Last week, I wrote about how the upcoming road trip was an ideal opportunity for the Colorado Avalanche to get mentally reset. Finishing the important test with a 4-1 record indicates that on the ice, the club understood the assignment.
The Avalanche are now 17-13 overall. Colorado still finds themselves looking up at three division rivals in the standings, and more in the West as a whole. However, the team will now attempt a major push with an entirely overhauled goalie tandem.
After parting ways with backup Justus Annunen on November 30th, to acquire fellow net-minder Scott Wedgewood, one might assume movement in that area would cool down for a while. But the front office also knew that the time for change had come in regards to their starting goalie as well.
Scott Wedgewood's heroics in helping Colorado storm back to beat Buffalo to start the road trip were perhaps the final proof Chris MacFarland and Joe Sakic needed to pull the trigger on trades. Alexandar Georgiev did perform admirably in his final start on Saturday night for the Avalanche in Detroit. The 2-1 victory was hard fought, yet it underscored how the non-stop rollercoaster Georgiev's season in net had become.
Wedgewood meanwhile, went on to stonewall the New Jersey Devils the very next night. The Avalanche routed New Jersey 4-0 for their first shutout recorded all season. It was clear, some vibes on the team were shifting in a positive direction.
The trade announcement that came on Monday was still a bit of a shock to me. Even if, in my heart, I knew the possibility of a such a move was very high. I've written before about how any trade makes me sad. In many ways, it perfectly encapsulates what it is to be fan, because it is a bet wrapped in equal parts regret and hope.
Sadly, it did not work out for Alexandar Georgiev, who was dragging around an albatross of a GAA of 3.38, and an unsightly SV% of .874. Those numbers are not sustainable for a team with real Stanley Cup aspirations.
Making the deal well in advance of the trade deadline (March, 7th) is a sign from Colorado's front office. They were not about to leave such a glaring issue unaddressed.
The response on the ice on Tuesday was everything I wanted to see. Beating Pittsburgh 6-2 and closing the crucial road trip out right was a great result. But digging down deeper into the performance, examining how the Avs played I was even more encouraged about their season.
The back-to-back wins over the weekend might say more to plenty of observers. Avalanche fans love to beat the Red Wings, and besting the Devils on zero rest is hugely impressive. But rocking a third game in four nights is maybe even more difficult on the body.
Colorado remembers well how hard it can be to finish road stints. The finale of their previous trip ended in an 8-2 stinker. But on Tuesday the team played with a bit of rekindled fire. Their best players were energized to make a point.
Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen filled up the stat sheet to the tune of matching 5 point totals. Mikko Rantanen secured his astonishing third hat trick in 30 games. Valeri Nichushkin also scored a vintage Chu Chu Train goal to start the third off right.
In net, we saw Scott Wedgewood do a few things that eluded Alexandar Georgiev far too often. First, he started strong as the team jumped out to a lead. And second, after a lot of penalties and some turbulence in the middle frame, he settled in and shut the door. The Avalanche cruised to a comfortable win.
I was immediately reminded of last season, after the Avalanche made their big deal to land Casey Mittelstadt. It was just a day or so before the official deadline, but Avalanche fans knew it was a major transaction. In that scenario the Avalanche also responded in a big way.
In last year's example it was a 7-2 beatdown of Detroit that demonstrated how big shakeups can motivate a hockey club. In that game the lineup was shorthanded, but again Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen matched each other, that time with 4 point nights. There was a Colorado hat trick on the books then too, with Cale Makar scoring the first of his career.
That March win in Detroit was the second win in what became a season-best 8 game win-streak. Whether or not this current team can pile up wins like that has yet to be seen. But the proverbial gauntlet, or big bulky goalie pad has been thrown by management.
Scott Wedgewood has already impressed me a lot. Mackenzie Blackwood will get his chance to follow suit as soon as tonight at Ball against Utah. I confess to not knowing a ton about Blackwood, but the fact that he has the team excited is good enough for me.
The Colorado Avalanche once more sent the message that they are a win now organization. The benefit of moving boldly could pay major dividends. Ordinarily the rule of thumb with trades, especially goaltenders, is that you want to see 20 games out of a new guy.
With 52 games left on the schedule, the team has more than enough space to get this new tandem settled in and ready to go for their first postseason in burgundy and blue.