The Avalanche wasted an excellent performance by goalie Darcy Kuemper and lost 4-2 to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night at Nationwide Arena. Colorado fell to 4-5-1 through 10 games, with a four-day break until its next game Thursday against the visiting Vancouver Canucks.
Five takeaways:
Excellent effort in net. Kuemper faced 41 shots and made 38 saves. He was not the problem. The Avs took a 2-1 lead into the third period for the second consecutive game — both against Columbus — and allowed 16 shots in the final 20 minutes.
Kuemper allowed the game-tying goal to Alexandre Texier off an odd dump-in bounce in the corner with 6:23 remaining — with Texier out-skating defenseman Sam Girard to gain the puck and putting it off the far post and in — and the game-winner came off Cole Sillinger’s deflection that Kuemper didn’t see with just 1:02 to go.