Despite the OT loss, Jared Bednar was happy with the Avs’ performance Tuesday

The Colorado Avalanche fell short against the Minnesota Wild 2-1 in a shootout Tuesday. On the second night of a back-to-back against a tough divisional opponent, the Avalanche were never able to consistently find their legs in the loss.

The team didn’t arrive in Minnesota until around 4:00 a.m. local time on Tuesday after Monday’s victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. The fatigue was clear on the ice as the team scored just one goal thanks to Joel Kiviranta and the third line.

Sounds like the Avs flight leaving Denver was delayed considerably so they didn’t get in until around 4 a.m.

All things considered, Bednar was happy with how they battled and defended. Really liked their checking game.

Mentioned they were “a little reluctant to shoot at times.”

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Despite the fatigue and other complications, being able to get one point out of Tuesdays’s game was very important for Colorado, who still holds a three-point lead over the Wild for third place in the Central Division.

Knowing the circumstances, Avs head coach Jared Bednar was pleased with his team’s performance.

“I liked our team’s game tonight a lot, actually,” Bednar said postgame. “I thought we did a really nice job with our checking game, and still were able to carve out some good chances… Overall we checked hard and we worked hard to create offense too so I thought it was a really good hockey game on both sides.”

Getting three out of four possible points on a back-to-back is always a success in the NHL, even after a tough overtime loss like last night.

In overtime, the Wild played keep away for almost the entire five-minute period and practically played for a shootout. Once there, Minnesota was able to make the plays that Colorado wasn’t, winning the shootout 2-0.

“Once it goes to a shootout, it’s a shootout. It is what it is,” Bednar said.

The Avalanche are now 1-2 in shootouts this season, and Tuesday’s performance wasn’t a convincing sign that anything will be changing soon. Good news is, there are no shootouts in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, just five-on-five hockey (the Avalanche have a +4 goal differential at even strength this year).

Next up for the Avs is a matchup with the Calgary Flames on Friday night. The Flames are barely holding onto the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.