Colorado Avalanche still winless due to injuries, poor defensive performance in recent loss

DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Avalanche entered the season as a serious Stanley Cup contender. Three games into the campaign they are winless and searching for answers.

Colorado dropped to 0-3 after a 6-2 home loss to the New York Islanders on Monday night to extend its early-season funk. The Avalanche have allowed 20 goals – 17 with a goaltender between the pipes – despite having Cale Makar and reigning league MVP Nathan MacKinnon on the roster.

Colorado has been through tough stretches before. They began 2021-22 losing three of the first four before going on to win the Stanley Cup, but it’s not a comfort to coach Jared Bednar.

“Yeah, every year, multiple times,” Bednar said. “I just don’t like it because it’s at the start of the year.”

The first two losses this year – 8-4 at Vegas and 6-4 against Columbus on Saturday night – were due in large part to poor goaltending. Alexandar Georgiev, who led the NHL with 38 wins last season, was pulled from both losses and has allowed eight goals on 25 shots through the first two games.

He was better against New York despite allowing five goals, but it was the play in front of Georgiev that was the issue Monday night.

“I thought that was the worst defensive game of the three by a mile,” Bednar said. “It looked like we were cheating the game. If you’re going to cheat it for offense, then things aren’t going to look good defensively.”

Makar, a former Norris Trophy winner, was minus three and committed a turnover that led to a short-handed goal and a 4-1 lead for the Islanders.

“I’m just not moving my feet, not playing my game,” Makar said. “I’m hard on myself, but at the end of the day, I’ve got to be better for these guys. It’s definitely a lot closer game if I don’t play tonight.”

Colorado is missing four of its top-six forwards and played Monday without Makar’s partner, Devon Toews. Gabe Landeskog (knee), Artturi Lehkonen (shoulder) and Valeri Nichushkin (suspension) have yet to play this season, and Jonathan Drouin has been out since the season opener with an upper-body injury that could keep him out for weeks.

The injuries have forced Bednar to play several rookies and other young players. Calum Ritchie, a 19-year-old winger, scored his first NHL goal on Monday night but didn’t do much else.

The schedule doesn’t get easier, but at least the Avalanche will be at home. Colorado hosts Boston and Anaheim on Wednesday and Friday with an opportunity to halt its losing skid.

“Just try to find a way, maybe, to simplify the game a little bit and just not try too hard ... because it seems like it’s not working for us now,” Mikko Rantanen said.