A loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday, and it would have been a week’s worth of “The Winless Avalanche” headlines, until the Avs’ next game Saturday. As it turned out, the Avs beat the Canucks 3-2 at the Pepsi Center. Now it can correctly be a week’s worth of “The Unbeaten in Regulation Avalanche” headlines.
The Avs’ first victory of the young NHL season means Colorado players and coaches can stare at a 1-0-2 record all week. Marek Svatos’ goal with 5:44 left in the third period was responsible for the tough victory over the Northwest Division rival Canucks.
Svatos, who had nine game- winners to lead the Avs last season, scored a power-play goal off his right skate that withstood a video review. The lead held up thanks to some good goaltending by Jose Theodore.
Avs coach Joel Quenneville acknowledged it would have been a long week had his team entered a dormant part of their schedule without a win.
“It was a perfect recipe for us going forward. Now we can be comfortable and positive going forward,” Quenneville said.
If Svatos illegally kicked in the puck and got away with it, that injustice to the Canucks was balanced out by one to the Avalanche at the end of the second period.
Ian Laperriere scored what seemed a routine goal with 9.2 seconds left, but it was waved off by an apparent inadvertent whistle from a referee. Replays seemed to prove no Vancouver player had gotten control of the puck on a delayed penalty to Jan Bulis, but Laperriere’s goal – which would have been the 100th of his career – was disallowed.
Svatos’ goal, his second of the game, made it a moot point.
Under old NHL rules, Svatos’ goal probably wouldn’t have counted, as any puck off an open skate usually was waved off. Now, how- ever, a distinct kicking motion must take place for it to be ruled no good, and Svatos did not look like Jason Elam on the play.
“After the one (to Laperriere) that got waved off, I guess I was a little nervous waiting for (the review),” Svatos said. “I’m just happy that it helped us get a win.”
After spotting Vancouver a 1-0 lead, the Avs played a solid game and outshot the Canucks 35-28 overall. Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo kept his team even into the late going, however, and the Avs wouldn’t have won without some strong third-period play by Theodore.
He stopped all 14 shots by the Canucks in the period, including some tough ones on a late power play in which Vancouver pulled Luongo to skate 6-on-4.
“The guys did a great job in front of me, especially on the penalty kill,” Theodore said. “The guys played really well in the last minute; they didn’t allow too many shots. We played hard, and we should have gotten that goal at the end of the second period, but we bounced back.”
All three of Colorado’s goals came on the power play, and the Avs have five on the season. Svatos and rookie Wojtek Wolski scored the others. Joe Sakic and Brett Clark had two assists each.
“These guys (Colorado) are good in tight and they like to run little plays around the net,” Lu- ongo said. “Tonight, it paid off for them with three power-play goals.”
Staff writer Adrian Dater can be reached at 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com.
