Avs Record: 0-2-1 this week, 8-4-2 overall (18 points)

Current Standings: 3rd in Central, 6th in Western Conference, 11th in the League





1. Direct TV and Altitude finally worked out a deal that will allow the Avs to be broadcast on Television again. The sports channel is still negotiating with Comcast and Dish Network and there really hasn’t been a lot of news on that front. It was interesting to hear that the Colorado Attorney general is investigating the cable/satellite giants for potentially overcharging customers which could lead to a hefty fine of up to $20,000 per violation, if found guilty. For now it looks like people can finally watch the Avs in bars again which is awesome.









2. The Avs got another injury blow this week learning that captain Gabriel Landeskog is going to be out long term with a lower body injury. Its unclear on how the injury occurred and frankly it doesn’t really matter. Losing Landeskog is a much bigger loss than people may realize. He’s the heart and soul of the team and he wears the "C" for a reason. He brings a physical style combined with a gritty skilled game that really helps make the Avs click. The Avs will certainly have their work cut out for them without 2 of their top 3 forwards.









3. One thing you absolutely can’t be complaining about this year is goaltending. I can probably count the number of soft goals given up this year on one hand. The goaltending isn’t really stealing games for the Avs (though that would be helpful with Rantanen and Landeskog out), but they aren’t losing games either. When you have a really strong team like the Avs do, consistent goaltending is important. Those who remember watching Patrick Roy for so many years know how big consistent goaltending is for team morale, players just play better when they trust the guy behind them in the net.









4. Nathan Mackinnon has been an absolute animal with Rantanen and Landeskog out of action. His skating looks like he's a beer leaguer who is playing two levels below where he should be, he's just skating circles around NHL players. His scoring streak did end Saturday in Arizona with the Avs getting shut out but he has been fantastic this year. The really scary thing about Mackinnon is that it still seems like he has another gear to show us. If he does the rest of the league should lookout.









5. Watching Nazim Kadri get kicked out of the faceoff circle so many times against Dallas was really frustrating to watch. I can honestly say in all my years of watching/playing/coaching hockey I've never seen anybody get picked on that blatantly in the faceoff circle. It was a frustrating way to lose that game and hopefully Kadri can improve his reputation with refs come playoff time. (Just to clarify I'm not blaming the loss on the refs or Kadri it was just a frustrating ending).





Thanks and see you next week!

Go Avs!