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Colorado Avalanche: Can They Stop Patrick Kane’s Streak?

By Ross Sellers

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The Colorado Avalanche are playing the defending Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks tonight.

One of the reasons they win THE CUP so consistently is because of their No. 1 center, Jonathan Toews. But, without a guy like Patrick Kane — who is currently on a 26-game point streak — it is unlikely that they would have won 3 in 6 years.

But, tonight that ends like a good streak at Vegas always does. I want to root for the guy because he is in the midst of something historic, but I don’t like how many Blackhawks’ fans show up to Pepsi Center games.

I’m also bitter about the fact that every time they win THE CUP, I have a friend that celebrates it right next to me. Colorado is a really cool state I guess…

Anyway, the Colorado Avalanche are riding a two-game win streak into the United Center tonight, and they’ll be trying to keep Chelsea’s Dagger silent. With a hot Semyon Varlamov in net — who by the way pitched a 54 save shutout in the United Center last season — the chances are good.

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I imagine Semyon Varlamov will be in net against the Hawks, because he is 10-3-0 against them in his career, and he also has a 1.93 GAA and .946 save percentage in those 13 games. He also went 3-0 against them last season, and the Avalanche lost the two games he didn’t play against the Hawks.

Game Notes

— Puck drop is at 6:30 PM Mountain time, and this is the last game of a 3-game Central Division swing. The Avalanche won the last two over the weekend, and if they win this one they can potentially sneak within 4 points of a playoff spot, depending on the result of Nashville’s game.

— Chicago has been riding Patrick Kane’s point streak successfully, going 6-2-2 in the last 10, and 15-7-4 in that span overall.

— The Colorado Avalanche are starting to pick things up, they have gone 6-4 in the last 10, and after starting 4-9-1 in their first 14, they have  gone 10-6-0 since, which is respectable.

This will be a fun one to watch because their is a lot on the line. Patrick Kane obviously wants to continue his point streak, but the Avalanche will be looking to stop history in the making, and climb back into playoff contention.

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A win against the Blackhawks tonight will be hard earned, but Semyon Varlamov loves playing against them, especially in their own building.

Hopefully the Colorado Avalanche can take down the number of shots against, and also throw a few more on net themselves because the St. Louis outing is not something to be replicated in Chicago. As always, there will be some players beneath the scope in this one.

Players to Watch

— Obviously Patrick Kane is the main attraction across the world probably tonight, as he is every night until his streak ends. He is a spectacular player, and will certainly be fun to watch.

— I’m going to group players together here. With Gabe Landeskog back in the lineup, the “Nine Line” — which also includes forwards Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon — looked much more productive. Not only that, but Mikhail Grigorenko had a great night on the 4th line with a buttered roll of an assist on the first goal.

— Semyon Varlamov will be in net barring some unforeseen development, so he’ll certainly be underneath the microscope tonight because he’s the back-bone of this Colorado Avalanche team when he is in form, as he looks to be recently.

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— Speaking of back-bones, Corey Crawford was named the first star of the week by NHL.com last week going 3-0-0 record with a .33 GAA, .989 save percentage, and 2 shutouts. Yikes… this might be a contest of the goalies tonight.

Well, that’s the main stories as far as players are concerned for tonight’s contest. As usual, keep an eye on the defense for Colorado as they’ve been jumping up in the play more recently.

Nate Guenin bewilders most fans by astonishing with his miraculous appearances in the lineup, yet his lackluster play — to be kind — is certainly not surprising anymore, so he should probably just take a seat.

Keys to a Colorado Avalanche Victory

Well, this one is going to be tough, but the Blackhawks are not invincible and Patrick Kane is good, but he’s no Wayne Gretzky, nobody is, ever…

The Chicago Blackhawks employ a stifling neutral zone trap with the use of very active defensemen, and pin-point accurate passing. This team is well coached by one of the greatest to bark orders from behind the bench, and behind a legendary mustache as well.

Meanwhile, Patrick Roy is just starting to find his footing in the NHL, but he’s done well up to this point, and if he can continue this recent trend that the Colorado Avalanche are on, then we may very well find the last wild card spot.

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Get your jerseys ready for the beer spill and the spittle from screaming because this game needs intensity, even if you’re relegated to the couch. If not, go find a nice bar filled with good jerseys and let it all go, tonight is not a night for inhibitions folks.

The home stand starts after this, so let’s help the boys bring this in with a 3-0 record on the trip, and an 11-9 overall record on the road. Intensity can always be measured, no matter how close you are to the action.

What do you think Avs fans? Will Patrick Kane continue his point streak tonight? What can the Avalanche do to stop him? Or does it all come down to Semyon Varlamov? Finally, what do the Colorado Avalanche need to do to come away with a win tonight? Let us know in the comments!

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