Avalanche get badly outshot by Devils, lose again and are now in a funk

The Colorado Avalanche are in a funk.

And even though it’s the middle of October, this is one is a little concerning.

The Avs looked old and slow against the Devils on Tuesday night in a frustrating 4-3 loss. New Jersey outshot Colorado 41-33, but that margin was 32-13 through two periods before a more desperate Avalanche team showed up in the third period.

Still it wasn’t enough as Colorado scored in the first and didn’t find the back of the net again until two times very late in the third. The Avs first goal was nice, Cale Makar dancing to set up Gabriel Landeskog for the finish, but that wasn’t the story of the contest.

Much like they did on Monday night against the Flyers, the Avalanche seemed stuck in the mud the majority of the game.

They’re now 5-4-1 on the season after a promising start through two games, outscoring the Kings and Blues by a margin of 14-5. But Colorado is only 3-4-1 over their last eight games and lost both on a swing out East to Philadelphia and New Jersey.

The loss to the Devils wasn’t Scott Wedgewood’s fault. The backup goaltender made 37 saves and allowed three to get behind him. New Jersey scored an empty-netter before Artturi Lehkonen tallied two for the Avalanche at the end. Unfortunately, the game was out of reach at that point, as Lehkonen’s second to make it 4-3 came with 3.5 seconds left.

Again, it’s early in a season with Stanley Cup expectations. No one should be pushing the panic button — but it’s something to keep an eye on.

Head coach Jared Bednar is locked in with a contract extension, Makar has the biggest deal in the NHL and fans are hoping for another parade this summer.

It may happen, but the Avalanche are officially in a slump.

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