Colorado Avalanche Go to the Nation’s Capital

The Colorado Avalanche are going into White House town to face the Capitals tonight. Unfortunately, they have lost their last two, and need to be desperate for a win tonight.

The Colorado Avalanche just can’t seem to play consistently. They started their road trip with three straight wins, but they have lost two since. They need to win tonight in order to get their road trip back on track, 5-2 is not a bad a road trip, but 3-4 is certainly not what they’re looking for.

If they want that to end their road trip on a high note, then they need to go into a tough Capitals’ arena and get a win tonight.

Game Notes (Mostly About the Avalanche)

— Matt Duchene continued his point streak on Thursday night with two goals in an otherwise rather disappointing contest for the Colorado Avalanche.

— Tyson Barrie finally broke out of his goalless streak, and we probably don’t have to be worried about him.

— However, Gabe Landeskog was held off the scoresheet in his return from suspension, and you have to wonder if he may be in a scoring drought.

— Nathan MacKinnon was also held off the scoresheet, but we probably don’t have to be worried about that; in fact, he should be on his way to his first all-star game.

— The Washington Capitals have been playing really well this season, and they look to be a serious contender in the Eastern Conference.

More from Avalanche News

— As always, all eyes must be focused on Alexander Ovechkin because he is capable of turning a game around in a matter of moments.

— At the time of writing this, it’s unclear which goalie will play, but Patrick Roy has a possible 3 options tonight, and it’s likely that either Semyon Varlamov or Calvin Pickard will play because Reto Berra could use a break.

— If Varly is ready, it would make sense for Roy to go with him, but Picks could get the call in order to give Varly one more game off.

This is a must win tonight, and the top “one, two ,three” or “nine line” is going to have to show in a big way because the Capitals are getting a lot of goals this season from all levels.

Players to Watch

— Keep an eye on Gabe Landeskog, he is goalless in the last nine games and will look to put one in tonight.

— Can Matt Duchene keep his scoring streak going? We’ll find out tonight

— Mikhail Grigorenko is starting to show up on the scoresheet with more consistency, and we can only hope that continues to happen. The Colorado Avalanche could use another top six forward, especially with Alex Tanguay missing extensive time.

More From Mile High Sticking: Matt Duchene Scores a Manly Goal

— Nicklas Backstrom is always someone to watch, especially when he’s setting up Alex Ovechkin.

— Speaking of The Great Eight, he’ll need constant attention if the Colorado Avalanche hope to win.

Individual players contribute to a team’s chances of winning in a large fashion, but ultimately it’s a team game and the Colorado Avalanche will need to employ that strategy in order to end up with a victory tonight.

How do the Colorado Avalanche Win Tonight?

This is a tough one for the Avs, but they can’t afford to lose in bunches anymore. They held their opposition to fewer shots than them once again on Thursday night when they played the Pittsburgh Penguins. That trend is going to have to continue tonight.

However, their special teams are going to need to be better if they hope to beat a Washington Capitals team that sports the sixth best power-play in the league.

Also, the Avalanche got a power play goal on Thursday night, but they need to operate with more efficiency and consistency inside games.

Next: Is Gabe Landeskog in a Scoring Drought?

If the Colorado Avalanche continue to play as a team then these games will start to go in their favor more often, but this team is still far from a playoff spot. They will need a big turnaround in order to reach the postseason.

Hopefully they’ll show up with a good performance tonight, and get back on the track of putting a good string of wins together.

What do you think Avs fans? Can the Colorado Avalanche win tonight? What will they need to do in order to get a win? Which goalie do you think will start for the Avalanche? Let us know what you think in the comments!