Bednar's Blunt Warning Signals Avalanche Season in Crisis

Jared Bednar needs to turn up the heat before the Avalanche's season gets away from them.

That is the message the Colorado head coach delivered after Tuesday night's 7-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The defeat was not just a bad night.

Colorado had won three straight games heading into the matchup.

Whatever momentum the team had built disappeared almost immediately in Columbus.

The Blue Jackets scored 28 seconds into the game.

They buried four goals in an eight-minute stretch during the second period.

The Avalanche barely offered a response.

Bednar spoke with Altitude Sports Radio after the game.

His words were pointed and carried a clear warning.

"It's not (the offense)," Bednar said.

"That's not my issue. It's the defending, but we have to get more committed on the defending side of it."

Bednar made it plain that he trusts the team's ability to score.

Colorado's offensive numbers reflect that firepower.

"I trust in our offense," he said.

"Like, I don't know if you look up our offense right now, I don't check it just before the road trip, where we stand, but it'll be top one, two, or three in the league."

Then came the part that should worry every Avalanche fan.

"On the defending side, it wouldn't surprise me to see if we're in the bottom five," Bednar said.

Those are blunt comments from a coach who has spent much of the early season trying to adjust his approach.

Bednar indicated earlier this season that he wanted to take a different approach with his players.

He specifically mentioned working with younger guys and adjusting his coaching style.

That approach appears to have run its course.

"There's been patience early on, but I'm going to have to change my approach now," Bednar said following the loss.

That is not a throwaway line from a coach trying to fill a press conference.

That is a warning.

Bednar also pointed to the team's lack of physicality and willingness to engage opposing players.

It is not simply about being in the right position or making the occasional defensive play.

Colorado needs to make life considerably more difficult for opponents.

That is especially true around its own net.

The Columbus game was a pretty ugly example of what happens when that commitment disappears.

The Blue Jackets are not exactly an offensive juggernaut this season.

Yet they managed to put seven goals past Colorado.

They repeatedly found themselves with too much room around the net.

They took advantage of an Avalanche team that looked completely disconnected defensively.

Speaking with The Denver Gazette's Evan Rawal after the loss, Bednar was visibly frustrated.

He acknowledged that these performances are becoming too frequent.

"This game's showing up too much for me," Bednar said.

"There has to be a line. We're 20% through the season, so it's not a small window."

That is probably the most concerning part of this entire situation.

Colorado is no longer dealing with a couple of isolated defensive miscues.

It is no longer dealing with the occasional bad night from its goaltender.

These problems keep showing up.

They show up regardless of who is between the pipes.

They show up regardless of how well the offense is playing.

Bednar specifically mentioned the opening goal against Columbus.

He pointed to the team's inability to establish its checking game from the opening puck drop.

He also referenced the two goals Colorado surrendered in a short stretch against Chicago.

He pointed out that those were situations the coaching staff had already addressed with the players.

In other words, these are not necessarily mistakes the Avalanche haven't been warned about.

They are mistakes that continue to happen anyway.

The issue in Columbus was not just a bad goaltending night.

Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood were left exposed by the skaters in front of them.

Multiple goals came off rebounds and scrambles around the crease.

Players were not boxing out.

They were not clearing traffic.

They were not protecting their goaltenders.

That is a habit at this point, not a one-off.

Bednar has let it ride through a small winning streak.

That runway just ended.

When a head coach publicly connects a recurring problem to the season percentage, roster changes usually are not far behind.

Colorado sits at 9-6-1 after the loss.

That record is not disastrous.

But the way the team is playing defensively is not sustainable.

The NHL season is 82 games.

Twenty percent of that is roughly 16 games.

Colorado has played 16 games.

Bednar is making it clear that the grace period is over.

A few bright spots could not save the night.

Cale Makar scored his fourth goal of the season to get Colorado on the board.

Nazem Kadri extended his hot stretch with another goal.

That was his fourth goal in four games.