Everybody, get prepared to hate on Darcy Tucker even more next season. Because of his ridiculous $2.5M salary, the Avs are lowballing Ian Laperriere in contract negotations and Lappy will likely no longer be a part of the Avalanche organization.
There are three sides of the fence to sit on. 1 - Keep Lappy at any cost. 2 - Let him go, he's old and slow. 3 - They should have traded him at the deadline.
Of course, there's all shades of grey in between 1 and 2, but I think most people can focus on #3 here. If the Avalanche were going to stay firm at their sub-seven figure offer, why keep him around in a disastrous season? Now they will lose Lappy for nothing, when they could have got back more than he was worth at the trade deadline.
Laperriere is certainly getting up there in age and the Avs are a bit hamstrung by cap dollars, but it would be nice if they cut out these ridiculous lowball offers from their "negotiating" tactics.
And am I the only one who sometimes feels a twinge of guilt at dealing with people as simply assets with value?
Friday, June 12, 2009
Goodbye Lappy, Hello Darcy
Monday, April 6, 2009
Avalanche Thump Canucks, Win 4-1
I gotta tell you, that felt good. No, it didn't help the Tank it 4 Tavares standings, but I was getting sick and bloody tired of watching this team lose.
So with four rookie defensemen and a rookie centering the top line, the Colorado Avalanche took down the Vancouver Canucks and dealt a blow to the Canucks race for the Northwest crown.
I cheered like hell on every goal and ran around the room giving high fives when the buzzer sounded. Which is a bit weird since nobody else was in the room at the time. If my neighbours didn't know better, they'd have thought the Avs were having a good season and had just secured a playoff berth.
Sigh.
Random thoughts
T.J. Galiardi now has three goals in seven games - all coming against Vancouver - and is building up my expectations for next season.
Wojtek Wolski made his return after battling the flu. Apparently the team was worried it could be mono. Or possibly a broken leg.
I like Ryan Kesler's style but I didn't like him moving in on Ian Laperriere without reciprocating on taking off his helmet as Lappy did. But on the other hand, I can see why some guys are a bit reluctant to lose their lid these days. I'm torn on the fighting issue and during the offseason, I might put my thoughts to bits and explain why I'm so torn.
Milan Hejduk scored to overtake Ryan Smyth for the Avs goal scoring "race". It might not be the Avs finest year but Hejduk has been a consistent performer for this team and I'm glad he's leaning towards coming back.
How disappointed was everyone that Peter Budaj just missed the goose egg? Once the first period was over, I thought to myself "Budaj's got a shot at a shutout tonight." But alas, it wasn't to be.
Upcoming Schedule
The Avalanche play the Sharks tomorrow night and I don't expect anything near the same result. Brace yourselves, this one may get ugly.
Then it's back home for the final three games of the season. And as you may recall, I will be in Denver for all three.
I'll be checking out one game with with my girl and then I'll be taking in the final game with Mr. Jay Vean of the Avs Hockey Podcast.
I've still got my fingers crossed that Joe Sakic will suit up for Sunday's game but even if he doesn't, I'm still somewhat comforted that it will be Lappy's 1000th NHL game. So either way, it should be a historic night.
Related Links
Sakic Eyes Olympic Gold
Sunday, March 22, 2009
The Softer Side of Ian Laperriere
Rick Sadowski is back folks. After the unfortunate demise of the Rocky Mountain News, Sadowski is now an NHL.com correspondent. I'm not sure if it's a full-time gig or just freelance but it's good to see Rick continuing his hockey writing.
His first article is on the softer side of Ian Laperriere. The article drives home why the Avalanche organization needs to get this guy signed and not let him walk away in the offseason.
Thanks to Kukla's Korner for the link.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Save us, Aquaman!
Adrian Dater puts out the word that the Wings are interested in Ian Laperriere as a deadline rental.
Sweet bejeebus, please don't trade him to the Wings. Unless, as jib suggests, we get a savior in return. And even then I'd still be a bit pissed.
AD asks:
There's a time to be a cutthroat businessman and a time to cater to the fans. This is one of those times, FG. We got over the Brad May debacle but this would sting for quite some time.
If Stan Kroenke is worried about filling the arena - and he should be - trading away a fan favorite is the exact opposite of what management should be doing.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Avalanche Take Season Series Against Red Wings, Win 6-5
(AP)
The Avalanche took down the Winged Wheel by a score of 6-5 in a game that needed 5 shootout rounds to decide the winner.
For those counting, that's 3-0 against the Evil Empire this season. Yep, the team sitting last in the Western Conference was able to take down one of the best teams in the league three out of three times and has officially taken the season series regardless of what goes down on March 4th.
Ain't that just a kick in the pants?
Recap
Ian Laperriere scored just 16 seconds into the first period and Wings and Avs fans alike were shocked. If anyone would score first, you'd think it would be the Wings loaded offense against a 3.00+ GAA goaltender in Andrew Raycroft.
The remainder of the first period was fairly sloppy. Nearly as sloppy as Chris Osgood's puck handling abilities. The Avalanche killed off the first of their three 5-on-3 situations - conspiracy my ass, Wings fans - and headed in to the locker room with a 1-0 lead.
The second period opened with the Lappy line and once again, they didn't disappoint. They pushed the puck deep into the Wings zone and then Laperriere got in front of Osgood to help create havoc in front of him, allowing a Ruslan Salei point shot to find the twine.
2-0 and the feelings of "Is this real life?" were starting to kick in.
The question was quickly answered with four penalties, two 5-on-3 sequences and two Red Wings PP goals in the span of 2 1/2 minutes. Tack on a beauty Marian Hossa goal at 8:58 and real life was rearing its ugly head with a 3-2 Wings lead.
Then the third period started and everyone was thinking "It can't happen again." But happen it did. Andreas Lilja took a penalty just nine seconds into the period which ended at the 1:01 mark when Marek Svatos got a stick on a Wojtek Wolski shot to even things up at 3-3.
Marian Hossa put the Wings up 4-3, Ben Guite tied it up. Jiri Hudler put the Wings up 5-4, Milan Hejduk tied it up. Who would have thought the Avs would have the gumption to keep battling back against the Wings?
The Avalanche held off a late onslaught from the Wings to take it to OT. An OT which proved fairly uneventful so it was off to a shootout.
I won't detail all the shooters since it went five rounds, but suffice to say that Wolski is still money and when Leopold scored to end it, I leaped out of my chair with more joy than should be afforded to simply cheering for the winning team in a sporting event.
Tonight, I'm going to revel in the honeymoon phase of this win. Because when I wake up tomorrow, it will be to a bleak, uncertain future.
Boo-ya!
(AP)
Random Thoughts
The Avalanche still get undisciplined when caught for an extended time in their own zone. The wingers leaving their d-men to go "help out" leaves a wide-open cycle game for the opposition.
The Hossa or Franzen question should be answered by now. If it has to be one, it has to be Hossa.
The Wings announcers were bemoaning the "bounces not going their way" early in the first period. I guess it's not just Granato. It's merely a common refrain from the losing team.
But hey, what can you expect from an announcing squad who sound like they're on downers all game long? Here's some gems:
"Probably a hold on Colorado." - Nope, Interference on the Wings.
"It's a 2-2 tie." - Nope, it was 3-2 at that point
"Wings have three games in hand on the Sharks." - Nope, Sharks have three in hand on the Wings.
Please, please, please let me have the Altidudes next game. At least they have energy and factual statements.
The conspiracy theories should be able to be put to bed after Mikael Samuellson jumped on Ben Guite, ground his face into the ice, then popped up scot-free to help create a screen on the 5-4 goal. If that one had stood up to be the winner, I would have been pissed. But I wouldn't have blamed Bettman.
But hey, Ruslan Salei got away with a high stick in the final minutes so...conspiracy back on!
Line of the night
Ian Laperriere, CodyMcCormick and Ben Guite were the line of the night tonight. Granato wisely opened the first two periods with that crew and they rewarded him both times with early goals.
Not content with just scoresheet contributions, they drew a penalty which led to the Avs third goal and were busting their asses all night.
If Giguere wants to trade Lappy, I won't be happy unless a first-rounder comes over to the Avs.
And I would guess Guite didn't appreciate being benched in favor of players like Darcy Tucker and Tyler Arnason. Hopefully he's shown Granato that he should stay in the lineup.
Goaltender of the night
No question here, Andrew Raycroft gets the nod with a 40-save performance. But it's not like Chris Osgood gave him any competition with his own 23-save performance.
I still find Andrew Raycroft overplays a lot of shots but who am I to complain when he gets the job done?
On conspiracies and injuries
You know what, I'll just let the headline speak for itself.
Related Links
NHL.com Event Summary
Avs beat Red Wings, again
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Trade deadline - What should the Avalanche do?
I wrote the following piece for Illegal Curve but the folks there generously agreed to let me cross-post it here at Avs Talk.
Once it's up at Illegal Curve, I'll add a link to their Trade Deadline feature so you can read thoughts on all the other teams trade deadline dilemmas.
The Avalanche are currently out of the playoff picture and they have slim to little hope of making it at this point.
And even if they were to make the playoffs, all it would bring is a little more cash to the team's bottom line, not a Stanley Cup.
It's simply not worth it for the franchise to be buyer's at the trade deadline.
Francois Giguere needs to look past a first-round playoff loss and set his sights on selling some assets.
So what do the Avalanche have to offer?
Marek Svatos
The Svats machine has languished on the third and fourth lines for the most part this season and that's simply not his game.
He is an opportunistic goal scorer and does best when gobbling up rebounds in the slot created by his linemates.
He's an extremely sneaky player, has a nose for open spots and knows how to finish.
For a squad looking to add extra offense for a playoff push, Svatos could be their man.
Ruslan Salei
I was torn over whether to list Brett Clark or Ruslan Salei in this slot.
In the end, I chose Ruslan Salei.
Though I'd prefer to see Clark go at this point, I think Salei is more marketable.
He has Cup final experience, can put up some points and possesses a mean streak which has been stifled by the defensive system of the Avalanche.
Currently on pace for 25 points, he would add defensive depth to any team.
Ian Laperriere
I can hear the collective cries of Avalanche fans everywhere.
To be clear, in no way do I want to see Ian Laperriere traded. But it's hard to argue that he isn't one of Colorado's top pieces of trade bait.
He is the epitome of a hockey warrior. He can fight, he can score, he can kill penalties and for my money, he's the best character guy in the league.
If Giguere does make the tough decision to trade Laperriere, he needs to get enough in return that he won't alienate an already jittery fan base.
But what do the Avalanche need in return?
Draft Picks
This is a deep draft and having a top-10 pick would be great.
The Avs are already headed down that road but adding one more to the repertoire wouldn't hurt.
And when you have a stock of draft picks, teams will come calling on draft day.
It's win-win.
Goaltending
No, it's not a cure-all, but it certainly is a cure-many.
I was on board the Peter Budaj train when the season started but I got off around mid-December.
I never boarded the Andrew Raycroft train, regardless of his win-loss record.
But if the Avalanche truly want a return to former glories, they need a solid number one goaltender. Not spectacular, just solid. But spectacular would be fine.
Manny Fernandez will not be that guy. Pascal Leclaire will not be that guy.
You either find a young up-and-coming goaltender to develop him into a number one, or you go out and acquire a proven number one.
Either way, action needs to be taken as I don't believe the Avalanche have any aces in the hole with their current prospects.
Role Players
Many people - from blogger to beat writer to beat boxer - were disappointed that Francois Giguere ignored a player like Stephane Yelle during the offseason.
And for good reason.
Stephane Yelle is the definition of a role player.
He never takes a shift off, he blocks shots, he wins faceoffs, he kills penalties and he can even sub in as a defenseman if the situation calls for it.
He signed with the Bruins for $750,000 this season.
I don't want to say he's the reason the Bruins are atop the league but he's one of the reasons the Bruins are atop the league.
If the Avalanche continue to sign players like Darcy Tucker for $2.5M as opposed to players like Stephane Yelle for $750,000, they can have all the skilled forwards they want, but they won't grind out a Cup win.
Final Thoughts
None of this will matter if the Avalanche don't make the biggest change necessary and re-tool their coaching staff to remove the "Old Boys Club" mentality that permeates the front office.
Just because Tony Granato is a good guy doesn't mean he's suitable for the head coaching position.
Just because Jacques Cloutier has been with the team since 1996 doesn’t mean he’s still cut out to run the defense.
Just because Francois Giguere is a number-crunching wizard doesn't mean he's cut out to assemble a Cup winning roster.
If this organization wants to win - and win consistently - they need to go out and get the best people for those respective positions.
Not the people who are closest to Stan Kroenke or Pierre Lacroix.
Related Links
Krieger: Avs' tough call: buy or sell
Buyers and sellers?
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Paul Stastny Injury a Real Bummer
I was sitting around relaxing on a Saturday when two new Avalanche videos popped up in Google Reader.
First, I checked out Ian Laperriere's video which was as enlightening as it gets with hockey players these days.
"Well, what else is there to say about Stastny's injury?", you declare.
Don't worry, the ace reporter grilling Adam Foote has the answer.
It's a bummer.
After Foote declared that you never want to lose anybody, least of all Stastny, the intrepid investigator asked the following intellectual gem:
And apparently he smokes a lot of weed.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Avalanche Dethrone Kings, Win 6-1
Remember how last game I only got to see bits and pieces? Well this game I saw jack squat.
The cable is hooked up but I haven't had time to move my TV over yet. Couple that with playing volleyball most of the evening and it just wasn't my night for hockey watching.
Thankfully the Avs proved they didn't need me rooting for them every night as they finally did the unthinkable: win a game by more than a goal.
That's right, the Avalanche defeated the Kings tonight by a score of 6-1. That's a friggin' 5-goal cushion!
Talk about winning the games you should win and doing it convincingly.
Unfortunately it sounds like Marek Svatos got hurt in the second period and didn't return.
Svatos has been on fire lately and often times has looked like the only guy who showed up to play. Hopefully keeping him out of the game was just a precaution.
On the positive side of the equation, Cody Mcleod banged home two goals and Ian Laperriere banged around John Zieler. And he did it without sucker punching anyone. Who knew you could do that?
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Avalanche @ Wild, Game 24 Thoughts
In the last two games, the Avalanche have scored 10 goals and it's due to two reasons.
Reason the first: The Avalanche are spreading out in the neutral zone.
This has been so critical to letting them break into the offensive zone with speed rather than playing a dump-and-chase.
And that is what a run-and-gun strategy should look like.
Reason the second: The Avalanche are driving hard to the net.
The second component of a run-and-gun offense is to be able to capitalize on the changes generated.
There's no better way to do it than by being in front of the net looking for rebounds.
Reason the third: The Avalanche are working hard in the corners
A bonus reason! The Avalanche have started to forecheck much better down low. And when they do get the puck, they don't endlessly cycle along the boards. Ok, they did it once in the third but it isn't a part of their gameplan the way it was last year.
Notes
If I could marry Milan Hejduk's shot, I would. Then I'd divorce it just so I could marry it again.
David Jones really seems to have benefitted from playing with McCormick and Mcleod. I'm loving his new nose for the net. It's what I expected out of him from game one.
Ian Laperriere has two goals and four assists in his last five games. If he would just get in a fight or two this week, he'll be fantasy gold for me!
And how about Marek Svatos' recent awakening? Granato may have found paydirt with his current line combos.
According to Versus, that a career-high in goals against for Nik Backstrom and it was also the most goals ever in an Avs-Wild contest.
On average, the Wild scored within 28 seconds on their three powerplay goals (6, 71, 7)
Cody Mcleod yipping at Derek Boogard was awesome. Sure, Boogard would destroy Mcleod in a fight, but you've got to love his moxie.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Trade Winds are Blowing
Ok, I usually don't talk about trade rumours since I'm not a big rumour fan. Which is odd since I grew up in the mother of all rumour-filled small towns.
But I've heard a few related to the Avalanche lately and thought I'd briefly weigh in.
Afinogenov to Denver
First, AD reports that the Avalanche may be interested in Maxim Afinogenov. The usual "change of scenery" motive is given as Afinogenov is playing brutal in Buffalo (1 goal, 8 assists in 21 games) and I believe has been relegated to the fourth line.
Afinogenov had two excellent seasons in Buffalo but it's ot enough to make me think he can consistenly pull out that sort of production.
He certainly has the speed and skill but I think he's too much of an enigma to take a flyer on.
And if Francois Giguere gives up Brett Clark for Afinogenov, then he is officially not qualified to run an NHL team.
Lappy for Ott
Second, Bruce Garrioch (of "Malking to the Kings" fame) proposes the following trade: Colorado sends RW Ian Laperriere to Dallas for Steve Ott.
Wow. If Giguere makes that trade I vow to drive out to Denver, locate Giguere and cuff him upside the head.
Good grief, Bruce. How does it make sense to trade a heart-and-soul scrapper for a boneheaded agitator who is a detriment to his team more times than not?
Trade Smyth
Third, and this one isn't from a rumour, it's just something I've seen pop up from time to time from fans. Trade Smyth.
The no-trade clause in his contract makes that a virtual non-option. And even if he didn't have it, the only reason to trade him would be to free up cap space. The Avs have plenty of that. So no. Smyth is staying.
Something may change
The team is struggling, no doubt about it. And something may change. But bringing in Afinogenov won't solve the team's struggles. If anything, it would be a token player move to make before letting the coach go.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Avalanche Keep Streak Alive; Crush Oilers 4-1
What's the lesson there? Crash the net and good things happen. And every now and again, lucky bounces go your way. And sometimes the linesmen are on the take.
Don't think! Do!
Mats Sundin sighting
Related Links
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Ian Laperriere Receives Father of the Year Award
Our beloved Lappy was an honoree at the 2008 Father of the Year Awards put on by the American Diabetes Association and the Denver Father’s Day Council.
Seriously, how could you not like this guy?
Friday, May 2, 2008
Avalanche Over, What Next?
I threw my notes on the game out last night so no point recapping. Just look at the score and you'll know all you need to know.
So where do we go from here? Well, I don't know about anyone else but I still want to see who will win the Stanley Cup. And not only that, the World Hockey Championships get under way this afternoon. Can you believe Selanne joined the Finnish team? Amazing what an extra 5 months rest will do for someone who was thinking of retiring.
So I think I'll be using those as a way to get over the complete beatdown that was handed to the Avalanche by a team with a gloating, mocking fan base. I don't know if I'll watch any Red Wings games though. You know, to avoid the nightmares.
But what about Forsberg retiring? And is Sakic going to play again? Will Foote come back? Will the team re-sign Theodore? Is Budaj the answer?
I've got thoughts on all those subjects but I think I'll wait until the season is fully over to expand on them.
One thing I'd like to note is the injuries the team had. Not because I'm using that as an excuse why they lost. I'm using that as an excuse why this team still deserves our pride.
Dario from ITCS caught the morning show with Coach Q who revealed that Peter Forsberg was playing with two torn groin muscles while Scott Hannan and Ian Laperriere were both playing on a broken foot. Two torn groin muscles and the man was still skating. A broken foot each and they were still lacing up their skates and giving it their all. That's courage and dedication right there and they deserve our thanks for gutting it out.
Add up Ryan Smyth's likely broken foot, Wojtek Wolski's 5 broken ribs, Marek Svatos' torn knee, Paul Stastny's bum knee, Brett Clark's bitched shoulder and Theodore's bubonic plague and you have a worn out, beat up team. And though I was a bit pissed last night due to an 8-2 drubbing, after putting the injuries into perspective and what some of the players played through, I can honestly say I'm proud of the squad for giving it their best.
It's just too bad their best wasn't enough.
Related Links
Postmortem
Living with the aftershock
So much for pride, Mr. Theodore
The scoop on the Avs injuries
Avs season ends with thud
The End.
Q&A with Francois Giguere
Friday, April 11, 2008
Game 2 Preview: Avalanche vs Wild
It's time to grab the beer and chips and plop yourself down on the couch for some exciting playoff action! And you might want to have a defibrillator nearby if the last game was any indication of how this series will play out.
Room for improvement
The Avalanche have to be pretty happy with themselves but they do realize there is still room for improvement. Peter Forsberg actually thought his line was awful on Wednesday which is a bit of a stretch.
I'd look for that trio to come out hard, draw a few penalties this game and hopefully light the lamp at least once. Hopefully Forsberg can keep himself in check from retaliating when roughed up by the Wild. No matter how he tries to slice it, any time Forsberg is off the ice is a win for the Wild.
The defense also knows that they need to do their job and clear pucks out of the zone. If Adam Foote hadn't tried to softie the puck out of the zone on Wednesday, Todd Fedoruk never would have found himself all along in front of the net. Well, that should never happen regardless but we'll let that one slide. This time.
Injuries abound for Wild
The Wild will be down another body as Mark Parrish will sit out the game with what is likely a concussion. That means that Chris Simon is "a likely possibility." A "likely possibility"? Isn't that a bit redundant?
I think they have better options than Simon at forward. The Wild already have Boogard dressing as well as extra toughness from Todd Fedoruk. Do they really need 3 tough guys dressed?
Martin Skoula also has a sore leg but is possible for tonight. But in the playoffs "sore leg" could mean that his leg literally fell off so you never know.
Lappy limping?
Mike Russo reported that Ian Laperriere looked like he could barely move today after blocking a Brian Rolston slapshot. That's not great news for the Avs as the Wild are coming out very physical. The Avalanche will need every tough guy they have and they don't have many.
However in the playoffs, everybody steps up. I caught Hejduk and Sakic laying out some checks on Wednesday and that's a great thing to see.
Game time
The Avalanche snagged home ice advantage from the Wild and you know that Minnesota isn't going to take that lying down. If you thought Minny came out hard in game 1, just wait until tonight.
The game starts at 9:00pm ET however TSN won't be joining it until late in the first. Thanks guys.
Related Links
Good news on Mike Haynes
Playoffs offering second changes
Smyth puts team first
Hitting the ice-Forsberg tough
Stastny soaks in playoff buzz
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Avalanche Dump Predators 2-1
(AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
The Avalanche needed some solid goaltending tonight and they got it from Peter Budaj. He was calm and collected all night and was able to stay composed even while scrambling in the crease to locate the puck.
He had to do that on a few occasions as the Predators were really putting pressure on the Avalanche for most of the night. They spent a lot of time passing the puck in the offensive zone though the Avalanche defenders did well in keeping the Predators mostly to the outside.
Ryan Smyth opened up the scoring midway through the third period as he fired a shot from the wing that got past Mason. Earlier in the game Smyth had taken a harmless shot from the wing and I thought "Man, knock it off. You're not going to score from there." He must have heard me and decided to prove me wrong!
Ian Laperriere then scored the eventual game winner as he returned to the lineup from a knee injury. Jaroslav Hlinka demonstrated ultimate patience with the puck as he circled the net then fed a perfect pass to Laperriere who was right on the doorstep. That's where you need to be to score goals. Nobody was happier than Laperriere as he had joked with Mike Haynes in pre-game about how his return would provide an offensive boost to the club.
Lappy skated on the "4th line" with Guite and McCormick. I put "4th line" in quotes as it was really the third line tonight as the Avs went with 7 D and 11 forwards. Ryan Smyth was double-shifted with Marek Svatos and Brad Richardson to form a makeshift line from time to time.
Scott Hannan pulled in monster minutes with 27:52 in ice-time tonight. Ryan Smyth was just behind him with 26:09 thanks to the aforementioned double-shifting. Marek Svatos saw a lowly 6:50 in ice-time. It's not that he's not trying when he's out there. It's just that he hasn't been terribly effective.
Tyler Arnason sat out the game but it was supposedly due to a hand injury rather than being a healthy scratch. Jordan Leopold also made his return and looked ok in just over 9 minutes on the ice.
Coach Q was seen smiling behind the bench shortly before the buzzer. I'm guessing it's because he was able to keep his job for one more day.
So now it's back to Denver for a game on Saturday against...the Nashville Predators. Gotta love the schedule.
Related Links
NHL.com Event Summary
In the Cheap Seats Game Recap
ColoradoAvalanche.com Game Recap
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Avalanche Squeeze Past Oilers 4-3 in SO
Ok, in the interest of full disclosure, you'll have to cut me a break if I missed something good as it's election night here in Saskatchewan. So I was flipping back and forth between the game and the results coverage. It was official by halfway through the 2nd period though so if I miss something there...I've got no excuse.
First Period
In the interest of keeping this brief, I'll quickly outline the goals since there were 5 of the darn things.
The game started off good as the Avs got on the board first. The fourth line was out providing some good energy and got rewarded for it. Jeff Finger took a shot from the point and Lappy provided a soft deflection to put it between Roloson's pads. Roloson knew he should have had that one. Stick down Roli!
Edmonton was able to answer back just over 5 minutes later. A bit of a scrambly play out front and Kyle Brodziak was able to put the puck past Budaj to tie it at 1.
Then 3 minutes later, Colorado scored a goal and I completely missed this one. And didn't have the energy to rewind. I hope you all forgive me. It was Arnason getting his 3rd of the year with assists from Bruno and Lappy.
Then about 30 seconds later, the ping-pong game continued as Dick Tjarnstom buried a shot high blocker on Budaj. Budaj was out challenging pretty well but may have lost his position a bit. It was a pretty darn good shot though.
And a minute later, Edmonton took the lead as Ales Hemsky did his magic again. He danced around Kurt Sauer - seriously, Sauer never even touched him - and buried a shot on the far side just over Budaj's pad. Hemsky has some sweet moves but Sauer still should have been able to plaster him. Hemsky's known for big goals and being on the receiving end of big hits.
Second Period
Ok, let's jump in halfway through the action as I was listening to concession and victory speeches from the NDP and Sask Party respectively.
The Oilers got a PP chance at the 12:41 mark. The reason for the penalty...Cumiskey is the David to Penner's Goliath. These two were battling on the boards and the only chance Cumiskey had at winning was to hold on to Penner's stick. Or kick him in the shins. That's frowned upon though. The Oil generated a few chances but couldn't cash in. For a terrible PP, they looked not bad tonight.
At this point, the Oilers were really starting to take over the play in this period. The Avs initially had a 9-1 shot advantage but ended the period with a 12-9 advantage. The NHL.com boxscore was wrong on the shots, at least according to TSN's numbers.
Wolski had the Avs best chance of the period as he took a shortside feed but Roloson was not fooled. That move - circle the net but backhand a pass to the shortside rather than go around the net - has really become prominent this year. In fact, it was Marty Turco's subject on CBC's little vignette of "That's Hockey" on HNIC last weekend. At least I think it's called "That's Hockey". Give me a break, I'm not sleeping much lately.
Peter Budaj then had his own opportunity to bail his team out as he came up huge on two different occasions. The first was a big save on Hemsky who danced around the defenders again. Liles made a heads up play to clear the puck which was looking to trickle into the net. He then made a huge save on one of those backdoor shortside passes from Nilson to Torres. Man I hate Torres. Just wanted to throw that in.
Third Period
The Avs go into the third down by 1 but they wouldn't live with that for long. Just 2:20 in and Ian Laperriere picks up his 2nd goal of the night. Andrew Brunette put in some hard work along the boards and that'll always pay off. He was able to dump it back to Arnason who then fired it at the net. Lappy was going hard to the net - that'll always pay off too - and it went off his stick and in.
Healy, as he always does, began complaining about goaltender interference since Lappy's stick got up in Roloson's grill. Only problem...the puck was in before Lappy touched Roloson. And he apologized after so it's all good.
The tempo really picked up after this goal and frankly there was so much action that my eyes were glued to the television and I wasn't taking notes. Budaj came up with some solid saves during this action to keep the tie going. His most notable was a slick glove save on Torres after Hemsky danced in around the D again. I'm noticing a theme here with Hemsky. He tends to make the Avalanche defenders his...you know what...when he plays them.
The Oil then got an early PP on a Paul Stastny high-stick. This was one that the Avalanche got very lucky on as it should have been a long 5-on-3. About 30 seconds into the PP, Wyatt Smith took down Grebeshkov in a blatant trip, right in front of the ref...and no call. Mac T was livid and I don't blame him.
Sauer even made up for his play tonight as he sprawled to stop a late 2-on-1 with Hemsky and Stoll. That could have been the game right there. Sauer did not have a good night tonight as Hemsky exposed his slowness on many occasions.
Overtime
Overtime was a prototypical OT. A few chances on each end but no team really having a ton of sustained pressure. I fear too many teams are playing for the shootout these days but I have absolutely no stats or even any solid logic to back it up. I just fear it. And I can fear whatever I want. Including large spiders and small birds.
Shootout
After a ridiculous delay thanks to the Oilers "not liking the ice", the shootout began.
Wolski starts it and basically turns Roloson inside out with a sweet, sweet move.
Gagner is denied.
Smyth is stoned by Roloson who seemed to know exactly what Smyth would do. I wonder why?
Hemsky tries low-blocker again and misses the net. Try something else Ales!
Sakic for the win and...denied by the post! He had Roli beat glove high but that darn post got in the way.
Torres to tie it...5-hole on a quick release. Man I hate Torres.
Svatos to put the pressure on the Oil and...he basically lobs it over Roloson's glove. Weird looking goal but whatever gets it in the back of the net.
Reasoner to keep the SO going and...MISS! The Avs win the SO and push their home record to 8-1.
Odds and Ends
- Sakic kept trying 5-hole on Roloson but had no luck
- Finger plastered Penner along the boards in the 2nd period
- both teams did a good job staying out of the box with just 8 penalties between both teams
- Svatos has been making good defensive reads lately
- Hemsky loves going low-blocker on goaltenders
- 5 goals in 9:52 of the 1st, then no more until 2:20 of the 3rd...crazy night!
- the Avs are now 6-2 against divisional opponents
- they are also 1st in the Northwest!
Stats
Ian Laperriere was the beast of the night with 2 goals and 1 assist. The third line was in on all the Avs goals and was a combined +7 with 7 points.
Brett Clark had monster minutes of 28:43 tonight. I didn't notice him that much so with that amount of ice-time, that can only be a good thing. Sauer was next with 23:49. I noticed him a lot. And that's not a good thing.
Scott Parker was at the low end with just 56 seconds on the ice. Seriously. Q sits Hlinka in order to give Parker 56 seconds of ice time. I may not be an NHL coach but that just seems ridiculous.
Sakic, Hannan and Smyth were -2 on the night. Aren't those our most defensively responsible players. What gives?
Sakic blasted off 8 shots. Each one going for the 5-hole I think.
The Avs were credited with 6 hits. And this was on home turf! But they only gave Finger 1 hit, likely his one on Penner, even though I'm positive he hit more guys than that.
Related Links
NHL.com Gamesheet
TSN Recap
ColoradoAvalanche.com Recap
In the Cheap Seats Game Notes
Hannan Unfazed by +/-
Richardson Cleared to Play
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Avalanche Sign Laperriere to Extension
TSN is reporting that Ian Laperriere has signed an extension that will keep him with the club through the 08/09 season. All I can say to that is "Yes!"
Adrian Dater reports the deal is worth $1.15M for 08/09 which is hardly an increase on his current $1M cap hit for this season. And again I say "Yes!"
Lappy is a fan favorite, a great leader, a hard worker and gives the best interviews of any Avalanche player. He's also extremely active in the community which affects his leadership qualities as well.
I'm glad he'll be around for two more seasons.
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