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The Colorado Avalanche “hosted’ the Los Angeles Kings at the World Arena in Colorado Springs on October 2. Unfortunately they fell to the Kings in the shootout — but it took to the sixth shooter to get to that result.
LA Kings forward Tyler Toffoli started the scoring in the first period off of a feed from center Jeff Carter. Avalanche third-line forward Max Talbot scored late in the first period to tie things up. Kings forward Jordan Neal eventually scored from the slot in the shootout for the game winner.
Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog also scored for the Avalanche.
#1: Berra Worries are Over
Backup goalie Reto Berra was a big question coming into the season. He has yet to play a regular-season game, of course, but Berra has been one of the strongest players for the Avalanche in the pre-season. He made some key saves against the Kings, especially in the third period.
Color analyst Peter McNabb said of him:
"“[Berra] is not a question mark by any stretch. He’s the solid #2 guy for the Avs. He’s been the best player on either club in the preseason.”"
Radio personality Marc Moser added that the shots that have beaten him have been perfect — the type that pretty much no goalie can save against.
Berra’s a big goalie who makes himself bigger to stop the puck. At 6-foot-4, he’s got an incredibly long reach and crazy-long legs. In fact, it’s the length of his limbs that sometimes makes him seem to move slowly. He’s not — his movements are quick. It just takes a long time for the length to finish moving!
#2: The Avalanche Were Hungry
The Avalanche got a bit of a slow start, but once they got going, they fired a barrage first at Jonathan Quick then backup goalie Martin Jones. That’s good news for the Avs Nation. Colorado Avalanche hockey is about speed. It’s about high-octane offense.
Which brings us to our next takeaway…
#3: The Goals Will Come
Puck Prose
Is it really any surprise that coach Patrick Roy knows what he’s talking about? He stated in a post-practice interview exactly that — “Scoring goals will come.”
This is an Avalanche habit. Sometimes individual Avalanche players go through scoring slumps — ahem, Matt Duchene — but as long as the play their offense-minded game, the goals eventually come. The Avalanche shooters are just too skilled and talented to have their hard work remain unrewarded for long.
#4: Roy Likes to Mix Things Up
When coach Roy doesn’t like what he’s seeing on ice, he’s not afraid to start fiddling with the lines. He started that way last season — though he did eventually question himself. But he likes to keep trying mixes until he finds a formula that works.
Cornerstone defenseman Erik Johnson said of him:
"“I think he’s one of the best in-game tactical coaches – actually, that I’ve had, it’s not even close. He’s the best that I’ve had, and he’s one of the better in the league. The way he makes in-game adjustments is really, really lucky for us. He’s fantastic at making little switches, whether defensively or offensively.”"
And that’s what he does during games — he watches the action, and he makes the in-game, tactical changes that could potentially affect the game.
The Colorado Avalanche didn’t score their coveted win in this game against the Kings. But they are showing a lot of positive aspects of their game. Scoring goals will come, as coach Roy says, and so then will the Xs in the win column for the Avalanche.