I'm posting this early because it's Thanksgiving and I'll be busy most of the day.
The Avalanche takes on Edmonton tonight, hopefully with some kind of determination to win, considering they've lost three straight road games and have been outscored 14-3 in that span. The team has played horribly as of late. Everyone, from the top offensive line to the goalies, has been lifeless on the ice. The fire that the team showed early in the season, especially at home, has been missing.
Who's to blame? Most of us seem to agree that the collective failure of the Avs is mostly the fault of Coach Q, who has restlessly shuffled his offensive lines and defensive pairings, along with his goaltenders, in what seems like a simple case of impatience. You can't rush chemistry. Considering how many players on the team are either young or new to the lineup, constantly changing the combinations only seems to make things worse.
Things must turn around tonight.
How important is it for the Avs to get things together and win tonight? It's critical. As Adrian Dater points out:
There are 61 games after tonight, but tonight officially qualifies, at least in the minds of Avs players, as the season's first must-win game.
Glad to see others accept the Must-Win ideology.
I should be finished eating and mingling with the fam by the time the puck drops at 7:00 PM Mountain time, 9:00 PM Eastern. Live blogging shall occur. If anyone else is free, especially you Canadians, please feel obliged to join in on the fun. Go Avs!
ESPN preview.