Not quite 24 hours after finally snapping a 10 game losing streak, the Avalanche return home to take on the only team worse than themselves in the West: the Oilers. This will be the first game in front of the home crowd for newcomers Erik Johnson and Jay McClement.

Series History: Colorado 1, Edmonton 1

Yes, you read that correctly. These division rivals have only played twice so far this season. That means they will play four more times (including tonight) over the next six and a half weeks.

This might be more meaningful if they weren’t solidly 4th and 5th in the Northwest Division.

On November 25th the Avs lost to the Oilers in Edmonton. Gilbert Brule, Andrew Cogliano, and Taylor Hall scored for the Oilers. Kevin Shattenkirk (now with St. Louis) and Matt Duchene tallied for the Avs. Gerber stopped 35 of 37 for Edmonton while Budaj only stopped 21 of 24 for the Avs. There was a little shoving and chirping through the first two periods, but overall this was not an exciting game in spite of the close 3-2 score. » Continue reading “Avs look to tally a win at home against Edmonton”

The Avalanche weren’t the only team treating Friday like a mini trade deadline. While Colorado sent goalie Craig Anderson to Ottawa for goalie Brian Elliott, San Jose acquired defenseman Ian White from Carolina for a second round 2012 draft pick. Ian White is certain to be a threat. In the words of San Jose GM Doug Wilson,

We’ve been looking to identify right shot defensemen that can move pucks and help on the power play (San Jose’s official site).

Well, won’t he be fun for the Avs’ struggling defense to contain? » Continue reading ““Adjusted” Avs and Sharks to battle in San Jose”

This morning the Ottawa Senators continued their fire sale by sending goalie Brian Elliott to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Craig Anderson.

Anderson has seriously underwhelmed this season, never a good sign for a starting goalie. Last year he stole many a game for the Avs but has not been able to do so this season. Yes, Anderson has been hurt several times, but even when healthy he has not performed well enough to earn the confidence of coach Joe Sacco or the fans.

Stats comparison (from Hockey-Reference.com):

My Opinion:

This seems like a pretty straightforward trade, and right now the goalies are almost identical in performance. I haven’t seen Elliott play, but it appears he would make a great backup goalie. It’s no secret that the Avs weren’t happy with Anderson’s performance, so trading him away is not surprising. Getting essentially the same player in return, however, is a bit strange.

According to CapGeek.com, Elliott is on the second year of a two-year entry level contract, making him a restricted free agent at the end of the season. Peter Budaj will be an unrestricted free agent at the same time. I tend to believe (somewhat influenced by Angelique Murray, @Jori5280 on Twitter) that the Avs will allow Budaj and Elliott to compete for the backup goalie position for next year and a true starter will be obtained on the offseason.

This is an interesting trade, again not totally unexpected, but the Avalanche organization should by no means be done acquiring goalies. They desperately need a strong starting goaltender (as well as a true defenseman or two) in order to regain some competitive edge next season.

For more information:

I am definitely not a specialist in goalie technique or performance, and cannot speak past what I see in Anderson and Budaj. If you want to know more, visit The Avalanche Guild (@TheAvsGuild, @AvsGuildRyan on Twitter) for way more in-depth analysis than I can offer. Plus they always have interesting stuff to say about the Avs’ game beyond goaltending.

Philippe Dupuis has the third most hits among rookies in the NHL. (Photo by Christina Sonka.)

Let’s get a show of hands: how many Avs’ fans needed post-game relaxation last night? You know, a drink, hot bath/shower, bowl of ice cream, etc.?

My guess is almost every one.

First Period:

The Avalanche definitely showed up, even if their solid play was inconsistent. Their energy line didn’t start as it did in Phoenix, but there was still some hustle in their game. As always the two teams hit and were chirping each other all night long, which resulted in physical (by which I mean sometimes angry and panicky) play and penalties. While Ryan O’Byrne was in the box for boarding in the first period, Antti Miettinen scored a power play goal from Matt Cullen on a hard slap shot. Eleven seconds later the Avs scoreless streak was broken when David Jones put one in off the face off. I’m sure it felt good to get that goal. The tie lasted a mere 40 seconds when Martin Havlat put a close range wrister past Anderson (assists by Brodziak and Clutterbuck). Stastny definitely got owned by Havlat on this goal, but according to my goaltender source that was a goal Anderson really should’ve stopped.

Second Period:

The Avs couldn’t convert on either of two power plays, and John Madden scored for Minnesota. Following the third Wild goal Anderson was pulled in favor of Budaj. Andy didn’t show much emotion on the way to the bench, but once he got there he didn’t exactly look thrilled. Maybe that’s the best fans can ask for by way of emotion from this used-to-be-great goaltender. » Continue reading “Avs break curse but still can’t win”

Andrew Brunette, back when he scored goals FOR the Avs rather than AGAINST them. (Photo by FrenchKheldar)

The last time the Avs rocked anyone’s world was Friday January 14th in Minnesota. They also won their other game at Minnesota this season. This means tonight’s game against the Wild at least has the potential to be exciting. It’s true that their last dominant display was almost a month ago, but the Avs have got to be itching to put up several goals and disprove any statements concerning wheels and buses. The only question is, will they be able to do so?

Series History: Avs 2, Wild 2

These two teams have seen each other once a month since November 27. Their first fateful game saw the Avs score four goals in the second period alone and go on to beat the Wild 7-4 at the Pepsi Center. Mauldin (since demoted to Lake Erie) had four points, Kevin Shattenkirk had three, and Milan Hejduk, Paul Stastny, and Ryan Wilson all had two. This barrage of offense got Wild goalie Nicklas Backstrom yanked halfway through the third, which was a fairly enjoyable sight all in all. Antti Miettinen, Kyle Brodziak, and Martin Havlat all had two point nights for the Wild. » Continue reading “Avs Look to Go Wild in Minnesota”

After yesterday’s football overload, I’m definitey ready for some Avs hockey…especially if it includes Ryan O’Reilly, who is back from his shoulder injury. The team previously announced that Forsberg will not play tonight; he is in Phoenix with the team but some bureaucratic red tape means he will have to leave the country and re-enter on a work visa.

Series history: Phoenix 2, Avs 0.

Obviously, this is not good. The Avs will be looking to redeem themselves against a team with very similar statistics. Seriously, on paper these teams are virtually identical. In reality the Coyotes have completely owned the Avs up to this point.

The first meeting was Thursday January 6 at the Pepsi Center. Truthfully it was one of the more painful games I’ve ever witnessed. Taylor Pyatt scored on Anderson with a nice backhand in the first. Phoenix took one penalty in the second, but no one managed to score. In the third Kevin Porter took a hooking penalty for the Avs, Andy was pulled with about a minute left, and Pyatt scored his second on an empty net. That’s it. Colorado failed to score on back up goalie Jason LaBarbera in spite of putting 34 shots on net.  Andy stopped 31 of 32 and was the third star of the game (largely because no one else did anything exciting for either team). The final score was 2-0 Phoenix, and thus ended one of the most boring games in Avalanche history. » Continue reading “Avalanche Alert: Game Preview Avs @ Coyotes Feb. 7″

This game can fairly adequately be captured in one word: “Meh.”

As I was taking my seat in the Pepsi Center, the Wild’s Kyle Brodziak had just scored (stupid snow made me 33 seconds late). I barely had time to shake my head emphatically before Andrew Brunette scored 28 seconds later. Miraculously the Avs’ defense managed to keep the Wild from scoring for nearly 36 minutes, at which point Brunette scored. Again. (In the meantime Milan Hejduk put the puck in the net on a beauty of a pass from Kevin Porter.)

Time out….Brandon Yip got in a fight with Cam Barker. Yes, Brandon Yip. It was actually pretty great.

» Continue reading “Game Recap – Wild @ Avs Feb 2″

As my parents used to tell me when I was younger and whining about studying history, “the only way to create success in the future is to learn from the mistakes and triumphs of the past.” Or maybe it was “because I said so”? I don’t remember. It was a long time ago.

Anyway, just as we all personally examine 2010 and look ahead to 2011, hopefully our Colorado Avalanche are doing the same. This is just a peek into the triumphs and disappointments I hope they learn from, and what I hope their goals are for 2011.

» Continue reading “New Years Eve with the Avs”