Avalanche fans who have been waiting for a win from their team, finally saw one Saturday afternoon at the Pepsi Center.
The Avalanche looked, for the most part, evenly matched with the Nashville Predators going into Saturday's game. However, Nashville over looked one key factor: Semyon Varlamov.
Varlamov successfully stopped 34 shots during the afternoon matchup, and registered his third shutout of the season.
This goalie, whom I refer to as "The Iron Curtain," has proven to be just that. While it is clear that the Avalanche defense is one of the weakest in the NHL, their goalie has enabled them to pull out some 'W's on the season.
The Avalanche's young goalie, 24, has been a force to be reckoned with this year, making some absolutely beautiful saves from between the pipes.
While he is not an NHL frontrunner, we should keep our eye on him. This young goalie has the potential to achieve greatness.
For an example of his ability: click here
Source:
avalanche.nhl.com
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Friday, March 29, 2013
P.A. Parenteau Through Avalanche Losing Streak
Avalanche fans have had some brutal games to watch this last week, with the last Avs win more than a week ago.
The Colorado Avalanche made a great comeback to beet the Dallas Stars, last Wednesday, March 20. Since that win, the Avalanche have not been able to pull a "W" for a whole week.
In the past week the Avalanche have been defeated by the Vancouver Cannucks twice, and the Calgary Flames once.
It seems to be a similar pattern each game: our first period is awful, and once we warm up for the second our defense seems to be falling apart. Against Calgary, Wednesday night, the Avalanche were out shot 14-2 by the Flames in the first period alone.
Another noticeable factor, is the fact that we haven't been taking advantage of our power play opportunities. In both the games against Vancouver, Sunday night, and Calgary, Wednesday night, the Avalanche were given five power play opportunities and only scored on one of them.
Even though the Avalanche seem to currently be in a slump, the same slump they've been fighting all season long, power-forward P.A. Parenteau keeps hitting his mark and giving fans something to cheer about.
Parenteau is currently on a four game point streak. In the last week alone, against Vancouver and Calgary, he had four assists and one goal.
Parenteau has clearly impacted this team made his mark. Parenteau currently leads the team in overall points(34), goals(14) and assists (20). He is closely followed in all three of these categories by fellow forward, Matt Duchene.
Hopefully Parenteau can extend his streak to five games, when the Colorado Avalanche take on the Nashville Predators Saturday afternoon.
The Colorado Avalanche made a great comeback to beet the Dallas Stars, last Wednesday, March 20. Since that win, the Avalanche have not been able to pull a "W" for a whole week.
In the past week the Avalanche have been defeated by the Vancouver Cannucks twice, and the Calgary Flames once.
It seems to be a similar pattern each game: our first period is awful, and once we warm up for the second our defense seems to be falling apart. Against Calgary, Wednesday night, the Avalanche were out shot 14-2 by the Flames in the first period alone.
Another noticeable factor, is the fact that we haven't been taking advantage of our power play opportunities. In both the games against Vancouver, Sunday night, and Calgary, Wednesday night, the Avalanche were given five power play opportunities and only scored on one of them.
Even though the Avalanche seem to currently be in a slump, the same slump they've been fighting all season long, power-forward P.A. Parenteau keeps hitting his mark and giving fans something to cheer about.
Parenteau is currently on a four game point streak. In the last week alone, against Vancouver and Calgary, he had four assists and one goal.
Parenteau has clearly impacted this team made his mark. Parenteau currently leads the team in overall points(34), goals(14) and assists (20). He is closely followed in all three of these categories by fellow forward, Matt Duchene.
Hopefully Parenteau can extend his streak to five games, when the Colorado Avalanche take on the Nashville Predators Saturday afternoon.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Avalanche Look Ahead
The team that fans saw swarming the net against the Blackhawks just one week ago, was no where to be found Saturday afternoon at the Pepsi Center.
While the Avalanche still managed to score four goals, they couldn't keep up with the Wild. Minnesota, out-skated, out-maneuvered, and eventually out-scored the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday afternoon with a score of 6-4.
The loss, leads fans to look at what this team has in store for the rest of their season.
The Colorado Avalanche are currently sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference with 24 total points. Trailing six points from the San Jose Sharks, currently in 8th place, the Avalanche need to do some serious damage if they want to even see the first round of the playoffs.
The Avalanche have home ice advantage in their next three match-ups In the next week the Colorado Avalanche will take on the Chicago Blackhawks, Monday night, the Dallas Stars, Wednesday night, and the Vancouver Cancuks, Sunday night.
Although the Avs, lost their first game on this home stance Saturday afternoon, they have a good chance to make up some major points in the next week.
While the Avalanche still managed to score four goals, they couldn't keep up with the Wild. Minnesota, out-skated, out-maneuvered, and eventually out-scored the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday afternoon with a score of 6-4.
The loss, leads fans to look at what this team has in store for the rest of their season.
The Colorado Avalanche are currently sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference with 24 total points. Trailing six points from the San Jose Sharks, currently in 8th place, the Avalanche need to do some serious damage if they want to even see the first round of the playoffs.
The Avalanche have home ice advantage in their next three match-ups In the next week the Colorado Avalanche will take on the Chicago Blackhawks, Monday night, the Dallas Stars, Wednesday night, and the Vancouver Cancuks, Sunday night.
Although the Avs, lost their first game on this home stance Saturday afternoon, they have a good chance to make up some major points in the next week.
Friday, March 15, 2013
NHL Realignment and How it Will Effect the Avalanche
The NHL's Board of Governors approved a new realignment plan, Thursday morning, that will go in place for the 2013-2014 hockey season. This realignment will alter the current layout, two conferences each comprised of three divisions, to a layout of two conferences each comprised of only two divisions.
According to the New York Times, Each team will play each of their divisional opponents four or five times a year. Teams would play opponents in the other division within there conference about three times a year. Teams from the Western Conference will still see teams from the Eastern Conferences, as they will have a least one math up during the season.
Such a change, may be just what the NHL needs. This change could help the league fiscally, by just cutting down on team travel costs alone. This change also may bring a new fan base by bringing out greater rivalries between teams in a closer vicinity to each other. With a dwindling fan base, after the lockout in 2012, this may not be a bad route taken by the NHL.
The biggest change, according to Donald Wood of bleacherreport.com,is the move of the Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets into the Eastern Conference. Realigning divisions, to create more localized match ups, caused this move because where these teams are located in the United States (see map below).
This realignment may not effect the Avalanche all too much. The Avs may just create a more localized rivalry, say with the Chicago Blackhawks, simply due to the fact that we will play them more during a season.
Conference/ Division Break Down:
Although the names of each division have not been decided upon yet, here is the basic breakdown.
Division (A): Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, L.A. Kings, Phoenix Coyotes, San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Cannucks
Division (B): Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues, Winnipeg Jets
Division (C): Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabors, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, Montreal Canadians, Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs
Division (D): Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals.
According to the New York Times, Each team will play each of their divisional opponents four or five times a year. Teams would play opponents in the other division within there conference about three times a year. Teams from the Western Conference will still see teams from the Eastern Conferences, as they will have a least one math up during the season.
Such a change, may be just what the NHL needs. This change could help the league fiscally, by just cutting down on team travel costs alone. This change also may bring a new fan base by bringing out greater rivalries between teams in a closer vicinity to each other. With a dwindling fan base, after the lockout in 2012, this may not be a bad route taken by the NHL.
The biggest change, according to Donald Wood of bleacherreport.com,is the move of the Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets into the Eastern Conference. Realigning divisions, to create more localized match ups, caused this move because where these teams are located in the United States (see map below).
This realignment may not effect the Avalanche all too much. The Avs may just create a more localized rivalry, say with the Chicago Blackhawks, simply due to the fact that we will play them more during a season.
Conference/ Division Break Down:
Although the names of each division have not been decided upon yet, here is the basic breakdown.
Division (A): Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, L.A. Kings, Phoenix Coyotes, San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Cannucks
Division (B): Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues, Winnipeg Jets
Division (C): Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabors, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, Montreal Canadians, Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs
Division (D): Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals.
Courtesy of: snyrangersblog.com
Sunday, March 10, 2013
The Impact Injuries Have During a Shortened Season
The shortened 2013 hockey season has been a quick-paced, exciting season so far. Unfortunately, a shorten season leads to an increase in the amount of injury. With teams averaging three to four games per week, during this season, injuries become more of a determining factor and they threaten the success of a team.
Injuries threaten a team whether it’s a normal 82-game season or a shortened 42-game season. In a shortened season, however, these games are so close together and the time a player has to recover from each game is significantly shortened.
Sports Editor, Jeff Levitt, points to the fact that NHL players "are athletes who are at the peak of physical ability, and when they aren't fully able to recover from their games it totally alters their abilities for the next game."
This lack of recovery time causes players to become more fatigued faster, causing them to have a slower reaction time which could possibly lead to more serious injuries.
It's not just major injuries impacting NHL teams during the 2013 season, minor injuries are becoming just as threatening. Minor injuries, putting players out for two or more weeks, wouldn't carry as big of an impact in a normal season where they would miss only four to six games. In the shortened season, a minor injury could bench a player for eight to ten games, which is a significant difference.
Paul Bunge, NHL Hockey fanatic of Broomfield, Colo., used the Chicago Blackhawks to exemplify this point. The Blackhawks showed a "weaknesses" during the back-to back match ups against the Colorado Avalanche because both Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa were benched at some point during these games due to injuries.
One of the biggest factors that injuries have an impact on is the overall chemistry of the team. Both Sharp and Hossa, from the previous example, were key factors in Chicago's chemistry. With both of them out of the lineup, the chemistry of the Blackhawks was changed, allowing the Colorado Avalanche to significantly beat them in Denver, Friday night.
To more directly relate the impact that injuries can have on a team to the Colorado Avalanche, we can use the example of Gabriel Landeskog. Landeskog was a huge offensive power for the team throughout the 2011-2012 season. After a bad hit from San Jose's Brad Stuart, Landeskog was on the Injured Reserve (IR) list and out for 11 games. The Avalanche struggled to fill the offensive void left by Landeskog, and their first fourth of the season clearly showed it.
Gabriel Landeskog's injury deeply affected the Avalanche's early season record, but it is arguable that other early Avalanche injuries had a stronger impact on the team. One major injury that deserves some attention, is the early injury drawn by Avalanche forward, Steve Downie. In the second game against the season, against the L.A. Kings, Steve Downie tore his ACL resulting in season-ending knee surgery.
"With the loss of Steve Downie, the Avs lost a top six forward who they traded a top four defensemen [Kyle Quincey] for at the trading deadline of last season," commented Levitt.
The injuries sustained by defensemen Ryan Wilson and Erik Johnson, should not be overlooked as well. Even though both these players returned o the ice this weekend, the impact they had on the team while still on the IR list was detrimental. Replacing a defenseman in such a short season can be a tricky task.
Hockey enthusiast, Julie Williams of Kansas City, Kan. stated that "the level of trust between a goaltender and the defenseman is key to a strong team."
The goaltenders need to have confidence that their defensemen are going to back them up and not leave them alone in the net.
There is not right answer to the question of what injury, major or minor, has had the strongest effect on the Colorado Avalanche so far in the 2013 season. The bottom line is that every team throughout the NHL has been affected by injuries, and these injuries are going to be a key factor in the final outcome of the shortened season.
Sources:
NHL.com
Jeff Levitt, Sports Editor at Altitude Sports & Entertainment
Paul Bunge, NHL fanatic of Broomfield, Colo.
Julie Williams, hockey enthusiast from Kansas City, Kan.
Friday, March 8, 2013
The Colorado Avalanche End the Blackhawk Streak
What a night it was at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Friday, where the Colorado Avalanche took on the Chicago Blackhawks for the second time this week.
The first match up of the week, between these two teams, took place Wednesday night in Chicago. The Blackhawks topped the Avs, 3-2, scoring the winning goal with only 50 seconds left in regulation. Friday night would prove to be a whole different story altogether.
Chicago took the early lead with a goal by Johnathan Toews, only five minutes into the first. That didn't stop the Avs, they kept fighting and then Stastny broke through the wall 16 minutes into the first. Both teams skated off after the first, tied at one.
That soon changed when the Avalanche followed up a solid first period with an amazing second. The second period can be summed up with a constant swarm of Avalanche players, pelting Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford shot after shot. Matt Duchene, John Mitchell, Ryan O'Reilly, and Jamie McGinn all finished the second period with a goal. The Blackhawks end the second trailing four goals to the Avalanche; the biggest spread that Chicago has had this season.
The Blackhawks went into the third attempting to make a much needed comeback, with a goal by Bickell early in the period. The Avs answered back as P.A. Parenteau hammered one in the net. As the third period drew to an end, the only thing you could hear throughout the Pepsi Center was the crowd chanting "end of streak."
The team that had not lost one game in regulation lost to the Colorado Avalanche Friday night, 6-2. This game will go down as one of the biggest upsets of the 2013 season, as the Colorado Avalanche become the first team to beat the Chicago Blackhawks in regulation.
Source: Mark Moser game broadcast
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Could the Avs Stop the Blackhawk streak?
The Avs fell just short of the Blackhawks, Wednesday night in Chicago. Even though they lost in regulation, the Avs have the true potential to stop the Blackhawks in Denver, Friday night.
First off, the Avs will have home ice advantage in front of a sold out crowd in Denver. Colorado has also won about 70 % of their games at home.
Aside from that basic factor, the Avs clearly showed this potential Wednesday night. The a 2-1 lead with a goal by Matt Duchene, late in the 2nd. Even though, the Blackhawks retaliated with a goal in the third to tie the game up at two, the Avs held them off until Chicago scored the winning goal with only 40 seconds left in regulation.
Varlamov has also been an iron curtain between the pipes, making some absolutely incredible saves. During the game, Varlamov held his own, ending the night with a .906 save percentage, which was not far off of Emery, the Blackhawks' goalie, who had a .909 save percentage.
The speed of Denver's young team was also prevalent Wednesday night. Young Avalanche center, Matt Duchene, is one of the fastest skaters in the NHL. If any team has a chance of keeping up with the Chicago Blackhawks, it is definitely Colorado.
All these factors are going to make for one exciting game in Denver, Friday night. The atmosphere at the Pepsi Center, that night, will be truly unreal.
First off, the Avs will have home ice advantage in front of a sold out crowd in Denver. Colorado has also won about 70 % of their games at home.
Aside from that basic factor, the Avs clearly showed this potential Wednesday night. The a 2-1 lead with a goal by Matt Duchene, late in the 2nd. Even though, the Blackhawks retaliated with a goal in the third to tie the game up at two, the Avs held them off until Chicago scored the winning goal with only 40 seconds left in regulation.
Varlamov has also been an iron curtain between the pipes, making some absolutely incredible saves. During the game, Varlamov held his own, ending the night with a .906 save percentage, which was not far off of Emery, the Blackhawks' goalie, who had a .909 save percentage.
The speed of Denver's young team was also prevalent Wednesday night. Young Avalanche center, Matt Duchene, is one of the fastest skaters in the NHL. If any team has a chance of keeping up with the Chicago Blackhawks, it is definitely Colorado.
All these factors are going to make for one exciting game in Denver, Friday night. The atmosphere at the Pepsi Center, that night, will be truly unreal.
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