In the opinion of many Avs fans, the lack of offensive production from Matt Duchene directly correlates to the shortage of wins for the Colorado Avalanche so far this season. Duchene has scored three goals and two assists in 12 games, an underwhelming number that has added Duchene to the list of NHL stars struggling in the early parts of the year.
In Colorado’s most recent game against Calgary, however, Duchene was credited with two goals. This is good news for the Avalanche considering he did not have a two-goal game all of the 2014-15 season.
“My main focus was to put as many pucks on net as I could,” Duchene said Wednesday. “My mentality was shoot, shoot, shoot and eventually one would go in.”
Now that the proverbial monkey is off his back, Duchene is confident that his scoring production will continue to flourish and he will be back to the player he is expected to be.
“I’m an emotional guy, I ride the highs and lows a lot,” Duchene said about opening the scoring floodgates. “To have a goal happen twice in one game gives you more of a jump in your step. I know I’m going to be feeling good [Thursday] night.”
“I’m going to be pressing hard to get another one, and try to keep riding it because if you put two or three games together, then you are really going.”
Playing on a line with Gabriel Landeskog and Carl Soderberg, Duchene hopes to extend his scoring streak to two games in the first leg of a back-to-back for the Avalanche. Colorado will play on the road Thursday at 7 p.m. MST against Arizona. The Avalanche are 6-3-1 in their last ten meetings with the Coyotes. Friday night, the President’s Trophy winning New York Rangers will be in Denver for the second leg of the back-to-back.