Avs Talk - A Colorado Avalanche Blog

I've been a bit silent lately and not for any good reason. I was simply not enthused enough to write anything. Which works out well because the Avalanche have not been enthused enough to play hockey during that time.

The Avs downed the Blues 3-1 on Wednesday but it was still a less-than-stellar effort from the squad. The team is still playing with no spunk and are making Tony Granato's "run-and-gun" offense look like it's all out of bullets.

Phew. If that's not a lame joke, I don't know what is. Maybe the Avs offense? Boo-ya!

Game time
I'm going to play a game of good news, bad news, good news. See, you start with the good news which puts everyone in a good mood. Then you toss in some bad news while the people are on a bit of a high. Then, because people really only remember the last thing you say, you end with more good news.

Good News
Peter Budaj continues to redeem his slow start this season by being the only Avalanche player to consistently show up over the past dozen games.

It was widely believed by pundits that Budaj would be the downfall of the Avalanche this year. It turns out, he's been the bright spot while the rest of the team fizzles.

Color me skeptical on whether Budaj can continue this level of play for 70 games this season but I'll be more than happy if he does.

It appears keeping Jeff Hackett around was a smart move by the Avs organization.

Bad News
Joe Sakic played only 28 seconds against the Blues before leaving for the rest of the game. He won't be in the lineup tonight.

This is not a good sign.

The Avalanche have scored 19 goals in their last 12 games.

This is not a good sign.

Tony Granato felt the team played a heck of a game against the Coyotes and deserved a better fate.

This is not a good sign.

Good news
Ryan Smyth has started putting his ass in goaltenders faces and has two goals in his last two games.

You could see the relief on Smyth's face when he scored against the Blues. It was like the weight of the world came off his shoulders.

And all it took was to let him do his thing.

Who knew that would be a good strategy?

I'll be back this afternoon with a preview of the Lightning game. As a bit of a preview, I'm actually feeling optimistic about the game.