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Avalanche looking for a jump-start

Colorado is hoping that consistency is missing ingredient

Jim Benton, Rocky Mountain News

Published December 26, 2005 at midnight

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After two days off for the NHL's Christmas break, Colorado will play Phoenix tonight at the Pepsi Center (7, Altitude).

The Avalanche is looking for some post-holiday winning consistency, while Phoenix is waiting for word on the return of coach Wayne Gretzky.

Gretzky, who also is executive director for the Canadian Olympic hockey team, took an indefinite leave from coaching the Coyotes on Dec. 19 to be with his ailing mother.

Phyllis Gretzky died Dec. 19 after a battle with lung cancer. Associate coach Rick Tocchet, a former Avalanche assistant, took over the head coaching duties, and Phoenix has gone 2-2-0 in Gretzky's absence.

Tocchet said Gretzky planned to rest during the holiday weekend, and Phoenix hasn't announced when he will return.

While Phoenix entered the two-day Christmas respite with a two-game winning streak, Colorado players and coaches were searching for answers on how to ascend in the Western Conference standings.

Colorado has lost seven of its past 11 games and, with 39 points, is clinging to eighth place in the Western Conference standings.

The Avalanche is fourth in the Northwest Division, seven points behind division–leading Edmonton.

"It's been tough," Avs forward Antti Laaksonen said. "We have to get some wins and gain some ground on those guys that are ahead of us."

Colorado, only one point ahead of Phoenix and Anaheim, has teased fans this season by appearing close to putting it all together.

The Avalanche collected 13 of a possible 14 points during a seven-game stretch in late October and early November but hasn't won more than three consecutive games since.

"We do a lot of good things, and we do a lot of bad things," forward Ian Laperriere said. "The only thing we can do is keep working and everything will jell. We have no other choice. We just have to put everything together and we'll be fine."

Improved production on the power play and better penalty killing would be a boost.

"We try to play hard," right wing Milan Hejduk said. "We have to improve on the special teams, we have to score more on the power play and our PK has to be better. It looks like we're close but . . . "

A string of victories could enhance any team's position in the Western Conference, because 17 points separate first-place Detroit from 12th-place Minnesota.

"We have to try to get back on the right track; that goal is No. 1 right now," defenseman John-Michael Liles said. "Consistency is the only word that comes to mind. We're so close, but it seems like there's that last little hump we need to get over.

"Playing a full 60 minutes every night has really been our biggest thing. You're not going to have it every night for 82 games in the NHL, but at the same time, we've got to come out better than we are right now.

"Yeah, there are going to be those nights when you just don't have it, but once every four games is just not cutting it."

Colorado's play has been puzzling to left wing Andrew Brunette.

"We haven't played great in the past two weeks but to put a finger on it, I just don't know," Brunette said. "I just think we've got to make sure we have great intensity and play that way for 60 minutes. It just seems that we lack that here and there.

We take penalties at the wrong time; little things like that kind of swing the momentum the other way."

Colorado has allowed the fourth-most goals (121) in the Western Conference, and Avalanche coach Joel Quenneville knows that is something that has to change.

"We need wins," he said. "We've had a number of games where we've been close but not good enough. The way we play defensively has to be an ongoing object on our team. Defense-first mentality is our mind-set, knowing that we have enough offense."

Quenneville wants to resolve his three-goalie rotation soon.

The NHL's Christmas roster freeze ends Tuesday. David Aebischer and rookies Peter Budaj and Vitaly Kolesnik have been sharing games for the past 2 1/2 weeks.

Aebischer has started only one of the past nine games. Kolesnik has started six and Budaj the past two games.

"I think everybody is aware of the situation as an organization," Quenneville said. "We don't foresee this as a long-term situation. I don't want to say it's a delicate situation, but right now, we're supportive of all the goaltenders."

Coyotes at Avalanche

• When: 7 tonight.

• Where: Pepsi Center.

• TV/radio: Altitude; KNUS-AM (710).

• Leading scorers

Phoenix (18-16-1-1) G A P

LW Ladislav Nagy 12 24 36

C Mike Comrie 13 16 29

RW Mike Johnson 10 13 23

RW Shane Doan 7 16 23

Colorado (18-15-0-3) G A P

LW Alex Tanguay 12 26 38

C Joe Sakic 14 23 37

RW Marek Svatos 19 14 33

C Pierre Turgeon 9 22 31

• Injuries: Coyotes - LW Mike Leclerc (knee), LW Tyson Nash (abdominal muscle) and LW Oleg Saprykin (knee) are out. LW Geoff Sanderson (hip flexor) and C Petr Nedved (groin) are day to day. Avalanche - LW Steve Konowalchuk (wrist surgery) is out.

• Sidelight: Play on special teams has become vital in the "new NHL," which has cut down on clutching and grabbing. Colorado's penalty killing, though, has struggled recently. The Avs have allowed eight power-play goals in the past eight games while skating short-handed 46 times. Colorado's power play is 0-for-10 in the past two games.

• Notes: Sakic has 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) in the past 15 games . . . Antti Laaksonen and Andrew Brunette each has two-game goal-scoring streaks . . . Doan's goal in the Coyotes' 3-2 win against Dallas on Friday night was his first since Nov. 25, and Dave Scatchard's winning score against the Stars was his first goal since Nov. 19 . . . Phoenix registered only 13 shots on goal in the game against the Stars and scored on its only two shots in the third period . . . Colorado beat the Coyotes 3-1 on Nov. 16 in Phoenix . . . Phoenix has killed 14 penalties in its past two games . . . Nineteen of the Coyotes' 36 games have been decided by one goal.

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