The Avalanche were less trying to build something and more trying to get through it on Sunday at Vegas, with three days to prepare after a weeklong shutdown, injuries and three key players on the COVID Protocol Related Absences list.

They turned in a defensively sound but offensively frustrating 1-0 loss to the Golden Knights. Colorado recorded a season-high 19 blocked shots and Philipp Grubauer turned aside 23 that got through.

“Considering some of the circumstances, it was a decent game,” coach Jared Bednar said.

Grubauer flicked a spinning puck out of midair with his stick blade and later made a swinging glove save on a power play. The only goal he gave up, to Max Pacioretty 1:38 into the second period, was a perfectly placed shot that narrowly avoided two bodies on the way in.

Grubauer declined to say whether he’d been screened.

“Obviously a little bit rusty in certain areas with execution but it’s only going to get better from now on,” he said.

The Avalanche never got that one back. Nathan MacKinnon and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, in their returns from lower-body injuries, and call-up Jacob MacDonald found themselves staring down Marc-Andre Fleury (30 saves) but couldn’t connect. Second chances were hard to come by.

“We were missing our legs a little bit,” Bednar said. “You could tell even just by talking to the guys during the game and postgame. We didn’t have the extra pop in our legs that we needed to create a few more chances and the last little bit of execution.”

Vegas, the top team in the West Division, gifted Colorado just one power-play opportunity.

Cale Makar didn’t suit up due to an upper-body injury. He’s day-to-day. His erstwhile partner Devon Toews returned from injury and played a season-high 25:56. Bednar said they probably overplayed Toews “just because we really needed him,” but he worked hard.

“I thought we played pretty well tonight,” forward Brandon Saad, playing with the top line in place of protocol-bound Gabriel Landeskog, said.

“When you have time off like that, you do your best. But when you’re not playing games it’s tough to stay in that game mode.”

3 Colorado Avalanche remain on COVID list as team returns from shutdown

Colorado Avalanche team activities paused, several games postponed