HIDDEN: The Colorado Avalanche Have a Subtle Reason for Their Early Season Success

The Colorado Avalanche have points in their first three games. Chris Miselli of Locked On Avalanche is here to talk about what’s working and what needs to be better. All that and more next on today’s Locked On NHL podcast. [Music] You’re Locked on NHL, your daily podcast on the National Hockey League, part of the Locked On podcast network. Your team every day. Gil Martin here. Welcome everybody to the Monday edition of the Locked On NHL podcast, part of the Locked On Network, your team every day. I want to thank everyone who makes Locked on NHL your first listen every day. Don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts so you never miss an episode. Today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Download the FanDuel app now by visiting fanduel.com and win $300 in bonus bets if your first $5 bet wins. It is my pleasure to welcome back to the show the co-host of Locked On Avalanche, Chris Meli. And uh Chris, you got to be happy with the 20 and one start. Uh what’s been sort of the biggest factor in winning and getting points in your first three games? It’s been a lot of different things, Gil. uh one one has been uh goalending at least in the first two games and it’s been your backup goalie with Scott Wedgewood because Mackenzie Blackwood we knew that was going to be out for a few games. He’s not out for a very long time. He could return uh Monday in Buffalo. So they knew he was going to be out for a few games and Scott Wedgwood has come in and those first two games played has played exceptionally well. Uh the third game against Dallas, a little iffy in the beginning, got better as the game went on, but he he’s been he’s been really good and and that’s the big difference between last year uh how they started and with the goalending. Um but there’s, you know, there’s there’s more energy to the team. That was a big thing last year was their starts were very just slow and a little bit lethargic. Um, and for a team that’s built on speed, it was very weird to see so many times last year, but they’re coming out of the I think it’s been a point of emphasis in in training camp and the preseason was to start games how they were finishing them last year and right off the bat just let’s just get on teams. Um, and you’ve you’ve seen it especially in that game against Dallas. Yeah, they it went into a shootout. Yeah, they lost in the shootout. they get the point. Uh but they were far and away the better team in that game. Uh so if if and you know that’s only game three. So if it took three games to shake off the rust and you look like that after three games, um it’s going to be an exciting season for the AS. I know he hasn’t scored a point in three games, but how much does the presence of Gabriel Andog help this team be ready from the opening faceoff? cannot be understated uh what they’ve missed from him. Um and and it’s been he’s been around the team obviously when he was out for those three years. Uh maybe not so much in year one, year two, but year three he was around them a little bit more and he went even went on some road trips with them, but it’s different when you’re you’re in the uniform and out on the ice with them and on the bench with them. Um he’s I I don’t care. I’m biased. He’s the best captain in the league. Um, and and it it it it just shows and that could very well be a big reason because he doesn’t let anybody just skate by. And I don’t want to say like because he’s not there, other guys are not doing that. Like other guys take leadership roles on the team, but it’s just a different animal with with Gabe Lanniskog uh being a part of the club day in and day out at practices in the locker room. Completely different vibe. Um, and you get the like he’s the calm, cool, collected, but the expectation from him is like excellence where Nathan McKinnon is like he will get in your face and just call you exploitives and you know it’s they have like this two like this different ways that they do things and they they both work together and when they were separated you’re just getting it from Nathan McKinnon and not the other side from Gabe Landiskog and now that everything’s back in uh motion and everything is kumbaya right now in the locker room. So, definitely helps to have your captain back on the ice. How about the biggest offseason addition, Brent Burns? What has his impact been so far? And how much do you think he can contribute on the wrong side of 40? He’s like an extension almost, and it’s weird to say that he’s just got there of Landisk. Uh because we all know Brent Burns, we all love Brent B. Like, does anybody really hate Brent Burns? Like, you can’t, right? So, uh, what he does, what he brings in the locker room is just a like in the locker room, it’s like lighthearted, but when you’re out on the ice, it’s all business. Um, it’s weird. Like we’re three games in it’s it’s t like this is like in the NFL after two weeks, we all want to say who’s the MVP of the league and it’s like, you know, it like he’s been fine. I think, you know, he’s on a a new team. His his game against Dallas was maybe his worst game, which was also his 1500th game. Um, but the first two game like you can see what he’s so I I like watching him play because he’s just so he’s he’s he’s just an imposing figure, but he’s like I don’t know the word for him. He’s just so sure of himself. I mean, when you’ve been playing the same the same sport for over 20 years. Um, you know your skill set, you know what you can do, and he’s just so relaxed out on the ice, um, nothing really seems to get to him. And I think that like that that’s a good learning experience for a lot of the younger guys on the AB. So as the season goes on um and and a guy that’s going to be with him, Sam Molinsky is probably going to be his uh his pairing mate uh for most of the season who’s a younger guy. I think he’s 26 years old, but he’s a younger and he’s only been in the league for a few years. Um when he sees that, like you wonder how much that is he’s gonna learn from a guy that’s been in the league for as long as Brent Burns has. So, I think as the year goes on, um, you know, his impact will be felt. It’s I think it’s impossible not to when someone’s been in the league for as long as he has and plays every single game. You can rely on him for that. And for the Avalanche, that’s huge because, you know, like a lot of teams can claim this, but the Avalanche have lost so many man games to injuries over the past handful of years. To have a guy that you can rely on uh to be out there night in and night out is huge in and of itself. Marty Nus, six points in three games. Talk to me about what he’s been doing so far this season. He’s had a rock solid start to this year and that’s really what you you wanted to see from him. Um it it’s he he’s always going to be connected to Miko Rantin obviously and there is a section of the fan base that will always be team Mo and there’s always be a section of the fan base that roots for for Nas and I think if he can have the season that I’m expecting him to have I think you’re going to have some of those team Mo people kind of moving over to the okay like all right yep we we got a good player. Um, but I don’t think it’ll matter what he does in the regular season for those people to to switch sides. He’s going to have to do it in the playoffs. For them, it’s just like, you know, and and he’s young, but he, you know, he hasn’t had a ton of experience in the playoffs. He’s had enough though where you feel like, okay, you got to step it up to the next level. So, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. uh how he’s started in the first three games is if there was one guy that could not get off to a slow start, it was it was him. He had to get off to, you know, getting getting pucks in the net, scoring points, getting assists, being dynamic, and he’s done all of that for three games because if he didn’t, it would we’d be all sitting here like the Avalanche just made the the biggest blunder ever in this trade. Some people still might think that, but um if he can play the way that he we’re expecting him to play this year, I think a lot put a lot of those questions I want to say to bed, but maybe take a nap. We’ll say that. 20 and one solid start, but what’s your biggest concern after three games? It’s a concern, but it’s not like a super serious one, mainly because it’s carrying over from the playoffs, and it’s the power play. Um they they re I think they scored one power play goal in the preseason. Um and they have a couple now. They have a couple in in the regular season. Um and again this the progression in three games has been what you want. Um going from the first game against the Kings and against Dallas. They only scored one but it looked exceptional. Um Jakeer was otherworldly in that game and if it was you know any number of number of goalies that was not named Jakeer uh they would have scored on on I don’t want to say all of them but the majority of of those power plays because they they were everywhere. So it looks good. Um they have a new special teams coach and Dave Haxall. So there, you know, this is like the getting working the kinks out stuff and you saw it, you saw it in the game in against Dallas, um where it looked dynamic and it looked different and it looked good. Now the next stage is uh getting the pucks in the net. So we’ll see if they can do that against uh uh Buffalo. Um I’m expecting that to to turn around. I they’re too talented. They have too much talent on that power play one for it to be a a year-long issue. Um, but how I was saying how Natious needed to be that guy to get off to a hot start. You wanted the power play to do that, too. It hasn’t, but the Dallas game gave you some some good good vibes of where it’s going. All right, Chris, why don’t you tell our viewers and our listeners where they could find the podcast and where they could find you and your co-host on social media? Yeah, over uh all social media. So on on X lopn Avalanche um on Instagram, on Facebook, on Blue Sky, on YouTube, just search Lockdown Avalanche or lopn avalanche and you can uh find us there. And then of course wherever you listen to the podcast, we’re all over the place. All right, Chris, thank you so much. Anytime, go. Thank you. Today’s episode is brought to you by Monarch Money. 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The Colorado Avalanche have points in their first three games but can they sustain their early success?

Chris Micieli of Locked On Avalanche joins us to discuss the fast start of Martin Necas, the impact of newcomer Brent Burns and what having Gabriel Landeskog back means for this team.

All this and more on today’s Locked On NHL Podcast with Gil Martin.

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