The Colorado Avalanche are in the stretch run for the playoffs. They sit at 80 points, one point behind the Minnesota Wild for the last Wildcard spot in the West. The Avalanche will be without their top two scorers, Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon, for the next two games due to knee injuries.
Matt Duchene leads the Avalanche with 56 points. He plays a key role on the power play. Not only will he set up his teammates, but he is dangerous because of his speed and ability to score goals. MacKinnon is the youngest Avalanche player at 20 years old. He has 21 goals and 31 assists this season. MacKinnon is Colorado’s fastest skater. His speed makes it difficult for the opposing teams to check him as well as knock him off the puck. These are two big losses for Colorado.
Colorado will need to have other players step up while they are out of the lineup. Gabriel Landeskog, the captain, must take a larger role on the power play and the penalty kill. The Avalanche will also need their defensemen Tyson Barrie and Erik Johnson to assist them. Varlamov has to make saves and not allow rebounds. When he allows rebounds the Avalanche have to get the puck out of the zone. The whole team can’t allow odd man rushes or break-a-ways. If they do that could equal goals on the board.
Colorado is a talented team and can replace Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon, but it will take the whole team to do so. These next games are enormous. They first take on Philadelphia tonight. This team has 83 points and sits in the second Wildcard spot in the East. On Saturday they face the Minnesota Wild in a gigantic game. They must play well without Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon but it won’t be easy.
How will the Avalanche fair in the next two games?
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