| Luke McKay. 23rd January, 2009 - 1:00 pm
 While forward Milan Hejduk packs his bags for Montreal and this weekend’s All-Star Game at the Bell Center, the rest of the Colorado Avalanche will gladly rest and likely ponder what went wrong and what needs to change for a team that is currently on the outside of the playoff picture. After Wednesday’s 6-5 loss to the Los Angeles Kings, the Avalanche find themselves 12th in the Western Conference and four points behind the Anaheim Ducks for the eighth and final playoff spot.
For a team that had Stanley Cup aspirations before the season’s start, and a fan base that has grown accustomed to spring time hockey, the Avalanche find themselves in unfamiliar territory since the franchise began playing in the Mile High City back in 1995-1996. Although the Avalanche have a history of playing well after the All-Star break (a la last season, and in 1998-99 in which they had an 18-19-4 record and 40 points at midseason before rattling off 11 consecutive wins on there way to the Northwest Division title and the conference finals), history may not be on their side this year.
How did the Avalanche go from Stanley Cup contender to a team on the playoff bubble? To answer that very question, let's look back on the season’s first half by handing out some midseason awards, and peer into the hockey crystal ball to see what the Avalanche have to do in the next couple of months in order to reach the postseason for the eleventh time in twelve seasons.
Most Valuable Player (MVP)
Ryan Smyth and Milan Hejduk: Despite the fact that both wingers are without their top table setters in Joe Sakic and Paul Stastny, they have put up relatively impressive offensive numbers (Smyth 16-20-36; Hejduk 15-19-34), provided consistency and leadership by playing in all 47 games and averaging over twenty minutes of ice time, and served as the only scoring punch for a team that ranks near the bottom of the league in goals scored.
Least Valuable Player (LVP)
Darcy Tucker: Signed to a two-year, $4.5 million deal over the summer to provide grit and offense, the 33 year-old winger has played in 36 games and posted a stat line of 5-6-11 with 43 penalty minutes. After averaging 23 goals and close to 90 penalty minutes his last four seasons in Toronto, Tucker is a bust.
Biggest Surprise
Andrew Raycroft: Picked off the scrap heap by General Manager Francois Giguere over the summer, the former Calder Trophy winner has posted a record of 9-4-0 with a 2.77 GAA and a .901 SV%. Although Raycroft lost his last two starts before the All-Star break, he has proven to be more consistent between the pipes than Peter Budaj, and may enter the season’s second half as the number one goalie.
Biggest Disappointment
Joe Sakic: No surprise here. The Avalanche captain and pride of Burnaby, British Columbia, was looking forward to a healthy and productive season after an injury plagued 2007-2008 campaign in which he played in only 44 games. Sakic seemed to be his old self after recording 12 points in the first 15 games of the season. However a herniated disk in his back and hand surgery following a December accident with a snowblower has him on the shelf until the end of March.
Keys to the Second Half
1). Get healthy. The Avalanche have lost 114 man-games to injury this season including injuries to top-six forwards Joe Sakic and Paul Stastny, and veteran minute loggers Adam Foote and Ian Laperriere.
2). More consistency between the pipes. On some nights, Peter Budaj reminds Avalanche fans of Patrick Roy and seemingly wins games by himself. On other nights, he looks like Philippe Sauve. Both Budaj and Andrew Raycroft have to play at a higher-level night in and night out if the Avalanche are to crash the playoff party.
3) Bring there A-game every night. From the coaching staff down to the fourth line, the Avalanche need to step up their game against every opponent. No matter what you read on ESPN.com or hockey blogs, Peter Forsberg is not walking through the Pepsi Center doors. At least not yet. Players such as Jordan Leopold, Darcy Tucker, and Marek Svatos have to play at the level they are capable off, and Coach Granato needs to find line combinations that bring the best out of the players he has to work with.
Outlook
Six teams are separated by six points or less for the Western Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot. Of those six teams (Anaheim, Minnesota, Columbus, Dallas, Colorado, and Los Angeles) no one team appears much stronger than the other or ready to run off with that final spot. If the Avalanche can get healthy, find consistent and stout goaltending, and play at the high competitive level they have shown flashes off this season every game, this writer says they will get in. If not, Denver sports fans will have to look to the Nuggets to get their playoff fix come spring. |
