3 Takeaways From Avalanche's 5-3 Loss to Bruins – Hockey Writers – Colorado Avalanche

To say the 2024-25 season hasn't gotten off to a great start for the Colorado Avalanche would be an understatement. Being treated well by the Vegas Golden Knights is one thing. A 6-4 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets is another. And being outscored 6-2 by the New York Islanders just made it all feel worse.

Coming into this game against the Boston Bruins, the sense of urgency was palpable. Unfortunately, it's not enough to fix the obvious problems the team is facing. Let's dive in and take a look at the three most important takeaways from the Avalanche's 5-3 loss to the Bruins.

It Wasn't His Fault, But Start Georgiev

In all fairness to Alex Georgiev, he hasn't been nearly as bad for the Bruins as he has otherwise been this season. Even if there are problems with him, they are some of the things that the team needs to work on, but conceding 20 goals in three games to start the season is seen more than anything else.

Related: 3 Things the Avalanche Need to Fix After the Season Opener

Georgiev wasn't great in thought – scoring five goals on 24 shots will do – but the team's defense let him down. There have been so many opportunities this season that Georgiev would have needed a spectacular performance to keep the goal out.

It is very clear that the time for Justus Annunen to start has come. We won't know if he's the answer or not until he plays and the determination to stick with Georgiev at this point is just baffling. The team is in dire need of improvement, and it won't come with Georgiev manning the net.

The Case Is Extremely Unequal

It's hard to ask more of the trio of Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Mikko Rantanen than they have done so far. All three are in the top 10 in scoring: MacKinnon and Rantanen have seven points apiece while Makar sits third in the NHL with eight. They rule as before.

After that, it's about as inconsistent as possible. Ross Colton and Casey Mittelstadt have been good with three points apiece so far. After that, however, it becomes less of a choice. Few of the top scorers have a point, failing to do much on the score sheet as the Avalanche must score five or more goals to be in the playoffs.

The Avalanche also have one of the best power plays in the league, which will help in the long run, but there's only so much the big three can do. MacKinnon is a competitive mind but even the reigning NHL MVP can only do so much to prevent a team from going into a long losing streak.

Team Defense Has Been Bad

While Georgiev will garner some negative attention, the team's defense has been a major concern so far this season. Makar had a bad turnover in the game against the Islanders which led directly to the goal. This time, just look at Charlie Coyle's power play goal late in the first half to see how bad it was for the Avalanche.

David Pastrnak's goal to make it 3-1 is almost identical. Both times, the eventual scorer sneaked into space and easily pressed it into an open net. You can't blame those goals on Georgiev; someone needs to be well aware of the backdoor and at least be cautious. In both cases, it was completely ignored.

Coming into the season, the defense should still be a strong point. Sure, Devon Toews' injury didn't help them but they still gave up a lot of him on the roster. You can't ask Georgiev to get through this tough stretch when the defense is playing as badly as it has been.

Don't Panic, But Definitely Worry

There is enough talent in this team to make a run. MacKinnon, Rantanen, and Makar are good enough to carry this team to the playoffs. That said, it's time to at least start expressing concerns about the rest of the season, especially in a tough division like the Central.

Reinforcements will come eventually but where will the Avalanche stand then? Being dead last in the league is bad enough but a minus-12 goal difference is downright terrifying. Something has to give and it has to happen soon. There's only so much relief in the NHL before things start to get serious.