|
Flu-ridden Duchene looking to regain his strength |
|
|
Rick Sadowski
 Colorado Avalanche Blogger •Avalanche Insider • RSS
• Archive
• CONTACT
|
|
|
Matt Duchene should be feeling a lot better for the Avalanche's three-game trip through western Canada than he did for the team's past three games.
He played last Wednesday against St. Louis after missing three games with an oblique injury because he felt obligated to do so when Paul Stastny experienced back spasms and couldn't suit up. He also played in the weekend series against Minnesota despite a flu bug that sapped his strength.
Not surprisingly, it marked the first time this season that Duchene went three games without a point. He still leads the Avalanche in scoring with 12 goals and 20 points in 22 games.
"Physically, in terms of my injury, it's feeling good," Duchene said after practice Tuesday. "But I had the flu. I caught it during the game in Minnesota and I actually spent the night in hospital before the next game. I'm trying to get rested here. It's been hard the last few days. We've had a lot of community stuff going on outside the rink and it's been hard to get some good rest.
"If this flu hadn't hit me, I would've been a lot better. I felt awful the last two games and I'm just trying to get back to square one physically. I was working really hard to try and get back from that injury and I'm just trying to take care of myself right now. I'm just trying to get better as soon as possible."
The Avalanche visited Children's Hospital on Monday, and Duchene and Erik Johnson helped present new bicycles and helmets to children from a local elementary school Tuesday evening at a holiday party hosted by the non-profit agency A Precious Child. The bikes were donated by Wish 4 Wheels and DirecTV.
*****
Goalie Semyon Varlamov didn't practice Tuesday because he tweaked his groin in Saturday's game against the Wild. Coach Patrick Roy said Varlamov wanted to practice, but the training staff advised that he take the day off. Varlamov is scheduled to practice Wednesday and start Thursday night in Edmonton.
"It's not a concern," Roy said.
Asked if he's been impressed with the way Varlamov has played despite his legal situation and related distractions, Roy said: "Yes. He feels good inside. When you feel good inside, it's easier for you to perform."
Jean-Sebastien Giguere is scheduled to start Friday in Calgary, and Varlamov most likely will start again Sunday in Vancouver.
But Roy said that decision would be made in consultation with goalie coach Francois Allaire, who will accompany the Avalanche on the trip.
The Avalanche will have had four off days between games after Saturday's 3-2 overtime win against the Wild, with two days on the ice.
"We're playing well and I would have loved to play some games, but that's the way the schedule is and we're going to have to be ready for that first game in Edmonton," Roy said. "They seem to be playing much better right now."
The Avalanche will play every other night or back-to-back games starting Thursday until a three-day break for Christmas Dec. 24-26.
*****
Right wing Alex Tanguay didn't skate Tuesday after Roy said he "skated hard" the previous two days. Tanguay is recovering from a knee injury he sustained in a Nov. 2 game against Montreal.
"Our trainer thought it would be good for him to have the day off," Roy said. "(Wednesday) he'll be back on the ice."
Tanguay could be available to play next week when the Avalanche returns home.
"We'll see how it goes this week," Roy said. "If (the trainers) think he's going in the right direction. We're not going to push. We're going to make sure he's at least close to a hundred percent before he comes back."
*****
Duchene is looking forward to playing at Rexall Place in Edmonton, where the ice surface is considered to be the NHL's best.
"I think they have great ice and I always look forward to playing there," Duchene said. "It might be my favorite rink in the league to play in. They play an offensive style and it's always fun to play against them. It's always fun to play in Canada. It feels like hockey weather this time of year, it's cold and people are ready to go in the stands."
The Avalanche has only played once in Canada this season, Oct. 8 in Toronto. Former Northwest Division opponents Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver are in the Pacific Division now.
"I played two years in Canada, and in Canada it's always a lot of fun to play," said captain Gabriel Landeskog, who played two seasons with Kitchener in the Ontario Hockey League. "There's always going to be a lot of hype around the games. I'm looking forward to it. I have some friends up there as well and I'm looking forward to seeing them.
"We're on the right track, we're getting better every game. I think the last two games against a division opponent, Minnesota, we had two really good games, even though the second one we let a little slip away at the end. We still came back at it and got the two points. We've played well on the road this year and we're looking to continue to build on that. There are some interesting teams that we haven't played too much this year."
Join the Discussion:
»