3 least impressive Colorado Avalanche players from 3-1 loss to Chicago Blackhawks feat. Devon Toews

On paper, the Colorado Avalanche and Chicago Blackhawks are two teams moving in opposite directions.

The Avalanche are one of the most talented teams in the Western Conference and are comfortably in a playoff spot, while the Blackhawks are ranked dead last.

But as they say, that's why the games are played on the ice instead of on paper.

The Blackhawks picked up their 14th victory of the season with a 3-1 win over the Avalanche at United Center, improving their record to 14-25-2, while the Avalanche dropped to 25-16-1.

The game started well enough for the Avalanche, as Juuso Parssinen scored to give them the 1-0 lead; it was his third goal of the season. Chicago then knotted the score just over 10 minutes later thanks to Ilya Mikheyev.

The Blackhawks took the lead for good in the second period after Frank Nazar scored his first of the season.

As pressed as they would, the Avalanche were unable to secure the tying goal. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks got an insurance tally from Connor Bedard midway through the third period.

Goaltender Petr Mrazek was strong in net for the Blackhawks, making 35 saves on the 36 shots he faced. Meanwhile, Trent Miner wasn't as sharp for the Avalanche, as he was victimized three times on just 20 shots.

3 least impressive Colorado Avalanche players from 3-1 loss to Chicago Blackhawks

#1. Devon Toews

The Avalanche were undone in the second period thanks to careless play with the puck, with perhaps the most striking example coming from defenseman Devon Toews.

After a clearing attempt came right back to him in the zone, he made an ill-advised pass into the neutral zone that was soon intercepted by the Blackhawks; moments later, he was out of position and failed to pick up Frank Nazar driving toward the net.

What's more, he also didn't clear away the rebound of the initial shot from Colton Dach.

#2. Trent Miner

Making his first NHL start thanks to the Avalanche having placed Scott Wedgewood on Injured Reserve, Miner didn't have himself the most memorable of debuts.

He allowed three goals on just 20 shots against for a rather unimpressive .850 save percentage.

Miner will get more chances to pick up his first NHL win, but he'll want to put Wednesday night's performance behind him.

#3. Mikko Rantanen

One of the most lethal offensive weapons in the NHL, Rantanen was a complete no-show for the Avalanche against the Blackhawks, not only failing to register a point but also not getting any shots.

While he wasn't the only Avalanche forward to not make a difference on the scoreboard, the fact that he had zero shot attempts is all the more puzzling – especially against the last-ranked Blackhawks.

The Avalanche will look to bounce back when they take on the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center on Thursday.