Avalanche falls 3-1 as Canucks’ Kiefer Sherwood, Thatcher Demko handle Colorado

The Colorado Avalanche has collected Miles Wood, Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood in the past 18 months, but maybe the lumber-adjacent hoarding shouldn’t be done yet.

Kiefer Sherwood doesn’t play for the Avs, and he burned them Monday night. Sherwood had all three goals to help the Vancouver Canucks dispatch the Avs, 3-1, at Rogers Centre. He scored in each period — at even strength, shorthanded and then into the empty net to seal Colorado’s fate.

The Avs had one significant chunk of play in the second period where they really pressured Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko, but this wasn’t like the first trip north of the border, to Winnipeg, when Colorado dominated and Connor Hellebuyck just put on a show. Demko was very good when he needed to be, but the Avs could have made his night more difficult.

Here are some other observations from the first of a three-game Pacific time zone road trip:

1. The power play had a huge role in keeping the Avalanche afloat early in this season. It was always going to regress at some point, but this has become a pretty epic slump. Dating back to a Nov. 11 win against Carolina, the Avs are 5 for 48 with the extra man. They’ve also now allowed two shorthanded goals, so Colorado is plus-three on the power play in the past 18 games.

The Avs scored 18 times and allowed one shorthanded goal in the first 15 games of the season. Nothing about the power play was particularly good in Vancouver. Colorado had just seven shot attempts in eight minutes and allowed two, including the breakaway goal for Sherwood.

Four shots on goal, or one per power play, worked once this year when the Avs were cooking — they scored on all three. One shot on goal, and barely more than one shot attempt per opportunity when it’s not going well is not nearly enough.

The Avs were still eighth in the league in goals scored per 60 minutes on the power play before this game, but they were down to 21st in shots on goal per 60, and that certainly didn’t improve against the Canucks.

2. Another pretty strong game for Mackenzie Blackwood in net. He didn’t get enough help after he stopped the initial shot on the first goal. Calvin de Haan was battling with Sherwood in the corner and then got beat to the front of the net by the Canucks forward. Second one was a shorthanded breakaway.

The Canucks generated 3.34 expected goals, per Natural Stat Trick. Jared Bednar & Co. will take that type of performance from the goaltender every night.

3. Tye Felhaber, signed to an NHL contract Sunday, made his debut Monday. He became the eighth player to make his NHL (regular-season) debut with Colorado this season. It’s seven if we don’t count Nikolai Kovalenko, who officially debuted during the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. That’s still a lot.

Felhaber, who nearly scored his first goal early in the second period, is also the 36th different player to appear in a game for the Avs this season. They’ve only played 33 games. The Avs used 37 players all of last season (38 including Kovalenko).

Three rookie forwards made the team out of training camp (Kovalenko, Ivan Ivan and Calum Ritchie) and five forwards have played for the Avs and the Colorado Eagles in the AHL. Not among them: 2021 first-round pick Oskar Olausson or offseason addition Jere Innala.

4. The Avs need Josh Manson back ASAP. He’s on the trip, and Jared Bednar said he could play in one of the California games. Whether he rejoins Samuel Girard on the second pairing or just helps upgrade the third pair, Manson would be a big help right now.

Want more Avalanche news? Sign up for the Avalanche Insider to get all our NHL analysis.