Poor starts and a lack of offense have been glaring problems during the Avalanche’s 2 1-2 week-long slump.
They’ve gone 1-5-1 after their 7-0-1 start and slipped into third place in the Central Division, two points behind the Nashville Predators, who visit the Pepsi Center on Thursday.
The Avalanche, which lost 4-1 in Dallas on Tuesday, combined for two goals in the past three games, with seven goals during a five-game (0-4-1) winless streak.
“We have to find whatever it is that’s going to make us start games better,… Tyson Jost said Wednesday following an optional skills practice. “Maybe it’s a mentality thing, maybe it’s preparation, who knows? Each and every guy has got to do something to be ready to rumble when the puck drops.
“You look at our last four, maybe five games, our starts have been pretty brutal. We know we’re a good team, we know we’re capable of more. It’s a little bit of a hole right now, but we just have to be confident in our ability, confident we can win hockey games.
“I believe we’ll come out of this as a better team. We’ll figure it out, we’ll be OK. We have a really strong group in here, it’s a fun team to be around, and we just have to keep plugging away.…
That’s pretty much what Jost is trying to do. He’s gone seven games without a point since collecting his first NHL hat trick Oct. 19 against Tampa Bay.
“The points haven’t been there, but I’m definitely getting chances and I’m creating stuff,… said Jost, who has five points (four goals, one assist) in 15 games. “I mean, I’d be silly not to say I’m a little bit frustrated when stuff isn’t going in, but I am happy with what I’m creating, and I’m playing good defensively too.
“I have to capitalize on some of my opportunities, but it’d definitely would be more frustrating if I wasn’t getting those opportunities.…
Coach Jared Bednar said he’ll continue to experiment with the lines, trying to find combinations that can start generating offense in the absence of injured forwards Gabriel Landeskog, Mikko Rantanen and Colin Wilson.
“Finding some offense is going to be a key for us, for sure, and still making sure we’re putting enough importance on the checking aspect, too, because we haven’t been great in that area,… he said.
“I think our forwards are disconnected from the D in our five-on-five play. There’s too much D working on their own, forwards working on their own. We’ve got to bridge the gap and the space between our forwards and our D and get more connected as a group.…
Bednar said forward Jayson Megna has been reassigned to the Colorado Eagles, and that another player would be recalled. Megna averaged 5:18 in ice time in four games.
“We’re looking for a spark,… he said.