Avalanche offense can’t solve Stuart Skinner, Oilers in second straight loss

For the second time in as many nights, the shorthanded Colorado Avalanche played pretty well — maybe even well enough to win — against one of the NHL’s best teams.

Neither contest resulted in a victory for the Avs.

The superstars on both teams were mostly held in check, though Connor McDavid did create one of Edmonton’s goals Saturday night in a 4-1 victory for the Oilers at Ball Arena. Colorado has now lost three of four ahead of a five-game road trip to the East Coast.

The Avs are now 13-12-0 this season.

“It’s frustrating, because it’s very tight in the standings,” Avs forward Mikko Rantanen said. “You need to get on a roll at some point. You’ve got to win some games in a row, more than three, to have a good spot to go to the playoffs. We’ve got to find a way to get some wins in a row.”

Avalanche goaltender Alexandar Georgiev was not bad, but for the second straight night against a Stanley Cup contender, the guy at the other end of the ice was better. Edmonton goalie Stuart Skinner had an excellent night, turning aside several great chances for the Avs.

The goal McDavid created was a thing of beauty, an all-time great player creating some magic. Two other Edmonton goals began as wrist shots from the outer edges of the offensive zone.

Vasily Podkolzin deflected Troy Stecher’s shot from the top of the zone to give Edmonton a 2-1 lead in the second period. Brett Kulak’s shot from the left point early in the third period didn’t need any help, though a mass of bodies in front of Georgiev certainly played a role in his inability to track it.

The Avs worked to create chances but couldn’t cash them in. Even with several key players missing, Colorado still had its opportunities. But Edmonton — which was also missing two top-six forwards — manufactured offense in a way the Avs could not.

“I liked our first (period) a lot,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “We were skating. Good things were happening at both ends of the rink. But after that, it just felt like they wore us down and took over somewhere in the middle of the second period.”

Even the club’s biggest strength so far this season — the power play — did not save it Friday night in Dallas or here against Edmonton. The Avs were 1-for-5 with the extra man in both games. Just like the goaltender — not bad, but not enough to help overcome a really good team. Colorado’s superstar-laden first unit struggled to generate anything later in the game, particularly with a chance to get the Avs back in the game in the third period.

“The power play … we just couldn’t get the momentum on our side,” Rantanen said. “Missed execution. That’s tough, because we had four or five chances and we didn’t create a lot. That kind of takes the air out of the team. We’ve got to look at it and be better next game.”