Avalanche's Bednar after upset win: 'It's time to start building something'
The Colorado Avalanche beat the Chicago Blackhawks. It happened. Friday night.
It was a 2-1 overtime final, Nathan MacKinnon scoring the winner, giving Colorado - last in the NHL with 25 points - its first win in six games and only 12th of the season. But first-year head coach Jared Bednar is hoping it's the turning point of his team's fortunes.
"That was a great team effort from every guy," Bednar said after the game, according to the Denver Post's Mike Chambers. And it came one night after the club was embarrassed 6-0 on home ice by the Toronto Maple Leafs. "To a man, I thought we played the way we need to play. It's time to start building something. What better way to do it than against (Chicago), against (Cory Crawford), in (the United Center) and under the circumstances."
Crawford made his first start since Dec. 1, after undergoing an appendectomy. He stopped 32 shots, but was bettered by Avalanche goalie Calvin Pickard, who stopped 38 of 39 shots with starter Semyon Varlamov out with a groin injury.
"It says a lot about our team," Bednar added. "Now we have to find a way to duplicate that performance and repeat it over and over again. That, to me, is the standard for our team and we have not met it enough."
The outlook remains bleak in Denver, however. Colorado has a league-low 67 goals for, while it's allowed 106. That minus-39 goal differential is worst in the league. A 4-11-1 record at home is also contributing to the team's struggles.
MacKinnon, who's clearly having a hard time with all the losing, still believes in his team.
"It just shows that when we want to play, when we're ready to play, we're a very good team and can play with anybody," the club's leading scorer said.
MacKinnon has nine goals and 14 assists this season.
The club is off for a few days thanks to the holiday break, but much work remains to be done. And the reality may be that this season is already lost.
Colorado ranks 30th in goals for (2) and goals against (3.2), and 25th on the power play (14.7 percent) and penalty kill (79 percent).