Less than 15 minutes after meeting with reporters Tuesday night at the Pepsi Center, Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic witnessed a prime example of why his team entered its game against the Columbus Blue Jackets having won an NHL-low five games since Dec. 7.
Playing away from the puck — the term for playing defense in hockey — is Sakic’s biggest gripe about his team, and top-pair defensemen Erik Johnson and Ian Cole further intensified the GM’s anxiety on their first shift against the Blue Jackets.
Avs forwards made a shift change with the puck in the neutral zone and Johnson and Cole failed to prevent a wrap-around goal 53 seconds into the game, marking the second consecutive time the partners allowed a goal on their first shift.