Which three Colorado Avalanche surprises from the first month of the season are the biggest?
As we close out October, the Colorado Avalanche is trading at.500. They had five straight victories after losing their first four games of the season. They lost 5-2 to the Chicago Blackhawks in their most recent game, although the score doesn’t really reflect how tight the contest was.
Sadly, Alexandar Georgiev has had a terrible start to the season, starting five games and winning only one. In two of those games, he was pulled.
With 3.60 goals per game, the Avalanche are ranked 10th. At 4.10 goals per game, they are also second-worst in terms of goals against. The Pittsburgh Penguins are the team with the lowest ranking in that category.
The Avalanche have been in a position in the past, similar to what they are now. This isn’t the first time they started out slow. They’ve managed to pull themselves together to make seven consecutive playoff appearances.
Let’s take a look at three players who have made tremendous contributions to the team’s season after the first month.
3. Justus Annunen, G
The last line of defense is obviously the most important position in hockey. That being the goaltender. I’ve felt that Justus Annunen has looked very good so far this season, while Alexandar Georgiev has looked quite a bit worse. Annunen has started off the year with a 4-1 record.
Annunen has pulled off four-straight victories. He also came into the first two games of the season in relief of Georgiev. The worst game of Annunen’s season so far was on Sunday against the Ottawa Senators. The Avalanche won that game 5-4.
Mikko Rantanen’s comment that he felt like the puck was going into the net every time the squad was caught snoozing made it clear that the team felt the effects of the losses they had endured.
This season, Annunen has undoubtedly appeared to be the superior goalie, which has generated debate. Is Georgiev going to be moved by the Avalanche soon? The Avalanche will start Kaapo Kahkonen against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday. If he makes an impression, that might close the deal.
