My Analysis of the Steve Downie/Maxime Talbot Trade

I will have to admit at first upon hearing of this trade I was not very happy, I personally am a big fan of the style of hockey that Steve Downie plays and thought that he had a big impact on the Avs success this season. As I took a few hours to think about the trade, it started to make a little more sense to me why the Avs made this move. For starters, Steve Downie is a UFA at the end of the season while Talbot has 2 years left on his deal after this season. Downie's cap hit is $2.65 million while Talbot's is $1.75 million, so the Avs have a player for 2 more years and free up a million in cap space. For the long run I like this trade for the Avs, but for this year I think that the Flyers won the trade (at least in terms of offensive upside).

The simple facts of this trade is that Downie is much more offensively gifted than Talbot, while Talbot possesses a much more important defensive skill that is very important in the NHL. I think Downie will go to Philadelphia and find some success on a line with Claude Giroux and Scott Hartnell, he brings a combination skill and toughness that really can get under opponents skin. Downie started his career in Philadelphia, and at age 26 he returns for what he hopes will be a more successful stint. This trade will certainly provide a spark for the Flyers, who are in desperate need of some more scoring depth. However, in acquiring Downie for more offense they had to pay a big price in losing their most responsible defensive player that isn't Claude Giroux. Talbot is one of the top penalty killers in the NHL, and the Flyers PK will certainly miss him

Now more on Talbot; at age 29 he still has a lot of good hockey left in him, and the Avs think he will be an important part of their future going forward. Head Coach Patrick Roy talked about Talbot, especially noting his past playoff experience as a reason they traded for him, "Talbot has won a Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh. He's a great penalty killer. We feel that he's going to add a lot of depth to our team. He's a guy that has performed well in the playoffs and we think he'll be a great addition." Avalanche VP of Hockey Operations Joe Sakic added, "Maxime is a veteran forward who has won a Stanley Cup and has a lot of NHL experience." From both Patrick Roy and Joe Sakic's comments it is evident that they love the experience Talbot brings, and they think he will become a big role player for the Avs.

While Talbot won't score as much as Downie, he will become a very important part of the team's PK unit (which is #1 in the NHL already). He is a versatile center who can also play wing, so expect him to switch between 3rd line winger and 4th line center. As much as I didn't like the Avs getting rid of Downie, I have to say that I have always been a fan of Talbot since his days in Pittsburgh. He is a guy who gives it 100% every night, while he may not be the most skilled guy on the ice he works as hard as anyone. The Avs gain a guy with leadership and experience, as well as a player who will play 200-feet of the ice. At first the Avs fans might have a little trouble understanding this trade, but in my opinion Talbot is going to become a fan favourite in Denver much like he did in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia before. I think he will also have a great impact on rookie Nathan MacKinnon, hopefully he can help Nate with the defensive side of the game.

Overall a shocking 24 hours for the Avs, with the Varlamov arrest and the Downie trade. However it is not time to panic, remember the Avs are still 10-1-0 and have a lot of hockey left to play. Varlamov will be able to travel with the team and looks to be in line start tomororw night vs. the Stars, as he is awaiting whether prosecutors will charge him or not (as he posted $5,000 bail to get out). I think that this trade is one that we will have to wait and see how it plays out, as Talbot is now here for at least the next 3 seasons while Downie is a UFA at season end and could walk from Philly. Who knows if this is the right move or not, only time will tell, but for now best of luck to Downie in Philly and welcome to the Avs Max Talbot!

-Joel Forman - The Forman Faceoff

Game #11 - Colorado Avalanche 3, Winnipeg Jets 2

Ryan Wilson and Ryan O'Reilly celebrate with Matt Duchene after his 9th goal of the season

Goals:

COL - Matt Duchene (9) - from Steve Downie and Ryan Wilson (8:04 1ST)

WPG - Brian Little (6) - from Adam Pardy and Blake Wheeler (11:00 1ST)

WPG - Blake Wheeler (4) - from Brian Little and Grant Clitsome (10:02 2ND)

COL - Jan Hejda (2) - from Paul Stastny and Gabriel Landeskog (7:13 3RD)

COL - Paul Stastny (2) - from Gabriel Landeskog and Alex Tanguay (14:32 3RD)

WG - Semyon Varlamov (23 saves on 25 shots) LG - Al Montoya (33 saves on 36 shots)

The Avalanche are off to their best start in franchise history, improving to 10-1-0 on the season with a 3-2 come-from behind win over the Jets. The Avs finish October tied with the Sharks for an NHL-best 10 wins and only 1 loss, what a start for Patrick Roy's team. The Avs faced some adversity tonight; as it was the 1st time all season the Avs trailed going into the 3rd period. The result? They responded with one of the best periods of the season, as the Landeskog line got the tying and winning goal in a dominant 3rd period. The Avs came out flying in the first, nearly scoring several times in the opening minutes but Al Montoya made a series of great saves on Duchene and Landeskog. Matt Duchene then opened the scoring for the Avs, converting on Steve Downie rebound for his team leading 9th goal of the season. However, the Jets would tie the game 3 minutes later as a weird bounce off the back-boards went right to Brian Little who beat Varlamov before he could slide over to the other side of the net. The Avs would end the period tied 1-1, outshooting the Jets 10-8. The 2nd was a bad period for the Avs; they seemed sloppy and took 4 penalties in the period. Blake Wheeler put the Jets up 2-1 seconds after a PP expired, as Blake Wheeler beat Varlamov with a slap shot five-hole (Varly's 1st weak goal of the season). Shots were tied 19-19 after 2 periods, with the Jets up 2-1 and outshooting the Avs 11-9 in the period. If the Avs wanted to continued their winning streak, they needed to respond and push back. That is exactly what thee Avs did as they came out flying in the 3rd period, Patrick Roy clearly said something in the intermission because the Avs looked like a different team then in the 2nd. Jan Hejda would tie the game at 2-2, as a nice shift by the Landeskog line led to Hejda ripping a slapshot off the cross-bar past Montoya. The Avs would then take a 3-2 lead seconds after killing of their 5th penalty of the night, as Paul Stastny converted a Gabriel Landeskog pass for the goal with 5:28 left. The Avs would hold on for their 5th straight win, outshooting the Jets 17-6 in the 3rd and 36-25 in the game. The Avs had a strong game defensively, winning 30 of 51 faceoffs and blocking 19 shots (Cory Sarich a game-high 4). Most importantly, the PK was very integral to the Avs success tonight as they stopped all 5 Jets PPs and have now killed off 18 straight overall. What a month of October for the Avs, who stand at 10-1-0 withn 4 days off until their next game on Friday.

Paul Stastny celebrates his 3rd period goal

Three Stars:

3. Gabriel Landeskog - Landeskog has been on a roll the past few games, and he was a big part of the comeback win tonight as he picked up 2 assists on the tying and winning goals.

2. Paul Stastny - Stastny had a very strong game tonight, assisting on Jan Hejda's tying goal and scoring his 2nd goal of the season with 5:28 left to give the Avs the lead.

1. Matt Duchene - Duchene continued his great start to the season with his 9th goal, which opened the scoring for the Avs. Duchene now has 9 goals in October, tying Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg and Chris Stewart as the most in October in Avalanche history. 

Play of the Game - Stastny's goal gets it tonight, a great passing play from Tanguay to Landeskog to Stastny for the game-winning goal.

Game #12 - The Avalanche now have 4 days off until their next game, as they start off November with a road game vs. the Dallas Stars on Friday night (@830PM ET)

The Avs celebrate their 10th win of the season

-Joel Forman - Colorado Avalanche News

Game #10 - Colorado Avalanche 4, Carolina Hurricanes 2

Matt Duchene had a dominating performance vs. the Hurricanes

Goals:
COL - Erik Johnson (2) - from Paul Stastny and Alex Tanguay (11:30 1ST)
COL - Matt Duchene (7) - from Ryan O'Reilly and Steve Downie (17:33 1ST)
CAR - Drayson Bowman (1) - from Jordan Staal and Andrej Sekera (0:12 2ND)
COL - Alex Tanguay (3) - from Matt Duchene and Andre Benoit (10:11 2ND)
COL - Matt Duchene PPG (8) - unassisted (0:36 3RD)
CAR - Andrej Sekera (1) - from Jiri Tlusty and Alexander Semin (2:40 3RD)

The Avalanche improved to an NHL-best 9-1-0 with a 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes, a very impressive feat considering the Avs have a rookie Coach in Patrick Roy. But after 10 games can anyone take this team lightly anymore? The Avs have been pushed around in the past under Joe Sacco, and it looks like under Patrick Roy that isn't going to happen very often. Simply put, the Avs are buying into Patrick Roy's system and Roy is buying into the players, they keep using the phrase "it's a partnership." The Avs opened the scoring in the 1st, as a 2-on-1 with Tanguay and Stastny left a puck in front as a sliding Erik Johnson knocked it into the cage. It was review as it hit Johnson's skate, but the goal counted. The Avs would then go up 2-0 on the highlight of the night, as Matt Duchene scored an absolutely beautiful goal. Duchene is a human highlight reel, the guy keeps scoring these amazing goals and he has been simply fantastic so far this season. The Hurricanes would get one back 12 seconds into the 2nd, as Drayson Bowman beat Varlamov after a nice pass from Jordan Staal. Midway through the period the Avs would restore their 2-goal lead, as a nice move by Duchene to get in the zone, stop and feed a streaking Tanguay who beat Peters five-hole. Duchene would make the game 4-1 in the opening seconds of the 3rd, as a he made a nice play along the boards to keep the puck in and cut to the middle, beating Peters high-glove. Andrej Sekera would make it 4-2 minutes later, but that's as close as the Hurricanes would get. At 4-2 the Hurricanes were pressing and on the PP, first Eric Staal nailed the crossbar and then Varlamov made a huge glove save on former teammate Alex Semin (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpNrm-yD-YY). The Avs are rolling right now at 9-1-0, and while it is impressive it still is very early in the season and they need to keep their foot on the gas.

The Avs celebrate Matt Duchene's first of 2 goals on the night

Three Stars:
3. Semyon Varlamov - Tonight wasn't Varly's best performance of the season, but he made 28 saves on 30 shots and really made some big saves at the right times.
2. Alex Tanguay - Tanguay had a solid game for the Avs in this contest, picking up 1 goal, 1 assist and the GWG.
1. Matt Duchene - Man is Matt Duchene on a roll right now, he continues to be the Avs best player every game. Dutchy scored 2 goals, and added an assist to improve his Avalanche best goals to 8 and points to 12.

Play of the Game - Matt Duchene's first goal get's it tonight, what a beautiful spin move and finish: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/matt-duchene-scoring-video-game-goals-season-video-023014717--nhl.html

Game #11 - The Avs look to continue their hot start with their last October game, as the Winnipeg Jets are in town on Sunday night (@8PM ET)

-Joel Forman - Colorado Avalanche News

Game #9 - Colorado Avalanche 1, Pittsburgh Penguins 0

Cole Harbour native's Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby battle for the 1st time

The majority of people looked at tonight's game as an automatic win for the Penguins; despite how good of a start the Avs have had many people questioned Patrick Roy's decision to start J.S. Giguere over Semyon Varlamov. The result? A 34-save shutout, his 2nd shutout in 3 starts and 3rd win overall. Not bad for the 36-year old goaltender many people called "washed-up" or "old." The Avs may not be winning pretty every night, but the bottom line is this team has shown the ability to grind out wins early in the season. Its hard to jump to conclusions considering it is only 9 games in, but talk about an ideal start for an Avs team that looks completely different under Patrick Roy. Tonight was also the first meeting between Cole Harbour native and 1ST overall pick's Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon, despite Crosby outplaying MacKinnon score 1 for the rookie. The Penguins outshot the Avs 34-14 in the game, except the lone goal came from Avs Captain Gabriel Landeskog. Landeskog, coming out of the penalty box, got the puck at the blue line after a nice pass by Ryan Wilson, and he threw it on net which beat Fleury low-glove. It looked like it may have tipped, but regardless a huge goal for the Avalanche. The Penguins peppered the Avs in the 3rd outshooting them 16-5 but unable to solve Jiggy. The Avs killed a season high 7 penalties, including 4 in the 1st period. The PK has been the biggest difference this season compared to the last few years, Roy has gotten the message across and the Avs are playing smart, aggressive penalty killing. Credit Giguere for making some really clutch saves, none bigger than 2-on-1 with Malkin and Crosby as he made a great glove save off Sid. After a slow start, Captain Gabriel Landeskog has really responded scoring goals in 3 straight games. Another played that deserves a round of applause is Jan Hejda, who had a monster night defensively logging 27:32 of ice time with 4 hits and 6 blocked shots (both game-high). Once again not the prettiest win, but the Avs are surprising the NHL and continue to keep things rolling.

Avs Captain Gabriel Landeskog celebrates his 2nd period goal

The Avalanche celebrate with G J.S. Giguere after a 1-0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins

Three Stars:

3. Sidney Crosby  - Crosby was the best player on the ice for the Pens, putting up 7 shots on goal but Giguere wouldn't let anything past him on this night.

2. Gabriel Landeskog - Landy had another big-time performance, scoring the lone goal for the Avs which was enough for a big 2 points. Gabe now has goals in 3 straight games.

1. J.S. Giguere - What can you see about the Avs goaltending this season, the tandem of Semyon Varlamov (4-1) and J.S. Giguere (3-0) has been arguably the best in the NHL early on. Giguere had his 2nd shutout in 3 games, making 34 saves tonight. What is even more impressive about the 36-year old's performance this season is that both of his shutouts have come against 2 elite NHL teams: Boston and Pittsburgh.

Play of the Night - J.S. Giguere's glove save on Sidney Crosby gets it tonight, possibly the scariest 2-on-1 combination in the NHL with Malkin and Crosby and Jiggy stands tall with the big glove save. Runner-up goes to Jamie McGinn's play on Sidney Crosby on the PK, saving a goal for sure.

Game #10 - The Avs head home for a 3-day rest as they don't play until Friday night in the 1st of back-to-back home games. The Avalanche (8-0-1) meet the Carolina Hurricanes (4-2-3) in Denver on Friday night (@9PM ET)

-Joel Forman - Colorado Avlanche News

Game #8 - Colorado Avalanche 4, Buffalo Sabres 2

Matt Duchene, Ryan Wilson and Steve Downie celebrate with Ryan O'Reilly after his 1st period goal

Goals:
COL - Ryan O'Reilly (3) - from Matt Duchene and Steve Downie (8:44 1ST)
COL - Gabriel Landeskog (2) - from Erik Johnson (11:57 1ST)
COL - Matt Duchene PPG (6) - from Ryan O'Reilly and Andre Benoit (0:56 2ND)
BUF - Cody Hodgson (2) - from Drew Stafford and Thomas Vanek (5:31 2ND)
COL - Paul Stastny (1) - from Gabriel Landeskog and Ryan Wilson (8:34 2ND)
BUF - Marcus Foligno (2) - from Henrik Tallinder (1:05 1ST)

The Avalanche improved to 7-1-0 on the season with a 4-2 win over the 1-win Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres were non-existent in this game until the 3rd period, as it took them 14 minutes to get their 1st shot on goal in the game. Ryan O'Reilly opened the scoring in the 1st, as a nifty spin move and pass by Duchene left O'Reilly wide open in front. The Avs would make it 2-0 on a great individual effort by Gabriel Landeskog, as he drove the net wide and went around the net net, wrapping the puck into an open net on the other side. The Avs outshot the Sabres 14-3 in the 1st, and really controlled the pace of the game. Things stayed the same in the 2nd, as a PP to start the period would result in the score being 3-0. Matt Duchene tipped a Ryan O'Reilly shot past Ryan Miller for the goal, 2nd point for both Duchene and O'Reilly. The Sabres would get one back a few minutes later, as a blast from the point by Cody Hodgson beat Giguere up high to make it 3-1. Just minutes later the Avs would restore their 3-goal lead, as some nifty passing lead to Paul Stastny scoring his 1st of the season. The shots 11-8 Sabres in the period, and 22-14 overall for the Avs. The Sabres would cut the lead to 2 in the 1st minute of the 3rd, as Marcus Foligno beat a sprawling Giguere up top to make it 4-2. The Avs played great through 2 periods but looked really sluggish in the 3rd, as the Sabres found life but couldn't beat Giguere after the Foligno goal. The Sabres would outshoot the Avs 16-4 in the 3rd, but the Avs would hold on for a 4-2 win. What a performance by Matt Duchene and Ryan O'Reilly tonight, both players were a force all game long.

J.S. Giguere makes one of his 28 saves on the night

Three Stars:
3. Gabriel Landeskog - Landeskog continued his hot play of late, scoring his 2nd goal of the season and adding an assist on Paul Stastny's goal
2. Ryan O'Reilly - O'Reilly opened the scoring for the Avs in this game, and added an assist on Duchene's PP goal.
1. Matt Duchene - Dutchy continues to be the Avs best player this season, as he recorded his 6th goal of the season (the GWG) and added an assist. Duchene now has 9 points in 8 games to lead the Avs

Play of the Game - Ryan O'Reilly's goal gets it tonight, what a great spin move and pass by Matt Duchene to find O'Reilly wide open for the goal.

Game #9 - The Avs look to continue their hot start with the 2nd game of the road trip, as they face the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday night (@730PM ET)

-Joel Forman - Colorado Avalanche News

Game #7 - Detroit Red Wings 4, Colorado Avalanche 2

DET - Johan Franzen PPG (1) - from Henrik Zetterberg and Jakub Kindl (6:08 1ST)
DET - Pavel Datsyuk (3) - from Danny DeKeyser and Daniel Alfredsson (15:00 1ST)
COL - Erik Johnson PPG (1) - from Semyon Varlamov (2:36 2ND)
COL - Gabriel Landeskog PPG (1) - from Paul Stastny (14:42 2ND)
DET - Johan Franzen PPG (2) - from Justin Abdelkader and Daniel Alfredsson (7:10 3RD)
DET - Pavel Datsyuk (4) - from Daniel Alfredsson (13:35 3RD)

The Avalanche are undefeated no more, their 6-game winning streak snapped by the rival Detroit Red Wings. Although it was a tough loss, the Avs played a very solid game outshooting the Red Wings 40-28. The game started with a little controversy, as 2 minutes in Cody McLeod hit Niklas Kronwall from behind resulting in Kronwall being taken off on a stretcher. Very dangerous play by Cody, he plays with a tough edge to his game but he went too far with this one. Here is the replay: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GmG3hLI2gg. McLeod faces an in-hearing suspension which means 5+ games, and with Kronwall out with a reported concussion things look bad for McLeod. The Wings opened the scoring after receiving a 5-minute PP from the hit, as Avalanche killer Johan Franzen scored. Franzen has been an Avalanche killer for the past 5 or so years, and he was again tonight. The Wings made it 2-0 near the end of the period, as Pavel Datsyuk scored. The Avs regrouped and started to put the pressure on in the 2nd, as a nice end-to-end rush by Erik Johnson on the PP resulted in his 1st goal of the season. On another PP late in the 2nd, Gabriel Landeskog took the puck and beat Gustavsson five-hole for the 2-2 tie. The Avs would come out hard in the 3rd, but Gustavsson was their to answer each shot. The Wings took the lead for good with another Franzen PP goal, as he rooked it high glove. Datsyuk made it 4-2 later in the 3rd, and the Wings would win 4-2 despite a furious last 2 minutes by the Avalanche.

Three Stars:
3. Daniel Alfredsson - Alfredsson had 3 assists on the night.
2. Pavel Datsyuk - Datsyuk scored the 2nd and 4th Wings goals on the night.
1. Johan Franzen - The Avalanche killer strikes again, scoring the 1st goal of the game and the game winning goal in the 3rd period.

Play of the Game - Erik Johnson's goal gets it tonight, beautiful end-to-end rush for the goal.

Game #8 - The Avalanche look to get things back on track with the 1st of 2 straight road games, as they play the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday Night (@7PM ET)

-Joel Forman - Colorado Avalanche News

Game #6 - Colorado Avalanche 3, Dallas Stars 2

Avs Head Coach Patrick Roy

Goals:
DAL - Rich Peverley (1) - from Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn (4:18 1ST)
COL - Matt Duchene (4) - unassisted (11:43 1ST)
COL - Jan Hejda (1) - from Nathan MacKinnon and P.A. Parenteau (19:53 1ST)
DAL - Cody Eakin PPG (1) - from Ray Whitney and Erik Cole (10:58 2ND)
COL - Matt Duchene (5) - from P.A. Parenteau and Erik Johnson (14:18 2ND)

Another game, another win for the Avalanche who remain unbeaten to start the season at 6-0-0. Patrick Roy has tied an NHL record with the most consecutive wins to start a NHL Head Coaching Career, tying Mario Tremblay who did it with the Canadiens in 1995-1996. What makes this even more ironic was the fact that Roy was the goalie on that Canadiens team, and his famous altercation with Tremblay led to Roy being traded to the Avs and winning the Stanley Cup that season. What makes this situation even more intense is that the Avs next game is against their biggest rival, the Detroit Red Wings, and we all know how much Patrick wants this one. Once again the story was Semyon Varlamov, who was outstanding making 39 saves while also allowing more the 1 goal for the 1st time this season. The Stars opened the scoring in the 1st, as Rich Peverley got behind Jan Hejda/Erik Johnson and beat Varly on the breakaway to make it 1-0.  The Avs would get even later in the period, as a sloppy Sergei Gonchar turnover left Matt Duchene wide open in the slot and he made no mistake beating Dan Ellis. The Avs would then take the lead with seconds remaining in the 1st, as a long shift by the McGinn-MacKinnon-Parenteau line lead to Jan Hejda scoring his 1st of the season with 7 seconfs left. The Avs outshot the Stars 10-6 in the period, leading 2-1 heading into the 2nd. The 1st was slow and sloppy from both teams, but things changed drastically in the 2nd as both teams used their speed and starting skating hard. The Stars would tie the game on the PP, as Cody Eakin beat Varlamov five-hole with 1 second left on MacKinnon's penalty, marking the first time all season the Avs let in a PP goal. The Avs would then take the lead minutes later, as another long shift by the MacKinnon line lead to the a delayed penalty. As the play went on, the Avs 6th attacker Matt Duchnene took a Parenteau pass at Center and made a few nices moves before roofing it over Ellis for the 3-2 lead and his 2nd goal of the game, 5th of the season. Another highlight reel goal by Dutchy, and it was also his 200th NHL point which is extremely impressive considering he is still 22 years old. The Stars would outshoot the Avs 18-5 in the 2nd, but the Avs remained in the lead. The 3rd period was a lot like the 2nd period, as the Avs tightened up defensively and had a great period from Semyon Varlamov. The Stars made a final push, including Alex Chiasson with a shot point-blank on Varlamov at the buzzer, but the Avs would hold on for their 6th consecutive win. Once again it wasn't the prettiest game, but simply put the Avs are getting it done and playing hard as a team. You can see how much each player is buying into Patrick Roy's system, the plays know how much he cares and they are feeding off it. This was the team that was supposed to score but have weak goaltending and defense; well they are definitely scoring but it has been the play of Semyon Varlamov and the Avs D that has been the biggest surprise this season. The Avs are 6-0-0, tied for top of the NHL with the San Jose Sharks (6-0-0) and the Toronto Maple Leafs (6-1-0).

Avs F Matt Duchene celebrates his 2nd of 2 goals on the night, his 200th NHL point

Three Stars:
3. Tyler Seguin - Seguin was the Stars most dangerous player all night, he picked up an assist and had several chances to score tonight.
2. Matt Duchene - Dutchy picked up the Avs 1st and 3rd goals of the night, his 4th and 5th goals of the season. Duchene's 2nd goal was also the game winner, and his 200th NHL point.
1. Semyon Varlamov - Seeing a pattern here? That is now 5 straight starts for Varlamov, 5 straight wins and 5 straight 1st Star performances. This was the 1st time he allowed more than 1 goal in a game, but he was very effective making 39 saves on 41 shots.

Play of the Game - Matt Duchene's GWG was also another highlight-reel goal: http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/matt-duchene-scores-beautiful-goal-perfect-avs-delayed-031515501--nhl.html

Interesting Stat of the Night - Matt Duchene now has 200 NHL points in 272 games at age 22.

Game #7 - Patrick Roy goes for an NHL record with 7 consecutive wins to start a Head Coaching career, and he does so at home against the Avs bitter rival the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night (@9PM ET)

Game #5 - Colorado Avalanche 5, Washington Capitals 1

Nathan MacKinnon celebrates his 1st NHL goal with Gabriel Landeskog and P.A. Parenteau

Playing against his former team for the 1st time was challenging enough, but having to play infront of the crowd that he used to play for was even harder for Avs goalie Semyon Varlamov, and he goes out and has his best performance of the season to lead the Avs to their 5th straight win, and sweep their 3-game road trip. The Avalanche are 5-0-0 for the first time in Avalanche history, outscoring opponents 18-4 in the first 5 games under new Head Coach Patrick Roy. The craziest part about this run is that the two things the Avs were said to be there weaknesses going into the season, goaltending and defense, are the reason they are winning games right now. So far the combination of Semyon Varlamov and J.S Giguere has went 5-0 allowing only 4 goals in that stretch, Varlamov playing 4 games and only allowing 1 goal in each (in contrast Varlamov won only 1 road game all last season and now has 2 road wins in 2 tries). The Avs got on the board first as Alex Tanguay beat Neuvirth to give the Avs a 1-0 lead in the 1st. They would double their lead towards the end of the period, as an end-to-end rush by Matt Duchene was an absolute beauty and he beat Neuvirth to make it 2-0. The Avs would finish the period up 2-0 and outshooting the Caps 12-10. The story of the 2nd period was Semyon Varlamov and Nathan MacKinnon, as the Caps outshoot the Avs 19-7 in the 2nd but couldn't beat Varly. On a PP late in the 2nd, Nathan MacKinnon found some room infront of the net and Paul Stastny got him the puck, he made no mistake beating Neuvirth as he finally scored his 1st NHL goal (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9pLmqrIdrE). The Avs took a 3-0 lead into the 3rd, but they were also getting outshot 29-19 after two. In the 3rd there was 3 goals in the first 2:24 of the period, as Alex Tanguay got his 2nd of the season shorthanded to make it 4-0. The Caps scored their lone goal 44 seconds later, as Eric Fehr got the puck infront and beat Varlamov. The Avs rebounded with their 5th goal of the game, this one a nifty passing play from MacKinnon to Parenteau to McGinn to the back of the net for his 3rd of the season. The Avs would win 5-1, with Varly burning his former team making 40 saves on 41 shots for his 4th win of the season. The Avs continued to be perfect on the penalty kill this season, going 2/2 tonight and improving to 12/12 on the season. Whether you realize it or not, but Patrick Roy in 5 games has completely changed the culture of this team, his players want to play for him and they want to play hard. The Avs are finding ways to win games, and it has all started with the goaltending from Varlamov and Giguere. Simply put, its a new era in Avalanche hockey, and Patrick Roy is 5-0-0 as an NHL head coach.

Matt Duchene celebrates his 3rd goal of the season

Three Stars:
3. Alex Tanguay - Tanguay scored his 1st and 2nd goals of the season tonight, including getting the game's all important 1st goal. Tanguay has been a great veteran presence in his 2nd sting in Colorodo, a great player for the young forwards.
2. Nathan MacKinnon - MacKinnon continued his hot start to his 1st NHL season, finally scoring his 1st NHL goal and adding an assist. MacKinnon now leads the Avalanche with 6 points in his 1st 5 games, a very impressive feat for a kid who just turned 18 last month.
1. Semyon Varlamov - 4th start for Varlamov, 4th game allowing only 1 goal, 4th 1st Star of the game. However, this was the best of them all, just standing on his head against his former team. Varly made 40 saves on 41 shots, and was simply brilliant again tonight.

Play of the Game - Matt Duchene's goal gets it tonight, another highlight reel goal by Dutchy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iL3LDNSoxIk

Stat of the Night - For the 4th start in a row, Semyon Varlamov has picked up the victory allowing only 1 goal.

Game #6 - The Avs return home for a 2-game homestand, starting off with the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night (@9PM ET).

-Joel Forman - Colorado Avalanche News

Game #4 - Colorado Avalanche 2, Boston Bruins 0

Avs F Patrick Bordeleau celebrates with G J.S. Giguere after the Avs 2-0 win

Going into the game I had some concerns of J.S Giguere starting his 1st game of the season against a talented Boston Bruins. After the game? No doubt in my mind, Giguere was in net for the right reason, what a performance tonight to lead the Avs to a 4-0-0 start. Patrick Roy wants the NHL to take the Avs seriously, and at 4-0-0 he has everyones attention for sure. Tonight was a very good hockey game, an aggressive one from both teams and one that featured a solid goaltending battle between Tuukka Rask and J.S Giguere. The Avs opened the scoring on a PP late in the 1st, as Ryan O'Reilly tipped an Andre Benoit point shot past Rask for a 1-0 lead. It was Benoit's 1st point as an Avalanche, well deserved for a guy who has been rock solid so far. The Bruins would press heavily in the 2nd, outshooting the Avs 15-6 in the period but were unable to solve Giguere. The 3rd was a very tight-checking period, the Bruins pushed for the tie but the Avs committed to team defense and wouldn't let that happen. Matt Duchene would ice the game into the empty net, and the Avs walked away from Boston with a 2-0 win. The big story of the night was 36-year old J.S Giguere, who made 39 saves for his 37th career shutout. Giguere was making his first appearance of the season after Varlamov won the 1st 3 games, and he was simply rock-solid all night long. The Avs also continued their strong start on the PK, going 3/3 tonight and improving to 10/10 on the season not allowing a single PP goal through 4 games. The season is still early, but you couldn't have asked for a better start to the season for Patrick Roy and his team! Go Avs Go!

Avs players Andre Benoit, Matt Duchene, Steve Downie and Alex Tanguay celebrate with Ryan O'Reilly after his PPG goal in the 1st period

Three Stars:

3. Tuukka Rask - Rask was the best player for the Bruins all game, making 28 saves on 29 shots. 

2. Matt Duchene - Duchene had a huge game for the Avs, picking up an assist on the 1st goal and scoring the empty-netter to clinch the win for the Avs.

1. J.S Giguere - What a performance by the 36-year old Giguere, making 39 saves for his 37th career shutout.

Play of the Game - J.S Giguere's glove save on Jordan Caron gets it tonight, what a big save by Jiggy. Runner-up goes to Duchene for his effort on the empty-netter, chipping it past the defense and beating him to the puck for the goal.

Stat of the Night - J.S Giguere picked up his 37th shutout of his career, and 3rd shutout with the Avs. 

Game #5 - The Avalanche look to finish off their 3-game road trip undefeated, as they take a 4-0-0 record (and 2-0-0 on this road trip) to Washington for a meeting with the Capitals on Saturday Night (@7PM ET)

-Joel Forman - Colorado Avalanche News

Game #3 - Colorado Avalanche 2, Toronto Maple Leafs

Avs celebrate a 2-1 win in Toronto

A great win by the Avs has them at 3-0 for the first time in Avalanche history, and it was even sweeter being able to catch the game first hand and see the big W. The crowd at the ACC was restless tonight, the Leafs played sloppy hockey and the Avs were able to get 2 big goals by Sarich and Parenteau to lead them to victory. Both goalies were phenomenal tonight, as Varlamov was the 1st star and Bernier the 2nd. The first period was a very slow one, and no goals were scored (shots were 12-10 Leafs). The Leafs opened the scoring in the 2nd, as a bad MacKinnon pass led to a goalmouth scramble and Joffrey Lupul jammed it home for the 1-0 lead. MacKinnon is young and will make mistakes like this, and Roy definitely let him know on the bench, but it is important for him to grow as a player by learning from these type of mistakes. The Avs would tie it up late in the 2nd, as Cory Sarich took the puck along the boards and made an aggresive move to the net, as he took his shot Bernier was cheating to the middle and Sarich beat him high over the shoulder for the 1-1 tie. It was Sarich's 1st goal as a Colorado Avalanche, a huge goal, and his 1st since January 10th, 2012 during the 11/12 season. The score remained 1-1 after 2, with the Avs outshooting the Leafs 15-7 in the 2nd. The Avs would seize the momentum in the 3rd, and they would make the Leafs play after a bad turnover by Paul Ranger. Nathan MacKinnon caused a turnover at center ice, and Jamie McGinn got the puck and blew by Ranger for a 2-on-1, as he fed it across the ice Parenteau tipped it past Bernier for the 2-1 lead. It was PA Parenteau's 3rd goal in 2 games, and Nathan MacKinnon's 4th assist in 3 games (he's had a point in every game so far). The Leafs would have a few more chances in the 3rd, but Varlamov was up to the task each time and the Avs won 2-1. The Avs are 3-0 on the season, outscoring opponents 11-3 in that stretch. While tonight was a very sloppy game, I thought the Avs were by far the better team defensively and had more zone time offensively (33-28 shots for the Avs). Overall great win, and even sweeter to be there!

Pictures I took at the game tonight. Duchene on the left, MacKinnon on the right.

Three Stars:
3. PA Parenteau - Parenteau scored his 3rd goal in 2 games tonight, and it was the game winner. So far 3-games in Parenteau has shown great chemistry with Jamie McGinn and Nathan MacKinnon.
2. Jonathan Bernier - Bernier was the lone bright spot for the Leafs tonight, he was solid all game making 31 saves on 33 shots.
1. Semyon Varlamov - 3rd straight win for Varly, 3rd straight game with only 1 goal against...3rd straight game as the 1st star. Simply put, Varly has been outstanding so far this season, hopefully he keeps it up.

Play of the Game - Parenteau's goal gets it tonight, great play by MacKinnon to cause the turnover, McGinn to start the play and Parenteau with the nice finish.

Stat of the Night - Nathan MacKinnon now has 4 points in 3 NHL games, all assists and has a point in all 3 games so far this season.

Game #4 - The Avs continue their 3-game road trip and play next on Thursday night, a meeting with the Boston Bruins (@7PM ET)

-Joel Forman - Colorado Avalanche News

Game #2 - Colorado Avalanche 3, Nashville Predators 1

PA Parenteau and Jamie McGinn celebrate Parenteau's 1st Period Goal

The Avalanche continued their strong start under new Head Coach Patrick Roy, beating the Nashville Predators at home 3-1. The Avalanche are now 2-0-0 to start the season, scoring 9 goals and only allowing 2. The Avalanche opened the scoring for the 2nd straight game, as PA Parenteau converted on a rebound to put the Avs up 1-0 heading into the 1st intermission. The Avs would then go up 2-0 thanks to a great shift from their 4th line, as a Nate Guenin point shot was deflectd by Patrick Bordeleau past Rinne for his 1st of the season. The Predators would get one back towards the end of the 2nd, as Paul Gaustad beat Varlamov on a rebound. The Avalanche withstood the Predators pressure in the 3rd period, and winger PA Parenteau would ice the game in the empty net for his 2nd of the game. For the 2nd straight game Semyon Varlamov was fantastic, he made 26 saves on 27 shots and made some big saves to keep the Avs in the lead. Varlamov had a lot of question marks on him entering the season, but so far through 2 games he has been the Avs best player no question about it. The Avs outshot the Predators 36 to 27, as well as they killed off all 3 Predator powerplays (went 0/5 on the powerplay themselves. Overall not the prettiest game but an important win for the Avs, these are the types of games they lost last season and it seems they are learning how to play with a lead. The Avs have also scored 1st for the 2nd straight game, something they rarely did last season and thus always played from behind.

Three Stars:
3. Pekka Rinne - Rinne was the Predators best player tonight, making 33 saves on 35 shots and really keeping the Predators in the game
2. PA Parenteau - Parenteau was a force tonight, scoring 2 goals, +2 with 4 shots in 16:14 of icetime.
1. Semyon Varlamov - For the 2nd straight game Varlamov was the best player on the ice for the Avs, and once again he only let in 1 goal making 26 saves on 27 shots to improve to 2-0 on the season.

Play of the Game - Patrick Bordeleau's goal gets it tonight, a nice cycle by the 4th line led to a nice tip-in goal by Bordeleau, a guy who doesn't score very often

Stat of the Night - Semyon Varlamov allowed only 1 goal for the 2nd straight game

Game #3 - The Avalanche have 3 days off before they hit the road for 3 games, the first stop being in my hometown of Toronto. They have a meeting with the Maple Leafs on Tuesday Night (@7PM ET), and I will be in attendance wearing this jersey:

-Joel Forman - Colorado Avalanche News

Game #1 - Colorado Avalanche 6, Anaheim Ducks 1

WHAT A GAME! WHAT A PERFORMANCE BY THE AVS ON OPENING NIGHT! Sorry for the caps, but its an exciting time to be an Avalanche fan, truly is the start of a new era in Avalanche hockey. The Avs dominated the Ducks from start to finish in this game, scoring 6 goals on route to a 6-1 win (Ducks ruined Varly's shutout with 7 seconds left). Ryan O'Reilly got things going in the first, intercepting a Francois Beauchemin pass he went in all alone on Viktor Fasth and made no mistake. The Avs would take the 1-0 lead into the intermission, as they outshot the Ducks 14-7 in the period and really pushed the pace of the game. Things stayed the same way in the 2nd, as the Avs would score 3 straight goals. Steve Downie made it 2-0 on the PP, as he converted a Ryan O'Reilly rebound for his 1st goal since February 25, 2012. John Mitchell would make it 3-0 during 4-on-4 play, as Tyson Barrie fed Mitchell the puck and raced down the ice for a 2-on-1, Mitchell made no mistake beating Fasth. Jamie McGinn would make it 4-0 towards the end of the 2nd, as a nifty pass from rookie Nathan MacKinnon setup McGinn for his 1st of the season. That was also Nathan MacKinnon's 1st NHL point, in his 1st NHL game. McGinn would make it 5-0 in the 3rd, as he took another feed from MacKinnon and beat Fasth, a nifty tic-tac-toe from Parenteau to MacKinnon to McGinn. Matt Duchene made it 6-0 on the PP, another nifty tic-tac-toe from Tanguay to Downie to Duchene. The Ducks would score with 7 seconds left, as new Duck Jakob Silfverberg beat Varlamov on a rebound. The game ended with some serious bad blood, as Ben Lovejoy tripped up Nathan MacKinnon with a dirty knee-on-knee the Avs were not happy, especially Patrick Roy. As the game ended Roy was screaming at Bruce Boudreau, even getting right up against the glass between the benches and it fell over into the Ducks side. Roy had some serious fire in his eyes, this guy cares about his job and his players and he isn't going to take nonsense like that. MacKinnon was okay after the incident, and what a performance in his first NHL game. What a game from the Avs, from the stellar play of Varlamov to the 6 goals to the solid defensive performance. The Avs 3 new D-pairings were all good tonight, Johnson with Hejda, Barrie with Guenin and Sarich with Benoit. I particularly liked the play of Andre Benoit, he was calm and cool in his own end but really jumped up into the play offensively quite often. Offensively the Avs were solid on all 4 lines, in particular the line of O'Reilly-Duchene-Downie was a handful for the Ducks every time they took the ice. I also liked the play of McGinn-MacKinnon-Parenteau, they were solid offensively and were strong on the forecheck. The Avs won the special teams battle, scoring 2 PP goals in 5 chances and killing off both Ducks PPs. Semyon Varlamov deserves full credit for his performance, he was brilliant from start to finish making key saves that allowed the Avs to get their chances offensively. Overall a phenomenal performance on opening night, what a game!

Three Stars:
3. Ryan O'Reilly - Factor got things rolling for the Avs, scoring the 1st goal of the season in the 1st. He would add an assist in the 3rd, and finished the game with 1 goal, 1 assist and 6 shots on goal as well as a game-high 4 takeaways.
2. Nathan MacKinnon - Talk about a great NHL debut, the #1 overall pick in this summer's draft was all over the ice tonight. He collected his first NHL point with a nice feed to Jamie McGinn, and set up McGinn again in the 3rd for 2 assists in the game. He also got into a nice scrum with Ben Lovejoy in the 1st, gettign a rough penalty for his work. Overall a great NHL debut
1. Semyon Varlamov - In a game with 6 goals how is the goalie #1 star? Simple, Varlamov deserves it 100% for his play tonight. He was simply brilliant from start to finish, allowing only 1 goal with 7 seconds left in an otherwise flawless victory. He made 35 saves on 36 shots, collecting his 1st win of the season. Varlamov is really benefiting from the prescence of Head Coach Patrick Roy, and he looks to have a rebound season his year.

Play of the Game - Matt Duchene's goal gets it tonight, a brilliant tic-tac-toe from Tanguay to Downie to Duchene to the back of the net. Tanguay made a ridiculous cross-ice pass from the point to Downie at the doorstep, who fed it to Duchene across the crease and he made no mistake

Stat of the Night - Patrick Roy earned his 1st victory as an NHL Head Coach, way to go Patrick! Nathan MacKinnon had 2 assists for his first 2 NHL points in his first NHL game.

Game #2 - The Avs have 1 day off before the Nashville Predators are in town on Friday night (@9PM ET). This will mark the first time that Seth Jones plays vs. Nathan MacKinnon, a storyline that will follow these 2 kids for the rest of their career.

-Joel Forman - Colorado Avalanche News