The Colorado Avalanche’s season has got off to a sputtering start. At times, we’ve seen signs of a good team, a playoff team. Mostly, though, the Avs continue to look like they’re just not ready for the big moment.
It’s easy to say that the Avs are close, that they’re talented, but until they prove they’re ready to compete on a consistent, night-to-night basis, envisioning a scenario where Colorado is competing well into the playoffs just doesn’t seem likely.
So with that said, here are three things Colorado absolutely has to improve on if they are going to remain in the playoff conversation:
3. Goaltending
There’s no doubt that the Avs are constantly putting their goaltender, whoever it may be, behind the eight ball each night, but the Avs have also shown that when they’ve had a goalie playing at an elite level, it doesn’t matter.
Whether it was Craig Anderson in 2010 or Semyon Varlamov in 2014, Colorado has proven they can be successful despite a sub-par support. Now, the Avs can’t expect their goaltender to play at the level Varly played at two years ago, but at the same time, they can’t have a goalie giving up over five goals a game, either.
Reto Berra has played great through his first two starts, and we’ll see if Patrick Roy makes a more permanent switch in the coming weeks, but the bottom line is that the Avs are going to need outstanding play from between the pipes if they plan on making it back to the playoffs.
