Game #3 - Colorado 4, Columbus 0

Building off a great performance against the defending champs, the Avs wasted little time against the Blue Jackets as P.A Parenteau took a nifty Duchene feed and put the Avs up 1-0 (51 seconds in). The Avs took advantage of a tired Columbus team (having played last night), and they took a 2-0 lead after Duchene knocked in a rebound for his 1st of the year. The Avs dominated the 1st, and the Duchene-Landeskog-Parenteau line continued to lead the way. The Avs played a tough period, with Bordeleau and McGinn getting in fights (McGinn's after his huge hit on Anisimov) and John Mitchell taking a puck off the face (2nd game in a row an Avalanche got a puck in the face). I really liked the play of the 4th line of McLeod-Olver-Bordeleau they were tough but also played a strong game and made it tough for Columbus players to play against. The story of the 2nd period was Varlamov, as the Avs were outshot 12-6 but Varlamov was up to the test. He looks really comfortable in net, and make some spectacular saves (especially on Foligno). The Avs came out in the 3rd and looked like a much better team, as newcomer John Mitchell iced the game with his 2nd of the season to put the Avs up 3-0. What a game for Mitchell, he comes back from a horrific face injury that would have kept many other athletes out of the game and scores an insurance goal (and hit the post minutes after). Matt Duchene added a beautiful goal to make it 4-0, as he took a pass from Parenteau and slashed between the 2 D before sliding it five-hole. The Avs once again were great blocking shots, as they blocked 26 compared to Columbus's 7 (The Avs now have 50 shot blocks in back-to-back wins). The other stats from the game: Columbus outshot the Avs 33-28, the hits were 19-18 Columbus, the Avs won 36 of 67 face-offs, and the Avs were once again perfect on the PK killing 5/5. I really like what Landeskog-Duchene have been doing on the PK, they are blocking shots but also creating chances offensively and creating havoc for powerplays. The Landeskog-Duchene-Parenteau line is starting to gain great chemistry, and they are so talented on the cycle and bring a great combination of size, speed and skill. Overall a great performance from the Avs from start to finish, another big 2 points and a shutout for Varly.

Three Stars:
3. John Mitchell - He continues to play a strong game for the Avs, and he really sacrificed his body for the big 2 points tonight. He took a puck off the face in the 1st, got stitched up and came back to score the 3rd goal tonight (in the 3rd) and 2nd as an Av. He had 3 blocked shots and won 6 of 8 face-offs, and could have had 2 goals as he hit the post in the 3rd
2. Semyon Varlamov - Varlamov continues to play very sharp in the early parts of this season, and he had his best effort in a 33-save shutout tonight. He was sharp in all 3 periods, especially in the 2nd when Columbus seemed to push the pace. Varlamov will be key to the Avs pushing for a playoff spot this season
1. Matt Duchene - Talk about the emergence of the complete Matt Duchene, I thought he played well vs. LA the other night but he was a step above that tonight. He was all over the ice, setting up Parenteau with a nifty pass in the 1st minute, and then scoring a pair of goals for 3 points. However, it is Duchene's defensive play that has really improved and he is playing excellent on the PK with Gabriel Landeskog (the Avs are 11/11 on the PK the last 2 games). It seems he is building really good chemistry with Parenteau and Landeskog, but his defensive play has really shown me that he is building towards becoming a complete hockey player and not one that is one-dimensional.

Avalanche Play of the Game - A tie between Parenteau's goal and Duchene's 2nd goal, both of them were set up by the other person. Parenteau's goal was a nifty play by Duchene, and Duchene's 2nd goal was of the TSN highlight-reel fashion; he took a pass from PA and split the D with speed, as he got by the D he came in and deked out Bobrovsky and slid it five-hole.

Avalanche Misplay of the Game - No play in particular, Jamie McGinn gets it for his several good chances that he missed. He can't seem to catch a break and get a goal so far, but he will find his game and he had a great fight in the 1st after a huge him on Anisimov.

Game #4 - The Avs head out on a season long 4-game road trip and play vs. the San Jose Sharks on Saturday afternoon (@4pm)

Here is a picture of John Mitchell post-game, what a warrior he was tonight and he has the scars to prove it. What a big goal he scored after returning from injury, Mitchell has been a great signing thus far. 

-Joel Forman - Colorado Avalanche News