The same Colorado Avalanche who had the worst record in the NHL by a long mile last season and still couldn’t get the top pick in the draft have won nine consecutive games following a 3-1 victory over the Rangers Saturday afternoon. The Denver Post’s Mike Chambers writes that in addition to the sudden turn of events, center Nathan MacKinnon is in the Hart Trophy conversation and head coach Jared Bednar is making quite the case for the Adams, an award many thought Vegas’ Gerard Gallant had already won. Chambers continues:
A year ago at this time, MacKinnon was having the worst season of his career and somewhat embarrassed to represent the Avalanche at the All-Star Game. And fans were calling for Bednar’s firing just five months after he was hired. Colorado was 13-30-2 at the time.
Along with Vegas’ performance this season, the Avalanche’s sudden surge is one of hockey’s best stories of the 2017-18 season and reveals how the league’s parity can change a team’s fortunes in such a short amount of time. The nine-game winning streak is tied for the longest in team history.
- MLive’s Ansar Khan tweets that the Detroit Red Wings’ Trevor Daley left the Red Wings-Hurricanes game with a lower body injury sustained during the first period of play. Though the Red Wings are sliding further away from a playoff spot, the news is significant since Daley was one of many Red Wings named as possible trade by the Detroit News’ John Niyo but a major injury would certainly derail any chances of a deal. Daley hasn’t exactly lit up the scoresheet for Detroit, but his presence with the back-to-back champion Pittsburgh Penguins and smooth skating make him an intriguing target for teams seeking depth and experience.
- The Buffalo News’ Bucky Gleason questions Sabres bench boss Phil Housley’s analysis following a 7-1 drubbing by the Dallas Stars. Wondering how Housley could have labeled the early part of a blowout as “pretty good hockey,” Gleason points out that the team was booed off the ice while adding that the Sabres looked “uninterested” from the opening faceoff. In what has been a challenging season for the Sabres, Gleason believes that the performance is another indicator that Housley “appears to be in over his head.” Gleason doesn’t stop there, blasting everyone from ownership to the idea that tanking would actually bring the Sabres a winner. The fans, Gleason writes, are being taken advantage of by an organization that appears no closer to the playoffs or escaping the hockey wilderness.
The link to Bucky Gleason’s Sabres article directs us to the Detroit Times.
The link to Bucky Gleason’s Sabres article directs us to The Detroit News.
Changed! Thank you!
Phil Housley is a good coach. He won a world juniors as a head coach & was a great assistant in Nashville. How many coaches do the Sabres have to go through before they realize the problem is their players. Sure, Housley has made mistakes. First time coaches always do, but I wouldn’t say he is in over his head. The Sabres have zero on-ice leadership. Somebody has to step up & demand things get better. The Sabres don’t have that. It will take a few years to fix the Sabres
the players aren’t great bit this team should be better than ties for last. they’ve seen regression for some players and the lack of structure falls on the coach.
Considering the Avs didn’t have the advantage of running the most rigged expansion process in the history of organized sports… I’d send more awards their way.
Rigged? They took spare parts and bloated salaries and did a tremendous job crafting a cohesive unit out of it.