Plot thickens as Avs call up AHL goalie

Jim Benton, Rocky Mountain News

Wednesday, December 7, 2005

CENTENNIAL - The Colorado Avalanche might have a goaltending controversy after all.

There are more questions than answers about the team's goalie situation heading into tonight's game against the Boston Bruins at the Pepsi Center (7, Altitude).

After the Avalanche's morning practice Tuesday, coach Joel Quenneville was asked whether David Aebischer or Peter Budaj would start in goal against the Bruins.

Quenneville didn't have an answer, saying only, "We're going to announce that (today) just to change things up. We're looking for the goaltending to be better."

Later in the afternoon, the Avalanche announced goaltender Vitaly Kolesnik had been called up from the team's American Hockey League affiliate in Lowell, Mass., and would be available to play tonight.

The Avalanche hasn't said that Aebischer or Budaj is injured, so it's unlikely Kolesnik would be summoned from the East Coast unless a trade - the Avalanche is among the teams said to be interested in Florida goalie Roberto Luongo - were in the works or the Avalanche intended to play the 26-year-old native of Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan.

Approached after the announcement about Kolesnik, Avalanche officials reiterated that a decision about the starting goalie for tonight's game would be announced today.

There are several reasons Kolesnik could be inserted into the lineup for a team that has lost 10 games in which a little better goaltending in the third period could have made a difference.

He might be in a showcase role, his recall might simply be a move to mentally shake up Aebischer and Budaj or, given general manager Pierre Lacroix's history, something else could happen today.

Kolesnik, a 6-foot-2, 198 pounder, went 10-8-0 with the Lock Monsters. He had a 2.80 goals-against average, .916 saves percentage and two shutouts.

Aebischer has played in 19 games, going 11-6-0 with a 3.37 goals-against average. He has been victimized by soft goals this season and was pulled from the Avalanche's 6-4 loss to Buffalo on Sunday after allowing four goals on 16 shots in the first period.

"He's coming off a tough game," Quenneville said. "He was coming off three good games, but the last two have been just so-so. We're looking for him to recapture the confidence in his play."

Budaj replaced Aebischer on Sunday night and stopped 12 of 13 shots in the second and third periods, but the Sabres scored a late power-play goal and an empty netter to earn the victory. It was his second loss in relief of Aebischer.

Budaj, a rookie and Colorado's first pick in the 2001 draft, is 3-4-3 with a 2.61 goals-against average and a .904 saves percentage. He has lost three times in shootouts.

On the heels of the loss to Buffalo, Colorado will be out to snap a two-game losing streak tonight.

And, until a 5-2 loss at Vancouver last Wednesday, the Avalanche was a victory from moving into first place in the Northwest Division. Now, Colorado enters tonight fourth in the division and ninth in the Western Conference.

"That's the way it is and that's the way it's going to be all year," Avalanche right wing Ian Laperriere said. "You win a couple and you're right on top; you lose a couple and you're back on bottom. It's like that around the league, and that's good. It means teams are pretty even and you have to worry about it game-by-game. That's the good thing about this new NHL, every team can win every night.

"We have to find a way to be awake from the start, I guess. If we bring our 'A' game, we won't have to worry about the other team's game. We have to worry about the way we play."

Bruins at Avalanche

• When: 7 tonight.

• Where: Pepsi Center.

• TV/radio: Altitude; KKFN-AM (950).

• Leading scorers

Boston (10-14-3-2) G A P

LW Sergei Samsonov 12 13 25

RW Glen Murray 12 10 22

LW Marco Sturm 8 11 19

C Brad Boyes 7 12 19

Coach: Mike Sullivan

Colorado (14-10-0-3) G A P

LW Alex Tanguay 10 19 29

C Joe Sakic 11 17 28

C Pierre Turgeon 8 17 25

RW Marek Svatos 13 12 25

Coach: Joel Quenneville

• Injuries: Boston - Pat Leahy (broken finger) and Ian Moran (knee surgery) are out; D Nick Boynton (knee) is questionable; Murray (groin) is day to day. Colorado - LW Steve Konowalchuk (wrist surgery) is out; LW Brad May (groin) is day to day.

• Sidelight: Colorado defensemen have combined for 22 goals this season, the most in the NHL, and 74 points. Heading into games Tuesday night, Colorado was tied with Philadelphia for the most points by defensemen. Toronto has received 73 points from its defensive corps.

• Notes: Turgeon needs one point to become the 27th player to accumulate 1,300 for his career. He is four assists from 800 for his career and would become the 25th player in NHL history to reach that plateau . . . Sakic has earned points in six consecutive games (five goals, four assists) . . . Milan Hejduk has recorded two goals in the past 17 games . . . Antti Laaksonen has gone 12 games without scoring a goal . . . The Avalanche, which lost Sunday at home against Buffalo, has lost two in a row. Boston, which lost Sunday at Vancouver, has lost 10 of its past 13 . . . Boyes has compiled a three- game points streak (two goals, three assists) . . . The Avalanche has allowed seven short-handed goals, most in the NHL.

bentonj@RockyMountainNews.com