Welcome to NHL Wraparound, a new feature from Eye on Hockey. Get your day started with a look at what happened, what's happening and what will happen in the NHL every Sunday through Thursday this season.
The Colorado Avalanche had every reason to enter the new season with confidence. This a team coming off surviving last season with the best record in the Central Division. They were one goal away from advancing to the second round of the playoffs. Their young core was a year older and a year better. And to kick off the 2014-15 season, they got a home-and-home series against the team that eliminated them from the postseason, the Minnesota Wild. It's pretty easy to get up for a series like that.
Then the Avs got run out of the building in the season opener to the tune of a 5-0 defeat. They went back home to open their own building and got blanked there, outscored 8-0 over two games against the team that needed an overtime goal in Game 7 to beat them, and the Avs never really looked close.
For those who predicted Colorado would falter this year due to poor possession numbers last year that were masked in part by a high shooting and save percentages, the first two games may have represented a “told ya so” moment. But this is a long season and the Avalanche are certainly not dead yet. That said, they would be foolish to discard those losses as an anomaly.
This start is a complete role reversal from last season. The Avalanche didn’t suffer their second loss until Nov. 6 in the 2013-14 campaign. After starting 6-0-0 and rattling off 14 wins in their first 16 games, Colorado got on a roll and just managed to keep rolling. Now this young roster faces some serious adversity, serious questions and a healthy dose of disappointment. It’s a long season ahead and there’s a lot to fix.
The possession issues, which is something the Avalanche collectively shrugged off in the offseason as a “by-design” offshoot of head coach Patrick Roy’s system, should be a concern and may require a change in thinking. The Avs did manage to generate more shot attempts in the second meeting with the Wild and ultimately won the game-long possession battle, but that was with the aid of score effects as they were trailing by more than one goal late by the time they turned it up. Additionally, Colorado didn’t get the Vezina-caliber goaltending from Semyon Varlamov, which couldn’t mask the fact that Minnesota was just flat out better in nearly every facet of the game.
The top of Colorado’s lineup is too fast and too skilled to not be able to generate more shots and more goals. Getting shutout in back-to-back games to open the season might be the wake-up call this team needs to focus less on the results and more on the process.
The Avalanche, unfortunately, will be catching the Boston Bruins at the wrong time Monday as they try to bounce back from that dreadful start. After back-to-back losses, including a 4-0 shutout to the Washington Capitals that captain Zdeno Chara called “embarrassing,” the Bruins could come out flying for their annual Columbus Day afternoon tilt.
Team of the Day: The Boston Bruins, as noted, were in a rather sour mood after getting blanked by the Washington Capitals on home ice. After starting the season with a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers, aided by a fluky late goal, the Bruins have looked anything but dominant to start the season. The defending President’s Cup champs have been out-scored 7-3 and have managed an average of just 26.3 shots per game through their first three. One big reason the offense is sputtering is that David Krejci hasn’t played yet. He sounds probable for Monday’s game and that will provide a boost, but his absence exposed something about the Bruins – their relative lack of forward depth. Trying to get by with young players like Craig Cunningham, Jordan Caron, Matt Fraser and Ryan Spooner hasn’t quite worked out. Cunningham even already got sent back to the AHL. The top of the Bruins lineup remains formidable, but the Bruins built the best record in the NHL last season with depth throughout the lineup. This could remain a concern as salary cap issues make the roster inflexible.
Rough Numbers: 1/7/11 – The last time the Toronto Maple Leafsscored five goals in a period before doing so Sunday night in a 6-2 win over the New York Rangers according to Maple Leafs PR. That came in a 9-3 win over the Atlanta Thrashers (RIP). That game lives on in notoriety because Maple Leafs defenseman Brett Lebda actually finished a minus-3 in that win.
9:54 – Amount of clock time between the first and fifth goals in that second period before Henrik Lundqvist was replaced by Cam Talbot.
GIF of the Night: The person most shocked that he gave up five goals in one period was Henrik Lundvist himself. When he got pulled, he left his mask on, perhaps suffering flashbacks of the Maple Leafs onslaught. That led to this ominous zoom.
Three cheers for: The ref cam, which could be one of the best innovations in sports television. Once they figure out how to make those cameras smaller or at least a little more practical, we could see this in just about every league. So far, Sportsnet, which has some of its broadcasts simulcast on NHL Network in the United States, is using the technology expertly. Watching Rick Nash’s goal from the perspective of the referee is one of the best views of how fast these plays develop and how much faster it looks from ice level.
Three more cheers for: Rick Nash, who scored that goal, but didn’t finish the game. He left after the second period to go be with his pregnant wife, who was expected to deliver the couple’s first child at some point Sunday night. We often forget about the fact that professional athletes have family obligations just like the rest of us. Hopefully Nash made it back in time to be there for a moment that will be far greater than any on-ice achievement.
On tap for Monday: The best thing about Columbus Day is daytime hockey (well, unless you can't see it because you're at work). There are two afternoon games in the NHL, followed by a pair of nighttime tilts, including a 2014 postseason rematch.
Colorado Avalanche at Boston Bruins, 1 p.m. ET
With each team coming off of back-to-back losses, both clubs will be looking to get on track. The Avalanche were simply dominated by the Wild, and the road gets no easier in Boston for the Bruins’ annual Columbus Day tilt.
Anaheim Ducks at Buffalo Sabres, 3 p.m. ET
The Ducks stole a victory in Detroit Saturday night, while the Sabres may still be reeling from the shelling they took in Chicago. Among the items to watch for Monday afternoon: Anaheim’s first power-play unit that includes Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Ryan Kesler. It almost isn’t fair.
Ottawa Senators at Florida Panthers, 7:30 p.m. ET
After pulling out a “pesky” 3-2 win Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Senators have a golden opportunity to build off of that victory against the reeling Panthers in Florida. The Cats had a really rough go against the surprisingly potent New Jersey Devils Saturday.
Montreal Canadiens at Tampa Bay Lightning, 7:30 p.m. ET
After ousting the Lightning in a sweep in the first round of the playoffs last year, the Canadiens enter Monday night’s game with the best record in the NHL. This could be an especially interesting Atlantic Division battle this season as both the Habs and the Bolts look like they could contend for the division title.
