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The Colorado Avalanche said goodbye to their last remaining veteran from two Stanley Cup teams on Sunday in Denver.  With a 4-3 Overtime victory versus the Edmonton Oilers, the Avs bid adieu to veteran defenseman Adam Foote.  The come-from-behind win was the closing note in a disappointing 30-44-8 season.

‘Footer’ will go out on top (franchise leader in assists from a defenseman) despite the Avalanche struggling to the second-worst record in the NHL.  Adam announced his pending retirement last week.  He has an outside chance at landing in Toronto at the Hockey Hall of Fame.  Foote played 17 of his 19 NHL seasons with the Colorado Avalanche.

“It was great to get the win for Foote. What a great career,” said sophomore winger Matt Duchene after the game.  Duchene has been living with Foote since coming to Colorado last season, and credits Adam with his immediate success at the NHL level.

Duchene assisted on both Milan Hejduk’s game-tying goal early in the 3^rd Period and David Jones’ game-winning goal 3:57 into OT.  The Avs came from behind to tie it twice after falling behind 1-0 just 1:26 into the 1^st Period and then handing Edmonton a 3-2 lead in the 2^nd.

Milan Hejduk’s goal moved him ahead of Peter Forseberg on the Colorado/Quebec all-time scoring list with 756 points.  Hejduk is now the only remaining player from the 2001 Stanley Cup Champion Avalanche still playing in Colorado.

Foote won Stanley Cups with the Avalanche in both 1996 (when Hejduk was still playing in the Czech Extraliga) and in 2001.  Said Foote to the Avalanche faithful and his teammates after his final game at Pepsi Center, “Thank you for your support, and I love you all.”

Following Joe Sakic’s retirement before last season, Adam Foote was named Captain of the Colorado Avalanche.  Many expect Hejduk to be offered the C if he is retained through a new contract for next year.

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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 18^th.  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 22^nd 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 24^th 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 26^th @ 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.

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Fire Greg Sherman!  Fire Pierre Lacroix!  Keep Joe Sacco… make him watch.

The Avalanche are mired in their worst-ever slump.  Not just worst this season, but literally the worst they have ever played since coming to Colorado.

In fact, if it weren’t for two 4-3 victories over St Louis in the last two months, the Avalanche would be winless since January 18^th.  That would be an epic 22 game losing streak… as if losing 17 of their last 18 isn’t bad enough.

Instead, because they outskated and barely outscored the Blues twice, the Avalanche have gone 2-18-2 over those 22 games.  That’s good for 6 points or, in layman’s terms, squadoosh.  Colorado’s decline from playoff contender to Western Conference afterthought has been so quick as to be less painful, but no less embarrassing.

Over four games in eight days last week the Avs gave up an average of 5 goals while scoring an average below 2 (1, 2, 2, 2).  That’s beyond pathetic.  That’s abysmal.  Heads must roll.

So instead of doing my weekly preview article for the Avalanche this week, I will briefly lay out why the entire Colorado front office must go.  (Here’s your preview: Wednesday, March 16^th @ Vancouver = LOSS ; Thursday, March 17^th @ Calgary = LOSS ; Saturday, March 19^th @ Edmonton = SUPER-EMBARRASSING LOSS)

Avalanche General Manager Greg Sherman took over in 2009 and has so far failed to build a sustainable defense in Colorado.  Not only that, but he has continued to inexplicably draft offensive players when goaltending and defense are the club’s greatest needs.

NOT ONLY THAT, but Sherman traded away Kevin Shattenkirk, Colorado’s one successful defensive draft pick.  Sherman pulled the trigger on this trade just a couple weeks removed from Shattenkirk’s participation in the All Star Game as a rookie invitee.  The behemoth defenseman Sherman got in return from the St Louis Blues for Shattenkirk most likely helps Colorado’s defense in the future, but Greg tossed in star power forward Chris Stewart to sweeten the deal.

To review: St Louis got a future star two-way defenseman and an emerging star PF.  Colorado got an underachieving defender (Erik Johnson) with no offensive capabilities who may someday be one of the better one-way defenseman in the league.  Bad trade.

Just before orchestrating this monstrosity, Sherman dumped fan-favorite goalie Craig Anderson in a straight-up trade to Ottawa for lesser goaltending prospect Brian Elliott.  This move stunk of panic then, but now it looks like a lame move designed to make a failed front office appear to be on the job.

Anderson is struggling behind a terrible Senators defense, Elliott is struggling behind a terrible Avalanche defense.  Nothing has changed except that Andy made a brief run in Ottawa over his first five games to remind Colorado fans what he is capable of when motivated by the potential to actually win some games.

Sherman sat idly by while the Avalanche crumbled on defense.  By the time a series of offensive injuries began this slump, Colorado had absolutely no defense to fall back on.  And so the losing continues.  The Avalanche have held opponents to less than three goals just once (a 2-1 SO loss to Anaheim) since this magnificently terrible slump started.

But don’t pin all the blame on Sherman.

Colorado Avalanche President Pierre Lacroix still pulls the strings behind the scenes.  He has been riding easy since winning two Stanley Cups for Colorado in the pre-salary cap days.  Back when Pierre could spend his way to victory it was easy.  He is a talented team-builder.  However, he has no talent for drafting on defense, has not orchestrated a positive trade in ten years, and is the rotten heart of complacency that is dragging this organization down.

Fire Pierre Lacroix first.  Make it a very public dismissal.  Let Sherman think his job is safe and then give him a one-way ticket to Toronto as soon as a suitable replacement is found.  Make Joe Sacco watch the whole thing.  See if he can turn this team around despite its crippled roster.  If not, if next season is as abysmal as this one, send Joe back to Lake Erie and start from scratch.

As bad as the Avalanche are right now in this moment in club history, only wiping the slate clean makes any kind of sense.  Time to clean house Colorado.

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The not-so-triumphant return of Adam Foote meant nothing to a super-slumping Avalanche squad last week.  Even after pressing the Sharks to the brink in San Jose, Colorado only managed a pathetic shootout loss.

That extra-time L did garner Los Avs a point to bring them to 60 points on the season.  However, a 5-1 home downer at the hands of the West-worst Edmonton Oilers (good for two 5-1 home losses to Edmonton in as many weeks) erased any lingering positive vibes from a competitive outing in San Jose.

Now the Avalanche get into a tough stretch of games that will likely extend their atrocious post-All Star Break streak of mostly losses (1-12-2 or a 0.07 winning percentage.)  This week features games against a series of smash-mouth clubs, capped by back-to-back contests Friday and Saturday versus Anaheim and at Nashville.

To boot, promising power forward Ryan Stoa ended up rupturing his appendix and needing surgery.  He will miss at least two weeks.

Can it get any worse in Avalancheville?  Yes, yes I believe it can…

Tuesday, March 8^th @ Minnesota Wild (6:00 MST)

Back when the Avalanche were scoring 3.5 goals per game, they took an early lead in the season series versus the Northwest Division’s resident thugs.  A 7-4 win and a 4-1 victory in Minnesota sandwiched around a 1-3 loss to the Wild at home had Colorado looking like they might have finally figured out the gritty boys in green.

Then the Avs returned from a relaxing All Star Break and lost a 3-4 heartbreaker at home to the Wild wherein Colorado managed an absurd 41 shots on goal.  That game started Colorado’s current slide, and may have been the demoralizing straw the that broke the Abominable Snowman’s back in a season plagued by injuries and missed opportunities.

A 3-2 loss at Minnesota a couple weeks later was more reminiscent of Colorado’s historical struggles against the Wild, and we’ll go ahead and predict a similarly frustrating outcome in this one.

PREDICTION: Avalanche 2, Wild 3

Friday, March 11^th vs Anaheim Ducks (7:00 MST)

As a seasoned fan of teams that manage epic slumps (Avalanche, Nuggets, Rockies, Saints, Red Sox… this is getting depressing) sometimes you just have to look for the little victories amidst a big steaming pile of crap.

Well, I think we’re going to beat the Ducks at home on Friday.  If you go to one game the rest of the year, make it this one… because we may not win again… ever.

PREDICTION: Avalanche 4, Ducks 3

Saturday, March 12^th @ Nashville Predators (6:00 MST)

At Nashville after a slugfest versus the Ducks the night before?  Blech.

Plus the Predators are just wrapping up a luckless slide full of bad losses.  Their standard response in such situations goes – 1) beat the Avalanche 2) go on a tear.  Double blech.

PREDICTION: Avalanche 1, Predators 3

**BONUS COVERAGE**

Looking for more little golden nuggets in that big pile of fetid brown waste?  Okay, fine:

Ryan O’Reilly scored his first goal since January 4^th in that 5-1 loss to Edmonton.

Adam Foote is now 39^th in games played by a defenseman after moving ahead of Borje Salming, his childhood hero, on Saturday.

Having gone 3-0-1 so far this season against the surging Oilers, and with the Ottawa Senators playing improved hockey featuring former Colorado backstop Craig Anderson, the Avalanche are rapidly moving towards the worst record in the league and a #1 Overall Draft Pick…. hooray?

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The Avalanche continued their atrocious slide since the All Star Break, losing 12 of 13 since Paul Stastny and Kevin Shattenkirk represented Colorado amongst the NHL elite.

Shattenkirk is gone to St Louis along with talented power forward Chris Stewart.  Stastny has picked up his game, but not his team.  And now fans are beginning to question whether Avalanche head coach Joe Sacco, general manager Greg Sherman and president Pierre Lacroix deserve to keep their jobs past this lost season.

The issues are so deep with this team (time of possession, too many penalties, uninspired offensive play, inability to clear the defensive zone, etc.) that the formerly bright future now looks terribly dim.  When the Avalanche were leading the NHL in scoring, their defensive deficiencies were less glaring.  Now Colorado is getting dominated in all phases of the game

A light schedule this week may help the boys in burgundy to refocus, but barring a series of minor miracles this March is going to be a tough month for the Avalanche.

Tuesday, March 1^st @ San Jose Sharks (8:30 MST)

Nobody likes to play in San Jose, least of all the Avalanche.

Colorado skated even with the Sharks on their home turf in a first round playoff exit last season, but regular season games in the Shark Tank have been brutal for the Avalanche in recent years.

Why, just a couple of weeks ago the Avs got pummeled 4-0 in San Jose by the thuggish Sharks, and there is no reason to believe this trip to Cali will be any different.  Especially with San Jose on a six-game winning streak.

PREDICTION: Avalanche 2, Sharks 5

Saturday, March 5^th vs Edmonton Oilers (8:00 MST)

Losing 5-1 to the West-worst Oilers at home last week was rock-bottom for the Avalanche.  Colorado logged 39 shots and scored just once.  A terrible early whistle with a loose puck in front of the Edmonton net robbed the Avs of a chance to get back in the game down 2-0, and then the Oilers took advantage of their ref-assisted good fortune to pile on the goals.

The Edmonton defense is categorically terrible.  It is the second worst in the Western Conference… second only to the Avalanche.  If Colorado can’t score a flurry of goals with their team pride on the line against a truly bad team, then it may be time to call up a cadre of Lake Erie Monsters to replace these underachieving Avalanche forwards.

PREDICTION: Avalanche 5, Oilers 4

**BONUS COVERAGE**

Craig Anderson is tearing it up in Ottawa, going 3-1 in four starts as a Senator.  Chris Stewart has scored 6 goals in as many games (4 on the power play) since being traded to the Blues.  Kevin Shattenkirk has been +3 with 3 assists in St Louis.

Meanwhile, Brian Elliot has allowed 9 goals in two starts for the Avalanche.  Jay McClement has logged a handful of shots and is -1 since coming over from the Blues.  Erik Johnson has been +1 with 1 goal and 2 assists in five games with Colorado.

Right now, the trades that were designed to “shake up” the Avalanche and get them winning have only succeeded in sending talented players elsewhere in return for less.

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The Avalanche were busy losing on the ice last week, but the Colorado front office was busy shaking up a roster that is responsible for ten consecutive losses.

Following a 9-1 drubbing at the hands of the division-rival Calgary Flames one week ago, Colorado got to work right away moving huge components of last year’s success and bringing in fresh faces.  Popular goaltender Craig Anderson was the first to go after struggling to return to form following a freak early-season knee injury during warm-ups.  The Avs got Ottawa goalie Brian Elliot in return, and the direct player-for-player swap amounted to a “change of scenery” trade.

As if that shock to the Avalanche system weren’t enough, early in the AM hours on Saturday Colorado GM Greg Sherman pulled the trigger on an even bigger trade.  The Avalanche made perhaps a necessary trade for enormous St Louis Blues defender Erik Johnson, grabbing defensive forward Jay McClement in the process.  But in a move that may haunt the Avalanche for years to come, Colorado gave up superb rookie defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk and unstoppable power forward Chris Stewart.

The Blues definitely got the best of this deal, and it was a certain sense of desperation that made Stewart moveable in the first place.  The suddenness we saw in last week’s trades made it very apparent that nobody on this roster is safe, and the Avs may not be done making roster moves this season.

More on these trades in our inaugural PSC Avalanche Podcast

Tuesday, February 22^nd @ St Louis Blues (6:00 MST)

As shocking as the deal for Erik Johnson was, the timing was outrageous.  The Avalanche and Blues will face off in St Louis just three days after their big trade.

The Blues have the edge going into this game in the sense that their team is not in disarray, is not on a ten-game losing streak, and is playing at home.  The Avalanche, though, will be playing on three days rest and with a major chip on their shoulder.  St Louis played last night in a loss to the Blackhawks, and Colorado should have a chance late in this game to wear down the Blues and find a way to win.

Unfortunately I think that Chris Stewart exacts some revenge on the Colorado coaching staff by burying a goal or two, and the Avalanche find themselves stretching their losing streak to an embarrassing 11 games.

PREDICTION: Avalanche 3, Blues 4

Wednesday, February 23^rd vs Edmonton Oilers (7:30 MST)

What is the cure for an 11-game losing streak?  Why, the Edmonton Oilers coming to Colorado of course.

The Oilers are the only team in the West with a worse record than the Avalanche, and their defense has been nearly as abysmal.  Despite a recent 3-game winning streak, I think we’ll see Colorado jump on Edmonton early and hang on for a high-scoring win.

PREDICTION: Avalanche 5, Oilers 3

Saturday, February 26^th @ Los Angeles Kings (2:00 MST)

The Kings are just finishing up a ridiculously-long 10-game road trip.  They floundered at the end, but played strong throughout.  Now they return to LA for a cozy 6-game homestand and the woeful Avalanche to feast upon.

Make no mistake, the Avalanche are outclassed by Los Angeles and they will lose this game.  I think Colorado keeps it artificially close though, and makes the Kings work for a their win.  Things get really interesting if LA trots out backup goaltender Jonathan Bernier for what they surely see as a cake matchup.

PREDICTION: Avalanche 3, Kings 4

Sunday, February 27^th @ Anaheim Ducks (6:00 MST)

The Ducks dominated the Avs in Colorado earlier this month 3-0.  It was the first of four games between the two teams in the latter half of this season.

With the whole of this conference matchup packed into the second half, it would be nice if the Avs got one back against a team that always give them trouble via tight checking and professional puck-possession hockey.

Swami sees a win.  Don’t ask why, it’s probably the post-Stewie depression talking.

PREDICTION: Avalanche 3, Ducks 2

**BONUS COVERAGE**

The Avalanche are officially in spoiler mode for the rest of the season.  They play the Pacific Division an awful lot, and will play a huge role in which Western Conference bubble teams make the playoffs.  It’s Anaheim and Los Angeles for the next few weeks, but a home-away series versus the Dallas Stars in April give the Avs a chance to rob those punks of a playoff berth.  As well as Colorado historically plays against the boys from Texas, I’m calling it destiny.

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Chris Stewart getting ready for a scrimmage at Avalanche training camp (photo credit: Jason Ackerman)

This is a morning habit I’d like to break at some point – turning on the computer after a night blissfully disconnected from the wired world, only to find that the local team is involved in yet another trade. A day after sending goalie Craig Anderson packing to Ottawa, the Avalanche traded winger Chris Stewart and rookie standout defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk to the St. Louis Blues for former number 1 pick and US Olympic team defenseman Erik Johnson and forward Jay McClement. The teams also swapped draft choices in the deal, Colorado’s second round pick going to St. Louis for a first round pick, this year or next, depending on how St. Louis finishes the season.

While the trade of goalie Craig Anderson was done more the change of scenery and the perceived loss of confidence, this trade clearly marks a shift in the Avalanche’s direction in rebuilding the team. As recently as a few months ago, Stewart was considered one of the hottest young forwards in the league, posting goals at a blistering pace before breaking his hand in a fight in late November. Since coming back from that injury, he struggled to find a consistent zone, and has yet to regain his scoring touch. Giving up on Stewart so early however could come back to bite the Avalanche (as early as Tuesday when the Avs play the Blues) as Stewart is young and passionate, and still has the potential to have a fantastic career ahead of him. This trade also may serve to show how deep the depths of Joe Sacco’s doghouse can reach.

Kevin Shattenkirk was the darling of the rookie class this year – a defenseman with the ability to score from the blue line. He was invited to participate in the skills competition at the All Star Game this year, and while Sacco tends to send guys up and down to Lake Erie like errand boys, Shattenkirk has enjoyed the consistency of being on the Avs roster without interruption since his call up early in the season. It seems clear that this trade was made for defensive reasons, and the thinking is that Johnson is an upgrade over Shattenkirk, and Stewart was part of the deal to ‘sweeten the pot’ for St. Louis to pull the trigger.

Erik Johnson was the number one overall pick in the 2006 draft, but missed all of the 2008-09 season due to a knee injury suffered in a golf cart accident. The Avs are counting on his presence on the blue line, to bring back the ability to grind out games that end up being played in the trenches. The Avalanche’s extremely aggressive attacking style, running and shooting (remember the NFL run and shoot offense?) before opposing defenses could get set, is no longer getting the job done now that teams have figured out how to throw them off their game.

This may just be another step in the overhaul of the Avalanche defense – small, speedy defensemen are exciting to watch but when that’s all you have, it’s hard to consistently win hockey games. Throw in a goaltender’s struggle, and you have a recipe for – oh, say, a 9 game losing streak for instance.

Both Johnson and McClement will be in tonight’s lineup against San Jose, and the first head to head matchup with Stewie and Shattenkirk on the opposing side takes place Tuesday, as the Avs play a “makeup” game in St. Louis.

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Craig Anderson gets loose at Avs training camp before the 2010-11 season (Photo Credit: Ian Cerveny)

The Colorado Avalanche traded struggling goaltender Craig Anderson to the Ottawa Senators Friday in return for Brian Elliot, the Senators’ own version of a struggling goaltender. With a 9 game skid and the season rapidly imploding, it’s not surprising to see the Avalanche make a move. It’s not even all that surprising to see a goaltender trade, although to trade one goalie on a mind-bending skid for another seems odd, with very little financial incentive in the deal. (The Avalanche are almost at the FLOOR on salary – they can’t trim much else.) It makes one wonder how things were progressing with Anderson behind closed doors. His story and Elliot’s are nearly identical – played a career season a year ago, led the team to the playoffs, then struggled to regain form this year, each goalie posting only 13 wins.

The real tragedy in this move is not that the Avalanche chose to trade Anderson – trades happen, and when teams struggle mightily, desperate personnel moves often come into play, as coaches and GMs make the final flailing effort to save their jobs. It’s that Anderson was a brick wall. His first game in Denver was against San Jose, and by the middle of the second period the crowd – no stranger to great goaltending, only a few years removed from the Roy era – was chanting his name in unison. Whether it was just an aberration of a year, or the result of a freak knee injury, Anderson seemed lost as the 2010-11 season rolled on. Finally, with the deadline approaching, they went with the “change of scenery” motif, hoping that Elliot stands a better chance of regaining last year’s form than Anderson does. This will likely not be the last move the Avs make this season, although it’s probably the last goaltending move for a bit – Avs management is eager to see what WHL prospect Calvin Pickard (currently playing for the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL) can do once he is ready to advance beyond major junior level.

Elliot, a former Wisconsin-Madison standout and AHL star, posted 29 wins and a 2.57 goals against average last season for Ottawa, though his numbers this season are significantly worse (13 wins, 3.57 GAA). Visa issues won’t allow him to suit up for Avs straight away, so John Graeme was recalled from Lake Erie to backup Budaj until Elliot can join the team.

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Peter Forsberg’s return to the Colorado Avalanche lasted just two games, back-to-back road losses in Columbus and Nashville.  Suffering through pain from chronic foot problems and lacking the characteristic speed and strength that made him such a terror during the late nineties and early ots, Peter the Great will hang up his skates in Denver tonight.

For those of us who grew up during Foppa’s Glory Days, this is especially bittersweet.  Many Avalanche fans had planned to pack Pepsi Center tonight to get one last glimpse of Peter on home ice, but Forsberg’s afternoon announcement

Fighting back tears, but often flashing his trademark smile, Foppa said at a 2:30pm retirement announcement, “After this past weekend, I came to the sad conclusion… that I was gonna have to retire. It was not an easy decision, and believe me the process I went through was even tougher.” The 37-year-old Forsberg noted that five surgeries and constant pain was forcing him away from the game he loved.

Meanwhile, Foppa’s Avalanche teammates will welcome the surging Calgary Flames to Denver tonight.

Colorado will endeavor to break a horrendous seven-game losing streak that extends back before the All Star Break.  The formerly high-powered Avalanche offense has scored 2, 3, 0, 0, 2, 1 & 3 goals in those losses.  The Avs have not won in a game where they scored less than 4 goals since December 19^th versus Montreal.

But it does not get any easier from here…

Monday, February 14^th vs Calgary Flames (8:00 MST)

The Flames just had a ten-game points streak (8-0-2) come to an end.  After falling well below the Avalanche, Calgary has surged while Colorado fell, getting themselves back into the playoff hunt.  With a win tonight, the Flames would catapult themselves into the 8^th and final playoff spot.

For the Avalanche, desperation has set in.  Another awkward offensive effort will surely end in a loss as Colorado’s young defense continues to struggle.  For what it’s worth, this Calgary team is not going to end up a playoff team, and represents a good chance for the Avalanche to get back to their winning ways.

PREDICTION: Avalanche 3, Flames 2

Wednesday, February 16^th vs Pittsburgh Penguins (7:00 MST)

The Penguins have been struggling mightily without their best two players (Sid Crosby and Evgeni Malkin) along with a host of other key offensive contributors.  Now their defense has slid into a rare funk to match.  Pittsburgh gave up 14 goals in their last two games, including a 9-goal shellacking at the hands of the suddenly feisty Islanders.

However, the Penguins are still a Championship-caliber team and they’ll be playing mad.  I do not see the Avalanche matching what will surely be some ferocious play from the ‘Guins, who come to Denver on three days rest.

PREDICTION: Penguins 4, Avalanche 2

Saturday, February 19^th @ San Jose Sharks (8:30 MST)

The Avalanche played well in the Shark Tank last year in the playoffs, but Colorado has not looked like that team all year.  Increasingly, Colorado fails to match the intensity of their opponents.  With all of the injuries plaguing these Avalanche, a matchup against the gritty Sharks in San Jose does not bode well.

PREDICTION: Avalanche 1, Sharks 3

**BONUS COVERAGE**

Peter Forsberg noted that he promised his fiancé that he would not continue to play if he could not defend himself on the ice.  While it’s a shame Foppa could not give us one more game in Denver, I trust that he gave it his best shot… and it will be a proud day (not a sad one like today) when his #21 jersey is retired at Pepsi Center.

“It is perfect for me to announce my retirement here in Denver as a member of the Colorado Avalanche.  I really want to thank the organization for everything they’ve done for me, including the last opportunity here.  I will always be grateful for that,” said Forsberg, pausing often to choke back emotion. “And finally I would like to thank the great fans of Denver and around the world for their tremendous support, the way they embraced me… the way they embraced me from the beginning.”

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In 19 games since a season-best six-game winning streak, the Avalanche have won just six more games.  Their offense has dried up, their defense is as porous as ever, Craig Anderson has been replaced by Peter Budaj as Colorado’s most reliable goaltender, and the Avalanche have fallen to 12^th in the Western Conference as a result.

Enter Peter Forsberg, AKA Foppa, AKA Peter the Great, AKA The Demon Swede, AKA… well, suffice to say the guy has a lot of nicknames.

Now the Man of Many Names (all of them awesome) has rejoined the Avalanche to instill some much-needed fire into their lagging lineup.  Forsberg signed a contract with Colorado that will have him playing with the Avalanche through the end of this season.  While terms of the deal were not disclosed, we can assume that the move was made less in the hope that Foppa would score 20 goals and more under the assumption that his veteran poise and leadership would rub off on a struggling young team.

Whether the ploy works or not, it will be great again to see Peter in an Avs sweater.  Even if his speed is not what it once was, his ice vision and incredible passing skills will make two Avalanche linemates immediately better.

Now to Colorado’s brutal, busy week on the road…

Monday, February 7^th @ Phoenix Coyotes (7:30 MST)

The Avalanche will play four games in six days this week, all on the road.  And that punishing stretch will start at Phoenix versus a Coyotes club that has simply dominated Colorado over the last two seasons.

The Avalanche were dominated at home by the Coyotes earlier this season, getting shut out 2-0.  Colorado played considerably better against the Coyotes in another home game just over a week ago, but were still brutalized 5-2.

Now the Avs have two games left to play versus the Coyotes and both are in Phoenix.  Barring marked improvement by Colorado, both look like losses… starting tonight.

PREDICTION: Avalanche 2, Coyotes 4

Wednesday, February 9^th @ Minnesota Wild (6:00 MST)

Minnesota jumped on the Avalanche early following an unnaturally extended All Star Break for Colorado (supplemented by a weather cancellation for their first game back in St Louis.)  That will not happen again.

The Wild have been playing above their talent level lately, and Colorado is due for a breakout offensive performance.  I say it happens on a snowy Wednesday night in MN.

PREDICTION: Avalanche 3, Wild 1

Friday, February 11^th @ Columbus Blue Jackets (5:00 MST)

The Avalanche have twin 5-1 wins to show for two contests against the gritty Blue Jackets this season, one in Colorado and one in Columbus.  Expect another show of force from the Avs, who always play well against this Central Division whipping boy.  Columbus will play the Penguins in Pittsburgh and the Sharks at home before welcoming the Avalanche to town.

Even if the Blue Jackets are playing up to much of their competition (including the Red Wings,) Colorado has the edge with both teams on a day’s rest following pitched battles against punishing competition.

PREDICTION: Avalanche 4, Blue Jackets 3

Saturday, February 12^th @ Nashville Predators (6:00 MST)

The streaky Predators beat up on the Avalanche a couple weeks ago following an outstanding Nashville win in Phoenix two nights before.  The Preds scored 10 goals in those two games.  Then they edged the Oilers in Edmonton in a shootout 3-2.

And then, as is customary for Nashville, they fell apart offensively and only managed six goals in their next four games, all losses.  Then they walloped the Red Wings 3-0, going a perfect 5-5 on the penalty kill.

Of course, by the time the Avalanche skate into Nashville the Predators rollercoaster will be steaming along at top speed.  Bad luck for the Avs, who always seem to bring out the best in the feisty but inconsistent Preds.

PREDICTION: Avalanche 3, Predators 4

**BONUS COVERAGE**

Football season has ended.  Carmelo is on his way to NYC.  Peter the Great has returned to the Mile High City.  Time to root for your Avalanche!

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