from Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post,

So how’s trashing the Avalanche working out for you, Jared Bednar?

Not to suggest he doesn’t have a clue, but Bednar might want to buy a vowel. Instead of throwing his team under the bus, maybe he should get his brain in gear, because Colorado could certainly use something that resembles a coach who knows how to respond to adversity under the pressure of the NHL playoffs.

Faced with the grim reality of being thoroughly embarrassed Sunday night in front of 18,081 screaming fans in the T-Mobile Center during a 5-1 loss to Vegas, the Avs coach might want to consider making a meaningful lineup change, replacing defenseman Patrik Nemeth with Bo Byram.

Hey, I’m nothing more than a knucklehead who has been along for every mile of those long, glorious rides the Avalanche took to championships in 1996 and 2001. But you don’t have to be Scotty Bowman to see Colorado cannot survive and advance against Vegas this way.

It’s now on Bednar to come up with a more novel approach than pointing a finger of blame at Nathan MacKinnon and the top line for getting flustered by the Golden Knights. During the last three games, the shots favor Vegas 119-63....

Maybe brow-beating your players worked as a motivational tactic in the locker room of an old hockey barn about 50 years ago. But this is real life in 2021, not “Miracle” the movie. You’re not being portrayed by Kurt Russell as a grizzly bear on the bench, Mr. Bednar.

So quit your growling. Stop complaining about “compete” level. And start coaching.

read on