Colorado Avalanche Struggles Mirror Buffalo Sabres

What has happened to the Colorado Avalanche, a team that finished atop their division just one season ago, only to find it fall absolutely apart in this season.  With fewer teams in the Western Conference, the Colorado Avalanche are looking at an opponent in the Buffalo Sabres that is near identical.

The Avalanche come into tonight’s game losers of six of their last seven games.  Their last two games have ended in shootout losses, most recently a 1-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

One of the biggest problems for the Colorado Avalanche this year is the ability to score goals.  It is a head scratcher too, because the team is largely the same squad that hit the ice last year.  So if last year’s team can win the division, what must need to be changed this year?  For Patrick Roy sometimes the change can be a very fine line, and no that doesn’t mean change might disrupt what the team does have – Roy made a swap of his oldest players on the roster in a game that worked out well or him.

Despite their inability to not score goals, problems in net have attributed to their inconsistency as well.  Semyon Varlamov has been the Colorado Avalanche’s most disappointing player this season – but it isn’t for nothing.  Varlamov has been dealt a tough hand this year injury wise.

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I don’t think it will take much to turn things around – and there are trade possibilities for the Avalanche. 

I talked with our Colorado Avalanche editor this week about the game and this is what she had to say:

“The Colorado Avalanche just need a lucky bounce to go their way, and I predict it’s finally going to happen in Buffalo. While Buffalo does have some talent and skill in their lineup, and they’re starting to show confidence in games, the Avalanche are due for a big game. Additionally, their talent pool is a bit deeper. All it’s going to take is for Nathan MacKinnon and/or Gabriel Landeskog to finally get a goal, and that line is going to blow wide open. In fact, I predict a multi-goal night from that line.

Likewise, I predict Calvin Pickard continues to play strong. He has not only kept the Avalanche in every game, he has stolen points for them. He did so in Pittsburgh, stonewalling superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. He stays cool under pressure, and has both the athleticism and puck-sense to back up the ice water in his veins.

Truthfully, Saturday’s game might just get a little ugly for the Buffalo Sabres.”

Very true that the game could get ugly for the Buffalo Sabres, but depending on what version of the Sabres shows up, the game could get quite as ugly for the Colorado Avalanche.