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Posts tagged Paul Stastny
Galiardi In, Stastny Out Against Senators
Dec 17th
According to the man himself, TJ Galiardi will be on the ice tonight as the Colorado Avalanche take on the Ottawa Senators at the Pepsi Center.
Avalanche Steamroll Cup Champions In Back To Back Series
Dec 15th
The Colorado Avalanche marched into the Windy City and swept the Chicago Blackhawks in the second of back to back home games.
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Goaltending Superfluous In Avalanche Slugfest
Dec 13th
A total of six goals were scored in the first period alone as the Avalanche managed to come back and beat the reigning Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks in Denver.
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Avalanche Roll Over Struggling Capitals
Dec 12th
The Avalanche ended their five game road trip with a win over the Washington Capitals tonight.
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Avs Trash Thrashers
Dec 12th
Tomas Fleischmann would score his first goal as an Avalanche in the 4-2 win over the Atlanta Thrashers tonight, bringing the Avs 4 game losing skid to an end.
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Avs Drop Close One to Bolts
Dec 5th
The Tampa Bay Lightning scored on six occasions, each by different players, as the Avalanche dropped another road game.
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Mauldin Leads Avs Victory Over Wild
Nov 28th
How does seven goals sound? How about five Avalanche players having a multi-point game? Or a victory over a Northwest Division rival? Then please, keep reading.
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Oilers Burn Avalanche Defense
Nov 25th
The Colorado Avalanche extended their losing streak to two games in two nights, dropping a 3-2 decision.
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Avalanche Shine Brighter Than Stars
Nov 21st
The Avalanche managed to extend their winning streak to four despite a mighty comeback by the Dallas Stars to force overtime.
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Avalanche Ends Sharks Streak In OT
Nov 17th
Riding high on a four game win streak, the San Jose Sharks were upset 4-3 in overtime by a relentless Colorado Avalanche team.
Avs Continue to Disappoint Blues Fans
Nov 16th
Three fights, seven roughing calls, one game misconduct, and a total of nine goals; That’s what happened at the Pepsi Center tonight as the St. Louis Blues and the Colorado Avalanche continued their Western Conference rivalry.
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Avalanche Stifled By Detroit’s Finest
Nov 14th
After coming off a 5-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets last night, the Avalanche rolled into Detroit looking to overtake the Wings. Even with captain Adam Foote back in the lineup, the Avs were not able to overtake the defense displayed by the veteran opponents.
Jones Scores Two in Avalanche Win
Nov 12th
The Colorado Avalanche walked into Columbus, Ohio tonight and flat out stomped the Blue Jackets for the second time this season.
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Chris Stewart Scores 100th NHL Point in Loss to Flames
Nov 10th
On October 28 we saw a crazy, high scoring game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Calgary Flames. The 6-5 Avalanche win was the most exciting win the Burgundy and Blue have had so far this season. Calgary would have a chip on their shoulders tonight as they haven’t won a game since their last meeting with Colorado.
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Avs Stop Stars Dead In Their Tracks
Nov 6th
The Colorado Avalanche managed to stifle a Dallas Stars winning streak tonight, shutting out the Stars 5-0 and rebounding from a 3-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks.
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Avalanche Roster Finalized
Sep 27th
The Colorado Avalanche announced their last cuts today, ensuring that the future will arrive Oct. 1.
In their final cuts, the Avs announced the reassignment of center Chris Durno, defenseman Derek Peltier and goaltender Tyler Weiman to the Lake Erie Monsters of the AHL.
These cuts confirmed what Avalanche fans have all been hoping for: to see Matt Duchene in an Avs sweater during the season opener on Thursday. Also joining Duchene will be second round draft pick (#33 overall), center Ryan O’Reilly.
While Duchene was met with much anticipation, O’Reilly was met with curiosity. Thought to go in the top-20 in the NHL Entry Draft, O’Reilly fell all the way to the second round where the Avs management practically did an Irish jig while going up to the podium to select him.
O’Reilly has been described by NHL Central Scouting’s Chris Edwards as, “…very responsible defensively. He backchecks hard and he’s very good at identifying his check in his own end. He’s very good at the defensive end of the game.”
O’Reilly has also been noted by Denver Post writer Adrian Dater for his great stick work.
Duchene, on the other hand, is seen as the new face of the franchise alongside, and even above, Paul Stastny. Duchene has great speed, quick wrists, a hard shot and prowess in the defensive zone. Up to the draft, there was talk that the Islanders might in fact take Duchene first of all. However, after a tense couple of hours, two selections and a fist pump, Duchene was selected by the Avs.
At the time of his selection Duchene thought that he was “really close” to being NHL ready and couldn’t wait until camp to try and make the team.
While the Avs wasted little time in signing Duchene on July 16, O’Reilly had to wait a little longer to get his entry-level contract. Coming into camp, O’Reilly flew under the radar but separated himself from the rest of the pack through his play and earned his three-year entry level contract on Sept. 21.
With the cuts, it is apparent that the Avs are at least going to test Duchene and O’Reilly, both 18 years old, in the first portion of the season. Now, the Avs get ten games to look at the future of their franchise and see exactly where it is heading.
This is a great step forward for the Avs, as they are giving their two brightest center prospects a chance to make the club for the entire season and try to make a difference that will allow this team to escape the cellar of the NHL.
Aaron Musick covers the Colorado Avalanche for HockeyBuzz and will be providing insight on The Avalanche Guild all season long!
