Avs Talk - A Colorado Avalanche Blog

Yes, 3 game winning streaks actually exist! The Avs finally cashed it in and pulled out their third win in a row tonight in a 4-1 thumping of a tired Edmonton team. Colorado played very well and Edmonton played very bad. So it was a good fit!

Peter Budaj put in another solid performance after letting in an absolute stinker in in the first period. That was, without a doubt, the worst goal I've seen since Aebischer made his diving blocker swipe and miss in a game against Calgary last season. He rebounded well and made some good saves throughout the rest of the game. The final shot count for Edmonton was 19 so he wasn't particularly busy but there were more quality chances there than the shot count shows.

In a quick comment during the 3rd, Ferraro mentioned that Theodore was in good spirits today when questioned by the media. I take that as nothing but a good sign. If a perennial #1 can be relegated to backup and still make a comment such as "The puck is the same size, the goal is the same size...I'm not sure what the problem is", it shows me that he's still willing to prove himself. Only problem is when he'll get that chance! Budaj has played well enough that there's no reason not to put him in on Sunday unless Q feels he's a bit fatigued.

Wolski was his inconsistent self out there again tonight. Potted a goal off a beautiful setup by Brunette, yet managed to make some lazy plays and a few intercepted passes. Overall though, I'd say he played more good than he did bad. If that sentence makes any sense to you, then I commend you. It made no sense to me. He ended the night with over 17 minutes of ice time so he must be doing something right.

Hejduk got another goal tonight off a brilliant play by Brett Clark. He basically led the entire Oilers team over to him, leaving Hejduk a wide-open goal to shoot at. Oh, and don't forget Mclean clogging up the front of the net forcing Roloson to search for the puck.

Arnason had some jump in his step and was again rewarded with a goal on a blistering slap/snap/wrist shot (yes, it was all 3 at once!). He blew it above Roloson's shoulders and spelled the end of Roloson's night in Colorado. That's twice that the Avs have chased Roloson out of the goal. Here's to hoping he's in net on Tuesday!

Speaking of jump, Mark Rycroft had 2 shorthanded breakaways but couldn't cash in on either. The first chance showed why he won't score many goals. 20 shoulder fakes and none of them were enough to make Roloson commit. His second one he got clotheslined by Stoll right after he got his shot off. A little frustration showing on the Oilers part.

Brisebois caught Svatos' flu and was out tonight so in comes Kurt Sauer. And directly into the penalty box is where he headed. His first shift on the ice and he gets called for high sticking. He was then somewhat invisible until the third when he took an interference call. People wonder why he doesn't play more. I think tonight we saw why.

Speaking of Svatos (can I use "Speaking of" as a seque twice in one post?), he was out with an apparent groin injury. I don't know if he caught it from Leopold but it's not good news. Hopefully it's just a tweak and he'll be good to go for Sunday. He hasn't been flying too high lately but the return of Turgeon held some promise for waking him up.

Sakic, while having a "quiet night" according to Ray Ferraro, came away with 2 assists. I don't know how you can be quiet and still get 2 points but if anyone can do it, Sakic can! Brett Clark also came away with 2 assists tonight and was a force in the defensive end. He laid out a good hit in the third which went along nicely with the crushers that Lappy laid. And of course Vaananen did some good smashing along the way.

And how about Ken Klee! No sooner did I compare him to Pronger did he end up posting 24 minutes of ice time. That's the most out of any Avs player and actually more than any Oiler tonight as well. I guess it's true...the man is the reincarnation of Chuck Norris.

The Good
- 3 game win streak
- offense stays on fire
- Budaj plays solid game
- Chuck Klee showing what an "old man" can do

The Bad
- 4 penalties in the third period
- Svatos injury

The Ugly
- weakest of weak goals on Budaj