It is easy to second guess or to play Monday morning quarterback after the fact, but the Colorado Avalanche needed to address their goaltending position at the trade deadline. Ultimately, not upgrading that position cost them the series against the Dallas Stars. Now, you cannot put all the blame on Michael Hutchinson. Hutchinson did his best, but it should not have come down to Hutchinson at all.
Having someone other than Pavel Francouz to backup Philipp Grubauer is what hurt the Avalanche the most. Just like with every team in the playoffs, it comes down to goaltending. With tandems being the way of the world, Colorado did not the goaltending tandem to carry them further in the playoffs.
Colorado Avalanche Goaltending
It is hard to foresee Grubauer or Francouz getting hurt, but that is something the team needed to prepare for. Considering Grubauer missed time during the regular season, you just had a feeling he would not make it through the playoffs. And Grubauer was playing well for the Avalanche before he went down to injury.
In seven games in the postseason, Grubauer won five games with a 1.87 goals-against average and .922 save percentage. But he went down in Game 1 of the series against the Stars, and it took the wind out of the sails of the Avalanche. They never seem to recover, especially in that game.
Enter Pavel Francouz. Francouz was solid for the Avalanche during the regular season filling in for Grubauer. In 31 games played he won 21 with a 2.41 goals-against average and .923 save percentage. However, getting thrown into the playoffs is a different animal. In six games, Francouz had a record of 2-4 with a 3.23 goals-against average and .892 save percentage before getting injured. Those numbers are just not good enough for the Avalanche. They needed more.
Then there is former Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Michael Hutchinson. Hutchinson played the final three games of the series. The only loss on his record is the one that hurts the most: Game 7. However, in games 5 and 6, Hutchinson was solid, but that’s because Colorado’s defence protected him. That was missing in their game in Game 7. Hutchinson’s numbers were respectable with a 2.10 goals-against average and .910 save percentage.
Colorado’s Defence Non-Existent
One of the big things that separated Colorado from others in the field was their defence. Again injuries played a role as Erik Johnson was banged up for most of the series, but one thing is for certain, there were too many puck-watchers especially on the series-clinching goal for Joel Kiviranta.
As you can see there are five Avalanche players watching Andrej Sekera behind the net with the puck. This allows Kiviranta to get open and end the series and propel Dallas to the Western Conference Final. That is not the structure Jared Bednar set up in Colorado. Having your back to your opponent always ends badly. And Colorado was doing that too much during the series. That is just not a receipt for success.
During their series against the Arizona Coyotes, the Avalanche played with more structure. However, once the Stars big boys started to step up, Colorado’s defence had no answers. All eyes will be on Cale Makar. However, you can’t put all the blame on Makar for how poorly the Avalanche played defensively outside of games 5 and 6. Sure he did have his mistakes, but the fact of the matter is Colorado let Dallas control play in their zone in every game. Even in the games they won.
Nathan MacKinnon Is A Superstar
One thing Colorado should take out of these playoffs is that Nathan MacKinnon is a superstar. Before exiting the playoffs, MacKinnon had 25 points, which led all players. In addition, MacKinnon was on a 14-game point streak before it was snapped in Game 7. MacKinnon did everything for the Avalanche offensively and the Stars knew it.
Dallas wanted other players to beat them, and MacKinnon showed why he is one of the best players in the world. Now the debate is: who is the best, MacKinnon or Connor McDavid? Based on recency bias it is MacKinnon; you are judged on what you do in the playoffs and MacKinnon has shown he can carry a team.
However, unlike other sports, hockey is the ultimate team game. It does not matter if MacKinnon is a superstar, he can’t do it alone. You need others to step up. As we wrote earlier in the series, the secondary scoring needed to step up Colorado. Sure enough, they did at times.
Players like Vladislav Namestnikov, Valeri Nichushkin, and Nazem Kadri all played a role for Colorado in their comeback from 3-1 down in the series. Heck Namestnikov had two goals in Game 7 and it was not enough. Poor play in front of Hutchinson and Hutchinson’s inability to stop the puck hurt the Avalanche the most.
Going Forward
As the old saying goes, you need to learn to lose before you can win. That is something the Avalanche have done enough of. Colorado has a good team to make another deep run in the Stanley Cup playoffs next season. One is the Colorado Avalanche must address their goaltending. They need a suitable backup for Grubauer as neither Francouz nor Hutchinson is the answer.
If Colorado has a goalie tandem like other teams in the league, they will be able to have continued success. Another thing is to tighten up their defensive structure. And finally, get even more help for MacKinnon. Having the ability to roll out four scoring lines is crucial, but especially in the playoffs. But the future is very bright for the Colorado Avalanche.
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