The Colorado Avalanche will be looking to completely turn things around tonight on the road, facing the New York Islanders after an embarrassingly rough start in their first two games of the season. One of the biggest concerns the Avalanche have had over the past couple of years has been goaltending, which is now glaringly evident after watching starting goaltender Alexander Georgiev get absolutely shelled, allowing the opposing teams a total of 14 goals in the first two games. Georgiev’s save percentage stands at a paltry .680, and he was pulled in both games. In his defense, the actual defense has looked sluggish in front of their own net and in the neutral zone. The defense will need to tighten up quickly, not leaving Georgiev out to dry on nearly every other possession whenever the opposing team touches the puck.
In the first game, the Columbus Blue Jackets dialed in nearly every shot attempt, scoring 5 goals within the first half before easing up and running down the clock. The Av’s second game against the Las Vegas Golden Knights was one to forget, allowing 8 goals in total. There was zero backchecking, no intensity—nothing went right that night. The defense looked softer than a toddler’s toy that couldn’t fight its way out of a wet paper bag.
Hopefully, with the recent news, Alexander will get some help in net after the Avalanche claimed Kaapo Kahkonen off waivers a few days ago from the same team that pummeled them in the first game. The Avalanche should’ve picked up Kaapo last year, but better late than never. We’ll see how quickly this talented Avalanche roster can rebound from an extremely rough start in Game 3 tonight at Madison Square Garden against the New York Islanders.
Photo Credit: ESPN
