Ever since the blockbuster trade that saw Mikko Rantanen shipped out of town, things just haven’t felt quite right for the Colorado Avalanche. They’ve stumbled out of the gates since the trade, recently dropping a tough 5-2 decision to the New York Islanders.
Heading home to begin a two-game home stand, the Avalanche needed to do something. Thankfully, they came out and immediately buried the St. Louis Blues. Let’s get into the most important takeaways from the Avalanche’s 5-0 win over their division rival.
Drouin Heating Up
When in the lineup, Jonathan Drouin has been a critical piece for the Avalanche. He’s been limited to 20 games so far this season, but he has been around since the turn of the calendar into 2025, which is a positive sign. Offensive performances like the one he had against the Blues are bigger positives.
Drouin scored two of the first three for the Avalanche and assisted on the fourth in a 4-0 first period. In the 15 games since he’s returned to the lineup, Drouin has 12 assists and 14 points. In his last five contests, he has a pair of multi-point games and six total points.
Drouin is going to be needed to take pressure off of Nathan MacKinnon, especially as he prepares for the 4 Nations Face-Off. When Valeri Nichushkin finally makes his way back into the lineup, the Avalanche are going to be one of the deepest and most dangerous teams in the league.
Necas Fitting in Nicely
Though it was painful to lose Rantanen to a trade, getting Martin Necas back has taken away some of the sting. He has points in his last three games and scored his first as a member of the Avalanche on Friday night on a nifty rush up the middle. The Avalanche may not be done with the trades, but getting Necas and Jack Drury back is a better haul than most realize.
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Though there is still a lot that can happen between now and the playoffs, the Avalanche are fighting hard for seeding. The wrong matchup in the first round can be difficult for even the most talented teams to overcome, so every point matters right now.
Necas is going to play a critical role down the stretch. If he can find his offensive output from the beginning of the season on a more offensively-gifted Avalanche roster, it is going to make them more difficult to play against in the long run.
A Night Off for Blackwood
It’s funny how the narrative has shifted so drastically from the beginning of the season. For the first two months, all anyone could talk about was how bad the goaltending situation was. Surely, it would sink any promise the Avalanche showed.
Then Mackenzie Blackwood came to town, and things have become as solid as ever. He was strong on the night, turning aside all 19 shots he faced in what equated to a night off. The Avalanche held the Blues to just five shots in the third period and didn’t allow double digits in any frame.
It’s nice not having to worry about what’s going on in the net. Blackwood has become the stalwart the team has needed and has that “it” factor to him that Alex Georgiev never did. The Avalanche can now focus on other areas rather than what’s going on in the net.
Opportunity Is on the Horizon
Playing in the Central Division means challenges most nights. That said, the schedule opens up a bit in favor of the Avalanche. They get the Philadelphia Flyers, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames (twice), Blues, San Jose Sharks, and Chicago Blackhawks over their next 10 games. They also get a pair against the Minnesota Wild, critical for position jockeying.
Every game matters at this stage, but this is a chance for the Avalanche to get hot again. Take care of business against the teams you are supposed to beat and the five-point gap between you and second-place Dallas Stars will dissipate.
