Avs Talk - A Colorado Avalanche Blog

Oh wow! That's all I can say about the amazing effort tonight. Huge, huge game against the Sharks. Let's start off with the story of how I got to see this game tonight. My boss, Ryan, gets Altitude, even though we live in Saskatoon. So he gave me a standing offer to watch games at his place. Even though this game had a late start, I figured why not. I like watching the Avs and I like watching Patrick Marleau so that's two more reasons than I need to watch an Avs game!

So I get there right for puck drop, we head to the basement, turn on the tv and..."This program is unavailable in your area". D'oh! It was blacked out for some reason. So we watch the Wild-Flames shootout (boo!) and I head back home. I turn on NHL Network and hey!, they're tuned in to the Avs game right now. Good sign. Then the Avs score! Awesome. Then they go to commercial. And come back to the game. And stay tuned in for 5 more minutes. Wait a minute...I check the schedule and...the game was on NHL Network! So I missed the first 10 minutes b/c I didn't check the bloody schedule for the channels that *I* get before heading elsewhere. Sigh.

Ok, now on to the actual game. The offense comes alive! The defense comes alive! Theo comes alive! They were like a living, breathing...hockey team. It is absolutely amazing what you can do with a little effort and chemistry. Oh, and also traffic in front of the net. Toskala couldn't see half the goals that were scored on him thanks to bodies crashing the net. Final shot count - 25, Final goal count - 5. Compare to last game where shots were 42 and the goals were ZERO.

Turgeon made a reasonably successful return to the lineup. Took a penalty which cost the Avs their first goal but was all right otherwise. He only played for 7 minutes though so wasn't tested much. Break him in slow folks, he's rusty...and a bit um...not young.

Vaananen was scratched tonight so Q holds true to his word that it will be a rotating system. However, I'd like to see who he picks to sit next. Only choice right now is Skrastins I think. And man, I'd be so disappointed for Skrastins iron man streak to end being a healthy scratch. Rycroft was also a scratch tonight.

Theodore was very solid tonight. I won't say he stole the game, but he made some "keep em in the game" saves. The second goal was a weird rebound so I want to see it again. Theo basically kicked it right to Thornton which is obviously a terrible idea. He made a huge pad stack save at the end of the second and held his ground well when the Sharks crashed the net. At one point I think all the Sharks players were in the crease but the puck never made it in. He also improved his record to 7-for-8 on penalty shots when Mike Grier was denied by the blocker. I love how Theo reacted to that save too. Gotta get into it and get a bit excited. It's a fun game and don't you forget it!

Joe came out on fire. 2 goals, 1 assist. Great stuff. Is there any doubt that he is one of the best and classiest players to ever play the game? And Sharks announcers, if you're reading, his first goal was absolutely a goal. The net has to come off the moorings, not just lift up a bit. The net was not off until after the puck was in. Damned if I could find the official rule but I'm pretty sure that's what it is. Lifted up = goal, lifted off = no goal.

EDIT - Found it:
http://www.nhl.com/hockeyu/rulebook/rule57.html#a

Brett Clark had his first ever two goal game and what a great couple of goals. The first was a booming shot off a pass from Sakic. We need to see that on the PP more often! The second was a waiting game as he waited for Brunette to crash the net and screen Toskala, then blew it between his blocker and body. He also added an assist on the night.

This guy is worth every penny he's paid. Led the team in ice-time, 3rd most ice-time on the PK for defensmen, scored on both his shots in the game. The guy is solid and has emerged as our #1 d-man in my mind. Solid, reliable, level-headed and well-seasoned. Who'd guess that he's 30 years old and has 7 seasons under his belt. Most people never heard of him until late last year. Must be the altitude.

The boarding call on Steve Bernier was absolutely the right call. I'd say the same thing if it was Leopold that did it. To all players out there, QUIT PULLING THAT CRAP! At some point you will hurt somebody. If you see a player turn and give his back, let up. Call him a chicken shit after for all I care but don't shove them head-first into the boards. You need to do as much as you can to avoid pile-driving other players. It's for the good of the game.

The Good
- big win
- lots of quality shots
- traffic, traffic, and more traffic
- 3 point night for Sakic and Clark
- killing the 5-on-3

The Bad
- penalty trouble nearly costing them

The Ugly
- Bernier boarding shot