They have trouble scoring. They don’t have the confidence of the experts. And they’ve only won one game through five preseason contests so far.
Still, there’s no reason to panic just yet if you’re a Colorado Avalanche fan.
Consider the circumstances of the Avs’ 2-0 shutout loss to the Calgary Flames this past Tuesday.
The Flames’ top-5 point-getters from last season all played, including last year’s starting goalie Jonas Hiller.
Meanwhile, Avalanche head coach Patrick Roy elected to evaluate players on the bubble and rest the vets. Among the conspicuous scratches were captain Gabriel Landeskog, Jarome Iginla, Matt Duchene, Alex Tanguay and Tyson Barrie. Oh, and the battle-tested goaltender Semyon Varlamov was absent as well.
The Flames showcased their opening day roster against the Avs practice squad – and it was still a competitive, two-goal game.
In the Avs’ most recent loss to the Ducks, John Mitchell did not see any action, and Roy tapped him as one of his four centers to start the season. Francois Beauchemin and Erik Johnson were also among the inactive, though the duo has the potential to be formidable.
“He’s been playing some good hockey,” Roy said of Beauchemin, who was acquired over the summer. “What I like about him is he communicates a lot on the ice. I think that’s going to help EJ (Erik Johnson) to become an even better defenseman.”
Not to be too apologetic, there still hasn’t been a ton of production on the offensive end, plain and simple. The Avs have found the net only once in their last four preseason games. But that’s not to say that the burgundy and blue aren’t producing shots.
Aside from a lopsided loss to the Los Angeles Kings, the Avalanche have outshot their opponents 126-118 in four preseason games. As Josh Pennock notes, it was a troubling trend for last year’s team, and one can only hope that the Avs continue to pepper the pipes like they have as of late.
Here’s a recap of the Avs’ most recent preseason game against the Ducks:
Calvin Jouard is a Mile High Sports intern and a student at Denver University