Tough Road Trip for Liles, Not Bad for the Avs

The Colorado Avalanche hit the road on a 3-game trip, facing Ottawa, Detroit and Columbus.  But for John-Michael Liles, it was a road trip to forget.  Youngster Kyle Cumiskey returned to the line up from an injury and Coach Joe Sacco found himself with too many healthy defensemen.  Someone had to sit.  Not too many people thought it would be the veteran with a hefty $4M contract.  With the initial news before the Ottawa game you had to wonder: is it time to start the trade talk…again?  I kind of wish the Avs would just pull the trigger so I don’t have to listen to the rumors anymore.  To make matters worse for Liles, he didn’t make the Olympic team. 

It’s been hard for Sacco to take the new guys out of the line up, Quincey wasn’t too much of a surprise but Ryan Wilson surely is a pleasant surprise.  Wilson chips in with some points (2 on this trip) but best of all he is a very skilled hitter.  He hammers guys into the boards, separating them from the puck without putting himself out of position.

The Avs as a team had a much nicer road trip, beating Ottawa, dropping one to the Wings and then picking up another two points against Columbus by scoring the winning goal in the final minute of a tied game. 

The Ottawa game was a success in many ways for the Avs; all four lines for the Avs scored, the back checking was excellent, and the young guys were scoring.  But the Avs pulled another one of their late-game tricks where they let the other team back in the game.  Up four to one in the third, the Sens scored two goals to get back in it and make it a game.  Though the Avs managed to hang on for the win, the defensive work late in the game was often more scrambled than my morning eggs.

The Avs looked disinterested in the Detroit game, Darcy Tucker had a good game and Duchene had two helpers.

Tucker’s name has been taken in vain in Denver much more than the man has been praised.  But I’ve begun to notice in a lot of interviews with the young guys on this team that his name is often dropped when talking about veterans that are helping them with their game.  So as a fan it may not look like he is doing much, but I like to think he is benefiting these young guys with a positive influence and some of that intangible leadership that is so important to young teams.

Duchene is now only one point behind John Tavares in the rookie point standings.  Coincidentally the Islanders are up next for the Avs so the points race will be a hot topic.

Coming in to Columbus the Avs were looking to get two points to keep the lead in the Northwest.  Liles was a scratch early in the day but was suddenly put in the line up due to a festering injury suffered by Brett Clark. 

Not two seconds into the games the BJ fans were booing former captain Adam Foote every time he touched the puck.  And with the early lead, the BJ fans had something to cheer as well.

The youngsters came through for the Avs in this one with old-timer Cumiskey at 23 years old scoring the first goal for the Avs to tie things up.  Chris Stewart (22 yrs old) put the Avs second one in to tie the game up yet again at 2-2.  And finally TJ Galiardi (21 yrs old) would put it away with less than a minute to go in the third.

It was a good road trip for the team and the two points in Columbus allowed them to maintaining their 1^st place status in the northwest.