Colorado Avalanche: Memorable Moments from 2017

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DENVER, CO – DECEMBER 31: Members of the Colorado Avalanche salute the crowd after a win against the New York Islanders at the Pepsi Center on December 31, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. The Avalanche defeated the Islanders 6-1. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Avs Beat Caps, November 16

by Ross Kleppe

My favorite Avalanche moment was the 6-2 win over Washington on November 16. In a year with so few bright spots, this to me was a big one for a few reasons.

To start, it was the first game the Avalanche played where Matt Duchene was not involved. He had been traded prior to this game, but he was traded to the Ottawa Senators and the next two games the Avalanche played were against the Senators in Sweden. The trade rumors had been swirling for so long, it must have been a huge weight lifted off the shoulders of everyone in that organization. They could all move on, focus on nothing but results on the ice.

Secondly, it was a huge 6-2 win at home against the two-time defending President’s Trophy winning Washington Capitals. Wins were so scarce during last year’s season, especially against quality opposition. This game in my mind proved this new Avalanche team could compete with anybody. Of course some teams may have a better roster, but beating the Capitals showed me I can realistically hope for the Avalanche to beat anybody.

Just to top it all off, Gabriel Landeskog got his first hatty! For some reason, I especially love watching Gabe score goals. It’s not as if he’s some fourth line plug who can’t score, but he works so hard on that great line with MacKinnon and Rantanen. I was critical of Gabe in a previous post for “disappearing” in some games prior to this season, but Landy has been great all season and it’s particularly nice to see him get rewarded!

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