The Colorado Avalanche struggled to generate much offense after the first 15 minutes of their game against the St. Louis Blues, ultimately falling 3-1 to a division rival. While there are multiple factors behind the loss, one glaring issue stands out—the absence of key star, who last played on December 31, 2024. Nearly two months without one of their key contributors has clearly taken a toll, and it showed as head coach Jared Bednar shuffled the lines in search of a spark.
The Avalanche have been heavily reliant on the top line featuring Nathan MacKinnon and Artturi Lehkonen, with little production coming from the rest of the lineup. In fact, the last time a non-top-line player scored was January 31, when Joel Kiviranta found the net against St. Louis. This lack of secondary scoring is a major concern.
Colorado also failed to capitalize on its lone power-play opportunity against the Blues, missing another chance to shift momentum. While some questionable no-calls may have played a role, the team needs to take advantage of these opportunities if they want to be a serious playoff contender.
Nichushkin’s absence has created a ripple effect, exposing weaknesses that might not have been as apparent if he were in the lineup. His return could help stabilize the team and potentially eliminate the need for drastic roster moves, including the speculation around trading Casey Mittelstadt.
The Avalanche have now lost back-to-back games to teams below them in the division—St. Louis, which sits just one spot behind them, and Nashville, which is seventh in the Central. These losses highlight that Colorado is not playing at a playoff-caliber level right now.
With 23 games remaining in the regular season, the Avalanche need to find consistency—whether or not Nichushkin returns soon. If the struggles continue, changes could come before the March 7 trade deadline. That doesn’t necessarily mean moving big names like Jonathan Drouin or Devon Toews, but rather identifying weak spots and bringing in reinforcements who can make an immediate impact.
Once Nichushkin is back, Colorado should improve, but time is running out. The playoff race won’t wait, and the Avalanche need to figure things out quickly before they fall too far behind.