"The top two wingers on the depth chart at the start of the season on both sides, a total of four players, are out of the lineup with injuries. The No. 1 goalie has missed a good chunk of the season, as have several top defensemen. Home attendance has again been poor, and there has been little buzz about the team in the media. Like cobwebs in an old attic, the Avalanche still keeps hanging tough. Despite the usual medical maladies — only Edmonton suffered more man-games lost to injury than Colorado last season — and everything else, the Avs entered Sunday tied for first place in the Northwest Division after 29 games. Saturday's 3-2 win over Washington was a remarkable finish to a five-game road trip, considering the injuries, an early-morning arrival after playing the night before and then playing against a rested, talented Capitals team that had lost four straight. Now, the Avs have 16 of their next 21 games at the Pepsi Center, starting with tonight's contest with the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks. While nobody is ready to declare the Avs as part of the NHL's elite — their record in the last nine games is 3-3-3 — they are fast becoming known as one of the league's most resilient bunches. "We're taking steps as a team," captain Adam Foote said. "Guys play for each other. We've had our problems at times, but we've kept battling and I think it's all good for the future. The young guys we've got are learning more every day." Here are some of the reasons why the Avs have stayed afloat as the season inches past the one-third mark: Speed to burn. If the Avs aren't the fastest skating team in the league, they have to be close. The recent additions of Matt Hunwick and Tomas Fleisch-mann to the lineup have made an already fast team that much tougher to defend. Opponents are needing to compensate by keeping their defensemen hanging back much of the time, allowing for more room through the middle of the ice for Colorado's forwards to skate. When opposing forwards aren't in a backchecking mood, the Avs are often overwhelming teams with odd- man rushes and easy scoring chances. Up the middle. Despite multiple injuries to top players up front, one key demographic that has stayed healthy is the center position, where Paul Stastny, Matt Duchene, Ryan O'Reilly and Pascal Dupuis have kept things stable in the middle of the ice." Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/avalanche/ci_16843789
