DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche have spent most of the season establishing themselves as one of the NHL’s elite teams, which made Monday night’s 7–2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins feel especially out of character.

Colorado looked out of sync in ways that have been rare this season, and Nathan MacKinnon didn’t hesitate to address it afterward.

“We’ve just been making so many mistakes,” MacKinnon said.

At this point in the year, some inconsistency isn’t entirely unexpected. With roster changes following the trade deadline and several regulars still out of the lineup, the Avalanche are navigating a period of adjustment.

“We have a lot of new guys, and a lot of old guys out,” MacKinnon said.

There are also structural elements that haven’t helped. Colorado has recently been dressing seven defensemen, a setup that can disrupt rhythm—especially when defensive pairings and forward lines are constantly changing.

“Seven D, I don’t like seven D,” MacKinnon said. “I think different D pairs every shift is not great, different forward lines every (game) a lot of the time.”

That lack of continuity was evident against Pittsburgh, where defensive breakdowns and miscommunication led to a season-high seven goals against. It was a rare night where the Avalanche didn’t resemble the composed, structured team they’ve been for most of the season.

More than anything, MacKinnon pointed to a broader issue with the team’s overall rhythm.

“The flow is off for sure,” MacKinnon added. “A lot of new faces, and 11 and 7 isn’t what we do.”

He emphasized that chemistry remains at the core of the team’s identity, and the constant changes have made that more difficult to maintain.

“The chemistry matters,” he continued. “It’s no one’s fault, it’s just different. New teams and a lot of different line combinations lately for everybody. It’s hard. It sounds like an excuse. Tonight was just bad, too. We just played bad.

“I thought we had a pretty good start. It was one of those nights that just sucked.”

Despite the setback, Colorado still has time to regain its footing before the playoffs. The focus now shifts to reestablishing chemistry, settling on consistent lineup combinations, and tightening up the details that have defined their success.

The urgency ramps up quickly.

The Avalanche face a critical matchup Wednesday against the Dallas Stars (42-15-10), who sit just three points back in the race for the Central Division title.

“It was a big game,” MacKinnon said, referring to Pittsburgh. “We got Dallas Wednesday now. That was a game we kind of had to win, so hopefully we can bounce back.”

Colorado caught a slight break Monday as Dallas also suffered a loss, falling 6–3 to the Utah Mammoth. Still, Wednesday’s matchup looms large and could carry significant weight in shaping the Central Division race—and the Avalanche’s path heading into the postseason.