The Avalanche had their worst month so far this season this January. At least by the lofty standards set by being the NHL’s top team and leading the Western Conference by a five point margin going into the new year.
However, the Avs capped it off with a 5-0 thrashing of the Red Wings in Detroit in the first game of their home and home series, finally looking more like themselves as they squashed one of the Eastern Conference’s top teams, and Nathan MacKinnon became the first player to collect 40 goals this season. The team also recently re-signed Sam Malinski, helping to solidify their blueline even as some injuries have mounted.
Back on schedule...
It’s been a rollercoaster month, with MacKenzie Blackwood returning from injury earlier this month. He didn’t look great in his first few starts back, but he pitched his 17th career shutout against Detroit with 28 saves against a team that had had some incredible puck luck in the last few days to keep them in games. The Avs are hoping to win the back to back series with the Red Wings and get back on track after having half of their regulation losses on the year occur over the last 10 games.
While that’s only been 8 total losses not including overtime this season, there have been a couple of blowouts recently including two 7-3 losses to the Montreal Canadiens and the Philadelphia Flyers. For that matter, the Ottawa Senators beat the Avs 5-2 earlier this week, with the team sleepwalking through parts of those games. The win over Detroit should help to stabilize a team that has looked at times listless without their captain.
Mixed bag...
MacKinnon has been leading the goal scoring race throughout most of the year, and with his two tonight, he did it for the second milestone in a row after becoming the first player to 30 goals in December. MacKinnon currently sits only three points behind Connor McDavid in the points race with 91 to McDavid’s 94. McDavid does have a decent margin in the assists category with 60 so far, but MacKinnon leads in goal scoring by six
The team’s power play has still struggled throughout the month, and of MacKinnon’s 40, only 8 have come during 5 on 4 hockey this year. Cale Makar has also slowed down somewhat over the past month, perhaps missing his usual pairing with the injured Devon Toews. Toews figures to potentially make an appearance before the Olympics, and possibly in them, but the injuries in the Avs lineups have been the source of a variety of call-ups.
Martin Necas is described as out day-to-day with an upper body injury. Gabriel Landeskog, who hasn’t seen game action after a scary crash into a goalpost forced him out of the lineup with his own upper body injury was recently spotted skating on ice during practice, though not with the team. He, like Toews, hopes to at least be able to help his nation’s Olympic team on a Swedish squad that has been beleaguered by injuries.
With the win over the Red Wings the Avalanche are now 36-8-9, holding the best record in the league. Hopefully they carry that momentum them past the Olympic break.
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