Avs Talk - A Colorado Avalanche Blog

Is it frustrating to not have any wins to brag about on the season? Absolutely. Especially since the Vancouver Canucks have won twice already. Thank goodness they were brought down to earth last night by the Washington Capitals. Only ten shots after scoring 11 goals in their first two games? That's the Canucks I expected to see this season.

But now is the right time to start betting on the Avalanche. Sure, I don't expect them to walk away with a win tonight - call it one of those ugly gut feelings - but as long as the Avs shore up the defense a bit and keep the offense firing, the wins will come.

Am I worried about Peter Budaj's abilities? I'd say I'm more curious at the moment. He's made some big saves, let in some softies and been victimized at the worst possible times. If that last second tip-in goal hadn't happened against Edmonton, the attitude surrounding the team would be much different today.

Budaj looked almost superhuman in the preseason and had us all patting our backs that we believed in him. I want to see that Peter Budaj tonight. And a little aura of confidence wafting out of him would be nice too. 

As goalie-killer Mike Keenan said: "...that's the game of hockey. Goaltending can solve a lot of problems."

Panic!
But should we panic? Of course not. Should we panic if the team loses tonight? Nope. You can throw something if you want, but don't panic or light anything on fire.

EDIT: Just making sure you're all paying attention. Seriously, this illness better go away soon because it's messing with my head.

You know what I'm more worried about? The near-4-day layoff after tonight's game until they take on the Stars on Saturday afternoon. What the hell am I supposed to write about until then?

As everyone is likely aware, Alexei Cherepanov passed away yesterday. I can't put into words how tragic it is for anyone so young to pass away. Cheers to you and God speed on your next journey, Alexei.

The game starts at 9:30 ET, 7:30 MT and is live on TSN up here in the great white north. Three games into the season and I still haven't caught an Altitude broadcast. As homerish as they can be, I find myself missing them.