The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly from the past week with the Colorado Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche limped through a rough week against their Central Division rivals, falling to a precarious position in the last Wild Card spot.

THE GOOD

1. Top Colorado Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson played his 500th NHL game after returning from IR. Congratulations to him and may he see more success ahead! While Johnson still looks to be shaking off the rust from his injury time, he has earned three assists in the last week.

2. Colorado managed to squeak out a point in an ugly overtime loss to the Dallas Stars to stay alive in the Wild Card race.

3. Call up goaltender Calvin Pickard looked impressive in both outings this past week, stopping 80 of 86 shots on goal in two games.

4. Starting goaltender Semyon Varlamov returned to the lineup against the Winnipeg Jets and managed 35 saves on 39 shots.

5. Hats off to forwarad Blake Comeau for taking down chippy Winnipeg Jets forward Mark Scheifele with two other Jets hanging on Comeau’s back. Scheifele had gotten away with some shoving earlier in the game and needed some correcting since the officials kept missing the calls. Tyson Barrie engaged in his first NHL fight against Jets wing Nikolaj Ehlers. Thanks for not giving up without a fight!

6. Comeau also deserves recognition for racking up one goal and two assists in the past week, more points than anyone else on the team. In fact, Comeau and his linemates Carl Soderberg (one goal and one assist) and team captain Gabriel Landeskog (one goal) account for half of the Avalanche goals since the All Star break.

7. Head Coach Patrick Roy showed some fire even when his team seemed to lack passion early in the game against Winnipeg when he argued with the officials over whether there was goalie interference on the Jets go ahead goal. He also exhibited wisdom by refusing to allow Landeskog back on the ice to fight Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien who outweighs him by over fifty pounds. The team needs their captain healthy.

THE BAD

1. It’s impossible to sugar coat the fact the Avalanche lost something over the All Star break. The team earned an 0-2-1 record at home and have allowed 125 shots on goal in the last three games. Just as critical, Colorado lost the opportunity to put some distance between themselves and the Minnesota Wild and the Nashville Predators. With the loss to the Jets, the Avalanche fell to the last Wild Card spot.

2. Key players – Matt Duchene, Nathan MacKinnon and Tyson Barrie – need to step up their play if they intend to make the postseason. Duchene has one goal and MacKinnon has two assists in the last three games. When the team is down, the stars need to elevate their play. Right now, some of the other players are showing more of the grit one would expect from these three young guns. And Barrie, you are in a contract year. If you want a raise, earn it.

3. The Avalanche look like they did earlier in the season with the sloppy play. They need to remember the basics – keep cycling the feet, keep the sticks on the ice, make clean passes to team mates, put pressure on the net and be willing to take the hit to make the key play.

THE UGLY

1. On behalf of everyone who has watched the last three games, SHOOT THE PUCK! Preferably, in the first two periods, not just in the third. Good things happen when the puck gets thrown at the net. Watching the team sit with the puck near their own net for large chunks of time is painful AND ugly.

2. The officiating in the Winnipeg Jets game went beyond ugly and became revolting. One Jet player punched MacKinnon twice in front of the goal in the first period, in front of the referee, and didn’t get a penalty. By the middle of the second period, it became clear the officials were losing control of the game. The third period descended into a brawl and one hoped no serious injuries would occur in the bedlam. 19 penalties were assessed for a combined 68 minutes in the game with 11 penalties for 44 minutes allotted in the third period alone. Thanks, NHL.

3. Fourth line wing Jack Skille being out with a concussion hurts. He has brought energy to the line and has successfully pressed the play into the opponents’ end of the ice. That he took an elbow to the head from a Stars player who wasn’t suspended makes one question the NHL’s desire to address head shots. Hmmm…sensing a pattern. Maybe head shots TO Avalanche players don’t merit the same kind of scrutiny as shots delivered BY Colorado skaters.

4. To add fuel to the fire of just how ugly the Winnipeg Jets game really became, Jets forward Drew Stafford drew a one game suspension from the NHL on Monday for high sticking Avalanche defenseman Nick Holden in the second period.

WHAT TO WATCH

1. The upcoming game against the Vancouver Canucks should reveal the character of the team. Do they have what it takes to overcome adversity? Maybe the team bonding over the Denver Broncos Super Bowl victory will inspire them.

2. Veteran forward Jarome Iginla has earned a reputation as a second half player, stepping up his game in the latter half of the season. Keep an eye on him to see if he can provide a spark to re-ignite the team.

3. Will San Antonio Rampage and AHL star Mikko Rantanen get called up?

4. The trade deadline looms only three weeks away. Will the Avalanche make a move before the February 29th end date?