The Latest on Kiviranta, O’Connor, and Solovyov
Report: Avalanche Adding Another Nordiques Jersey Game in Montreal
Miner Sent Back to AHL, Wedgewood Return Imminent?
The Latest on Brindley, O’Connor, and Wedgewood
Avalanche Recall Trent Miner, Take 3 Goalies on Road Trip
Deen’s Daily: Central Division Separation; Epic Collapse; Solid Debut
Deen’s Daily: Avalanche Home Cookin’; Small, Medium, and LARGE Trades; Blackhawks Disaster
Deen’s Daily: 1996 Champs in the House; Avs Home Dominance; Fowler Shines Bright
Deen’s Daily: Road Trip Recap; Panthers Winning Streak; Celebrini Talks Olympics
Deen’s Daily: Late Game-Tying Goals; Wedgewood’s Roller Coaster Day; Hughes Rumors
How Wedgewood, Blackwood Have Helped Avalanche Reach New Heights (+)
In the Room: MacKinnon Exclusive, Vintage Landeskog, and a Highly Focused Group (+)
10 Observations: PP Isn’t Working, Everything Else Is: ‘It’s a Healthy Group’ (+)
Where Will Ross Colton Fit In The Avs Lineup? (+)
How Does Mackenzie Blackwood’s Contract Stack Up Against the Goalie Deals That Followed? (+)
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Before defeating Nashville on Saturday, Scott Wedgewood hadn’t won a game since Nov. 23. But he still enters Sunday tied for the most wins in the league with Jake Oettinger.
Wedgewood made 27 saves to improve to 14-1-4. He’s still in the running to make Team Canada’s Olympics roster, albeit the competition is getting tighter.
We learned on Saturday that Hockey Canada will reveal the roster on New Year’s Eve. That gives Wedgewood just under three weeks to continue to make a case for the team.
It sounds like he’s in the running, along with Jordan Binnington, Logan Thompson, and Darcy Kuemper. You can make an argument that none of those goalies are having a better season than Mackenzie Blackwood, who served as the backup against Nashville.
We’ll have to see how things unfold in the coming weeks. It’s likely going to go right down to the wire.
READ MORE: The Aftermath: Avalanche Continue Historic Home Dominance, Defeat Predators 4-2
1. Something I’ve enjoyed tracking this season is how often Wedgewood holds the opposition to two or fewer goals. He’s given up less than three goals in 14 of his 21 starts. And in the times where he let in 3+, there was a stretch where it happened four games in a row.
He’s just been insanely consistent this year. Head coach Jared Bednar credited him for being the team’s best penalty killer against Nashville.
2. Part of the reason why Wedgewood went nearly three weeks between wins is because of the injury he suffered against Vancouver. In that game, the score was tied 1-1 when he was replaced by Blackwood. The Avs quickly scored two goals before Blackwood faced two high-danger shots.
Wedgewood then missed the next three games, before returning for a 4-3 shootout loss against these very same Preds.
He gave the rest of the league 20 days to catch up, and, aside from Oettinger, nobody else got to 14. (Jeremy Swayman and Thompson both have 13).
3. The Avs were 0-for-4 on the man advantage but still found a way to score twice around Nashville’s penalties. On their first PP chance, the Avs’ PP ended early because Valeri Nichushkin was called for interference. On the ensuing four-on-four, Jack Drury scored to make it 2-0. It came just 13 seconds after the Nichushkin penalty.
Later on, the Avs got Wedgewood off and an extra attacker on the ice during a delay penalty. They moved the puck well, and Victor Olofsson scored on the 6-on-5 attack before the Preds could touch the puck.
4. The Preds had 20 shots on goal with 10:45 remaining in the second period. By the time there was 10:45 remaining in the third, they had only gone up to 23. And they finished with 29.
The Avs really tightened up defensively.
5. Cale Makar was the only defenseman to play more than 20 minutes. And in second place, Brent Burns slightly edged out Devon Toews, playing 19:35.
6. Colorado is 13-0-2 in 15 games at home. That’s the most wins in franchise history through the first 15 home games. And, as I noted after the last game, both losses being in a shootout means that no visiting team has had a player score a game-winning goal at Ball Arena yet.
7. Only defensemen got assists on Colorado’s three goals before the empty netter.
Burns assisted on the Nathan MacKinnon goal. Drury’s tally was assisted by Makar and Samuel Girard. And the assists on the Olofsson goal went to Girard and Sam Malinski.
8. The final result wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, but I was surprised Nashville decided to throw Justus Annunen at Colorado on the road. The Avs are dismantling a lot of teams in Denver, and even some of the league’s better goalies are struggling to stop their attack.
Luckily for Annunen, only three got past him on 40 shots.
9. MacKinnon’s tally at 1:26 was the ninth time the Avs have scored inside the first 90 seconds of a game this season. That’s a franchise record, and they reached the mark in just 32 games.
Think of how many times over the years we’ve heard Bednar reference not liking his team’s start. And then put that into context when looking at just how well Colorado has been from the opening puck drop this year. It’s impressive.
10. I’m convinced that Ryan O’Reilly returning to the Avs before the trade deadline would make this team nearly impossible to beat. But I just don’t know if it’ll happen, given that he’s likely going to be this year’s Brock Nelson as the best centerman on the trade market.
We saw what the Avs had to give up to get Nelson last year. There are teams that need a 2C a whole heck of a lot more than Colorado needs a 3C. So they’d probably outbid the Avs.
But, could you imagine? O’Reilly looks like he doesn’t belong in Nashville. He’s a bright spot this year on a roster that’s struggling in so many different ways. His work ethic is still as high as it was when he played in Colorado a decade ago.
So you can slash a player in the face as long as it’s an upper cut unless it just grazes their helmet and they pretend it was directly to the chin? Landy played the second most minutes to McKinnon. I felt like a couple of his shifts in the first period were a little long, but he stayed on the ice. Brindley was centimeters away from two more goals. We’ve only not won a single game (Islanders 12/14), where we have had a higher face-off win percentage than the opponent this season. Nelson is 50%, Drury 56% (our leader), and… Read more »
As much as I agree that ROR would be an outstanding get: A) I don’t know who would head the other way, but I fear they could ask for both of Brindley and Malinski; and B) Even if Brindley isn’t included, who do you even consider bumping from this current lineup? Like most, I assume that LOC bumps Kivi when he returns, but if no forwards are traded for ROR, who do you sit? Obviously no one in the top six is sitting; Colton has been exceptional this season and is arguably our most versatile forward; Olofsson is an enormous… Read more »
Kivi and some Eagles?
The Preds GM should be fired if he made this trade for ROR
Barry Trotz has been horrendous as their GM so anything is possible lol.
I would imagine Gulyayev would be one of the top prospect pieces going the other way in a trade for him, which would be fine since the Avs have plenty of that type of D. Avs do have some second rounders they could include. Any other first rounders farther down the line. Girard would probably have to be a part of it just to make the money work. Other roster players involved tough to say.
I agree that Gulyayev is expendable but his value is iffy. Unlike Nabakov who signed an ELC and is on loan to his KHL team, Gulyayev has not so you’re just trading his rights. He’s also regressed this year partly due to his strange usage and low TOI. Trading Girard without a plan to somehow get back a D would make the team very thin on NHL caliber defenseman. Not opposed but it’s a bit of a rubic’s cube with so few assets to trade
I love RYNO, but his contract is unprotected. Some other team will be willing to give up more than the Avs for him. If the Avs have a weakness, it is a physical defenseman. I don’t know the answer to that, but thats the area needing attention if anywhere. Cap wise-Ryno has a year left-you’ve got to send Girard or Colton the other way. I don’t know why the Preds would take the Girard contract and we’re another 5 years older if you send Colton.
Isn’t Manson physical?
I thought Oreilly had a bad exit from here or something? Not sure how we could even get him. I feel like girard for a bigger 3rd pair dman is the trade we really need. Kivi gulyayev and 2 for a 3c from somewhere seems like it would need to work but too early to swing for that yet.
Before he was traded to Buffalo he held out for a bigger contract (largely driven by his life coach father) but the Avs have always been reluctant to pay upcoming free agents more than what the current “best player” is making and at the time it was Duchene. Calgary then signed him to an offer sheet that the Avs eventually matched but since he had already played games in Russia the Avs technically could have taken the compensation picks and also potentially reclaimed ROR due to some weird CBA clause & their high waiver wire spot but nobody noticed the… Read more »
I wouldn’t trade Brindley or Malinski for ROR straight up. He is too slow for this pace and would look as out of place as Coyle, who was straight garbage in the post season. Realizing playoff hockey is different than the regular season to an extent, No idea why there is such a fascination to make changes with this roster. They are killing it 5v5 which is most important when the refs swallow their whistles in the post season. If CMac wants to make a move, upgrade the LHD playing with Malinski.
I bet ROR ends up a Star and ends up on a line with Duchene.
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