Morning Flurries: No Johnson, no problem for the Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche finished the 2016-17 season with just 48 total points, lower than any other team in the NHL by over a 20-point margin.

On the other side of the coin, the Pittsburgh Penguins walked away from their own 2016-17 season as Stanley Cup champions.

Again.

It was truly a tale of two franchises last year, but the pair saw a role reversal in their two-game season-series this year. With Tuesday night’s win, the Avalanche took home a series sweep, and the Penguins continued to struggle through December. [Mile High Hockey]

Speaking of the Johnson suspension, it has many Avalanche fans pretty upset about how inconsistent the NHL has been when it comes to discipline. This leads to the question, is the league biased against the Avalanche? (they aren’t)

While this season is going better than many had anticipated for the Avalanche, it’s been an even more successful season for their prospects. This past weekend, 2016 7th rounder Travis Barron had the privilege of playing in an outdoor game at Ottawa’s Lansdown Park as part of the NHL’s Centennial celebration. In his own words, it was “a dream come true”.

Around the Hockey World

He’s one of the most interesting men in the NHL. Here is a fun interview with San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns. [NHL]

Let's talk about the bobblehead doll everyone seems to love: the shirtless, bearded Joe Thornton. What was your reaction when you first saw it?

"I think it's great. But it's tough to beat the real thing though, and I get to see the real thing all the time. He's definitely unique and special, not just on the ice, but off the ice. Joe's a special guy. He's in great shape. The bobblehead's got a pretty good body."

When the World Juniors star next week, Avs fans are going to be keeping a keen eye on Team Canada thanks to the presence prospects Cale Makar and Conor Timmins. Now, American goaltender Jake Oettinger is giving us all a reason to keep an eye on him. Check out this gear.