If the Colorado Avalanche is serious about making a team that is competitive in the playoff picture every year, they need to win in their division.
Distressing is the fact that the Avs have never been able to get a winning record in the divisionw ith Joe Sacco behind the bench.
Even during the astounding run into the playoffs in 2009-10, Sacco's team was still just 10-11-3 in games within the division. Since that run, the Avalanche have been hot and cold with the lion's share gravitating toward cold.
The Avs have lost nine in a row to the Flames. Their last win against the Flames was October 28 2010. For anyone counting, that is 461 days since the Avs beat the Flames. Against Vancouver, they have lost nine- one in overtime- of the last 14 games. This year they have yet to score a goal against them losing a whopping 9-0 collectively.
Edmonton isn't as bad, they are only 7-8-1. Heck another win and they'll be breaking even... to the team that's drafted first overall two years in a row.
Against Minnesota, the Avs have gone 4-9-2.
It doesn't take a genius to know that this kind of divisional play will not do. Blame the roster if you want to but the fact is that there are nine players who remain from the 2009-10 club. The only factor that is the same: Joe Sacco.
Sacco has clearly been figured out by his divisional foes, since they play the Avs six times a year and the Avs' playbook/strategy never changes. The offensive scheme is boring, focusing on perimeter shots with forwards trying to go for rebounds. This is a great strategy for a bigger, tougher team; not a team that is has small forwards and four defenseman who routinely get a shot on boards instead of shot on net.
Why not have a scheme that focuses play on the half boards that opens up your playmakers (Stastny, Duchene, O'Reilly) to feed the scorers who should be moving into the slot. Or how about shots that are actually from the circles? Is that so hard?
The Avs are starting to drift back in the pack because of their inconsistent play. Couple that with the fact their division plays the Avs like a marionette every game does not help either. Until Sacco is gone, this is a trend that will continue. He just cannot motivate or coach the troops to consistent 60-minute efforts nor can he adjust in game to make a new plan when one isn't working.
If you're beating your head against a wall and the wall isn't moving, you're not doing it hard enough, according to Sacco. But since this is the Avs and they are on a tight budget and/or the fan favorite (Roy) won't come, then there's no point in firing Sacco for someone like Randy Carlyle. Since veteran cup-winning coaches are always on the market.
Sacco just cannot do the job well enough to get the most out of his players and for that reason, he should go. He probably should have gone in November but the players pulled together and actually played as a team. However, through the month of January, the old problems reared their head, just as they have the previous years and the problem still remains: the Avs cannot win in the division and until that changes, they will have no hopes of making the playoffs.
The vogue thing for bloggers is to write off the coach when the team is struggling but this isn't about what is vogue, it is about what is right for the team to succeed this year and in future years, to help this young team grow and actually mature.
Colorado Avalanche Blogger • 
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