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Leif Gets into the Avalanche (Photo by mhedstrom/Flickr)
The last day of October finds the Colorado Avalanche atop the NHL standings, tied with the
defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins.with 22 points. Not bad for a team that
finished 28th in the NHL last season and was expected by most to finish in the AHL this year. Down right amazing when you consider that 10 of their 14 October games were played on the
road. Even more surprising is that the Avs were able to achieve this with an injury list that saw as
much as 1/3rd of the roster sitting out. As they say in commercials for lawyers, stockbrokers and others of that ilk, it is true that past results are no guarantee of future performance, but the
Avalanche do appear to be on track to finish considerably higher than the consensus 29th of 30
made in pre-season predictions.
Taking a look at the Good, the Bad and the Ugly of the season to date:
THE GOOD
At the top of the list has to be the play of goaltender Craig Anderson.’ Andy’, a career NHL backup, signed with the Avs as an Unrestricted Free Agent last summer and has provided
goaltending not seen in the Rocky Mountains since the heyday of St. Patrick Roy. He finished
the month of October second in the NHL in saves percentage, third in goals against average and
second in shutouts. He tied an NHL record with his league-leading 10 wins in the month of October.
Other newcomers making a difference include defenseman Kyle Quincey, playing solid defense
and adding much needed scoring from the blueline, and rookie Ryan O’Reilly, who is second in
the NHL in rookie scoring.
Another positive is the play of special teams. The power play, while ranks 11th in the league, is
improved but the highlight is the penalty kill. The 87.1% success rate is second in the NHL,
trailing only Minnesota at 87.2.
One huge change from last season is the way the Avs handle adversity. A prime example is last
weeks game in Calgary. The Flames went up 2-0 at the 1:10 mark of the first period. Last season
that likely would’ve lead to a huge loss. But the Avs refused to fold and came back to win 3-2.
THE BAD
With the Avs success to date, it’s hard to find negatives, but there are a few:
In Colorado’s first three losses, the Avs had the lead and let the home team come back. In fact,
Friday’s loss to San Jose was the only game this season in which Colorado never had the lead.
Another negative is the amount of shots allowed. The Avs are allowing an average of 34.1 shots
per game, a mark that sees them 27th in the league. If the Avs expect Anderson to play 60 or
more games this season, they need to cut down on the amount of rubber he’s facing on a nightly basis.
Last but not least is the Avs horrid faceoff percentage. They are winning 45.3% of their draws,
dead last in the NHL. That area has to be improved if the Avs want to remain successful this season.
THE UGLY
Injuries in the NHL are making headlines on an almost-daily basis and the Avs training room looks
like a scene from M*A*S*H. At the end of the Calgary game on October 28th, the Avs were
missing 8 regular players. The situation improved slightly with the return of John-Michael Liles
(shoulder) and Peter Budaj (swine flu) for the San Jose game on October 30th. Still out for
Colorado are: Darcy Tucker (concussion), Cody McLeod (eye), Matt Hendricks (groin) and Ruslan Salei (back).
Tom Preissing has yet to play this season due to a knee injury, but is practicing and
is expected to play soon. The latest injury saw hard-working TJ Galiardi hurt his ankle playing in
his hometown Calgary. He is expected to be out 4 to 6 weeks.
UP THIS WEEK
Colorado ends this 4 game road trip Sunday in Vancouver. They return home for games against
the Gretzky-less Phoenix Coyotes and the Chicago Blackhawks, led by former Colorado Rockies player/Colorado Avalanche coach Joel Quenneville.
Some Other Articles That You May Enjoy:
Don Cherry Colorado Rockies coach
Colorado Avalanche – Attendance – Is Anybody Out There?
Summertime in the Rockies
Woulda, Coulda… Shouda? The Blues made the right call by passing on Kovalchuk
Colorado Avalanche – Attitude of Gratitude
Flames Flip into High Gear Against Ottawa After Flop Against Tampa Bay
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