Game 1 Highlights: Avalanche 5 - Sharks 2

I'll try and get up an actual post tomorrow, but for now here are some quick hits.

Sakic ceremony had me pinch out a couple tears, particularly the locker stall enshrinement. Well done by the organization.

Matt Duchene is ffffffast, but he needs to strengthen up to fight in front of the net and along the boards better.

Wolski looks awake more so than in previous years. I'm liking it.

Who figured "crash the net" could be sound strategy? I was almost getting to like the cycle-but-don't-score strategy.

Galiardi was out a lot on the PK, the most of any forward by far. Sacco is showing confidence in the kids and I'm liking that, too.

Seeing Kyle Quincey play makes me feel much better about the Ryan Smyth trade. Dude was a beast! Ice-time is indicating #1 d-man status and he deserved it.

Was anybody else reminded of this goal on Cody Mac's goal off the rebound from Stewie?

Stastny pulled a Forsberg with his behind-the-back from behind the net out to Wolski. I was getting reminded of a lot of things tonight it seems.

Ryan O'Reilly got his first NHL point before Matt Duchene did. Oh snap!

And hey, Craig Anderson didn't let in any weak goals! Huzzah!

Check out the game highlights below from NHL.tv.

Avalanche Drowned by Sharks, Lose 3-0

Of the four significant events that happened today, the Avalanche losing to the Sharks was the least shocking.

Losing my car keys in Martensville, getting a ride back to Saskatoon to grab my spare keys, turning around and going back to Martensville, getting in my car, heading back to Saskatoon and then discovering my keys were in my back pocket the whole time? Not as shocking as you'd think. I lose my car keys a lot.

Playing volleyball on a bum ankle and injuring my upper back? Not terribly shocking. I'm an idiot for not letting my ankle heal fully but given the distance between the body parts, I'll call it slightly more shocking than the lost key debacle.

Hearing a friend who was vacationing in the Dominican fell off a balcony, broke 3 vertebrae and sprained her ankle? That was far and away #1 on the list of shocking events.

And in light of that, I'm not even going to expend any energy watching a recorded version of the Avs getting shutout.

It's just not worth it.

Sharks Crushing Flames

The game isn't half over but already the Sharks are up 5-0 on the Flames and completely dominating the play. The Sharks are good but the Flames are just playing terribly. 

Let's hope they keep that up when the Avs are in town on Tuesday.

Coyotes End Sharks Seven Game Winning Streak

The San Jose Sharks have been running roughshod over their opponents but tonight the Phoenix Coyotes ended their seven game winning streak.

Down 3-2 with two minutes left, the Sharks tried a surprising tactic to tie the game up. They decided to cram the penalty box like clowns in a phone booth.


It was a fail of epic proportions. But they had to lose at some point so might as well make it memorable, right?

Avalanche Swim with the Fishes, Lose 5-3 to Sharks

If there's one lesson the Avalanche have yet to learn this year, it's how to clear the damn crease.

In tonight's 5-3 loss to the San Jose Sharks, 4 out of 5 goals can be attributed to an inability to clear the crease of the puck and/or opposing players.

Goal #1 - The Sharks came screaming across the blueline, moving the puck from one side of the ice to the other and Michalek roofed it with a great shot. Solid play by the Sharks and the Avs appeared unready for their speed.

Goal #2 - Ehrhoff broke in, Budaj made the save but the puck sat on the goal line and Setoguchi tapped it in unimpeded as Foote had put himself out of position trying to toss a big hit.

Goal #3 - Salei lays down on the ice - literally, he just laid down like it was nap time - and can't get back up in time to help out in front. Hannan was caught off to the side after a flop of his own trying to block the pass to make up for his giveaway. Setoguchi has an easy tap-in for his second of the game.

Goal #4 - Tucker lost his stick, Foote felt it was a good time to pass him the puck and things went downhill from there. Blake read the play, fed the puck to Cheechoo who fired it on net. Budaj made the save but the rebound hung around in the crease and as David Jones and John-Michael Liles couldn't clear the puck or Michalek from the crease, Michalek banged home his second goal of the game.

Goal #5 - Patrick Marleau fed Mike Grier who fired it on Budaj from the hash marks. Budaj made the save but the rebound again hung in a very bad area and Leopold had terrible positioning on Clowe who buried it past Budaj quite easily.

The Sharks are a hell of a team, but this was a poor defensive effort from the Avs in their own zone. It needs to change because I'm tired of bitching about it.

EDIT: Just reading through the game thread @ MHH and texacogirl notes:

"Since I’m the only one here who can see the post game, Lappy just called out the D for not playing the game they are supposed to. Lappy noted the D is not making the right plays and is backing off instead of jumping in. He even went as far as to say it is an issue of individual preparation. He looked kinda pissed."

Finally Laperriere had enough of saying "Everything is fine" and blew off some steam. Some truth steam.

TSN turning point

Goal #4 was the real killer of the night, not goal #5 IMHO. The Avs had come out firing and cut the lead to one early in the third but the Sharks were able to answer back within five minutes to keep the game two goals out of reach for the Avs. It was like watching Sisyphus trying to push a rock up a hill.

When a team gets a two goal cushion to start the game, they'll win 95% of the time, every time. 

Pinball machine

Though Budaj played a sharp game and made some excellent saves, he was not very Hoover-ish tonight. He left some juicy rebounds sitting in front and as much as the D need to clear those, he needs to work on gobbling up more shots.

Line switching

Tony Granato pulled a page from the Q-book as he shook up the lines late in the second and all throughout the third.

Let's just say the shift chart from DD for the third period should be interesting. 

Stats

David Jones was a -3 on the night and was planted on the bench for most of the third period.

Liles was the ice-time leader with 23:54.

Ryan Smyth fired off 6 shots and was working hard all game long, as per usual.

Patrick Marleau won only 33% of his draws tonight. His overall percentage is above 60% so tonight was a bit of an anomoly for him.

Joe Sakic went 11 for 16 for a 69% winning percentage. Heh.

There were only 5 total penalties in the game.

The Avs got off 36 shots to the Sharks 29. The difference? The Sharks cleared rebounds/bodies from the crease.

Next game

The Avs will roll into Chicago late tonight as they face the Blackhawks tomorrow at 8:30 ET. 

Related Links

NHL.com Event Summary

Ryan Smyth post-game comments

John-Michael Liles post-game comments

Avs streaking wrong way again in loss

Avalanche vs Sharks, Game 11 Preview

I don't call any game a must-win game unless it's a situation where if you lose your season is done. But today's game against the San Jose Sharks is certainly a big one for the Colorado Avalanche.

Colorado is coming off two straight losses and sitting at .500 while the Sharks have won three straight and sit atop the Western Conference. To say it will be a tough game would be an understatement.

After a dismal outing by Andrew Raycroft against the Blue Jackets, Peter Budaj will be back between the pipes. Budaj needs to build on his solid outings from last week to bring the Avs back above .500.

The Sharks two losses this year have come at the hands of Florida (what?) and the Ducks. It's time for Colorado to put another "L" on their record.

The puck drops at 8:00 ET, 6:00 MT and, as we're a bassackwards province who feel DST is beneath us, game time is 7:00 at my house.

Related Links

Team looks to start new streak

Waiting wouldn't hurt Avs

Avalanche Report: Seven for practice

Avs' Jones looking for lost magic

Sharks Edge Flyers in Barn Burner

Tonight the San Jose Sharks and Philadelphia Flyers had a combined goal count of an even dozen in the Sharks 7-6 shootout win. That's more goals than the Islanders, Lightning and Leafs have scored all season long. 

I only caught the last two minutes plus OT and shootout and those few minutes were as entertaining as they come.

Patty Marleau had two goals on the night but was also in the box when the Flyers tied the game late in the third.

And watch Joe Pavelski show you how to fire off a wrist shot. None of that leg kick crap was necessary for him to blow one past Biron.

Coach Q in San Jose

I might have a bit more to say about the Granato hiring today but in the meantime, it looks like our venerable Coach Quenneville is in San Jose at the moment. Sure, he could be just soaking up the rays but the odds are that he's interviewing for the vacant head coach position. Judging by the comments, it appears the fans are not willing to welcome him with open arms just yet.

Thanks to Puck Daddy for catching the story.

Avalanche Opponent Could be Locked in Tonight

It's feel like it's been a long wait to find out who the Avalanche's first-round playoff opponent will be but a decision could be made tonight. That decision, however, relies on the faltering Vancouver Canucks defeating the Calgary Flames in their final - meaningless - game of the season. Given that Vancouver couldn't even manage 2 goals against a depleted Edmonton line up two nights ago to keep their playoff hopes alive, I'm not holding my breath.

It seems fairly likely that the Flames will win tonight, leapfrogging Colorado into 6th place - hopefully temporarily. An Avalanche W or OTL against Minnesota would then give Colorado a first-round matchup against the Wild. A regulation loss means a date with the Sharks.

Who are the players hoping for?
As reported in the RMN, the players are expectedly not choosing favorites.

"Either one at this point," goalie Jose Theodore said Friday. "We saw how tough it was just to get into the playoffs so, obviously, all the teams that made it are really good."

"I don't mind either matchup," forward Milan Hejduk said. "If you want to win the Stanley Cup, you have to beat good teams anyway."

Milan Hejduk put it best right there. The old mantra of "To be the man, you gotta beat the man...WHOOO!" holds true. If the Avalanche are going into the playoffs to win the Cup - and why wouldn't they be - they can't be concerning themselves with who they will play. That needs to be left to the fans to fret and fritter over!

Who's the best matchup?
I honestly don't know. With Minnesota you're going to get a hungry team who is fired up after winning the division and plays a frustrating defensive game complemented by some explosive offensive players. With San Jose you're getting the top team in the league over the last quarter of the season complemented with a dark horse Vezina candidate in Evgeni Nabokov. And some Thornton guy that everyone is talking about.

Heck, given the somber attitude over at A2Y, I almost wish the Avs had drawn the 8th seed so they could have a shot at wiping out the Wings. Then I remember the season series being decidedly in favor of the Wings this year.

In the end, I'll just be hoping that the Avalanche put in a solid showing against either opponent and don't go out with a whimper.


Related Links
Avalanche Report: Waiting for San Jose or Minnesota
Practice Report: Playoff Chatter
ITCS: Minnesota or San Jose?
Terry Frei: Oh Canada, my home away from home
NHL finally figures out new media?

Sharks Grab Another 3-2 Win Over Avalanche

(Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

"Oh my." That's the polite version of what came out of my mouth on the third goal let in by Jose Theodore. And wouldn't you know it, that was the one that was the eventual game winner. A stinker of a goal caused the Avalanche drop just their third home loss of the season and has likely caused fans everywhere to start calling for Theodore's head. Again.

In an otherwise even hockey game, tilted slightly in the Sharks favor but not much, Theodore was the difference in the wrong way. He could very well be playing his way back onto the bench for a long stretch of time.

The Oilers are about the win their 3rd straight game and will pull within 2 of the Avalanche who remain 3 back of division-leading Minnesota. Who knew Calgary would be the cellar dwellers in the NW this year?

First Period
The Sharks got on the board early off a bit of a flukey goal. Michalek fired a shot during a scrum in the low slot, it took a bounce off Scott Hannan and got past Theodore. I thought that one was mildly weak but was willing to give a mulligan on it.

Milan Hejduk answered back just 12 seconds later. He took a beauty feed from Kyle Cumiskey, broke down the right wing, forced the defenders to the middle, then buried a shot short side on Nabokov. He made the exact same play against Nabokov not too long ago but I can't recall the exact game. Vintage Hejduk.

T.J. Hensick took his first penalty as an Avalanche as he went off for hooking. I was a bit concerned as the Sharks lit the Avs powerplay up last game. This time though, the Avs did a good job focusing on Thornton but not losing focus on the rest of the Sharks. They got a bit of help from a quick whistle. The ref though Theo had scooped a bouncing puck but he'd whiffed on it and it was still in play. Hensick was nearly sprung out of the box but the Sharks D was there to break it up.

The Avalanche got a few chances including a nice give-and-go between Stastny and Wolski but Nabokov stood tall. Devon Setoguchi then gook a penalty giving the Avs their first powerplay chance on the night. Nabokov made a couple nice saves and the Sharks kept the #1 penalty kill in the league going strong.

Late in the period, Nabokov tossed a pick on an Avalanche forechecker by leaving his crease almost completely. Of course, if the Avalanche player hits Nabokov, he'll get whistled for goaltender interference/tripping/whatever as Nabokov was still partially in his crease. A pretty crafty play there.

Second Period
The Avs opened up with an early penalty as they were caught with too many men on the ice. Cheechoo negated that penalty halfway through on a trip. So it was 4-4 for a minute and the Sharks nearly cashed in. Pavelski took advantage of a Liles turnover and broke in alone on Theodore but Theo turned him away with a nice pad save.

Bernier then put the Sharks up again on a goal that went under Theo's arm again. Remember me bitching about that a few games back? Well, I wasn't any more pleased with it this time.

Smyth took a stupid hooking penalty a couple minutes later but the Avalanche were able to kill it off. It's like playing with fire when you take penalties against San Jose but the Avalanche were able to come away unscathed.

Third Period
The Altidudes had stats ready before the game for when the Avalanche led after the 1st and 2nd periods. I guess they were unprepared for the possibility that the Sharks might have the lead going into the second. Well, they're now 9-0-1 when leading after 2.

The Avalanche came out with some jump and were putting some good pressure on the Sharks early as they pressed for the tying goal. Richardson had an amazing chance but rang one off the post. The play started when Skrastins banged a shot off the end boards, something the Sharks had been doing all game long. Never let the visiting team use your home surroundings better than you do!

And then a terrible thing happened. Mike Grier tossed a puck at the net from just inside the blueline. It was flipping, took a bounce just in front of Theodore and jumped over his pad. Inexcusable. He had all the time in the world to get in front of that puck but choose to try and redirect it. Just a complete misread on Theodore's part.

Haynes and McNabb tried as hard as they could to find a reason why this wasn't a bad goal but gave up as the evidence was overwhelming. A puck moving 10mph with an unimpeded path from the hashmarks in made it past a Vezina-winning goaltender. It deflated me so I can't imagine what it did to the team

The Avalanche, to their credit, kept right on trucking. They fought hard, got more chances, but just couldn't get anything past Nabokov. That is until the 16:55 mark. Brad Richardson won a faceoff and Andrew Brunette, a left-handed shot on the right wing, fired the puck over a shocked Nabokov's blocker.

The Sharks then really put the defensive pressure on the Avs and it seemed to fluster them a bit. They got trapped in their own zone with possession of the puck for a long time and couldn't seem to break out. Coach Q then tossed some choice words at the ref after they called a faceoff in the Avalanche end as Q, and everyone watching the game, argued that the puck was out of play off a Shark.

Theodore then got pulled as the Avalanche gained possession in the Sharks zone. Nothing was going past Nabokov but they got a late faceoff in the Sharks zone. The Sharks called a timeout and Q drew up the play. It involved putting Hejduk, a right shot, on the right wing with Brunette and Smyth, two left shots, on the left wing. Now, if you recall the 2nd Avalanche goal was scored from a left-handed shot on the right wing right off the faceoff.

Now, I'm not saying it's a guaranteed goal but it maybe might have possibly been a good idea to try again. And if it didn't go in right away, maybe possibly arguably they could have gone for a rebound. This is all speculation of course.

Lines
Smyth-Stastny-Hejduk
Wolski-Arnason-Hensick
Richardson-Smith-Brunette
Hlinka-Guite-McCormick

Clark-Hannan
Liles-Finger
Skrastins-Cumiskey

Odds and Ends
- Joe Sakic and Marek Svatos sat out with groin injuries
- the Sharks used the end boards as a playmaker
- which begs the question of why the Avalanche don't (they did once and it nearly worked)
- Craig Rivet destroyed Arnason in front of the net in the first
- early in the first Roenick tripped over the back of the net and landed on his ass...I laughed
- Ben Guite later knocked Roenick to the ice...I laughed
- it seemed like Thornton never left the ice tonight (24:10 in ice-time)
- Nabokov's equipment gives him the worst beer belly I've seen

Stats
Brett Clark and Scott Hannan led the team in ice-time with 24:30 and 23:39 respectively. Wyatt Smith had just 6:34 on the night.

Clark also had 4 blocked shots and 2 shots on the night. Jeff Finger had 4 shots and 2 hits on the night and Ben Guite had 2 hits and 3 blocked.

Kyle Cumiskey ended up being on the ice for both Avalanche goals and no Sharks goal to come away with a +2 rating and one assist.

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