Blackhawks Defeat Avalanche 2-1 in SO

(Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Well what can you say about last night. When 3 of your top offensive threats are out, you've got to get it done with goaltending and defensive play and hope the offense can bang home a couple goals.

The team played well defensively, limiting the Blackhawks to just 23 shots, and Theodore made the stops he needed to but the offense just didn't have enough spark to get more than one goal against Patrick Lalime.

I feel a bit complacent about this loss as it's easy to chalk up to injuries but I hope the Avalanche don't have the same attitude I do about tonight.

Marek "Wrecking Machine" Svatos
I'm going to jump right into notes after this one but I couldn't leave this one as just a sidenote.

Late in the third Marek Svatos was waiting on the wing to start a breakout but the puck went past him and he was subsequently leveled by by Tuomo Ruutu. Typically, this is the point where a player would get angry and slash at someone or try to rough them up. However I've seen that look in Svatos' eyes before and I was on the edge of my seat waiting for it.

Sure enough Craig Adams - 6'0", 200lbs - found himself with the puck circling low on the wing heading right for Svatos. Marek took 2 short strides and lowered his shoulder directly into Adam's chest, sending him flying to the ice and sending fans leaping to their feet.

This is at least the third time I've seen Svatos rock someone after taking a big hit and I love it.
He did the same thing to Getzlaf last year and it shocks me everytime. The guy is all of 5'10" and 170 lbs but can dish out some punishment when he's in the mood.

Upping the Energy
Ok, I had one more which is related to the Svatos hit. Peter McNab was stationed in the Avalanche bench for "All Access Night" tonight and after the hit, Haynes asked him what that hit did for both benches.

McNab went on to mention how both benches were on the feet trying to see what happened and after the Avalanche bench caught on, every guy on that bench was fired up and energized.

They then cut to a shot of the bench where every single player was leaning on the boards with one arm looking like they were watching paint dry.

Notes
- Lappy fought Adam Burrish early in the 1st to continue the Avalanche's fighting streak
- Brett Clark played nearly 30 minutes tonight (28:08)
- Hensick seems to be getting his legs and building some confidence
- Wolski and Svatos were showing some good chemistry together, particularly during OT
- Liles 2 great defensive plays, once diving to knock the puck from a streaking Hawk and then later hustling back to overcome a 3-on-1 and force a wide shot
- and what a shot by Patrick Kane on the Hawks goal

Related Links
ColoradoAvalanche.com Recap
In the Cheap Seats Recap
NHL.com Event Summary
NHL.tv Pre-game with Q and post-game with Theodore
Marek Svatos Hit on Craig Adams

Gameday: Avalanche vs Blackhawks

After a successful 5-game roadtrip, the Avalanche are now back in the friendly confines of the Pepsi Center to kick off a 5-game homestand starting with the Chicago Blackhawks. With a 16-6-0 home record, that's nothing but good news for a team fighting for a playoff spot.

The bad news? Well, in case you hadn't heard, Paul Stastny has joined Ryan Smyth and Joe Sakic on the injured reserve list for at least 2 weeks after undergoing an appendectomy yesterday afternoon.

The Lineup
So both top-line centers are down and out meaning somebody is going to have step in to fill the void. That someone will most likely be Jaroslav Hlinka. Although he has spent time down on the fourth line the last couple games, it's not due to lack of talent.

He was lighting it up on the second line before Tyler Arnason came back from wrist surgery so the ability is definitely there. And given that our other centers are Tyler "What Defense?" Arnason, T.J. "Up and Down" Hensick and Ben "Banger" Guite, Hlinka gets the nod almost by default.

As for how things fill in around Hlinka, it likely won't change too much. Wolski-Arnason-Svatos have played well together so Hlinka may just slide in with Brunette and Hejduk and Hensick will then take Hlinka's place on the fourth line.

To me that seems easiest but you never know. The game could open up with Hlinka centering a line with Scott Parker and Johnny Boychuk.

The Goaltending
Jose Theodore gets his 7th straight start tonight as Joel Quenneville has shown no signs of wavering lately. And with a goaltender coming off a 30+ save shutout with a couple days rest in between it would seem a no-brainer that he'd get the start again.

Patrick Lalime will be manning the pipes at the other end as Chicago is having some troubles from their mutli-million dollar goaltender, Nikolai Khabibulin. On a 0-6-1 run, it's a situation that I'm sure all Avalanche fans can sympathize with.

The Opponent
The Blackhawks are on a terrible downward spiral going 2-6-2 in their last 10, falling to 14th in the Western Conference.

They recently picked up Craig Adams from the Carolina Hurricanes to inject some veteran presence into a young squad. They also signed Patrick Sharp, their leading goal scorer, to a 4-year extension as he's having a banner season with 22 goals in 44 games. That's 2 more than the career high 20 he put up last season.

And speaking of youth, 19-year old Patrick Kane leads the team in points with 43 as he defies critics who thought he was too small to play at the pro level. At just 163 pounds, it's not hard to see why that was the consensus. I'm curious to see what his second season will be like once teams really start keying in on him.

Related Links
ColoradoAvalanche.com Preview
Injured Sauer Receives Some Good News
Theodore piping hot at good time
Hensick in Avs Spotlight
Jose left as Avs peter out (anybody else find this to be a weird title?)
Third Man In Preview (Hawks blog)