The Good, Bad and Ugly from the Trick or Treat Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche played three very different games last week; coming from behind to beat the Dallas Stars, losing in an early Halloween horror show matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights and then a dominant win over the Chicago Blackhawks. There’s plenty of Avalanche action to cover in this week’s Good, Bad and Ugly, along with a little Trick or Treat.

THE GOOD

1. First, the Avalanche won two of three games this past week. Even more importantly, they won their two division games, AT HOME. Yes, you read that right. The Avalanche have a winning home record having gone 4-1 in Colorado to start the season. And they managed to silence both the Stars and Blackhawks fans at the Can. Good times. Suddenly, the Pepsi Center became the house with the good candy.

2. Forward wing Matt Nieto, who was a healthy scratch for five games, netted a hat trick against the Dallas Stars. Not only was his joy infectious, his teammates complimenting his great attitude while he was benched made one even happier for his success. Hats off to Nieto! That’s like going to the dentist’s house and getting candy instead of a toothbrush.

3. Captain Gabriel Landeskog deserves some recognition for his ability to lead this team. While the blowout loss to the Vegas Golden Knights was disheartening, as were the injuries, Landeskog rose to the occasion. He held a brief team meeting to encourage the team to re-group and not fall into a losing mindset. Then, he backed up his words with actions, playing like a man on fire against the Chicago Blackhawks. His second efforts helped propel new linemates Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon to three-point nights – two goals and an assist each. That’s a Captain, with a capital ‘C’. Let this be a lesson, the Avalanche don’t need a mild-mannered Clark Kent, they need Superman. Or SuperGabe.

4. With his breakout performance against the Blackhawks, forward Mikko Rantanen leads the Avalanche with 10 points out of 11 games. Sven Andrighetto tops the team in goals, with four, and has eight total points so far (tied for third on the team along with Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon). Perhaps they found their superhero costumes for this season.

5. Defenseman Tyson Barrie notched his 200th NHL point against the Blackhawks as an assist on Andrighetto’s goal. Barrie is only the sixth defenseman to reach that milestone in the franchise’s history. He has also earned a point in seven of the last eight games. Stick taps all around! And candy corn. Or more likely for Barrie, gift cards for Dairy Queen blizzards, because then he can have ice cream AND candy.

6. The Avalanche called up forward Rocco Grimaldi on Saturday to play against the Blackhawks that night, where he netted his first goal as an Avalanche player as well as an assist, earning two points for the night. He attributed his success to honoring his grandfather who passed away a few days earlier. It’s good to see character and heart garnering recognition. The world could use a few more “feel good” stories. And more chocolate.

7. It may have been lost in the noise surrounding the loss to Vegas, but the Avalanche successfully killed a four-minute penalty in that game, at the time keeping the contest scoreless. They also killed a four-minute penalty in their previous game against the Stars. Colorado’s changes in their penalty kill could generate more momentum for them down the road. Is that a trick or a treat?

8. Don’t look now but the Avalanche’s penalty kill continues to improve. They have only allowed one goal in 13 chances this past week, and for the season have climbed up to 16th in the league, successfully killing 80.4% of their penalty situations. Their power play numbers have also upgraded. In the past week, Colorado scored on two of 11 chances and now are ranked 18th, scoring on 16.7% of their opportunities. Is there room to get better? Yes. Is this an improvement from last and second to last place? Most definitely.

9. The Avalanche close out October with a 6-5-0 record, right in the middle of the Central Division. While it’s early in the season, and the team is still figuring out who they are, there’s plenty of reason to be optimistic this young group is becoming a tighter squad, creating some thrilling, and chilling, hockey moments. So far, this crew has offered entertaining hockey, something to get excited about. Embrace the moment and hand out the treats!

THE BAD

1. Injuries continue to be the Avalanche’s most consistent foe and perhaps the monster hiding in the closet. Forward Gabriel Bourque was called up and played in one and a half games, getting injured against the Knights and has subsequently been placed on injured reserve. Forwards J.T. Compher, Tyson Jost, and Colin Wilson missed the entire past week while defenseman Patrik Nemeth missed the Stars match-up but managed to return for the following two games. Center Alexander Kerfoot missed part of the Vegas game due to injury but returned the next night against the Blackhawks. While the injury bug continues to play peekaboo, so far the Avalanche appear able to overcome. The silver lining, winning covers lots of ills.

2. Both MacKinnon and Rantanen lost out on a chance for a hat trick against Chicago in the waning moments of the game as they both passed to each other to shoot on the empty net goal. While appreciating the unselfishness of their actions, they need to shoot the puck. Finishing off a team is important, and the luxury of wasting an open net opportunity shows bad form, lest it becomes a habit. It’s time to put on the Hulk costume. When the team has a dominating record, the response might be different. Until then, finish well. HULK SMASH! ‘Nuff said.

3. It’s become apparent some Avalanche fans have not recovered from last season’s trauma. Even when Colorado is playing well, they are finding things to complain about and run screaming only to cower under the sheets. When the Avalanche lost to Vegas, some called for firing everyone from the front office to the players. How about taking a step back from the ledge, grab a beer or two, some Reese’s peanut butter cups and maybe borrow some rose-colored glasses before embracing the dark side. This team has the right to be evaluated on their performance THIS year. Give them that chance. And if you know one of these people, maybe give them a hug, and perhaps a caramel apple. It is only a game, after all. Not every person puts a rock in your candy bag.

THE UGLY

1. The ugly 7-0 loss to Vegas revealed a monster hiding under the bed. However, even in the loss, the Avalanche kept the game tied at 0-0 thirty minutes through. They even killed a four-minute penalty before losing all momentum. So, while the loss was ugly, perhaps it propelled the team to come out with ferocity against the Blackhawks, proving themselves resilient after all. Maybe they really did get the silly putty suggested in last week’s column. That, or having survived their own haunted house, they found they were made of sterner stuff.

2. The officiating needs an intervention. Or reveal their clown masks. Brayden McNabb’s hit on Kerfoot during the Vegas game looked like he led with his shoulder to Kerfoot’s head, similar to a call that got Landeskog suspended a couple years ago. The offsides in the Vegas game led to Landeskog confessing he had no idea what qualified as offsides anymore and the NHL had to send out another memo on why they ruled the way they did. Players need to know what counts as offsides, and the rulings need to be consistent. That’s the point of having officials. What gift basket can we send the referees to ensure consistency? Gift cards to an optometrist? Large print rule books? A scary pumpkin?

3. Defenseman Nikita Zadorov has been a healthy scratch the last two games, with coach Bednar going on record that players earn ice time by performing better than their competition. Zadorov needs to take a lesson from Nieto and learn how to use this setback to dig deeper and play better. Having a bad attitude about getting outworked is just ugly. The team needs him and he needs to kick it up a notch. Or two. Or three. Find your beast mode, Zads, or at least your beast costume.

WHAT TO WATCH

For those waiting for the Great Pumpkin, you might also want to stay alert for some of the following:

1. The Avalanche have another long break before their game Thursday night when they host the Carolina Hurricanes at the Pepsi Center at 7 pm MST. With all the bumps and bruises, the irregular schedule may be a blessing in disguise.

2. Colorado will go on an extended road trip, facing the Philadelphia Flyers Saturday at 5 pm MST before taking on the New York Islanders Sunday at 4 pm MST and then head to Sweden to play the two Global Series games against the Ottawa Senators in Stockholm.

3. The Avalanche quietly signed prospect Ty Lewis to a three-year entry-level contract in October but have yet to make an official announcement. Who knows when – or if – they will broadcast the signing.

4. With the injury bug still nipping at the team, player movement will likely be fluid, especially with the upcoming road trip. Keep an eye out for call-ups and other interesting moves. As always, the intrepid BSN crew will endeavor to keep you updated on all the latest Avalanche news.

Boo!