My Avalanche season preview is on NHL.com, along with three keys to success.
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The Avalanche completed their eight-game preseason schedule on a positive note Saturday night with a 3-2 shootout win against Los Angeles at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas to finish with a 1-5-2 record.
Down 2-0 in the second period, the Avalanche got on the board on a goal by rookie Dennis Everberg, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound forward who was signed in April as a free agent following his third season with Rogle in Sweden.
Matt Duchene tied it in the third period and the Avalanche killed off Alex Tanguay's holding penalty in overtime to get the game to a shootout. Goalie Semyon Varlamov, who had 20 saves, stopped all three Kings in the shootout -- Anze Kopitar, Mike Richards and Jarret Stoll.
Kings goalie Jonathan Quick, who had 27 saves, stopped Duchene in the first round but Nathan MacKinnon scored with what proved to be the decisive goal when Varlamov made a save against Stoll.
The Avalanche were given Sunday off after their late-night flight back to Denver and will be back at practice Monday. Joe Sakic and Patrick Roy will need to make cuts to reduce the roster to the NHL maximum 23 players in preparation for Thursday's season opener at Minnesota.
Health issues will factor into how many newcomers make the team up front.
Patrick Bordeleau is sidelined until December to recover from back surgery and Roy said last week that he didn't expect John Mitchell (migraines) to be ready for the opener. Mitchell and Jamie McGinn (back injury) didn't play in any preseason games and Jesse Winchester missed the last two games after sustaining a concussion last Tuesday in Calgary.
The Avalanche will carry 13 forwards and it looks like Everberg and fellow rookies Andrew Agozzino and Borna Rendulic are in the running for places on the roster.
Colorado is set on defense with Tyson Barrie, Nate Guenin, Jan Hejda, Nick Holden, Erik Johnson, Zach Redmond, Brad Stuart and Ryan Wilson.
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The Lake Erie Monsters won both of their preseason games against the Grand Rapids Griffins and open regular-season AHL play Friday in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Mike Sgarbossa had two goals in each game. Kenny Ryan had a goal and two assists in the weekend series while Paul Carey, Joey Hishon and Markus Lauridsen each had a goal and an assist. Stefan Elliott also had a goal.
Goalie Calvin Pickard made 36 saves Saturday in the 6-3 win. Sami Aittokallio stopped 10 of 11 shots Friday before he was relieved by Roman Will midway through the second period. Will stopped 19 of 20 shots to complete the 5-2 win.
The Monsters released forward Christian Hanson, son of Dave "Killer" Hanson, who portrayed one of the three fictional Hanson brothers in the film Slap Shot. Christian Hanson, 28, was in camp on a tryout basis. A 6-4, 228-pound center, he played four years at Notre Dame and had three goals and six assists in 42 games in parts of three seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He had five goals, 11 assists and 32 penalty minutes in 63 games last season with the Chicago Wolves in the AHL.