Andre Burakovsky – B The first assist wasn’t too much and benefited on a great play by Saad, but the second assist was a thing of beauty to Compher, threading the needle across the royal road to hit him for an easy goal. We’re now sitting here with him well over a point per game to start his season. Bowen…...
The Avs second line pulled some ninja magic late in the game to help the Avs overcome five posts and take down their first series win of the season. https://youtu.be/dEiwPTs8XBs
For the second straight game, it was a high-profile Av getting the proverbial monkey off his back to lead the Avs to victory. Two nights ago, it was Brandon Saad leading the Avs to victory as he enjoyed a two-goal effort. Tonight, his linemate Nazem Kadri enjoyed a three-point third period as relentless Avalanche pressure finally broke through on a…...
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare – N/A Bellemare hit the crossbar early on a breakaway and then suffered what looked like it could be a serious injury later in the first period. There was no update after the game, so we’ll find out more this weekend. Andre Burakovsky – B+ Best shot metrics on the team this evening, as the Avs controlled 68%…...
After what is likely their most impressive win of the year to date, Jared Bednar delivered some unfortunate news to the media. Matt Calvert, who was originally listed as day to day, is now being listed as “out indefinitely”. The 31-year-old winger was sitting fifth on the Avs in ice time among forwards, but now will be out for an…...
This is the middle six the Avs are looking for. A goal-scoring spree to put some confidence in almost all of the Avs forwards as they bulldoze a sloppy Sharks team. https://youtu.be/IcJ3E0fkqF4
The entire Cale Makar experience was legitimately one of the more thrilling things I’ve had the pleasure of covering in my short career covering the Colorado Avalanche. From the draft to his UMass career, which started off with a “meh” freshman season, to leading the Minutemen to the national championship and playing in Game 3 of Colorado’s first-round series 48…...
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare – B- He had the goal taken away from him that looked like it might have hit off his stick, but a good night for the fourth line otherwise. They controlled the majority of the play and shot attempts, although the real driver was Jost. Andre Burakovsky – B Nice to have him back after a game of…...
“That’s what I want to do.” It was nothing short of a disastrous start for Brandon Saad in Colorado, scoring just one goal in his first six games and repeatedly being on the ice when the opposing team found the back of the net. Following a two-goal performance in Colorado’s 7-3 beatdown of the San Jose Sharks, Saad was upbeat…...
Welcome to the Avs mailbag, where we answer whatever Avs questions you have on your mind. If you have any questions for the mailbag, leave them for Evan Rawal on Twitter, Discord, or respond in the comments. https://twitter.com/FlyByCygnus2112/status/1353386122680782851?s=20 For starters, the salary cap implications played a role in the Avs running 7 defensemen in one of the games, as they…...
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare – C Very low-event performance. His best shift was arguably the penalty kill shift late in the third period where he aggressively attacked the puck in the neutral zone and forced Anaheim back before going ham on the forecheck. Offensively, Bellemare is not remotely dangerous right now. Bowen Byram – B- Lacked the highlight-reel plays from the last…...
In terms of effort, this was the kind of game we expected to see a lot more of from the Colorado Avalanche this season. In terms of execution, this was the kind of game we expected would happen going against a goaltender of John Gibson’s ilk this season. The Avalanche outshot the Anaheim Ducks 33-15, allowing just a single shot…...
John Gibson and his army of goal posts kept the Avs from a win as few costly mistakes finished Colorado in a game in which they deserved better. https://youtu.be/Jb0gxbDYY9s
Bowen Byram was the spark for the Avs in the third period as Philipp Grubauer outdueled John Gibson in an overtime nail biter. https://youtu.be/kciBqU3CIZI
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare – C- Quite literally nothing happened with Bellemare on the ice tonight. He took the penalty late in the game, which quite frankly was hard to tell if he really did anything too egregious, but for a fourth-line center, I’ll take a quiet game. Bowen Byram – B Honestly, I thought there were some rough moments for Byram…...
“He was definitely our best player on the ice.” When the guy who scores the game-winning goal in overtime has that definitive of a statement about your night, you know it’s been a good performance. There weren’t a lot of incredible, highlight-reel saves made by Philipp Grubauer as he stopped 36 of 38 shots from the Anaheim Ducks, but when…...
Despite the best efforts of Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, the lackluster play of the Avs depth costs them what could have been a routine win. https://youtu.be/rMmpz4OR2OU
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare – C The penalty, I could really go either way on. There was a good amount of interference in the matchup, but he got caught for it because it was around the puck, making it more noticeable. Made a nice play on the PK to get the puck to Graves for a good chance. Bowen Byram – B-…...
The way winning always papers over flaws is one of the more charming aspects of sports to me. When the outcome is what you set out to achieve, how you got there ends up being a justified journey, even if it wasn’t perfect. See Tuesday night’s win against Los Angeles as a good example of that for the Avalanche. They…...
“I would walk 500 miles And I would walk 500 more Just to be the man who walked a thousand miles To fall down at your door” – The Proclaimers 500 is… A lot. 500 is almost always a lot. Walking 500 miles? You’d be hurting. Probably limping. Eating 500 hot dogs? You’d probably burst. Breaking that five dollar bill…...