High-potential forward Ryan Stoa, who has been back and forth between Denver and Lake Erie all season, put home the game-winning shootout score to break Colorado's 10-game losing streak
Image by Getty Images via @daylife
So the Avalanche won a game in Edmonton last week to break a 10-game losing streak. Aside from a rousing whoop-dee-friggin-doo, there are a couple of points worth noting about this rare win for Colorado.
First, it was prospect forward Ryan Stoa scoring the shootout goal that lifted the Avalanche to its third win since January 18th. Second, the Avs played tough defense and goaltender Brian Elliot stopped 31 shots in a standout performance. Third, and this one is sort of funny, the Avalanche have now developed a verifiable trend that goes thusly: Win 1 (vs Blues), Lose 10, Win 1 (at Blues), Lose 10, Win 1 (at Oilers).
That’s a pattern, and if it holds up through the final 11 games of the NHL Regular Season, Colorado is due for another victory on its final game of the year against those same Edmonton Oilers. Now, this is where it gets downright hilarious.
Colorado’s two wins previous to Saturday night’s breakthrough in Edmonton were both against the St Louis Blues. The Avalanche can put together an absolutely stunning final three months of the season by continuing the trend mentioned above. If they do, Colorado will have gone 4-36 in the final three months of the season while beating just two different teams.
That’s right, the Avalanche have a chance to make hockey history by beating just two teams in their final 40 games. Barring an unforeseen setback like accidentally winning another game, Colorado is on pace to make the end of their crummy season honestly interesting in the worst way imaginable.
Tuesday, March 22nd vs Columbus Blue Jackets (7:00 MST)
Once upon a time, the Avalanche were positively dominant against the Blue Jackets. They started the season with twin 5-1 victories over Columbus, one in Colorado and one in Ohio. Then there was a 3-1 whooping in early February that continued the Avs’ decent into mediocrity. The game was not so close as the score.
So now the Avalanche are coming off a gritty 3-2 shootout road win with a chance to put together back-to-back victories for the first time in 2+ months. Will they do it? Yeah… yeah, I think they will. But it’ll be a shame to see the above-mentioned chance at hockey history slip away.
PREDICTION: Avalanche 4, Blue Jackets 3
Thursday, March 24th vs Toronto Maple Leafs (7:00 MST)
The Maple Leafs are working on a fun trend of their own. Every other game for the last two weeks Toronto has won handily, while the games in between are mistake-filled losses.
The Leafs are scheduled to hit Denver after losing to Minnesota on Tuesday. As far as trends go, though, Toronto is bad enough to lose on any given night no matter the prevailing winds. And so, because I won’t have another opportunity to predict an Avalanche victory for a couple weeks, we’re calling this one a victory and a feel-good 3-game winning streak as Colorado nears the conclusion of an otherwise abysmal season.
PREDICTION: Avalanche 3, Maple Leafs 2
Saturday, March 26th @ LA Kings (2:00 MST)
Assuming Colorado actually wins their first two games this week, it will be a fitting contrast when the Avs are brutalized by the Kings in Los Angeles. If the Avalanche lose two cake-walk home games before heading to LA… well, it’ll just be sad won’t it?
PREDICTION: Avalanche 1, Kings 4
**BONUS COVERAGE**
Matty Duchene has not slumped in his sophomore season with the Avalanche. He leads the team with 56 points, and has showcased his ability to take on an entire defense and come away with a goal.
That said, Duchene needs to start working on some offensive zone discipline. Too often Colorado’s offense boils down to Matt on an island at right wing trying desperately to make something happen. It’s understandable because the rest of his team has shown a complete inability to produce scoring chances in recent months, but the whole thing is eerily reminiscent of watching Carmelo Anthony monopolize the Nuggets’ offense for six years.
Simmer down Matty. Let the game come to you. Trust your linemates. And pray that Tomas Fleischmann makes it back to full strength for the beginning of next season. You two had some wicked chemistry going before blood clotting in Tomas’ lungs sent him to the IR, and I am looking ever so forward to seeing that terrifying transition offense work its magic in ’11-’12.
