The Colorado Avalanche faced the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday, November 10, at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Jared Bednar’s team defeated Jim Hiller’s squad 6-3.
Despite the win and the many positives, a few issues also emerged that Colorado will need to address moving forward.
That’s what Alex Rajaniemi and Mark Springer discussed during the postgame edition of Altitude Sports Radio’s official Avalanche show.
While they praised the team overall, they also pointed out areas of concern, including Colorado’s first-period performance and the save Mackenzie Blackwood failed to make on a shot by Maple Leafs forward Easton Cowan.
Analysts Praise Avalanche’s Effort but Call Out Complacency Late in the Game
Rajaniemi first said, “Tonight, man, was a super entertaining game from the opening puck drop. I thought Colorado, despite going down 1-0 in this one, started the game on time.”
“I liked how the power play looked. I thought this was a really solid effort. Maybe they got a little complacent at the end of the second and the beginning of the third period, but they were able to wrestle that lead back immediately after Toronto tied it.”
“Man, I thought this was a really solid win.”
Springer added, “Yeah, they just by and large skated well in this game. 0 for 2 on the power play. I didn’t love the first one. They couldn’t get in the zone.”
“The second one, shoot the damn puck… Like Martin (Necas) is on the right wing, shoot the damn puck. Yeah. As they kind of always do, they had (T. J.) Hughes or (Nazem) Kadri in the middle, flipped it over to him.”
“It’s like, dude, shoot it.”
“I can’t even remember what he did with it, but whatever he did, it wasn’t shooting it. He had an opportunity for a cross-ice pass to (Nathan) MacKinnon that he passed up.”
“Whatever. I’m watching this game, and they’re skating well, very well, by and large, except for like the end of the second period. And that’s when Toronto crept back into this thing. And yeah, Mackenzie Blackwood needs to make that save on that short-angle shot from Easton Cowan. I mean, that’s like, you’ve got to make that save.”
Avalanche Win Over Maple Leafs Comes With a Warning