Colorado Avalanche Can't Build Off Of Peter Forsberg's Return, Lose 6th Straight

In 10 seasons with the Colorado Avalanche, there's one thing Peter Forsberg hasn't done with the club: miss the playoffs.

After a 3-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night, that possibility seems more like a probability.

Or a likelihood.

The loss was the Avalanche's sixth in a row and eighth in its last nine games. The club sits 14th in the Western Conference, seven points behind the eighth place Calgary Flames.

Top forwards Paul Stastny, Matt Duchene, Chris Stewart and Milan Hejduk have combined for only four goals during the Avalanche's six-game slide, and starting goaltender Craig Anderson (13-15-3) has been pulled in two of his last four starts.

Offensive defenseman John-Michael Liles, who was once a team leading plus-15, now has a neutral rating and has only scored once over his last 28 games.

With suspect coaching and injuries that continue to pile up, the Avalanche are in need of a change. Whether it's a big acquisition or a change behind the bench, management has to do something if the Avalanche want any chance of squeezing into the playoffs this season.

Rebuilding or not, 14th in the Western Conference shouldn't be acceptable for a team that made the playoffs a season ago.