What We Learned: After slow start, are the Avalanche back?

Most people probably figured it would get there, but the Colorado Avalanche finally look like they're back in killbot mode.

It was hard to blame them for the tough start, though. Not to say the words "Cup hangover" too loudly, but they did play deep into June, lost some real talent to salary-cap attrition, and saw their captain and a number of key defenders miss time already during this young season. Add in that six of their first 10 games were on the road, including against some tough opponents, and it was easy to see how they could start .500 and not look particularly dominant for more than the occasional stretch here and there.

But now they've won four in a row, and their breezy win over a strong Carolina team on Saturday night pushed them into a three-way tie atop the Central Division. T