Avs Return To The Ice

Captain Gabriel Landeskog scans the ice pre-game.

Photo courtesy of thehawksnest5.blogspot.com

Captain Gabriel Landeskog scans the ice pre-game.

As the Olympic break draws to a close, the Colorado Avalanche look to finish off the season strong. The Avs had four players on four different Olympic teams: Matt Duchene played for gold medal winning Canada, Gabriel Landeskog for silver medal winning Sweden, Paul Stastny for the USA, and Goalie Semyon Varlamov for Russia. All of them are expected to be huge contributors the rest of this season.

   This young Avalanche team has the potential to take home the Cup this year. The team has great leadership in the form of captain Gabe Landeskog, and points leader Matt Duchene.  The one problem the Av’s are currently facing is defense; specifically allowing shots on goal. The Avs defense has allowed over 1800 shots on goal so far this season. That’s an average of thirty-one shots per game. Even with Vezina trophy candidate Semyon Varlamov in goal, they are allowing 2.6 goals per game. If the team is able to limit the shots on net, they can really make a run for the Cup.

The thing that is keeping the Avalanche on track is their young high-powered offense. The Avs currently rank sixth in the league with 2.9 goals per game, thanks in part to fifty total points from Matt Duchene. Eighteen-year-old Nathan MacKinnon is also playing a huge part in their offense contributing a team-high twenty-two goals this season.

In the power packed Western Conference, the Avs are currently ranked fifth. That being said, they only trail San Jose by one point, and are only five total points behind both St. Louis and Chicago. The Avs definitely have the ability to surpass all these teams, and I personally believe that they will. The Avs are back on the ice March 4th against the Chicago Blackhawks.