The Colorado Avalanche have been trying to get things right again after losing handily to the New York Islanders, just their second regulation loss of the season. They rebounded with an overtime victory over the New York Rangers, looking to continue the road trip with a win on Sunday afternoon.
Though they fell behind early, the Avalanche responded well and grabbed a lead in the first period that they would never relinquish. Though it wasn’t the prettiest win in the world, the Avalanche grabbed yet another two points with a 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
Stick Taps to Mackenzie Blackwood
Though Scott Wedgewood’s return may be imminent, they have the comfort of knowing that they are covered in net. Mackenzie Blackwood was solid in the victory over the Rangers but may have had one of his best outings of the season on Sunday.
Blackwood has been on a nice little run of late, winning four of his last five starts. In fact, the only time he gave up more than two goals was in the loss to the Islanders and he was bombarded with 41 shots in that one.
Losing a goalie who has performed as well as Wedgewood has is tough, but Blackwood has mitigated his absence. Though it is ideal to have Wedgewood back in the lineup, the Avalanche have hardly missed a beat and continue to shut teams down along the way.
Brent Burns Still Has It
Part of what makes the Avalanche so great is that they get contributions from virtually everywhere in the lineup. The old saying goes, “They don’t ask how, they ask how many” and the Avalanche have personified that with one of the deepest groups in the league.
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A revelation within that group has been 40-year-old defenseman Brent Burns. Signed on the cheap, the Avalanche had hoped to get solid veteran defensive play for 15-18 minutes per night. They have gotten that in spades out of Burns, who looks to be way ahead of his totals from a season ago.
This isn’t the 70-80-point Burns from his San Jose days, but he has been as solid a no.3 defenseman as can be. It has given the Avalanche flexibility with how they deploy their pairings, and it gives them a veteran presence that can play in just about any situation.
Not the Best Effort
The Avalanche always seem to get better as the game goes on. In this one, they seemed to almost take their foot off the gas pedal, particularly in the third period. They got away with it because Blackwood turned aside all 13 Flyers shots to seal the win.
This was one of those games that are indicative of good teams. They don’t put forth their best effort but still manage to find a way to win. The Flyers aren’t a good team, but it is promising for the Avalanche to turn in a B- effort and still walk away with the win.
It has been talked about before but the margin for error is somehow still razor-thin even with the best record in the NHL. Getting wins on an off night is imperative with the Dallas Stars breathing down their necks at all times.
The Life of a Complete Team
Compared to teams on the other end of the spectrum, it is fun for the Avalanche even on the off nights. They have the kind of lineup that can garner contributions from anywhere, and the three-headed pillar that can carry them 90% of the time.
The best teams know that they can beat anyone on any night. The Avalanche are the kind of team that can beat you a million different ways and mostly have so far this season. It’s a great thing to see if you are a fan of the Avalanche.
