Before the first period buzzer sounded, the Colorado Avalanche trailed the Montreal Canadiens 6-1. Things, somehow, got worse from there.
Colorado fell 10-1 in the end, only slightly better than the 10-0 loss the Canadiens suffered in Columbus on Nov. 4. That was little consolation for Semyon Varlamov, who surrendered six goals on 16 shots, or Calvin Pickard, who allowed four on 20. Max Pacioretty had four goals and Brian Flynn scored twice in the first period in the rout.
“We went through the same thing earlier this year and we know that one game doesn’t make our club,” Pacioretty said postgame. “They obviously didn’t show their best, just like we didn’t in our game in Columbus. It seemed like everything went against us in that game and tonight everything went against them.”
The loss comes on the heels of a 4-2 victory over Boston on Thursday, Colorado’s first in seven outings. The Avalanche can put the lopsided loss behind them on Sunday when they conclude their four-game road trip in Toronto.