Last night's choke job by the Avs has brought them an opportunity to learn.

Last night, with the division on the line, the Avs came out fast and hard and knocked the Canucks down to the mat. Then, they them up.

They backed off, stopped forechecking and stopped using their speed. The result? A 6-4 loss and with it, the Northwest division probably slipped away. That is all done but now, do the Avs learn?

Lost in their remarkable season is the fact that this team IS so young. Their average age is just over 26 years old (22 years old before the Yelle trade) and that's with Stephane Yelle (35) and Adam Foote (38) on the team.

The Avs have a high ceiling, if they even have one at all. How soon they reach their potential is not measured in wins, losses, goals or points- it is measured in how the team responds to a huge let down like last night.

Some teams, like last year's team, let it get to them and had a hard time coming back the next game. Other teams like last night's Canucks, get up off the mat, don't give up and get themselves back into the game, the playoff race, what have you.

That Avs will have to learn that before long. Now, some of this factor might be that the Avs defense is not the strongest. Scott Hannan is starting to slow down after the minutes he's logged. Adam Foote is nowhere near as quick as he once was and Ryan Wilson and Kyle Quincey both are experiencing major growing pains. The other three defenseman are either offensive or a case for a healthy scratch, sometimes both.

It's going to take two years for the Avs to fully develop their defensive corps to be a real Stanley Cup contender. Until then, the forwards have got to help out the defense and keep sustained attacks away from them.

This setback is a huge opportunity for the young kids, if they take it. Starting tomorrow, we'll see if they've actually learned something from this.

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