As a savvy rookie, Paul Stastny has scored some goals on redirections this season.
On Saturday, after hearing someone trying to get him to talk about whether the Avalanche’s stretch run at the very least will give Colorado momentum going into next season, he politely admitted he was going to “redirect” the question.
Nobody in the Avalanche dressing room wants to talk about next season yet, even in optimistic terms.
“We’re just focused on finishing the here and now,” he said, after the Avalanche kept its slim playoff hopes alive with a 2-1 victory over Minnesota. “You try not to get caught up in anything else, because then the rest of the season, you won’t concentrate as well.”
Avalanche coach Joel Quenneville said something similar.
“We’re not thinking like that, how we’re coaching,” he said. “We’re in the ‘now’ business and the ‘win today’ business. I think, organizationally, there are some real good signs for the future, but we can’t really sell that to the players or to us as coaches. That’s not what we’re here for today.”
Scratched
Colorado went with six defensemen against the Wild, scratching Jeff Finger and returning Ossi Vaananen to the lineup after he sat out the past two. Ian Laperriere was back in the lineup after sitting out the Thursday game at Phoenix with a groin injury, and Scott Parker was a healthy scratch for the sixth time in the past eight games.
Brunch
The Avalanche won’t practice today, instead getting together for the annual Better Halves Brunch and Fashion Show, a charity event at the Hyatt Regency Tech Center.
