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