Preview: Devils @ Avalanche
The New Jersey Devils (28-29-10) are one of the last 2 Eastern Conference teams to visit Denver as we wind down the rest of the season. Your Colorado Avalanche (30-26-11) come into this game hoping to bounce back from a loss to the Kings on Tuesday. It seems like the bad luck demon strikes the Avs when things start to finally go their way. Semyon Varlamov goes down against Minnesota with yet another groin injury and is listed day-to-day. Calvin Pickard gets called up and gets the start over Reto Berra, but then gets pulled after letting in 3 goals. The Kings definitely showed us why they’ve won 2 cups in the last 3 years by playing championship level hockey. The boys weren’t happy with their effort, and felt like they left Picks out to dry. Let’s hope they can adjust things for tonight’s contest against the Devils.
Avalanche:
Every one of these games is treated as a playoff game for the Avalanche. It’ll obviously take their best effort (along with a lot of luck) to make the playoffs at this point, but they are at least giving it their best effort. Los Angeles always finds that extra gear this time of year, so let’s just forget what we saw on Tuesday. Don’t forget that Jarome Iginla is still on fire. On nights that Iggy scores, the Avs are 14-3-1. I love stats like that, because I remember reading so many hate comments when the Avalanche signed him last summer. Our very own Tyson Barrie has finally been receiving the recognition he deserves. Barrie has tallied up an amazing 44 points as a defenseman this season. Gabe Landeskog was able to extend his point streak with an assist against LA on Tuesday as well. I should note that it is a possibility we will see Varly back in net against the Devils. Patrick Roy announced to the press on Wednesday that the groin injury wasn’t as serious as his last one that kept him out for 15 games. He will take his morning skate, and they will decide if he will play depending on how he feels. With a struggling team like New Jersey, the Avs should be able to walk away with 2 points by the end of the night.
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Devils:
The Devils are not a major threat coming out of the east, and possess a 8-13-3 record against Western Conference teams. Sounds like Cory Schneider will get the start in net, and he is almost always tough to score on. It seems as if New Jersey really relies on Schneider to win games. Like Colorado, they appear to struggle putting goals on the scoreboard, but manage to win games with stellar goaltending. Their leading goal scorer is Mike Cammalleri with 24 tallies. It’s almost hard to believe this team was competing in the Stanley Cup Finals a few years ago. They have talent, but can’t seem to produce anything from it. Sound familiar Avs fans?
The Final Buzzer:
The biggest issue I continue to see with the Avs this season is their inability to exit their own zone successfully. They manage to do it at times, but a majority of their attempts are sloppy or lazy. I always find myself closing my eyes when they have possession in the neutral zone too. Hoping they can move the puck into the zone without coughing it up. With all the injuries we have witnessed lately, it’s nice to see what some of these new guys can do. I like what Jordan Caron brings to Iginla and Duchene’s line. He works hard along the boards and is a strong net presence. Despite that game against LA, this Avalanche team has found a fresh spark in it’s game. But is it a little too late? Only 15 games left Avs fans.
UPDATE: Varly is good to go and will get the start between the pipes. Berra will be on the bench as backup.