The Avalanche of Old

The Avalanche of old have become the Avalanche of the end of the 2007-2008 regular season.
The Avs have re-acquired defenseman Adam Foote at a steep price of a conditional 1st round pick. A 2008 pick if the Avs make the playoffs this year, or a 2009 pick if they don't. As well as a conditional draft pick if he re-signs with Colorado this Summer.

The Avs also acquired defenseman Ruslan Salei from the Florida Panthers for Karlis Skrastins and a 2008 3rd round pick.


More to come later.....

Avalanche Atrocious in Alberta

The night had all the makings of things finally pointing in the right direction for the Avalanche with 20 games left to play in the regular season. Joe Sakic was back in the lineup after missing 38 games, the last of the big 3 forwards returning from injury. This was the first of three consecutive games against the Canadian division foes, and a chance not only to start the trek towards one of the last playoff spots, but to make up ground in the division as well.
The game started off well for the Avs as Tyler Arnason was able to put them ahead less than 30 seconds into the game. The Avs dominated the Oilers in the first, had several near misses, and gained a 2-0 lead on a Ben Guite goal later in the period from none other than Joe Sakic. Then came the Avalanche kiss of death this season. Once they got that two goal lead, the Avs abandoned what had worked for them and decided with over 40 minutes left in the game, they were content with sitting on the lead and hoping for the best.
Give credit to the Oilers, once they got down, they played hard. As much as the Avs dominated in the 1st period, they were controlled as much or more by the Oilers in the 2nd. The Avs had 3 shots on goal in the period.. 3.. Goals by Gagner and Glencross tied the game before, by my account, the Avalanche even had a shot on goal in the period. That's over 11 minutes. Who would have thought that the 1-4 and 0-5 forechecking systems wouldn't produce any offensive pressure?
The Avs finally started playing again in the 3rd, but the Oilers got a break when Kyle Cumiskey misread a cross-ice pass, tried to step in front of it only to have it get by him on to the stick of Cogliano who came in and buried a nice shot just inside the far post to give the Oilers a 3-2 lead they wouldn't give up. Cumiskey made a rookie mistake, but at least he was trying to be aggressive, something the rest of the team wasn't doing.
My Observations:
Tyler Arnason showed good jump throughout the game, and seems to play so much better in the Albertan cities than anywhere else in the league. Wojtek Wolski looked good and played hard after being a healthy scratch last game. Joe Sakic was back in the lineup, but you could tell that he had missed 3 months of action. Paul Stastny had a chance to tie the game on the power play in the 3rd, having a rebound kick out to him with a wide open net, but the puck got into his skates and handcuffed him. Scott Hannan looked drunk for a good part of the second period. He was slow to react to the play, and was gliding around the ice hunched over, lunging with his stick instead of moving his feet. The power play continues to lack power. Here's a quick version of almost every Avs PP chance this season. Dump the puck in, opponent sends it back down the ice, regroup and dump it in again. Gain possession, battle along the boards for 30 seconds, lose the puck, go pick it up in their own end again. Repeat 2-3 times and the power play is over. The times the PP has been somewhat effective has been when the Avs focus on creating from the point or the side boards. Unfortunately, they continue to want to start from behind the net, which allows the other team to collapse down low, cut off all passing lanes, and keep the Avs to the outside, and often times only allow maybe 1 shot on goal in the 2 minutes. Throw in the fact that the 4 guys without the puck are stationary, and playing D against them is pretty easy.
In the end, the Avs started the way they wanted to, but like many games this month, were unable to play hard for 60 minutes. Part of it is team philosophy, but in the end, the onus falls on the players as well. They aren't playing like they want to win, and with every remaining game being important for both teams involved, this kind of effort will continue to produce losses.

Forsberg Coming Back to the Avalanche

After weeks of wondering will he or won’t he, and an announcement that he won’t, Peter Forsberg signed with the Avalanche Monday afternoon through the rest of this season. While this is exciting news for Avs fans, there are more of us than not that are hopeful rather than confident. Forsberg has been battling ankle injuries for years, and even went through 30 pairs of skates recently in an attempt to find one pair that would ease his discomfort when skating. Now don’t get me wrong, I am going to love seeing that #21 Avalanche jersey back on the ice, hopefully sometime soon. The Avalanche are in desperate need of a shot in the arm, even though Joe Sakic was able to return Sunday night. As of right now, they are 4 points out of the final playoff spot in the West, but there are 19 games remaining, and the next two are against division foes ahead of them in the standings. Needless to say, the Avs have a lot of work to do in the final weeks of the season, but it’s not an impossible feat.

Now that he has officially signed, we can start to speculate what the forward lines will look like. A lot of this will be determined by the health of Forsberg. Will he be able to play top 6 minutes? If so, the Avalanche currently have top talented centers in Sakic and Stastny, and with Forsberg being a natural center, do the Avs move him to wing? Maybe a top 6 of Smyth, Stastny, and Hejduk and Forsberg, Sakic, and Svatos. Or do the Avs try to balance it over three lines with keeping pairs together? Sakic/Brunette, Stastny/Smyth, Forsberg/Hejduk perhaps.

Whatever the case, this team has its work cut out for them in the final 19 games. I am going to remain optimistic and hopeful. Hopeful for a strong finish, a playoff birth, a healthy return by Forsberg, and a packed Pepsi Center. It was a gamble for the Avs to make this move, but hopefully it will pay off.

The Avalanche and the Trade Deadline

As I sit here on February 22^nd typing this, we are less than 4 days from the trade deadline. We are in the midst of one of the most fun times of year for hockey fans. With only a handful of teams that don’t have realistic shots at the playoffs, a lot of teams are to believe that they are maybe one move away from making a run at a final playoff spot, or a division title, or even a trip to the cup finals. Speculation and rumors have been swirling for weeks, and continue to gain speed and frequency as the deadline nears, but a lot of people, myself included, wonder how much movement will there actually be.

A recent trend has developed in the league in recent years where UFAs traded at the deadline end up signing with the team they were traded from after the season. Just last year, we saw Nashville and Atlanta pay big prices for guys like Tkachuk and Forsberg only to see them move on after the season.

Throw in the likes of Doug Weight and Bill Guerin, and you begin to wonder why a GM would give up high picks and solid prospects for a rental player that will most likely be gone in 2-3 months unless they felt the move gave them a solid shot at the Stanley Cup. This year, the big “prize” appears to be Mats Sundin. Granted, there are a lot of teams that would love to have a player like that for a playoff run, as a fan, how would you like to see your favorite team basically give away a big package for a guy that in all indications will just return to Toronto in the Summer. On another note, you have guy like Marian Hossa. He’s a great player and could bring a lot to your team, but from all indications, he appears intent on testing the market in the summer. That’s not to say he wouldn’t sign an extension with the team he is traded to, but like the Sundin situation there is a risk. But what fun is life without taking risks right?

Due to things such as the salary cap and 3-point games, conference races for the playoffs have become tighter since the lockout. It seems like even teams that are 12^th or 13^th in the conference are just one 5-game stretch from being embedded in a playoff spot. Because of this, you have to wonder how many true sellers there are at this point. Toronto, Tampa, LA and Edmonton appear to be too far back, but there are 26 other teams that appear primed to make a late run at a spot. Remember the Avs 15-2-2 run at the end of last year? Then you have to figure which teams have the cap room to make a big splash. Columbus can technically take on a guy like Brad Richards and his $7.8 million salary, but they don’t seem like the kind of organization that would do something of that nature.

From all indications, the asking prices for the guys that seem most likely to be traded are pretty steep for a rental player. While there may be several smaller moves, I just don’t see the conditions being right for the movement of so-called impact players.

Now to the Avalanche. As of tonight, even with all the injuries that have occurred and continue to occur, they still find themselves only 4 points out of a playoff spot. In the past, this team hasn’t been shy about making a splash at the trade deadline, but with the current market conditions and cap limitations, I don’t see them making a move that will dramatically improve their chances for this season. The Avs do have three main players that will be unrestricted free agents this summer in Liles, Brunette and Arnason. Of the three, the Avs could get the most in return for Liles if they chose to do so, but I’m not sure they would or should. He will no doubt be looking for a raise from his current 1.4 million deal, and though he has had a rough year, I think the Avs should try to re-sign him. But then again it all comes down to how much will he be looking for, does he want to stay, and what does management think their chances of re-signing him are. From all indications, Kyle Cumiskey appears primed to take over the role that Liles has filled as a puck moving defenseman. He has great wheels, good hands, and the ability to create. Andrew Brunette has not been the same this year without Sakic. He seems slower, less consistent, and that has lead to a dramatic decrease in production compared to the previous two years. He is a veteran, and with the right linemates can be a solid top-6 winger. Tyler Arnason has had flashes of brilliance on offense this year, but will never be a Selke finalist. In his last 20 or so games, he has been great and put up a lot of points on the line with Svatos and Wolski, and maybe that could be enough for someone making a decent proposal to the Avalanche for him.

Some fans have already put a nail in this coffin of a season for the Avs, and have even thrown around the word re-build. If you look at the core of this team, they are not in need of a re-build as much as a re-tool. They have gone big chunks of the season without Joe Sakic, Ryan Smyth, Paul Stastny, and now their best defenseman Brett Clark is out indefinitely. With the mini reemergence of Jose Theodore, where would this tema be if those guys had been able to stay healthy? The Avs have depth and an above average top 6 up front. They have a very capable checking line in Guite, Lapperiere and McLeod/McCormick who can provide energy and toughness. If there are things this team needs it would be a top line defenseman and a goaltending. Theodore has played well this year, and his play has gotten better as the year has gone on, but it’s not worth $6 million per year. The way he’s played and with the lack of available top-end goalies on the market, I wouldn’t mind the Avs making a play to re-sign him at a cheaper price. When all is said and done, and 1pm local time rolls around Tuesday the 26^th. I don’t see this team looking much different than it does today. Except for hopefully Joe Sakic will be in the lineup. But I’ll still be watching closely because just as important as what the Avs do is what the teams that are ahead of them in the standings do, especially Calgary and Vancouver.

Avalanche at Phoenix - Feb 22

After losing the first three games against Phoenix this year, the Avalanche were able to avoid a series sweep by beating the Coyotes 3-2 in a shootout in the desert, getting an important 2 points after a tough shootout loss two nights ago against Anaheim.

It only took a little over 14 minutes for Paul Stastny to make his presence felt in his return to the ice, tying the game on a great individual effort in the first period. The goal came just four minutes after Phoenix grabbed the lead with a 5 on 3 power play goal. The goal was a great example of what this team has been lacking lately as he was able to make something out of nothing on a 1 on 2 getting a good shot on net and following up to bury his rebound. The Avs were able to build on the improved play they showed in Anaheim Wednesday night and played a solid road game.

The Avalanche had a goal disallowed 3 minutes into the 2^nd period after Ian Laperriere made a great play from the seat of his pants and slid a backhander into the empty net. Unfortunately for the Avs, the net was empty because Lappy was basically sitting on Tellqvist. The Avs were able to take a 2-1 lead for real 9:09 into the 2^nd period when Marek Svatos blasted a onetimer from the left circle over the shoulder of Tellqvist, who started in place of Ilya Bryzgalov who was out with the flu. It was Svatos’ 26^th of the year and 3^rd on the PP. The Avs continued to play well through the rest of the 2^nd limiting the chances for the Coyotes. The third period was a little different. As usual, the Avs were content sitting on that one goal lead, and thanks in large part to some great saves by Jose Theodore, were able to do so for the first 19:57 of the 3^rd period. Phoenix pulled Tellqvist with just over a minute remaining in the game and scored with just 2.8 seconds remaining when a Derek Morris shot deflected off the stick of Paul Stastny and behind Theodore to tie the game. And just like that, the Avs gave up another point late.

The Coyotes got the first chances of overtime, but the Avs had more, but were unable to capitalize and we were off to a shootout. Which went as follows:

Subaru Shootout

Svatos – deke to the backhand, sprawling pad save by Tellqvist

Mueller – quick shot, pad save by Theo

Smyth – backhand, save

Vrbata – deke to backhand, save

Hensick – glove save

Doan – had him beat, lost the puck

Stastny – backhand, pad save

Hanzal - forehand, pad save

Hejduk – quick shot, blocker save

Reinprecht – backhand, post

Arnason – forehand GOAL stick side

Perrault – deke, forehand GOAL

Jones – shot shoulder save

Ballard – deke, pad save

Liles – shot five hole, GOAL

York – shot stick side, GOAL

Laperriere – shot, post

Kapanen – blocker save

Brunette – shot, arm save

Jovanovski – shot, glove save

Guite – backhand, missed net

Carcillo – deke, pad save

McLeod – shot, stick side GOAL

Yandle – shot, missed net

The thing I couldn’t get is why guys like Lappy and Jones, even McLeod took a chance and Kyle Cumiskey didn’t. It worked, but I’m still questioning that.

Overall, the Avs showed good effort throughout the game, but I really wish they wouldn’t be content with just sitting on the one goal lead. They turn their own end into a shooting gallery and Theodore by far was the reason the Avs got a point in this game. The Yote’s tying goal came as a result of the Avs failure to clear the puck when they had a chance to, something that has consistently plagued this team.

Colorado did manage to score a power play goal, but there is still a lot of work to be done on that front. In the end, the Avs got two desperately needed points, and that’s all that really matters.

Notes and Observations

Wojtek Wolski and Jaroslav Hlinka were healthy scratches in this game. Jeff Finger is out day-to-day with a hand injury. Also on the note of personnel, the Avs were pretty consistent with the lines tonight, something Quinneville hasn’t done a whole lot of this season. Joe Sakic is practicing with the team and is expected back at some time on this road trip. Kyle Cumiskey continues to impress me with the dimension he adds to this team. There are times he gets himself trapped too low in the offensive zone, but he has the speed to get back to his position. He is able to move the puck up, carry it in deep, and create opportunities and draw penalties with his shiftiness. The Avs improve to 4-3 in the shootout this season, and are now 2 points out of the 8^th spot in the West. The Avs are off to Edmonton where they will play 3 games in 4 nights against the Canadian teams of the Northwest. T-minus 3 ½ days until the trade deadline.

Avs Put the Smack Down on Luongo and Canucks (Feb 9)

Trying something a little different tonight. Let's do a running diary of the game.

No Stastny tonight, lasted 5 minutes in the morning skate

1^st Period
Looks like it’s going to be Guite’s line going against the Sedins tonight

19:00 Good pressure early by that line and by Hejduk. Good pace so far

For as many guys the Avs are missing up front, the Canucks are missing 4 defensemen

15:00 Pace has settled a bit, Sedins are doing a good job controlling the puck in the Avs zone. The Avs can’t get it out

14:00 Daniel Sedin almost buried one. You can’t run around and leave him open in front

13:30 Pyatt just missed!! Svatos comes down one on one and gets a good shot on Luongo

Good first 5 minutes for the Avs, but the tide has turned a little bit

11:40 Matt Cooke with a nice hit on Hannan battling for the puck in the corner

11:05 Finger gets a good shot from the point on Luongo. Good traffic in front

10:50 1-0 Avs!! Svatos scrambles behind the net, good move on Byron Ritchie reverses field and slips a wraparound through Luongp’s legs. Arnason must have jammed it in

10:23 Theodore makes a save on a point blank shot in front by Ritchie. He was wide open on a pass from behind the net

9:09 Avs are keeping the pressure on, Guite walked right out in front, Luongo shut the door this time. Doesn’t look like the Avs are going to try and sit on this 1-0 lead like they have for most of this year

8:41 2-0 Avs!! Hejduk buries it from 8 feet out. Good work by Brunette behind the net with a guy on him to get it out in front, off of Hlinka to Hejduk.

7:21 Kesler has a good rush sets aup a chance by Pyatt off the post!!! Theodore scrambles and the puck goes wide. Bad 1^st rebound by Theo

4:30 Theodore is not handling shots well, even soft ones

2:55 3-0 Avs!! Svatos buries it from his knees. Talk about fighting for the puck. Wolski, Svatos and Arnason all out-muscled a Canuck to keep the puck alive and eventually bury it

1:15 The camera man is having a hard time keeping up with the action. It’s a little irritating.

End of the First. The Avs couldn’t have asked for a better period, home or away. All four lines played well, fought hard and created chances on Luongo. While the Sedin line had a couple good shifts, and Pyatt hit a post, the Avs controlled the period, especially down low behind the net and in front of Luongo. Plus they buried the good chances they had. This was probably a better period than the first against San Jose Wednesday night. Hopefully the Avs can continue this, unlike Wednesday, and keep putting pressure on the young defense of the Canucks. Luongo looked a little shaky at times on long shots. He needs to sure up and control the rebounds better because he isn’t getting a lot of help. Theodore has done the job so far, but even with a 3-0 lead I’m not comfortable.

Sedin line -2 in 1st

2^nd Period

18:40 Sedin line once again controlling play in the Avs zone, no great chances though.

The Avs forwards really bunch down low leaving the points WIDE open

16:22 Good work and forechecking by McCormickon a seemingly innocent play draws a holding penalty on Linden

15:55 2 on 1 Hejduk and Brunette, Hejduk toe drags and…. shoots high. Avs finally able to set up and get another good chance by Hejduk all alone in front. By the way, courtesy of Peter McNAbb, Hejduk has 29 goals in 51 career games against Vancouver

Avs 0-1 on the PP

13:20 big hit by McCormick on Climber.. He and McLeod are making their presence felt tonight

12:50 Laperriere sets a pick on Salo creating a two on one, and it’s whistled down. Interference on Lappy

12:23 PP Goal VAN 3-1.. Shot from the point by Salo tipped by Guite, Henrik Sedin able to bury the rebound

That goal picked up the Canucks, they had a good next shift

10:45 Canucks starting to throw the body around a little bit. I smell bad things happening

9:10 Edler almost loses it in front of Luongo. That will NOT make a coach happy

8:50 Theo fumbles another long shot. He is not good controlling rebounds on high shots. He may have the worst glove hand in the league

The Avs have had a lot of space in the neutral zone tonight and have been able to carry the puck into the Canuck zone with little opposition

The pace has slowed a little bit since the Vancouver goal, but the Avs aren’t sitting back as much as they did against San Jose

4:17 Brunette working hard behind the net draws a penalty on Naslund. Kind of a weak hooking call

Avs going with the three centers up front on the PP (HEnsick, Arnason, Hlinka)

3:19 4-1 Avs!! Wow!! Svatos carried the puck in, dropped it off to Liles who one touched it to Clark for a one-timer that kind of fluttered just under the cross bar past Luongo. It’s a power play goal

2:59 5-1 Avs!! Arnason makes a nice play to get the puck in fron, and Svatos comes barreling in to put it past Luongo, gets buried and draws a penalty for it after the play

The Avs are on the PP, but the Canucks are getting the scoring chances

:54 Fresh out of the box McIver gets into a scrap with Lappy. More wrestling for position than punches thrown.

After a bit of a flurry by the Canucks, that’s the period

Another great period by Colorado. There have been times this season when they got the lead then sat back and allowed teams to bring the play to them, putting a lot of pressure on the D and goalies. That’s not the case this time. The Avs by far had the better chances this period, and clearly are playing like they want this one. Svatos has 3 points already. As I mentioned earlier, the Avs aren’t dumping the puck as much this game. It’s probably due to the fact that Vancouver is allowing them to carry into the zone.

3^rd Period

Curtis Sanford is in for Luongo

19:10 nice chance by Henrik. Thisline continues to go in spurts, and it looks like they just drew a penalty on Hejduk.

18:38 PP Goal 5-2… Sami Salo with a bomb from the point.

Again, the PP goal gives the Canucks life as they follow it up with a good shift

18:02 Wolski walked around the D but had the puck roll off his stick in front of Sanford

17:43 McCormick in a scrap with Luc Bourdon. Bourdon keeps throwing punches after McCormick went down, and boy was he pissed. We could see round 2 later

Hannan called for holding before the fight

17:33 Great save by Theo on Daniel.. This PP unit may be the best I’ve seen other than Detroit

17:20 Salo bombs one off the post. The Avs better keep the puck away from that guy

Whew.. the Avs doged several bullets on that kill. The Canucks are in full control this period

14:44 The Avs needed this whistle. Things were getting a little out of control

Avs can’t get it past the red line

12:20 Wolski gets the first shot on goal of the period for the Avs

10:39 GOOOALL 6-2 Avs!! Hejduk snaps one off from the left faceoff dot

8:59 We have ourselves another fight. This time it’s McLeod and McIver

6:23 Svatos makes a great move, bidding for the trick and fires it over the net

Not much happening

And that’s all she wrote. A little tussle here at the end, but nothing comes of it.

A big win for the Avalanche. The get a road win against a divisional opponent, and move past Calgary into second place in the Northwest. Theodore was good when he had to be, but the real story was the offense. Svatos continues to roll, he now has 24 goals, and it was good to see Milan Hejduk pot a couple as he has been close in each of the last few games. This was the 3^rd time since the all-star break that the Avs have scored 6 goals. The most promising thing for the Avs tonight was the fact that the Avs showed the killer instinct that they are going to need coming down the stretch. When they get ahead, they need to put teams away and keep picking up points. It’s kind of amazing that the Avs continue to score a lot with their three best offensive players on the sidelines. The Arnason, Wolski, Svatos line combined for 9 points and continues to be the catalyst for this team.

Numbers!!!

Goals

1 – 7:10 of 1^st COL – Arnason (7) from Svatos (6) and Wolski (21)

2 – 11:19 of 1^st COL – Hejduk (19) from Hlinka (17) and Brunette (25)

3 – 17:05 of 1^st COL Svatos (23) from Arnason (18) and Wolski (22)

4 – 7:37 of 2^nd VAN PP – H. Sedin (12) from Salo (9) and D. Sedin (31)

5 – 16:41 of 2^nd COL PP – Clark (5) from Liles (20) and Hensick (4)

6 – 17:01 of 2^nd COL – Svatos (24) from Arnason (19) and Wolski (23)

7 – 1:22 of 3^rd VAN PP – Salo (2) from Raymond (10) and D. Sedin (32)

8 – 9:21 of 3^rd COL – Hejduk (20) from Hlinka (18) and Brunette (26)

SOG

Avs: 13-9-2 – 24

Canucks: 5-9-11 – 25

PP

Avs: 1-3

Canucks: 2-3

Western Conference Standings:

Team GP W Pts

1. Detroit 57 41 87

2. Dallas 59 34 73

3. Minnesota 55 31 66

4. San Jose 55 31 69

5. Anaheim 59 30 67

6. Colorado 56 30 65

7. Calgary 56 28 64

8. Nashville 56 28 62

9. Vancouver 56 27 61

10. Phoenix 55 28 60

11. Columbus 57 26 60

12. St. Louis 53 24 55

13. Edmonton 57 25 55

14. Chicago 54 24 53

15. LA 57 23 49

Do You Know the Way to Win in San Jose (Feb 6)

Two nights after giving a point away at home, the Avs ventured to San Jose to play one of the best teams in the West in the San Jose Sharks. Though the Sharks have had their troubles at home this year, I didn’t envision things going great for the Avs heading into this one. I am still holding steadfast in my position that the month of February, in particular the games leading up to the trade deadline February 26, as being the determining factor of the Avs future this season.
After the letdown against the Coyotes, this game was even bigger for the Avs, and they definitely showed they were ready to play in the first period. The Avs played possibly their best period on the road this season. They were able to dictate the play for the entire period, especially in the Sharks zone, as the Avs outshot San Jose 13-4, and Jose Theodore making his first start after missing 3 games due to back spasms was able to ease his way into the game. At the same time, they were able to keep the Sharks from getting much going, and held big Joe Thornton and company in check. Ben Guite put the Avs on the board first halfway through the period with a sweet deflection of a Brett Clark shot. The shot appeared to be going wide, a little more than waist high, and Guit coming across the front of the net, was able to re-direct it back into the net. That was Guite’s 3^rd goal in as many games.
After a brilliant first 20 minutes, a seemingly different Avalanche team came out in the second period. For that matter, the Sharks realized the game was already a third of the way over and decided they should probably start playing. One thing that was evident throughout this game was how different this Avs team was than the one that lost 2 of 3 to the Sharks earlier in the season. The Sharks are a big, strong, quick team that had physically overmatched the Avs, and I’m not sure if they were ready for what the Avs had for them in the first period. This Avs team is not afraid to throw the body around, and Cody McLeod in particular was able to make his presence known with his limited ice time. Anyway, the Sharks took over in the second. They took the play to the Avs and did a great job of controlling the puck in the Avs end. Just under 6 minutes into the period, the Sharks were able to tie the game on a Patrick Marleau PP goal on a pretty cross-ice feed by Sandis Ozolinsh. Yes, THAT Sandish Ozolinsh. The Avs fell victim again of playing complacent once again with a 1-0 lead, something they have become accustomed to much of the year. But alas, seven minutes later, the Avs took the lead once again with a power play tally of their own, scored by none other than T.J. Hensick on another deflection of a Brett Clark point shot. Hensick’s 5^th goal in the last 4 games by the way. With the lead once again, the Avs went back on the defensive and were able to milk the clock and get out of the period with that lead.
The third period went pretty much the same way as the second. The Sharks had the puck a lot, had several great chances, and Jose Theodore stood on his head. Theodore was by far the only reason the Avs were able to stay ahead. The Avs had a couple good chances in the period, but weren’t able to capitalize. I though the lines of Wolski-Arnason-Svatos and Laperriere-Guite-Richardson played the best in this game. They were the only lines that were able to create any pressure, and Guite’s line did a great job against Thornton’s line. I will be shocked if the Sharks don’t win the Pacific. They are a VERY solid team, and Nabokov is the real deal. The only question I have is whether or not he will continue this pace and play 78-80 games this year, and how will that affect him coming down the stretch and into the playoffs. Also, Patrick Marleau was the best player for the Sharks on this night. If he keeps that level of play up, the Sharks are only going to be tougher. Getting back to the game now. The Avs were able to barely hold their lead despite several near misses by the Sharks and Jeff Finger potted an empty netter with half a second left in the game.
My rants of the evening:
After a bitter tasting OT loss in their previous game, Jose Theodore stole a victory in this game, and was by far the number 1 star of the game. I’m not going to lie, I am not a fan of the Avs trying to sit on 1 goal leads. It’s one thing to do it late in the game, but to try and play 45-50 minutes of that is a lot to ask. A good chunk of the 3^rd period, the Sharks were given the time and space to make even strength play look like a power play. Granted the Avs did win, but I like being critical… Congrats to Ian Laperriere who played in his 900th career NHL game... Tyler Arnason has 9 points in the last 6 games… T.J. Hensick continues to have the hot hand, especially on the PP, but his minutes have droppes in each of the last 3 games. I just don’t get it, don’t most guys get more minutes when they have the hot hand? Hlinka playing with Hejduk and Brunette isn’t working, thank god Stastny is coming back Saturday. With that said, where does that leave Hensick who will now be the 5^th center? Do the Avs send him back down to Lake Erie?

Numbers!!!
Goals
1 – 10:24 of 1^st - COL Guite (7) from Clark (15) and Laperriere (12)
2 – 5:53 of 2^nd - SJ PP Marleau (10) from Ozolinsh (12)
3 – 12:51 of 2^nd - COL PP Hensick (6) from Clark (16) and Arnason (17)
4 – 19:59 of 3^rd – COL EN Finger (5) unassisted

SOG
Avs: 13-5-7 – 25
Sharks: 4-16-11 – 31

PP
Avs: 1-4
Sharks: 1-3

Standings:
Avs: 63 Points – 5^th in West
Sharks: 65 Points – 4^th in West

Avs Next 5:
2/9 – @ VAN
2/12 – ANA
2/14 – STL
2/17 - @CHI
2/18 - DET

Who Own da Avs.. Owns, Owns (Feb 4)

Well, if Tuesday night wasn't just a swift kick in the balls. The Avs blew a great opportunity to get a victory in one of their few home games in the month of February, and instead, allowed one of the teams chasing them in the Western Conference playoff push to gain a little ground. Everything started out great for the Avs, as Phoenix started Mikael Tellqvist in lieu of the machine known as Ilya Bryzgalov, and Marek Svatos was back in the lineup after missing the last game with a bit of a groin injury.
The first period was pretty much back and forth with the two teams combining for 29 shots on goal. T.J. Hensick kicked off the scoring with a power play goal 17:48 into the first, but the Avs took two quick penalties shortly thereafter and Peter Mueller was able to connect on a one-timer from teh top of the circles on the 5 on 3 to tie the game. Mueller is going to be a star. He's big, can play physical, has wheels and great hands, and a nose for the net. Plus, it's not often you see a rookie playing the point on the power play. Hopefully Phoenix fans appreciate what they have in that kid.

The second period continued in the same fashion. Even though he was held off the scoresheet, Milan Hejduk had some real good chances, and looked pretty quick. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for Andrew Brunette. Phoenix's second goal, scored by Daniel Winnick was the result of J-M Liles failing to get the puck out of his own zone, the Yotes working hard down low, and Winnick getting open in front for a tip with a couple Avs just looking at him. The prettiest goal of the period came about 10 minutes later when Jovanovski made a blind pass in the Avs end along the blue line which was picked off by Brad Richardson. Lappy was able to hustle in and join the play to cause a tight 2 on 1, and chipped in a pretty feed from Richardson with a guy on his back to even the score. Ian Laperriere had a great game. He was everywhere, killed penalties, and was probably the hardest working Avs player on that ice.
The 3rd period was almost like two different acts, and quite frankly was kind of weird. The Avs played very well in the first half of the period, and had a good chance about 9 minutes in when Brad Richardson got a breakaway coming out of the sin bin (after a questionable slashing call). He didn't score, but was able to draw a penalty. Which brings us to the beginning of the odd. T.J. Hensick scored on that ensuing power play, sneaking the puck just inside the goal line off the skate of a sliding Coyotes defender giving the Avs a 3-2 lead, but it wasn't official until about a minute thirty later. Al the Avs saw the puck go in, raised their sticks, and the puck went down the ice. Play went on until the next whistle when the play was officially reviewed, for a long time, then finally called good. Then the Avs decided to sit on the lead, quit pushing the play, and looked very lackadaisical. With just over 3 minutes, and after shoddy defensive play caused a faceoff to the right of Budaj, Tyler Arnason was kicked out of the circle forcing Svatos to take the draw. The Coyotes ran a set play with Steven Reinprecht pushing the puck past Svatos and feeding a pass across to a wide open Radim Vrbata. Where the hell did everyone go!! Arnason went after Reinprecht, and Jeff Finger, who was supposed to be there, was not. Ugh. Ironically, the Altitude guys had just gone on a two minute stretch about how the Avs could move into 5th place in the West and a point behind Minny with a win... Oops.
Honestly, I was too pissed to pay attention to the overtime period, and of course, Phoenix scored on another questionable play to end the game 3:23 into OT. The goal was credited to Vrbata, who put a shot on goal. Budaj appeared to have the puck underneath him, then Shane Doan dove, stickless and punched between Budaj's legs, squirting the puck into the net. The ref was right there, didn't blow the whistle until the puck had crossed the line and he was signaling goal, Wayne Gretzky was jumping up and down, and that was that. The Yotes quickly scampered back to the locker room while the Avs stayed on the bench and a heated Joel Quinneville
gave it to the refs. Was it a bad call? Maybe. Should the Avs have been in that position in the first place? Definitely not.
News and Notes:
The Coyotes are 3-0 against the Avs this year, winning both games in Denver.
Karlis Skrastins was the odd-man out in the 7 defenseman carousel
T.J. Hensick he of the 4 goals in 2 games, had only one shift in regulation after his second goal with 10 minutes left in the third.
Jose Theodore will be in net Wednesday at San Jose after missing the last two games because of back spasms
Paul Stastny will make the trip and is questionable for Wednesday's game

Numbers!!!
Goals
1 - 17:48 of 1st COL PP- Hensick (4) from Arnason (15) and Liles (19)
2 - 19:01 of 1st PHX PP - Mueller (16) from Jovanovski (30) and Doan (33)
3 - 5:04 of 2nd PHX - Winnik (6) from Murley (1) and Kapanen (15)
4 - 14:49 of 2nd COL - Laperriere (4) from Richardson (3)
5 - 9:52 of 3rd COL PP - Hensick (5) from Hlinka (16) and Arnason (16)
6 - 16:49 of 3rd PHX - Vrbata (23) from Reinprecht (21)
7 - 3:23 of OT PHX - Vrbata (24) from Doan (34) and Michalek (9)

SOG
Avs: 12-11-11-2 - 36
Coyotes: 17-9-6-1 - 33

PP
Avs: 2-4
Coyotes: 1-4

Standings:
Avs: 61 Points 5th in West
Coyotes: 59 Points 8th in West

Next Up: @ San Jose Wednesday, February 6

Avs Get Big Win in St. Louis (Feb. 2)

I don't know what happens when these two teams play each other, but one thing is for sure, you are going to see some goals. The Avs won the second of back-to-back games for the 5th time in 7 tries last night holding off the Blues 6-4. After the games the two teams played the night before, a 2-0 lose by the Avs to Detroit, and a 1-0 shootout win for the Blues over the Ducks, one thought, we would be in for another grinding, low-scoring affair. I guess not.
The Avs struck first on a TJ Hensick goal on a pretty feed from Laperriere. The play was started by Cody McLeod down low, something he did well all game, and got him another assist later in the 3rd period. Danny Hinote countered less than a minute later on a wraparound similar to the goal Zetterberg scored on Budaj the night before. Before the 1st period ended, the Jaroslav Hlinka potted a rebound, and Paul Kariya scored a PP goal less than a minute later, and we had ourselves a 2-2 game after 1.
The Avs had the only goal of the second on a delayed penalty call. Wolski came off the bench as the 6th skater, got a nice feed from Scott Hannan and put a one-timer on net. Ben Guite deflected the puck in front, and the Avs regained a 3-2 lead.
The third period ended up being the fastest paced an funnest of the game. The Avs actually converted a power play opportunity 1:00 into the period by TJ Hensick, then teh Avs shut 'er down. Andy McDonald converted on a nice play be David Perron on a 3 on 2 where teh defense got caught, and the forwards were too tired to get back and help. Tyler Arnason scored a wraparound goal that I'm sure Manny Legace still wants back, and a minute later, Keith Tkachuk answered. From that point on, with the Avs leading 5-4, it was all Blues. The Avs quit trying to attack, the Blues were swarming, hit the post on 3 separate occasions, and honestly should have tied the game. Instead, Ben Guite scored an empty netter, and that was that.
It was a game the Avs really needed, and it took 59:53 to officially put away the Blues. The Avs looked like a completely different team playing a completely different style from the night before. They forechecked well, created good chances, and capitalized on their opportunities. With the exception of Guite's empty netter from his own end, all the Avs goals were scored within 4 feet of the Blues net. They were the ugly, hard working goals this team needs to win games, while the Blues goals were mostly pretty plays.
Marek Svatos became the next in the long list of Avs players with the last name starting with S (Sakic, Smyth, Sauer, Stastny) to succomb to an injury. Svatos missed the game with what is being called a (groin) injury. I remember when Sakic's hernia was supposed to be just a little groin injury.. Shit..
The Avs won the game, but there was a lot to be desired. They allowed the league's lowest scoring team to score 4 goals. They made the league's worst power play look pretty fantastic, but were still able to hold them to 1-4. The Avs were outshot in every period. And most frustrating was that everytime they were in postion to put the game out of reach, they sat back and played that Quinneville Prevent Defense. It's that defense that doesn't allow the Avs to forecheck or establish any offensive presence while letting the other team control the puck in their own end, and hoping really hard they don't score. Not fun to watch if you're an Avs fan.

Things that make you go uhhhhhh..
The three Avs forwards with the most ice time Saturday night were... Hlinka, McCormick, and Laperriere.. J-M Liles and Jordan Leopold were both under 12:00 in ice time, while Kurt Sauer was at 13:45 in his first game back from concussion. TJ Hensick scored his second goal of the game one minute into the 3rd on the power play and was rewarded with only two more :30 shifts the rest of the game.. Despite giving up 4 goals, Budaj looked good again..
Numbers!!
Goals
1 - 5:28 of 1st COL - Hensick (2) from Laperriere (11) and McLeod (2)
2 - 6:16 of 1st STL - Hinote (5) from Mayers (10) and Johnson (9)
3 - 13:42 of 1st COL - Hlinka (6) from Wolski (19) and Clark (14)
4 - 14:34 of 1st STL PP - Kariya (13) from Boyes (14) and Backes (11)
5 - 10:01 of 2nd COL - Guite (5) from Wolski (20) and Hannan (13)
6 - 1:00 of 3rd COL PP - Hensick (3) from Arnason (14) and Liles (18)
7 - 6:24 of 3rd STL - McDonald (10) from Perron (10) and Boyes (15)
8 - 11:16 of 3rd COL - Arnason (6) from McLeod (3)
9 - 19:53 of 3rd COL EN - Guite (6) unassisted

SOG
Avs: 9-10-5 - 24
Blues: 12-12-8 - 32

PP
Avs: 1-3
Blues: 1-4

Standings:
Avs: 60 pts. - 7th in West
Blues: 55 pts. - 12th in West

Playing Not To Lose - Avs at Detroit Feb. 1

The month of February is going to be, by far, the biggest test for the Colorado Avalanche this year. The Avs started the month in Detroit Friday night, a month that will see them play 10 of 14 games on the road, and only 1 against a team that is not currently in a playoff spot or on the verge of one. Throw in the fact that they will most likely have to play this month without Joe Sakic and Ryan Smyth, and you have got yourself quite a conundrum.
From the opening faceoff, you knew this game would not resemble Wednesday night's win vs. Chicago. The Avs, though they played a spirited game, played the entire game as though they were trying not to lose, instead of trying to win. The Red Wings controlled the puck well, created chances, and didn't allow the Avalanche to mount any kind of offensive attack for the first 40 minutes. The Avs were able to muster 3 shots on goal in the 1st, followed up with 1 in the second. That's right, one shot on goal. The Avs did have a goal disallowed with 8 seconds left in the 2nd period when Scott Hannan was pushed into the goal post trying to come around the net, and while he stayed out of the crease and hung on to the crossbar, Milan Hejduk threaded a shot through his legs and into the goal. Thanks to a golden globe worthy performance by Hasek, who "allegedly" was interfered with, the goal was immediately waved off. That was the best chance the Avs had to gather any momentum, and it was for naught.
The Avs did show up for the last 20 minutes though, creating chances and actually registering 11 shots on goal. Peter Budaj continued to be the only reason the game was tied, but all that changed with 2:40 left in the 3rd when Henrik Zetterberg potted a wraparound to take the lead for Detroit and seal victory. Kris Draper would add an empty netter with :13 left, and that was that.
It was obvious again, that the Avs have a long way to go when it comes to competing with the best teams in the league. Yes they are dealing with injuries, but they didn't even give themselves a chance to win for the first 40 minutes. While they were able to keep Detroit to the outside for most of the game, the game plan was to clearly hope Budaj could steal a shutout through 3 periods, steal a point, and maybe a second in OT or the shootout. Unfortunately, the Wings finally broke through late, and that was that.
The Avs power play went 0-3 and continues to look horrible, spending more time in their own end rather than attacking. On the bright side, the PK killed 4 Wings opportunities including a big 5 on 3 early in the 1st period.
The Avs travel to St. Louis today, a game they really need. With Budaj's performance last night, one would assume that he would get the start tonight, but with Joel Quinneville, who knows.
Numbers!!!
Goals
Wings: Zetterberg (30) from Datsyuk (45) and Rafalski (35)
Draper (9) from Datsyuk (46) and Lidstrom (44)

SOG
Avs: 3-1-11 - 15
Wings: 14-9-13 - 36

PP
Avs: 0-3
Wings: 0-4

Standings:
Avalanche 58 points - 7th in West
Red Wings 82 points - 1st in West