Something's Missing... Leadership

Landy's absence looms large as Avs falter to Philly.

Listen… the Colorado Avalanche are 34-6-9. They have 77 points in 49 games. They lead the NHL in goals for (194) and goals allowed (121). They are nine points clear of the second-best team in the league.

If you were told in October that this would be the case, you’d have been ecstatic. Over the moon. Especially on the one-year anniversary of the Mikko Rantanen trade that was supposed to be the downfall of this franchise.

They are just fine.

However…

The play of this team during the recent seven-game homestand is at least somewhat concerning. The Avalanche picked up just three wins at Ball Arena, while dropping two games in regulation and two more beyond the third period — an uncharacteristic stretch for a team that hadn’t lost a home game in regulation for nearly three months.

The difference between what we saw over the last seven games and what we saw earlier this season is simple:

Leadership.