Avs Hang On To Win 5-4.

I think the Avs can thank Stars captain Brenden Morrow for being able to hold on at the end of this one. After having his goal called back, Morrow took two penalties- unsportsmanlike conduct and slashing- in the final 6 minutes of play allowing Colorado to hang on to the lead.

Raycroft was...decent. None of the goals were really his fault, but a couple of those could have been stopped. He really broke down in the third, allowing Dallas to get within one goal after trailing 5-2 heading into the period. Nevertheless, he's 2-0-0 now, which is great for him because he only won two games all last season.

Raycroft's brother in blue Darcy Tucker netted his first goal with the Avalanche on a great play by Wolski to create the 2-on-1 leading to the goal.

Also in the game, Stastny's 3 assists tied him for the NHL point lead with Minnesota's Mikko Koivu (9 points each). Not far behind is Avs Captain Joe Sakic (2 assists today), who's in a four way tie for the second most points in the league with 8. EDIT: I guess they gave that goal back to Smyth, so Stastny only has 8 points.

Even though this was a victory, it's still very apparent that at some point Colorado will have to trade for a goalie. Neither guy can come up with big saves, and Colorado's record should be higher than 2-3-0 when considering they lead the NHL in goals per game (4.0).

In other news, Scott 'The Sheriff' Parker cleared waivers and was demoted to Lake Erie. Not sure if this move is to make room for a call-up, but if that were the case, Willsie would be the prime candidate. His demotion during the preseason was a bit of a shock, and he currently leads the Monsters in both goals (3) and points (4).

That's all I've got for now. The Avs play next Thursday as they host the undefeated Oilers. Puck drops a 7:30 MDT.