DENVER — Point to any number of shortcomings as a primary reason for the Avalanche’s dramatic malfunction toward the halfway point of the 2022-23 season: injuries, lack of organizational depth, a short offseason catching up in the form of fatigue.
But when a short slump stretches, the absent voice of captain Gabriel Landeskog is maybe the most undeniable void. Who fills it? Mikko Rantanen said Friday afternoon that Nathan MacKinnon and Andrew Cogliano have been speaking up, but the Finnish forward has a knack for instilling a sense of urgency as well: “There’s time,” he said, “but not too much time. Can’t keep waiting around.”
He and the Avalanche didn’t wait around to seize a morale-boosting home win Saturday night, 7-0 over the Senators to at least temporarily erase memories of seven losses in the previous eight games.
