The Colorado Avalanche played well in Game 5. The Colorado Avalanche made good puck decisions. The Colorado Avalanche failed to execute said decisions at critical times. The Colorado Avalanche lost Game 5.
All of these things can be true.
Whenever I’m reviewing shifts with a player, I do my best to ask them specific questions and try and delve into their thought process. So many times when a turnover occurs, the correct puck decision had actually been made. The player was trying to make the best play available to them. They just failed to execute. You see it a lot in minor and junior hockey.
Colorado was up 2-0 going into the 3rd period in a critical Game 5 vs. Vegas. A period where you cannot afford to have poor decision making. But even more so, you cannot afford poor execution.
In the regular season, teams can afford to “trust the process” somewhat on failed execution. Work with the player through their mistakes and have faith that they will have stronger execution in the future. But playoffs are a time where you have to make sure. There are critical points in each game where you just HAVE to execute. A mistake can swing the direction of the game entirely.
Early in the third period, Andre Burakovsky made a great play to steal the puck back on his track and turn up ice to break it out. Next up: his puck decision.
It’s actually a good one. He does have an option directly up the boards that he could have taken, but instead he notices the open ice on the weak side and attempts to hit his weak side D who is jumping. This is a play you can make but also a play where YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE.
Regrettably, the execution is off. Less than a minute into the third period, you simply cannot afford to give Vegas life. This pass doesn’t have to be perfect or tape to tape. It can even be off the far boards. Three Vegas players will be trapped underneath if it gets there; it just has to get there.
Instead, he tried to go along the ice, it gets picked off and 3 seconds later is in the back of the net. 2-1.
Fine. A game is not lost on one player’s failure to execute. They’re still winning in the third period. There are worse spots to be in. Just make sure your execution is dialed in for the rest of the game.
Unfortunately, less than 3 minutes later. Another critical execution error has the game slipping out of their grasp.
The Avalanche have a 4v3 rush, created by Ryan Graves jumping into the play. Some may fault him for that decision and want him to cautiously hang back to protect. But for me, it’s the correct read. If executed properly it is a high danger chance which potentially restores Colorado’s 2 goal lead.
Landeskog is the puck carrier and makes a good puck decision. But the execution is critically off. The pass is too hard for the middle driver to corral, and too far behind Graves for him to accept. It hits his skate, bounces the other way, and is again in the back of Colorado’s net. BUT IT WAS A GOOD DECISION. You don’t get to be as strong a team as Colorado is by just passing up odd-man rushes. But if you’re Landeskog, you have to make sure. Choose a pass to one teammate and execute.
The game goes to overtime and Vegas wins on an incredible Mark Stone effort. Colorado played a good game and could have avoided overtime entirely with a little more focus and maybe a little more luck.
But many, many times - when there are glaring mistakes such as last night - people pile on the decision. “Bad decision”. “Can’t make that play”. But they can. They’ve done it thousands of times. It’s what makes them the team that they are.
They now have to win 2 games in a row to keep their season alive. It’s not enough anymore to just make the correct decision. They have to execute.