Tonight is where friendships get tested. I have become very fond of a few Canucks bloggers. The Boys and Beaner at Waiting for Stanley are excellent people, and Alanah at VancouverCanucksOpEd is a hell of a blogger. But the only game tonight is going to test that. (hey, guys, interested in a chat board tonight?)

The Avs need a win now in a bad way. Even though they have gotten a point out of each of the first two games this season, they now have something to prove, that the talent that has left hasn’t hurt the team as bad off as it may appear. They have to prove that they are still contenders, even though the conventional wisdom is they are too devastated by change. And as they head into almost an entire week off, two points tonight (without giving any to the Canucks) could help keep them up with the league. Getting two points in two games may not be bad, it’s the four points they gave up that do the damage, and ask the questions of this team.

One question I have is, how is the rivalry between these two teams now that Todd Bertuzzi is gone? Is it even worth mentioning? Who can get mad at those cute and fuzzy Sedin twins? Are they going to dazzle us with style, or make us want to buy them from the window? Is the fight still left between these teams?

The classic Quenneville is coming to the surface. The Q has started to change up lines already, trying different combination of youth and vets. Here were the top three lines at practice yesterday, according to the Denver Post:

Laperriere – Sakic- Brunette
Hejduk – Wolski – Stastny
Svatos – Arnason – Richardson

So, does the Kid line survive to fight another day? 2 games and do they get broken up? While it may be nice to pair the young guys with a veteran, watching Stastny, Wolski, and Svatos hand of the puck back and forth coming into the zone was a thing of beauty, and only getting better. I don’t think Hejduk will be ready for Wolski and his quick passing, like his former lines mates. It seams the Q’s answer to everything isn’t to change a strategy, but to change who plays where. To just mess with things in strange ways. Everyone wants cords pulled, the parachute deployed in the league, lines changed, things shaken up a bit. But look at what we have. We aren’t even through week one. Nobody is left behind yet. 6 points separate first place from last. Nobody panic yet.

But if the Avs lose, there may be a little panic in the air. It’s going to depend on how they lose, whether by lack of scoring, or lack of goaltending, or lack of playing 60 minutes. I have started to pad myself for the loss already. Not a good sign. Come on, boys, help a brother out. I’ll still like the other bloggers though, even if one side has to suffer.

Technorati : Avalanche, Avs, Canucks, Hockey, NHL