After having a tough slump away last week, the Avs have gone back to their usual selves, winning 3-games in a row. This was a massive response to a tough road trip last week in the east, where it seemed nothing went their way. However, they were able to recoup at home and capture a win to get back on track. Once again, it was a phenomenal week for the Avs in the win column, but was a bittersweet week as the trade deadline scramble has been accelerated. The front office made some serious moves this week before the trade deadline Monday. General manager Joe Sakic recently went out to acquire defenseman Josh Manson from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Avs prospect Drew Helleson and a 2023 2nd round pick. The Ducks are also retaining 50% of Manson’s salary in hopes for the Avs to save cap space for future assets. This was a great trade to add to the already scary blueline, which could potentially be one of the best in the NHL. However, the front office wasn’t done. A one for one trade had been put in place as Tyson Jost was traded to the Minnesota Wild for Nico Sturm. Both teams benefit from this trade because the Wild are getting a younger player with potential, while the Avs get a bigger body in the lineup who has put up similar numbers as Jost. Another financial decision by Sakic, shaves off 1.275 million in cap space, leaving them with around 2.786 million to save for the deadline on monday. Claude Giroux has been the ultimate focus for the club, nonetheless he was recently just traded to the Florida Panthers. It’s been reported that the Avs gave them the better offer, but Claude Giroux was only willing to waive his NMC for the Panthers. A tough break, yet rumors have suggested that they’re shifting their attention to another player, Andrew Copp from the Winnipeg Jets. Andrew Copp has been a proven above average depth player which will only add positively to the team. During the year 2021-22, he recorded 13 goals and 19 assists in 55 games played. He would also be great to add to the penalty kill, as they’re ranked 18th in the NHL on the PK with a percentage of 78.4%. Certainly not a bad potential acquisition.
Despite this stressful week, the Avs still took care of business. To start the week, Colorado was back at Ball arena against the Calgary Flames, who currently have superiority over the Pacific division, sitting at 1st place. It was a revenge matchup because Calgary got the best of them last time these 2 clashed. Nathan MacKinnon got the scoring started on the power-play in the 1st period for the 1-0 lead. For the majority of the game, the score remained stagnant until the 3rd period, when Nathan MacKinnon grabbed his 2nd of the contest. Mikko Rantanen iced it with an empty net goal for the 3-0 win. Darcy Kuemper had an astounding performance stopping all 46 shots against, to extinguish the Flames.
Another road-trip was in store to Los Angeles to face Kings. Each goal for the Avs came in each period of the game. A wonderful performance on the power-play propelled their way to the win, going 2/2. Val Nichushkin in the 1st period broke the ice to take the 1-0 lead on the man advantage. J.T Compher in the 2nd extended the deficit for the Kings, once again on the special teams to make it 2 unanswered. Los Angeles had no response the entire contest and before they knew it, Mikko Rantanen scored to make it 3-0. Darcy Kuemper once again played extravagantly, recording his 2nd straight shut-out. He stopped 23 out of 23 shots on the night. Josh Manson also made his Avalanche debut already making an immediate impact with 10 hits.
Up north the club went to take on the San Jose Sharks in the Shark Tank. Pavel Francouz got the start in net. Nico Sturm made his first debut as a member of the Avs that night. Once again, Colorado went 100% on the power-play for 2 games in a row. Nazem Kadri got the man advantage going to snatch the first tally of the meeting in the 1st period. From there, it was a major output of goals from the Avalanche. Darren Helm, Cale Makar, and Val Nichushkin all poured it on to hold a commanding 4-0 edge over the Sharks. An advantage like that wasn’t entirely out of reach for San Jose as they responded to make it a 4-3 hockey game late in the final frame of regulation. However, Val Nichushkin clinched the 5-3 win with an empty net tally. Overall it was a solid contest, but the Avalanche hoped to not let it get so close near the end.
Some great news ahead for Colorado as they are heading back home to Ball Arena for a 3-game homestand which will feature the Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, and Philadelphia Flyers. It’s been a long time coming for a streak of games at home, which will surely get the squad pumped and potentially back on another streak. The Avs are back to being the best team in the league with 93 points. While this is fantastic, the front office isn’t satisfied and wants to continue to improve, so they’re looking to make some noise before the Monday trade deadline, which should be nothing short of exciting for the entire NHL.
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