Avalanche vs Canucks - Game Preview

It's game day once again and tonight, the Colorado Avalanche are hosting the Vancouver Canucks at the Pepsi Center.

Luongo suits up

This will be Roberto Luongo's second start since returning from a rib injury and he couldn't have come back sooner, with Andrew Raycroft finally showing his true form.

Against the Avalanche though, Luongo is a it less like Darkseid and a bit more like Dr. Horrible with a 2.97 GAA and .898 save percentage in 25 games against. So you'll have to pardon me for feeling a bit cocky about the matchup.

I hope someone catches the connection between the headline and the second paragraph. I bet Jori will...

Jersey foul

The Avalanche's new third jersey is a foul in and of itself. I still don't mind the "uniprons" but I'm with Tapeleg here, these just aren't doing it for me. I know the Avs colors are burgundy and blue, but they shouldn't have barfed blue all over this jersey. It's too much. And where the hell is the yeti foot?

Hejduk Returns

The Avalanche will get Milan Hejduk back and it looks like he'll play with Matt Duchene. Most excellent. This also means that David Jones will stay on the top line and Marek Svatos will get bumped down to the third line. That's a win all the way across the board if you ask me.

Preissing Appears

Tom Preissing will suit up for the first time as a Colorado Avalanche. You know what? I'm excited to see what he'll do for this team. Don't expect a monster game as he'll need to find his groove again,

And note to Joe Sacco: this is so not a must win game. Look, I get what you're trying to do but if the team puts in a valiant effort and loses, that will still be forward progress.

Simon says

Today's game preview is a special edition which includes a Q&A session with Simon from the Canucks blog Dan Cloutier for Vezina, where he also has posted a Q&A session with myself.

With Roberto Luongo on the shelf, Andrew Raycroft helped carry the Canucks with some solid goaltending. Does this mean Vancouver will be more willing to rest Luongo and start Raycroft in hopes of keeping him fresh for a playoff run?

Probably not. Luongo is a guy that, while healthy, pretty much has to play every night. Even when it comes to optional practices during the season, Luongo will show up to work on his game and hates to take any time off. It even came to the point a while ago where the Canucks had to kick him off the ice from an optional skate just he’d take a break. So with all that being considered it seems pretty unlikely that Luongo will be sitting on the bench unless they are playing back-to-back on the road. The long fourteen game round trip surrounding the Olympics and the fact that Luongo will be playing in the Olympics means that Raycroft might get an extra start or two that back-up goalies typically don’t get here but ultimately I don’t see the team sitting down Luongo much at all now that he’s back.

Mikael Samuelsson was thought by many to be a product of a great team. So far, he is on pace to eclipse his season highs in points and goals. Do you think he can keep up this pace?

He probably can, but with that being said, I’d like to see him tidy up his overall game. Too often he is turning the puck over or is a defensive liability. Especially when he plays the point on the power play, if he as much as fumbles the puck, you can expect a great scoring chance for the other team. He’s a minus player on the team right now which is something that I’m sure the coaches would like to see him improve on. With all the injuries the Canucks have right now, they have been playing a defensive style of hockey which means they don’t have the luxury of being allowed to have guys who are frequently -1 or -2.

When the Canucks matched the Flyers offer sheet on Kesler, it appeared to drive up salaries for what would be considered grind-line player. Since then, Kesler has gone on to be a key cog for the Canucks. Does he appear to be future captain material for this team?

He absolutely is future captain material. If he stays in Vancouver then he’ll be waiting a long time for the ‘C’ since Luongo is here for the foreseeable future but Kesler is definitely one of the best leaders on the team. I see him more as a “leader by example” type rather than someone who is outspoken. That’s fine since no one plays harder than Kesler on a shift-to-shift basis than him. He can often go out and dominate a shift and you’ll see the type of potential he has to be a leader.

Looking back I don’t think too many people objected to the Canucks matching the offer sheet that Clarke put out there since Kesler showed a lot of signs for potential. When he first came into the league he had great speed but lacked any kind of finish. He got his game together playing on the checking line with Alex Burrows and I think Burrows and Kesler really fed off each other a few years ago when they were as automatic of a combo as Daniel and Henrik Sedin. Now that Burrows and Kesler are playing bigger and more offensive rolls they both have each other to thank for the chemistry they had on the checking line.

Was sending Cody Hodgson back to Brampton the right move for his future?

Yes, and looking back now Hodgson probably shouldn’t have been playing in the pre-season trying to earn a spot on the team. His back clearly hadn’t fully recovered from injuring it while working out prior to the Canadian World Jr. Camp. There isn’t much for him to accomplish in the OHL anymore and he might even get a little bored but it’s certainly better than having him confidence shattered by poor production in the NHL and losing a year of his entry level contract. I fully expect him to come back to camp next season and be more like the player the Canucks saw two years ago after being drafted and what we saw last December and January at the World Juniors.

Game time

The puck drops at 10:08pm ET and it's on the CBC, home of Don Cherry, Jim Hughson and Shane Giroux.

Related Links

MHH Game Preview

Avalanche @ Canucks, Game 15 Thoughts

Here's a few more thoughts from last night, in no particular order.

Ruslan Salei played his best game of the season last night. I watched him more closely than any other defender as I was getting tired of seeing him underperform. Early in the first it was apparent his positioning was much better. He wasn't allowing players to skate past him while he brushed them on their side with a "check". Tonight, he was stepping in front of them and preventing them from going around him. His head was moving much better tonight as well and he always seemed to be aware of where the nearest Canucks players were.

The McLappy line had a new ingredient last night as Darcy Tucker joined the line while Cody Mcleod found himself on the third line with Tyler Arnason. Tucker ended up spending some time with Hensick including a shift during OT. The weird chemistry those two had in their past two games may be wearing off a bit. It never made much sense to begin with frankly.

If T.J. Hensick gets sent down, everybody sharpen up your pitchforks. Though he didn't get any points tonight - tough to get any in a one-goal game - he still looked good out there. Coach Granato agreed as he played him for 18 minutes which could be a career high for Hensick. Contrast that with the 8:20 Arnason played tonight in his triumphant return after being a healthy scratch.

Ryan Smyth continues to do a great job fighting in the corners and being a pain in the ass for the opposing team. He's currently on pace for a 23 goal, 53 point season which is not spectacular. Someone could certainly argue it's not worth over $7M/season. But his work along the boards is invaluable and if Granato keeps sticking him in front of the net on the PP, more points will come. He did make one bonehead behind-the-back pass in his own zone but I'll forgive him. Just this once.

Early in the first period while the Avs were shelling Roberto Luongo, Ray Ferraro said "This is what a great goalie can do for you when you struggle" Amen, Ray. We saw it from both sides tonight and it was exciting as hell to watch.

Marek Svatos has been awarded the game-tying goal that originally went to Paul Stastny. In the first view I saw, I was elated as it looked like Svatos had scored. But from the "in the net" view, it looked like Svatos had wiffed on it and Stastny put it in. I'll take this decision as I've got Svatos in my pool and he's been underwhelming so far to say the least.

Chris Cuthbert mentioned itsallaboutlappy.com on the air. Now go buy a shirt and support Ronald Macdonald House!

Now, for my main beef with the game tonight. And it's been a beef of mine since the season started. The Avalanche are running a "wide open" offensive style, right? Then why in the world do they do they try and hold hands through the neutral zone?

There were half a dozen occasions where on a breakout, the player on the opposite side of the ice would skate over and actually get in the puck carriers way. What is the deal with that? Are they trying to use the flying V?

I'm getting frustrated watching the puck carrier try to manoeuvre the puck through his teammates skates while heading into the zone so I can't imaging how the puck carrier feels. It makes negative sense to me.

Related Links
Wolski, Svatos deliver in shootout for Avalanche
Avalanche cracks Luongo in shootout

Avalanche Down Canucks 2-1 in Goaltending Duel

Peter Budaj outdueled Roberto Luongo tonight as the Colorado Avalanche downed the Vancouver Canucks 2-1 in a shootout.

The Avalanche started off strong but Robert Luongo was up to the task and shut the Avs down at every opportunity. The Avs fired off 16 shots in the first period but Luongo made it look like a day at the beach.

In the second period, it was the Peter Budaj show as the Canucks turned up the pressure. It took a penalty shot for the Canucks to finally get one past him.

In the third, it was a bit more give-and-go and both Budaj and Luongo came up huge for their teams. Budaj's most memorable save was robbing Henrik Sedin on a cross crease pass on the PP. For Luongo, he saved his team's bacon with just 1.9 seconds left as he robbed Wojtek Wolski on a one-timer off a great pass from T.J. Hensick.

The OT solved nothing and it was off to a shootout. I think I heard Jib let out a stifled roar. But the Avs took the win off of goals from Wolski and Marek Svatos while Budaj turned away 2 of 3 attempts.

It was a whale of a game and great way for the Avs to kick off their three game road trip. I'll put up more notes tomorrow but the one extra thing I will add...Ruslan Salei had his best game of the year tonight.

And Blaine won the bet. But his team still lost. So I win.

Related Links
NHL.com Event Summary

Avalanche @ Canucks, Game 15 Preview

The Avalanche offense has been anemic mustering ten goals in their last seven games with including a miserly two goals in their last two games.

Robert Luongo hasn't been scored on since November 2nd and has posted three straight shutouts.

Will one of those give tonight?

With Joe Sakic out of the lineup, Tyler Arnason draws back in after being a healthy scratch against the Nashville Predators.

Will Arnason respond to coach Granato's challenge?

Peter Budaj gets the start in goal and is coming off a shutout of his own. He looked calm, cool and collected in net against the Preds and is looking to build on that performance.

Will this be the night that Peter Budaj turns the corner and proves his detractors wrong?

The game starts at 10:00 ET, 8:00 MT on TSN (Canada) and Altitude (USA) which means the game doesn't start until 9:00 for me.

Will I be able to battle off the flu and stay up for the whole game?

Sidenote: Though I told Alanah the shutout streak would end before the 10:00 mark of the first period, I don't actually believe it will happen that soon. Ssshhh. Don't tell her.

I actually have a bet with a 'Nucks fan at the office that it will end before the 5:00 mark of the second period. And though he thinks the streak will end tonight, he thinks it won't be until 3:10 of the third period.

So I decided to toss up a quick poll to get a general consensus on when the streak will end. If you want to get more specific, leave a comment. I believe they're working for everybody again.

If not, feel free to contact me at thebatlab {at} gmail dot com.



Related Links
TSOSWDNSO

Roberto Luongo Named Captain Canuck

When I saw the headline, I thought it was a joke. When I saw the photo accompanying the story, I thought "Look at them laughing at their joke." But then I read the article and it didn't end with "Just kidding."

Yes, the Vancouver Canucks have apparently named Robert Luongo as their captain.

When was the last time a goaltender captained a team? I'm thinking it had to have been back in the 40's or 50's. I'd do the leg work to find this out but I don't care to.

This is just a bizarre move. I can understand that he is a team leader as is Martin Brodeur with New Jersey, as was Olaf Kolzig with Washington, and the list could go on and on.

But what's the point in announcing him as the captain? Maybe to add more pressure to being the Canucks goaltender?

Related Links

Canucks Laugh at your ancient tradition, name Luongo captain

Avalanche Thump Canucks

(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Well that was the biggest win of the season by far. Tonight the Avalanche thumped the Canucks 6-3 - including 5 goals on Roberto Luongo - to jump into 7th in the West. The Avalanche are now 4 up on Nashville and 5 up on Edmonton in the playoff race. With a mere 4 or 5 games remaining between the teams gunning for the final spots, the Avalanche are all but assured a spot if they just keep the pedal pressed down.

Goaltending anti-duel
Roberto Luongo let in 5 goals which is the first time he's done that since February 9th against...the Colorado Avalanche. For a guy with a GAA below the 2.3 mark the Avalanche sure haven't had trouble scoring on him. Hey Gary, can you make an exception and let the Avs play the Canucks in the playoffs? Pretty please?

At the other end, Jose Theodore got the better of Luongo but still had some stumbling points. The first goal was a great goal by the Canucks and the 2nd goal was pure dumb luck. The third goal, however, could have turned the tide of the game in the Canucks favor. Sami Salo blasted a shot from the point and it beat Theodore cleanly on the short side. That's a puck that needed to be stopped as they were just 10 seconds away from taking a 3 goal lead into the third.

Forsberg and Hejduk together again
In what you could say is a brilliant coaching move, Joel Quenneville bumped Ryan Smyth from the RPM line and created the PPM line. And PPM stood for Point Per Minute for that trio tonight. Once those three were together they accounted for 3 goals and 9 points. Paul Stastny had a goal and two assists, Hejduk had two goals and one assist and Forsberg had three assist.

I think everyone well remembers the dynamite duo that Forsberg and Hejduk were back in day and Quenneville decided to give the duo a shot again. It payed off extremely well and I can't see why he'd bother breaking them up at this point. Of course next game they could come out flat for 5 minutes and Forsberg would find himself playing with Ben Guite.

Timeout while up?
In what I'd call another excellent coaching move, Quenneville called a timeout shortly after the Avs went up 5-2 after an icing call. Not only did it give the players a chance to catch a breather before a tough draw but it also settled the team down. They really started running around and loosening up a bit much so the timeout served to settle them back into their groove.

Smyth drops 'em?
In what I'd call a not so brilliant coaching move, after the Canucks had scored the late 2nd period goal Alain Vigneault put out a line including uber-pest Alex Burrows. Q, with last change, put out a line including Ryan Smyth rather than the grind line. What happened was Alex Burrows lined up next to Smyth and knocked his stick out of his hands off the draw. This apparently enraged Smyth and he chased after Burrows and the two dropped the gloves and fell to the ice (as Burrows was backpedaling faster than Dion Phaneuf)

Now, I think Smyth should have kept his cool and let it go but in his defense, he did get bumped down to the third line again so he may have been frustrated. But he never should have been out there at that point anyways. A 10 second shift to end the period after a momentum changing goal calls for the grind line of Guite, Lappy and McLeod.

"I really think Vancouver can come back"
In the only reference I'll make to McGuire - who wasn't that bad tonight I thought - he stated before the third period began that he really felt the Canucks could come back and take this game to OT. 23 seconds later Milan Hejduk made it 6-3 and we never heard mention of that comment again.

Notes
- Wolski had a great steal down low to lead to the 5th goal
- the Avs had 23 shots in their 4-goal second period
- Leopold left the game in the third with what appears to be another injury
- McLeod's goal was his first in 23 games and he keeps doing it against superstar goaltenders
- the fans were really into this game and it was great to hear the excitement
- that's the first 3-game losing streak for the Canucks this season
- Andrew Brunette continues to quietly rack up points with 2 assists tonight
- the Avs won the faceoff game (!!!) with 60%

Related Links
NHL.com Event Summary
In the Cheap Seats Recap
Denver Post Recap
ColoradoAvalanche.com Recap
How Luongo getting laid could help the Avs
Doing the dirty work, game in and game out

Avalanche Rally Late; Beat Canucks in Shootout

(Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)

Phew! I'm going to be at an event most of the day tomorrow and it's late now but I had to get something up. Even if it's just to say "Wooo!!!!"

Ok, I'll say a bit more. After the Canucks went up by one late in the third on a reviewed goal that barely crossed the line, the Avalanche then tied the game at 2 with just 15 seconds left in the third period. Ruslan Salei displayed superb composure keeping the puck in the zone then fired it at the net where Joe Sakic banged home the rebound.

OT solved nothing and it was off to a shootout where both Joe Sakic and Marek Svatos, not the Avalanche's best SO performers, beat Roberto Luongo and Jose Theodore went 2-2 to bring home a huge W.

And given that Nashville got clobbered 8-4 by Buffalo, that means the Avalanche are back in a playoff spot as they now hold down the 8th seed in the Western conference. Who'd a thunk it?

So in conclusion, Adam Foote = warrior, Jose Theodore = superb, Scott Parker = scary, Darwin Head = millionaire and Joe Sakic = Joe Sakic (ie. god)

Avalanche Dominated by Canucks; Come Away with 2-1 OT Loss

(AP Photo/Sam Leung)

It was Jose Theodore vs. Roberto Luongo as the Canucks looked to stay perfect against Northwest division opponents. Or Robert Luogno according to the game description in my program guide.

First Period
Although there were no goals scored, this was a pretty exciting period. Some good end-to-end action, some good scoring chances, lots of pressure - mostly against the Avs - and some goods saves - mostly from Theodore.

Colorado got the first powerplay chance as Daniel Sedin went off for holding. There wasn't much manufactured on this powerplay as the Canucks were very aggressive and never gave the Avs time to set up.

Vancouver then got a powerplay chance of their own as Hejduk went off for interference. The Canucks has a better looking powerplay than the Avalanche did but weren't able to put the puck behind Theodore who was out challenging the shooters at every chance.

At that point, the Vancouver announcers decided to start arguing about Colorado's goaltending situtation. Hughson arguing that Theodore was about to take over the #1 position while John Garret argued that the Avalanche "liked" Peter Budaj too much to let that happen. Uh huh.

Kurt Sauer took a late penalty with just 1:31 left to go and the Canucks almost cashed in. The puck got fired wide, Daniel Sedin then did a nice spin move to bat the puck out of mid-air and in front of the net. Theodore saw it, stuck his glove on it, then Henrik Sedin came in and poked under Theodore's glove to put the puck in the net.

The ref immediately waved it off declaring that he'd blown the play dead. The announcers declared it, correctly, an unreviewable call. So we were all a bit surprised when there appeared to be a brief review. But the call on the ice stood and the Avalanche were lucky walk away with a 0-0 tie in a period they were badly outchanced in.

Second Period
The outchancing (is that a word?) carried over from the first to the second period. It just seemed like the Canucks would set up shop in the Avalanche end and there was nothing Colorado could do about it. And this wasn't just the Sedin line. Kesler and Linden's line were also moving the puck around at will.

It was at this point that I started disliking John Garret, the Canucks color commentator. I like Jim Hughson, I think he's got a great voice and calls the game well...but I think even he got a bit annoyed with this guy. He started by declaring the hit Cooke laid on Langkow last night as "questionable" and the worst part of the hit, according to him, was it was poor timing by Cooke seeing as they were up by 3 goals. No, the concussion wasn't the worst part. It was the poor timing. I mean, come on.

The Canucks were then able to cash one in though not without some controversy. Theodore made the initial save, the puck flew straight up in the air and Henrik batted it in. The ref called it a goal but Sakic and everyone else on the Avs was all over the ref saying it was a high stick. So of course, the call goes out to Toronto for the guys in the "war room" to check it out.

Immediately, without having yet seen a replay in any form, John Garret says "Oh, this one will count". So he's got the quickest eyes in the west apparently to be able to see the puck was conclusively hit below the crossbar. Then, after seeing a replay showing how close it was, there was a pause before Hughson finally said "I don't know..." and then Garret abdicated his position a bit. He still waffled around and then, on the one angle where I thought it looked like the stick hit the puck over the crossbar, he declared it "the best angle in favor of the Canucks". Whatever.

In the end, it was a goal and rightly so. The call on the ice was a goal and there is no way any video evidence could be conclusive on such a close play. Garrett then proceeds to say Quenneville was upset about the call because he must have felt there was a "home field advantage". That one nearly put me over the top. The guys in Toronto reviewing the goal could give a flying pigs fart about which team was the home team and Quenneville could have cared less if this game was played in Kuwait or Calcutta. He was upset because he believed it was a high stick and shouldn't count. Simple as that.

Ok, off my soapbox. The Canucks continued dominating this period with Theodore making some nice saves to keep the score close. He's still kicking out rebounds to some odd places but is looking confident while doing so. That's gotta count for something.

Towards the end of the period Colorado decided to show up a bit. They had some sustained pressure of their own which led to a couple chances but Luongo was there for all of them. On one, Ryan Smyth redirected a Jeff Finger shot just wide. The color guy said the reason Smyth didn't get a good redirect was that it was "23 inches off the ice". Yep. 23. He measured. I guess.

The Canucks then had a rush of their own late but it was just offside. On the replay, it was actually tough to see but the color guy said "See, his right skate was in before the puck." Ok. What about the left one? Maybe he should review the rule book on how you actually go offside. Two skates, not one, need to cross that blue line before the puck does.

Oh, and Daniel took another penalty towards the end of the period and the Avalanche did nothing with it.


Third Period
But they did something with the rest of the Sedin penalty to start the third. After being derided for not having a shot from the point - which is true - the Avalanche scored with a weak shot from the point by Liles. It appeared to get redirected by Willie Mitchell's foot and in. I can't see any other way this one would have got past Luongo.

This didn't stop the Canucks or give the Avs that much of a boost. They got a few more chances but it was still all Canucks for most of this period. And again, Theodore made some nice saves to make up for mistakes by the defenders. Most notable were a snazzy glove save after Finger whiffed on a clearing attempt and a good shoulder save on a redirected shot from the point.

The third line combo of Laperriere and Arnason played well for most of the game. This tended to be the line where I was least nervous when they were on the ice. Likely because they weren't playing against the Canucks tough lines. Still, they manufactured a few chances but couldn't get past Luongo.

The Wolski-Stastny-Hejduk line was virtually invisible all night but they broke through late in the third to get a couple chances but again, nothing went in. Wolski, in particular, seemed quite invisible tonight. But that'll happen from time to time so no need to worry.

Mike Weaver took a late hooking penalty as he got a stick around Joe Sakic so the Avalanche had a chance to close this one out. Unfortunately they cycled the puck too much and never really got through for any scoring chances. The Canucks PK was again quite good.

Overtime
Both goaltenders were playing well and they're the reason this one went to overtime. It was a pretty brief overtime though. Shortly after Finger had nailed Kesler and sent him doubled-over off the ice, the Sedins came on. That's trouble. They cycled the puck down low for about 5 hours, then finally brought it out front where Henrik tossed it on net and Kurt Sauer deflected it past Theodore.

The announcers said it went off Finger, I saw it go off Sauer. Either way, it went off an Avalanche defenseman and in. Tough one. But hey, at least they got one point out of tonight. They really shouldn't have.

Odds & Ends
- Hlinka was back in after sitting two straight
- Finger keeps on putting the body on people
- Brunette played a solid game and was the best Avalanche out there
- Guite played very well and had some key shot blocks
- the Sedins are just frightening (both looks and skill)

Stats
Paul Stastny was 9 for 10 in the faceoff circle. Yep, 90%! That's some good faceoff work. Guite and Sakic...not so much. They were 33% and 25% respectively.

Brett Clark was the ice-time leader for the Avalanche with 22:56 followed closely by Scott Hannan with 22:21. Clark was on the ice for a loooong shift at one point as each time he tried to get off, the Canucks regained position so he had to stay on to help out.

Scott Hannan had 6 blocked shots on the night. Jaroslav Hlinka had one but that might have been accidental.

Marek Svatos was dropped to the fourth line and saw limited minutes with just 9:59 in ice-time. Jaroslav Hlinka saw even less with 9:05.

Related Links
In the Cheap Seats Game Notes
ColoradoAvalanche.com Recap
TSN Recap