Four players have been the life vest keeping the Avalanche afloat throughout the first quarter of the season. When injuries force a fourth line to become a revolving door of AHL call-ups, reliance on stars is to be expected.
But sometimes a few rebound opportunities are all it takes for supplementary scorers to contribute to the exercise of treading water.
If treading water is what the Avs are doing early in their Stanley Cup title defense, they’re awfully good at it. Their 4-1 win Saturday night completed a two-game sweep this week against the Central Division-leading Dallas Stars.