Colorado Avalanche 2010 Preview & Predictions

Colorado Avalanche 2010 Season Preview, Predictions Picks & Odds

With the NHL Hockey season just around the corner, we are providing season previews for all 30 teams to give you the betting edge. Follow the best NHL Hockey Handicappers as they analyze their teams in this 2010 season preview. Use our comprehensive and insider info to bet successfully on the NHL in our recommend sportsbooks. View the rest of our 2010 NHL Season Previews here.

COLORADO AVALANCHE

2009-10 record: 43-30-9
Shootout Record: 7-5
Division Finish: 2nd, Northwest
Conference Finish: 8th, Western
Goals For: 244
Goals Against: 233

Colorado Avalanche 2010 Preview

Many years will pass before people can make legitimate comparisons between Matt Duchene and Joe Sakic.

But to an Avalanche team that fretted over how it would move on from 20 seasons of having Little Joe lead the team and the offense, Duchene’s rookie campaign was a pure delight, as Colorado improved by 26 points and Duchene found himself a Calder Trophy finalist.

Duchene, selected third overall in 2009 with the franchise’s highest pick since Eric Lindros was No. 1, rebounded from a slow start as he adjusted to a different level of hockey on and off the ice. He ended with 24 goals and 55 points.

His numbers matched the pace of the League’s NO.1 pick, John Tavares of the New York Islanders. But just as important, Duchene became a dependable player away from the puck.

And with fellow rookies T.J. Galiardi and Ryan O’ Reilly, and other young stars Chris Stewart, Brandon Yip and 24-year-old Paul Stastny all filling the net as shock troops of the Avs’ youth movement, the team was back in the playoffs for one round last season. They look to make more noise in 2010-11.

Beginning with an October spurt of 10-1-2, the Avs served notice they were going to 90ntend again in the division and conference.

Stastny kept stepping it up with a team-leading five points in the six game opening-round series against San Jose.

Naturally, a lot of other pegs had to fall into place for Colorado, whose goals-against had ballooned to 257 in ’08-09.

In a year when several nomadic goalies around the League found new homes, Craig Anderson came to roost in the Rockies and won 38 games, taking the heat off Peter Budaj. The defense was revamped to a degree as well. But the biggest change was the burst of scoring up-front, taking the Avs from 199 goals (a franchise low) to 244, fourth in the conference.

In addition to contributions from the kid snipers, the Avs scooped Peter Mueller from Phoenix late in the year and watched him net 20 points in 15 games. Playing on left wing with Duchene and Milan Hejduk, Mueller provided a strong right-handed shot from the point on the power play. He didn’t sugarcoat his intentions from here on in.

2010 Colorado Avalanche Offense:

In mid-November, Duchene had endured a pointless slump in 10 of 11 games, then made some adjustments to open more ice for himself and,promptly left much of the League’s freshman class eating snow. He was at or near plus-l0 from Feb. 1 onwards, but finished the season at plus-one. Joined by O’Reilly (plus-four, with 26 points), the Avs were the first team since the 1995-96 Winnipeg Jets to start the year carrying two 18-year-olds. Stastny roared back from an injury marred ’08-09, missed just one game, shone with 59 assists and led the team in points, courtesy of his third 20-goal season The Avs did have some veteran forwards step up, namely Darcy TUcker maturing into an on-ice leader through 71 games and mentoring several of the young Avs on non-game days. Hejduk’s best years might be behind him, but the 2001 Cup .holdover now has 10 seasons of 20-plus goals and is approaching 900 games in a Colorado jersey. Galiardi has now played one year of Tier II, junior and NCAA as well as 87 NHL games, in the last of which he’s netted 45 total points.

2010 Colorado Avalanche Defense:

Adam Foote announced in May he’d return for a 19th season in the League and 16th in Denver, signing a one-year deal. The last of the Quebec Nordiques who came here in 1995, the team captain still plays up to 20 minutes a game. An injury held John-Michael Liles to a career-low 31 points, but that still led all blueliners on the team. Kyle Quincy, a fringe player on a great Detroit team, enjoyed a: career best plus-nine in his new surroundings, but nine fewer points than his one-season stop with Los Angeles the year before. Ryan Wilson, part of the 2009 Jordan Leopold deal with Calgary, emerged from the farm and led the team with a . plus-13 in 61 matches, adding 21 points’ and participating in four playoff games.

2010 Colorado Avalanche Goaltending:

Anderson is the backbone of the team, and some-times the Avs relied on him too much. In the playoffs they might have paid the price. At least Anderson did see League post-season action for the first time in seven seasons. Impressed at his 15 wins in 31 games in Florida the year before, the Avs brought the 28-year-old in as a free agent and he grabbed the wheel in a team-record 71 games. His 38 wins almost equaled the great Patrick Roy’s best year here. That meant a big change in workload for Budaj, who had covered almost 60 games in two of the previous three seasons. He had to be content with 15 last year, doing his best and matching Anderson’s .917 save percentage. Anderson also had a playoff shutout to give him eight on the season and 13 the past three years.

Colorado Avalanche 2010 Special Teams

Colorado’s power play was ‘borderline 15th, but should be better as Duchene defines his all-round game and the rest of the young guns catch up. Duchene and Stastny cooked up 19 total goals and Duchene’s 21 power play points were the most in the conference by a rookie. The Avs were not a strong penalty killing group, ranking 21st and giving up 35 on the road in 41 games. Another five were deposited by San Jose in the playoffs. Six players scattered eight shorthanded goals, two each by forwards David Jones and O’Reilly.

Colorado Avalanche 2010 Season Predictions

The margin of error to make .the playoffs is going to be closed tighter by teams such as division rival Calgary, so the Avs better start thinking of close to 100 points to guarantee another berth. Considering where they’ve come from in just a year, they should be able to add a bit more cushion to stay in the top eight.

We predict that the Colorado Avalanche will finish 3rd in the NHL Northwest.

Colorado Avalanche Betting

Colorado Avalanche Stanley Cup Odds: +6000
Colorado Avalanche Western Conference Odds: +3000

Will the Colorado Avalanche will go all the way to the Stanley Cup? Or, will their season be lackluster? Either way, you can still enjoy Colorado Avalanche betting at our feature sportsbooks. Colorado Avalanche Betting is serious business; where you can make a ton of money placing informed, smart Colorado Avalanche bets. Check out these highly reliable, trustworthy, online sportsbooks.

Join Sportsbook.com Today and Bet on the Colorado Avalanche and receive a 50% Sportsbook Bonus!