from Corey Masisak of the Denver Post,

If there were one or two obvious issues for the Colorado Avalanche to fix, this current slump would be pretty easy to explain away.

Instead, there are a lot of smaller fires to put out instead of one large one. And all of them were a problem Saturday night when the Avs were embarrassed in an 8-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues at Ball Arena. It was the club’s fifth loss in seven games, and the fourth time it’s lost by four-plus goals.

“Not good enough. It’s just guys quitting and not doing what they’re supposed to be doing, feeling sorry for themselves,” said an obviously frustrated Jared Bednar.

The Avs coach called the final 20 minutes a joke and the worst period he’s seen from his club.

“There’s no other explanation for it,” Bednar said when asked about he and players saying they quit in the third. “Piss-poor execution. Guys giving up all over the ice.”

continued

Watch the game highlights below.