Tue vs Blue Jackets, Thu @ Predators, Sat vs Oilers, Mon vs Blues
John-Michael Liles may be saying goodbye to Colorado (Bonus Coverage below)
After rattling off six wins and climbing to 3rd in the West, the Avalanche are back in the pack at 6th after a trio of tight losses. The quick, confident team that was creating space between itself and the hoards of conference playoff hopefuls has once again devolved into a tangle of rookies. But wait! Don’t lose hope.
The Avs lost to the kryptonic (they wear green, and they rock our weaknesses) Minnesota Wild on Thursday 0-1, and the Colorado offense disappeared two more games over the next three days against the Stars & Rangers. The Wild simply have a power over us, and the only good news is that we won’t play them again until either the playoffs (not likely for Minnie) or next season.
In the meantime, Vancouver is the hottest team in the league going into an epic road trip that will span the Olympic break. The ‘Nucks capped a seven-game streak with a 5-3 win after falling behind 0-3 at Toronto. Thirteen more road games between now and March 10th will most certainly wear down the Canucks.
The question is this; will the Avalanche capitalize and re-take the division.
Each of the three games that started with the Wild game featured a litany of bad bounces, failures to finish plays, and little mistakes that turned into big plays for the opposition. As unfortunately prone to such bad streaks as the Avalanche are, they are just as accustomed to righting the ice-ship suddenly and with force.
Colorado plays four games this week, with one every other day until Monday. This run of day-on, day-off scheduling stretches back to Friday’s game at Dallas, and continues through next Friday when the Avalanche host the Phoenix Coyotes. If the ‘Lanche can get in a rhythm over the next week and a half, they may be battling those very Coyotes for a return to 3rd place in the West.
Tue, Feb 2nd vs Columbus Blue Jackets (7:00 MST)
PREDICTION:Â AVALANCHE 3, BLUE JACKETS 1
Thu, Feb 4th @ Nashville Predators (6:00 MST)
PREDICTION:Â AVALANCHE 2, PREDATORS 4
Sat, Feb 6th vs Edmonton Oilers (8:00 MST)
PREDICTION:Â AVALANCHE 5, OILERS 3
Mon, Feb 8th vs St. Louis Blues (7:30 MST)
PREDICTION:Â AVALANCHE 2, BLUES 0
WEEK 19 PREDICTION: Â 3-1
**Bonus Coverage**
Liles on the Ropes
John-Michael Liles has long been a tolerated defensive liability.
His ability to run the Avalanche’s top Power Play unit & his nose for quick offensive strikes has made him one of the better offensive defensemen in the league.  When Joe Sacco took over the team in the offseason, John-Michael’s days may have already been numbered. Sacco is a fundamentals-first coach, and he was bound to have problems with Liles’ D-zone play.
Despite his wealth of talent, Liles comes closer to trade fodder every day. Coach Sacco sat John-Michael as a healthy scratch Sunday versus the Rangers, and the fact that rookie Ryan Wilson is getting much of Liles’ playing time does not bode well for Colorado’s 2000 draft pick. With the trade deadline upcoming, Liles may be remembered as the defensive talent that never panned out for the Avs.
