There are days when you wake up and feel something off. You got a full night’s rest but are still tired, and you spill your morning coffee on your white shirt before you even leave the house. You have to change, making yourself late for work, get stuck behind the garbage truck, and then when you’re on your way home, and you think the day is finally behind you, you get a flat tire. I’m not, nor have ever been a professional sports athlete, but by the way the Avs looked on Monday’s matchup against the Boston Bruins, it is apparent that those days can translate onto the ice.
The vibe already felt off with an 11 am start on a Monday. Boston came out on the attack and put one on the board a few minutes into the game. It only spiraled from there. The Avs got outskated, outshot, and outplayed. The chemistry was not there, and the Avs fell 5-1. Halfway through the second, the Avs were down 2-0 and got a quick power-play goal by MacKinnon, and it felt like the Avs were on the verge of another glorious comeback. However, less than two minutes later, Boston’s Pastrnak scored to give them the two-goal advantage once again. Minutes later, Boston tallied another goal for a commanding 4-1 lead going into the third. In the final period, an early power-play goal put the Bruins up 5-1, with all hopes of a comeback shattered.
As captain Landy put it in his post-game interview, the Avs did not bring their A-game, “not even our B-game.” The Bruins are clinging to a playoff spot, were desperate, and earned the win. The Avs have a comfortable ten-point divisional lead, but there is still a lot of hockey left to play, and they can’t afford to get too relaxed. The Avs will face off next against the Red Wings, who are attempting to claw their way up in the standings to get the last wild card spot in the east, and we can expect that they will bring the same hungry attitude that Boston demonstrated. Even with a cushioned lead, the Avs can’t relent. With 32 games left to play, a lot can still happen. The Avs will likely revisit footage from the game to correct mistakes, but they will have to put the loss behind them, as I will do at the end of this post.
Despite the sting of the loss, the good news is this poor level of play is unusual for the Avs. The Avs currently sit on the top of the league with 76 points, and they have not gotten there by mistake. Their play has been electric, giving fans an entertaining show every time they skate onto the ice. We have become accustomed to greatness, so when the Avs not only fall short but have a blowout loss to a club that is vying for a playoff spot, it feels shocking. Winning is addictive, and we have come to expect the Avs to win every game. However, the NHL season is long and arduous, and the expectation of winning them all is not even close to accurate, but with how well the Avs can play, it feels like it could be.
I should expect to see them back to their standard of play on Wednesday night. Just like that stained white shirt, the coffee will (hopefully) come out in the wash, your flat tire will get fixed, and tomorrow you will be on time to work with your coffee still full. Some days you just stink, and that is ok. Tomorrow will be better.
***
On an unrelated and belated note, my husband outdid himself this Valentine’s Day and had a surprise visitor come to my day job on Valentine’s: Bernie! I don’t think it could get much better than a Bernie Gram. I suspect the only thing that could top it is if it had been an Avs player, but given how I do with celebrity encounters, a man dressed in a dog costume is for the best. Thank you, Peter! ❤️