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.

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

Colorado Avalanche 2006-2007 Season Recap

Ever since the Avalanche came to Denver, fans have been accustomed to seeing the Avs preparing for the playoffs in the first week of April. This year though, after several weeks of tremendous play, a loss Saturday night sealed the Avs fate of spending the playoffs season at home and on the golf course. At the beginning of the year, most analysts and experts were predicting the Avs to miss the playoffs, mainly because of a lack of scoring, lack of depth at the blueline, and question marks in goal. The Avs were able to make a great run at the end of the year, but fell just short. One god damn point. The Avs finished 4^th in the Northwest Division with a record 44-31-7, with 22 wins both at home and on the road, giving them 95 points. The difference between this team from October 8^th to April 8^th is night and day. For the first 63 games of the year, the Avs played to the level of their opponents. They threw away a lot of points to teams that they were better than. It’s because of this that they won’t be partying in the playoffs. As bad as things looked early in the year, the end of the year was a real treat. The Avs finished 15-2-2, going 5-2 at home and 10-0-2 on the road. It leaves you wondering what could have been, and what could this team that is playing better than every other team in the league have done in the playoffs. Below is a position by position breakdown of the 2006-2007 Avalanche.

Goalies

After trading for Jose Theodore at the deadline last year, and a run in the playoffs that included the upset of Dallas, Theodore was tabbed as the starting goalie to begin the year. Unfortunately for Avs management, Theodore was unable to resort back to the form that won him the Hart trophy in 2001-2002. Peter Budaj played sparingly in the first part of the season, but played well. As Theodore continued to struggle, Budaj began to get more and more playing time. By the end of December, Budaj was the man between the pipes. Honestly, he played a lot better than his numbers indicate. There were a number of games that the guys in front of him let him down. For the first 75% of the season, the Avs team defense as a whole was brutal and gave the opposition numerous and excellent scoring chances game in and game out. It wasn’t until the last 20 games of the season, when the Avs really started focusing on playing a better all around game that Budaj was able to shine. His record of 10-0-2 in March earned him the NHLs #1 star of the month and helped the Avs make their charge towards the possible 8^th seed in the conference. A lot of people are saying that the Avs need to try and bring in an upper echelon goalie if they buy out Theodore next year. The question is whether or not there is going to be one available, and how much more of an improvement can you get from what Budaj showed over the last quarter of the season? If the Avs decide to retain Theodore next year, there is no reason to believe that he will remain in a backup role to Budaj. Budaj just showed a lot more ability and confidence than Theodore and also showed that he can be a guy that can steal a game when the offense isn’t there.

Defense

During the off-season, the Avs once again traded a fan favorite. Alex Tanguay was sent to Calgary for Jordan Leopold. The Avs were counting on Leopold to bolster the defensive corps, but he was never able to get his season on track. After a hernia issue in camp, Leopold missed the first 15 or so games of the season, came back for 5 games, and then developed groin problems that forced him out for another chunk of games. When he returned from that, Leopold looked to be fitting into the team well and was able to put up more and more minutes each game and be a dependable defender. However, he was once again bit by the injury bug, this time a broken wrist that sidelined him for the remainder of the season. Leopold wasn’t the only defenseman who was bit by the injury bug during the year. John Michael Liles missed 4+ weeks of action after breaking a bone in his foot blocking a shot halfway through the year, and he was never really the same when he came back. His minutes were dropped, but he remained the lone point man on the first power play unit and led Avs defensemen in points. Patrice Brisebois suffered a back injury 33 games into the season and was done for the year. Karlis Skrastins , after breaking Tim Horton’s 486 consecutive games played streak by a defenseman, suffered a knee injury and missed ten games. As players were in and out due to injury, there were several guys who stepped up and played well. Kurt Sauer was probably the biggest surprise. He stepped in when Skrastins went down and combined with Brett Clark to form the Avs top defensive pair and played a strong, tough D. Clark was probably the Avs most consistent defenseman and his work continues to go unsung. He led the Avs in minutes played per game. Ossi Vaananen played pretty well, but was the odd man out when everyone else got healthy. Ken Klee played well, led the Avs in plus/minus at +18, but who knows where he fits in to the Avs future plans. Jeff Finger looked good at the end of the season, and though he’s not the kind of guy that will give you a lot of points, he is a solid defenseman. Another guy that played in several games for the Avs in the early and middle portion of the season that we will be seeing more of in the future is 20 year old Kyle Cumiskey. He’s a lot like Liles, handles the puck well, and should be up full time in the near future.

Forwards

Once again, the Avs forwards were led by Joe Sakic. Even at 37, he still has it. He finished the season with 100 points on 36 goals and 64 assists and was clearly the best player and leader of this team. It doesn’t seem like he has lost a step, and his release is still among the best in the league. As the games got bigger and tougher for the Avs, he was able to step it up even more. Even though a lot of people thought this team would have trouble scoring goals, they finished 1^st in the West, and 4^th in the NHL in goals scored. For the most part, coach Quenneville is not a guy who keeps lines together for many games in a row, or for that matter, many shifts in a row. At the end of the season, the lines, for the most part, looked like this.

Brunette – Sakic – Wolski

Hejduk – Stastny – McLean

Richardson – Arnason – Laperriere

Rycroft – Guite – Svatos/Parker

Andrew Brunette had a career year, scoring 83. He played extremely well all year on the first line with Sakic and whoever Quenneville put on the other wing. For the most part, that guy was Wojtek Wolski. In his first full season, Wolski had 50 points, but there is still a lot of room for improvement in his game. He needs to make better use of his 6-3 frame. The best and biggest surprise of the year had to be Paul Stastny. He finished the year with 28 goals, 50 assists and 78 points. Paul finished second in the league among rookies in points scored to Evgeni Malkin, and was the catalyst on the second line that the Avs desperately needed. It was playing alongside of Stastny that led to the reemergence of Milan Hejduk. After being bothered by injuries last year, Hejduk found his legs, his hands and his scoring touch, scoring over 30 goals. Brett McLean also performed well on that second line and provided the grit that a line with Stastny and Hejduk needs. The third and fourth lines also played well, and often times, especially games in Alberta, Tyler Arnason’s line was the best line of the game. Marek Svatos spent a lot of time on the 4^th line, and because of this, his numbers were nowhere near where they were last year. He didn’t quite have the nose for the net as he had a year ago, and often times looked skittish in the corners and along the boards. The fact that Svatos’ lasat two seasons were cut short due to shoulder injuries probably had a lot to do with this.

All in all, the Avs were very well rounded up front, but there is still room for improvement. The development of the young guys and solid prospects could lead to even more offensive firepower in the near future.

Outlook

Even though the Avs missed the playoffs for the first time in 10 years, the last two months of the season gave the Avs a lot to look forward to for next year. The biggest unrestricted free agent is Joe Sakic, but the main reason for that is his desire to sign only one-year contracts for the remainder of his career so he can annually evaluate his playing level. But if this year is any indication, he still has a few good years left in him. The Avs are going to have money to spend this summer, and it will be interesting to see how they use it. The last few years, payroll allocation has been a serious issue for this franchise. Whether it be trading for a $6 million backup goalie or giving over $4 million combined to players well past their prime in Brisebois and Turgeon, something needs to change. On the topic of Theodore, do the Avs hang on to him, or do they buy out the remainder of his contract? No matter what happens, the last 20 games of the season were a blast to watch, and it’s disappointing that they couldn’t start playing this way earlier in the year. The most amazing part of that run was that only 6 of those games were at home. Just one point short. Just one of those third period blown leads, and the Avs would be facing Detroit in the first round. But that’s hockey, and that’s how it goes sometimes. Nevertheless, next year is definitely a year to look forward to.

End of Season Grades

Offense – A
They were the highest scoring offense in the conference, what more do you want?

Defense – C-
For the year as a whole, there were a lot of weak spots, and injuries didn’t help.

Goalies – C
By himself, Peter Budaj gets a B/B+

Power Play – A
The Avs found it halfway through the year, and finished 4th in the NHL at 21.1%

Penalty Kill – D
They got a little better later in the year, but the first half was ugly. Ranked 25^th of 30 teams

Coaching – C
4,345 different line combinations this year, 5 months to find something that worked

Management – D
Numerous decisions led to the Avs being crippled by the cap. The best move was doing nothing at the trade deadline. Hopefully this summer they can put some of that cap space to players that will actually help this team.. Although, the way things have been going, they will trade Paul Stastny and Milan Hejduk for a used bus, a puck bag and a 54 year old defenseman.

2007 Avalanche Free Agents

Unrestricted Free Agents
Joe Sakic, Pierre Turgeon, Tyler Arnason, Brett McLean, Antti Laaksonen, Patrice Brisebois, Ken Klee

Restricted Free Agents
Marek Svatos, Jordan Leopold, Ossi Vaananen, Kurt Sauer