It happened again. The Colorado Avalanche lost another hockey game. Make that nine in a row, with a single loser’s point dangling above their heads like a piece of burnt bacon over a lame dog. This 0-8-1 stretch is embarrassing, say many Avalanche fans. This 0-8-1 stretch is unacceptable, say so many others. It’s clearly not a good time to be Peter Budaj or Craig Anderson.

Welcome to the NHL, boys. The most vicious, unforgiving and difficult league in all of pro sports. If you’re down and beaten, opposing teams won’t give you an inch of leeway because the points are too important. It’s a hostile environment and nobody cares if you’re just trying to survive.

Last night against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Budaj did an admirable job giving his chance a team to win. He did so many things right in this game and finished with 33 saves on 36 shots in the 3-2 OT loss. He stopped all of the early shots. He had confidence and controlled his rebounds well. The only shot that beat him in the first period was Joe Vitale’s first career NHL goal - a perfect wrist shot high to the blocker side after two Avs defensemen miscommunicated with each other.

The positive vibes started to build for Budaj and the Avalanche in the second. Chris Stewart finally scored a meaningful goal just 3:24 into the period. Then Ryan Wilson beat down Nick Johnson at the 5:01 mark. Pepsi Center was injected with some much-needed energy and intensity for the first time in weeks. The momentum continued to build when Cameron Gaunce also scored his first career NHL goal. His slippery wrist shot from inside the blue line eluded Marc-Andre Fleury at 14:19 of the second period, giving the Avalanche a 2-1 lead after falling behind 1-0 on Vitale’s first NHL goal.

That was it. That was the break the Avalanche needed. It was the lucky bounce, the natural twist of fate, the moment when every player could finally exhale. It was the one moment of positivity that stemmed from good timing and good fortune. 

But for an NHL goaltender trying to end a long losing streak, there’s absolutely no room for error. No mistakes can be made. Every moment, from start to finish, has to be treated like a playoff game in overtime. The atmosphere on the ice is stifling and filled with a thick layer of suffocating pressure. But you have to hack and claw your way to victory by putting forth the strongest effort of your life.

Leading 2-1, and with the good vibes starting to flow for the first time all month, it only took 32 ticks to drop off the clock before Jordan Staal cruised down the left wing on a 2-on-1 break and snapped a wrist shot high to the glove side to tie the game.

“Really, Budaj? The next shift? Are you kidding me?! This is so ridiculous,” said thousands of fans.

—[ STAYING POSITIVE IN THE FACE OF FAILURE ]—

Staal’s goal was a major blow to Budaj’s confidence and destroyed the momentum that the fragile Avalanche team had created earlier in the period. Yes, Budaj was able to fight through it and keep the game tied to secure a point. That’s a testament to his mental toughness and ability to battle. But Kevin Porter took a lazy stick penalty in the extra frame and that led to Tyler Kennedy blasting a loose puck past a sprawling Budaj with 50 seconds remaining. The Penguins earned the extra point and the Avalanche lost their ninth game in a row.

After the goal, Budaj laid flat on his face for a solid three or four seconds. The goal wasn’t his fault. That’s actually a set play for the Penguins and it resulted in a deadly accurate one-timer that came off a blocked shot from the high slot. But mentallly, Budaj absorbed another punch to the gut. A much-needed win slipped through his hands like grains of sand on a barren desert. He probably felt the heat from thousands of fans staring down at him in frustration, anger and even disgust.

No consolation for the crushed heart. No forgiveness from his teammates and fans. And that’s what happens when you’re surrounded by so much negativity. It’s all part of being a goalie in the NHL.

When a goalie is stuck in the middle of an extended losing streak, at any level, coming to the rink on a daily basis is no longer fun. You question every aspect of your game. You tense up and wait for the next piece of bad news, the next bad bounce or the next mistake. Instead of playing to win, you’re playing (and praying) not to lose. The world seems to plot against you, and no matter how hard you work, no matter how hard you try, fate finds a way to slap you in the face with more failure. Believe me, I’ve been there before.

So what will it take for one of these Avalanche goaltenders to turn things around and win a hockey game? A positive attitude and a stronger work ethic. But how?

They simply need to relax. They need to start laughing again by harvesting the friendships and camaraderie they have with teammates and family members. They need to realize that hockey, first and foremost, is about having fun, regardless of wins or losses. They have to step back, look at the big picture and realize goaltending is filled with highs and lows over the course of a season.

Nobody with a competitive attitude wants to be on a team that loses nine games in a row. But it happens. No, that’s not easy to deal with and yes, having a positive attitude and a strong work ethic is easier said than done. But regardless of all the negativity surrounding Budaj and Anderson’s struggles right now, there’s one thing they can do that will ultimately turn things around.

They must focus only on what they can control.

They must work harder at focusing on the puck and on their technique. They have to focus on reinforcing positive messages to themselves and their teammates. They have to bring that focus to every aspect of the daily hockey routine. Even if it means both goalies have to lie to themselves, or straight up fake a positive attitude, that’s the only thing they can internally control.

Goaltenders are victims of uncontrollable circumstances. We can’t do anything about a terrible bounce off the boards. We can’t do anything about pucks that deflect off a defenseman’s skate. We can’t control shots that ring off the post, hit us in the back and end up in the net.

But we can control how we absorb and react to those uncontrollables. And when things are at the lowest of the low, a positive attitude and the ability to keep the body language upbeat and confident is the only thing we can do. At the end of the day, it pays off and becomes a true testament of our mental toughness. It becomes a lesson in life and we become smarter, wiser, more experienced athletes.

A goalie that has the internal strength to stay positive and focus on what they can control when the losing mounts will be truly empowered when things finally do turn around. With fate and timing working against a goalie, that internal strength will seem like the sole reason things turned around. 

Ultimately, the energy that comes from positive thinking is a force to be reckoned with. That’s why it is so tough to harness. But the goalies that can control it gain incredible confidence and ultimately learn what it takes to manage the highs and lows of an exhausting hockey season.

This is the essence of the experienced goaltender. They’ve been through it before, and when things start to go south, they draw upon their past experiences to keep themselves focused. They stay positive, they don’t get too low and they find a way to turn things around.

The only example I need to present is Fleury himself. Remember his brutal losing streak to start the season? And what happened in that single game where he turned things around? He simply put forth an extremely intense effort and created his own good fortunes by focusing on his game and his attitude. After that, he went on an absolute tear and has become much more consistent and mentally tough than ever before.

—[ BUDAJ VS. ANDERSON ]—

In Budaj, I see a goalie who always finds a way to bring an upbeat and positive attitude to the ice. He’s a well-liked goalie who works extremely hard in practice and puts forth the effort needed to succeed in the NHL. Unfortunately, his skills are somewhat limited, especially when it comes to glove hand placement. Both goals in regulation against the Penguins continued to reinforce the fact that his hands are simply held too far back. He gets beat over the glove and blocker far too often.

It’s very frustrating to witness, because he’s really skilled down low. He has very quick feet, strong legs and awesome athletic ability. But unless he’s able to push his hands out in front of his body by a couple of inches, he will continue to get picked apart up high. It’s happening almost on a nightly basis and I have yet to see an adjustment to this area of his mechanics at any point this season.

Budaj, in my opinion, is not skilled enough to be a full-time starting goalie in the NHL. His confidence wavers too often and he’s unable to sustain a high level of play for an extended period of time. But what makes him such a great athlete and a perfect backup is his tireless work ethic and positive attitude. Between he and Anderson, Budajis more likely to be the one that wins the first game this month for the Avalanche. He works hard and doesn’t allow losses or frustrations to destroy his ability to focus on the puck and make saves. And he always has a smile on his face.

In Anderson, I see a goalie who no longer has the same work ethic he displayed and sustained all of last season. He has allowed frustrations to overwhelm his mind and he no longer has the intense, fiery focus and attitude that made him successful last year. The reasons for this are something I can only speculate on, but it’s clearly visible when I watch him play. The recent “personal leave” he took last week has only seemed to eliminate what little focus he had.

I honestly think the injuries he sustained earlier in this season are also nagging him. Last year, Anderson thrived by being desperate and by diving around his crease in order to get pieces of shots. He’s not the most fundamentally sound goalie, so his big body and athleticism allowed him to simply get in the way of a lot of shots. His competitive attitude allowed him to be a terrific “second effort” goalie and that helped him make the numerous timely saves that powered the Avalanche on most nights last year.

This year, I just haven’t seen that second effort and that intense work ethic anymore. He seems hesitant and unsure of himself on most nights. He doesn’t seem comfortable or relaxed. He has a couple of strong games that result in tough losses and the frustration mounts. He becomes disinterested or defeated after a goal is allowed and he doesn’t seem as engaged afterwards. In practices, many viewers and scouts say that he doesn’t work nearly as hard as last year. I’ve heard this from a number of people and I’ve seen it for myself on more than a couple of occasions.

—[ CONCLUSIONS ]—

Ultimately, I come to the conclusion that Colorado has two capable goalies with two very different mindsets and attitudes. One is slightly smaller and less skilled, but has a positive attitude and a stronger work ethic. The other is a bigger body, is expected to handle a bigger role, is slightly more skilled, but doesn’t always have a positive attitude and a strong work ethic. And as I said above, it is usually the goalie that is able to keep things positive that comes out a winner in the midst of a rough losing streak.

Finally, I have to point out the aspect of the Avs’ lack of a full-time goalie coach. Goalies can’t always self-motivate. They need a mentor, a guide, an experienced veteran that has been through these things before in order to help them pull through it. But Kirk McLean is only employed as a part-time goalie coach, so he only works with Budaj and Anderson a handful of days each month.

That’s not making things any easier for these guys. They are stuck fending for themselves. And the Avalanche have never lost nine games in a row before, so neither goalie is used to facing this kind of adversity in the NHL. Things are really rough right now in Colorado, and their schedule doesn’t get any easier as this week continues.

Anderson and Budaj have truly hit rock bottom together. In that regard, The only thing left to do is realize that a positive attitude and a stronger work ethic will lead to success. And once they focus on only the things they can control, they will realize how important that positive attitude was when they win that next game.

From there, they will reveal to you the same thing that Fleury did earlier this season - the biggest key to successful and consistent goaltending is mental toughness.