Game #24 - Colorado Avalanche 3, Minnesota Wild 1

Gabriel Landeskog, Jan Hejda, P.A. Parenteau and Erik Johnson celebrate with Nathan MacKinnon after his 2nd period goal (the eventual GWG)

Goals:
COL - Jan Hejda (3) - from Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon (3:45 1ST)
COL - Nathan MacKinnon (4) - from Gabriel Landeskog and Erik Johnson (4:34 2ND)
MIN - Dany Heatley (6) - from Nino Niederreiter and Erik Haula (15:02 2ND)
COL - Gabriel Landeskog EN (8) - from Marc-Andre Cliche (19:40 3RD)
Goalies:
WG - J.S. Giguere (27 saves on 28 shots: 6-0-0) LG - Josh Harding (18 saves on 20 shots: 13-4-2)

J.S. Giguere became the 1st goalie in franchise history to start the season 6-0-0, as he lead the Avs to a 3-1 win over the Minnesota Wild tonight. The Avs were playing without Alex Tanguay and Paul Stastny, and then watched Cody McLeod get a 5-minute major and game misconduct for boarding late in the 1st and had to play with 11 forwards for 2 periods. The 36-year old Giguere looks completely rejuvenated this season for the Avs, and he was brilliant tonight making 27 saves on 28 shots. The Avs opened the scoring in the 1st, as a point shot by Jan Hejda made its way past Josh Harding. The Avs lead 1-0 after the 1st, as shots were 8-6 in their favour. Cody McLeod picked up his boarding major at 17:24 in the 1st, so the Avs killed off 2:36 of the penalty in the 1st and the rest to start the 2nd. It was an impressive 5-minute kill for the Avs, and they were able to build off that. Nathan MacKinnon tipped home a Landeskog shot for his 4th goal of the season, just minutes after the 5-minute kill. The Wild would get one back with 5 minutes left in the 2nd, as Dany Heatley put home a pass from Nino Niederreiter, no chance for Giguere. The Avs took a 2-1 lead into the intermission, as shots were 8-6 in the 2nd and 16-12 overall. In the 3rd the Avs looked to take a 3-1 lead, as a rush by Nathan MacKinnon was stopped by Harding but Landeskog put home the rebound. However, the refs ruled that it was goalie interference and called the goal off. This was one of the worst calls I have ever seen, way too often are NHL refs making the wrong call on goalie interference and this was a perfect example. If you see the replay MacKinnon is shoved into Harding by the Wild defenseman, which is NOT goalie interference. Goalie interference is when a player interferes with the goalie ON HIS OWN POWER, and this was clearly not the case, just a horrible call by the ref. From that point on the Wild really picked up the pace, the Avs sat back and defended the lead and were lucky to keep it. J.S. Giguere made some big saves down the stretch, and Landeskog would get his deserved goal scoring the empty netter. The Avs would hold on for a 3-1 win, despite being outshot 16-5 in the 3rd and 28-21 overall. A big game from the Landeskog-MacKinnon-Parenteau line, which generated all 3 of the Avs goals. Overall not the best performance of the season, but all that matters is the all-important 2 points that the Avs got. The teams will meet tomorrow night in Denver for the 2nd of a double-header.

Both benches look on after a scrum ensues from the Cody McLeod hit on Jonas Brodin

Three Stars:

3. J.S. Giguere - Jiggy made 27 saves on 28 shots in the win, improving to 6-0-0 on the season.

2. Nathan MacKinnon - MacKinnon picked up his 4th goal of the season and added an assist, as well as his goal was the game-winner (2nd career GWG).

1. Gabriel Landeskog - The Avs captain was the best player on the ice tonight, scoring 1 goal and adding 2 assists.

Play of the Game - MacKinnon's goal gets it tonight, great hand-eye coordination by MacKinnon to tip the shot past Harding.

Game #25 - The Avs and Wild will meet in Denver for the 2nd game of a double-header tomorrow night (@9PM ET)

Nathan MacKinnon and Nino Niederreiter get into a post-whistle scrum late in the 2nd period

-Joel Forman - Colorado Avalanche News

Game #23 - St. Louis Blues 4, Colorado Avalanche 1

Goals:
STL - David Backes (11) - from T.J. Oshie and Jay Bouwmeester (2:46 1ST)
STL - Alexander Steen PPG (20) - from David Backes and Derek Roy (6:10 1ST)
COL - Patrick Bordeleau (3) - from Jan Hejda and Brad Malone (8:24 1ST)
STL - Jaden Schwartz SHG (5) - unassisted (18:12 1ST)
STL - Chris Stewart EN (5) - from Derek Roy and Patrik Berglund (18:16 3RD)
Goalies:
WG - Jaroslav Halak (25 saves on 26 shots: 14-3-2) LG - Semyon Varlamov (31 saves on 34 shots: 12-6-0)

The Avs have played the Blues twice this season, and both times have been outmatched by the bigger team from St. Louis. The Avs have now lost 7-3 and 4-1 to the Blues, 2 ugly losses. Tonight they were without Paul Stastny (back spasms) and Alex Tanguay (knee injury), even though Matt Duchene returned from injury they definitely missed the other 2 guys. The Avs were once again dominated by the Blues top line of Alex Steen David Backes and T.J. Oshie, who scored the games 1st and 2nd goal (Steen's being the eventual GWG). I missed most of the game as I was at work, but upon watching 3rd period and the game highlights it was obvious that the Blues deserved to win this one. The Blues outshot the Avs 34-26, went 1/1 on their only PP and killed off all 4 of the Avs PPs. The Blues also blocked 22 shots to the Avs 11, and had 12 takeaways to the Avs 4. A positive for the Avs was they outhit the Blues 35-23, including a game-high 8 hits from Gabe Landeskog.

Three Stars:
3. Jaroslav Halak - Halak made 25 saves in the win
2. Alexander Steen - Steen continued to score against the Avs, with his 20th goal of the season and the eventual game-winner tonight
1. David Backes - The Blues Captain had 1 goal and 1 assist in the win

Game #24 - The Avs play the 1st game of a home-and-away against the Minnesota Wild in Minnesota on Friday night (@6PM ET)

-Joel Forman - Colorado Avalanche News

Game #22 - Colorado Avalanche 1, Los Angeles Kings 0

Avs F John Mitchell celebrates with Jamie McGinn after his OT goal

Goals:
COL - Jamie McGinn (4) - from John Mitchell and Jan Hejda (2:31 OT)
Goalies:
WG - Semyon Varlamov (19 saves on 19 shots: 12-5-0) LG - Ben Scrivens (32 saves on 33 shots: 5-1-3)

Why not us? The Avs continue to show the NHL they are a different team under Patrick Roy, different players stepping up each night. Tonight was their best game of the 2013-14 season thus far, a thrilling 1-0 OT win over the Los Angeles Kings that ended with Jamie McGinn scoring the lone goal at 2:31 of the OT period. The Avs outshot the Kings 33-19, which is very impressive on its own but even more so considering 2 of the Avs top 6 forwards (Matt Duchene and Alex Tanguay) are injured. The Avs improved to 17-5 on the season, and 3-0 since losing Matt Duchene (who is likely to return next game). If one thing has been clear about Patrick Roy its how much he cares about the team, the guy is a team-first Coach and always was when he was the Avs goalie. The Avs have had many defensive issues in the post-lockout NHL era, especially in the 4 previous seasons under Joe Sacco. 22-games into Roy's coaching career one thing is obvious: the Avs players have bought into his system and his influence on the goaltending/defense has been a huge factor in the success of the team. Tonight was a very physical game, as their were a combined 74 hits in the game. The Avs blocked 15 shots compared to the Kings 6, a great defensive game. The Avs keep on rolling, and hopefully will have Matt Duchene back next game

The Avs celebrate Jamie Mcginn's OT goal

Three Stars:
3. Jamie McGinn - Ginner scored the only goal in the game at 2:31 of the OT period
2. Ben Scrivens - Scrivens was spectacular all night, making 32 saves on 33 shots including 16 saves in the 2nd period
1. Semyon Varlamov - Varly picked up his 1st shutout of the season making 19 saves in the win

Play of the Game - McGinn's goal gets it tonight, a great play by John Mitchell to set the goal up.

Game #23 - The Avs now have 3 days off until they play on Wednesday in Denver. The Avs will have a tough and heated game against the St. Louis Blues (@9PM ET)

-Joel Forman - Colorado Avalanche News

Game #21 - Colorado Avalanch 4, Phoenix Coyotes 3 (OT)

Andre Benoit, P.A. Parenteau and Paul Stastny celebrate with Ryan O'Reilly after his OT goal

Goals:
COL - John Mitchell PPG (4) - from Nathan MacKinnon and P.A. Parenteau (0:32 2ND)
COL - Andre Benoit (1) - unassisted (15:50 2ND)
PHX - Michael Stone (7) - from Kyle Chipchura and Paul Bissonnette (17:10 2ND)
PHX - Martin Hanzal (7) - from Tim Kennedy and Rostislav Klesla (10:40 3RD)
PHX - Antoine Vermette PPG (6) - from Shane Doan and Keith Yandle (14:06 3RD)
COL - Cody McLeod (2) -  from Andre Benoit and John Mitchell (16:46 3RD)
COL - Ryan O'Reilly (9) - PPG - from P.A. Parenteau and Andre Benoit (4:18 OT)
Goalies:
WG - Semyon Varlamov (41 saves on 44 shots: 11-5-0) LG - Mike Smith (26 saves on 30 shots: 12-3-4)

The Avs faced some adversity tonight as they gave up a 2 goal lead and found themselves down 1 with 4 minutes left in the 3rd. The Result? A late goal by Cody McLeod and an OT goal by Ryan O'Reilly sent the Avs to a 4-3 win over the Phoenix Coyotes, as they improved to 2-0 without Matt Duchene and 16-5-0 on the season. Once again the Avs were heavily outshot but found a way to win the game, as Semyon Varlamov was stellar once again tonight. The score remained 0-0 after the 1st, as the Coyotes outshot the Avs 15-8 in the period. An early penatly by Michael Stone sent the Avs to the PP, and John Mitchell scored his 4th goal of the season 32 seconds into the 2nd. The Avs would make it 2-0 with late in the 3rd, as Andre Benoit scored his 1st goal as an Avalanche. However the Coyotes would get one back minutes later, as a dump in by Michael Stone fooled Varlamov (a goal he will want back). The Avs lead 2-1 after the 2nd, shots were 13-11 in the 2nd and 28-19 in the game. The Coyotes would then have 2 goals called back in the first 5 minutes of the 3rd, as a goal from the Coyotes was waived off because the whistle blew and minutes later a goal from Oliver Ekman-Larsson was waived off as Moss was in the crease and interfering with Varlamov. However the Coyotes continued to press and would tie the game around midpoint of the 3rd, as Martin Hanzal picked up a rebound and beat Varlamov high. The Coyotes would then take the lead on the PP 4 minutes later, as a weird bounce off the back boards landed right on Antoine Vermette's stick who made no mistake beating a sprawling Varlamov. The Avs had suddenly given up 3 straight goals and trailed for the first time in the game, they had 6 minutes left to tie the game. Now under Coach Joe Sacco the Avs would have probably lost this game, watched the Coyotes shut them down and then ice it in the empty net. But this is a different team under Patrick Roy, and you could see it the first shift after the Coyotes took the lead the Avs picked up the pace. With just over 3 minutes left, Avs tough guy Cody McLeod beat Smith on a rebound, his 2nd goal in as many games. The Avs would get a PP going into OT but couldn't beat Mike Smith, however they were lucky enough to get a 2nd PP with 1:35 left and this time the Avs capitalized. After a nice play by P.A. Parenteau to control the puck and draw 2 Coyotes towards him, he made a nifty pass to O'Reilly who faked a slapshot and beat Smith with a perfect shot to give the Avs the win. The Avs found a way to win despite being outshot 44-30, when the game was on the line they turned it up to tie and then win the game (shots were 5-2 for the Avs in OT). The Coyotes may be angry after this one, 2 overturned goals and 2 penalties in OT, but the result is still 2 points for the Avs. Another character win by the Avs, a true example of how well Roy has the team playing as a TEAM and not INDIVIDUALS. The Avs are now 14-0 when scoring 1st, and 2-0 in games going to OT.

Avs D Jan Hejda celebrates with G Semyon Varlamov after the Avs 4-3 win

Three Stars:

3. Ryan O'Reilly - O'Reilly scored his 9th goal of the season in OT give the Avs the 4-3 win

2. Andre Benoit - Benoit had his best game as an Avalanche, scoring his 1st goal and adding 2 assists

1. Semyon Varlamov - Varly was strong all night, despite allowing 3 goals he made 41 saves on 44 shots as the Avs were heavily outshot all night

Play of the Game - O'Reilly's OT goal gets it tonight, a great setup by Parenteau and a better finish by the guy who's nickname is "The Factor"

Game #22 - The Avs play the 2nd game of a 2-game road trip in Los Angeles on Saturday night (@1030PM ET)

Gabriel Landeskog, Ryan O'Reilly and Nathan MacKinnon celebrate with Andre Benoit after his 1st goal as an Avalanche

-Joel Forman - Colorado Avalanche News

Game #20 - Colorado Avalanche 5, Chicago Blackhawks 1

Paul Stastny celebrates his 1st period goal

Goals:
COL - Paul Stastny (8) - unassisted (6:37 1ST)
COL - Gabriel Landeskog (7) - from Andre Benoit and Ryan O'Reilly (12:21 1ST)
COL - John Mitchell (3) - from Max Talbot and Tyson Barrie (13:17 1ST)
COL - P.A. Parenteau (7) - from Paul Stastny and Jan Hejda (18:38 2ND)
COL - Cody McLeod (1) - from Tyson Barrie and Max Talbot (1:44 3RD)
CHI - Brandon Saad (6) - from Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith (12:10 3RD)
Goalies:
WG - Semyon Varlamov (36 saves on 37 shots: 10-5-0) LG - Corey Crawford (4 saves on 7 shots: 13-4-3), Antti Raanta (14 saves on 16 shots in relief of Crawford)

Missing their superstar Matt Duchene the Avs went out and had their best team effort of the season, defeating the defending Stanley Cup Champ Chicago Blackhawks 5-1. The Avs came in with a 3-game losing streak and right off the bat looked to end it, as Paul Stastny opened the scoring after a bad turnover by Brent Seabrook. The Avs would make it 2-0 around the midpoint of the 1st, as Landeskog tipped home and Andre Benoit blast past Crawford. The Avs would then make it 3-0 a minute later, as John Mitchell converted a great pass from Max Talbot past Corey Crawford. Crawford was done for the night after allowing 3 goals on 7 shots, one of his worst performance of the season. The Avs took a 3-0 lead into the intermission despite being outshot 17-8 in the period. The 2nd was much more even of a period, as both Varlamov and Hawks backup Antti Raanta made some big saves. However the Avs made it 4-0 late in the 2nd, as P.A. Parenteau scored his 7th goal of the season. The Avs would make it 5-0 early in the 2nd, as tough-guy Cody McLeod put home a rebound off a Tyson Barrie shot. The Hawks would break Varlamov's shutout late in the 3rd, as Brandon Saad scored on a rebound. Overall a great team effort from the Avs, while they were outshot 37-23 they played very strong in front of Varlamov blocking 15 shots. One of the best performances of the season by Varlamov, who made 36 saves on 37 shots for the win. Tyson Barrie had an extremely strong game tonight, playing in his 1st game since being re-called he was aggressive and jumping up into the play all game. Max Talbot also had his best game as an Avalanche, picking up 2 assists for his 1st 2 points as an Av. This was the 1st of 5 meetings between the new division rivals, and the Avs really picked up the intensity that was lacking during the losing streak. Considering the Avs were missing Duchene this was a great performance by the Avs forwards scoring 5 goals on one of the best teams in the league. Overall a great team win by the Avs, who are back in the win column and stand at 15-5-0 on the season.

Avs F P.A. Parenteau scores his 7th goal of the season

Three Stars:
3. Tyson Barrie - Barrie picked up 2 assists in his 1st game since being recalled, a great performance by the young defenseman.
2. Paul Stastny - Stastny picked up his 8th goal of the season to open the scoring, and added an assist on Parenteau's goal in the 2nd.
1. Semyon Varlamov - Despite the Avs scoring 5 goals tonight, Varlamov was the best Av on the ice as the Hawks outshot the Avs 37-23. Varlamov is now 10-5-0 on the season.

Play of the Game - John Mitchell's goal gets it tonight, just a great pass by Max Talbot to set up Mitchell for the goal.

Game #21 - The Avs head out on a 2-game road trip starting with a game against the Phoenix Coyotes on Thursday night (@9PM ET)

-Joel Forman - Colorado Avalanche News

Game #19 - Florida Panthers 4, Colorado Avalanche 1

Goals:
FLA - Brad Boyes (7) - from Scottie Upshall and Tom Gilbert (12:40 1ST)
FLA - Brian Campbell PPG (3) - from Tom Gilbert and Scottie Upshall (1:15 2ND)
COL - Ryan O'Reilly (8) - from P.A. Parenteau and Cory Sarich (7:23 2ND)
FLA - Tomas Kopecky (2) - from Tom Gilbert and Tim Thomas (13:53 2ND)
FLA - Jonathan Huberdeau (5) - from Nick Bjugstad and Brian Campbell (12:16 3RD)
WG - Tim Thomas (32 saves on 33 shots: 4-6-0) LG - Semyon Varlamov (29 saves on 33 shots: 9-5-0)
Three Stars:

Not a lot to comment about this game, didn't watch until the 3rd period but it seems like this was the worst performance of the season. Suddenly the Avs have cooled down really fast, losing 3 straight games getting outscored 13-5. Even worse star C Matt Duchene was injured in the 3rd and didn't return. Duchene has been diagnosed with an oblique injury, the Avs haven't said much else but we will know more tomorrow. Bottom line: The Avs need Duchene for every game, even missing 1 game would hurt this team not to mention if it was a more serious injury.

Three Stars:
3. Tim Thomas - Thomas made 32 saves on 33 shots for the win, and picked up an assist as well
2. Brian Campbell - Campbell scored 1 goal (eventual GWG) and added an assist
1. Tom Gilbert - Gilbert had 3 assists for the Panthers

Game #20 - The Avs look to end their losing streak as they play the Chicago Blackhawks at home on Tuesday night (9PM ET) -

Joel Forman - Colorado Avalanche News

Game #18 - St. Louis Blues 7, Colorado Avalanche 3

Goals:
STL - Derek Roy PPG (5) - from T.J. Oshie and Alex Pietrangelo (1:54 1ST)
COL - Nathan MacKinnon PPG (3) - from Paul Stastny and Gabriel Landeskog (5:30 1ST)
STL - David Backes PPG (7) - from T.J. Oshie and Derek Roy (2:49 2ND)
STL - Alex Steen (15) - from David Backes and T.J. Oshie (7:16 2ND)
STL - Vladimir Tarasenko (6) - from Patrik Berglund (12:09 2ND)
STL - Chis Stewart PPG (3) - from Kevin Shattenkirk and Derek Roy (14:39 2ND)
STL - Alex Steen (16) - from David Backes and T.J. Oshie (2:11 3RD)
COL - Matt Duchene (12) - from Nate Guenin and Ryan O'Reilly (4:36 3RD)
STL - Jay Bouwmeester (1) - from Vladimir Tarasenko and Alex Pietrangelo (8:36 3RD)
COL - Ryan O'Reilly (7) - from Jamie McGinn and Nick Holden (11:06 3RD)
WG - Jaroslav Halak (21 saves on 24 shots) LG - Semyon Varlamov (4 saves on 6 shots in relief of Giguere who made 18 saves on 23 shots. Varlamov replaced Giguere in the 2nd, who was then replaced by Giguere to start the 3rd)

The Avs were off to a good start in this game, it was 1-1 heading into the 2nd and they finished the 1st strong. That all changed in a 4-goal 2nd period for the Blues, which lead to a 7-3 rout of the Avs. The first game of the season where the Avs had bad goaltending, not to mention by far the worst game defensively for the Avs this season. There isn't much to analyze in this game, the Blues physically dominated the Avs in every aspect whether that was scoring goals, fighting or hitting. The Blues are one of the biggest teams in the NHL, and it showed tonight as they dominated in front of the net. The Blues got goals from Steen (2), Roy, Backes, Tarasenko, Stewart and Bouwmeester while the Avs got goals from MacKinnon, Duchene and O'Reilly. J.S. Giguere stays undefeated at 5-0-0 because Varlamov was in net for the 4th Blues goal (the GWG). However Giguere still let in 5 goals on 23 shots, as he was pulled in the 2nd and returned to the net to start the 3rd. This marks the first 2-game losing streak for the Avs, however they are still 14-4-0 and it is not time to panic. Defensively the Avs were all over the place tonight, they let the Blues push them around and they were out of place on several of the Blues goals. One thing I really disliked was Chris Stewart: after Sarich took a clean run at him, he dropped the gloves and just pummeled Sarich who didn't really want to fight. Not only did Sarich not return for the 3rd, but Stewart but his arms up to the crowd saying "lets go" even though the Blues were up 5-1 at the time. A really classless play by Stewart, the former Av, to rub it in when there was no reason to. There were 3 fights on the night: Stewart and Sarich, Matt Duchene dropped the gloves for the 2nd time of his career against Vladimir Sobotka (who he fought the 1st time as well), and McLeod and Reaves. Overall the worst performance of the season by far, nothing you can do but move on from this one (the teams meet again November 27th)

Three Stars:
3. Alex Steen - Steen scored his NHL-leading 15th and 16th goals of the season
2. David Backes - The Blues captain was all over the net tonight, scoring 1 goal and adding 2 assists
1. T.J. Oshie - Oshie was the best player on the ice tonight, picking up 4 assists

Play of the Game - One of the lone bright spots for the Avs tonight was Matt Duchene's goal, nifty move to deke out Bouwmeester and a good finish

Game #19 - The Avs look to avoid their 1st 3-game losing streak as they head home for a game against the Florida Panthers on Saturday night (@9PM ET)

-Joel Forman - Colorado Avalanche News

Game #17 - Carolina Hurricanes 2, Colorado Avalanche 1

Goals:
CAR - Jordan Staal (3) - from Nathan Gerbe and Patrick Dwyer (12:47 1ST)
CAR - Patrick Dwyer (1) - from Nathan Gerbe and Jordan Staal (0:26 2ND)
COL - Paul Stastny PPG (7) - from Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog (14:34 2ND)
WG - Justin Peters (33 saves on 34 shots: 3-5-1) LG - Semyon Varlamov (26 saves on 28 shots: 9-3-0)

The Avs suffered their 1st road loss of the season, losing 2-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes. I missed the 1st period and most of the 2nd period, so I missed the Avs being outplayed by the Canes until late in the 2nd. The Avs really turned it on at the end of the 2nd and in the 3rd period, but couldn't tie the game. The Canes opened the scoring in the 1st, as Jordan Staal picked up a rebound and beat Varlamov on the backhand. The Canes would take a 1-0 lead into the 2nd, outshooting the Avs 11-5. The Canes would go up 2-0 seconds into the 2nd period, as Patrick Dwyer converted a nice pass from Nathan Gerbe and made no mistake beating Varly. The Avs would then get 1 back on the PP, as Paul Stastny jumped on a MacKinnon rebound and beat Peters. The Avs would outshoot the Canes 19-12 in the 2nd, and 24-23 after 2 periods. The Canes shut down the neutral zone in the 3rd, while the Avs had their chances they couldn't beat Peters. Overall not the Avs best performance of the season, but despite the loss they had a great 3rd period. The Avs aren't going to win every game, but this loss hurts because they had the chances to win the game.

Three Stars:
3. Justin Peters - Peters made 33 saves on 34 shots for the win.
2. Nathan MacKinnon - MacKinnon was by far the best Av on the ice tonight, picking up an assist on Stastny's goal and putting 9 shots on net.
1. Jordan Staal (1 goal, 1 assist) - Carolina

Game #18 - The Avs look to rebound on the road as they play the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night (@8PM ET)

-Joel Forman - Colorado Avalanche News

Game #16 - Colorado Avalanche 4, Washington Capitals 1

Avs D Nick Holden celebrates his 1st NHL goal

Goals:
COL - Patrick Bordeleau (2) - from Cody McLeod and Marc-Andre Cliche (2:50 1ST)
WSH - Joel Ward (8) - from Mikhail Grabovski (15:48 2ND)
COL - Nick Holden (1) - from Gabriel Landeskog and Paul Stastny (16:16 2ND)
COL - P.A. Parenteau (6) - from Matt Duchene and Erik Johnson (8:12 3RD)
COL - Gabriel Landeskog (6) - from Erik Johnson (18:20 3RD)
WG - Semyon Varlamov (33 saves on 34 shots: 9-2-0) LG - Braden Holtby (33 saves on 37 shots: 7-6-0)

The Avalanche continue to play strong as a team, as each game someone different is stepping up and making big plays, tonight it was Bordeleau and Nick Holden (1st NHL goal). As Roy said in the postgame conference, "Everybody brings something special to our team right now, and its teamwork. It's the reason why we are where we are." Under Joe Sacco the Avs played as individuals, but the second that Roy took over he stressed the importance of playing as a team, and for the team and you can see how much the players are responding to that. The Avs played awful defense in the 4 years Sacco was coach, but now you watch the Avs play and they play hard defensively every single shift. The biggest result of this is the Avs PK, which went 4-4 against the NHL's best PP (including an extended 5-on-3). The Avs currently have the NHLs 3rd best PK, killing off 88.5%. On to the game; the Avs got the opening goal from an unlikely source, as Patrick Bordeleau tipped home a Cody McLeod backhand to put the Avs up 1-0 just 3 minutes in. The Avs dominated the 1st period, outshooting the Caps 12-4 and taking a 1-0 lead in the 2nd. Both teams opened up in the 2nd period, as each time pilled on the shots and both Varlamov and Holtby were up to the task. Late in the period the Caps tied the game at 1-1, as a funny bounce off the back-boards after a faceoff win by the Avs came right to Joel Ward infront, who deked past Varly and made no mistake. However, the Avs responded 28 seconds later, as a nice play by Landeskog behind the net set up Nick Holden for his 1st NHL goal and 1st as an Avalanche (man was he excited in his postgame presser). The Avs would take a 2-1 lead into the 3rd, shots were 16-16 in the 2nd and 28-20 after 2. The Avs started in the 3rd by taking 2 back-to-back penalties, leaving the NHLs best PP on a 5-on-3 for 56 seconds. The Avs were able to kill off both penalties thanks to some great work by Semyon Varlamov in net, and Jan Hejda/Erik Johnson on D. After the PP, the Caps appeared to tie the game at 2-2 when Ovechkin scored, but it was ruled that he kicked the puck in and it didn't count. Just seconds after the no goal, the Duchene line went the other way and a nifty few moves by Duchene behind the net set up Parenteau for his 6th goal of the season. Landeskog would ice the game with a nifty goal late in the 3rd, beating Ovechkin with speed around the outside (just dodging a hip-check) and blasting one past Holtby for his 6th goal. The Avs improve to 14-2-0 under Patrick Roy, a phenomenal start.

Avs tough guy Patrick Bordeleau celebrates his 1st period goal

Three Stars:
3. Gabriel Landeskog - The Captain had another strong game, scoring 1 goal and adding an assist on the GWG. Landeskog is playing some intense hockey of late, really leading by example
2. Nick Holden - What a great story for the Avs, Holden draws into the lineup after Ryan Wilson was hurt 2 games ago and he scores his 1st NHL goal, which also was the GWG.
1. Semyon Varlamov - Varly continued to prove his old team wrong after trading him to the Avs, as he made 33 saves on 34 shots for the win. Varlamov is now 2-0 this season against his former team, and the Avs have outscored the Caps 9-2.

Play of the Game - The Avs 2nd, 3rd and 4th goals are all equally deserving of the play of the game tonight for different reasons. Holden's goal gets it because it was his 1st NHL goal, Parenteau's was a great play and setup by Duchene, and Landeskog's goal was just a great individual effort

Game #17 - The Avs head out on a 2-game road trip starting with a matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night (@7PM ET)

Avs celebrate with G Semyon Varlamov after their 4-1 win over the Capitals

-Joel Forman - Colorado Avalanche News

Game #15 - Colorado Avalanche 4, Calgary Flames 2

Duchene scores his 11th goal of the season into the empty-net

Goals:
COL - Ryan O'Reilly (6) - from P.A. Parenteau and Jan Hejda (5:31 1ST)
COL - Paul Stastny PPG (6) - from Erik Johnson and Andre Benoit (1:09 2ND)
CGY - Mike Cammalleri (6) - from Mikael Backlund and Jiri Hudler (6:07 2ND)
COL - John Mitchell (2) - from Nathan MacKinnon and Cory Sarich (7:16 2ND)
CGY - Mike Cammalleri (7) - from Jiri Hudler and Mikael Backlund (9:46 2ND)
COL - Matt Duchene EN (11) - from Ryan O'Reilly (19:57 3RD)
WG - J.S. Giguere (30 saves on 32 shots) LG - Karri Ramo (23 saves on 26 shots)

In their first meeting since switching out of each other's business, the Avs got things done on home ice against the Flames improving to 13-2-0 on the season after a 4-2 win. The Avs were lead again by the solid goaltending of J.S. Giguere, who improved to 5-0 on the season after tonight. The Avs opening the scoring tonight after another great rush by Matt Duchene, who also scored an identical goal from 2 nights ago against Nashville but was stopped at the last second. The Avs retrieved the puck and Parenteau fed O'Reilly right in the slot who made no mistake past Karri Ramo. The score remained 1-0 after the 1st, shots 8-8. The Avs would then double their lead on the PP, as Paul Stastny converted on a bank off the back boards and past Ramo. The Flames would cut the lead in half, as some nice passing lead to Mike Cammalleri beating Gigere with a nice shot. The Avs would regain their 2-goal lead a minute later, as a nice pass by Nathan MacKinnon set up John Mitchell who beat Ramo with a nifty wrist shot. However the Flames would respond a few minutes later, as Cammalleri scored his 2nd of the game. The Avs carried a 3-2 lead into the 3rd period, and both teams would have some golden chances to get the next goal. Matt Duchene sealed it into the empty net with a great effort, shooting it while lying on the ice, his 11th goal of the season. The Avs played a very calm, defensive game tonight and besides a few miscues on the Flames goals they played well. The Avs seem to play harder defensively in front of Giguere, and its a big reason he remains undefeated this season. The Avs have yet to lose back to back games this season, and stand at 13-2-0.

John Mitchell celebrates the eventual game-winning goal

Three Stars:
3. John Mitchell - Mitchell picked up a big goal for the Avs, his 2nd of the season which would end up being the game winning goal.
2. Mike Cammalleri - Cammalleri scored both Flames goals, he now has 7 on the season.
1. J.S. Giguere - Giguere made 30 saves on 32 shots for the victory, his 5th straight this season.

Play of the Game - Mitchell's goal gets it tonight, a great setup by Nathan MacKinnon and an even better finish by Mitchell. Honourable mention to Duchene for his effort on the empty-nettter.

Game #16 - The Avs wrap-up their 4-game homestand with a meeting with the Washington Capitals on Sunday night (@8PM ET)

A cool shot of Avs forward P.A. Parenteau in warmup

-Joel Forman - Colorado Avalanche News

Game #14 - Nashville Predators 6, Colorado Avalanche 4

Goals:
NSH - Viktor Stalberg (1) - from Colin Wilson and Mattias Ekholm (13:12 1ST)
COL - P.A. Parenteau (5) - from Matt Duchene (15:23 1ST)
NSH - Craig Smith PPG (3) - from Colin Wilson and Ryan Ellis (19:04 1ST)
COL - Ryan O'Reilly (5) - from P.A. Parenteau and Matt Duchene (2:15 2ND)
NSH - Paul Gaustad (3) - from Filip Forsberg (3:14 2ND)
NSH - Colin Wilson PPG (2) - from Ryan Ellis and Roman Josi (6:47 2ND)
COL - Paul Stastny (5) - from Jamie McGinn (13:37 2ND)
COL - Matt Duchene (10) - from Cody McLeod and Cory Sarich (4:23 3RD)
NSH - Colin Wilson (3) - from Viktor Stalberg and David Legwand (7:34 3RD)
NSH - Gabriel Bourque EN (1) - from David Legwand (19:42 3RD)
WG - Carter Hutton (27 saves on 31 shots) LG - Semyon Varlamov (22 saves on 27 shots)

The Avs can't win them all, but this one hurt as the Avs had a chance to win the game but cost themselves with way too many turnovers tonight. A game between 2 defensive teams usually are low scoring, but that wasn't the case as 10 goals were scored tonight. The Avs let in the most goals they have in a game all season, and drop to 12-2-0 with the loss. Stalberg got the scoring started in the 1st, as a turnover by Ryan Wilson lead to Stalberg beating Varly. Parenteau would tie it for the Avs, as a nice indiviudal effort by Duchene set up Parenteau with an open net. Craig Smith would make it 2-1 late in the period, another bad turnover by Wilson lead to the goal by Smith. The Avs would tie it early in the 2nd, as Ryan O'Reilly beat Carter Hutton to make it 2-2. The Predators would get 2 straight goals after that, as Paul Gaustad tipped a puck past Varlamov and then Colin Wilson scored on the PP. Paul Stastny would cut the lead to 4-3 tipping home a Jamie McGinn pass. The Avs would go into the 3rd down 4-3, but another highlight reel goal by Duchene would tie the game. Duchene has had so many highlight-reel goals in his career, and a bunch already this season, but this goal was one of his best. The Predators would take the lead on a sloppy turnover by P.A. Parenteau, as Colin Wilson got his 2nd goal of the game. Gabriel Bourque would put it away in the empty net, 6-4 final. Even thought it was a sloppy performance by the Avs, give them credit for hanging around in this game. Landeskog hit the crossbar with 5 minutes left, could have been 5-5. The Avs have played well defensively all season up until tonight, and they seemed out of sync all night in that aspect. Semyon Varlamov also had his first bad game of the season, he seemed shaky from the start and wasn't getting square to the shooter as quickly as he has in the past few games. The Avs have now started the season with a 6-game winning streak, followed by a loss, followed by another 6-game winning streak and followed by a loss.

Three Stars:
3. Viktor Stalberg - Stalberg got his 1st 2 points as a Nashville Predator, picking up a goal and an assist
2. Matt Duchene - Duchene was the best Avalanche on the ice tonight, scoring his 10th of the season and adding 2 assists.
1. Colin Wilson - Wilson had a monster game for the Preds, scoring 2 goals and adding 2 assists, as well as the GWG.

Play of the Game - Matt Duchene's goal gets it tonight, another TSN HON candidate for sure.

Game #15 - The Avs look to get back on track with the 3rd game of this 4-game home-stand as they play the Calgary Flames in Denver on Friday night (@9PM ET)

-Joel Forman - Colorado Avalanche News

Game #13 - Colorado Avalanche 4, Montreal Canadiens 1

Adam Foote makes a speech before his #52 is retired

Goals:
COL - Gabriel Landeskog (5) - from Marc-Andre Cliche and Patrick Bordeleau (11:14 2ND)
MTL - Brendan Gallagher PPG (7) - from P.K. Subban and Alex Galchenyuk (3:38 3RD)
COL - Nathan MacKinnon (2) - from Gabriel Landeskog and Jan Hejda (8:01 3RD)
COL - Ryan O'Reilly (4) - unassisted (11:31 3RD)
COL - P.A. Parenteau (4) - from Matt Duchene and Andre Benoit (19:22 3RD)
WG - J.S. Giguere (29 saves on 30 shots) LG - Peter Budaj (27 saves on 30 shots)

On a night when the Avs honoured longtime Avalanche D Adam Foote, the Avs channeled their inner-Foote and played a feisty, tough game against the Montreal Canadiens beating them 4-1 and improving to an NHL-best 12-1-0. The Avs honoured Foote with a lengthy ceremony in which Foote spoke and thanked a ton of people that helped him along the way, most notably Joe Sakic, Ray Bourque and Patrick Roy (and a special appearance by his former D-partner Alexei Gusarov). The best part of the speech was when Foote thanked the fans for being so great "when we kicked Detroit's ass," as well as noted that the best part of his career was watching Sakic pass the Stanley Cup to Ray Bourque.

Now to the game, the first period was very fast-paced and both teams had several chances to score but couldn't beat either goal. It was a battle of the back-ups in Giguere and former Av Peter Budaj, and both goalies played strong in the 1st (shots 11-8 Avs). In the 2nd the Avs were able to get on the board, as Landeskog hopped off the bench to an open puck and beat Budaj hit short-side. The Avs would take a 1-0 lead into the 3rd, as the shots were 10-8 for the Avs in the 2nd. In the 3rd the Habs came out looking for the tie, and on their 3rd PP of the game they finally beat Giguere as Brendan Gallagher (who was everywhere tonight) put in a rebound. It was the first PP goal allowed by the Avs after 22 straight successful PKs, a great example of how the Avs have changed their defensive style under Roy. The Avs could have sat back and looked waited for their chances, but after the Gallagher goal they stepped it up and pushed back. MacKinnon would make it 2-1, playing in Alex Tanguay's spot (who left with a knee injury in the 2nd and didn't return) he would put a backhand past Budaj on a Landeskog rebound.

The Avs would then make it 3-1 minutes later, as a bad turnover by Subban led to O'Reilly beating Budaj. The Avs would ice it into the empty net, as a great shift by Duchene set up Parenteau for the empty net goal. J.S. Giguere was so calm in net tonight, making 29 saves on 30 shots and really being the veteran netminder Patrick Roy has asked him to be. Giguere is now 4-0 on the season, allowing only 3 goals in 4 games (pretty impressive for a goalie many people called "past his prime" and "washed up"). Just when things looked to go in favour of the Habs, the Avs responded with a great 3rd period and shut the Habs down after making it 3-1. Avs fans are so used to seeing the Avs in the past chase in the 3rd and lose games like this, but now they are winning these games and shutting down other teams. Can't say enough about how strong the Avs are playing as a team defensively, Patrick Roy has done a phenomenal job with that.

Foote joins Forsberg, Sakic, Roy and Bourque in the rafters at the Pepsi Center

Landeskog celebrates his 1st period goal

Three Stars:
3. Nathan MacKinnon - MacKinnon had a very strong game tonight, and he was rewarded with his 2nd goal of his NHL career in the 3rd. It also was his 1st GWG of his NHL career
2. J.S. Giguere - Jiggy was rock-solid yet again, improving to 4-0 on the season after making 29 saves on 30 shots tonight.
1. Gabriel Landeskog - The Captain lead by example tonight, scoring the 1st goal of the game and assisting on MacKinnon's GWG. Landeskog has played great hockey on the Avs latest 6 game winning streak, his line has been a force out there.

Play of the Game - Nathan MacKinnon's goal gets it tonight, great individual effort by Landeskog on the rush and MacKinnon getting to the rebound to score.

Game #14 - The Avs look to continue their hot start to the season, and they have 3 days off to rest up. They play the 2nd of a 4-game homestand against the Nashville Predators on Wednesday night (@930PM ET)

Patrick Bordeleau and George Parros with a heavyweight tilt (http://www.hockeyfights.com/fights/119136?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter)

-Joel Forman - Colorado Avalanche News

Game #12 - Colorado Avalanche 3, Dallas Stars 2 (OT)

Paul Stastny celebrates his OT goal

Goals:
COL - Paul Stastny (3) - from Alex Tanguay and Jan Heda (8:22 1ST)
COL - Gabriel Landeskog (4) - from Nathan MacKinnon (18:41 2ND)
DAL - Alex Goligoski (2) - from Tyler Seguin and Rich Peverley (3:57 3RD)
DAL - Tyler Seguin (6) - from Rich Peverley and Jamie Benn (16:31 3RD)
COL - Paul Stastny (4) - from Nate Guenin and Ryan Wilson (3:36 OT)
WG - Semyon Varlamov (27 saves on 29 shots) LG - Kari Lehtonen (26 saves on 29 shots)

They may all not be pretty, but the Avs keep on rolling and finding ways to win games with a thrilling 3-2 OT win over the Dallas Stars. What a game by Paul Stastny, he opens the scoring in the 1st and ends it in OT, sending the Avs to an impressive 11-1-0 record. The Avs are now top of the NHL with 22 points, and remain the only team in the NHL undefeated on the road (6-0-0). A huge reason for the early success of the Avs has been the PK, which was 2/2 tonight including a huge kill with 3 minutes left in the 3rd after the Stars had just tied it. The Avs are #1 on the PK in the NHL killing off 92.7%, which is a huge improvement from last season where the Avs finished 20th killing off 80.3%. The Avs came out flying in this game, peppering Kari Lehtonen with shots early and often. Paul Stastny got things started, as he converted a great Alex Tanguay pass to put the Avs up 1-0. The Avs took the 1-0 lead into the intermission, outshooting the Stars 13-4 in the period. The 2nd period was a much more even one, as the Stars started to push back but couldn't beat Semyon Varlamov. Captain Gabriel Landeskog would make it 2-0 late in the 2nd, as a nice pass by MacKinnon set up Landeskog who beat Lehtonen under the pads. The shots were 8-5 Stars in the 2nd, and 18-12 for the Avs going into the 3rd. However, things changed drastically in the 3rd as the Stars finally found their legs and started to control the game (Tyler Seguin in particular). The Stars cut the Avs lead in half early in the 3rd, as a nice rush by Seguin set up a slapshot by Alex Goligoski who blasted one past a screened Varly. The Stars would continue to press in the 3rd, and tied the game with just over 3 minutes left as a miscue at the Avs blueline led to Tyler Seguin beating Varlamov high-glove. On the ensuing faceoff, Landeskog and Alex Chiasson dropped the gloves and Landeskog was assessed an extra 2-minutes for instigating. The Stars peppered the Avs with shots on the PP, but they couldn't beat Semyon Varlamov who made a fabulous glove save on Jamie Benn. The score remained tied 2-2 after the 3rd, as the Avs headed to their 1st OT of the season. Patrick Roy must have said something in the commercial break between the 3rd and OT, cause the Avs came out flying in OT and looked for the winner. Paul Stastny would give the Avs the win with a great individual effort, as he took the puck at centre and rushed into the zone making a nice toe-drag into shot move that beat Lehtonen high-glove. What a performance by the Stastny-line, getting all 3 goals for the Avs including 2 from Stastny. A rough few days for goalie Semyon Varlamov, but he looked very sharp tonight for the Avs. Max Talbot made his Avs debut tonight, I thought he was very strong out there and played a hard game (17:36 ice time, 1 shot, 2 hits). Overall not the prettiest win, but a big 2 points for the NHL-leading Avalanche.

Paul Stastny celebrates with Semyon Varlamov after the Avs 3-2 OT win

Max Talbot made his Avalanche debut tonight

Three Stars:
3. Semyon Varlamov - Varly was not tested much through 2 periods, but really had a strong 3rd period despite allowing 2 goals. Varlamov made 27 saves on 29 shots, improving to 8-1-0 on the season.
2. Tyler Seguin - Seguin was the best Dallas Star on the ice, scoring 1 goal and adding an assist. He was all over the ice tonight, showed great skill and speed.
1. Paul Stastny - Man has Paul Stastny been on quite a roll lately, with 2 goals tonight he now has 3 goals and 2 assists in his last 3 games. Stastny also has the last 2 GWG goals for the Avs.

Play of the Game - Paul Stastny's OT goal gets it tonight, just a great individual effort by Stastny to give the Avs the 3-2 win.

Erik Johnson and Gabriel Landeskog photo-bomb Paul Stastny's interview

Game #13 - The Avalanche have a very special night planned for their next game, as they are honouring longtime Avalanche and current defensive coach Adam Foote by retiring his #52 number. They face the Montreal Canadiens at home on Saturday night (@10PM ET)

-Joel Forman - Colorado Avalanche News