If there was one thing you could almost always count on with last season’s Avalanche, it was this: If the Avs got a two-goal lead, it would often become a one-goal lead before long.
So when the Avs took a 3-1 lead with a little more than 12 minutes to go against the New York Rangers on Monday night, experienced Avs fans might have started gripping their seats a little tighter. But a funny thing happened on the way to Panicville: The lead remained as safe as a lion’s cub, to the point that Rangers fans booed throughout the final minutes from the lack of excitement.
In his postgame summation, Avs coach Joe Sacco noted the difference.
“I thought we could see some maturity in our game. We didn’t turn the puck over when it was 3-1,” Sacco said. “When we had the puck in their zone, we weren’t throwing it out to the slot. To me, that’s part of maturing as a young team. Those are good signs.”
Granted, this was only one game, and the Rangers were a team missing three top offensive players, but progress is progress. Last season, no matter what the opponent or circumstance, it seemed the Avs put fans through a white- knuckle ride after taking any lead.
“We sat back too much last year when we got a lead,” Avs defenseman John-Michael Liles said. “We’ve still got a young team, and everybody is learning and maturing. We just want to keep picking up pieces of learning here and there.”
Footnotes.
The Avs took Tuesday off. . . . While Colorado played seven defensemen against the Rangers, Sacco said it’s “not something I do too often” but that he’d revisit the dilemma of whether to do it again Thursday against San Jose at home. It appears as if rookie Jonas Holos has integrated himself into the regular defensive rotation, so it could be a top-six-by-committee for the time being. . . . The Avs hope right wing Brandon Yip (groin strain) will be able to resume practice today. . . . With Sacco only using 11 forwards against the Rangers, TJ Galiardi was sometimes spot-shifted on the fourth line, along with a usual shift on the top trio with Paul Stastny and Chris Stewart.
Adrian Dater: 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com
