The Avalanche have four preseason games left to get their act together, set the regular-season roster and prepare for the Oct. 9 opener against the Minnesota Wild at the Xcel Energy Center.
Anybody starting to panic yet over the team's 0-3-1 record?
Well, the Avalanche didn't play especially well in their first few games under rookie coach Patrick Roy at this time last year before knocking off Los Angeles in the final preseason game in Las Vegas to finish 3-3-0 and fly out of the starting gate with six consecutive wins and 12 in the first 13 games.
Not that I'm expecting a similar start this season, regardless of how the Avalanche fares in the final four preseason games. Colorado meets Calgary at the Pepsi Center on Sunday night, plays the Flames on the road Tuesday and finishes against the Stanley Cup championship Kings on Thursday (in Colorado Springs) and Saturday (in Las Vegas).
“Yes, there is some concern," Roy told the Denver Post. "There is no doubt about it. But at the same time, it’s happening at a good time of our season. Preseason is the perfect time for that to happen. It’s going to be important now for us to get our mindset where it was last year. I don’t think we are as enthusiastic as we probably were at the same time last year. But I know we’re capable of doing better and I know we’re going to have to put a little more focus into what we’re doing."
I suppose you could have given the Avalanche a pass last year in the early days of camp and first few exhibition games because Roy and his coaches were new, as was their system of play. It was going to take a while for the coaches and players to get acclimated to one another.
Not so much this time around, especially when you take into account how successful the Avalanche were in the regular season and that, with Paul Stastny being one of the few significant exceptions, the same cast has returned. For the first time in several years there are very few openings on the roster, some because of injuries to Patrick Bordeleau (back surgery), Jamie McGinn (back injury) and possibly John Mitchell (migraines), who could be ready for the season opener.
"We're making some mistakes," Roy said. "It's the preseason and we're making mistakes -- turnovers, giveaways, losing pucks in some areas that you can't do. We want to be ready for the start of the season. We're not looking necessarily at winning games, but it'll be important to win a couple of exhibitions. Last year, remember, I think we got one win in our first four or five games and we beat L.A. and that gave a lot of confidence to the team."
The Avalanche didn't practice Saturday after arriving home late following a 3-2 loss to Montreal in Quebec on Friday night, and they're still carrying 40 players on the preseason roster.
The Avalanche likely will make some more roster cuts before or after they play the Flames on Sunday and begin to make their practice sessions, which have been few and far between because of the travel schedule, a lot more efficient.
Let's see how this team plays in the final four preseason games this coming week before starting to looking for a panic button.
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The Avalanche announced that standing-room-only tickets for the Oct. 11 home opener against the Wild go on sale for $50 Monday at 10 a.m. at the Pepsi Center box office.
A limited number of reserved-seating tickets are available for the game and can be purchased online or in person at the box office.