Nathan MacKinnon doesn't hold back after miserable 7-2 Avalanche loss to Penguins

The Colorado Avalanche have been the class of the NHL for most of the season.

That makes a 7-2 loss even that much more jarring, which is what happened on Monday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

It was a disappointing result, to be sure, and superstar Nathan MacKinnon didn't hold back when he spoke about it in the locker room with reporters after the game.

What's the problem?

"We've just been making so many mistakes," MacKinnon began to explain.

It's that time of year when faces are still getting familiar after midseason moves.

"We have a lot of new guys, and a lot of old guys out," MacKinnon said.

He's also not thrilled with the way the Avalanche are structuring some of their lineups. Lately, they've had seven defensemen active, which is difficult.

"Seven D, I don't like seven D," MacKinnon said. "Different D pairs every shift isn't great."

Maybe that's as good an explanation as any to how the Avalanche allowed seven goals.

Regardless, they're not in top form.

"The flow is off for sure," MacKinnon said.

Colorado still has a bit of time to get back into a rhythm before the playoffs. This is a team that likely believes it can make noise, so it'll be about getting on the same page, figuring out the right lineups, and overcoming a little rough patch to propel toward big goals.