Colorado Avalanche will have to make a decision on goaltenders soon

Is three a crowd or a party? Triples might be best for some things in life, but if you’re carrying three goaltenders on your NHL roster, you’re probably more than a little unsure about your current setup.

That’s the exact situation the Colorado Avalanche find themselves in now.

Kaapo Kahkonen arrived at practice on Friday, one week after he was claimed off waivers by the Avalanche. The timing was pretty good on his part, as he got to town just as the team was leaving for a three-game road trip.

A road trip doesn’t sound so bad after dealing with immigration for a week.

“Different to what I've ever experienced,” Kahkonen said after his first practice with the team. “Took a while to get all the work permits and visa done.

“Frustrating, for sure.”

While Kahkonen was able to skate a little bit while waiting for immigration to get done, skating doesn’t do a goaltender a whole lot of good if he’s not able to have shots fired at him. Friday was the first time he was able to face rubber in over a week, so he’s probably not ready for game action just yet.

That also means the Avalanche can kick the can down the road a little bit before making a decision on which two goalies they want to carry. Colorado took three goalies for the road trip, but make no mistake, it won’t be long before they'll be forced to decide on which two they want moving forward.

It’s really just simple math. You can only dress two goaltenders every night, and when teams practice, there are only two nets. That means that at some point during each practice, there’s a goalie sitting around doing a whole lot of nothing. It’s not an ideal situation for anyone.

And, if you’re carrying three goaltenders, do you even really have one?

Prior to leaving for San Jose, Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said he wanted to give Kahkonen a few days of practice before deciding on when they want to throw him into a game. He also said it was possible that Justus Annunen gets his first start of the season before the team returns to Ball Arena for three games in four nights.

That possibility became a reality on Sunday, when Annunen got the start against the Sharks. He performed quite well in what was an important game for him, stopping 25 of the 26 shots sent his way. He didn’t have to make any spectacular saves, but considering Colorado has struggled to get saves on harmless shots, you’ll take anything you can get.

The Avalanche have two more games left on this road trip. But at some point in the near future, they’ll have to make a decision on which two goalies they’re going to ride with for the season.

And Annunen made his case on Sunday.

Avalanche 4, Sharks 1

What happened: Colorado got off to a hot start and although things got a little sloppy in the second period, it held on for a second consecutive win.

What went right: Ross Colton continues to show well on the top line, scoring two goals early in the game and coming close to finishing off the hat trick multiple times throughout the night. Colton’s success on the wing will complicate things just a little bit when some bodies start to return, but for now, it’s really working.

What went wrong: Second periods have kind of become a problem for the team this season. This one was sloppy all around, as both teams took a ton of penalties and neither team could capitalize on a 5-on-3. The good news for Colorado is that they weren’t playing a very good team. Things might have gone differently against a better squad.

Between the pipes: Justus Annunen picked up his first win of the year, stopping 25 of the 26 shots he faced. Easily the most consistent performance the Avalanche have received from a goaltender this season.

What’s next: The Avalanche continue their road trip in Seattle on Tuesday, as they’ll take on the Kraken at 6:30 PM.