Momentum: Avalanche games 10 and 11

By Maeve Hushman, Staff Writer

The Avalanche had another slow week this week, only playing two games. They lost to Columbus again, this time in regulation, 4-2 and beat the Canucks 7-1. 

I was fortunate enough to attend the Canucks and Avalanche game. The Canucks goaltender, Thatcher Demko, is from my home city and his aunt works with my mom, so I went specifically to cheer him on. However, despite the fact I made a sign for him complete with a requested message from his aunt, I was unable to go down to the ice where the Canucks were warming up. I had to stand at the bar, high up and wave the sign around hoping he could see it. The friend I went with (Mandy) was great as she tried to help me get to warm-ups and up to the ice.  However even with this snafu, I did enjoy the game immensely. 

There is a lot of talk about NHL fans and NHL arenas. The Leafs notoriously have a very quiet arena, but quiet is not at all how I would describe Ball Arena. It is loud, fun, welcoming, and high energy.  Ball Arena has a great atmosphere mostly because Avs fans are great. They are passionate about their team and really show up. It gets loud and the sound of the entire arena singing Blink 182’s “All the Small Things” completely acapella will be ringing in my ears for a while. Even if you are sitting in the nosebleeds like I was, the people who go to Avs games always seem excited to be there and that makes even the cheap seats worth the experience. It is a wonderful place to attend your first hockey game (as my friend Mandy did that night) or your 100th. If you can find those $25 nosebleed tickets, maybe give Ball Arena and the Avalanche a try. Just remember to dress warm, cheer loudly, and know the lyrics to “All the Small Things”.  

Now that I’ve said my piece on the spectator experience here are some takeaways from games 10 and 11: 

Things to fix: 

Play a full 60 minutes...I can’t say anything more. This team seems pathologically unable to give a full game effort when the games get tough and believe me I wish I could tell you why. Mikko Ratananen in his post game press conference said, “In the third it felt like we didn’t have our legs on either side of the puck,” and “Sometimes it looks like we’re kind of effortless.” Rantanen is very self-aware and he also isn’t satisfied by that effort which is at least a good sign. The whole team looks frustrated at times but they haven’t been able to convert that anger into a sustained effort. Darcy Kuemper was the only thing keeping the Avalanche in the second game against Columbus. The Blue Jackets outshot the Avalanche every period after the first, and even though the Avs had a 2-1 lead well into the third the Blue Jackets were out-playing them. The team keeps doing this and it is incredibly frustrating to watch. The team doesn’t lack talented or hard working players but they are consistently being outworked by other teams. It is between the ears with the Avalanche and they will have to do a lot of reflection to figure out how they can maintain a sustainable and dominant effort throughout the whole game. You cannot always rely on sheer talent on paper to win games (as this Leafs fan knows all too well). 

The Avalanche are an offensively dominant and creative team who cannot connect on a pass, someone please make it make sense. The amount of turnovers the Avalanches allow and the way that their passes seem to be easily interrupted and picked up has been an underlying problem. For a while, I at least gave the team the benefit of the doubt, it takes time to build up chemistry and the team had so much turnover in the roster with injuries, COVID, suspensions, and new signings. However, we are past the first ten game threshold right now and there should be some semblance of chemistry developing or establishing itself. Even in the dominant performance against the Canucks there were a few dramatic dropped or missed passes that a team better than the Canucks would’ve taken advantage of. The team lost a lot of depth pieces in the off season and it appears that those losses have hit harder than expected. It can no longer be ignored or given the simple “just wait a bit” explanation as we get deeper into the season. An offensively dominant team needs to control possession in order to pose any kind of threat and turning over the puck so easily on missed passes is a big no. 

My advice to remedy this would be to simplify the game a bit. Stay speedy, but sometimes the Avalanche complicate things unnecessarily because they are so offensively creative. Sometimes the most unexpected or complex play isn’t the best play. There is usually a high risk to reward ratio when it comes to complicated plays, and when you are up 2-1 you don’t need the reward enough to put that lead at risk. It’s all about Hockey IQ and decision making. This team has a lot of young pieces which still have a lot to learn and adjustments to make, even though one of the youngest players on the team, Bowen Byram, looks like a veteran player out there at times. There are also just new pieces on the roster in general that need to figure out how they fit and establish trust with their teammates. Hopefully that team bonding will help in general with the amount of turnovers made because of missed connections, but in general if the Avalanche maintain possession of the puck and keep their plays more safe and simple in those moments 

Again with me repeating myself, but unfortunately we still have to talk about the power play. The back pass is a move very well known for making or breaking a power play (at least in my experience) and the Avs seem to be relying on it. However, the person who has the speed to make it work is Nathan MacKinnon and that makes the back pass predictable. The back pass cannot work without speed so when the second unit tries it, sure it is less predictable but it doesn’t have the potential to work as well. I know about the finicky drop pass because the Leafs used to do it all the time in their powerplay when it was broken. When the speed isn’t there or the other team defends against the biggest star the powerplay can’t get set up. So, finding alternatives to those back passes might make the power play more dangerous. The Avalanche did score twice on the power play in the game against the Canucks, but the Canucks penalty kill is the worst in the league, which should be noted. I also refuse to believe that the answer to the power play is removing Nathan MacKinnion because that was the biggest noticeable change, since MacKinnon was out with injury. Although, maybe having MacKinnon out of the lineup made the power play less predictable. 

The game against the Canucks was impressive in general, but I will not be convinced of this team's longevity and ability until I see them win against a team with a strong defensive system. The Canucks are known for their inability to defend, despite a decent blue line showing this year. However, the Avs lost two games in a row to the Columbus Blue Jackets, a team that is known for being defensively strong. The Avalanche play incredibly against teams with weak defensive systems, but teams with good defensive systems stop up the star players and make it impossible for the Avs to look like themselves, see both Blue Jackets games and the game against Vegas. The game against the Canucks was fun and definitely brought some good energy and momentum to the team, but the Canucks have a horrible defense, and even though they have some offensive talent, their top line talent has not been performing at all. They rank 26th in the league for goals per game. Therefore, while a 7-1 victory is nothing to turn your nose up at, it really doesn’t mean much unless the Avalanche use that momentum to defeat teams with legitimate competitive and defensive chops.

Positives:  

I think this will be the third article in a row I tout Darcy Kuemper. Even Head Coach Jared Bednar praised the goalie’s performance. As I watched the Columbus game, when the third period came around I thought, “Dang the Avs are going to win this not because they deserve to but because Darcy Kuemper is standing on his head.” Kuemper single handedly kept them in the game. He has been covering for the team's defensive lapses. His performance in that Columbus game is the one Avalanche player other than Burakovsky who had a great game. While the Canucks game didn’t test him much, he still did an excellent job in that game. 

Andre Burakovsky is back and better than ever. His effort gave the Avalanche the lead in the Columbus game. It was a great individual effort from Burakovsky in his return. It was the best he had looked all season. It is a very good omen for the future since Burakovsky is playing in the top six. Hopefully having him back as a scoring threat will lead to more chances for that top six as it becomes more difficult to defend all of them. That could be seen in the Canucks game in which seven games were scored by seven different players. It was a great sign for the Avs existing reputation as an offensive powerhouse. The amount of players scoring in the Canucks game also speaks greatly to how deep the team is offensively even without star player Nathan MacKinnon. 

The Avalanche had an almost completely healthy D-core in the line-up in the game against the Canucks. Bowen Byram left the game in the second but before then the Avs full D-core was assembled, and it looked great. They were absolutely dominant in the game against the Canucks. However, it must be noted that the Canucks are below the NHL average for goals for and their offense wasn’t giving much of a fight at all. It is trying to parse out two influences, were the Avalanche playing really well or are the Canucks really bad? I think the Avalanche looked like the best team on the ice by a long shot. That is a positive sign. Taking a huge win out, even if it was against a bad team, is a huge moral booster. That game against the Canucks could be what it takes to kick start the Avs back into their normal dominant performance. 

Conclusion: 

 Avs fans are great, and they deserve a team which plays well and scores on the power play. They deserve a team who can win games 2-1 and 7-1. Hopefully, despite the fact that star center Nathan MacKinnon will be out of the line up for a couple weeks, the win over Vancouver and the lessons learned in the loss against Columbus will be what it takes to get this team to perform. If they can utilize all of the positive energy and emotion coming off that Vancouver game, they can go on a tear and assume their rightful place at the top of the Central division. If they use that momentum, they will show up and win for all those Avs fans who make going to games so worthwhile.

Striking Twice: Avalanche Take 2 out of 3 Games

By: Maeve Hushman, Staff Writer

After coming off a rough three game stretch, the Avalanche played their last game of their east coast road trip against Tampa Bay before returning to the Ball center to play the Golden Knights, and then going on the road for an early rematch against St. Louis. They beat defending champs the Lightning in the shootout 4-3, lost to Vegas Golden Knights 3-1, and then beat the Blues 4-3 in their best game of the season. 

Things to fix:

Not to sound like a broken record, but net front defense in the Tampa game: all three of the goals were scored either on the doorstep or with the assistance of a screen. It can definitely be difficult to stop fluky opportunities like the Joseph goal or Stamkos rebound but you have to try as those goals can be the difference between a win or a loss. Tampa pushed the game to overtime after Brayden Point scored, a by-product of Corey Perry screen. Perry is known for being a player who lives at the net front, he puts in dirty rebounds, screens the goalie, and also works to disturb the goal to the best of his ability. No one tried to move him out of the way or disrupt his screen. It is nitpicky, I know, but it is something to watch. If the weak spot in their game becomes that they can’t protect the net front, then other teams will learn to exploit it and defeat the Avalanche in must win games. 

They started slow again in the Vegas game. Vegas scored both their goals in the first, defended well, and then scored an empty net goal in the third to seal their victory. Cale Makar managed one goal at 4-4, but other than that Lehner shut it down as well as some excellent defense played by Vegas. Honestly, the Vegas defense really seemed to have the Avalanche’s number the whole time. I wrote in my earlier article on the preseason game between the Avalanche and Knights that the Knights do a great job of controlling the space. They do; they don’t allow a lot of open ice when they can’t control it. It seems that when teams play solid defense and take away space the Avalanche can’t figure out how to score. The answer is scrappy, dirty, ugly, net front rebounds and tip-ins. Winning net front battles is essential. Vegas also is one of the best teams at controlling zone entries and exits. Colorado really had a hard time stopping Vegas from getting zone time, and the Golden Knights were really good at making sure that Colorado couldn't sustain offensive zone pressure. There were no odd man rushes on behalf of Colorado. When Colorado started forechecking they had better chances, but they only started that effort in the second. Playing a team like Vegas means that the Avs are going to have to fight for open ice and for sustained zone time. So, the forecheck has to be intense from moment one. They also need to get as many shots on net as possible to increase the likelihood of a rebound chance or just a goal in general. 

The power play still needs work, while they were able to convert in Tampa and Saint Louis, they allowed a short-handed goal in the Vegas game and in their first two power plays in that game only got one shot on goal. How can you get this star studded power play going? (I’m a Leafs fan, so completely clueless how to get a stacked power play to convert). My easy answer would be to get more sustained zone time and avoid turnovers. However those are obvious answers even though they aren’t always being exhibited in the current power play. An interesting statistic I heard in Andrew Berkshire’s Game Over Montreal podcast was that power plays without a designated “net front” guy tend to convert at 44% higher rate. Removing the designated “net front” player gives the other players on the power play more flexibility and more options to pass to. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have players close to the crease, but that they should feel free to move if the play requires it. Personally, I think the role of a net front guy is important and serves a critical role as both a method for deflections and as a screen. However, that statistic has challenged my thought process. With how abysmal the power play has looked in some games, it might be worth it to try something new and different. 

. 

Positives: 

Darcy Kuemper looked amazing in the game against Tampa, I was so excited when Sakic made the move to acquire Kuemper. I’ve long been a big proponent of his abilities especially after watching him pull the Coyotes into the first round in the bubble of 2020. He was even able to steal one game in the series against the Avalanche. His goal tending has been hard to assess in the first five games (really, what goalie is easy to assess after that small of a sample size) but he was great in game one, a little rough in game 2, game 3 the Avalanche played so badly you really couldn’t blame Kuemper for most of those goals. He played well again in the Tampa game. It is a good sign when it comes to the Avalanche’s goaltending situation. The Avalanche took a risk by not resigning their proven goaltender this off season and bringing in Kuemper. It looks like that decision might pay off as it gave them the ability to re-sign Landeskog and Makar. Kuemper only allowed two goals in the Game against Vegas, and given some of the chances it is a miracle that the Vegas game wasn’t more of a blow out. 

In the game against the Bolts, the Avalanche were able to convert on the power play. MacKinnon scored on the power play which has been struggling as of late. The power play has a success rate of 10% percent which is insufficient. However, in the Blues game I noticed a real improvement especially in the second unit. Ranta scored on the first power play of the game but it was waived off due to an offsides review. Then JT Compher scored on the power play with the first unit, which had been successful in the Tampa game as well. The power play looked dangerous in that game against the Blues. It looked like a power play that will make any team regret taking a penalty against the Avs. It was such a large step in the right direction. Their power play was at 20%  in the Blues game, which is respectable. I worry how it will hold up against teams like Vegas who do a good job of gap-control and zone-clearing but only time will tell. Regardless, this is such a positive omen after how much the power play has been struggling in the games prior. 

The Blues game also was one the Avalanche’s best efforts. They kept their foot on the gas and played a full 60 of hockey. The Avalanche did what they should always do. They pushed the pace and made Saint Louis have to fight to catch them. Utilizing their speed allowed the Avs to draw penalties and maintain possession of the puck. By coming out strong, the Avalanche made the Blues play their game which put them at an advantage. Sure, technically the Blues scored first, but the Avalanche were absolutely dominating. It was such an impressive effort, especially after the Vegas game. They got pucks on net, they limited shots for the Blues to only 18 to their 42, and they kept Saint Louis back. They look like the Avalanche promised on paper and by the oddsmakers. If they continue to play like they did in the Blues game while cracking down on their little mistakes, it will be hard to find an opponent that can beat them. 

Conclusion: 

While the Vegas game was brutal, both the wins against the Lightning and the Blues were such positive signs. If the Avalanche continue to play the way they did against Saint Louis, then I have no doubt that their losing woes will be long forgotten. 

Investigation Reveals Blackhawks Covered Up Sexual Assault

By: Maeve Hushman, Staff Writer

*Content warning: this article discusses sexual assault and homophobic harassment*

In May 2021, former Chicago Blackhawks player, Kyle Beach, filed a lawsuit against the Blackhawks organization over the alleged mishandling of his sexual assault at the hands of Brad Aldrich, a former Blackhawks video coach. The lawsuit claims that the Blackhawks knew about Aldrich’s predatory behavior but failed to investigate, report, or take punitive action. The Blackhawks hired law firm Jenner and Block to open an independent investigation into those allegations. The report that resulted from the investigation was made public on October 26th. The investigation and subsequent report confirmed the allegations made by Beach. Aldrich sexually assaulted Beach (Beach recently identified himself, but is known as John Doe in the report) and when the team leadership was made aware, they chose to forgo any punitive actions, allowing Aldrich to resign and move on from the Blackhawks without a fuss.

The investigation was independent and included the interviews of 139 individuals including staff and players. The Jenner and Block investigation report is 107 pages long, which I read in its entirety and it is horrifying. It is very graphic and the occurrences it reveals are disgusting. It includes more allegations against Aldrich (specifically from another Black Ace player known as Black Ace 1) and more accounts of employees reporting Aldrich’s behavior to higher ups to no avail. I encourage everyone who cares even the slightest bit about hockey to watch the interview of Beach with Rick Westhead of TSN and at least try to read the report (trigger warning for graphic descriptions of sexual assault). If you can’t read the report then take the time to watch the initial Blackhawks press conference where the findings are revealed. 

The report states that, “Later on May 23, within an hour after the Blackhawks won the playoff game that secured their place in the Stanley Cup Finals, five members of senior management (then-President John McDonough, MacIsaac, General Manager Stan Bowman, then-Executive Vice President Jay Blunk, and then-Assistant General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff), along with then-Head Coach Joel Quenneville, and Gary, met to discuss what had been learned about Aldrich and John Doe.” All of these power brokers on the Blackhawks were informed of the situation, but no action was taken because the team had just made the finals: “Bowman recalled that during the meeting, McDonough and Quenneville made comments about the challenge of getting to the Stanley Cup Finals and a desire to focus on the team and the playoffs.” The priority of the Blackhawks wasn’t the safety of their players, justice, or accountability, but winning. They violated their own corporate sexual assault policy, the report states, which dictates that reports of sexual harassment/ assault should be investigated “promptly and thoroughly”. McDonough and the members of the Blackhawks front office/coaching staff failed to initiate an investigation or even contact Human resources until June 14. 

During that time, Aldrich, while at a Stanley cup celebration party, sexually assaulted a 22-year-old NHL intern. Eventually Aldrich was confronted and instead of facing an investigation he resigned, keeping his Stanley Cup ring, Stanley Cup day, and cup bonus, as well as allowing him to get a new job outside the Blackhawks. The Blackhawks never reported the assault to police and never investigated his actions. Aldrich went on to coach both at Miami University in Ohio and Houghton High School in Michigan. While coaching at Houghton High School, he sexually assaulted a student. In 2013, he was finally arrested and pleaded guilty to fourth degree criminal sexual conduct involving a minor. That student has also filed a lawsuit alleging that the Blackhawks provided a letter of recommendation to Aldrich which allowed him to get both jobs at Miami University and Houghton High School all while knowing that Aldrich had a pattern of predatory and illegal behavior. 

After the assault, Kyle Beach became the victim of homophobic slurs and bullying by other players on the Chicago Blackhawks.  Beach told TSN reporter Rick Westhead that, “everyone in the locker room knew about it.” That indicates that members of that 2010 Blackhawks team were fully aware of the assault but did not report it. This also serves as an indictment of former leadership paragon, longtime Hawks captain, Jonathan Toews. How can anyone claim that Toews is a good leader when he actively allowed the homophobic harassment of a victim of sexual assault? The statements both Patrick Kane (another 2010 Hawk) and Toews gave were horrible to say the least. They took no accountability and directly called complicit parties “good people”. For all hockey claims to be about the team, Toews certainly didn’t care about Beach, a very young teammate, nor did the rest of the room. Toews is a bad leader and captain; he does not deserve the C on his sweater and should be stripped of his captaincy immediately. Toews, Ducan Keith and Kane (current players that were part of that 2010 team) have to answer for not only their lies but for how they allowed the abuse to occur in their own locker room. The same goes for members of that 2010 team who continue to work in hockey in some capacity. The executives and players knew, both should be held accountable for their inaction and complicity. 

Stan Bowman and every member of the 2010 Chicago Blackhawks management still with the team have stepped down or been fired.  Bowman also stepped down from his role as GM of the US Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey team. The Blackhawks were fined $2 million by the NHL for "the organization's inadequate internal procedures and insufficient and untimely response in the handling of matters related to former video coach Brad Aldrich's employment with the Club and ultimate departure in 2010," (it should be noted that the Devils received a $3 million fine for salary cap circumvention in 2014). However, Joel Quenneville and Kevin Cheveldayoff are both still employed outside of the Blackhawks. Quenneville coaches the currently undefeated (as of 10/28) Florida Panthers and Cheveldayoff remains the General Manager of the Winnipeg Jets. Both men claimed not to know about the assault until this summer when the media reported about it. But the Jenner and Block report confirmed that Quenneville and Cheveldayoff were both very aware of Aldrich’s assault on Beach in 2010.So both men lied, they knew about the allegations and failed to take action. 

The Jenner and Block report is even more damning of Quenneville. It alleges that concerns put forth by Quenneville about disrupting team chemistry ahead of the cup final contributed to the Blackhawks lack of action on Aldrich. The report states that, “Bowman recalled that, after learning of the incident, Quenneville shook his head and said that it was hard for the team to get to where they were, and they could not deal with this issue now.” In the meeting, then Team President McDonough recalled that Quenneville seemed “agitated”. So, not only did Quenneville lie about knowing about the assault of Beach but he might have actively encouraged the team to forgo punitive action. Aldrich was a member of Quenneville’s coaching staff, meaning he directly reported to Quenneville. Quenneville also wrote a positive performance review of Aldrich allegedly on June 29th 2010 (I use the word allegedly since he never signed the performance review). Quenneville in that review, written after Aldrich resigned and the assault was made known to Quenneville, writes of Aldrich, “Aldrich did a great job for the Coaching staff in preparing us for all of our meetings and coordinating several tasks that we forward his way. Brad has several people relying on him at the same moment and has a way of deflecting and accommodating everyone at once… Congrats on winning the Stanley Cup!”  He failed to mention Aldrich’s sexual assault of Beach or even hint at his other inappropriate behaviors toward players/employees all of which were known to Quenneville and the organization at the time.  

Gary Bettman, the NHL commissioner, says he plans to meet with Quenneville and Cheveldayoff to determine their punishments soon. These actions should cost both Quenneville and Cheveldayoff their jobs. Everyone involved in this situation should never be allowed to work in the NHL or hockey ever again. The game should have no place for coaches and management who care about wins over people. Giving justice to a victim of sexual assault was less important to them than the cup. That mindset should have no place in the NHL or in the sport of hockey all together. In a culture that has already proven to care more about winning than people, will Quenneville, who is currently coaching an undefeated team, actually be fired and face consequences for his actions? That remains to be seen. I will say this, if  Quenneville and Cheveldayoff are actually decent people and are truly remorseful for their actions, they will step down regardless. If both men stay working in their current positions, or even continue to work in hockey at all, it will be an indictment of the NHL, hockey culture, and their character. 

Earlier I wrote about the Blackhawks playing against the Avalanche in the Avalanche’s home opener. I failed to mention these allegations in that article. At the time it seemed like a very big bomb to drop in the middle of a somewhat less serious piece focused around the Avalanche’s play. I recognize that I was wrong not to bring it up. The Blackhawks organization and those in positions of power during Beach’s assault should have this haunt them. Toews, Quenneville, Cheveldayoff, Bowman, and more should have to answer for this and until they do, every time the Blackhawks or any of those men are discussed, this report should be too. 

Kyle Beach was incredibly brave coming forward to share his story and to make these events known. His courage as well as the tireless work of journalists Katie Strang and Rick Westhead who have been covering this story from the beginning should be admired. Beach plays in Germany now, and says that now that the world knows he is telling the truth he can begin the healing process. He has been met with tremendous support, as he should be. We must always realize that hockey, while amazing, is only a sport and that a person’s life is worth more than a silver cup. Above all, believe and support survivors. 

Let’s Do That Hockey: Avalanche kick off season with decisive win over Chicago

By: Maeve Hushman, Staff Writer

The NHL is finally back! And with it the Colorado Avalanche. Once again the Stanley Cup favorites, the Avalanche, took on divisional opponent the Chicago Blackhawks for their season opener. There were some notable absences for the Avalanche in this game: the coach Jared Bednar and star center Nathan MacKinnon both tested positive for COVID and were put on the COVID protocol list causing them to miss this game. So to set the mood for the season, for the first time since 2020, the season opener had fans in attendance and we are all prepared for the return of the 82 game schedule.  After writing a critical article on and attending the preeminent preseason game of the Avalanche, I was excited to sit down and take a look at how the team set the tone for the season. The season opener is a great way to impress and establish your identity right out of the gate. 

The Avalanche played a dominant game starting with an absolutely amazing first period. Jack Johnson, Gabriel Landeskog, and Bowen Byram all scored. Jack Johnson had an absolute beauty of a breakaway goal which really showed why the Avs decided to sign him despite skepticism from some (including me). Landeskog had a good deflection, a product of a good front of the net presence. Bowen Byram scored his first ever NHL goal. The Avalanche looked so dominant in the first, it looked almost merciless at some points; they outshot the Hawks 18-8 in that period. The score at the end of the first was already 3-1. The Avalanche would widen the lead in the second. Despite some decent chances by the Hawks in the second and third, they never really looked threatening. The Hawks struggled to solve Darcy Kuemper and the Avalanche’s defense, as well as gain sustained offensive zone time. The final score was 4-2 and the final shot count was 36-34 in favor of the Avalanche. 

The Avalanche won decisively and watching them play this game with their final roster really eased some of the concerns I had coming out of the preseason game. For one, their defense with the almost complete core of Girard, Makar, Erik Johnson “EJ”, and Byram, looked so much better. There was disruption of the other team’s opportunities and passes, as well as effective zone clearing keeping the Hawks mostly in the defensive zone and not allowing them to get sizable offensive pressure. Seeing that D core almost all together (Devon Toews is still out with injury) was really soothing and reassuring. The Avalanche’s top pairings are solid and will not only be defensively responsible but will also generate offense. Jack Johnson even looked good tonight. I was a bit harsh on him in the past, however I think he did a good job; he really proved why the Avalanche signed him to his one year deal. Despite his good showing though, his position on the penalty kill still baffles me when there are definitely no shortage of better options. 

The Avalanche remedied any of their passing issues from the preseason as well. Their passes were sharp, crisp, and connected, instead of that preseason showing where passes were dropped or didn’t connect. They were able to maintain puck possession and look absolutely lethal while doing it. 

The goal tending was also great. Darcy Kuemper was there to stop any kind of defensive mistake from becoming a goal. It was what they sorely needed in their preseason game against the Knights, but they got it here when it actually mattered. Kuemper made all the Blackhawk’s high danger chances look non-threatening and he did it all while the crowd at Ball arena cheered him on. His stops, especially on both Dach breakaways were great for maintaining momentum in the Avalanche’s favor as well as keeping the Avalanche ahead on the scoreboard. I was excited to see Kuemper brought in by Sakic this off season and I have a lot of faith in his abilities as a goalie. Even despite spending the early part of the game untested, he was still able to turn it on when pressure would be on him. Of the two goals scored on Kuemper, one was on the powerplay, when Kuemper’s line of vision was impaired due to Dach screening him and the other was a perfect shot from a wide-open player. He did a great job keeping the Avalanche secure in their lead. If Kuemper continues to play this way, losing Grubauer will become inconsequential. 

The physicality also looked great for the Avalanche. The Avalanche in the past have been injury prone and are not known as a “gritty” team. In my opinion, the only flaw in the Avalanche’s near perfect roster was reliable grit for the playoffs. They lost two years in a row to two teams that have a lot of tough (borderline dirty) players who will hit you hard and keep you down game after game. But tonight the Avalanche were throwing hits and “playing the body”. Those hits slowed down some of the Blackhawks best offensive players which prevented those players from getting opportunities. It was a positive sign of building playoff habits in the regular season. 

The Avs also had better looks at the net front. In the preseason game against Vegas, the Avs’s net front presence was very clearly lacking. It didn’t seem that way in this game. Landeskog in the lineup certainly helped as he is known to be the Avs net front player. Having him back gave the Avalanche someone in front of the net to deflect the puck in and they seemed to be going more to the net than they were in the past game. I speculated then, that avoiding the net could’ve been a way to mitigate risk since it was only the preseason, but now that the games count the Avs are doing what you need to do to score: go to the net. 

Now, to find things to work on for the Avalanche would be nitpicky at this point but I am going to try my best to point out the few weaker areas of the game. 

 One was how they handled the net front in their own zone. There were far too many times that players there to screen the goalie went uninterrupted. The penalty kill or whoever is on the ice should be doing their best to remove the other team net front so that their players can’t block the goalie’s vision. On the first Chicago goal, Dach wasn’t being challenged in the way that he should’ve been, and his presence allowed Kubalik to score. You have to push those players out of the way so your goalie can see and also so that there aren't any rebound or deflection options. 

There were also a lot of breakaways. Obviously turnovers are going to happen frequently in every game, but there seemed to be an inordinate amount in this game. Dach had two. It isn’t a huge concern right now but if it continues to be a pattern it will be. The tendency to make risky plays that lead to bad turnovers will have to be examined. 

The biggest story coming out of the night though, was Gabriel Landeskog’s hit on Kirby Dach late in the third. Dach had possession of the puck and ended up down on one knee, headed toward the boards. Landeskog hit him while he was still on his knees and will be suspended for two games for his hit on Kirby Dach. 

The Avalanche came out on the night of October 13th ready to play and ready to absolutely dominate. They cemented that they are the cup favorites this year and the absolute class of the central division. Kuemper proved any skeptics wrong; the whole team, even without MacKinnon, looked like world destroyers. They set the tone that central is their division to lose and that they don’t want to stop at the division, this is their year to win the cup. This is just the first game of the season but it was a good showing for the Avalanche and it is going to be so exciting to see how they grow throughout the season.