Avs Taking Positives Despite Comeback Falling Short

The Colorado Avalanche faced a 2-0 deficit for a third consecutive game, but there was a different feeling around the team this time than in the previous two contests.
"The pace we played with in the first period was as good as we've played with for quite some time," said head coach Jared Bednar. "We weren't as dangerous as I would have liked to be in the first period, but we didn't give up hardly [any dangerous chances] either. It was definitely a better period than we saw with the first periods against Anaheim."
The Avalanche had a 9-4 edge in shots after the opening stanza, and like it had done in the first two outings of its homestand, the squad was able to rally and tie the score in the second period.

Colorado finished with a 35-14 total advantage in the shot department, holding Arizona to single-digit totals each frame, but Johan Larsson's shot from the point at 4:06 of the third hit net and ended up being the difference. The Coyotes went on to win 3-2 on Monday at Ball Arena.
"It is what it is. We're working hard, we're creating a lot of chances, we're grinding, we're doing a good job," said forward Andre Burakovsky. "It's just a couple lucky bounces and sometimes that's all that it takes in this sport. We just got to bounce back and the next one is huge."
The Avs split two overtime games against the Anaheim Ducks on Friday and Saturday after falling behind 2-0 in each contest, but this outing saw Colorado dictate the play for almost the entire matchup. Gabriel Landeskog noted postgame that it was clear that the Avalanche was the better of the two squads, despite the final score.
"I don't think we had a very slow start. I think we had a pretty decent start," Landeskog said. "We had some good jump… It was better than the last few games against Anaheim, and I thought tonight wasn't horrible, but we still have another gear, no doubt. Last two periods we got better as the game went on."
Valeri Nichushkin and Burakovsky scored in the second period to knot the contest at 2-2, but the Avalanche wasn't able to find twine again. Colorado led 19-7 in shots after the middle stanza and nearly doubled that amount in the last frame by outshooting Arizona 16-7.
"It seems like right now we're playing games, and we're making every goalie that we play look like they're an all-star," Bednar said. "So we can't continue with that. We have to find a way to start capitalizing on some of our chances and get it moving a little bit and make it tough on him to see pucks."
The Coyotes' 14 total shots on goal were the fewest the Avalanche had allowed this season and tied for the sixth-fewest in Colorado/Quebec Nordiques history. It was the 13th straight game that it had allowed less than 30 shots (since Feb. 20), tied for the second-longest stretch in franchise history (Oct. 26-Nov. 21, 1998). The record is 14 consecutive contests from Feb. 21-March 22, 2001.
However, it doesn't matter how many shots the Avalanche gets or allows. The squad still needs to find a way to come out ahead at the final horn.
"I mean I am not disappointed in the effort. I'm disappointed in the result," Bednar said. "We're not looking for moral victories, and we got to find a way to win and we didn't find a way to win tonight. It is what it is. I'm not going to judge our team all the time on just results, but it's a results-oriented business and we need to find a way to capitalize on some of our chances."

MACKINNON CLOSE TO COMING BACK

Nathan MacKinnon took part in Monday's morning skate in a red, non-contact jersey and could play as early as Wednesday, according to Bednar. MacKinnon ended up being out for the third straight game after he got hurt in last Wednesday's contest at the San Jose Sharks following an illegal check to the head that resulted in a two-game suspension for Joachim Blichfeld.
The forward also skated on Sunday, and Bednar could see that his top center was itching to get back into the lineup.
"Knowing MacK over the last few years, when he gets to this point he's chomping at the bit ready to go," Bednar said. "Probably would love to play tonight, but he's just not able to. He won't get medically cleared to play tonight's game."
MacKinnon is currently second on the team in scoring with 22 points (five goals, 17 assists) in 19 games played.

CALVERT RETURNS

Matt Calvert was back in the Avalanche's lineup on Monday after missing the previous six contests with an upper-body injury. The forward took warmup on Feb. 26 before the outing in Arizona, but he ended up being a late scratch.
He was one of a bunch of Avs players currently out with injuries. In addition to MacKinnon, also out for Colorado is Bowen Byram (upper body), J.T. Compher (upper body), Pavel Francouz (lower body), Dennis Gilbert (upper body), Erik Johnson (upper body), Cale Makar (upper body) and Conor Timmins (upper body), who missed his first game of the year due to injury on Monday.
Despite the busy training room, Colorado is still 4-2-1 in its last seven outings.
"Obviously you want to be in with your teammates every night possible, but it's kind of been next-man-up lately," Calvert said following Monday's morning skate. "We've had a lot of injuries recently and guys are doing great, filling different roles. I'm excited to be back and do what I can to help this team."
Calvert started the contest on a line with Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Logan O'Connor and played 11:03 while adding two shots and two hits.

MORE POSTGAME NOTES

Valeri Nichushkin scored his fifth goal of the season and now has points in three straight games, one shy of tying career-long streak (Dec. 7-13, 2019). He has four points (three goals, one assist) in his last three outings.
Samuel Girard finished with an assist and has registered points in consecutive contests. In 10 games since returning to the lineup on Feb. 20, Girard has produced nine points (three goals, six assists). He ranks first among Avalanche defensemen in scoring with 18 points (four goals, 14 assists) and is tied for third overall on the team.
Andre Burakovsky scored his third power-play goal of the season, setting a new career best. He previously scored two man-advantage goals in four seasons of his six NHL campaigns: 2014-15, 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2019-20. He is tied for second (Gabriel Landeskog and Nazem Kadri) on the team in power-play goals, and his six man-advantage points rank fourth among Colorado forwards.
Nazem Kadri recorded an assist and now has six points (all assists) in his last five games and 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in his last eight outings. His 18 points this season (six goals, 12 assists) are tied for third on the team with Samuel Girard.
The Avalanche was 1-for-4 on the power play and has scored a man-advantage marker in seven of its last eight contests, going 7-for-28 (25 percent) in that span.