The Avalanche were able to come from behind against the Buffalo Sabres, but they found out quickly on Thursday it’s a little more difficult to do against a good team like the Carolina Hurricanes. Colorado couldn’t generate much through two periods and wasn’t able to mount a comeback against the Hurricanes, falling 5-3. Here are three takeaways from the loss.

Slow start, just not on the scoreboard

No, Colorado didn’t find themselves down 4-0 early against the Hurricanes, but that doesn’t mean their start was all that better than what it did on Tuesday.

The first period wasn’t particularly close, with Carolina peppering Scott Wedgewood by putting 15 shots on goal. Colorado’s only real chances came on breakdowns by Carolina’s defense, and the Avalanche capitalized on one of their two breakaways. Beyond that, it was all Hurricanes.

Period two didn’t get much better, and the shots on goal were 28-12 after 40 minutes. Colorado has to find a way to start games better. Coming from behind every single night is not a sound strategy.

Second line pummeled

Jared Bednar is still looking for some consistency from the rest of his forward lines after the tope one. He didn’t find that on Thursday.

The second line, which consisted of Casey Mittelstadt, Nikolai Kovalenko and Valeri Nichushkin took a beating when they were on the ice together. Kovalenko was a non-factor, and Nichushkin didn’t really appear until late in the game after he started playing with some different players.

Mittelstadt’s struggles continued. On his first shift, he lost the puck in the offensive zone and proceeded to take a tripping penalty. He took another penalty in the second that the Hurricanes capitalized on.

Blown 5-on-3

The late, great Peter McNab used to always say that if you can’t find a way to score on a 5-on-3, you’re probably going to lose the game. The Avalanche had a great chance early in the third to get back into the game but failed to take advantage on 45 seconds of 5-on-3 time. Things weren’t much better when it was 5-on-4.

Colorado’s top unit has hit a rut of late, having scored just once in its last seven contests. The second power play unit, which rarely plays, has matched that production. They’ve changed the make-up of the top unit by switching up some players, but nothing is working at the moment.

The Avalanche’s power play has fallen to eighth in the league after spending most of the season in the top 3.

Avalanche 3, Hurricanes 5

What happened: Carolina suffocated the Avalanche offensively and wore them down on the way to an easy win.

What went right: All of the production came away from the linemates he started the game with, but it was nice to see Valeri Nichushkin find the back of the net. He’s been inconsistent since returning from his suspension and still seems to be finding both his hands and his legs, so perhaps this will get him going.

What went wrong: The Hurricanes pressure the opposition all over the ice, and the Avalanche really didn’t have an answer for what they were doing. Colorado wants to carry the puck and make plays, but the Hurricanes typically don’t allow teams to play that way. To beat Carolina, a team must stay patient and play a chip-and-chase game. The Avalanche didn’t do that and spent most of the night in their own end due to their sloppy puck play.

Avalanche goal scorers: Lehkonen (6), Nichushkin (5,6)

Hurricanes goal scorers: Robinson (8), Jarvis (8), Roslovic (13), Necas (14), Svechnikov (9)

Between the pipes: Scott Wedgewood made his first start in an Avalanche uniform and did his best to hold the team in as long as he could, although he might not love the third goal he gave up. He finished with 30 saves on 34 shots.

What’s next: The road trip continues in Detroit on Saturday as the Avalanche will take on the Red Wings at 5 p.m.