Watching the Colorado Avalanche on the road lately has been a pretty good way to catch up on some sleep.

Their last three road games have been tough to sit through, and Sunday’s 5-3 loss to the Nashville Predators was another performance they’d probably like to forget.

Colorado had the rest advantage heading into the matchup, with Nashville playing the second half of a back-to-back. You wouldn’t have known it by watching the game. The Predators looked quicker, more aggressive, and far more prepared, outshooting the Avalanche 35-21 and jumping out to a 5-0 lead before Colorado finally showed some life.

The problems went well beyond a slow start. The penalty kill gave up four power-play goals, while Colorado’s supposedly improved power play struggled to record a single shot on goal across four opportunities. That’s a rough combination for a team with this much talent.

And the offense? There wasn’t much to speak of for most of the night. Colorado kept trying to carry the puck through the middle, even when Nashville had those lanes completely shut down. There was little creativity, not much movement, and very few plays that made you think the Avalanche were about to turn things around.

Captain Gabriel Landeskog didn’t try to dress it up afterward, either. He summed up the team’s performance by saying they “just sucked.” It’s hard to argue with that assessment after a performance like this.

Head coach Jared Bednar was just as frustrated, especially considering Colorado had a rest advantage heading into the game. As reported by Russell Vannozzi of NHL.com, Bednar said:

“We should have been the team with more energy … with (Nashville) playing the back-to-back on the road and us here waiting for them. It looked like it was the exact opposite. Some of the things we talked about was using our skating to check and to attack, and we looked like we were the more sluggish group. The second thing we talked about was making sure we stayed out of the penalty box, and that was the exact opposite too.”

It’s hard to argue with Bednar’s assessment. Colorado looked like the tired team, and the mistakes piled up from there.

The penalty kill was one of the biggest reasons this game got away from Colorado. Nashville scored on four of its seven power-play chances, putting the Avalanche in a hole they couldn’t climb out of.

That kind of performance was especially surprising considering how well Colorado had handled opposing power plays earlier in the season. Heading into Sunday’s game, the Avalanche had killed off 82.8% of their penalties, putting them among the better teams in the league.

Of course, one bad night doesn’t erase the work they’ve done so far. Even good penalty-killing units have games where nothing seems to go right. But giving up four power-play goals in one game is hard to overlook, and Colorado will need a much better effort the next time it finds itself shorthanded.

The power play wasn’t much better. The Avalanche had four chances of their own but couldn’t record a shot on goal. For a team loaded with offensive talent, that’s simply not good enough.

The bigger concern might be that Colorado’s scoring has cooled off considerably after a fast start to the season.

Colorado came out firing to start the season, putting up 23 goals in its first four games. The offense has cooled off since then, with 26 goals across the next eight contests and a 3-4-1 record to show for it.

Colorado has also scored three goals or fewer in six of its last eight games. That might not sound like a major issue for most teams, but for a team with glaring defensive issues, now is the wrong time to be lacking in that facet of the game. 

Against Nashville, the problem wasn’t just finishing chances. Colorado struggled to create them in the first place. When the middle of the ice was clogged, the Avalanche kept trying to force their way through instead of finding another route to the net. The lack of creativity made things far too easy for the Predators.

They eventually scored three goals, but most of that damage came after Nashville had already built a five-goal cushion. By then, the game was all but out of reach.

The bigger concern is that this doesn’t feel like one bad game or even a rough stretch. Something about this Avalanche team looks different, and not in a good way.

Last season, Colorado led the NHL in goals scored and goals allowed. They could overwhelm teams offensively, keep opponents pinned in their own end, and pile up shots almost at will. Even when the Avalanche weren’t playing their best, they could usually take control of a game through their speed and offensive pressure.

That hasn’t been the case this season. Colorado isn’t consistently outshooting opponents, even in games it wins. The offense has gone quiet for stretches, and the defensive problems that showed up last season are becoming much harder to ignore now that the goals aren’t coming as easily.

The Avalanche also seem to be missing some important pieces of their identity. Valeri Nichushkin’s presence around the net is difficult to replace, while Jack Drury and Ross Colton bring a level of grit and physicality that this lineup could use more of. Those things don’t always show up on the scoresheet, but they matter when games get ugly and the easy goals dry up.

Then there’s Sam Malinski, who looked like he was taking a real step forward last season but hasn’t seemed like the same player lately. It’s almost as if last year’s version of him got left behind in a time portal. 

Colorado still has plenty of talent, so it’s too early to write this team off. But right now, the Avalanche don’t look like the group we’ve grown used to watching over the last few years. The shots aren’t piling up, the defense is giving up too much, and the offense hasn’t been consistent enough to cover for those mistakes.

That’s what makes the recent struggles concerning. When Colorado was scoring at a ridiculous pace, it could get away with some defensive mistakes. Now that the offense has cooled off, those same issues are front and center.

The Avalanche can’t afford to let performances like this become a habit. The talent is there, but the effort, execution, and special teams have to match it.

Sunday was a missed opportunity. Colorado had extra rest, faced a team coming off a game the night before, and still looked like the tired side for much of the night. Bednar had every reason to be frustrated with what he saw.

The good news is that one ugly loss doesn’t define a season. The bad news is that Colorado has shown some of these same offensive struggles in recent games, and the special teams took a major step backward against Nashville.

The Avalanche will get their next chance to respond on Oct. 28, when the New Jersey Devils visit Denver. Colorado lost 4-3 to New Jersey on Oct. 20, so there should be plenty of motivation to get that one back.

After three disappointing road performances, the Avalanche need to show that they can bring some energy, creativity, and urgency back to their game. Otherwise, these recent struggles could become a much bigger story than one bad night in Nashville.