The Avalanche were teased last week with the return of star goalie Craig Anderson. Now they need him to return to 100% in a hurry to stay competitive in the West.
Anderson played a stellar game against the Carolina Panthers on Friday, but saw so much work that he was rested the following night in Tampa Bay. The dropoff between Andy and backup Peter Budaj was made all too apparent as Budaj allowed six goals. (The continued poor play of the Colorado defense was also made apparent, as the Avalanche allowed 39 shots to reach Budaj.)
The Colorado offense shone again, however, scoring five goals on just 24 shots. Makes you wonder what this team could do with a solid defensive core and a healthy Craig Anderson.
Now the Avalanche have made their bi-weekly trip out of the 8-team Western Conference playoff field. The ongoing flux of West contenders should have Colorado back in the hunt by week’s end, but the second half of their east-coast road swing stands in the way.
Tuesday, December 7th @ Florida Panthers (5:30 MST)
The Avalanche have always enjoyed a thorough dominance of the Panthers. Dating back to Colorado’s Stanley Cup sweep of their Eastern cousins, the Avs have always taken care of business in Florida.
Last season the Avalanche escaped with a point from a shootout loss in Florida before trouncing the Panthers in Colorado 0-3. This season the two teams meet just once, and the battle will be fought in Sunrise, Florida’s BankAtlantic Center.
Expect the Avalanche to grab an early lead against an inferior team. If Anderson plays, we might see ol’ Craigers pitch a shutout against his former team. If Budaj starts and the Avalanche take their typical mid-game nap, this one could get too interesting for comfort.
PREDICTION: Avalanche 4, Panthers 1
Friday, December 10th @ Atlanta Thrashers (5:30 MST)
Atlanta has been on a tear that included a 3-2 OT win in Colorado a week ago.
Bad news for the Avalanche, especially considering the rise of young goaltender Ondrej Pavelec. After all, no defense can stop the Colorado offense, but a hot goalie can.
In their last nine games, the Thrashers have lost just once; to the equally hot Pittsburgh Penguins, winners of ten straight. Worse than the Thrashers’ great play is the awkward scheduling levied against the Avalanche on this road trip. Another road game, another opponent playing on multiple days rest.
Atlanta has the entire week to get ready for the Avalanche and a charged home crowd to motivate them for a big Friday night game. This combination does not bode well…
PREDICTION: Avalanche 2, Thrashers 3 (SO)
Saturday, December 11th @ Washington Capitals (5:00 MST)
Remember that awkward scheduling comment? It comes into play again when the Avalanche travel to Washington for their second back-to-back set on this 5-game road trip. Also working against Colorado is a Capitals team that just got their semi-regular 3-game losing streak out of the way for the month of December.
For a club with the talent level of the Washington Capitals there is no greater gift than a road-weary opponent with bad defense. Expect the Caps to score often.
Can the Avalanche keep up in a scorefest? No doubt. Can they do it at the end of a long road trip in the second half of back-to-back games? Not bloody likely.
PREDICTION: Avalanche 3, Capitals 5
**BONUS COVERAGE**
Not much extracurricular activity this week for the Avalanche. Last week I talked about the Avs’ acquisition of two new readheaded hockey demons, so we’ll just do a status update on center Tomas Fleischmann.
Excitingly enough, Tomas is rumored to be skating this week with countryman Milan Hejduk and dynamic young forward Matt Duchene. I hinted at the powerful combination of Czech forwards last week, but we’ll go a little more in-depth here.
The Czech style of offensive attack is amazingly similar to a lot of the run ‘n gun transition offenses of the modern NHL. Fleischmann’s former team, the Washington Capitals, come with speed and authority through the neutral zone, and Tomas has had no trouble translating that aspect of his game to the Avalanche. (He logged two assists and three shots on goal at Tampa Bay.)
But in Washington Fleishmann was relegated to third line play. With the Avalanche he has a chance to shine. And with Milan Hejduk & Matt Duchene for linemates he has a chance to get comfortable and produce consistent offensive effort. In fact, a big week from the newest Avalanche forward could swing a losing road trip in Colorado’s favor.
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