Mistakes and unfortunate bounces cost the Avalanche a win with less than a minute left in the game.

The 4-3 loss to the Nashville Predators on Monday night was a sheer example of why it's important for the Colorado Avalanche to be on point for a full 60 minutes. 

"Obviously, unfortunate result when you play that hard and you're in a position to win the hockey game with two minutes left," Bednar said after the loss. "We failed to get a few pucks out, failed to block a couple shots like with the 6-on-5." 

The energy and flow of the game was fairly evenly matched between the teams as they exchanged goals through the first two periods. 

Andrew Cogliano scored a shorthanded goal six minutes into the first. Nashville's Filip Forsberg responded to tie it up with less than a minute left in the period. 

The Preds advanced with a goal from Jeremy Lauzon nearly four minutes into the second period. Devon Toews tied it back up with a blast from the point past Nashville's goaltender Juuse Saros five minutes later. Valeri Nichushkin earned his second point of the night with a goal to take the lead 13:33 into the middle frame. 

The Avs held on until the last minute of the game. Bowen Byram blocked a shot which took a high bounce back to Forsberg. He skated it in and passed it to Colton Sissons, who took a shot and Forsberg knocked the rebound into the back of the net out of midair. 

Sixteen seconds later, Yakov Trenin scored the game winner after Cale Makar banked it off the boards and it took a bounce right back in front of Alexandar Georgiev. Cole Smith grabbed it, shot it and Trenin stuffed the rebound past Jack Johnson who was next to Georgiev in the crease. 

"Lots to like, I thought that we were competitive in a bunch of different areas — blocked some shots, took care of the net front — they throw a lot of pucks in there, put bodies in there, we cleared a lot of them," Bednar said. "Georgie (Georgiev) was playing great. Yeah, it's the ending, right? It's all I can think about is the ending. Didn't handle that very well."

It was a heartbreaking loss for the Avalanche who outshot the Predators in the first two periods. Cale Makar had three assists in the game which put him in the third spot on the franchise's list of most assists by a defenseman. 

"We know our assignments, we've gone through it. Just that little desperation to finish it or get the puck out just wasn't there, and not all on the same page with it," Devon Toews said after the loss. "Pretty good game from us for the most part, just clean up a couple things and a few mistakes that hurt us, a couple missed assignments hurt us. Sometimes you get away with those, sometimes you don't." 

It was Ryan Johansen's first game against his former club but he didn't get on the board in the matchup. 

Bednar said after the game that Samuel Girard left the team for personal reasons. The team announced that Jack Ahcan was reassigned to the Colorado Eagles on Tuesday morning. 

Colorado will face the Vancouver Canucks Wednesday night back home at Ball Arena.