Avs looking ahead despite recent losses

Every team and every coach handles a bad stretch of games differently. Some decide to just stay away from the ice as much as possible, presumably because he either doesn’t care how the team plays or is just oblivious to what is going on. Others, like coach Joe Sacco and the Colorado Avalanche, buckle down and work harder. It’s a novel concept, really.

After the Avs’ latest disappointment, a 6-4 loss to the Vancouver Canucks, the Avalanche had a heart-to-heart meeting at center ice at the end of practice yesterday.

“It stings after a game like that. It hurts the next day, as well it should, but we wanted to make sure our spirits were good,” Sacco said. “This has happened before to us, and we’ve always responded very well. It’s a tough league, and it’s a good team (Canucks) we played. They’ve had some good success on us this year, but (the talk) was just to make sure we refocus for our next game.”

What’s frustrating for the Avs is that they’ve actually played well lately, yet are still just 2-4-0 in their past six games. What’s started their slide is the lack of ability to play an entire game, to keep the pedal down for a full 60 minutes. At least Sacco and the rest of team realizes this and are actually practicing.

**cough** Minnesota Wild **cough**