CHICAGO — The Avalanche earned points in five of six preseason games, and a perfect record on the road. They got balanced scoring and mostly solid defense and goaltending, and had no serious injuries.
Of course, none of it counted on the scoreboard, and Thursday brings the first of 82 games that will count. But if Avalanche coach Tony Granato could have drawn up the ideal preseason for his team, it didn’t finish too far off the mark.
The Avs closed out their preseason with a 4-3 overtime victory Sunday night over the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center, finishing with a 4-1-1 record.
Ryan Smyth’s tap-in power-play goal, off a feed from Paul Stastny, won the game after the Blackhawks tied it with four-tenths left of a second in regulation.
“I think we did the things we wanted to in training camp,” Granato said. “You want your players focused and as confident and ready for the season as you can. And I think when you win games, it makes everybody feel better about themselves.
“I like the way our players worked and competed in camp, and I think we got better as we went along.”
Granato is definitely a “glass half full” kind of guy, so any flaws the Avs might have shown tend to stay private. But overall, the Avs this preseason looked a lot like they did all of last season: tough defensively, always seemingly in tight, competitive games, and usually with just enough offense to come out with a point or two.
“Now the real season starts,” said Smyth, who had a tremendous preseason with five goals and seven points in four games. “It’s nice to build some confidence. But we’ve got to find a way to duplicate that now in the real season.”
Smyth, who started with the Avs last year on a line with Joe Sakic and Andrew Brunette, is now firmly ensconced as the left wing on a line with Stastny and Milan Hejduk.
“(Stastny) has such good puck movement, and for me that’s key, just going to the net,” Smyth said.
Wojtek Wolski, on a line with Sakic (three assists Sunday) and Darcy Tucker (one assist), scored the Avs’ first two goals and added an assist to Brian Willsie on a third-period goal that made it 3-2.
After hurting his foot in an offseason training accident, Wolski missed the first week of camp. Despite only three preseason games, he finished with four points.
“I think every day, things are going to feel better,” Wolski said. “It’s hard to take some time off, and all of a sudden just jump into games. Joe and I have a pretty good relationship now over the last couple of years. We’ve been playing a lot together and I think every year it’s getting a little easier. Now, as I’m getting older I’m working harder defensively, so that’s helping Joe and myself as well.”
Wolski finished at a career-high plus-10 last season, but many fans still focus on his point totals.
“It’s weird, Nobody says much about my (defense). When you’re scoring goals, obviously it helps your plus-minus, but I’m trying to get better defensively,” Wolski said.
Adrian Dater: 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com
