Thursday, October 22, 2009

4-1-2 Not too bad

Avs finally wrapped up their 7 game road trip last night with a 3-2 shootout loss to Minnesota. They finished the trip with 4-1-2 record taking 10 of a possible 14 points and remain atop the Western Conference with 14 points.

The trip ended up just like it started out against Nashville. Avs had a 3rd period lead that they let slip away in the final minutes. Unlike in Nashville though, they still managed to get a point out of Minnesota. Still, sandwiched in the middle of those games, the Avs managed to walk into Boston, Montreal, Toronto, and Detroit with wins and even earned a point in Chicago. Very impressive trip.

Craig Anderson was the main reason for the Avs successful road trip. Despite finishing with a 2.71 GAA on the trip, he made the big saves that kept giving the Avs a chance to win the game and then the team did their job and scored some goals.

2 of the biggest goals of the trip saw rookies Ryan O'Reilly and Matt Duchene get their first NHL goals. O'Reilly now sits tied for 2nd among rookie scoring (1+6=7) while Duchene sits in a tie for 4th (1+3=4) along with teammate TJ Galiardi. Both are confirmed to be sticking around past the 9 game tryout. 28 year old Matt Hendricks also scored his first NHL goal on the trip against his former team, the Boston Bruins.

Next up, the Avs return home for a back to back set against Carolina on friday and then the Wings are in town on Saturday. After that short home stand, the Avs get back on the road for another trip, this time only 4 games.

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