Bob Hartley with Ray Bourque, Patrick Roy, Joe Sakic … and Stanley Getty Images
Solid comparison story by . It’s about the NHL’s last two Jack Adams Award winners, who combine to take a 6-15-2 record into Tuesday night’s game in Denver.
Terry Frei’s to the visiting San Jose Sharks is here. Check out Terry’s .
Are the Avs better than the 90-point team from last year? I think so. They absolutely move the puck better and possession time is relatively equal. But statistically, it doesn’t show based on an 11-game sample size. Shots against are down, and the power play is up. But the power play, but let’s face it, has been brutal since beginning 4-of-6. (Jarome Iginla made a nice shot for a PPG Sunday against the Sharks, but the puck came to Iginla off a defenseman’s poke check. It was a broken play):
Colorado finished 2-of-4 on the power play against San Jose. The Avs’ second goal was off a rebound:
AVALANCHE, MORE OF THE SAME
Through 11 games, the Avs statistically look like the non-playoff team last season:
(League rank in parenthesis, 30 teams)
2014-15 (82 games, 39-31-12)
GF: 2.55 (22-t)
GA: 2.72 (21-t)
SF: 27.9 (27)
SA: 33.2 (4-most)
PP: 15% (29)
PK: 84.6 (5)
2015-16 (11 games, 3-7-1)
GF: 2.45 (19)
GA: 3.00 (24)
SF: 27 (27)
SA: 30.8 (9-most)
PP: 19.6 (16)
PK: 79.5 (16)
Mark Rycroft immediately pointed this out postgame, and coach Patrick Roy spoke about it in his presser: the Avs got caught with two centers on the ice when Brent Burns scored to give the Sharks a 3-2 lead late in the third. In a 2-2 game, centers Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon messed up their line change, and left winger Gabe Landeskog was trailing on the play, out of position to stop Burns. Bottom line: you have less than two minutes to play before getting a point and trying to win it in a 3-on-3 overtime. Block the shot!
