Craig Anderson and the Avalanche have cooled after a hot start to the season. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

If you're the Count of Monte Cristo, you wait years to exact revenge, plotting your every move until the time is just right to put your plan into action. If you're the Colorado Avalanche, six days is plenty.

That's how long it has been since the Avs and their No. 1 goalie, Craig Anderson, suffered their worst defeat of this charmed season — one they look to avenge when they visit the Vancouver Canucks on Friday (10 p.m. ET).

Last Saturday in Denver, the Canucks chased Anderson from the game with four goals on 18 shots over the first two periods. Backup Peter Budaj got it even worse, allowing as many goals (four) as he made saves as Vancouver rolled to an 8-2 win.

Henrik Sedin played the role of Baron Danglars, tormenting the Colorado goalies with his first career hat trick. Steve Bernier (Mondego?) added a pair of goals.

The six-goal defeat is the most lopsided of the season for the Mile High guys, who have crashed back to earth after bursting out of the gates as the NHL's biggest surprise.

Picked by many to finish in or near the basement of the league, Colorado instead jumped out to a magical 10-1-2 start. Anderson was a big reason why, starting every one of those games as Budaj battled the swine flu. The career backup, who quietly signed with the Avs over the summer after three seasons with Florida, emerged as an early Vezina frontrunner with a sparkling 2.04 goals-against average and .939 save percentage in the month of October.

November hasn't been nearly as kind. Beginning with a 3-0 shutout loss in Vancouver on the first day of the month, the Avalanche have won just three of eight games (they also lost their final October game, in San Jose). As a result, Colorado (13-6-3) has seen its lead in the Northwest Division shrink to three points over Calgary and seven points over third-place Vancouver (11-10-0). The Canucks have a game in hand and the Flames have two.

Anderson had just two wins in that span, including a 3-2 decision over Calgary in his last start, on Tuesday. The 28-year-old figures to be back in net Friday after Budaj played Wednesday's 6-4 loss in Edmonton, where the Avs coughed up a two-goal lead by allowing four unanswered goals to finish the game.

"Those are the ones you have to put away and we didn't do that," said first-year Colorado coach Joe Sacco, whose team is wrapping up a three-game road swing Friday and has played an astounding 14 of its last 20 contests away from home.

The Avs have more than held their own on the road, going 7-4-3 this season.

"We are finishing off a long haul on the road," Sacco said after Thursday's practice in Vancouver. "I think any team in the NHL, if you're going above .500 on the road and winning your share of games at home, it makes for a pretty good recipe."

The Canucks know what its like to sleep in a different bed. Vancouver is returning home from a five-game road trip in which it sandwiched a pair of victories around three losses.

The trip ended with that 8-2 drubbing of Colorado last Saturday.

"It's something to build on," said Sedin, whose team plays its next five at home. "It gives the guys confidence."