There have been several keys to their victories

26.The chances that White makes the trip are practically nil, given that his court appearance is the day before. But Smith has made it clear that the Gophers will move on without him, and it wouldn't be a surprise if the freshman sat out until the start of conference play on Dec. 29.Through two games, the Gophers have dismantled their opponents defensively and been boosted by efficient offensive performances from multiple players. Somewhat surprising is the point differential by which they've bested their counterparts.In the home opener, the Gophers beat a Tennessee Tech team, which finished the 2008-2009 season 12-18, by 37 points. They followed that up with a 40-point margin of victory at home over 2008-2009 Southland Conference Champion Stephen F Austin.There have been several keys to their victories. The 6'7" forward from Minneapolis has averaged 14 points and limited his turnovers to only two in 38 minutes.Clearly, Gopher basketball is moving in the right direction.

If Minnesota is lucky enough to keep Smith and continues to bring in top recruiting classes, the team will be a force to be reckoned with in the Big Ten Conference.Westbrook's scoring ability and Damian Johnson's on-the-ball defense might be the best in the Big 10. Tonight marks the start of a pivotal three-game road trip for the Colorado Avalanche as they visit Calgary to play the Flames before facing the Oil tomorrow night and Vancouver on Friday. They'll be looking for a little redemption on the last leg, coming off an 8-2 loss at the hands of the Canucks.The Avalanche right now are definitely cooling off from their hot start. However, what they've done to this point as the third youngest team in the NHL is nothing short of stellar.We're nearing the end of the first quarter of the season and if this were Mr. Johnson's Hockey 101, I'm afraid I'd have to give the Avalanche an A. This team has achieved more in the early portion of the season than most anyone including myself could have expected.They've gotten timely and productive help from young and unheralded guys, which has helped the big names settle into a productive routine.

Kyle Quincey has been one of the Avs' most consistent and productive players to date, with 12 points in 20 games. Matt Duchene, on the other hand, has struggled a little bit to adapt to the NHL game It's easy to see that and it's easy to point the finger. But we are only 20 games in to an 82-game season and he does have seven points.Duchene has time. He is still learning and, with his talent and skill, there's no reason to think he won't be able to make the changes necessary to be more productive through the rest of the season.The other reason for Colorado's success The play of Craig Anderson. In 19 starts, the guy has 11 wins, five losses and three OT losses. Those rank him ahead of a lot of big names including Luongo, Turco and old foe Miika Kiprusoff.If you look at the numbers today and average them out over the season, the Avs would end up with a record of 50-24-8. That equates to 100-plus points, which is excellent and more than qualifies them for the playoffs.Am I saying that's what it'll be after Game 82 No. Not at all. All I'm saying is that what's gone on of late should be taken with a grain of salt. It's a blip on the screen of the entire NHL season. Sure they've looked beatable and have taken some tough losses But the season is young and anything can happen They have time. Health is of the utmost importance.