Avalanche First Half in Review

Through the first 50 games of the 2007-2008 season, the Colorado Avalanche have faced as much turmoil and adversity as they ever have in their time in Denver. After an exciting and eventful off-season that saw the major free agent acquisitions of Ryan Smyth and Scott Hannan, hopes were high for Avalanche faithful. Throw in the performance of the Avs in their last 19 games of the 06-07 season (15-2-2), and the Avs looked as though they would be primed again to take their spot at the top of the tough Northwest division. Then the season started. A season that has been marred by inconsistency, injuries, and inquiry, and yet the Avalanche are within three points of first place in the division, and have a finger hold on the 8th spot in the West.

As expected, the Avs started off the year strong offensively, but defensive breakdowns and inconsistent play in goal were common place. If you look at the success of the Avs at the end of last year, a lot can be attributed to the solid team defense and the play of Peter Budaj. Budaj struggled early and in Joel Quinneville fashion, with a healthy Jose Theodore, the Avs went to a rotating goalie system, with each goalie playing no more than a few games at a time. Each goalie has played well at times, and each goalie has definitely had off nights. But in defense to each of them, there have been an innumerable amount of goals scored on the Avs by guys left wide open in front. Whether it be both defensemen chasing the puck down low, or the centers not helping out in the slot, both Budaj and Theodore have been left out on an island at times. At the same time, bad rebounds and soft goals continue to drive fans crazy. Heading into the all-star break, Theodore has started 10 consecutive games, for the most part has played well, and even has some wondering if he’s returning to the form that he once showed as league MVP.

The defensive corps of the Avalanche has been an enigma through the first half of the season. Everyone knows what this group is capable of, we all saw it in last year’s push that left them just shy of the playoffs, perhaps that’s why the inconsistency is so frustrating. Scott Hannan has played well, but hasn’t been the force many expected him to be. Jordan Leopold has shown flashes of great ability at times and has earned time on the power play, but again has bothered by injuries, and most recently a touch of the flu. Karlis Skrastins continues to play significant minutes, but just doesn’t seem to be the same guy from the past couple years. Kurt Sauer who stepped up huge for the Avs at the end of last season and played well to start the year has been sidelined for 26 games due to post-concussion symptoms. As of this past week, he was still experiencing dizziness, and his return seems to be a ways off. Kyle Cumiskey and Johnny Boychik have been called up at times this year, and Cumiskey in particular has flashed amazing skating ability which he has used to rush the puck and make up ground when getting caught in the defensive zone. The two most consistent defensemen throughout the year have been Brett Clark and Jeff Finger. Each has played well in their own zone, both are tough competitors, and both can contribute offensively. For two guys that have had to battle just to get the opportunity to play in the NHL, the Avs have got to be pleased with the play they get from these two guys night in and night out. Perhaps the biggest disappointment this year has been John-Michael Liles. He’s never been the biggest or strongest guy in his own end, but his offensive contributions made a lot of people forget about his shortcomings. Unfortunately Liles has struggled this year finding the back of the net. While he has played very well the last couple weeks, he remains snakebitten, and with him being a UFA at the end of this year, there are many out there wondering if the Avs will deal him to strengthen the team in other areas

The Avs have had to deal with injuries in the past, but this year, it’s starting to get ridiculous. Joe Sakic has been out for 26 games with a groin injury that turned out to be a hernia. Ryan Smyth has missed 14 games most due to a broken ankle. Both of these guys will be out until late February-early March. Then a week before he was to make his first All-Star appearance, Paul Stastny underwent an appendectomy and will be out another 1-2 weeks. Stastny has been the best player for the Avs this year with contributions not only in the offensive zone (49P in 46GP), but strong play in his own end and on the PK as well. With arguably their 3 most talented offensive players on the shelf, the Avs have had to find a new identity as a team and have looked to their secondary players to step up and provide primary scoring. Marek Svatos leads the team in goals at the break with 20, but somehow only has four assists. He has shown that he is fully over the injuries that have cut his previous seasons short, and still continues to score big goals at key times (5 GWG). Milan Hejduk, continues to be his streaky self, and his play as of late, has shown how important it is for him to have a playmaker such as Sakic or Stastny play alongside him. Wojtek Wolski continues to show that he can be a star in this league, but needs to be more consistent. Andrew Brunette struggled after Sakic went out, but reemerged on a line with Stastny and Hejduk, and has started to do the things that made him successful last year. Perhaps the best group of players in the wake of the injury bug are the grinders and energy players. For about a two week stretch after Sakic went out, the line of Cody McCormick, Ben Guite, and Ian Laperriere was the best every night for the Avs. Cody McLeod has been up from Lake Erie for 17 games and has played a solid role for the Avs. For a team that has been struggling to find an identity all season, this team has turned into a hard working, grinding team, and especially of late, has not been shy about dropping the gloves.

The Avs special teams can be described easily. The penalty kill has been decent (15th in the league, out of 30). The power play has been awful. And for as much grief and blame we place on the defense and goalies for close losses, the lack of power play goals has absolutely killed this team. At the break, the Avs are 29th in the league in overall power play percentage at 13.2%, and are dead last with a 9.9% effectiveness on the road.

Heading into the last 32 games of the season, the playoffs are a possibility but far from a certainty, and this team is full of question marks. Theodore has been playing well as of late, but can he continue and carry this team to a playoff spot? Will Quinneville even give him this opportunity? How much longer will Smyth and Sakic be out, and how much will they be able to contribute when they return? With 30 days left till the trade deadline, will the Avs make any big moves (Liles)? The Avs have a tough two week stretch coming up, and that could very well determine what they do before the deadline. Will the Avs figure out what the hell is wrong with their power play? Can the Avs scratch and claw for a playoff berth, or will they be on the outside looking in for the second year in a row? And finally, the Avs have to get fully healthy at some time don’t they?