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Morning Flurries: Avalanche lose but their prospects are still thriving

Avalanche lose in Washington while Smirnov wins the NCAA’s first star.

By Tom Hunter

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Colorado Avalanche v Washington Capitals Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images

If you told Colorado Avalanche fans that the team would come back home with a 2-2 record from this road trip, I think they’d be pretty happy. The crummy part is that the trip ended on a sour note - with a rather lackluster loss to the Washington Capitals. The top line wasn’t good and Semyon Varlamov looked mediocre (at best). If you missed the game, here’s a complete recap for you.

While the NHL team might have had a rough night, it’s been a very successful few days for Avalanche prospects. Yesterday, Denis Smirnov - the team’s 6th round pick last June - was named NCAA first star of the week.

It’s hard to keep up with all of the Avs prospects, so we have a weekly review for you right here.

Around the Hockey World

Last summer, the Pittsburgh Penguins let Marc-Andre Fleury go to the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft. The development of Tristan Jarry was a big reason why. Jarry gave the Penguins more depth in net than most other NHL teams.

For the past few weeks, Jarry has been thrust into the starter’s role in Pittsburgh thanks to an injury to Matt Murray. Here is a great breakdown of Jarry’s play and a look at whether or not he’s ready to be a full-time NHL goaltender. [The Athletic]

Avalanche fans are well aware that the Ottawa Senators have already made what they consider to be a “win now” trade. When they acquired Matt Duchene, the Senators were planning on making a deep run towards the playoffs this season. They forgot one key thing - they stink. Now there is speculation that the team’s GM is itching to make another big trade. This time one that points more towards a rebuild. [TSN]

Anaheim Ducks forward Corey Perry is week to week with a lower-body injury sustained in a 3-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday. It’s a big blow for a Ducks team that has been dealing with injuries to their top players all season long.

The DU Pioneers announced yesterday that Detroit Red Wings goalie prospect Filip Larsson has committed play for the team. Larsson is currently playing for the Tri-City Storm in the USHL. [MHH]

Someone got a little mad last night.

Finally, some sad news. It was announced yesterday that long-time NHLer Zarley Zalapski passed away at the young age of 49.

During his 637 games of NHL experience, Zalapski scored 99 goals and 285 assists while racking up 684 penalty minutes.