The Fourth Interval: Dennis Bernstein on if the Colorado Avalanche can get again to elite standing. Is goaltending holding them again?
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Ryan Paton: “DB, let’s dive proper into it. The Colorado Avalanche got here in with a number of expectations. The season has not gone the best way that they wished it thus far up to now. Nevertheless, (Nathan) MacKinnon is taking part in effectively. Cale Maker is taking part in effectively. Additionally when Mikko Rantanen, when he’ll present the assistance coming again for Colorado, do they now get again to that elite contender standing that all of us suppose they need to be?”
Bernstein: “No, not likely (Paton). Nicely, to begin with, they need to be in full well being. Keep in mind, (Valeri) Nichushkin continues to be suspended. It seems like he’ll come again across the fifteenth, that’s tremendous. They’re lacking Miles Wooden. They’re lacking Ross Colton, had a extremely good begin.
However I am going to the goaltending. Pates. They’re final within the league in objectives towards. And usually you’d say, ‘Okay, it’s not only a goalie.’ You by no means lay on when a crew is that poor defensively, it’s acquired to be construction, it’s acquired to be the dedication to taking part in protection. It’s acquired to be a number of issues that align.
Nicely, I’ll inform you, Pates, that’s most likely not the case, and right here’s why,. The Colorado Avalanche are second within the league in shot suppression. Solely the Carolina Hurricanes have given up lower than the Colorado Avalanche with respect to photographs per sport.
It’s the goaltending, and whether or not it’s John Gibson when he will get wholesome, or possibly, you realize, Marc-Andre Fleury or somebody like that. Like they should repair the goaltending.
And so they’re an elite crew when all people’s wholesome offensively. Like they’re not an elite crew defensively.
And I feel a few of it, I’ll take your reference it, is in a pair seasons in the past once they received the Stanley Cup, didn’t have a Vezina winner within the, in between the pipes. They’d Darcy Kuemper made the saves he wanted to make, and he was ok to win a title, proper?
In order that’s not the case proper now. So I feel they’ve to repair that. Actually they actually need to play with the massive boys within the West this 12 months.”
Paton: “And it’s a special season, a special crew for positive. They acquired to repair their, their means in objective.”