Avalanche defenseman Kyle Quincey isn’t having quite the offensive season he had with the Los Angeles Kings in 2008-09. He hasn’t had to.
Quincey had 38 points for the Kings last season and has 20 after 51 games with Colorado. But not only is that not too far off last year’s pace, Quincey has been playing terrific hockey in his own end all along for the Avs, including in Sunday’s 4-0 win over Dallas.
“I think my role was a little different last year,” Quincey said. “I’m not going to worry about that much. I’m getting chances, and it’s up to me to bury them, but my role is to be solid in my own end first, and if the points come, that’s a bonus.”
Quincey, whose contract is up after this season and can be a restricted free agent, was a plus-1 in his game- high 24:20 of ice time.
Un-crowded.
After a couple of big crowds around the holidays, attendance to Avs games has slid back to disappointing levels.
Sunday’s game was the third straight at which the Avs failed to draw more than 13,000 at home.
Hejduk recovering.
Avalanche right wing Milan Hejduk, who had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Wednesday, should be fully recovered when the team returns from the Olympic break Feb. 29.
Hejduk had some bone chips cleaned out from the knee in the procedure, which was deemed a success by the team.
Footnotes.
At an average of 25.8 years old, the Avs’ roster is the youngest in the NHL. . . . Brett Clark’s first- period goal marked the third consecutive game the Avs scored on the power play. . . . Avs goalie Craig Anderson said of his latest shutout — his fifth of the season, “When my job looks easier, it means the guys in front of me are doing their job.” . . .
Said his counterpart Sunday night, Dallas veteran Marty Turco: “Team defense is all about hard work, and it’s just an attitude. We need an attitude adjustment. We have to trust our coaches to help us figure it out. They (Colorado) do a lot of good things. They work their tail off and support each other.”
Adrian Dater, The Denver Post
