SLAM! Sports
SLAM! Hockey
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
COLUMNS
NHL
The Teams
Full Schedule
Monthly Schedule
Standings
Statistics
Rosters
Injury list
Movement
Trades
Hits Gallery
INTERACTIVE
JUNIOR
MORE HOCKEY
ALSO ON SLAM!
Wednesday, October 20, 1999
Forsberg still hurting
MONTREAL (CP) -- Long after Colorado's game-day skate was over on Wednesday morning, Peter Forsberg was still on the ice playing shinny with the coaches and scratches.That the Avalanche star centre accompanied the team to Montreal for the start of a five-game road trip and the fact he can blast slapshots with a full wind-up hinted of an early return from his left shoulder injury.
But Forsberg advised that nothing should be read into it.
"I'm still far away (from returning)," said Forsberg. "This is our second five-game road trip and I thought I should follow.
"It's boring skating by myself. It's more fun to be with the team and playing a little three-on-three with the coaches."
Forsberg is expected to return to action in late November or early December.
The team's scoring leader last season with 30 goals and 67 assists had surgery in June to repair the shoulder damaged by a Richard Matvichuk hit in Game 4 of last spring's Western Conference final against Dallas.
"I can skate hard and it's OK when I'm shooting, but if I go by the boards and hit a guy, it hurts," he said. "As long as the team's doing well, it's fun to watch, so I'll keep doing what I'm doing."
What he watched so far is the Avalanche ride stellar goaltending from Patrick Roy and tighter defensive play to a 3-2-2 record going into Wednesday night's game against the Canadiens.
The Avs have kept a respectable record despite opening the season with a five-game road trip and playing only twice at home so far in their newly opened Pepsi Centre in Denver.
The current trip continues with a game tonight in Ottawa (7:30 p.m. EDT, CTV Sportsnet), followed by visits to Atlanta, Detroit and Philadelphia.
Scoring is down with Forsberg out of the lineup. They had only 17 goals in their first seven games, but they also gave up only 16.
"We're not trying to do too much differently, but obviously, when Peter gets back, we'll be better off," said veteran Joe Sakic, who, with Forsberg, usually forms half of the NHL's best one-two punch at centre.
"We're trying to put some wins together so we'll have a good record when he returns. We're playing better defence, but we still play the same as before. We're still a skating team."
After Sakic, Colorado's scoring leaders have been second-year men Milan Hejduk and Chris Drury, along with rookie Alex Tanguay.
Right-winger Adam Deadmarsh has taken over at centre for Forsberg, but insists with a laugh that: "I'm not filling his spot -- I'm just playing centre where he usually does.
"I played centre last year when they put Joe and Peter together and I'm starting to feel comfortable there now."
Deadmarsh, who missed the first two games of the season with a hip pointer, said he pays more attention to defence with Forsberg out of the line-up.
"Our games have been tight this year," he said. "With Peter in the line-up, they're usually not so tight.
"When I play at centre, I want to play good 'D' and try not to allow too many goals because I know we're not going to get as many as we're used to."
 Bert's back on blades Blue Jays boot game Bombers drop Peterson Felicien rebuilds race | Visit our Polls Archive |