Wed @ Wild, Fri vs. Hurricanes, Sat vs. Red Wings
Avs General Manager Greg Sherman w/ scouts Richard Pracey & Alan Hepple
Listen to this recipe for disaster…
Your Captain just retired. Your GM just turned over the coaching staff and brought in a host of inexperienced young players. You start the season with two games at home; one against last year’s best regular season team (the San Jose Sharks) and the next against division rival Vancouver. Then you go on the road for the next seven games, four of them against playoff teams from last season.
With one game to go in that hellish opening run, the Colorado Avalanche are the best team in the Western Conference, have the second-best power play in the league, and celebrated a hugely thrilling victory in Detroit with a flight back home and three days of rest. Bring on the Wild…
Wed, Oct 21st @ Minnesota Wild (6:00 MST)
The Wild began the 2009-20010 season with a similarly tough draw. They lost their opener in Columbus, toughed out an OT win against Anaheim at home, and then lost every game of a five-game road trip. Now they get to come home and play the 6-1-1 Northwest Division leading Avalanche.
No doubt, Minnesota will be fired up for this game. They play great defense at home, and if early trends hold the Xcel Energy Center in Minneapolis will be the only place that they score more than two goals a game this year. Head Coach Todd Richards just promoted 24-year-old Mikko Koivu to team Captain for the ‘09-‘10 season after choosing Captains on a monthly basis the last couple years, so this team will be big-time motivated to go out and get a win.
That aside, Minnesota is offensively-challenged and slow. They put up four goals against the suddenly defensively inept Ducks, and scored three at Los Angeles in a blowout loss. Every other game has been a one or two goal affair for the Wild, and that trend will likely continue as they face the stellar goaltending of Craig Anderson and his cadre of veteran defensemen.
PREDICTION:Â AVALANCHE 3, MINNESOTA 2
Fri, Oct 23rd vs. Carolina Hurricanes (7:00 MST)
The Hurricanes are a dangerous team that often underperforms. They have looked unimpressive on the road this season, getting outscored 4-14 in their three away games. Continuity has been the most pressing issue for this team, and the remedy is not likely to come in the midst of a four-game road trip.
The Avalanche, win or lose at Minnesota, will be heading back home with the best record in the division. As much time as Colorado has spent towards the bottom of the division the last few seasons, the Avs will be keyed-in on beating so-so teams at home. Call that a season-long mission for the Lanche, and expect them to pound out a convincing victory with Detroit coming to town the next night.
PREDICTION:Â AVALANCHE 4, CAROLINA 1
Sat, Oct 24th vs. Detroit Red Wings (7:00 MST)
The Red Wings were the better team for two periods in Detroit last Saturday. Were it not for the impressive play of Cody McLeod Red Wing Slayer (2G) and rookies Ryan O’Reilly (2A) and Matt Duchene (who scored his first of what will be many NHL goals), this game would have gone down as a W for the Wings.
One week later, the Red Wings will skate on Pepsi Center Ice looking for revenge in no uncertain terms. Detroit has struggled in the early going this season. They started off with home and away losses to the speedy St. Louis Blues before winning 3 of 4 to hit the .500 mark. The Avalanche dumped them unceremoniously below that mark by handing them an OT Loss.
The Wings will most likely come out of their next game in Phoenix with another win.  Pushing them back below the Mendoza Line will be an equally difficult task. But consider this…
Against speed offenses this season (St. Louis, Buffalo & Colorado) the Wings are 0-4. The ultra-fast Sabres put six goals past the aging Chris Osgood, and the Avalanche scored most of their goals (including both shootout goals) by making the slow-as-molasses goaltender come across his crease to attempt a stop. Look for a lot of one-pass-and-shoot hockey in this game, and look for the Avalanche to outscore the Red Wings in this key rematch.
PREDICTION:Â AVALANCHE 5, RED WINGS 4
WEEK 4 PREDICTION: Â 3-0
