfortunately, the game was not successful from the Avalanche’s perspective.
The Blues gave up the first goal Sunday afternoon to Colorado, but after that, St. Louis posted three consecutive goals in the second period. And while the Avs outshot the Blues 13-8 in the third frame, St. Louis goalie Jordan Binnington — another standout for the Canadian team at the 4 Nations Face-Off — turned aside 28 of 29 Avalanche shots to preserve the victory and hand Colorado its second straight defeat in games immediately after the 4 Nations break.
For the second straight game, the Avs struggled to generate offense. Saturday, Colorado fell to the lowly Nashville Predators by a 2-1 score. and obviously, two goals-for in two games is not going to get the job done for the Avs. Whether the Avalanche get an infusion of offence via a trade, or whether that help has to come from within, the bottom line is the Avs have to ratchet up their offense in a significant way.
In any case, Saturday’s tilt between the Blues and Colorao should’ve been relatively easy for the Avs, as St. Louis is below them in the Central and the Avalanche are better on paper. But you never would’ve known that in Sunday’s game. The Blues were the better group, but aginst St. Louis and Nashville, the Avs couldn’t deliver anywhere close to enough offense.
You can”t ask Avalanche goalie Mackenzie Blackwood to steal every game for you. He just has to give his teammates a chance to win games. And that’s what he did Sunday, stopping 22 of 25 Blues shots. But Colorado couldn’t build on their first burst of offence in the first period, and the desperate Blues put their foot on the gas and never too it off the pedal.
There were signs of life for the Avs in Sunday’s loss. But Colorado needed a better effort at both ends of the ice. And they now need it soon, before they’re in a much different standings position than they are at the moment.
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