The Colorado Avalanche persisted in their Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde routine throughout the past week, switching between solid, exciting play and crushing lapses surrendering leads.
THE GOOD
1. The Avalanche defeated the Detroit Red Wings at home in an exhilarating matchup. While there are those who claim the rivalry is over, they apparently neglected to notify the fans at the Pepsi Center, where chants of “Red Wings Suck!” and colorful metaphors about Dead Things saturated the atmoshphere. For one night at least… all was right in the world.
2. Recently acquired wing Sven Andrighetto has earned five points in the 8 games he has been with the team, notching two goals and three assists. He also tallied seven shots, six in the last two games. Hey, the Avalanche made a good move – it’s possible!
3. Congratulations to center J.T. Compher for scoring his first NHL goal, the game winner, against the Red Wings no less! He earned his spot as the first star of the game. Welcome to the beginning of many great moments in your NHL career! While playing limited minutes centering the third line, he’s contributing on both power play and penalty killing situations and isn’t afraid to battle through and deliver a good hit. He should be a quality asset for the future of the team. There’s hope, people, for the future.
4. Defenseman Anton Lindholm proved impressive in his first week in the NHL after being called up from San Antonio. In his three appearances, he averaged just a little over 15 minutes per game. In that time, he played on both the power play and penalty kill, racked up 10 hits, and illustrated how responsible defensive positioning can support offensive movement. The Avalanche actually had quality defensive skill in the pipeline. Who knew?
5. In case you missed it – Captain Gabriel Landeskog leads the team in hits by an active player, with 123, averaging a little over two hits per game. While Erik Johnson has only played 35 games this season, he’s logged 70 hits, averaging an even 2.0 per match.
Only two Colorado players have a better average per game although neither one is currently playing with Avalanche. Defenseman Nikita Zadorov, who has missed the past 15 games due to injury, still leads the team with 153 hits, averaging 2.7 hits per game placing him 18th in the NHL. Andreas Martinsen (sent to the Montreal Canadiens at the trade deadline) recorded 146 hits with the team.
The sample size is small yet it’s worth noting that Anton Lindholm currently boasts an average of 3.3 hits per game over his three game stint.
While some argued the team has checked out, it’s important to acknowledge scoring isn’t the only way to measure engagement. Some players continue to battle.
6. Also from the “In case you missed it” file, Nathan MacKinnon leads the team in shots with 222, placing him 18th in the NHL. For a team with the second lowest number of shots, MacKinnon’s continued effort merits recognition.
7. Forward Mikhail Grigorenko finally broke through his scoring slump and notched two tallies against the Blackhawks. Lots of things fell apart in that game but Grigorenko wasn’t one of them.
8. Happy Birthday to defenseman Erik Johnson! Thank you for your dedication and commitment to play your best every night. May the team give you – and the fans – a great present with a home win tonight! And, in case it’s been overlooked in some of the glitzier statistics, your consistency is appreciated.
THE BAD
1. The Avalanche had six players in the World Cup last fall; five played on the third or fourth line for their respective teams and Semyon Varlamov was a backup goaltende. While it was an honor to have Colorado players competing for their countries, should the Avalanche front office have been concerned they didn’t have a single player who merited top line minutes on any of the teams?
There may need to be a mental re-boot on the value of individual players prior to the expansion draft. Back in September, TGBU questioned if the player usage could indicate their actual value vs. their perceived value but it bears repeating. Teams without premier stars can win, they just need better balance throughout the organization. The difference between the first line and the fourth line needs to be much smaller, and the Avalanche should keep that in mind in the offseason.
Or, they could just act on previous suggestions, and fire all the development staff. Either way, the changes should help improve the product on the ice.
2. During the same eight game period where Andrighetto proved to be a quality asset, only Tyson Barrie notched more points, racking up one goal and five assists. Blake Comeau added four assists over those same eight tilts and Nathan MacKinnon scored three goals. What does it say about a team when the newly acquired forward tallies more points than the forward core? Not sure, but it’s not good. Maybe the team should send gift baskets, nay, dare I say REFUNDS, to the ticket holders. Hahahahahaha! Sometimes I crack myself up.
3. Matt Duchene is making a good case to stay with Colorado as he registered only one shot on goal in the last three games. It will be hard to trade someone who isn’t producing. He scored with the lone shot, ending his 11 game goal-less streak. Yet, one can’t help but notice the drop off in his game. A change of scenery may do him good but unless he steps up his game, Duchene may very well be in the Avalanche lineup next year. Buckle up buttercups.
THE UGLY
1. Big stinking flaming piles of poo need to be gifted to the NHL officiating crew at the Blackhawks game, as well as the Toronto headquarters. TGBU has repeatedly commented on the ugly and inconsistent officiating this year. However, the officials hit a new low when the Avalanche went to Chicago. The entire NHL should be embarrassed by their inability to accurately recognize a simple offsides call, changing the game momentum and potentially affecting playoff standings.
How can the NHL call themselves “professional” when they refuse to address their abysmal officiating? Glasses alone won’t fix this problem. Maybe the rule books should be published in Braille. Audio books. Something. If the playoffs exhibit the same officiating ineptitude, the NHL risks the Stanley Cup finals becoming a joke. Professional sports require consistent and reliable officiating. Not this.
2. The third period of the last two Avalanche games should have come with a warning – don’t watch if you have a heart condition. The team surrendered nine goals in the third periods of the last two games. Nine. Ugly doesn’t come close to describing the destruction. To add insult to injury, the Avalanche were either in the lead or only trailing by a goal before the meltdown. Where’s the Bactine when you need it?
3. While the NHL blew the offsides call on the momentum changing goal by the Blackhawks’ Jonathan Toews, the referees are not responsible for the subsequent two goals scored in the next 34 seconds. The officials tanked. But the team allowed one bad call to rob them of their drive. Instead of re-grouping, they looked like they rolled over and wet on themselves. Colorado needs to be better than any call on the ice. And they need to be prepared to overcome questionable officiating. It was true in the pee wee leagues and it should most certainly be true in the NHL. Lace up your skates, boys, and show the world you are better than your record.
THOUGHTS TO PONDER
Would it be easier to follow the team if they simply played badly all the time? One of the challenges this past week was the Avalanche played well most of the time. They played seven solid periods of hockey. Unfortunately, the drop off on the other two periods were gut-wrenching. Maybe one of the reasons for the intensity of the frustration resides with how often this team looks good, and they play well, and then seem to unexpectedly fall apart. If they were bad all the time, it might be easier to watch. The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde nature of the team can be exhausting. Although, knowing they CAN be good, one can hope eventually the team will find their consistency, even if it is at the end of the season. There’s power in looking in the mirror and knowing you battled through adversity.
RAMPAGE ROULETTE
1. Colorado finally called up a defenseman from San Antonio – Anton Lindholm. The 22 year old Swedish rookie hasn’t boasted a lot of points with the Rampage but earned a reputation as a solid, responsible defenseman. Selected in the fifth round of the 2014 draft, his acquisition may be one of few shining moments for the Avalanche scouts.
2. Colorado only has one more call-up opportunity. With 11 games remaining, will the team finally pull the trigger on the angst ridden recall of Duncan Siemens or move in another direction? Maybe bring in A.J. Greer to play wing on Compher’s line? Or move in a different direction altogether? Stay tuned for the next exciting edition of “The Young and the Puckheads”.
3. The Rampage may yet change their roster when the postseason ends for the any of the Avalanche NCAA prospects. They will be able to sign a contract with the team should they elect to end their college career.
4. Prospect Ben Storm signed an Amateur Tryout Offer (ATO) with the Rampage. Drafted in 2013, he’s been playing defense with St. Cloud State University.
WHAT TO WATCH
1. Colorado will be hosting the St. Louis Blues tonight at 7 pm, followed by a Thursday night home matchup against the Edmonton Oilers. Then the Avalanche will take their show on the road for another faceoff against the Oilers before heading to Calgary for the Monday night tilt against the Flames.
2. The brackets are set for the NCAA tournament and for those following the Avalanche draft class, there is plenty to watch. Defenseman and Hobey Baker finalist Will Butcher and his DU Pioneers will be facing off against Michigan Tech Saturday at 11 am MST for the Midwest Region. Tyson Jost and the University of North Dakota will be taking on Boston University Friday at 1 pm for the West Regional. Also, Cam Morrison, another quality prospect, will be playing with Notre Dame at 1:30 Saturday in the Northeast Regional against Minnesota.
3. Should any of the draftees lose, look for news regarding whether they will be signing a contract with the Avalanche.
