Image by JessicaAvsFan via Flickr

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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Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Once upon a time the Nuggets’ armor was full of holes.  Denver was an offensively talented team that struggled on defense, especially late, and failed to match the intensity of lesser opponents.

Throw all that out the window.  The Nuggets battle now.  They did against a rising Sacramento Kings squad last night at Pepsi Center and earned a hard-fought 104-90 victory.  The win was good for ten consecutive in Denver.

Sacramento, playing in the second night of a back-to-back set, crumbled midway through the fourth quarter under the Nuggets’ constant assault.

Ty Lawson ran the Kings ragged early, then bowed to a minor injury and rested for almost a full quarter in the second half.  Enter JR Smith who took his turn running an intensely effective dribble-drive attack and then pulling up for wide-open mid-range jumpers when the Kings’ tired defense sagged into the paint.

Despite leading for most of the first three quarters, Denver did not panic.  They just played their game, recovered from missed shots and bad turnovers, and closed out so strong as to make a very tight game look like a typical Nuggets home blowout.

It was as much a statement win as any other recent Denver victory.  Sacramento was on a four-game winning streak behind the revelatory play of Marcus Thornton, and these Kings gave the Nuggets all they had.  But Denver doesn’t play down to its opponent (for long), doesn’t engineer comeback attempts from behind the three-point line, and doesn’t roll over versus tough physical competition.

Call it a big win.  Call it the fourth straight for the Nuggets and twelve in the last sixteen.  Call them contenders, Denver.

Read the full recap

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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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The Avalanche offense, once the best in hockey, has fallen apart in January.  An attack that averaged 3.5 goals per game through December has put up a paltry 2.4 goals per game in January.

With Craig Anderson and the Avalanche defense struggling mightily with consistency, 2.4 goals just doesn’t win a lot of hockey games.  Especially when your defense offers up an average of 3.4 goals per game to opposing offenses.

Now the Avalanche have been bumped out of the playoff picture following dismal performances at home versus Nashville & Boston.  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.

Colorado’s offense needs to collect itself and rediscover the flow that made it unstoppable early in the season.

Colorado’s defense needs to buckle down and start making stands at the blue line instead of playing chase after the seal has been broken.

Monday, January 24^th vs St Louis Blues (7:30 MST)

After finishing December on a five-game winning streak against some top West competitors, the Blues have struggled even more mightily than the Avs in January.

Like Colorado, the Blues’ defense has been a sieve this month.  Top goalie Jaroslav Halak occasionally backstops a gem, but gets flustered by early goals and gives up 4+ with regularity.

The Avalanche absolutely must come out blazing in this game if they hope to salvage their five-game homestand going into the All Star Break.

PREDICTION: Avalanche 5, Blues 3

Wednesday, January 26^th vs Phoenix Coyotes (7:00 MST)

The Coyotes have come on strong after struggling early in the year.  They play the speedy Avalanche forwards tough and force action to the boards better than any team this side of Detroit.  In fact, their style of play reminds of a Detroit-lite… as in lite on talent.

What they lack in big-name talent the Coyotes make up for in grit and hard-nosed play.  Bad news for the Avalanche.  Phoenix shut out the Avs earlier this month in Colorado, and will be coming off a cupcake home contest against the pathetic Edmonton Oilers.

If the Avalanche want a win, they will either need Peter Forseberg to sweep in and save them, or they will have to simply outwork their opponent in the little battles that decide most hockey games.  Avs fans are praying for the former.

PREDICTION: Avalanche 2, Coyotes 3

**BONUS COVERAGE**

The triumphant return of Foppa?

Looks like it.  Peter Forseberg flew to Denver late last week and has been skating with the team in practice ever since.  Word on the street has Foppa signing with the Avalanche once both parties are convinced that he has his legs back… and that his troublesome foot will hold up under the wear-and-tear of NHL play.

Unlike previous comeback attempts, Forseberg has been resting instead of rehabbing through Swedish league play.  He is reportedly at his best health in years, even at the advanced age of 37.

Here’s hoping for a career Renaissance for our beloved Foppa, Peter the Great, the Swedish Beast.  Although hoping that Forseberg will save our season may be a bit too much to ask.

If Peter does sign with the Avalanche this week, do not expect him to play until after the All Star Break.

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After last night’s game at the Pepsi Center against the Toronto Rock, the Mammoth coaching staff have some very hard decisions to make.  Unfortunately, regardless of the score, I don’t think the players made it any easier for them.

Mammoth offensive veteran standouts Brian Langtry and Jamie Shewchuck each scored three of the Mammoth’s seven goals.  But as for the rest of the offense… it’s going to be tough.  There were a lot of dropped passes and missed loose ball opportunities.

Granted, some of it may have been nerves.  Some of these guys have never played in the Pepsi Center, nor in front of a crowd that despite only being 6,507 strong was quite loud.  Some of it may have been chemistry.  I’m sure the coaches were changing lines up a lot trying to find who pairs well together.

The defense wasn’t much better.

They gave up entirely too many one-on-one situations with the goalie.  At least some of that was due to the phenomenal outlet passes former Mammoth goalie Gee Nash employs, but not all of it.  There was a lot of blown coverage and, again, issues with loosies.

The fight for who will tend goal is still very much on.

In this game it was Chris Levis and Rob Blasdell.  Levis looked pretty solid stopping 22 of 27 shots whereas Blasdell looked a bit rusty only stopping 15 of 20.  In comparison, in the two quarters Gee Nash played, he stopped 17 of the 19 shots he faced.  I fully expect he will be backing up veteran goaltender Bob Watson for the Rock this season.  I can’t deny I’m very jealous of that pairing, but we look to have a much stronger goaltending situation in Denver this season compared to last.

Many expect former Calgary Roughneck goalie Matt King will be the Mammoth starting goalie.  The Mammoth will be playing a scrimmage against the Stealth next week in Everett, where one of the players mentioned Curtis Palidwor would be competing for the spot against the presumed standout from tonight’s match up for the back up spot.

While tonight was a rather lackluster performance, these Mammoth are extremely deep with talent. Once they get the kinks worked out, we’re going to see an amazing team.

Colorado Mammoth 7, Toronto Rock 10

Attendance: 6,705

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Ever wonder what it feels like to have your name announced and run out on to the field to the sound of 15,000 screaming fans?

At the Colorado Mammoth’s final home game of the 2010 season against the Calgary Roughnecks, I got to experience it first hand.

As part of their fan appreciation night, the Mammoth provided the buyers of the charity blackout jerseys the opportunity to run on the field during the introductions with the player whose jersey they won.

Who wouldn’t want to do that?!

As a longtime Mammoth fan, I am lucky to have several fantastic memories I will cherish like watching Dave Stilley clamber over the glass in Arizona after the game ended to thank fans who had made the trip from Denver to cheer on their team.  Or watching my favorite player raise the Champions Cup after the Mammoth beat the Bandits.  Or even nearly getting tackled by Jim Moss when he spotted me wearing his blackout jersey.  This latest experience will certainly be one of my favorites.

The Mammoth staff asked us to show up early before the game which meant I missed watching warm ups.  (I know, small price to pay.)  They checked us in, gave us red Pepsi Center bracelets and took us back to the press room to wait. As the Avalanche were in the playoffs, the press room was set up for the next game and we were asked to remain in a small area of it.

It was a lot of fun seeing everyone in their blackout jerseys, many carrying their pink helmets. To pass the time, there was plenty of excited chatter, both about the Mammoth and the NFL draft being shown on the televisions. Mikey, better known to fans as Wooly, the Mammoth mascot, came and chatted with everyone for a bit before going to get ready for the game.

After what seemed like ages, the staff came in to prep us. They explained what was going to happen and what we should, (jump around, be excited) or shouldn’t do, (raise our hands until we were past the pyrotechnics). One of the staff members told us that the team would not be doing their normal “come out as a team thing” and they were asked to not go down the line like they normally do. They then lined us up and escorted us out to wait for the team by the field entrance.

I was surprised for as loud as the Pepsi Center is how little of it I was able to hear from where we stood. But as I was starting to feel butterflies, maybe I just was less aware of it. You could definitely tell most of us were starting to feel both excited and anxious.  It was hard to not jump around.  As a bit of a gear head, I loved getting to see the motorcycles up close,  especially the rare monster that is the Boss Hoss.

Standing there looking out on the field I usually see from the third tier was such a surreal feeling..

The players came out in a few small groups. Some of them barely acknowledged the fans and went straight into the empty area near us to stretch, or focus or pump themselves up for the game. Others seemed just as excited as the fans and either headed right for their person or acknowledged the fans and then headed to the empty area with the others.

As we got closer to game time, everyone lined up.
Standing in line waiting, some players were definitely in the zone and didn’t want to be bothered while others were quite chatty with the people around them.

I was lucky enough to be paired with Chris McKay, who I had the pleasure of meeting the previous week.  Chris was friendly and quite chatty. Rich Catton, who McKay and I jokingly had to put in his place after he accidentally cut in front of us, including Chris teasing Catton that he was number dyslexic… was definitely not.

Chris gave me a heads up about making sure to take a deep breath before we ran out and holding it until we got through the smoke as it would be pretty thick when it came our turn. Although not wholly unexpected as athletes can be such a superstitious bunch, Chris told me that we would head out through the smoke and then fist bump down the line.

AWESOME!

He also found it amusing to try to get me to wear my helmet out and to get me to lead us out instead of him. Both of which I declined. It would have been fun to wear the helmet, but I need to do some adjustment on it so it doesn’t fall down over my eyes. As for leading us out… NO WAY! Knowing my luck I would’ve run us right into someone.

When I mentioned to Chris that even though I wasn’t playing I had butterflies, he said that was a good thing. It was definitely cool being there with the team.

We watched as the players and fans ahead of us ran out in turns, GM Steve Govett fist bumping each player as they lined up next to him.

Before I knew it, it was our turn.

Chris reminded me to hold my breath and out we went.

The smoke was thick! It was impossible to see anything but Chris’s jersey in front of me until we got almost to the line and suddenly I had goalies in front of me.

I followed Chris down the line fist bumping fans and players until we got to the end and our spot for the anthems, giving Chris my last fist bump.

It was so crazy to look around and see the Pepsi Center and the Mammoth fans the way the team does.

Mammoth fans are SO loud! It sent chills down my spine to be standing there.

The last Mammoth player and fan were announced and it was time to bring the Calgary Roughnecks out. Much of the arena booed. Chris mentioned that when he played here for the other team, that us booing was actually his favorite part.

Jake Schroeder (of Opie Gone Bad does the best job with the anthems in my opinion) was starting us off.

It was cool to hear some of the players behind us quietly singing the Canadian anthem. I would assume some of them sing the national anthem as well, but as I sing it to myself rather quietly as well, I didn’t notice as much.

It was quite strange singing and yelling in the normal sections that Colorado fans have become known for, but not being quite surrounded by others doing the same. The Mammoth players definitely do not yell that our flag is still there or go crazy cheering about the home of the brave.

The anthem finished, the players went to the goal and did their normal thing while we were escorted off the field.

The only bad thing about going down on the field is missing part of the game. I went tearing down the concourses trying to not run over small children as I ran to get to my section.

Unfortunately, the Mammoth didn’t win the game, but they won over some new fans who were seeing their first game ever, and definitely strengthened their place in many other fans’ hearts.

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Down three games to one in the opening round of the 2010 NBA Playoffs, Denver needed a big victory on Wednesday night.  More than that, they needed a big outing from absent star Chauncey Billups.  The Nuggets got both in Game 5 at Pepsi Center, part of their 116-102 win.

Carmelo Anthony & Chauncey Billups both came up big in this elimination game.

Where Melo had carried the team through one win and three tough losses, Billups stepped in and shouldered his share of the load at long last.  Chauncey was good for 21 points and 4 assists.  Carmelo added 26, well below his 34.5 point/game playoff average.

But the Nuggets don’t need Carmelo Anthony to score 35 points a game to win.  They need a complete team effort, and Denver finally got that.

The whole Denver bench contributed to this victory, scoring 37 points to 16 from the Utah bench… all by Jazz PF Paul Millsap.  JR Smith dropped 17 playing starter minutes (31), and Ty Lawson had another well-rounded game with 2 board, 3 dimes and a pair of steals to go with his 6 points.

Even after starting Center Nene Hilario went down with a tweaked knee in the 2^nd Quarter, the Nuggets played strong team basketball to muscle out a series of leads.  After giving up 6 & 8 point advantages, Denver dropped the hammer with metered scoring and responsible defense in the latter part of the 4^th Quarter.

Nene has underperformed along with Chauncey all series, and may not be the Nuggets’ best option at Center.

In fact, Nene has been a liability on both ends of the court, and both Johan Petro & Chris Andersen were more effective as replacements.

Petro & Andersen combined for 13 rebounds, and Birdman notched 10 points despite a nagging hand injury.  Both were more effective defensively, getting out on big Carlos Boozer’s deadly jumper from the top of the key.  Carlos has killed the Nuggets with that shot all series, but longer arms coming out of the paint threw off Boozers’ rhythm in the second half.

Nene’s 5.8 rebound/game average was inflated by an 11-board performance in Game 2, but the Nuggets’ only other win in the series came in Game 1 when he played just 14 minutes.  (Nene averages 34/game.)  It could be that the 1-2 punch of the taller, longer Chris-Johan combo may be a better match on the glass against the Jazz.

Denver has a rough road ahead of them.  They are still just one loss away from elimination.

The Nuggets will need to do on Friday night what they have only rarely done in the last decade; win a game in Utah.

The team showed glimpses of its old dominant self in Game 5, and will need to be firing on all cylinders to overcome the imposing Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena in Game 6.  Despite all of their trials and tribulations through the last few months, the Nuggets are just one big W away from coming home for a decisive Game 7 on Sunday morning.

Game 6: Denver Nuggets @ Utah Jazz

Friday, April 30^th on ESPN & Altitude

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Carmelo Anthony dropped 42 points on the Utah Jazz Saturday night in Game 1 of this all-Northwest Division playoff series.

That 42 for Melo matched the franchise record for a playoff tilt set by Alex English, and established Anthony as the point-man for Denver’s 2010 postseason run.  A 4^th Quarter burst of 3 consecutive 3’s by JR Smith blew open a tight game, and the Nuggets’ bench closed out the final minutes of a huge 126-113 win.

There were valid questions posed by local and national media in the weeks leading up to the playoffs about the playoff potential of this Denver squad.

The Nuggets had stumbled down the stretch without defensive stalwart Kenyon Martin (knee injury) and commanding head coach George Karl (throat cancer).  The Nuggets dropped a home game versus the playoff-bound San Antonio Spurs and an away game against the Phoenix Suns in what amounted to a battle for the West’s 3^rd playoff slot.

Then came Saturday night’s slugfest with the division-rival Jazz.  The Nuggets hadn’t beaten the Jazz in a season series since 2004, but they managed a 3-1 split this year.  That extra win for Denver ended up being the tiebreaker for playoff seeding, and gave the Nuggets the 4^th seed to Utah’s 5^th… good for home-court in these Conference Quarterfinals.  Denver fairly shook on Saturday night, and starting this series at Pepsi Center couldn’t have been any more critical.

Where home court was an enormous advantage for the Nuggets, a late-season injury to Utah’s Andrei Kirilenko was almost as big.

Kirilenko’s length defensively against Carmelo Anthony was a defensive must for the Jazz if they hoped to contain Melo’s smooth first step and beautiful fading jumper.  No such luck with Andrei out for the playoffs.  Carmelo dominated CJ Miles and a host of other Jazz defenders in Game 1, and seems determined to will his team past Utah.

Now, with Jazz Center Mehmet Okur going down with a ruptured Achilles tendon on Saturday night, Utah will have to move PF Carlos Boozer to Center for much of the game.  That gives Carmelo even more room to work on the perimeter, and likely spells doom for Utah in this series.  If the Nuggets execute on offense in Game 2 the way they did in the series opener, this series will be well on its way to a Denver-dominated conclusion.

Game 2 starts tonight at 8:30pm MST.  It will be televised on Altitude locally & TNT nationally.  Game 3 is Friday night in Utah.

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Avs rookie phenom center Matt Duchene will be ready to play Game 1, and David Jones will miss Game 1 but should be ready for Game 2 on Friday.

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The Colorado Avalanche had the worst record in the Western Conference in 2009.  Now they have the worst record of the 8 West contenders for Lord Stanley’s Cup.  That is an impressive leap for one of the youngest teams in the league.

But can Colorado manufacture a first-round upset in hockey’s second season?

Starting this Wednesday, April 14^th the Avalanche will travel to San Jose to open their 12^th trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  Colorado began their surprise season with a 5-2 thumping of the Sharks on the same night that the Avalanche retired Joe Sakic’s #19 to the Pepsi Center rafters.

In fact, Colorado split the season series with San Jose 2-2 on the strength of that opening win and a 5-4 OT victory on April 4^th.  The two games between were tight, evenly-matched affairs that ended in 1-3 & 3-4 losses at San Jose.

The top-seeded Sharks play incredibly well in San Jose, and the Colorado Avalanche will need to find a way to win a close game at the Shark Tank to steal the series.  For all the Sharks’ regular season success in San Jose, playoff demons lurk there as well…

San Jose Sharks recent playoff history

San Jose has made an early exit from the playoffs every year since their ascension to NHL elite status during the 2003-2004 season.

2003-2004 the Sharks upended the Avalanche on their way to the Western Conference Finals.  San Jose lost that series in 6 games to the Calgary Flames, and their playoff troubles have been well documented ever since.

2004-2005 season was cancelled due to a league-wide lockout.  The Sharks would have had considerable momentum going into that season, and the labor dispute definitely played a part in killing San Jose’s newfound playoff mojo.

2005-2006 ended with a 6-game loss to the Edmonton Oilers in the second round after the Sharks took a 2-0 series lead.  The Oilers would go on to play in the Cup Finals.

2006-2007 fizzled as well, as the Sharks dominated the Nashville Predators for the second consecutive season with a 4-1 first round domination, only to give up a 2-1 series lead to the Detroit Red Wings in a 6-game series loss.

2007-2008 was another disappointment with the Sharks ceding to the middling Dallas Stars in another second round fade that carried on the home-ice killing tradition of losing in 6 games to lesser teams.  Head Coach Ron Wilson was fired as a result, and Todd McLellan took over in the offseason.

2008-2009 may have been the most damaging playoff series in San Jose’s history (remarkable considering the history) as the Sharks dropped another 6-game series on the road to the division rival Anaheim Ducks.  That loss to the 8^th-seeded Ducks came after winning the President’s Trophy for the best regular season record in the NHL.

Upset Special, Made to Order

The Colorado Avalanche are a matchup nightmare for the Sharks for a lot of reasons.  Chief among them is San Jose’s propensity for losing to scrappy young opponents in the playoffs, but just as important is Colorado’s offensive depth.

Because of a season filled with injuries that have effected every single scoring line, the Avalanche can roll out a wide assortment of forwards that have well-established chemistry.  Each line is capable of rolling through the neutral zone with incredible speed, and even the team’s muckers sport a surprising scoring touch.

The Avalanche have nowhere near the defensive fortitude that the Sharks have, but they can score on anybody.

The Avs can throw their own recent playoff history out the window.

This Avalanche squad bears only a vague resemblance to teams of playoffs past.  And that resemblance is born out only in the grizzled visage of veteran blue-liner Adam Foote, and the still-youthful speed of Milan Hejduk.  Even with the re-acquisition of former Colorado stalwart Stephane Yelle, the new Avalanche are young to the core.

The Avs’ Centers read like a who’s who of North American Junior & College Hockey over the last 5 seasons.

Matt Duchene, Ryan O’Reilly, Kevin Porter, Paul Stastny & Ryan Stoa are all under 25 years old.  Only Chris Durno (mucker), Matt Hendricks (hammer) and Yelle are older.

The Youth Movement extends through the team’s wingers as well.

Cody McLeod & David Jones toe the line at 25 years old, while TJ Galiardi, Peter Mueller, Chris Stewart & Brandon Yip are younger.  The rarely-used David Koci is 28 and speed-demon Marek Svatos is 27.  Only Darcy Tucker (35) and Hejduk (34) could truly be considered veterans out of the team’s 10 wing-men.

And while the Avalanche defense is thick with veterans, three of eight defenders stand out as shockingly young.  Kyle Cumiskey (23), Kyle Quincey (24) & Ryan Wilson (23) each skate in a defensive pairing with a much older teammate, and they facilitate the speed-first attitude of this Colorado team.

Which brings us to the #1 reason why the Avalanche have a very viable opportunity to upset the San Jose Sharks.

Colorado is fast.  Really fast.  And the Sharks are slow.  Really slow.

San Jose predicates its game on disciplined movement out of their defensive zone, and methodical, cycling hockey in the offensive zone.  The Sharks are a hulking team that prefers to set up screened shots high and post mammoth centers up front.

But the Avalanche have within them two great assets against such a strategy: dedicated shot-blockers that have the speed and gall to disrupt up high, and a quick, agile goalie that, at his best, sees the puck through screens and eats up rebounds with regularity.

Now, Avalanche goaltender Craig Anderson has had a rough time over the last 15 games, and there is very real possibility that he carried too much of a burden through the regular season (most ice-time and most shots faced in the league).  No doubt, Colorado will need Andy to be at the top of his game against the Sharks, or San Jose’s superior puck control and defense will steamroll the Avalanche into submission.

But the ingredients are all there for Colorado to extend San Jose’s playoff woes.  If Peter Mueller can come back healthy at 100% for this series, and Anderson can step up the way he did in the first half of the season, then the Avalanche could be looking at Saturday, April 24^th at Pepsi Center (Game 6) as the day they swallowed the Sharks.

COLORADO AVALANCHE VS SAN JOSE SHARKS SERIES SCHEDULE

Wed, Apr 14 @ San Jose 8:30 PM MST on Versus

Fri, Apr 16 @ San Jose 8:30 PM MST on Versus

Sun, Apr 18 @ Colorado 7:30 PM MST on Versus

Tue, Apr 20 @ Colorado 8:00 PM MST on Versus

Thu, Apr 22 @ San Jose 8:30 PM MST on Versus

Sat, Apr 24 @ Colorado TBA

Mon, Apr 26 @ San Jose TBA

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