Colorado in the playoffs: Day 2
A daily news recap from the Avalanche camp during their run in the playoffs.
Only a handful of die-hard Avalanche fans had as much as hoped that the Avs would make the playoffs this year. Even fewer people could imagine that if they did, their most seasoned post-season player would be Colin Wilson. The same Colin Wilson who played for the Nashville Predators (yes, we’re facing them in the first round) last season. The same Predators team that made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals as the last wildcard team.
To date, Wilson is a seasoned playoff veteran, making the postseason in seven seasons, suiting up for 47 games and recording 13 goals and 11 assists. If you’d think the experience he shared with his former teammates created any emotional bond, you’d be wrong. He already managed to tell the media that there would be no room for past friendships. The same goes for Gabriel Bourque and Sam Girard, whom both played for the same organization in the past. Wilson knows all too well what it’s like to be in the position of a young, underrated team.
In terms of playoff experience, let’s take a look which Avalanche players also already had a taste of the postseason – Landeskog, MacKinnon, Varlamov, Johnson, Barrie, Hammond, Barberio, Nemeth, Bourque, Comeau, Nieto and Soderberg.
One last interesting fact – from the current Avalanche roster, only Landeskog, MacKinnon, Varlamov, Johnson and Barrie played for Colorado during their last playoff appearance in 2014.
In other news…
Nathan MacKinnon participated in his first team practice since the end of the regular season. Yesterday’s absence was obviously just a maintenance day for the young phenom.
Sadly, this wasn’t the case with Blake Comeau, who missed practice once again and we are yet to know why.
Tuesday’s practice mostly focused on power-plays and shorthanded situations.
BSN Denver’s Adrian Dater wrote that based on the statements of several players, this season’s breaking point came during the Avs’ doubleheader against the Senators in Sweden, during which the entire team really came together – and during which Matt Duchene was already an afterthought. Colorado really began to turn things around after their short trip to Europe.
The Athletic announced that former Avalanche PR employee Ryan Boulding will be their reporter to cover playoff hockey in Denver. The Athletic is an ever-growing popular online media outlet and their presence in the Mile High City will surely help boost the quality of the Avs’ postseason coverage.
The Colorado Eagles, the Avs’ future AHL affiliate, made the ECHL playoffs and will look to win their second Kelly Cup in as many seasons.
Everyone knows that Nathan MacKinnon has had a phenomenal, Hart Trophy-worthy season. Take a look at everything the rising superstar has achieved this season thanks to this infographic, courtesy of the Avalanche’s official Facebook page.
Original story by David Puchovsky
Colorado in the playoffs: Day 1
Michal Hezely, Slovakia, hezely@eurolanche.com
11/04/2018 - 20:00
