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

NHL 2006-2007 Playoff Preview Extravaganza

Western Conference
(1) Detroit Red Wings – (8) Calgary Flames
Calgary is one of the few teams that isn’t afraid of going up against the mighty Wings in the first round of the playoffs. They match up fairly well, and that should bode for a tight, well played series. The Wings finished the regular season going 5-1-4 in their last 10 games while Calgary was 6-4, but lost 4 straight headed into the playoffs.
The Red Wings are deep throughout, but are truly lead by their defensive core and goaltender. Domink Hasek played well again this season, and Niklas Lidstrom is on his way to winning another Norris trophy. The biggest question mark for Detroit will be up front. Henrik Zetterberg has been battling back problems, and no one is sure how well he will perform in the postseason. Pavel Datsyuk is going to be key for Detroit to succeed. The last several years, he has disappeared in the playoffs. In a series that looks as though goals will be hard to come by, Detroit will need the likes of Tomas Holmstrom and others to pick up the offensive slack and get key goals
Calgary has what they didn’t last year and that is offense. Led by Jerome Iginla and Alex Tanguay, Calgary also received a lot of production from Daymond Langkow and a breakout year by Kristian Huselius. The Flames also boast a strong blueline corps led by second year standout Dion Phaneuf. With the likes of Phaneuf, Robyn Regehr, Roman Hamrlik and Brad Stuart, the Flames physical style should give the Wings forwards fits. Calgary is fast and physical and this should allow them to compete very well with Detroit. Also, Calgary has a goalie in Miikka Kiprusoff that can steal a series even though he hasn’t been as dominant this year as in years past.
These two teams tied their season series at 2 games a piece and there is nothing that points to one team dominating the other in the playoffs. Calgary is great at home and has gotten better on the road towards the end of the year. Though my heart says Calgary will win, my head says Detroit in 7

(2) Anaheim Ducks – (7) Minnesota Wild
With the acquisition of Chris Pronger to go along with Scott Niedermayer on the blueline, it’s no surprise that Anaheim finished second in the West. The pair give Anaheim the best defensive tandem in the league with the ability to eat up a lot of minutes between them and add offensive punch. Up front, Teemu Selanne is still playing extremely well, and keeps playing well with Andy McDonald. The Ducks also have a group of young, talented forwards such as Ryan Getzlaf, Chris Kunitz, Corey Perry and Dustin Penner that can give teams nightmares when it comes to matchups. In goal, Anaheim has two legitimate number 1 goalies in JS Giguere and Ilya Bryzgalov. Giguere will be the man to start the series, but if anything happens, Bryzgalov showed last year that he is more than capable of leading the team deep into the playoffs.
Minnesota has seemingly quietly put together a solid season and has been playing great the last month of the season and is 7-2-1 in their last 10 games. Even with their number one goalie, Manny Fernandez going down in the second half of the season, Niklas Bakstrom stepped in and played extremely well, leading the league in save percentage (.929) and goals against average (1.97). The defense doesn’t do anything flashy, but they are sound and do their jobs. The Wild offense is led by Marion Gaborik who can be a human highlight reel, and Pavol Demitra. . Minnesota’s forwards are fast and play well in their own end as well. If they get a lead, they don’t give it up very easily.
The difference in the series could come down to special teams, and which group can outdo the other. Anaheim was 3^rd in the league on the power play and Minnesota’s PK was 2^nd. At the same time, Minnesota had the league’s 6^th best power play and the Ducks were 4^th in the league in killing penalties. Something has to give. As we have seen in years past defense wins in the playoffs, and I think the edge in this series goes to Anaheim. That’s why I am saying Ducks in 6.

(3) Vancouver Canucks – (6) Dallas Stars
Vancouver was led to the Northewest Division title and the number 3 seed by Roberto Luongo who has definitely been an MVP candidate this year. He is by far one of the best goalies in the league, but how will he fare in his first go in the playoffs? The Sedin brothers carried the Canucks on offense this year, and are a joy to watch play. They always know where the other is, and that has often times led to amazing plays. But outside of their line, scoring has been hard to come by. The production from Brendan Morrison and Markus Naslund has declined, and Vancouver is going to need somebody to step up and score against a tough defensive team in Dallas. The D has been banged up this year, especially lately, but they have had guys fill in admirably to get the job done.
On the subject of scoring futility we can turn to Dallas. No other team has been hurt as much as the Stars when it comes to injuries up front. Mike Modano, Brenden Morrow, and Eric Lindros have all been banged up and Jere Lehtinen was the only guy to score at least 20 goals. The defense is deep and led by Sergei Zubov and Philippe Boucher, who also provide a lot of offensive punch. In goal, Marty Turco is looking to forget about his trouble playoff past. Annually one of the best goalies in the regular season, Turco seems like another person in the playoffs. With Dallas’ troubles scoring goals, his performance is going to be magnified.
This could be the lowest scoring series in the West and will come down to the goalies. We have two great regular season goalies. One with no playoff experience, and the other with playoff demons. This could be Marty Turco’s year. I like the way Dallas matches up against Vancouver, and I think they will move on after winning game 7

(4) Nashville Predators – (5) San Jose Sharks
How crazy has this year been? The two teams tied with the most wins by western conference teams (51) are the 4^th and 5^th seeds. Nashville is very good up and down the lineup, and hopefully everyone is healthy. With Peter Forsberg, Paul Kariya and Steve Sullivan leading the way on offense, The Predators are quick and talented up front, and have the ability to score a lot of goals. As good as they are up front, the defense is just as solid. Marek Zidlicky, and Kimmo Timmonen are the leaders, and Shea Weber is coming into his own. They will be tested though against a talented San Jose team. Nashville also has the benefit of having two very good goalies. Tomas Vokoun will be the man to start, but if Chris Mason has to come in for any reason, he has put up comparable numbers throughout the year and can lead this team to victory
San Jose was one of the hottest teams down the stretch going 7-1-2 in their last 10. They also happen to have one of the league’s best offensive talents in Joe Thornton. Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo combined with Patrick Marleau and Bill Guerin give the Sharks one hell of a 1-2 punch. Throw in guys like Milan Michalek and Steve Bernier and you have a team that can put points up on the board. The defense is young and aggressive, and tailor-made for the playoffs. Kyle McLaren and Scott Hannan aren’t fun to play against, and Matt Carle can provide offensive help. Craig Rivet has helped since being acquired at the trade deadline as well. Like the Preds, the Sharks have two number one goalies in Evgeni Nabokov and Vesa Toskala. Nabokov has played well in the second half and will be goalie 1A headed into the playoffs.
The Sharks had the league’s 2^nd best power play, but Nashville was #3 in penalty killing. Nashville bodes well if they can play 5-5 and keep penalties to a minimum. I have no idea who has the edge in this series. I don’t think there is one. Sharks in 7

Eastern Conference
(1) Buffalo Sabres – (8) New York Islanders
It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that Buffalo ended up with the number one seed in the East and the President’s Trophy. The Sabres are loaded with talent up front, and even though injuries plagued them this year, every guy that stepped in made an impact. Chris Drury, Daniel Briere, Tomas Vanek, Jason Pominville, and Maxim Afinogenov lead a team that is fun to watch on offense. Oh, and they are getting Tim Connolly back. And Drew Stafford keeps scoring. Buffalo’s defense can skate and move the puck well, but they aren’t the toughest or moist physical group. That could hurt them in the later rounds, but shouldn’t be a huge factor in this series. Ryan Miller had another fine year in net, and has entrenched himself in the upper echelon of the league’s netminders.
The Islanders were the last team into the playoffs thanks to a shootout win over New Jersey on the last day of the season. They also made the best move at the trading deadline picking up Ryan Smyth from Edmonton. Now they get the honor of playing Buffalo. Without their top goalie. Jason Blake led the team in goals and points. The Isles are deep up front, and are going to need to muster as much as they can to keep up with Buffalo and make up for the loss of Rick DiPietro. The defense is big and tough with Brendan Witt and Tom Poti. With Rick DiPietro still out due to concussions, former DU Pioneer Wade Dubielewicz helped get this team into the playoffs, and will have to stand out to give this team a chance.
The Islanders have been a good story this week, but that’s gonna change. Buffalo should be able to win this series in 5 games

(2) New Jersey Devils – (7) Tampa Bay Lightning
The Devils probably have the most playoff experience of any team in the league. They have a great mix of forwards with guys like Brian Gionta, Scott Gomez and Zach Parise who can put the puck in the net, and guys like John Madden and Jay Pandolfo who are two of the best defensive forwards in the league. The defense isn’t as stacked as it has been in the past, but they are tough and mean. Plus they have a pretty good guy behind them if they do make a mistake. Martin Brodeur set the single season record in wins this year with 48 and is in the running for the Hart and Vezina trophies. With him in net, your team always has a chance.
Vincent Lacavalier had a career year and led Tampa Bay and the rest of the league in goals with 52. Together with Martin St. Louis and Brad Richards, the Lightning have some top offensive talent. Richards also plays extremely well in his own end. The back end is full of veterans, whose main focus is keeping the puck out of the net. Outside of Vaclav Prospal, the Lightning D aren’t offensive threats. In the end, Tampa Bay’s success is going to be tied to its goaltending. Marc Denis was brought in from Columbus to solidify the situation but has been terrible. Johan Holmqvist played well throughout the year, but he is streaky.
The Devils have Martin Brodeur, and Tampa Bay doesn’t. That will be the difference in this series. Tampa played the Devils well in the regular season going 3-1, but this is a whole new season, and the Devils will win in 6

(3) Atlanta Thrashers – (6) New York Rangers
Atlanta can score goals. They boast a good 1-2 punch between Slava Kozlov and Marian Hossa backed by Ilya Kovalchuk and Keith Tkachuk. Mix in a guy like Bobby Holik and some grinders and the Thrashers could make some noise in their first playoff appearance in franchise history. The defensive is gritty and is getting better. Greg DeVries has been here before and Alexei Zhitnik has played really well since being traded from the Islanders. Like many other teams, the biggest question mark is in goal. Kari Lehtonen has shown he can be a great tender at times, but he can be shaky. He will be in his first playoffs, and will be tested
The Rangers have been playing as well as any team in the East. They are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games and are clicking on all cylinders. Jaromir Jagr and Brendan Shanahan lead a solid group of forwards. The addition of Sean Avery (yes, that asshole) has turned this team around. He’s been an agitator and a major contributor on offense. Martin Straka and Michael Nylander have also pitched in a ton this season. The Rangers defense consists of puck moving two-way defensemen like Michael Rozzival. They are able to help start the offense and protect their own end. It took a while but goalie Henrik Lundqvist returned to the form he showed last year. He played big when the Rangers needed him down the stretch to get into the playoffs, and now he will need to do the same to get this team to the second round.
This matchup has upset written all over it. The Thrashers have to stay out of the box as their 26^th ranked penalty killers will be going up against the potent 8^th ranked power play of New York. If Henrik Lundqvist stays hot, the Rangers will win in 6

(4) Ottawa Senators – (5) Pittsburgh Penguins
This may be the most anticipated series. The young Penguins led by NHL poster boy and MVP candidate Sidney Crosby take on a team that has performed well in the regular season but underperformed in the playoffs in Ottawa.
Ottawa has the talent up front with Dany Heatley, Jason Spexxa and Daniel Alfredsson, but they need to perform that way in the playoffs. When it matters. The Sens have solid guys up front throughout that are good at both ends of the ice. There is a good chance that these guys will have to pick up some slack if the top group can’t produce. On defense, the Senators are good. They have 5 solid defenders in Joe Corvo, Chris Philliips, Wade Redden, Anton Volchenkov and Tom Preissing. Not only are these guys good in their own end, they contribute on offense and on the power play. The question for Ottawa will be in goal and how will Ray Emery perform. Martin Gerber was expected to lead this team deep into the playoffs, but he never met expectations.
The Penguins may be the best story of the year. A lot of people though this team was a year or two away from where they went this year. Sidney Crosby led the league in scoring. Evgeni Malkin led rookies in scoring and is the odds on favorite to win the Calder. Jordan Staal has been a pleasant surprise. Mix in experienced veterans like Mark Recchi and Gary Roberts and other younger talent and you have a very good set of forwards. The Defense is led by Sergie Gonchar and Ryan Whitney who both play a big part of the Pens power play. Together, they combined for 126 points. This group will have its hands full with the talent that Ottawa will put on the ice. Marc-Andre Fleury will be in net and will get his first tast of the playoffs. There were times that he fell out of favor throughout the year, and he will need to come up big for Pittsburgh to get through this round.
Ottawa has consistently been at the top of the East for several years, but that has not transferred into playoff success. There is a lot of pressure on them. Nobody thought Pittsburgh would be in this position, and they are young and hungry. This could be a bad combination for Ottawa, and if they lose game 1, things could go downhill quickly. I don’t think Fleury and Pittsburgh are quite there yet, and Ottawa will win in 7

Let the games begin. This time is like Christmas for me, there is honestly noting better than playoff hockey.

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