| | DENVER -- Colorado Avalanche coach Bob Hartley says he is
shuffling the team's top two lines in a bid to produce more
"energy" and more goals. The new look will be in place for
Wednesday's game against the Red Wings in Detroit.
"I want to remind everyone that we need to score more goals,"
Hartley said. "Even though it's far from being a panic move, we
could get a little more."
The Avalanche are off to a 5-3-2 start despite playing only two
games at home, but the team has averaged just 2.3 goals per game
and has yet to score four goals in a single game.
|  | | Chris Drury has just one goal, and a change might help his production. |
Chris Drury will center a second line with rookie left wing Alex
Tanguay, who had been skating with Joe Sakic. Adam Deadmarsh, who
played center for seven games before Saturday's 3-2 overtime
victory in Atlanta, will move to right wing.
Milan Hejduk, who had been right wing on Sakic's line, will move
to the left side to make room for right wing Claude Lemieux.
Hejduk and Sakic have combined for 10 goals, about half of the
team's total of 23, while Deadmarsh and Drury have scored one
apiece.
Drury, who scored 24 goals and won the Calder Trophy last
season, said he does not think he is in a slump: "I haven't really
gotten going at all, so I don't know what you would call this."
A dry spell, perhaps. Drury has made 25 shots on goal, trailing
only Sakic, Hejduk and Lemieux in that category, and his seven
assists are second only to Sakic, who has eight.
"I'm getting the chances, just not doing too much with them,"
Drury said. "I have to keep shooting and working, and over the
long haul I think they'll start going in."
Hartley agrees.
"Here's one guy that has the ability to step up his game," he
said. "I'm a firm believer that he will; he did it in Atlanta." | |
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