Denver Post writer Adrian Dater reported yesterday that third year center Matt Duchene is still out indefinitely with a knee injury. This is not the news the Avalanche were hoping for heading into the stretch run out of the All-Star break. The Avalanche’s 26-23-2 record is good for 54 points and ninth place in the Western Conference.
The Avalanche have 31 games remaining in their season, at least one fewer than everyone else in Western Conference. To secure a playoff spot, they probably need to win over 20 of those games. That is going to be extremely difficult without Matt Duchene.
The bright spots for the Avalanche must continue to perform. Even more emphasis is going to be put on the talents of breakout center Ryan O’Reilly, rookie Gabriel Landeskog and Peter Mueller who recently returned to the line up. T.J. Galiardi playing at the top of his game could also be a huge asset to the club.
The underachievers on the team are going to have to step up. Paul Statsny leads the team in s...
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