Not much positive to say about the Avalanche's latest loss, 4-2 to Arizona on Tuesday at the Pepsi Center on what turned out to be a depressing birthday for me -- and for the U.S as far as I'm concerned.
But first, the Avalanche had a moment of silence and a nice video tribute before the game for Marek Svatos, who passed away at age 34 last weekend.
We took some time before the game to remember one of our own tonight.
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) November 9, 2016
Thanks for everything, Svats. pic.twitter.com/RkVVljcJVN
As for the game, Nathan MacKinnon scored his first goal since the season opener that gave the Avalanche a 2-1 lead in the second period, a lead that lasted all of 10 minutes.
The same poor decisions and lapses at both ends of the ice that have been prevalent in all seven losses (and in some of the five wins) cost the Avalanche against a Coyotes team that lost six of its previous seven road games.
Jordan Martinook, who had gone five games without a point, scored 28 seconds into the first period after Tyson Barrie's shot was blocked at the Arizona blue line, and he scored a power-play goal 11 seconds into the third after Erik Johnson moved into the neutral zone to check Max Domi.
Both goals were scored on odd-man rushes.
"First period, I think we gave up five (outnumbered attacks)," coach Jared Bednar said. "We kind of have a motto, 'We'll give you one per period -- three.' We try to be under four per game and we gave up five in the first period.
"The one to start the third, we were killing a penalty. We just made a poor decision, dive outside and they just execute the play and it's in the back of our net. It was just a bad read. Most of them are bad reads. Usually when you're giving up an odd-man rush, it's a bad read by either the defense or your (forward)."
Bednar is frustrated by the fact that the same mistakes are being made game after game, many of them by the so-called "core" that was supposed to raise its level of play this season. These guys have been in the NHL long enough to know better.
"It's something that we're addressing, and we have to get better at," Bednar said. "It's reads that we can't make, especially as veteran guys that have been around the league and understand the league. We have to be better in those areas."
Goalie Calvin Pickard, who won his first three starts with a 1.50 goals-against average and .946 save percentage, finished with 21 saves.
"I put my team behind the 8-ball quick, (28) seconds in," Pickard said. "I liked the way we responded after that and I was comfortable with the way I responded as well. We get a couple quick ones in the second and all of a sudden it's 3-2. They get a couple bounces and they get that one quick in the third and we just couldn't recover.
"That's hockey, There's going to be bounces that go your way and some that go like that. I'm a firm believer in that it works both ways and that you earn your bounces. I have to be better for my team."
The Avalanche, who have lost four of the past five games, didn't practice Wednesday. They'll return to the ice Thursday to prepare for Friday's home game against Winnipeg, which plays in Arizona on Thursday night.