Colorado's latest playoff nightmare is becoming impossible to hide
Photo credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Brock Nelson has left Jared Bednar with a real playoff problem, and Colorado cannot hide it anymore.
The Avalanche are down 2-0 against Vegas, and the concern is no longer just about one rough night.
It is about two forwards who were built into Colorado's ceiling all season.
Nelson had 33 goals and 65 points in 81 regular-season games, giving the Avalanche the deeper finish they needed.
In the playoffs, he has 2 goals and 3 points in 11 games.
Martin Necas is the second part of the issue.
Colorado's depth scoring has turned into pressure
Necas had 38 goals and 100 points in 78 regular-season games, then opened the postseason with 1 goal in 11 games.
That is where Bednar's problem gets tactical, not emotional.
Vegas can load up harder on Nathan MacKinnon when Nelson and Necas are not forcing matchup changes.
This is not just a cold streak. It changes how Colorado's bench has to chase offense.
The Avalanche finished the season 55-16-11 with a +99 goal differential, so the regular-season engine was real.
But playoff hockey strips away comfort fast.
Nelson was supposed to tilt the middle six. Necas was supposed to add speed, controlled entries, and another top-six threat.
Right now, Bednar has to decide whether patience is still a plan or whether the lines need a harder shake.
The risk is obvious. Move too much, and Colorado loses rhythm. Stay quiet, and Vegas keeps squeezing the same weak spot.
That is why this has become the story of the series.
If Nelson and Necas do not answer quickly, the Avalanche are not just down 2-0.
They are staring at a roster math problem their stars alone cannot solve.
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