Improve the Avalanche in 3 easy steps

1 - Score some damn goals. The Goal tending is there, but now we can't score a damn goal.

Milan Hejduk is 63rd in the league in shots on goal. He has scored 8 of 51 and played great defense for a forward from game 1. Hejduk is playing great hockey. But, we can't survive on Hejduk alone and that number should be 90 SOG by now. Problem = no one feeding him the puck.
NHL reference stats

Wojtek Wolski is 2nd in the league with 3 shootout goals. Wow! Seems cool but where the hell is the game time scoring? WW needs to attack that damn net or play the role of Hejduk feeder. Set Hejduk up... he'll shoot.
NHL reference stats

It's a sure sign that we have a weak transition game.

2- Keep the Defense just the way it is. No really! True, our D fails at times in really stupid ways, but there seems to be a great moral building and the chemistry among our blue liners is there no matter what the parring is.

3 - Hit! We are not the most talented team in the league anymore. Not by a long shot. The Av's have a tendency to get outplayed by faster, younger and more talented players. So, how do you stop talent.. you SMASH IT. You must finish checks and punish the other teams players for staying in the pocket long enough to make those pretty passes. Piss someone off with a BIG CLEAN HIT. Use the energy to create chances.

There are 600+ players in the league and the Av's have 3 players in the top 100 for hits?Not bad some of you might think. But lets face facts. We cannot dominate on talent these days. We are not a power house like we used to be so we have to do something to offset the amazing talent we face. HIT! McLeod is the only guy on our energy/crash line in the top 100. Followed by Tucker and Salei? Is this really enough?

Our top hitters:
54th in hits - Cody McLeod COL (energy/crash line)
78th in hits - Darcy Tucker COL (2nd or 3rd line role player)
95th in hits - Ruslan Salei COL (at home D man)

Wolski pulls a Forsberg!

Well that was timely. True, Wolski had been contributing to the team in other ways but Svatos was pretty much just filling a spot for the previous 5 games. He was doing all the right things but just didn't have the magic. So maybe, just maybe this is the spark that gets him scorching the league again. He is an opportunist in front of the net and a the fastest hands in the west with that top shelf snap shot of his. The thing is, he needs the opportunity and he needs the confidence to let if fly. So here's hoping. As for Wolski, WOW. Where does he come up with these moves. He must be extremely difficult to read as a goalie. Just when a goalie was going to toss his own trick book at him he pulls out a Forsberg. If EA sports is looking for perfect motion capture subject for shoot outs... call Wolski up!

Fianlly has luck on his side. Budaj was beat badly by a great move from Sedin who might think about getting that stick length checked.. looked like he was heeling it there but when he needed it he got lucky. All and all it was good game from some guys who really needed to have a good game.

Wurd!