Sound the alarms!
Day by day, the Avalanche fall even farther behind the mighty Flames
in the race for the Northwest Division -- the toughest,
most-contested division in sports today!
Oh, ok, just a little early-season giddy panic there. We all know
that the Avs are going to win the division hands down. It's just
that the team that was supposed to have new guts and new spirit
under new coach Bob Hartley has shown precious little thus far.
In losses -- home losses -- to Buffalo and Ottawa, two teams the Avs
should beat, the burgundy-and-blue have been showing the same stupid
habits that got them an early exit last spring.
Lack of heart: in the Ottawa game, they spent much of the time going
through the motions as they allowed the Senators to steal a game.
Stupid penalties: in the frustrating loss to Buffalo, the Avs spent
about 20 seconds with a full staff. Lack of effort from key guys: the
important line of Forsberg, Lemieux and Kamensky has been all but
invisible.
And, to make matters worse, the importance of holdout defenseman
Sandis Ozolinsh becomes clearer by the day. The power play has been
anemic, and with Uwe Krupp gone and Eric Messier injured, Alexei
Gusarov -- known for steady defense rather than his two goals a
year -- has been pressed into duty as the top point man.
There are a few bright spots -- Joe Sakic started strong with two
goals in the first game. And rookie winger Milan Hedjuk continued
from his strong preseason with two points early on.
Ok, that's all the bright spots.
Messier injured
The Avs' thin defense took a further hit in the opening game when
Eric Messier went down with a broken elbow. Messier, expected to
shoulder much of the defensive load after Uwe Krupp jumped ship for
the hated Red Wings, will be out for about three months.
To replace him, the Avs called up Dan Smith from Hershey, and
frankly, I've never heard of him. Anyone who can give me info on
Dan Smith gets their name in the Avs' report next time out. Fame
can be yours!
Rookie Report
Perennial rookie Wade Belak is back with the team, and this is the
year he's supposed to stick. Unfortunately, the oft-injured tough
guy is on the sick list again with a troublesome groin.
The aforementioned Hedjuk, a member of the Czech Olympic Team last
year, has been the big surprise. He beat out more-favored players
to win a spot and has looked slick.
One-time Little League baseball hero Chris Drury is on board as a
sort of utilityman, capable of being a third- or fourth-line center
or wing. He surprised the team with his spirit and toughness in
preseason.
First-round draft pick Alex Tanguay was spectacular in the
preseason, but unfortunately couldn't come to terms with the
Avalanche and was returned to the junior Halifax Mooseheads, where
he promptly scored a whole mess of points in his first two games.
Scott Parker, favored to win the enforcer's role, started the season
in Hershey and racked up a goal and two fights in his first two
games.
Scrappy defenseman Pascal Trepanier was lost to the Ducks in the
waiver draft, which sucks.
