Another 10 games have come and gone for the Colorado Avalanche since the last piece in this series. It’s been a, safe to say, interesting last 10 games.
It started amidst the season-long six-game road trip out to the East Coast, which did not go well for the Avs. The entire record has been okay for the Avalanche at best, going 5-4-1 in the last 10 games. Most of those losses came on the road, where their record still struggles.
Part of their struggles have come from the absence of Valeri Nichushkin, who has been in the NHL Players Assistance Program dating back to January 15. But, he is on track to return in the coming days when the Avalanche returns home next week.
This is also the first good stretch of games with Zach Parise in the lineup after joining the team right before the NHL All-Star Break. He now has 12 games under his belt, with arguably his last game against the Chicago Blackhawks being his best one with two goals on the third line.
But, where the Avs have faltered is in defense and goaltending in this stretch. It was a major issue on their recent road trip but has since bounced back. Particularly, the question around the backup goaltender might’ve been answered with Justus Annunen recording his first career shutout in the last game, and Ivan Prosvetov dominating the AHL with the Colorado Eagles.
The recent stretch has done damage for the Avs, however. They have fallen from the top of the Central Division, and are now tied for second with the Winnipeg Jets at 79 points. Both sit two points behind the Central Division-leading Dallas Stars at 81 points. They have their work cut out for them in the final 21 games of the season to try and win the division.
The trade deadline is a week away as of the publishing of this piece, and we will see what moves the Avs make to improve their team heading into the home stretch. Will they find a center, or perhaps do they think they do need to find a backup netminder? Time will tell, but the next edition of this series is bound to be perhaps the most interesting one.