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“Wasn’t a great first, it got worse in the second. Yeah, if you want to hand out like badges for good effort and stuff like that, I think we’re beyond that. Effort for 20 minutes and doing the right things for 20 minutes isn’t good enough.”<\/p>\n
When asked if there were any positives to take, Bednar didn\u2019t hesitate to shut that down.<\/p>\n
“Close as I get to a positive is what we just talked about. Again, we’re past that. If this was the start of the season; we’re making all sorts of mistakes…and build on what we did in the third period, is like trying to get a standard of play and the way you need to play an exhibition with a bunch of kids, but not now.<\/p>\n
“I think if we’re making excuses for that performance, it’s gonna be a short run.”<\/p>\n
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To put it plainly: everything.<\/p>\n
Mackenzie Blackwood got the start and allowed six goals on 19 shots, with several falling into the category of stoppable. But the defensive structure in front of him was just as culpable, repeatedly breaking down and leaving Grade-A looks unchecked.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s one of 20. That\u2019s all I can say,\u201d Bednar said. \u201cOne of 20 guys that wasn\u2019t good enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sam Malinski scored twice, while Nathan MacKinnon, Gabe Landeskog, Brent Burns, and Parker Kelly each added a goal. After falling behind 6\u20132 and pulling Blackwood, Colorado mounted an impressive rally to tie the game at 6\u20136.<\/p>\n
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Then, much like the revamped power play from the last month, it vanished.<\/p>\n
Just 23 seconds after the equalizer, Marcus Pettersson \u2014 without a goal since November \u2014 restored Vancouver\u2019s lead, a backbreaking sequence that perfectly encapsulated Colorado\u2019s night. An empty-netter followed to seal it.<\/p>\n
The Avalanche missed a chance to take another step toward clinching the Central Division with a win over the Dallas Stars on Saturday. They remain firmly in control, but a performance like this \u2014 against the worst team in the league \u2014 does nothing to inspire confidence. If anything, it amplifies the inconsistencies that have lingered beneath the surface all season.<\/p>\n
Vancouver struck on the opening shift, setting the tone immediately. Nathan MacKinnon answered less than a minute later with his 50th goal of the season, becoming the first player in the NHL to reach the milestone this year.<\/p>\n
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But the response didn\u2019t spark stability.<\/p>\n
The Canucks regained control before the first intermission, scoring on both the power play and while shorthanded. Colorado managed to hang around with a late goal, but the warning signs were already there.<\/p>\n
They only intensified in the second.<\/p>\n
Vancouver poured in three unanswered goals, chasing Blackwood from the game. At the time of the third tally, the Avalanche had just three shots in the period \u2014 a telling snapshot of a team disconnected in all three zones. Defensive coverage was loose, the forecheck ineffective, and nearly every dangerous look against ended up in the net.<\/p>\n
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Then, suddenly, life.<\/p>\n
Malinski opened the third-period scoring after Scott Wedgewood took over in relief. Fourteen seconds in, Parker Kelly struck to cut the deficit to two. Brent Burns made it a one-goal game at 13:21, and Malinski completed the comeback at 13:58, tying it 6\u20136.<\/p>\n
Ball Arena came alive. Momentum had fully flipped. The Avalanche had erased a four-goal deficit.<\/p>\n
And then, just as quickly, it was gone.<\/p>\n
Twenty-three seconds later, Vancouver answered to reclaim the lead \u2014 and that was all she wrote.<\/p>\n
If Colorado has any intention of making a deep playoff run, this has to be a wake-up call. Cale Makar\u2019s absence is notable, but as Bednar made clear, it\u2019s no excuse. Not now. Not with the postseason looming.<\/p>\n
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Because if this version of the Avalanche shows up in two weeks, Bednar\u2019s warning may prove prophetic: it will be a short run.<\/p>\n
![\"Image\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/12cb1affacf953d3ca5264a94fed7831.jpeg\"\/)
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