The Colorado Avalanche downward spiral continued as the club dropped two of their three games in the second week of February. The Avs lost the first two games of the week to the Winnipeg Jets and the New York Rangers before breaking a four-game losing skid with a convincing 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars.
Jarome Iginla, Alex Tanguay, and Matt Duchene accounted for half of the goals the Avalanche produced and accumulated 13 points in the week. The trio played the first two games on the same line and clearly stood out as the Avs’ three stars of the week:
First Star Jarome Iginla, Right Wing
The addition of Iginla’s veteran presence to the Avalanche roster continues to pay huge dividends for the young team. The 37-year-old picked up at least one point in each of the three games – leading the club in goals (two; tied), assists (three; tied), points (five), and plus-minus (plus-4) on the week. He also registered a team-leading 13 shots on goal while skating over 19 minutes per contest. His third period against Dallas gave the Avalanche a commanding three-goal lead and secured the Avs’ only victory of the week. The notoriously slow starter has caught fire after scoring just two goals in his first 20 games in an Avalanche sweater. “Each game now is that much more important and means so much more trying to get to 93, 94 or 95 points, whatever it is,” Iginla told Rick Sadowski of hockeybuzz.com. “They’re fun games to play. I find the more on the line, the more fun they are to play.” Iginla’s 18 goals lead all Avs while his 38 points are tied with fellow veteran Tanguay for the team.
Second Star Alex Tanguay
Just like Iginla, Tanguay is defying father time and performing at a high rate well into his 30’s. The veteran tied for the team lead with two goals, added two assists, and registered a plus-3 rating on the week. He scored the team’s only game-winning goal of the week by burying a Dennis Everberg rebound in the second period against the Stars. On the season, Tanguay’s 15 goals have come on just 68 shots. His shooting percentage (22.1 percent) leads the entire NHL while his 38 points are tied for the Avalanche lead. With 26 games still remaining, it appears the veteran will score at least 50 points for the first time since the 2010-11 season.
Third Star Matt Duchene
Duchene registered one assist in every game and added a goal against the Jets for four points and a plus-4 rating on the week. The 24-year-old’s goal came in the third period against Winnipeg when Iginla entered the zone and sent a saucer pass that Duchene redirected past Ondrej Pavelec. Duchene returned the favor with an assist on Iginla’s goal against the Stars. Currently riding a three-game point streak, Duchene is third on the Avalanche with 35 points on the season.
Nathan is a staff writer for Mile High Sports. He can be reached on Twitter at @TheRealNatron.
