Finally, the Colorado Avalanche had a strong special team's day and it made all the difference in their victory over the New York Rangers 3-1.

The Avs were 2-for-2 on the powerplay and killed all five of the Rangers' powerplays, giving them enough to beat New York on a sub-par night.

The Avs came out very strong in this game and outshot the Rangers 14-5, skating hard, creating chances and even drew a penalty which led to Chris Stewart's first of two powerplay goals.

Then, Rangers coach John Tortorella called a timeout after which the avs got on their heels, took penalties and let the Rangers dictate the play. However, due to strong goaltending, strong penalty killing and scored two powerplay goals.

That's what a difference a good special teams play will make. The avs didn't play very good tonight. They were lagging behind the play, weren't backchecking and weren't using their speed the way they know how to. However, because they were a perfect 100% on special teams, they found a way to win the game, despite playing their B game.

some of the credit for the powerplay goes to the point presence of Jonas Holos (pronounced Ho-Las). Holos was calm with the puck, dishing it around the ice and showed good chemistry with John-Michael Liles, who with a first period assist, continued his scoring in each game. With Holos at the opposite point, the Avs had a calm, collected powerplay that got the job done.

Overall, Holos had a strong game, playing solid positionally and kept his head on a swivel. If Cumiskey, who hasn't been playing well of late, continues to struggle, he might find himself riding the pine in place of Holos.

Other than Cumiskey, the Avs will need more out of Matt Duchene. duchene isn't playing terrible but he can be better. He's lagging behind the play, not using his speed the way he needs to and not creating enough offense. If he can step up, the Avs become a dynamic offensive team.

However, as a last note, Daniel Winnik is winning himself some fans. He is an asset on the penalty kill and beyond. Winnik brings a physical presence in the defensive zone and also around the opposing net which led to him scoring the insurance goal tonight.

Now the Avs get to go home with a 4-2 record and 3-2 overall on this tough trip. They get a few days of practice and home cooking before they get to faceoff against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday.

Three Stars

1. Chris Stewart- two powerplay goals powered the Avs' win
2. Henrik Lundqvist- was solid in net for the Rangers
3. Daniel Winnik- Scored a key goal and was a key guy on the PK.

Facepalm of the Game

The two Kyles, Cumiskey and Quincey, for their play on the Ranger's lone goal. Cumiskey was lolligagging coming back off a 3-on-1 while Quincey slid into Anderson to prevent Anderson doing his job. Both of them get a facepalm.

All about the Aaey of the Game

Chris Stewart gets it for his overall play tonight. He was tenacious and a brick in front of the net, creating chances and goals for the Avs.

Join the Discussion: » Comments » Post New Comment

» Farewell Hockeybuzz

» We are the 18.8 percent

» Joe Sacco fired

» Is Semyon Varlamov the Goalie of the Future?

» Sami Aittokallio to make his NHL debut