ST. PAUL, MINN. — The Avalanche is 8-8 on the road.
That’s not bad, not bad at all. And Colorado is coming off back-to-back 2-1 road wins over the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers.
If the home record — now a desultory 3-6-1 — starts to reflect a team playing better overall while also reclaiming the home-ice advantage, Colorado’s hopes of not just escaping the Central Division basement, but also making the playoffs aren’t ridiculous whistles in the wind.
Going into Friday’s games, the Avalanche was seven points out of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference, and it almost certainly will involve finishing at least fifth in the deep Central Division.
But there is the final game of this four-game trip, Saturday at St. Paul against the Minnesota Wild, to deal with first before getting home. Saturday’s game in the Xcel Energy Center also is the first half of a barn-and-barn set, with the Wild coming to Denver for Monday night’s game and the Avalanche’s honoring of its 20th anniversary team.
The Avalanche has allowed 29 or fewer shots in each of the past six games, with Semyon Varlamov in the net four times and Reto Berra twice. Colorado is 4-2 in those six, so keeping the shots down isn’t the automatic panacea, especially with the Avs cracking 30 only once in the stretch, when they had 43 in a 5-3 loss to Ottawa at home and Varlamov had a lackluster night. They had only 18 against the Rangers on Thursday in what for much of the night was a boring game, but goals by Chris Wagner and Matt Duchene were enough.
But in general, this has the look of a team playing a much more solid and sound game of late.
“I think the biggest thing is our neutral zone,” said defenseman Erik Johnson. “We’re playing that 1-3-1 and it’s tough for teams to come through the neutral zone on us. We’re causing a lot of turnovers, going the other way, having some rushes ourselves. I just think we’re bottling up the neutral zone. Teams are coming with as much speed. They have to dump it in.
“With that 1-3-1, we always have a ‘D’ back, usually a righty, me or (Tyson Barrie) or whoever back there to go retrieve pucks and make plays. We have a safety guy, so if they chip it, we go back and get it. Our righties are more of our playmakers on our back end, so that’s why we’re doing that and it’s making a big difference.”
Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said of the Avalanche: “They came in here and played a real structured game that made it challenging to get through the neutral zone. So what needs to happen in a game like this — you can score early and you have the possibility of making them open it up a little bit. We spent a lot of time in their end but didn’t get a lot of shots or opportunities for it. Then in the second they got those two quick goals and then they clogged it up.”
Duchene’s goal was his 14th, especially eye-popping considering he had one in October. The center-by-trade took a pass from Gabe Landeskog and scored from the right circle, and it again showed that a left shot playing the right wing — traditionally more of a European approach than North American — can like the angles created. Since stepping on the line with Landeskog on the left and Nathan MacKinnon in the middle, Duchene has been on a tear.
“Gabe and I talked and I told him I wanted the right side right away and that’s kind of why,” Duchene said. “I like my stick in the middle of the ice. I just find it’s easier to make plays and I like to use my backhand. Yeah, I guess it’s working a little bit now and the key is consistency and staying focused and keeping the foundation.”
Terry Frei: tfrei@denverpost.com or @TFrei
COLORADO AT MINNESOTA
When: 6 p.m. Saturday
TV/Radio: ALT; 950 AM
Spotlight on Ryan Suter:
The high-priced Wild defenseman caused a furor this week, making it clear that he wasn’t wild about being paired with left-shooting Jonas Brodin in practice Monday because he needed to play with a right shot. But Suter and coach Mike Yeo quickly patched things up. It was one of those instant conflagrations in the instant communication age that seem darkly funny after the fact.
NOTEBOOK
Avalanche:
Friday, the Avs did mostly off-ice work in St. Paul, Minn. Only a few players went to the Xcel Energy Center. … Although winger Andreas Martinsen was a healthy scratch Thursday against the Rangers in New York, coach Patrick Roy reassured Norwegian reporters (and everyone else) that it wasn’t in the Avs’ immediate plans to send Martinsen down to San Antonio of the AHL. … The Avs haven’t faced the Wild since Colorado’s epic collapse in a 5-4 loss on opening night.
Wild:
Minnesota has won two straight, over Chicago and Toronto, since going 1-4-2 in its previous seven games. … Devan Dubnyk again is playing the ironman in goal and has started 21 of the Wild’s 24 games. He allowed only one goal on 59 shots in his last two starts. … Going into Friday, the Wild ranked 27th in the 30-team NHL in penalty killing, at 75 percent.
Terry Frei, The Denver Post
