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.â€
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.
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.
A week that began with a rousing 4-3 win over the league-best Vancouver Canucks sputtered into futility after it was learned that speedy Czech winger Tomas Fleischmann will miss the rest of the year due to blood clots in both lungs.
Let us not mince words; the Vancouver Canucks have manhandled the Avalanche so far this season. The ‘Nucks sit at the top of the NHL with 64 points, and their +40 goal differential is +18 better than their closest Western Conference competition.
Colorado had an outstanding Week Three, scoring 14 goals over three games. The Avalanche stole a point in an OT loss at Vancouver before blazing through Calgary and dominating Columbus at home.
It’s de ja vu all over again for the Avalanche who returned from a successful road trip against tought teams for a lackluster homestand against… well, tough teams.
Colorado’s three victories have all come by a single goal, one of those in Overtime and another in a Shootout. The third saw Craig Anderson stop 41 shots on the way to a tough 3-2 victory in New Jersey.
After a rousing Overtime defeat of the Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks in their Home Opener, the Avalanche hit the road… and hard.
In a move that echoes the end of the Sakic era in Denver, Adam Foote is signing a new contract, committing to just one season at a time with the Colorado Avalanche.
