The Avalanche’s 44 points after 41 games of the 2006-07 season are the second fewest at the halfway point for the franchise since it arrived in Denver for the 1995-96 season.
The only lower halfway-point total – 40 in 1998-99 – came before the advent of frequent “three-point” games.
Then again, that was the Avalanche team that got off to an awful start (0-4-1) under new coach Bob Hartley, posted 58 points in the second half and eventually came within one game – a Game 7 loss to Dallas – of making the Stanley Cup Finals.
This season’s total is only one point off last season’s mark after 41 games. The Avs finished with 95 and made the playoffs as the seventh seed.
So there are a lot of ways to interpret the numbers as the Avalanche prepares to open the second half, playing the Detroit Red Wings for the first time this season in Denver on Tuesday night.
The puck bucket is half-full. Or half-empty.
“I like our team,” Avalanche coach Joel Quenneville said after a 2-1 shootout victory over Minnesota on Saturday in St. Paul. “We’ve left a lot of points on the table. I think that’s part of the learning curve.”
The fact the Avalanche’s major rivals over the past 12 years in the Western Conference – Detroit and Dallas – have been more resilient, at least based on regular-season standings, since the institution of the cap probably adds to the half-empty argument. But the Avs beat the Stars in the first round of the playoffs last season, when the Wings also exited in the first round.
In part because of Steve Konowalchuk’s premature retirement caused by a heart irregularity discovered in a training-camp physical, Colorado has had to rely more than expected on rookie winger Wojtek Wolski and also had to keep Paul Stastny on the NHL roster rather than farm him out to Albany for an indoctrination to the pro game. Wolski and Stastny have responded well, if with inconsistency, and that probably should be considered promising for the Avalanche’s second-half fate as well – if they don’t hit the rookie wall.
Meanwhile, Joe Sakic hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down at age 37, with 18 goals and 45 points at the halfway point. Since Peter Forsberg’s departure, Sakic has been the focus of opponent’s top defensive pairing more than than he was in the Avalanche’s pick-your-poison era of having two of the league’s top centers, at least when Forsberg was healthy.
The unsettled and sometimes bizarre goal- tending situation has gotten a lot of attention, and that’s to be expected, considering Jose Theodore’s cap number of $5.33 million is nearly one-eighth of the available payroll.
Just 10 months ago, the Avalanche sent David Aebischer to Montreal for Theodore, who was recovering from a fractured heel, and gave Peter Budaj 14 consecutive starts while in a waiting-for-Jose holding pattern.
Yet now, with Theodore failing to seize the undisputed No. 1 job in several opportunities, and with Budaj starting the past five games, Colorado is showing signs of starting to accept the possibility Theodore might not return to the form he displayed in the bigger-equipment era.
Have the Avs given up on Theodore?
“No, no,” said Quenneville, who gave his team the day off Sunday. “He’s a part of our team, and we look forward to him helping us out. We expect him to get back and work at it.”
Quenneville said Budaj “has played well, and he’s got the opportunity to keep going here. I’m not claiming anything, but the fact that he’s playing well (means) he’s earned the opportunity to keep playing.”
Budaj said he wants “to focus on winning games and getting to the playoffs, especially with our division and our conference being so tight.
“If you win the No. 1 spot in goal, but you’re not making the playoffs, that’s not going to help you much. I want to help my team get to the playoffs. I’m very happy that I’m playing most of the games right now, and hopefully, I’ll keep working hard and helping my team win hockey games.”
Terry Frei can be reached at 303-954-1895 or tfrei@denverpost.com.
