



Welcome to inaugural 5 thoughts weekly post. I really enjoy reading Elliot Friedman's 31 thoughts so I thought I would start a similar weekly blog exclusively for Avalanche hockey during the season. I don’t usually have any insider knowledge, but I will try to come up with interesting stats and things like that.





Opening Night 10/5/2019





1. The Avs are 4-0 for the first time since the 2013-2014 season. They have started 4-0 three other times in their history:

-1997-98 (7-0 to start with 2 ties, eliminated in the 1st round by Edmonton)

-2000-01 (11-0 to start with 2 ties, won the Stanley Cup)

-2013-14 (6-0 eliminated in the 1st round by Minnesota).

There is rightfully a lot of buzz around this team right now and its going to be a really exciting season to watch. (info pulled from hockeyrefrence.com)





2. I was really skeptical about Andrei Burakovsky in my preseason preview . So far he’s really exceeded expectations. He's had two beautiful game winning goals in the last 2 games and has been extremely solid. I’m very happy to be wrong about him so far. He could be a very important piece for us going forward. If he can find the consistency he never had in Washington he has the chance to become a bonafide top 6 player.









3. Probably the biggest question for the Avs coming into this season was goaltending. The main two questions were Phillip Grubauer being consistent and Pavel Francouz being ready for NHL time. So far Grubauer has been excellent and is slowly creeping his way into several top 10 goalie discussions. Much like Burakovsky, if Grubby can maintain this level of play he will be a top starting goalie in the NHL. As for Francouz, he was also excellent in his only start against Arizona. He seemed to have a little nerves which is understandable but I wouldn’t fault either of the two goals against on him. He seemed very composed and ready to handle the backup role for the Avs this season.









4. I’ll be frank: Altitude and the providers need to get it together. I personally haven’t had cable in years so I wasn’t too concerned with the whole thing until I realized one thing: No Altitude also means that bars, breweries, and restaurants can’t carry the Avalanche games on TV until this situation is resolved. I heard from someone close to the situation that the entire thing is over just a couple million dollars. Its absolutely embarrassing that the Avs are this good and people are unable to watch them on TV at their favorite local establishments. We have been starved for a great Avs team like this for years and its time for these companies to get it together.









5. Getting a 4-0 start at home was huge but the real test is this upcoming 6 road trip that starts tonight in Washington. It’s the longest road trip of the season and the Avs haven’t been as good on the road the last few seasons. Having a lot of new found depth should help and its time to put that depth to the test. The Avs will be good at the Pepsi Center all year, the vibe around that arena on opening night was absolutely unreal. If you haven’t made it to a game at "The Can" yet you need to get there!