The Colorado Avalanche took a tough descent last night against the Vegas Golden Knights at home, falling 3-1. It was one of those games where you felt the altitude draining the guys, especially in the third period. Ross Colton got us on the board in the first, a nice clean shot from Brandon Burns and Nazem Kadri that felt like we were setting the pace. But then the third period hit, and it was like the Golden Knights found a fresh line and we were still trying to catch our breath. Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev both found the net, with Barbashev icing it with an empty-netter. The shots were close, 25-30, but the momentum shifted hard against us.
It felt like the Colorado Avalanche just couldn't quite find that extra gear. You see moments of brilliance, like Cale Makar dancing through traffic, but the puck just wasn’t bouncing our way when it mattered. Those third-period goals from the Golden Knights, first Eichel, then Barbashev with an assist from Eichel, really took the wind out of Ball Arena. It's a tough pill to swallow when you're used to seeing the Avs close out games at home, but every team has days when the terrain just isn't cooperating. It's not a panic situation, but it's definitely a wake-up call to tighten things up.
Looking ahead, this loss doesn't change much in the standings for the Colorado Avalanche right now — we're still sitting pretty at 1st in the Central with 121 points. Our last 10 has been solid at 7-2-1, but you can't get complacent. This is a reminder that even when you've reached the summit, there's always another peak to climb, and every step counts. We’ve got a couple days to regroup before the next one, and I expect the team to come out with that renewed focus. Folks grabbing coffee at Snooze on Broadway this morning are definitely feeling that familiar sting of a home loss, but we know this team's got the grit.
Altitude hockey — the air is thin and the Avs are here. Vanny out.
The crew on the morning show is digging into this one, you should check 'em out live at mornings.live.