Wish I could remember what it's like to write something after an Avalanche win, but I haven't seen one in person since Nov. 15 when they defeated Los Angeles at the Pepsi Center.
They've won five times since then in 22 games (5-16-1), with all five wins coming on the road.
The Avalanche lost their fourth in a row and ninth in the past 10 games Monday, dropping a 3-2 decision in Vancouver for the usual reasons: bad penalties, defensive breakdowns, lack of offense.
Colorado has scored two or fewer goals in eight of the past 10 games, in part because the power play has been so inept with needless passing and a baffling reluctance to shoot.
The Avalanche did manage to score a power-play goal -- Mikko Rantanen produced it in the second period -- to end 0-for-25 and 1-for-37 slumps they took into the game.
Tyson Barrie finally scored, too, his first in 19 games, to tie matters 2-2 with a screened wrist shot with 8:18 to play in the third period. Barrie has seven points (six assists) in a five-game scoring streak.
But defenseman Cody Goloubef, who was on the ice or in the penalty box for all three Canucks goals, went off for delay of game with 4:43 to go. Sixty-six seconds later, Sven Baertschi put Vancouver in front to stay with his second goal of the game.
"That whole game I thought we played hard, played a good, solid hockey game except for eight to 10 plays," coach Jared Bednar told reporters. "A couple were needless penalties, a handful of turnovers, and it ends up costing us. We keep talking about it on a daily basis and we keep making the same mistakes.…
Baertschi scored his first goal with 1:45 left in the second period to break a 1-1 tie. The goal came four seconds after Goloubef exited the box after serving a slashing penalty.
"Some of the penalties we're taking, it's getting repetitive, but that's what is biting us every night," Bednar said.
Goloubef and Francois Beauchemin, who seems to be on the ice nearly every time an opponent scores, were on when Bo Horvat beat goalie Calvin Pickard on a 2-on-1 rush at 4:48 of the second period with the first goal of the game.
The two-game trip ends Wednesday in Calgary, where there's really no reason to expect anything to change.