Joe Sakic was in a familiar place Monday, but he was talking about being in an unfamiliar position.
The Avalanche captain stood at his locker at the team’s practice facility and reflected on a season rapidly going bad. Not since Sakic played for the 1993-94 Quebec Nordiques has a team of his been below a .500 record this late in the season. The Avs are 26-25-4, 10 points back of the Minnesota Wild for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
The ice is getting thin in support of the Avs’ playoff hopes. It used to be that Sakic and his teammates thought about pacing themselves this time of year to get ready for the playoffs. Now, everybody must go all out to avoid becoming the first Avalanche team to miss the postseason.
“We’re all disappointed with where we’re at right now,” said Sakic, who needs two goals for 600 in his career. “But we put ourselves in this position. We know it’s a mountain to climb. There’s no quit in here. We’re going to try and win (tonight against Anaheim) and take that into the next game.”
The Avs have searched in vain all season for consistency. Their season-long winning streak is three games. They are beset by defensive problems in all three zones and are not getting the kind of consistent goaltending that can cover up those defensive mistakes.
Early in the season, the Avs had problems holding leads, blowing games after solid starts. Now, it’s the opposite problem. After canceling a scheduled off-day and practicing Friday, and after a team meeting Saturday emphasizing the need for better starts, the Avs fell behind 3-0 on Sunday in the first period at Dallas. They outscored the Stars 5-4 the rest of the way, but a loss is a loss.
“The last four or five games, we just haven’t gotten off to the starts we needed,” Sakic said. “We need some energy. And, consistency is the big thing.”
Here is a breakdown of the key moments and issues that have led to this season on the brink.
No D in Denver
Only three teams in the Western Conference have allowed more goals than Colorado’s 172.
The Avs have been too easy to play against in their own zone recently.
“They’re not physical enough,” NBC hockey analyst Pierre McGuire said. “The chances they’ve given up are just too generous.”
The Avs get hemmed into their end at times, turning too many pucks over or failing to make simple outlet passes. The absence of veteran defenseman Patrice Brisebois, out since Dec. 27 with a back injury, has robbed the Avs of probably their best outlet passer.
The recent foot injury to defenseman John-Michael Liles also has hurt, and Jordan Leopold – the principal player acquired from Calgary in exchange for talented winger Alex Tanguay – has been injured most of the season. He still is getting up to speed.
Dec. 27: Waterloo?
The Avs entered their first game after Christmas with five wins in their previous six outings, including a rousing 7-6 victory at Edmonton and a solid 5-2 victory over Stanley Cup champion Carolina.
The Avs had a 4-2 lead late in the second period over the Stars. Things were looking good. Then, it all fell apart, and the Avs haven’t recovered. Goalie Jose Theodore allowed a late, short-side goal to Jere Lehtinen to make it 4-3 after two, then allowed two soft goals in the first 1:08 of the third. The Stars – playing without veterans Mike Modano, Brenden Morrow and Eric Lindros – went on to a 5-4 win.
Colorado lost Brisebois for the rest of the season in the loss, then dropped back-to-back games to St. Louis – the last-place team in the West at the time.
Theodore’s struggles
Theodore had some good moments early in the season – a fine win Oct. 19 in Ottawa, another one Oct. 8 against Vancouver. But he followed up the victory over the Senators by allowing eight goals, an Avs record, against his old team at Montreal.
Theodore, making $5.5 million, has not allowed fewer than three goals since Dec. 23 against Chicago. A big showing Sunday against the Stars in relief of Peter Budaj would have gotten the Avs a much-needed win, but Theodore faltered – again.
Whither Svatos?
Offense hasn’t been one of the main problems for Colorado this season, but Marek Svatos’ performance has.
Svatos tied Sakic for the team goal-scoring lead (32) in an injury-shortened 2005-06. But he had only 11 through his first 50 games this year, and played only a little more than five minutes Sunday.
Svatos could be a candidate for the trade block – but don’t look for the Avs to be big players before the Feb. 27 trade deadline. General manager Francois Giguere’s stated plan is to keep the Avs’ young prospects intact, and keep building through the draft and free agency.
In other words, Avs fans will need to have something they’re not too familiar with – patience.
Staff writer Adrian Dater can be reached at 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com.
On thin ice
The Avalanche is 10 points behind the Minnesota Wild for the final Western Conference playoff spot and has fewer points after 55 games than in any season since the team began play in Denver during the 1995-96 season. The Avs have never missed the playoffs:
Season Record Points
1995-96 29-16-10 68
1996-97 33-14-8 74
1997-98 26-13-16 68
1998-99 29-21-5 63
1999-00 26-21-8 60
2000-01 35-11-8-1 79
2001-02 30-18-6-1 67
2002-03 25-14-11-5 66
2003-04 30-11-10-4 74
2004-05 Season canceled
2005-06 29-20-1-5 64
2006-07 26-25-2-2 56
