# 2011–12 Colorado Avalanche season

The 2011–12 Colorado Avalanche season was the 40th overall season for the franchise, the 33rd since joining the National Hockey League (NHL), and 17th since relocating to Colorado.
The Avalanche failed to qualify for the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, finishing seven points behind the eighth-placed Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference.

## Off-Season

On June 16, 2011, the Avalanche promoted former player Adam Deadmarsh to assistant coach. Deadmarsh will take Steve Konowalchuk's place behind the bench, as Konowalchuk has accepted the head coaching position for the Western Hockey League's Seattle Thunderbirds.
Captain Adam Foote retired.

## Regular season

The Avalanche retired Peter Forsberg's number 21 jersey on opening night, October 8.
On November 14, the Avalanche named Milan Hejduk as the third captain in Avalanche history.
The Avalanche had the fewest power-play opportunities of all 30 teams, with just 223.

## Standings

Northwest Division :
| Pos | Team v t e | GP | W | L | OTL | ROW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | p – Vancouver Canucks | 82 | 51 | 22 | 9 | 43 | 249 | 198 | +51 | 111 |
| 2 | Calgary Flames | 82 | 37 | 29 | 16 | 34 | 202 | 226 | −24 | 90 |
| 3 | Colorado Avalanche | 82 | 41 | 35 | 6 | 32 | 208 | 220 | −12 | 88 |
| 4 | Minnesota Wild | 82 | 35 | 36 | 11 | 24 | 177 | 226 | −49 | 81 |
| 5 | Edmonton Oilers | 82 | 32 | 40 | 10 | 27 | 212 | 239 | −27 | 74 |
Western Conference :
| Pos | Div | Team v t e | GP | W | L | OTL | ROW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | NW | p – Vancouver Canucks | 82 | 51 | 22 | 9 | 43 | 249 | 198 | +51 | 111 |
| 2 | CE | y – St. Louis Blues | 82 | 49 | 22 | 11 | 45 | 210 | 165 | +45 | 109 |
| 3 | PA | y – Phoenix Coyotes | 82 | 42 | 27 | 13 | 36 | 216 | 204 | +12 | 97 |
| 4 | CE | x – Nashville Predators | 82 | 48 | 26 | 8 | 43 | 237 | 210 | +27 | 104 |
| 5 | CE | x – Detroit Red Wings | 82 | 48 | 28 | 6 | 39 | 248 | 203 | +45 | 102 |
| 6 | CE | x – Chicago Blackhawks | 82 | 45 | 26 | 11 | 38 | 248 | 238 | +10 | 101 |
| 7 | PA | x – San Jose Sharks | 82 | 43 | 29 | 10 | 34 | 228 | 210 | +18 | 96 |
| 8 | PA | x – Los Angeles Kings | 82 | 40 | 27 | 15 | 34 | 194 | 179 | +15 | 95 |
| 9 | NW | Calgary Flames | 82 | 37 | 29 | 16 | 34 | 202 | 226 | −24 | 90 |
| 10 | PA | Dallas Stars | 82 | 42 | 35 | 5 | 35 | 211 | 222 | −11 | 89 |
| 11 | NW | Colorado Avalanche | 82 | 41 | 35 | 6 | 32 | 208 | 220 | −12 | 88 |
| 12 | NW | Minnesota Wild | 82 | 35 | 36 | 11 | 24 | 177 | 226 | −49 | 81 |
| 13 | PA | Anaheim Ducks | 82 | 34 | 36 | 12 | 31 | 204 | 231 | −27 | 80 |
| 14 | NW | Edmonton Oilers | 82 | 32 | 40 | 10 | 27 | 212 | 239 | −27 | 74 |
| 15 | CE | Columbus Blue Jackets | 82 | 29 | 46 | 7 | 25 | 202 | 262 | −60 | 65 |

## Schedule and results

Win (2 points)  Loss (0 points)  Overtime/shootout loss (1 point)

### Pre-season

2011 Pre-season Game log: 2–4–0 (Home: 1–2–0; Road: 1–2–0)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionRecordRecap
1September 22Colorado Avalanche2–5Dallas StarsCann0–1–0
2September 23St. Louis Blues3–2Colorado AvalancheVarlamov0–2–0
3September 25Dallas Stars0–3Colorado AvalancheGiguere1–2–0
4September 28Los Angeles Kings6–0Colorado AvalancheVarlamov1–3–0
5September 29Colorado Avalanche1–3St. Louis BluesGiguere1–4–0
6October 1 (in Las Vegas, Nevada)Colorado Avalanche4–1Los Angeles KingsVarlamov2–4–0 :

### Regular season

2011–12 Game log :
October: 7–4–0 (Home: 1–3–0; Road: 6–1–0)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPtsRecap
1October 8Detroit Red Wings3–0Colorado AvalancheVarlamov18,0070–1–00
2October 10Colorado Avalanche1–0Boston BruinsVarlamov17,5651–1–02
3October 12Colorado Avalanche3–2Columbus Blue JacketsSOVarlamov8,9862–1–04
4October 13Colorado Avalanche7–1Ottawa SenatorsGiguere19,2393–1–06
5October 15Colorado Avalanche6–5Montreal CanadiensSOVarlamov21,2734–1–08
6October 17Colorado Avalanche3–2Toronto Maple LeafsOTGiguere19,3595–1–010
7October 20Chicago Blackhawks3–1Colorado AvalancheVarlamov17,5235–2–010
8October 22Colorado Avalanche5–4Chicago BlackhawksSOVarlamov21,3286–2–012
9October 26Colorado Avalanche2–4Calgary FlamesGiguere19,2896–3–012
10October 28Edmonton Oilers3–1Colorado AvalancheVarlamov15,0576–4–012
11October 30Los Angeles Kings2–3Colorado AvalancheVarlamov12,3557–4–014 :
November: 4–9–1 (Home: 4–6–0; Road: 0–3–1)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPtsRecap
12November 2Phoenix Coyotes4–1Colorado AvalancheVarlamov12,1417–5–014
13November 4Colorado Avalanche6–7Dallas StarsOTVarlamov11,9817–5–115
14November 6Calgary Flames2–1Colorado AvalancheVarlamov15,3567–6–115
15November 8Colorado Avalanche2–5Detroit Red WingsVarlamov20,0667–7–115
16November 10New York Islanders3–4Colorado AvalancheOTGiguere13,2218–7–117
17November 12Calgary Flames4–3Colorado AvalancheVarlamov14,9198–8–117
18November 15Colorado Avalanche3–6Pittsburgh PenguinsVarlamov18,4838–9–117
19November 17Colorado Avalanche0–1Minnesota WildGiguere16,7798–10–117
20November 18Dallas Stars0–3Colorado AvalancheGiguere16,0919–10–119
21November 20San Jose Sharks4–1Colorado AvalancheGiguere15,0139–11–119
22November 23Vancouver Canucks3–0Colorado AvalancheVarlamov15,5389–12–119
23November 26Edmonton Oilers2–5Colorado AvalancheVarlamov17,68410–12–121
24November 28Dallas Stars3–1Colorado AvalancheVarlamov12,01510–13–121
25November 30New Jersey Devils1–6Colorado AvalancheVarlamov14,25111–13–123 :
December: 6–4–0 (Home: 6–0–0; Road: 0–4–0)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPtsRecap
26December 2St. Louis Blues2–3Colorado AvalancheSOVarlamov15,96612–13–125
27December 4Detroit Red Wings2–4Colorado AvalancheVarlamov17,01413–13–127
28December 6Colorado Avalanche0–6Vancouver CanucksVarlamov18,89013–14–127
29December 8Colorado Avalanche2–3Calgary FlamesGiguere19,28913–15–127
30December 9Colorado Avalanche1–4Edmonton OilersVarlamov16,83913–16–127
31December 13San Jose Sharks3–4Colorado AvalancheSOVarlamov14,37414–16–129
32December 15Colorado Avalanche4–5San Jose SharksVarlamov17,56214–17–129
33December 17Washington Capitals1–2Colorado AvalancheGiguere16,01115–17–131
34December 19Philadelphia Flyers2–3Colorado AvalancheSOGiguere14,88916–17–133
35December 21St. Louis Blues2–3Colorado AvalancheGiguere15,42117–17–135
36December 23Tampa Bay Lightning1–2Colorado AvalancheOTGiguere16,16518–17–137
37December 26Colorado Avalanche4–2Minnesota WildVarlamov19,29019–17–139
38December 27Winnipeg Jets4–1Colorado AvalancheGiguere18,00719–18–139
39December 29Phoenix Coyotes2–3Colorado AvalancheVarlamov17,83920–18–141
40December 31Colorado Avalanche4–2Anaheim DucksGiguere15,11921–18–143 :
January: 5–6–1 (Home: 1–2–0; Road: 4–4–1)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPtsRecap
41January 2Colorado Avalanche2–1Los Angeles KingsSOGiguere18,11822–18–145
42January 6Colorado Avalanche4–0Chicago BlackhawksVarlamov21,80723–18–147
43January 7Colorado Avalanche0–4St. Louis BluesGiguere19,15023–19–147
44January 10Nashville Predators4–1Colorado AvalancheVarlamov14,41723–20–147
45January 12Colorado Avalanche2–3Nashville PredatorsOTGiguere16,90523–20–248
46January 14Colorado Avalanche2–1Dallas StarsGiguere15,83824–20–250
47January 16Colorado Avalanche1–6Phoenix CoyotesVarlamov12,75724–21–250
48January 18Florida Panthers3–4Colorado AvalancheOTGiguere13,46525–21–252
49January 21Colorado Avalanche3–1Los Angeles KingsGiguere18,11826–21–254
50January 22Colorado Avalanche2–3Anaheim DucksGiguere14,00426–22–254
51January 24Minnesota Wild3–2Colorado AvalancheGiguere16,29126–23–254
52January 31Colorado Avalanche2–3Edmonton OilersVarlamov16,83926–24–254 :
February: 7–3–2 (Home: 4–1–1; Road: 3–2–1)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPtsRecap
53February 2Minnesota Wild1–0Colorado AvalancheGiguere14,18626–25–254
54February 4Vancouver Canucks3–2Colorado AvalancheSOGiguere17,02426–25–355
55February 7Chicago Blackhawks2–5Colorado AvalancheGiguere16,55327–25–357
56February 10Carolina Hurricanes3–4Colorado AvalancheOTGiguere16,85428–25–359
57February 11Colorado Avalanche2–3St. Louis BluesOTVarlamov19,15028–25–460
58February 15Colorado Avalanche1–3Vancouver CanucksVarlamov18,89028–26–460
59February 17Colorado Avalanche3–1Edmonton OilersVarlamov16,83929–26–462
60February 19Colorado Avalanche1–5Winnipeg JetsVarlamov15,00429–27–462
61February 22Los Angeles Kings1–4Colorado AvalancheVarlamov15,90730–27–464
62February 24Colorado Avalanche5–0Columbus Blue JacketsVarlamov16,92531–27–466
63February 25Colorado Avalanche4–3Detroit Red WingsGiguere20,06632–27–468
64February 27Anaheim Ducks1–4Colorado AvalancheVarlamov15,13333–27–470 :
March: 8–6–2 (Home: 4–2–1; Road: 4–4–1)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPtsRecap
65March 1Columbus Blue Jackets2–0Colorado AvalancheVarlamov13,23633–28–470
66March 3Pittsburgh Penguins5–1Colorado AvalancheGiguere18,00733–29–470
67March 4Colorado Avalanche2–0Minnesota WildVarlamov17,35434–29–472
68March 6Minnesota Wild1–7Colorado AvalancheVarlamov13,38535–29–474
69March 8Colorado Avalanche2–4Nashville PredatorsVarlamov17,11335–30–474
70March 10Edmonton Oilers2–3Colorado AvalancheSOVarlamov15,68336–30–476
71March 12Anaheim Ducks2–3Colorado AvalancheOTVarlamov15,04537–30–478
72March 14Colorado Avalanche5–4Buffalo SabresSOVarlamov18,69038–30–480
73March 15Colorado Avalanche0–1New Jersey DevilsSOGiguere16,05538–30–581
74March 17Colorado Avalanche3–1New York RangersVarlamov18,20039–30–583
75March 20Calgary Flames1–2Colorado AvalancheOTVarlmaov14,22340–30–585
76March 22Colorado Avalanche2–3Phoenix CoyotesVarlamov14,93840-31-585
77March 24Vancouver Canucks3–2Colorado AvalancheOTVarlamov18,00740-31-686
78March 26Colorado Avalanche1–5San Jose SharksVarlamov17,56240-32-686
79March 28Colorado Avalanche0–1Vancouver CanucksVarlamov18,89040-33-686
80March 30Colorado Avalanche4–1Calgary FlamesVarlamov19,28941-33-688 :
April: 0–2–0 (Home: 0–2–0; Road: 0–0–0)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPtsRecap
81April 5Columbus Blue Jackets5–2Colorado AvalancheVarlamov15,61041-34-688
82April 7Nashville Predators6–1Colorado AvalancheGiguere18,00741-35-688 :

## Playoffs

The Colorado Avalanche failed to qualify for the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs.

## Player statistics
### Skaters

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes
Regular season :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Ryan O'Reilly | 81 | 18 | 37 | 55 | -1 | 12 |
| Paul Stastny | 79 | 21 | 32 | 53 | −8 | 34 |
| Gabriel Landeskog | 82 | 22 | 30 | 52 | 20 | 51 |
| Milan Hejduk | 81 | 14 | 23 | 37 | −12 | 14 |
| David Jones | 72 | 20 | 17 | 37 | −8 | 32 |
| Matt Duchene | 58 | 14 | 14 | 28 | −11 | 8 |
| Erik Johnson | 73 | 4 | 22 | 26 | −7 | 26 |
| Kyle Quincey$^‡$ | 54 | 5 | 18 | 23 | −1 | 60 |
| Ryan Wilson | 59 | 1 | 20 | 21 | 11 | 33 |
| Shane O'Brien | 76 | 3 | 17 | 20 | 2 | 105 |
| Jan Hejda | 81 | 5 | 14 | 19 | −17 | 24 |
| Daniel Winnik$^‡$ | 63 | 5 | 13 | 18 | −11 | 42 |
| Jay McClement | 80 | 10 | 7 | 17 | −8 | 31 |
| Peter Mueller | 32 | 7 | 9 | 16 | -3 | 8 |
| Chuck Kobasew | 58 | 7 | 7 | 14 | −10 | 51 |
| TJ Galiardi$^‡$ | 55 | 8 | 6 | 14 | −6 | 47 |
| Stefan Elliott | 39 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 2 | 8 |
| Steve Downie$^†$ | 20 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 9 | 16 |
| Jamie McGinn$^†$ | 17 | 8 | 5 | 13 | -4 | 11 |
| Cody McLeod | 75 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 164 |
| Ryan O'Byrne | 74 | 1 | 6 | 7 | -5 | 57 |
| Kevin Porter | 35 | 4 | 3 | 7 | −2 | 17 |
| Mark Olver | 24 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 15 |
| David Van der Gulik | 25 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 2 |
| Matt Hunwick | 33 | 3 | 3 | 6 | -3 | 8 |
| Joakim Lindstrom | 16 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −9 | 0 |
| Brad Malone | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Evan Brophey | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyson Barrie | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 0 |
| Mike Connolly | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Brandon Yip$^‡$ | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 |

### Goaltenders

Note: GP = Games played; TOI = Time on ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime losses; GA = Goals against; GAA= Goals against average; SA= Shots against; Sv% = Save percentage; SO= Shutouts; G= Goals; A= Assists; PIM= Penalties in minutes
Regular season :
| Player | GP | TOI | W | L | OT | GA | GAA | SA | Sv% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Semyon Varlamov | 53 | 3151 | 26 | 24 | 3 | 136 | 2.59 | 1564 | .913 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Jean-Sebastien Giguere | 32 | 1820 | 15 | 11 | 3 | 69 | 2.27 | 850 | .919 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
$^†$Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Avalanche. Stats reflect time with the Avalanche only. $^‡$Traded mid-season

## Awards and records
### Awards

Regular Season :
| Player | Award | Awarded |
| Ryan O'Reilly | NHL Second Star of the Week | December 5, 2011 |
| Jean-Sebastien Giguere | NHL Third Star of the Week | December 26, 2011 |
| Gabriel Landeskog | NHL Rookie of the Month | February 2012 |

### Records

Regular Season :
| Player | Record |

### Milestones

Regular Season :
| Player | Milestone | Reached |
| Gabriel Landeskog | 1st Career NHL Game | October 8, 2011 |
| Gabriel Landeskog | 1st Career NHL Goal 1st Career NHL Point | October 12, 2011 |
| Gabriel Landeskog | 1st Career NHL Assist | October 13, 2011 |
| Ryan O'Byrne | 200th Career NHL Game | October 22, 2011 |
| Kyle Quincey | 200th Career NHL Game | November 8, 2011 |
| Daniel Winnik | 300th Career NHL Game | November 15, 2011 |
| Shane O'Brien | 400th Career NHL Game | November 20, 2011 |
| Stefan Elliott | 1st Career NHL Game 1st Career NHL Goal 1st Career NHL Point | November 26, 2011 |
| Stefan Elliott | 1st Career NHL Assist | November 28, 2011 |
| Chuck Kobasew | 500th Career NHL Game | December 8, 2011 |
| Jay McClement | 500th Career NHL Game | December 8, 2011 |
| Brad Malone | 1st Career NHL Game | December 8, 2011 |
| Brad Malone | 1st Career NHL Assist 1st Career NHL Point | December 19, 2011 |
| Cody McLeod | 300th Career NHL Game | December 19, 2011 |
| Matt Duchene | 200th Career NHL Game | December 29, 2011 |
| Chuck Kobasew | 100th Career NHL Goal | December 31, 2011 |
| David Jones | 200th Career NHL Game | January 2, 2012 |
| Ryan O'Reilly | 200th Career NHL Game | January 12, 2012 |
| Tyson Barrie | 1st Career NHL Game | February 7, 2012 |
| David Jones | 100th Career NHL Point | February 7, 2012 |
| Paul Stastny | 400th Career NHL Game | February 7, 2012 |
| Jan Hejda | 400th Career NHL Game | February 19, 2012 |
| Ryan O'Reilly | 100th Career NHL Point | February 25, 2012 |
| Mike Connolly | 1st Career NHL Game | March 4, 2012 |
| Semyon Varlamov | 100th Career NHL Game | March 6, 2012 |
| Erik Johnson | 100th Career NHL Assist | March 30, 2012 |

## Transactions

The Avalanche have been involved in the following transactions during the 2011–12 season:

### Trades

| Date | Details | Details |
| June 24, 2011 | To Toronto Maple Leafs John-Michael Liles | To Colorado Avalanche 2nd-round pick in 2012 |
| July 1, 2011 | To Washington Capitals 1st-round pick in 2012 Conditional 2nd-round pick in 2012 | To Colorado Avalanche Semyon Varlamov |
| October 8, 2011 | To Anaheim Ducks Kyle Cumiskey | To Colorado Avalanche Jake Newton Conditional 7th-round pick in 2013 |
| February 2, 2012 | To Washington Capitals Mike Carman | To Colorado Avalanche Danny Richmond |
| February 21, 2012 | To Tampa Bay Lightning Kyle Quincey | To Colorado Avalanche Steve Downie |
| February 27, 2012 | To San Jose Sharks TJ Galiardi Daniel Winnik 7th-round pick in 2013 | To Colorado Avalanche Jamie McGinn Mike Connolly Michael Sgarbossa |
Lost via retirement
Player
Adam Foote
Player signings
PlayerDateContract terms
Milan HejdukMay 11, 20111 year, $2.6 million
David JonesJune 29, 20111 year, $2.5 million
Ryan O'ByrneJune 30, 20112 years, $3.6 million
Matt HunwickJune 30, 20111 year, $1.55 million
Semyon VarlamovJuly 2, 20113 years, $8.5 million
David LiffitonJuly 8, 20111 year, $525,000
Greg MauldinJuly 8, 20111 year, $525,000
Justin MercierJuly 8, 20111 year, $525,000
Ryan StoaJuly 8, 20111 year, $803,250
David Van der GulikJuly 8, 20111 year, $525,000
Kevin PorterJuly 9, 20111 year, $850,000
Ryan WilsonJuly 9, 20111 year, $1.275 million
TJ GaliardiJuly 12, 20111 year, $700,000
Semyon VarlamovJuly 2, 20113 years, $8.5 million
Gabriel LandeskogJuly 28, 20113 years, $2.775 million entry-level contract
Duncan SiemensJuly 28, 20113 years, $2.775 million entry-level contract
Kyle CumiskeySeptember 9, 20111 year, $708,750
Paul CareyApril 11, 20122 years, $1.35 million entry-level contract
Sami AittokallioMay 11, 20123 years, $2.05 million entry-level contract
Kieran MillanMay 11, 20122 years, $1.255 million entry-level contract
Kent PattersonMay 11, 20122 years, $1.255 million entry-level contract
Milan HejdukMay 18, 20121 year, $2 million contract extension
Cody McLeodJune 4, 20123 years, $3.5 million contract extension
David JonesJune 6, 20124 years, $16 million
Matt HunwickJune 6, 20122 years, $3.2 million :

## Draft picks

Colorado's picks at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft in St. Paul, Minnesota.
| Round | # | Player | Position | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 2 | Gabriel Landeskog | LW | Sweden | Kitchener Rangers (OHL) |
| 1 | 11 (from St. Louis) | Duncan Siemens | D | Canada | Saskatoon Blades (WHL) |
| 4 | 93 | Joachim Nermark | C | Sweden | Linkopings HC (Elitserien) |
| 5 | 123 | Garrett Meurs | C | Canada | Plymouth Whalers (OHL) |
| 6 | 153 | Gabriel Beaupre | D | Canada | Val-d'Or Foreurs (QMJHL) |
| 7 | 183 | Dillon Donnelly | D | United States | Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL) |