The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly surrounding the Avalanche

Catching up on the past 10 days with the Colorado Avalanche, the team continues to exhibit good, bad and ugly pieces of their play.

THE GOOD

1. The Colorado Avalanche actually found a way to win some home games. They won two of three home games and played well even though they lost to the defending Stanley Cup Champions the Pittsburgh Penguins. They also ended a nine-game losing streak. Maybe they can find a way to have a nine-game winning streak before the season ends.

2. Hats off to rookie forward Mikko Rantanen who scored his first NHL hat trick against the Montreal Canadiens! Rantanen has continued to evolve and shows great promise. Some real chemistry appears to be developing with linemates Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog, as all three earned five points apiece in the last five games. If only the other lines stepped up, maybe the team could generate more wins.

3. While the Avalanche lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins, they did keep Sidney Crosby off the score sheet, which is nothing to sneeze at considering Crosby is battling Connor McDavid for the league point leader. So take the good where you can find it.

4. Defenseman Nikita Zadorov seems to be getting some respect as he and Francois Beauchemin traded off leading the team in ice time over the past five games. As Zadorov’s play continues to improve, he should soon consistently surpass the veteran Beauchemin in ice time. Remember, he is only 21. If the team wants to build for the future, the younger guys need the ice time. Of course, that’s not the first time that’s been said this season. Sigh…

5. Goaltender Calvin Pickard has improved his save percentage to a serviceable .904 and has played for 284 more minutes than Semyon Varlamov this season. With Varlamov out for the season, Pickard will have plenty of opportunities to improve his numbers and make a case for a starting position.

6. Finally, a hearty welcome to Mark Barberio, the new defensive addition from the Montreal Canadiens. Welcome and keep up the good work. With two assists, aggressive and smart play, and no penalties in five games, he could be a keeper.

THE BAD

1. The two back-to-back road losses to the New York Rangers and the New York Islanders threw cold water on hopes the Avalanche were making a comeback. In both games, Colorado played well until the third period. The team could still find some consistency, but it’s an uphill slog.

2. Defenseman Erik Johnson has yet to skate with the team. While no one wants to rush a player back from injury, one has to wonder why the team has shared so little information on his progress. Sometimes the tight-lipped nature of the Avalanche organization actually creates concerns when a simple statement could prevent unnecessary drama. Of course, Avalanche fans not only get hockey but soap opera drama as well, a real double header of angst this season.

3. Colorado sent defenseman Eric Gelinas to the San Antonio Rampage after he cleared waivers for the second time this year. It’s hard to determine which is more troubling – his odd usage by the Avalanche or the fact he cleared waivers twice. Colorado’s second tier players don’t seem attractive to other teams, which is truly concerning.

4. Arguably the worst Avalanche game in the last ten days was the 5-1 loss to the New York Islanders. It also coincided with defensive veteran Tyson Barrie’s return to the ice after 11 days off with an injury. Perhaps the addition of Barrie upset the defensive chemistry or he was still a little rusty after the time off. But generally, the return of a defensive leader gives the team a boost. That didn’t happen. Perhaps it’s time to ask why.

THE UGLY

1. Forward Matt Nieto going down after deflecting a Shea Weber (Montreal Canadiens) shot looked ugly. Fortunately, it was not a repeat of Erik Johnson’s injury, as Nieto was able to play in the next game against the Rangers.

2. Injuries continue to hamper Colorado as Rene Bourque missed the five games due to injury after a brief two-game return after being on Injured Reserve. Since he is not traveling with the team during their road swing, it’s hard to gauge when he will return. Couple that with Barrie being out, Fedor Tyutin’s missed games and Varlamov gone for the season, and the injuries certainly seem to be piling on.

3. Not a single player on the Avalanche has a positive plus/minus rating. Only two players are as low as a -2 – Matt Nieto and Erik Johnson. Johnson has been out for over two months. While there’s been a lot of chatter about improving the defense, the fact the team ranks dead last in scoring definitely needs more discussion. Not only are they last, but they have scored 17 fewer goals than the next lowest team. Two teams have actually allowed more goals than Colorado, and both of those are 22 points ahead of the Avalanche. So getting the offensive lines to score seems imperative.

4. The Avalanche are the seventh-most penalized team for minutes in the box, which is truly puzzling. Both the Nashville Predators and the Boston Bruins, noted for their physical play, actually have fewer penalty minutes than Colorado. Apparently, the officials need more than one gift basket to sweeten their attitude towards the Avalanche. That, or maybe it’s time for a less complimentary basket. Something more creative, likely brown, and a lot more odiferous.

RAMPAGE ROULETTE

1. The Avalanche called up goaltender Jeremy Smith to back up Calvin Pickard and returned Spencer Martin to the Rampage.

2. Colorado reassigned defenseman Eric Gelinas to San Antonio after he cleared waivers.

WHAT TO WATCH

1. The NHL trade deadline looms larger on the horizon each day, as the trade rumors seem to be swirling near hurricane force. Can the 1 pm mountain time deadline March 1 come soon enough? Will Matt Duchene actually get traded? Will Captain Gabriel Landeskog remain? If the Avalanche do make a big trade, will they get fair value for their stars? Like pucks zooming towards the net, so goes the Avalanche rumor mill.

2. The Avalanche, still on the road, face off against the New Jersey Devils tonight at 5 pm. They then have another set of back-to-back road games against the Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes before returning home to host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday.

3. Goaltender Jeremy Smith will make his NHL debut for the Avalanche in net against the Devils tonight.