Avs Talk - A Colorado Avalanche Blog

I was at a Christmas party dressed as a pirate so I didn't catch much of the game. I was able to get a tv tuned in to the game but pirates don't like hockey so I tried not to spend too much time watching.

Well, the Avs couldn't get it done tonight against the Canucks. They had their number so far this season but couldn't solve Luongo tonight. So the jockeying for position continues in the Northwest. The Avalanche are now last in the division and 10th in the Conference. They're also only 3 points away from leading in the division.

The outcome wasn't all bad though as it saw the return of Jordan Leopold who, up until now, we had to only assume still existed. He looked fairly solid in his first game back. He uses his body well and seems to be able to clear the zone. Except on the second goal. Hopefully he doesn't start picking up on the little nuances the Avs have like "not clearing the zone" and "not dumping the puck". They aren't cute little things we do, they're things we need to solve.

Brisebois was the healthy scratch to bring the D down to 6 on the lineup. And sooner or later, someone's going to make themselves the odd man out. I personally hope it's Brisebois b/c I don't think his skill set is needed anymore. The most trade talk though has been around Vaananen, with some Liles sprinkled in here and there (please no!)

Unfortunately, Jose Theodore got the start but had to sit out the last two periods with a hip flexor injury. He did not seem to be a happy camper. Hopefully he's all right and can recover by Tuesday to play against the BJs. If they wanted to rest him one more game to be sure, I coudln't fault them since this month sees the Avs playing 14 games, including a home-and-home with St. Louis to close it out.

Sakic and Hejduk ended the night with 6 shots and Svatos and Liles had 5. So those 4 players account for half of the shots the Avs took. Lots of shots, not enough cashing on the chances. Oddly enough, when the Avs get lots of shots (35+) they tend to lose. When they get less than that, they tend to win. So how do you explain that one to your players? Actually, it's pretty simply. Don't give Luongo easy ones to cover up on. Fire some tough ones at him and get some dirty goals!

We need some people to get in there and plant in front and bang some goals in. Svatos does a good job finding the garbage but he's too small to be a pest in front. Brunette used to, but now he plays behind the net more (which he also does well). We need a grinder in the vein of Kono to step up and create some traffic. Wolski, Richardson, Stastny and Lappy are the biggest forwards, aside from Brunette. And I can see Statsny getting into grind mode and fighting for some goals in front.

The Good
Lots of shots
Leopold debuts

The Bad
Missed opportunities
Terrible PK
Theo injury

The Ugly
Rick Rypien owning Lappy