|
|
|
HEAD COACH
|
|
Bob Hartley
|
ROSTER
|
|
C - Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Stephane Yelle, Chris Drury.
LW - Valeri Kamensky, Rene Corbet, Milan Hejduk, Shean Donovan,
Warren Rychel. RW - Claude Lemieux, Adam Deadmarsh, Shjon Podein,
Jeff Odgers, Scott Parker. D - Sandis Ozolinsh, Sylvain Lefebvre,
Adam Foote, Alexei Gusarov, Jon Klemm, Aaron Miller, Eric Messier,
Wade Belak, Greg deVries, Cam Russell. G - Patrick Roy, Craig
Billington, Marc Denis.
|
INJURIES
|
|
Patrick Roy, g (back, day-to-day); Alexei Gusarov, d
(finger, any day now); Shjon Podein, rw (fractured leg,
mid-February); Jon Klemm, d (knee, mid-January); Warren Rychel, lw
(hand, indefinite).
|
TRANSACTIONS
|
|
Assigned Mike Gaul, d, to Hershey (AHL); recalled Marc
Denis, g, from Hershey; assigned Serge Aubin, c, to Hershey;
assigned Christian Matte, rw, to Hershey; signed Sandis Ozolinsh,
d, who was a restricted free agent.
|
GAME RESULTS
|
|
12/21 at Anaheim W 4-2
12/22 Anaheim L 1-0
12/26 Dallas L 4-2
12/27 at Calgary W 2-1
12/29 at Vancouver W 4-2
12/31 New York Rangers L 6-3
01/02 at Los Angeles L 4-2
01/04 Montreal W 4-3
01/06 Florida T 2-2
01/09 at Detroit L 3-2
01/10 at Chicago W 3-2 OT
|
STANDINGS
|
|
Northwest Division GP W L T PTS GF GA
Colorado 42 19 19 4 42 103 107
Edmonton 41 16 19 6 38 116 111
Vancouver 41 14 22 5 33 106 123
Calgary 41 13 25 3 29 102 127
|
TEAM NEWS
|
|
by Greg D'Avis, Colorado Correspondent
|
|
|
The big news, of course, is that the Avalanche FINALLY signed
wayward defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh, ending the rounds of
ego-beating between GM Pierre Lacroix and agent Paul Theofanous.
Hopefully, Ozo will provide a spark to the team's anemic offense
(he went +1 in his first game back, against Chicago), and help the
Avs widen their lead in the Northwest Division.
Which shouldn't be hard, inasmuch as they're pulling away while
playing .500 hockey. Yay, realignment!
With so many games lately, and so few of interest, we'll skip the
game-by-game recap and provide a few highlights...
* As Colorado blew a lead -- a frequent happening lately -- and lost
to the Stars, Patrick Roy left with back spasms, providing
goalie-of-the-future Marc Denis with his first significant pro
experience.
The verdict? Good but young. Denis has been solid, making some
excellent saves, but has shown an alarming propensity to let in
goals at bad times -- giving up two for a late tie against Florida,
giving up two for a late loss to Detroit.
* The injury bug kept up, but at least it was abating. In addition
to Roy, Joe Sakic went down for a while (but came back strong).
Plus, the defense is about to be -- imagine this -- overstocked, a
bizarre happening after the depleted ranks of early season.
Ozolinsh is back, Eric Messier is back (he was out for three GAMES,
not three MONTHS like I said last time), Jon Klemm and Alexei
Gusarov are about to come back -- and all of this will leave the
Avs with 10 healthy defensemen.
* Chris Drury continues to make a strong case for the Calder Trophy
- he's second (behind Vancouver's Bill Muckalt) in the rookie
scoring race, and does it all, with scoring, physical play, power
play, penalty killing, and the occasional fight. His high-energy
style has made him a fan favorite around Denver.
Quieter, but also effective, Milan Hejduk also has been keeping up
strong rookie play, including a taste for getting his nose dirty that you
wouldn't expect from the small, speedy Czech.
* Peter Forsberg was named a starter for the NHL World All-Star
Team. Yay, Peter!
REPORT CARD
JOE SAKIC -- A. Still the heart and soul of the team.
PETER FORSBERG -- A+. He can't not get an A.
STEPHANE YELLE -- C. One of the players who gives his all every
night, but his defensive play has had its down times this season
and there's not much offensive upside. Needs to use his speed
better.
CHRIS DRURY -- A. See above. Nicest unexpected surprise of the year.
VALERI KAMENSKY -- D. Streaky, and often obviously not putting any
effort in. A poor year from your humble correspondent's favorite
player. Probably will be in New York or Anaheim or Vancouver by the
trading deadline.
RENE CORBET -- B. More scoring expected, but he's a joy to watch and
does everything, all the time.
MILAN HEJDUK -- B+. See above. Second-nicest unexpected surprise of
the year. Exciting to watch.
SHEAN DONOVAN -- D. Usually forget he's still on the team.
WARREN RYCHEL -- D. Lots of heart. Also lots of dumb penalties, lots
of feet in the crease, lots of lost fights.
CLAUDE LEMIEUX -- B+. With trade rumors swirling, Pepe has led the
team in goals, subbed as point on the power play, etc.
ADAM DEADMARSH -- C+. Inconsistent as ever, but you know, it took
Brendan Shanahan and Cam Neely and other similar players an equal
amount of time to find their footing. Probably will turn out to be
worth the wait, and he has a knack for scoring key goals.
JEFF ODGERS -- C. Absolutely fearless and willing to stand up at any
time. And, hey, I saw him put a deke on someone a couple weeks ago!
SCOTT PARKER -- B. Already becoming a feared fighter -- pounded the
unpoundable Donald Brashear a few weeks ago, held his own against
Tony Twist. If he finds the scoring touch he's rumored to have, look
out.
SYLVAIN LEFEBVRE -- Steady, when you don't notice him he's at his
best.
ADAM FOOTE -- B-. Always a good defenseman, but not as mean as in
past years.
AARON MILLER -- A. Yes, his plus/minus is lousy, but he was playing
every minute at a time when the Avalanche couldn't buy a win. Has
been the center of the defense this year because of the injuries, and
stepped up to the plate.
ERIC MESSIER -- B. Bunches of injuries, but he's got good offensive
skills without neglecting the defense, and hasn't shied away from
physical contact this year.
WADE BELAK -- C. Establishing himself as a bona fide NHLer. Always
willing to fight, still prone to defensive lapses.
GREG deVRIES -- B. I laughed (with tears in my eyes) when they got
him from Nashville, but he deserves better. Has done everything
asked of him, logged lots of ice time, played in all situations.
And he has the same name as me, and I'm sorry I didn't show more
faith.
CAM RUSSELL -- C+. I made the same disparaging comments as I did on
deVries, and they were equally undeserved. Steady defenseman,
tough, willing to fight. He needs to grow the beard he had with
Chicago back, though, geez...
PATRICK ROY -- B. Shaky in the early season, caught fire later. As
Patty goes, so go the Avs.
CRAIG BILLINGTON -- C. Inconsistent as a backup, and when Patrick
went down, Marc Denis got more time.
INCOMPLETES -- Shjon Podein, Sandis Ozolinsh, Alexei Gusarov, Jon
Klemm, Marc Denis, Dan Smith, Jeff Buchanan, Ted Crowley, Mike
Gaul, Serge Aubin, Christian Matte, Brian White. But we love `em
all!
DEARLY DEPARTED -- Keith Jones, Roman Vopat, Eric Lacroix.
COACH BOB HARTLEY -- A-. Stepped into a difficult situation, held
the team together during injuries, given young guys a chance (with
good results), angered few.
GM PIERRE LACROIX -- C. Up from a D only because he signed Ozolinsh.
Showed savvy in keeping defense stocked with Russell and deVries, and
made a tough but good choice in sending son Eric away to keep the
locker room sane. But the Jones/Podein trade was lopsided, and his
hard line with Ozolinsh hurt the team.
|
|
