Avalanche collapse in 4-3 loss to Oilers after taking early 3-0 lead

The Colorado Avalanche were up 3-0 early on Thursday night against the Edmonton Oilers and Ball Arena was ready to party.

Unfortunately, the good times ended early.

The Avs collapsed, blowing the lead to the Oilers and losing 4-3, sending the fans home unhappy.

Tied 3-3 entering the third period, superstar defenseman Cale Makar couldn’t convert a couple of prime opportunities, and Edmonton defenseman Evan Bouchard eventually beat Colorado goalie Mackenzie Blackwood clean with fewer than seven minutes to go.

The Avalanche had some chances to tie the game late, but couldn’t get it done with Blackwood on the bench. The buzzer sounded for a stinging loss.

It certainly was a tale of two periods to start.

The Avalanche came out flying, with Logan O’Connor kicking off the scoring and dangling the puck across the crease to beat Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner. Then, the best player in the world did best player in the world things.

Nathan MacKinnon scored not one, but two first period goals to give Colorado a 3-0 lead fewer than 12 minutes into the game. His first goal was a patented MacKinnon snipe and on the second one he made Bouchard look silly. The reigning Hart Trophy winner has the ability to do that, and the finish on this goal was ridiculously good.

EWWW 🥵

There's no stopping Nathan MacKinnon when he picks up steam like that.

📺: @espn ➡️ https://t.co/S5tPrXCygm pic.twitter.com/yzybyxrH5E

— NHL (@NHL) January 17, 2025

The Oilers got one back late in the first period to stall the momentum and send things to the intermission at 3-1 Avs.

In the second period Edmonton looked fast and Colorado was flat. Brett Kulak made it 3-2 on a shot that Blackwood never had a chance at seeing. And then the second best player in the world in Connor McDavid tied things 3-3.

It was the first time in a Colorado sweater that Blackwood had given up at least three goals, allowing just one or two in his first 12 appearances. But this one wasn’t Blackwood’s fault, as the Avs got blitzed and left their goalie out to dry on several occasions.

After the game, head coach Jared Bednar pointed to the lackluster second period as the reason his team lost.

Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar was not real thrilled with his team’s inability to stop Edmonton’s momentum in the second period. That was the difference in the game. pic.twitter.com/2znhx1APaG

— Will Petersen (@PetersenWill) January 17, 2025

The Avalanche are now 27-18-1 on the season, good for 55 points and the top wild card spot in the Western Conference. They’re 6-3-1 in their last 10 games, but something still doesn’t look quite right. Colorado’s power play has been brutal, and they were 0-2 on Thursday.

The good news is a five-game homestand continues, with Dallas coming to town on Saturday afternoon. Makar says they’ll need to be ready to go with a quick turnaround.

Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar says that’s how the team needs to start every game… and they also have to flush this one quickly because they’ve got a quick turnaround with a Saturday afternoon game. pic.twitter.com/ArxYmXTn5B

— Will Petersen (@PetersenWill) January 17, 2025

And hopefully, if the Avalanche get out to a quick lead against Dallas, this time they won’t take the foot off the gas.