There’s a saying in hockey that the sport should really be called “goalie.” If we split it into two parts, the hockey for the Colorado Avalanche is just fine, especially considering the circumstances. And the guys who are in charge of the hockey part believe the goalie half is going to come around. “To be honest, I think we’re actually playing some pretty good hockey,” Avs forward Logan O’Connor said. “I think last game was really good and there’s also definitely things to clean up. It’s the rush coverage, coming back into the zone and figuring out who you’ve got. But I think we’ve done a pretty good job, especially last game, of keeping stuff to the outside. “Offensively, I think we’re earning our chances. We’re playing great at that end of the ice, but we could get in front of the goalie a little more and getting some more traffic. But we’re generating lots of good stuff. There’s a lot of positives despite being 0-2.” It’s very early, and all of the small sample size stipulations apply, but there are plenty of numbers that suggest O’Connor, coach Jared Bednar and the rest of the players who have preached patience after a pair of ugly losses are not wrong. Colorado has scored eight goals in two games, which is obviously good. Doing so despite missing three of its top forwards against Vegas and then four against Columbus could also be a sign the Avalanche can get to the part of the season when the lineup is closer to fully operational without worrying about the offense. The advanced statistics also paint an encouraging picture defensively. Colorado has allowed the third-fewest shot attempts per 60 minutes (CA/60) at 5-on-5 in the league. The Avs have allowed the second-fewest CA/60 on the penalty kill. They are allowing the most goals per 60 at 5-on-5 and second-most on the PK. That’s not all goaltending, but … it’s a huge part of it. 5-on-5 2023-24 Avs NHL rank 2024-25 Avs NHL rank xGF% 51.72 9 58.72 7 CA/60 57.97 12 44.95 3 SCA/60 25.56 9 22.47 7 xGA 162.73 10 2.86 5 GA 167 18 10 32 Save% 0.911 21 0.730 32 Penalty kill 2023-24 Avs NHL rank 2024-25 Avs NHL rank CA/60 110.63 11 55.24 2 SCA/60 56.65 11 46.04 8 xGA 62.39 26 1.26 13 GA 53 T-8 3 T-27 Save% 0.867 12 0.400 30 Key: xGF% = expected goals for percentage; CA/60 = shot attempts against per 60 minutes; SCA/60 = scoring chances against per 60 minutes; xGA = expected goals against; GA = goals against Source: Natural Stat Trick “There’s a lot of things that we took major steps in (against Columbus),” Bednar said. “It was frustrating, because there’s some goals that went in that weren’t great scoring chances, and it’s hard to win in this league like that, especially when you’re shorthanded. But you’ve got to call it what it is. We talked to our goalies, we know they’re going to be better.” The Avs had a few significant defensive lapses against Vegas in the opener, and the timing of them was brutal. Colorado had fewer against Columbus, but there was still another goal against where the rush coverage in front of the goalie should have been better. When a team likes to play with the puck as much as the Avs do, defending counter-attacks well has to be a staple. It hasn’t been, but even a few of those goals allowed were ones Alexandar Georgiev or Justus Annunen will stop when they are playing at their expected level. “We’re going to keep doing everything we can in front of them and developing those habits and taking care of the right areas of the ice,” Bednar said. “And those habits can pay dividends, even if you’re going through some tough stretch like we are right now after two games. The more you hone in on those habits and realize how important they are, they’ll help turn the tide for you eventually.” Related Articles Colorado Avalanche | For depleted Avalanche, Josh Manson’s skill set, consistency make him even more critical Colorado Avalanche | With another rough goaltending performance, Avalanche drops second straight to start season 0-2 Colorado Avalanche | From one MVP to another: Nikola Jokic presents Nathan MacKinnon with Hart Trophy ahead of Avalanche home opener Colorado Avalanche | Ex-Avs defenseman Jack Johnson is back home, ready to help rebuilding Blue Jackets Colorado Avalanche | Avalanche faces more roster uncertainty after Jonathan Drouin injury, new goalie addition Bednar intimated that Georgiev will start again Monday against the New York Islanders. The Avalanche is top-10 in the NHL in expected goals for percentage at 5-on-5, but has been outscored 10-4. Colorado has yielded just five shots on goal while shorthanded, but three of them have gone in. Every team wants to focus on the process instead of the results, and certainly this early in the season. Some of the concerns about what this might look like without the key forwards who are missing might be eased, for now, but the path forward remains pretty simple. One of the goalies has to start making more saves. Both, ideally. And then the process can produce the results the Avs are looking for. “If you’re 8-6 and you lose two in a row the way we just lost, we wouldn’t think twice about it, right?” Bednar said. “But it is … that’s where we are. There’s a sense of urgency, which I like. I don’t think it hurts you to kind of get driven into, like digging into the guts of your game right away. That’s not a bad thing.” FOOTNOTES: Devon Toews and Miles Wood did not practice Sunday. Bednar said it was a maintenance day for both. Nathan MacKinnon said Nikola Jokic’s participation in the pregame ceremony Saturday night was a surprise to him, and also “awesome.” Want more Avalanche news? Sign up for the Avalanche Insider to get all our NHL analysis.