The Bright Side

Despite a 0-4 start to the season, the Colorado Avalanche ended up with a borderline respectable record once October ended: 5-6-0. Not bad at all, considering that a lot of our players were out. This is why the respect is there. We've been playing with newbies and punk kids for the near most part, yet we're only a solid game under .500 after the first month of the season. That's pretty good.

Regarding our first game of November 2024, and our 12th this season, the Avs headed down south to Nashville against the Predators. I had this date circled on my mental calendar, because the Predators cleaned up during the offseason. They acquired Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault to go with Roman Josi, Ryan O'Reilly, and Filip Forsberg. All five players have Cup Final experience, three of them won Cups, and two of the three are Conn Smythe (Playoffs MVP) winners; O'Reilly in 2019 and Marchessault in 2023. I figured that the Preds would give the Avs fits this year, but they had that same shaky start--they got it together, though.

Justus Annunen was in the net against Juuse Saros (another key cog for the Preds. First period saw both teams really pushing for something, which is nothing new. Ever since that playoff series in 2018, Avs/Preds games have always been hotly contested. Despite the shots coming in for both teams, Annunen and Saros were brick walls. No score after 20 minutes. Avs received a power play early in the second, and it was Cale Makar (my Avs Twitter Psychic pick) who struck on the man advantage. Avs attempted to get that second goal, but we would be shorthanded later in the period. Preds tied it up, and it was Steven Stamkos who evened the score. It was 1-1 and it looked like the 2nd period would end with that score, but Colton Sissons changed that very late in the frame.

Avs trailed 2-1 entering the third period, which saw Nashville receive an early power play. On that PP, Roman Josi, who hadn't scored all season, put one in to make it 3-1. That score held up for most of the way, and then Annunen was pulled for the extra man. Nathan MacKinnon, despite being parallel to the net, made it 3-2, and the Avs were really looking to tie it. Unfortunately, Filip Forsberg would regain the puck and shoot it right into the empty net, and 33 seconds after assisting on Forsberg's goal, Gustav Nyquist added his own empty net marker.

The Avs have now followed up a five game winning streak with a three game losing streak, but remember, 70 games remain in this season. I do bring some good news, fellow Avs fans. The reinforcements are coming. First off, Arturri Lehkonen is set to return in the Avs' next game. Secondly, we're going to get Valeri Nichushkin back as well, as his suspension will end in over a week. Nichushkin's set to return on November 15. As for Jonathan Drouin, he's set for a return soon, but I do not know exactly when. This is excellent news indeed for the Avalanche. The reinforcements are coming very soon, and that could mean trouble for the rest of the league.

Next up, the Avalanche return home on Tuesday against the Seattle Kraken, and after that, the team heads to Winnipeg to face the Jets on Thursday. That will serve as the first meeting between the clubs since last year's playoffs, which memorably ended with the Avalanche thrashing (not a pun, and those of you who understand why I said that, kudos to you) the Jets in five games.

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