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