NCIS Investigates Recent Colorado Avalanche Hockey

Eleanor Bishop

The Colorado Avalanche had difficulty getting started against the Carolina Hurricanes. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

Eleanor sits on the floor with an array of arena-style snacks in front of her. She picks up a handful of popcorn, shoves several kernels in her mouth, and munches thoughtfully.

“Nathan MacKinnon,” she finally pronounces. “On an assist from John Mitchell.” She further munches and adds, “And Gabriel Landeskog. I was eating this popcorn when MacKinnon scored his first period goal against the Chicago Blackhawks. It was less than a minute into the game.”

Ah, yes, that was one of those times that the Colorado Avalanche came out ready to play. They also drew first blood against the Ottawa Senators. In both cases they maintained their lead, something they failed to do during early games of the season.

Bishop selects a hot dog. She takes a bite, and then wrinkles her nose. “Not very fresh.” Is she talking about the hot dog or the Avalanche’s start against the Carolina Hurricanes. “Both,” she answers. Taking one for the team, she takes another nibble and then sets the hot dog aside. “They looked like an AHL team trying to play against an NHL team.”

Ouch. However, that description is apt. As head coach Patrick Roy points out, while it’s true the Avs had played the night before in Washington, that’s not the main reason they allowed 20 shots against them:

"“I don’t like to attribute that to the fact that we played the night before. We just lost our battles. We had so many turnovers and giveaways. We were not sharp at all.”"

It’s true that the Avs have had difficulty playing 60 minutes no matter their previous-game status. Why, we wonder.