The Avs ... Halfway Through

With last night’s disappointing game against the Coyotes, the Avalanche have reached the mid-way point of their season.  Through the first 41 games the Avs find themselves with a 21-15-5 record good for 47 points and 6^th in the Western conference (subject to change of course as not all teams have played 41 games at this point).  This half way point is a perfect chance for me to go back to my pre-season note in Facebook in which I predicted how this team would do so here it is … my good, bad, and meh from the first half of the season based on what I expected from this team.

THE GOOD:

• The Power play and offense as a whole:  This team has scored the third most goals in the league this season and the power play is in the top ten percentage wise.  Scoring has come from everywhere in the lineup and the team boasts a number of players with near a point per game.  Despite early season woes with shorthanded goals against the PP has really come along especially since Shattenkirk joined Liles on the blueline.
• Paul Stastny: This guy is just good.  He’s on a career pace for goals scored and is near a point per game pace.  When Stewart returns it should help him get back up to that pace as he’ll get a true scorer back on his line.  Defensively he is still as solid as ever.
• Chris Stewart:  This guy is a beast.  Does everything well and with intensity.  Premiere power forward who flies on the ice, hits, is physical, and scores and assists.  The team is much better with him than without and it is apparent the team misses him as he recovers from a broken hand obtained in a fight.
• Milan Hejduk/Matt Duchene/Tomas Fleischmann: Despite missing some time with injury, Hejduk is playing great this year.  He also is at a point per game pace and looks like he has a few years left in him despite rumors he may be considering retirement.  Duchene started a bit slow but has been picking up his play of late.  He scores, makes plays, flies around the ice, and is improving defensively.  He’s looking more and more like the Sakic of the Avalanche future.  Flash, brought in with the trade of Hannan, has looked great on this line too.  At times he can be invisible nearly pushing him to the ‘meh’ section but then he always has those two or three plays per game where you’re left impressed with his speed, his hands, his moves … and given that since coming to the Avalanche he has been at almost a point per game with most of those points coming at big moments of games he’ll prove to be a big pickup if he can continue his play.
• Winnik: I didn’t expect much more than another 4^th liner from this guy … but boy was I underestimating him.  He’s already scored as much as I expected him to through the year and plays a high energy game and is always pushing the play on both ends.  He has been an incredible pickup for our third line at very little cost.
• Liles: Now this is the Liles that we all know he can be.  Although his scoring has slowed of late he has 30 points already at the halfway point of the season.  He is always skating and pushing the play up the ice, he’s creating in the offensive end, and he’s been pretty good in his own end.  Best Avs defender this year by far.
• Sacco: Given the injuries he has done an incredible job with this team.  He gets these guys going and playing nearly every night.  He pushes the tempo and has been all you can ask of a coach though he needs to figure out the PK and soon.  I also love the fact that when someone comes up he gives them a chance to play, not just pushing them to the cleanup minutes, and it has paid off with guys such as Shattenkirk and Mauldin this year.
• Call-ups: Speaking of the callus, overall they have been very good.  There were some that didn’t bring much and were sent back down shortly after, but a great deal of good has come from most.  Shattenkirk has come up and shown that he is the real deal and deserves to stay.  Mauldin is a wrecking ball and is fast and is always all over the ice when his line is on.

MEH:

• David Jones: Good news for Jones is that he has been healthy this year.  He’s also been scoring as one would expect having a pace to score more than 20 goals this season.
• O’Reilly/Galliardi: O’Reilly hasn’t been bad this year, but he hasn’t improved greatly either.  Still he’s on a 30 point pace for a defensive 3^rd line role.  Much like Galliardi though I’d just like to see a bit more out of them offensively while continuing to pick up the play in their own end.
• Foote/O’Byrne/Wilson: Serviceable defensemen, nothing great, nothing horrible from any of them.  They haven’t really stood out a great deal.  Foote is still a mean SOB though, and O’Byrne as long as he’s paired with a guy who can move the puck like Liles is a good guy in his own end (but he isn’t great with the puck).
• Anderson/Budaj: Budaj has played well at times, not so great at times.  He did well during Anderson’s injury but sits in the “meh” section because he hasn’t done it consistently in the backup role.  Anderson has been average, and certainly not playing up to his capabilities.  He needs to pick up his game and in a hurry.  He’s much better than he has played.  He sits in the “meh” instead of the bad because not all of this is the goalies’ faults as the defense in front of them hasn’t been great either.  Turnovers and allowed odd-man rushes haven’t helped matters.
• The Front Office: While injuries piled up the guys up top decided to do what they could to help out.  This is good that they didn’t sit back and tried to keep the team competitive.  They made three moves.  The first giving up Bournival for O’Bryne hasn’t been bad.  Down the line it might not be great but giving up a prospect for a solid defenseman who has helped this team with good but not great play makes the team better this year.  We’ll call that one a slight plus with potential for going downward in years ahead. The second moving prospect Cohen for Hunwick we’ll give negative marks for.  Hunwick has speed but hasn’t been good with the puck control, not great in his own end, and not finishing.  Cohen could have filled that spot now and down the road and perhaps been better.  The last, Hannan for Flash, wasn’t popular at the time not because of the return but because it appeared to make our defense much weaker.  While our defense hasn’t improved it hasn’t gotten considerably worse either and the return with what Flash has brought and his chemistry with Duchene makes this a big plus.  Thus, one good, one bad, and one that is ok averages out the moves they have made.

THE BAD:

• Penalty Kill: The Avs have killed something like 9 of their last 10 penalties; however that doesn’t take away from just how bad they have been this year.  Currently 26^th in that category they give up a goal every four penalties and that has cost them games, most recently against Detroit where the Avalanche lost 4-3 in overtime and all four Detroit goals were scored on the powerplay (on six chances).
• Mueller and injuries: Once again the Avalanche are one of the most injured teams in the league and in key areas.  Mueller has been out the entire season and may not play this year.  The Avs have also lost much of their top 6 wingers, defensemen, their starting goalie … but yet have maintained the ability to score goals and win games to stay in the playoff race.
• McLeod/Yip: Really not noticeable most nights.  Not bringing the energy and results that everyone would like to see.  This goes even with McLeod despite his fights and penalty minutes.
• Hunwick: Not a good trade giving up a promising prospect in Cohen for this guy.  He brings speed … but hasn’t been able to finish, is small and not physical at all, turns over the puck in bad places at bad times, and hasn’t been great defensively either.  Good news is that there are a number of prospects in the system still that appear to have a bright future with the team.
• Quincey: Wow has this guy been bad since starting his downhill slide a few months into last season.  At first he was making the fans forget losing Smyth to LA in the trade but since then he has been bad and his contract this last offseason is horrible with his play so far this year.  One assist in over 20 games, turnovers too often, and now injured and unsure of when he is returning, he might not have a spot on this team anymore but they’re stuck with him unless they move him to the minors.  No one is going to want him at that price playing that poorly.

Half way through the season and for the most part where I expected the team as a whole to be though there are a few individuals doing better or worse than I’d expect.  Can’t wait for the second half to get going starting with a game tomorrow against the Islanders … then on to the playoffs!