The Colorado Avalanche lost yet another heartbreaking game on Thursday night, and fell to a dismal 0-5 divisional record. They know have an 8-10-1 record after starting the season 6-1. That's the bad news.
Here's the good news: Colorado begins a season-long eight game homestand at Pepsi Center on Friday night against the Dallas Stars. This is easily the longest homestand of the season, and it couldn't come at a better time. Earn 10-12 points at home, and this long slump will all be forgotten.
(Of course the flip side of that coin is that a bad homestand essentially buries the Avalanche by December.)
In case you had forgotten the last time these two teams met, Matt Duchene scored his first career hat trick in a 7-6 overtime loss. It may be tough to top that early season game this time around, but a desperate Colorado team on home ice may make all the difference.
Oh, and Dallas? They're still the big surprise in the league this season. Kari Lehtonen is one of the elite goaltenders in the league, Sheldon Souray is playing like an All-Star defenseman, and Loui Erikson is one of the league's goal scoring leaders. That being said, they have lost their last three games in convincing fashion -- outscored by a 14-3 margin -- and are coming into town off a 6-0 shellacking at the hands of the Florida Panthers. There will be two desperate teams on the ice on Friday night.
Puck drops at 7:00 p.m. MDT.
For more coverage, visit our Avalanche blog Mile High Hockey or our Stars blog Defending Big D.