Avalanche vs Wild - Game Preview

I just got back from Vegas last night and there's an Avs game starting in less than two hours. I guess my luck is starting to turn.

I was completely disconnected for the last 5 days and it felt very relaxing. But I'm ready to dive back in to the online world.

But first, I'm going to relax and watch the game and enjoy the weekend. Then, hopefully I'll be back in full force.

Avalanche Down Wild in SO, Win 2-1

Cody McCormick = steel. As in balls. Steel balls. Because that's what you would need to take on Godzilla on skates. But that's exactly what McCormick did tonight as he lined up with John Scott just two minutes into the third period.

At first I thought "Who the hell is John Scott?" Then the announcers gave us the guys numbers. 6'8", 260lbs. And I thought "Sweet jeebus, I hope he doesn't kill Cody." But in the end, it was McCormick that got a hold of Scott and gave him a Rock Bottom to the ice. The Avs should get boosted to the top of the standings based on that performance.

But the Avalanche did walk away with two points tonight on the heels of a shootout dominated by Wojtek Wolski and Milan Hejduk. Wolski scored first on a classic Wolski move with a twist. Then Hejduk one-upped him. You had to run the replay in slow-motion just to see Hejduk's stickhandling prowess but it was beautiful. If ninjas could stickhandle, that's what it would look like.

I know I've been absent for a while and frankly it's because the passion died off a bit. The team didn't help but life kind of kicked my ass for a while. Thankfully I took care of that and am back for the stretch run.

Can they make the playoffs? Hell no. Can they save Granato's job? Maybe. Can they at least try to go out with a bang instead of a whimper? I sure as hell hope so.

Either way, let's try and have a little fun with what's been one of the worst years in franchise history. And they used to be the friggin' Nordiques!

Related Links
NHL.com Boxscore

Avalanche Shut out by Wild, Lose 2-0

I want to burn through the recap to get to the really interesting part of the night.

Two second recap
The Avs lost. They couldn't score. They couldn't play defense. Adam Foote got hurt. Darcy Tucker classed the joint up. Wojtek Wolski wants to continue playing center. 

The fun part
AD has gone on another classic rant

And it was good.  Right until the end.

Oh, and has anybody checked out Theodore’s record lately? 13-6-1. Yeah, we didn’t need guys like him anymore.

Must the horse continue to be beaten?

Theodore - and the Caps - are on a good run right now. Theodore has let in just one or two goals per game for his last four games.

Before that he was living up to his unfortunate "Three-or-four" nickname.

The Capitals were winning in spite of Theodore's play.

Their individual stats - which of course have their flaws - are nearly identical.
Theodore - 2.98 GAA, .892 Save Pct
Budaj - 2.84 GAA, .899 Save Pct

Francois Giguere made many questionable moves this offseason but letting Theodore walk was not one of those moves.

He's spot on with regards to Andrew Brunette, Stephane Yelle and the Toronto cast-offs.

Giguere's job will only be saved thanks to the injuries to Paul Stastny and Joe Sakic.

Avalanche vs Wild Game Preview

I'm still alive!

I took a few games off to rest and recharge but it appears I've regained the energy to write.

While I was kicking back, I was also slacking off on watching the Avs due to the ever-exciting World Junior Hockey Championship.

The hockey in that tournament has been magnitudes more exciting than what the Avalanche have been playing lately so I certainly don't regret the decision.

Canada goes for their fifth-straight gold on Monday and it's half as good as their games against the USA and Russia, you're going to be sorry if you missed it.

On to the game at hand
Colorado has just finished knocking themselves out of playoff contention for the moment and are facing another struggling team in the Minnesota Wild.

Minnesota got off to rocket start to the season but have since dropped below the 8th-seed, thanks in part to a 5-game losing streak in early December 

The Wild have had tough opponents in their last four matchups (Blackhawks, Flames, Sharks, Wings) and you can only imagine how happy they are to be facing the Avalanche.

Sure, if you ask one of their players they'll give the "It's the NHL and any team can win on any given night. They've got some quality players and you have to work hard against them" stock answer but can anyone not read between the lines there?

It's time for a line change

Tony Granato has shaken up the lines big time for this game after struggling to find some effective combinations during the last two games.

The first big move is that Wojtek Wolski is finally being moved to center. After declaring Wolski a capable fill-in at center should Joe Sakic retire, TG promptly decided to leave Wolski at the wing and move Ian Laperriere to center when Sakic went down with his injuries.

Jib makes an interesting comparison with Wolski and Joe Thornton. It's a great point and actually has me a little excited to see what Wolski can do.

Wolski's linemates will be Milan Hejduk and David Jones which puts a power forward on right and a sniper on the left. How will Milan Hejduk fair on the left-wing? He's always loved to fly down his off-wing so he might relish the chance. 

T.J. Hensick and Chris Stewart have been promoted to a line with Ryan Smyth. A playmaking center, a power forward and a guy who will plant himself in front of the crease. It's got potential.

Tyler Arnason has fallen from #1 center to the #3 slot as he will center Darcy Tucker and Marek Svatos. Tucker and Arnason had some chemistry earlier in the season and we're all hoping they find it again. Tucker and Arnason aren't such bad guys when they're putting points on the board.

It's unfortunate that Marek Svatos continues to spend time down on the third line but if Jones falters, he will be the first guy to be bumped up a slot.

The final line will consist of Brian Willsie and Cody Mcleod centered by Ian Laperriere. Lappy has been one of the few bright spots recently and it's unfortunate to see him playing on the grind line.

Goaltending

Peter Budaj gets the call again and will likely face off against Niklas Backstrom.

Game time

The game starts at 8:00 ET which gives me about 2 1/2 hours to warm up the car and grab some groceries first.

Normally that would be plenty of time but since it's -40C here today, I'm thinking the car might be a bit bitchy at being woken up.

Backstrom Rebounds with Shutout

Two short days after the Avalanche lit up Niklas Backstrom for six goals, he turns around and shuts out the St. Louis Blues 4-0.

I guess the Avs poked the bear and he got angry. Sorry, St. Louis.

Oh, and Andrew Brunette scored a goal. But who cares.

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.

Avalanche Break Scoring Slump, Down Wild 6-5

My goodness that was an exciting game! I'm still a bit amped up and am having a hard time collecting my thoughts.

The Avalanche put down the Wild with an intense 6-5 win at the Xcel Energy Center.

Right from puck drop the Avs had their legs flying and they kept it up throughout most of the game. It's amazing how much free ice you have to skate when your teammates give you room to breathe.

The Wild drew first blood but the Avs didn't let that get them down. They kept applying the pressure and were rewarded with two quick goals.

Marek Svatos and David Jones answered back for the Avs and you started to get the feeling this one was going to escalate.

The Wild then got their first of three goals on the powerplay with Ryan Smyth in the box.

Smyth then promptly headed right back into the box after lipping off to the referee. It was a bold move. And by "bold", I mean "boneheaded". The Wild scored again with Smyth in the box to make it 3-2.

I suppose it's the Wild's fault really for scoring 6 seconds in to the first powerplay and not giving Smyth a chance to cool down in the box.

But then the Avalanche really opened up.

Paul Stastny, Milan Hejduk and T.J. Hensick put the Avs up 5-3. And then Stastny potted one more for good measure to make it 6-3.

Stastny's secong goal was due to some hard work down low by Ryan Smyth that helped make up for the two penalties he took earlier. But it was the equivalent of saying sorry after cheating on your girlfriend. The damage was already done and no amount of work could make it the same again. Once a cheater, always a cheater!

The Avs gave up another PP goal to close out the period after a weak, weak, weak, weak tripping call on David Jones. How weak was it? ...Dang, I thought I had a good joke there but I blanked after seeing a De La Hoya-Pacquiao promo.

Josh Harding replaced Backstrom for the third period and did an admirable job stopping all five shots that were sent his way.

Then, for the second game in a row, the Avs had their fans on edge after the opposition pulled within one goal.

It was a goal that never should have counted though. Brent Burns, playing as a winger, drove wide on Brett Clark and beat him to the goal. And then proceeded to push Budaj out of the way while the puck slowly slid into the net.

The goal was reviewed to see if Burns had kicked the puck in and during the review, the announcers stated "See, Budaj tried to make a play with his stick. That didn't work."

My response was "Because Burns skate was pushing his stick out of the way!"

I mean, my goodness. If that's not the definition of goaltender interference, I don't know what is. I'll watch the highlights again to make sure I'm not overreacting on that goal but I'm quite certain I'm not.

Either way, the Wild ended up shooting themselves in the foot as Bergeron ended up tripping Milan Hejduk with just 54 seconds to go.

Phew, that was a mouthful. I'll come back tomorrow with some overall thoughts on the game.

Related Links
NHL.com Event Summary

Avalanche @ Wild, Game 24 Preview

After my Hockey Talk Day post, combined with a bunch of technical and process documentation writing at work, I'm near all writ out. I don't know if there's a word I haven't used today. Maybe discombobulate. Ok, now that's all of them.

But I'll soldier on so I don't get jaded. And because I'm kind of bored after work.

Preview
After hanging on for a 4-3 win against the Lightning, the Avs are now in the hockey hotbed of St. Paul, Minnesota. And no, that wasn't facetious. Minnesota loves their hockey and I love them for it.

The Avs are on a five-game road losing streak in the regular season to the Wild and I think it's high time they put an end to it.

But a win against the Wild won't come as easy as a win against the Lightning.

The Wild are 14-7-1 this season and are only in 2nd place in the Northwest because Vancouver has played two more games.

They give up a stingy 2.14 goals per game which is second only to the surprising Boston Bruins (by 0.02 g/g)

Couple that with Colorado's 2nd-last goal scoring pace of 2.41 goals per game, and this could have disaster written all over.

But I remain confident in the Avs ability to overcome this. Why? Because it's Hockey Talk Day where nary a bad thing should be said about hockey.

Goaltending
After a day off for both team's starters, it will be Peter Budaj vs Niklas Backstromg tonight. And remember, Peter Budaj has already out-dueled on elite goaltender this year. And I bet he's just itching to do it again.

Injuries
Nothing new here. Joe Sakic and Adam Foote have not made the trip. And of course Darcy Tucker and Ben Guite remain on the IR.

Scouting
The Wild's no-name line - and again, I don't mean that in a derogatory way - of Andrew Brunette-Mikko Koivu-Antti Miettinen have combined for 58 points on the season. Stop them and you have a good shot at taking out the Wild. Ok, a better shot.

And Andrew Brunette is scoring on over 25% of his shots so it's imperative to keep an eye out for the crafty vet. I think we all know what he can do around the net.

Game time
Puck drops at 8:00 ET. And if you aren't local to Minnesota or Colorado, you might want to check out MyP2P. For no reason. Just to browse.

Related Links
Tjarnqvist gets inside scoop on Wild

Andrew Brunette Tearing It Up in Minnesota

When Andrew Brunette was forced out moved on this season, many of us lamented the loss of a solid leader. However, given the move to a more up-tempo style, it seemed that one of the self-professed slowest men in the league just didn't fit with the Avalanche's plan.

But as sad as you were to see him go, be happy knowing that he is tearing it up in his old new home with the Minnesota Wild. He's been paired consistently with Mikko Koivu and Anti Miettenin and they are absolutely lightining it up this season, including a 5-point performance from Koivu last night.

As for Brunette himself, in his first three games of the season, he has two goals and three assists to go along with his +3 rating. And those two goals came on just four shots. I caught one of the goals and it was classic Bruno. Down low in the right spot at the right time and the puck just happened to make its way to his stick. The man has great awareness.

Let's just hope he doesn't retire anybody else on the Avalanche this  year.

Stick tap to Kukla's Korner for the link.

Avalanche Knock Out Wild in Game Six

(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

The 6th-seeded Colorado Avalanche took down the 3rd-seeded Minnesota Wild with a 2-1 win tonight at a lively Pepsi Center to advance to the Western Conference Semi-Finals.

In a game that often had me standing in anticipation, Jose Theodore was excellent, the Colorado defense was solid and the game plan was well executed.

Recap
After scoring the first goal - again - the Avalanche continued to pressure the Wild in a furious back-and-forth battle. The Wild tied it just 34 seconds into the second period but that did nothing to deflate the team.

The Avalanche kept pushing - and being pushed - and were rewarded at the 12:20 mark as David Jones drew two defensemen to him behind the net. He then fed a wide open Ryan Smyth - the backup MVP of this series - who made no mistake potting it up high on Backstrom.

The Avalanche didn't sit back on the lead until the final 5 minutes. They kept playing their game and awaited the inevitable final onslaught from the Wild.

With about 6 minutes left to play, the Wild started turning up the juice. The only problem is that they didn't have any left.

At one point the cameras caught Kim Johnsson behind the net waving a player towards him as he gasped for breath with his mouth dangling open and shoulders slumped.

They also turned over the puck more in the final minutes than they did the entire series. Cross-ice passes were being broken up, Avalanche pressure led to weak chip-ins and the entire squad looked absolutely spent.

Backstrom was pulled with about a minute left but the Wild still couldn't manage a whole lot of dangerous chances.

Joe Sakic made some key plays including a huge defensive zone faceoff win with 30 seconds to go as well as blocking a pass from behind that net that could have been dangerous. And he did it all with a sense of eerie calmness on his face. Maybe he's done this before.

When the final buzzer sounded Jose Theodore jumped for joy, Ryan Smyth pumped his fist and somewhere far away, an angel got their wings.

Jose Theodore stands tall
Once again, Jose Theodore was the star of the game. It wasn't a game stealing performance like game 5 but 1 goal on 35 shots equates to a rock solid performance no matter the outcome.

The pucks were sticking to him like glue and he also had lady luck on his side. There were two noticeable instances where he didn't even see the puck until it hit him - once on the glove, once into the pads - but you've got to be good to be lucky and man was he good.

I think the Avalanche players are actually getting tired of being asked about Theodore's performance. Ryan Smyth and Peter Forsberg were interviewed after the game and both got the "How well is Jose Theodore playing right now?" question. If I had got that question, I would have simply answered "Well, did you watch the game?"

As it was Smyth and Forsberg pulled out the typical hockey answer and went on their way, rolling their eyes as soon as their backs were turned I'm sure.

Schultz returns
Nick Schultz made his return to the lineup tonight and Jacques Lemaire was more than happy to scratch Sean Hill. The Wild defense desperately needed help with 3 of their players spending five or more minutes per game out on the ice while Hill had been playing under 10 minutes per game.

Unfortunately when you return from an appendectomy after missing 2 weeks of action, you're not going to be terribly effective.

Gaborik sneaks one through
Marian Gaborik finally managed to get on the scoreboard with an assist on the Wild goal.

Unfortunately for Marian, Adam Foote then doubled the pressure he put on the Wild star and he was not a threat for the rest of the game.

Guite grinds one out
Ben Guite has been a cult hero in the Avalanche blogger circle for some time now and he showed why tonight. During the Wilds first - and only - penalty kill, Joe Sakic took advantage of a Wild turnover and sprung Guite on a breakaway.

Guite flew in, head up, stick aimed for the top corner and then...he fanned on the shot. Fortunately it still had enough juice to squeeze past a surprised Nik Backstrom. That was Guite's first playoff point.

In a travesty of stats keeping, Ben Guite was not credited with only one hit but he was finishing checks and causing turnovers with his physical play.

This was especially true in the final minutes when Guite set the tone by plastering a Wild player along the boards to wrest the puck away from him and chip it out of the zone.

David Jones achieves cult status
Ladies and gentleman, meet our new cult hero: David Jones. Guite can no longer count as many mainstream announcers such as Kelly Hrudey and Pierre McGuire have expounded on Guite's abilities. So Jones it is.

Jones had only 10 minutes of icetime but managed to get a beauty assist on the winning goal and spent a lot of time rushing the net and making life difficult for the Wild defencemen and Nik Backstrom.

Jones appears to have no fear of charging down the wing and cutting hard to the net. You know you're lucky going to get dumped by an opposing defenseman when you do that but the payoffs can be great.

And in what works out as a nice hand off from Guite, the assist was Jones' first playoff point.

Sakic solid
Oh Joe Sakic, I love how you make me eat my words. The last couple game recaps, I mentioned that Joe was looking a step slow and wasn't a force like in previous years.

After setting up the first goal and netting his 100th playoff assist, he spent the rest of his 18 minutes making solid defensive plays, winning 62% of his draws and making crucial contributions in the defensive during the final 30 minutes.

Give me a bit of credit though. The CBC announcers - who actually watch hockey, not just call the games - mentioned that Joe isn't quite the Joe of old. But he appears to have a lot of juice left in the tank.

Still mancrushing on Salei
Ruslan Salei continues to be a genius pickup by Francois Giguere. Salei played on the powerplay and penalty kill, put in 20 solid minutes, was +1, fired off 3 shots, put up 4 hits and blocked 4 shots.

Those are some quality stats for a player who only cost the team Karlis Skrastins and a 3rd-rounder.

Game 6 chokers
I'm not going to call Dater crazy or a fool for thinking the series was heading back to Minnesota and that the Avalanche would eventually lose the series. He made his choice and stuck to his guns.

Who could have seen that Theodore was going to become a Conn Smythe candidate or that Foote would make Marian Gaborik a non-factor all series long?

However by focusing on the Avalanche's history of choking in game 6, he lost sight of the following stat which was in the Avalanche game recap:
The 2008 Western Conference Quarterfinals marked the 13th time Colorado has held a 3-2 series lead after five games since moving to Denver. After tonight’s win, the Avs have now advanced in nine of those 13 series. Colorado’s appearance in the Western Conference Semifinals also marks the ninth time in 11 postseason trips since 1996 that the club has advanced beyond the first round.

But if the Wild had won - and they very well could have - we'd all be singing a different tune and Dater would look like a genius.

That's just the way it goes when you make bold predictions on sporting events.

Next up
The Avalanche are the first team to close out a series in the West so the playing landscape is still very much up in the air. They could face anyone from the #1 seeded Red Wings to the #7 seeded Flames.

I think the most likely outcome is a date against the Red Wings. Detroit should finish off the Predators, Dallas will take out Anaheim (who saw that coming?) and the Sharks should be able to finish off the Flames now that they've woken up.

If the Flames do come back and take down San Jose, they would then face the Wings and the Avalanche would face their old friend Marty Turco.

Related Links
NHL.com Event Summary
Colorado Avalanche.com Game Recap
Denver Post Game Recap
RMN Game Recap
Theodore thankful Avs, Hacket kept faith in him
Big name players come up big for the Avs
Forsberg proving to be a bargain
In the Cheap Seats Game Recap
Tapeleg reappers!
Dater eats some crow
Jibble's first round Avs awards
Mike Russo sounds off

Game 6 Preview: Avalanche vs Wild

(Scott A. Schneider/Getty Images)

Closing time, open all the doors and let you out into the world, closing time turn all of the lights up... Yes, I'll admit I still have that song stuck in my head after all these years. Thankfully it means at least a little something today.

The Avalanche are back home after stealing a win in Minnesota and have a chance to close out the series on home ice.

It's a chance they won't take lightly.

As soon as the final horn sounded on Thursday, the Avalanche players were looking ahead to game 6. There was no laughter or high-fives over what transpired. No time to reflect on why they were dominated so badly. It was time to start focusing on the next game.

"They're a great team, so I'm going to have to be ready for the next one," Theodore said afterward. "They're going to come as hard, I'm sure, because they're just a hard-working team. We're going to have to be ready as a team."

For a goaltender who single-handedly held his team in the game long enough for them to score three goals against the supreme defense and goaltending of the Wild - yes, that was a dig - he certainly doesn't appear to have a swelled head going into the next game.

And how about the Avalanche's ineffective, $6+M cap-space wasting captain? No wait, that's the Vancouver Canucks. The Avalanche's captain continues to lead this team in the dressing room even if he isn't a force on the ice at the moment.

"We're up 3-2," he said Friday. "You have a chance to close it out. Any time you have a chance, you want to try and do it. You don't really want to go back to Minnesota and their own crowd for Game 7. You have an opportunity; you have to find a way to get it done."

Damn straight. When you have an opportunity, strong people will dig down and find a way to get it down.

I still feel that the Colorado Avalanche have more of those strong people than the Minnesota Wild do.

Related Links
Avs can't afford to drag feet at home
RMN Avalanche Report
So far goons not a factor

Avalanche Take 3-2 Series Lead

(AP Photo/Tom Olmscheid)

The Jose Theodore's put in a great performance tonight and walked out of St. Paul with a 3-2 win and a 3-2 series lead.

After last night's performance, there is a mandatory 2-game reprieve before complaining that Theodore gets paid too much and doesn't steal enough games.

With a 38-save effort last night, you might as well start calling him Billy the Kid. Did Billy the Kid steal things? I know he was an outlaw and I assume outlaws steal things.

Anyways, if he keeps performing like this for the rest of the playoffs, it's a pretty safe bet that the Avalanche will try to re-sign him over the summer. But please, nothing crazy.

Overlapping double-headers saved my life
I was off at a fundraising event, one which actually had good food, so I had the ol' PVR set to tape the game. I expected to miss most of the first period due to the overlap with the Caps-Flyers game. What I did not expect was for that game to go into double-OT causing me to miss about 40 minutes of action.

From the sounds of it, the Jose Theodore show may have given me a stroke from too much excitement and fear so I'm not too broken up about it. But still, it's really annoying NHL so get your heads out of your butts and fix your scheduling.

Fast start staved off
The Wild came out guns blazing and fired off 32 shots in those first two periods. Theodore turned aside the first 16, then got beat on a cross-ice, no-chance play, then turned on the afterburners and shut the Wild down the rest of the way.

Take the old with the new
The Avalanche, after having Andrew Brunette open the scoring for the third straight game, got key contributions from a couple youngsters late in the third.

Wojtek Wolski buried his second of the playoffs off of a nice feed from John-Michael Liles. Then only 1:19 later, Paul Stastny found himself the recipient of some pretty passing from Peter Forsberg and Milan Hejduk. Stastny then pivoted to his backhand and fired it over a sprawling Nik Backstrom.

The biggest I've ever seen
Theodore called that goal "the biggest of the playoffs" and I can't say I disagree. "Why?", you might ask. Well, with just 3 seconds remaining in the game, Brian Rolston's mission to shoot, shoot, shoot and shoot some more finally paid off.

Right off the faceoff Rolston found the puck heading towards his stick so he wound up and blasted it through Theodore's legs. After putting up 7 shots alone, you almost felt like Rolston deserved to get something for his efforts. Almost.

Powered up powerplay
The Avalanche were 2-for-3 on the powerplay tonight and that was definitely a key difference. The Wild had the same amount of chances with a bit more time but could only solve Theodore the one time.

Hopefully this is a turning point for the powerplay but given its inconsistencies all season, I'm not holding my breath. And really, holding your breath is a bad idea in general.

Boogeyman, Lappy and the Wild fans
No, Lappy didn't drop the gloves with the "Boogeyman" tonight. However he did collide with him hard and ended up taking the less-good end of it. The good news is that Lappy got up and was fine. Even better news was that he managed to knock Boogard off his feet at least.

The bad news? The Wild fans actually booed when Laperriere got up after being down and attended to by the trainers. Jib said it best when noting that as much as he - and all of us - hate Dion Phaneuf, I don't know of anyone who would cheer him actually being injured and boo when he appeared to be fine.

I don't want to pigeonhole an entire state since, again as Jib pointed out, the Wild bloggers are a classy group but that was just a shameful display by Wild fans.

Game five statistics
No, I'm not going to break down some of the in-game stats today. I have to be getting to work so I can leave a bit earlier than usual to enjoy this glorious day. However, in case anybody did not hear during the broadcast - and it was repeated about 1,000 times on TSN - the winner of game 5 in a tied series has gone on to win the series 80% of the time.

The Wild might as well hand over the series. Heck, Gary might as well just hand the Avalanche the Cup, right? Right?

Next game
The game time for game 6 has been announced. It will be Saturday at 10:00pm EDT, 8:00pm MT. The game will be national on CBC in Canada and Versus in the States. CBC has game 6 of the Montreal-Boston series before this one but there is a 3-hour gap which should be enough to let us Canadians watch the whole game. You Americans get off lucky as Versus isn't covering the Habs-Bruins game.

Game highlights


Related Links
NHL.com Event Summary
ColoradoAvalanche.com Recap
In the Cheap Seats Recap
Theodore's effort nets series lead
Theodore steals show, win for Avs
Theodore was astonishing, mythical (whoa, hyperbole much?)
Do good things...
Wolski has grown up

Wild Cry Like Little Bitches

Usually I don't do "provocative" pieces. I like to watch the game, cheer my team on, get disgusted when the other team acts like a bunch of schoolgirls and keep a sense of fairness and calmness in my commentary.

But after reading a few articles from Minnesota media this morning, I couldn't help but get a bit agitated.

That entire team is crying like a bunch of little babies who had their soothers taken away from them.

In a StarTribune article, Derek Boogaard accused Cody McLeod of not playing with respect. Well, granted McLeod had issues earlier this year - and all the Avs bloggers condemned it - but he's been nothing more than a pest this series. And an effective pest apparently.

Said Boogaard:

"I'm going to laugh when the instigator [penalty] is out this summer because I'm pretty sure [McLeod's] ... going to be a lot more quiet next year," Boogaard said. "[The way he plays] is not hockey. That's not the way it's supposed to be played. It's supposed to be played with respect. He doesn't show respect."

First, the instigator penalty is going nowhere. Second, what did he do last night that could be considered disrespectful? I'll admit I was concerned that McLeod would do something stupid but he did nothing of the sort. Unless you consider getting mugged by Veilleux and Belanger as disrespectful.

Boogaard also commented on the lack of people willing to step up and fight the giant baby:

"They have guys on their team whose job is to open their mouths and try to get us to take penalties on them, and I mean, it's just not going to happen,"

Did he seriously say "It's not going to happen" after he alone took 24 minutes in penalties? Yeah, sure didn't work out in the Avs favor you big buffoon.

And when accused of being goons, the Wild's choir boy Chris Simon said:

"I think we're playing hard, we're playing fair and so is the other team," said bruiser Chris Simon.

Maybe you played fair because Colin Campbell has you under house arrest and if you so much as look at someone the wrong way, you'll be gone for good. As for the rest of your team, they did not play fair. They did not play hard. And they did not show any respect.

Look, the end result is that you guys got your asses handed to you and it likely won't happen again.

So there's no point getting your panties in such a twist.

Related Links
StarTribune Recap

Avalanche Even Series Against Wild

(Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

The Colorado Avalanche were sick of overtime and last night they put an end to it. Barely 6 minutes into the game the Avalanche were up 2-0 and they kept going from there.

By the time the smoke cleared, the score was 5-1 and the Wild were beaten down, frustrated and tired. We all knew that at some point the Wild were going to get tired.

It was mostly expected from their defense where players like Martin Skoula have been putting in 30 minutes a game. That's unsustainable for players of that calibre and it showed last night.

Jacques Lemaire called out Martin Skoula specifically saying "He probably played his worst game for the last three months."

First Period
The first period started off and one of the first things out of my mouth was "He's got Wolski playing with Guite? WTF?" And then shortly after that it was "And McLeod is with Arnason and Jones? WTF x 2"

Yes, Joel Quenneville decided to do some line juggling. Ryan Smyth has been playing well all series but was banished to a line with Tyler "Inconsistent" Arnason. To fix that, Q reunited the RPM line and moved Forsberg up to the first line with Sakic and Brunette.

And wouldn't you know it, the new #1 line helped the Avalanche get on the board early. Jordan Leopold fed Ruslan Salei who wound up and blasted one from the point. On its way to the net, Andrew Brunette got a stick on it and tipped it up and over Nik Backstrom for the early lead.

Then just a minute and a half later, Wojtek Wolski found himself unmolested - isn't that the best way to be found? - in the slot with an errant puck headed his way. He grabbed it, called his family and said "Watch this guys!" and buried it past Backstrom. Then after the goal I think he mouthed the letter F, U and Q. Not sure what that means...

Then just five minutes later, Tyler Arnason found himself alone at the blueline as a stray puck made it onto his stick. He took a couple steps and absolutely wired the puck past Nik Backstrom

Wow. So the new #1 line, the new #4 line and Tyler Arnason all stepped up early in the game.

Second Period
The Wild started a penalty box parade early in the second as Brian Rolston went off for interference. The Avs couldn't convert but the PP looked half decent.

Then at the 7:42 mark and with Todd Fedoruk in the box, the Avalanche started making this one a rout. Jordan Leopold made a nifty play at the line to keep the puck alive, fed it to Tyler Arnason who then dropped it to Ruslan Salei and BOOM!, it was 4-0. Ruslan? If you're reading this...I love you.

Things got a little rough after that as Minnesota started losing their composure.

Derek Boogard got his first of two 10-minute misconducts after Stephan Veilleux took a hooking call and Boogard decided it would be wise to fire the puck down the ice after the whistle. And then for good measure, he decided to give David Jones a shot in the shoulder on his way by. Smart moves, Boogeyman.

The Avs failed to convert on the powerplay - which was a recurring theme - but it wouldn't be the last chance they got.

Just a couple minutes after getting out of the box, Veilleux decided to cross-check Cody Mcleod and then rough him up after he was down. And Eric Belanger decided to sucker punch John-Michael Liles as well. You know, for funsies.

Thanks to Veilleux's two minor penalties, the Avalanche were able to go up 5-0. Milan Hejduk found himself at the side of the net with the puck after Ryan Smyth drove the net hard. And unfortunately for Nik Backstrom, he was at the wrong side of the net. No chance for Backstrom and the wheels officially came off for the Wild train.

The period finally played out with no more festivities. Well, unless you count the end of the period where Foote went up to Burns and gave him a bit of a talking to. Burns responded with some shoving and both ended up with unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.

Third Period
The Avalanche headed into the third period with a 5-0 lead and admittedly, I was mildly nervous. Since the Avalanche have given up all their goals in this series during the third period and overtime you'll have to forgive me.

But after giving up an early goal, the Avalanche held the Wild off the scoresheet the rest of the way.

And that peeved the Wild off to no end. After taking 26 minutes in penalty in the second period, the Wild decided to go for the record, amassing 69 minutes in penalties in the third period.

I'm not even going to break down all the penalties lest you be reading this long into the night but I will make special note of Veilleux's gutless boarding on Paul Stastny. Great job, buddy. Certainly did your team proud.

Suffice to say that Laperriere and Veilleux dropped the gloves in a boring fight, Boogard got another misconduct, Veilleux got a few more minutes and the Avalanche powerplay failed to convert on any of those.

Penalty parade
The Wild ended the night with 101 penalty minutes including 18 minors, one fighting major and 6 misconducts.

Stephan Veilleux had 25 minutes with 5 minors, a fighting major and a 10-minute misconduct, Derek Boogard had 2 minors and 2 misconducts and both Aaron Voros and Kim Johnsson had a minor and misconduct. Brian Rolston also found himself in the box 4 separate times including a misconduct.

All I can say to that is "You stay classy, Minnesota."

Veteran leadership
The differences in leadership between the Wild and Avalanche was very evident last night. When the Wild started losing it, the Avalanche kept their cool, rarely retaliated and made the Wild look a bit ridiculous.

The Wild, on the other hand, took every opportunity to start scrums after the whistles, hack at anything that moved and generally look like a group of babies.

Maybe they didn't get enough sleep Monday night?

Lineup change
Along with the line changes Q made, he also made a lineup change. During the pre-game press conference Quenneville stated that Leopold was a "strong possibility" and had a little smirk while he said it.

And sure enough, Leopold was in and Finger was out.

Leopold ended the night with 2 assists, was a +2 and played 22 minutes. Wow, that's a lot of 2's there. He also had 4 hits and a pretty good night overall.

Notes
- yep, the notes are back
- Keith Carney acted like both an ass and a pussy last night after diving on a Tyler Arnason elbow and then beaking off and shoving Avs players after every whistle
- the VS announcers could not get any players names right last night
- Todd Fedoruk dove on Adam Foote's first period "hook"
- on an icing play, Hannan had the line but Liles took the cross-ice route and beat him to the puck
- halfway you could see Hannan go "oh screw it, you're faster than me"
- when Lappy really gets his jets going, he looks a bit like a kid who just learned how to skate (no offense)
- I still like Brent Burns' style
- Smyth continues to impress with his grit and passion
- Tyler Arnason will now fade into the annals of time after breaking out for 2 points
- my better half wondered "Why are they being such dicks?" midway through the third

Related Links
NHL.com Event Summary
ColoradoAvalanche.com Recap
In the Cheap Seats Recap
MHH Recap
TSN Recap
Denver Post Recap
RMN Avalanche Report
Avs have plenty of fight
Stastny needs to find another level
Despite insanity, Avs remain focused

Wild Take 2-1 Series Lead Over Avalanche

(AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Three games. Three Overtime periods. Three 3-2 results.

The Minnesota Wild got their second straight 3-2 OT win over the Colorado Avalanche last night to take a 2-1 series lead and regain home ice advantage.

The Avalanche now have to win tonight so they can head into Minnesota with a fighting chance to extend this series.

Recap
This game was the complete opposite of the previous two games. Both teams came out looking tentative, unenergetic and completely lacking of physicality. After the previous two games, I actually found myself about to chant "Boring" at the television screen.

First period
Once again the Avalanche got on the board first. Wojtek Wolski broke down the wing, pulled up short and fed a streaking Sakic. The puck was a bit behind Sakic but he managed to quickly get it in position to take a shot off. Nik Backstrom stopped it easily but he fed the puck straight to Andrew Brunette who had all day to bury it.

That goal brought some life to the Can and things were looking good. If the Wild didn't want to play a defensive game, the Avalanche could continue to stretch out their trap and get some quality chances.

Second Period
In the second period, the Wild had a goal disallowed after Aaron Voros completely bowled over Jose Theodore on his way to the net. The refs immediately waved it off but the guys at CBC were so confused they actually started complaining that it was a bad goal. Voros was in the box and the puck was being dropped in the Avs zone before they finally realized the refs had waved it off. I guess the ref waving his arms and pointing to the penalty box just wasn't enough for them.

Third period
Unfortunately in the third period, the Avalanche pulled their usual work. They gave up a goal midway through after Mikko Koivu found himself unmolested in front of the net. Kurt Sauer and Adam Foote had both gone fishing for the puck in the corner, forgetting that only one of them needed to do that.

Then, while the Avalanche were on a powerplay, Joe Sakic made a terrible pinch leading to a 2-on-1 and the Wild made no mistake. As soon as I saw Sakic take a step towards the puck my heart sank a little bit. That one was so easy to see coming that I don't really know what Sakic was thinking.

However leave it to Joe to make up for it. Barely 3 minutes later, Sakic found a loose puck and backhanded it past a prone Nik Backstrom to tie the game. The Can was alive and we were headed to overtime.

It would be remiss of me not to mention that this game only made it to overtime thanks to Andrew Brunette. With only seconds left on the clock, Brunette dove to break up a pass that surely would have led to a Wild goal. The Wild had been buzzing, passing the puck around with ease in the Avalanche zone and Jose Theodore was down and out after trying to follow the puck for what must have felt like an eternity.

Overtime
Both teams traded chances with the Wild having an edge in energy it seemed. And sure enough, the game was ended after an Avalanche mistake. Jeff Finger went down to touch up for an icing except he decided to go around the left side of the net while Brian Rolston was heading straight down the right side. The puck then bounced off the boards, off the net and right to Rolston. He fed Pierre-Marc Bouchard who rifled a beauty shot home to end the night.

Now, granted that nobody really expected the puck to bounce like it did there, but Finger should never have gone around the opposite side of the net with Rolston so close on his tail. It's just asking for trouble to leave so much space between yourself and the opponent deep in your own zone, no matter what the situation may be.

Stretch it out
The Avalanche started off this game and were breaking the Wild's 5-man back system by running stretch passes up the middle. Then about halfway through the game they inexplicably started trying to dipsy-doodle through the neutral zone to get the puck to the red line and shoot it in.

I'm really not sure why the change of strategy. Heck, Kelly Hrudey spent 5 minutes talking about how effective the Avalanche had been with the stretch pass and chip-in move. For them to abandon it really makes no sense. The best way to break a trap is to keep the puck moving quickly through the neutral zone, not trying to stickhandle past 5 players.

Sakic slumping?
I know Joe is putting up the points in this series and of course had the huge game winner in game 1 but...something feels off. He's making some odd decisions and looking a bit slow lately. His shot has fallen off again to where it's rolling off the heel of his stick and he just doesn't feel like a threat.

Stastny stuttering
Paul Stastny needs to pick up his play quick, fast and in a hurry. He's been virtually invisible (0pts, -3) this series and looks to be very tentative. For a young player who has always seemed so composed, it really seems like the playoffs are weighing on him.

He needs to wake up and help lead his line which includes Peter Forsberg and Milan Hejduk because that line is falling apart.

The Avalanche strategy of "Give Forsberg the puck and something will happen" has been easily picked up on by Minnesota so they're draped all over Forsberg. And Milan Hejduk isn't helping by skating around the perimeter and never doing anything useful with the puck.

Stastny needs to tie that line together and he needs to start tonight.

Power play
I think Jibble_cribbits might have jinxed the powerplay yesterday when he wrote an article on the Avalanche powerplay improving. Last night they were 0-for-6 and looked brutal. Overpassing, not keeping the puck in at the line and not showing any desperation.

Rolston shooting it up
Brian Rolston's strategy this series is easy to sum up. "Shoot the puck." No matter where or when this guy gets the puck, he winds up for a big slapper.

I know the old adage of "Shoot the puck and good things happen" but this is getting to be a bit ridiculous.

And of course tonight he's going to score on some weirdly redirected goal after taking a shot from an impossible angle. Sorry for the jinx guys but I just had to say it.

Wrap up
I do have more to say about this game but I've got to head in to work at some point. For some quick notes: Smyth is still being Smyth, Finger needs to smarten up and Tyler Arnason needs to hit something...anything...to get engaged in this series.

Good enough
One last thing to add actually. While linking to Dater's recent blog entry, I decided to give it a read first. You know, I don't want to link to it if it's not a good piece...heh, kidding. Down at the end he made a point I've been bitching about for a while now.

He was bemoaning the Avalanche's style of play where "they overpass and don’t finish that extra check and, well, just think what they’ve already done will be enough to win."

Just enough to get by. Where have we heard that before? Oh right, that's been a motivating theme from the coaching staff all year.

Game time
The series continues tonight at 10:00pm EDT, 8:00pm MT and the Avalanche better come to play. If they don't win this game, they'll have a tall order ahead of them if they want to make it to round 2.

Hopefully Burns and Johnsson are worn out after playing 30+ minutes last night.

Related Links
NHL.com Event Summary
Denver Post Game Recap
Theodore solid in losing effort
Finger or Leopold?
Brunette's magic isn't enough
Foote's defensive feat isn't enough
Wild's Backstrom a saving grace

Game 3 Preview: Avalanche vs Wild

(AP Photo/Tom Olmscheid)

Can you believe we had to wait 3 days for game 3 of this series? If that's not some sort of crime against humanity, I don't know what is.

A 3-day layoff in what I feel is the most exciting series in the first round - Montreal-Boston is giving it a run for the money - is virtually an eternity. Thankfully we're mere hours from puck drop and I couldn't be more excited.

The broadcast
And not only am I excited about the game, I'm excited about the broadcast. Rather than getting the TSN feed and listening to Pierre "Motormouth" McGuire, this game will be on CBC.

That means getting some announcers who haven't drank 3 Red Bulls before the broadcast and - shockingly - seeing the entire game. See, CBC has 3 hours scheduled between their back-to-back games. That's enough time to have a buffer for any overtime overrun.

Contrast this with TSN who schedules 2 hours between their back-to-backs causing people to miss most of the first period.

I still don't know who's fault that is but I don't care. It's "less-than-smart" and needs to be fixed.

And the game?
Well, enough about the broadcast, what about the actual game?

David Jones - and everyone else who played Friday - should be in the lineup tonight. So Jones being seen in a walking cast after the game Friday would indicate that the medical team was just taking precautions. Or trying to screw with the Wild. Either way, I'm cool with it.

Ian Laperriere and Peter Forsberg didn't practice yesterday but it was deemed a "rest day" for those player. Which means that Laperriere has an injury that he's playing through and that Forsberg is still Forsberg.

Game time
The puck drops at 10:00pm ET, 8:00pm MT, and it should be a doozy. The Can should be rocking - which I expected even before Dater called out the fans - and I guarantee it's going to be another exciting game.

Here's to hoping the Avs can get that first goal and hold on to the lead!

Related Links
ColoradoAvalanche.com Preview
ColoradoAvalanche.com From the Locker Room Report
Is the Avs powerplay improving?
RMN Avalanche Report
Home ice won't change Avalanche strategy
Forsberg will play tonight
The Peter Forsberg Show (great video compilation of Forsberg highlights)
Gaborik's impact still key

Wild Turn the Tables on Avalanche in Game 2

(AP Photo/Tom Olmscheid)

My goodness, I'm going to stop making defibrillator jokes lest the need for one come true! Tonight the Wild won 3-2 in overtime in a game that had the most back and forth we've seen yet from these teams.

Though the teams tailed off a bit late in the third, I was still impressed that they could keep up that level of intensity for so long. You've got to love playoff hockey!

Recap
The Wild again gave up the first goal in the game. However they got the next two goals to take a 2-1 lead.

Mikko Koivu's goal came with just 1:51 left in the game and I was curled on the couch in a fetal position wishing it wouldn't end that way. With the Avalanche, I should have known better.

The Wild took what could be described as a phantom penalty, giving the Avalanche a 6-on-4. With Ryan Smyth parked in front of the net, Milan Hejduk deflected a John-Michael Liles point shot through Niklas Backstrom's legs and we were headed to overtime!

Unfortunately the excitement ended early for Avalanche fans. Mikko Koivu did a great job shielding the puck from Joe Sakic and ended up getting it back to Keith Carney. Carney dusted himself off and fired a puck that was headed about 80 feet wide. However Ruslan Salei and Brian Rolston were tangled up in front and the puck bounced off one of them and in.

After a quick review by the refs to make sure it was good, the Wild walked away with a 3-2 win and - more importantly - a 1-1 series tie.

If they had gone down 2-0 heading back to Denver, they'd be measuring out their own caskets right now.

Full Disclosure
I missed most of the first period (thanks TSN or NHL or whoever makes the schedule), caught a majority of the second while cooking/eating dinner and missed half of the third stuck with a chatty clerk at the grocery store.

So I really didn't take a lot of notes and will forgo an in-depth look at individual plays and players. However I will say that I couldn't be happier with Smyth so far this series and I'm loving the energy line of McLeod, Guite and Lappy.

Jones Injured?
I missed this play but apparently David Jones left favoring his right leg midway through the game. That's not good news for the Avalanche though in all honesty, it could have been worse.

Jones has been working hard but hasn't been terribly effective in the series up to this point. However I still hope to see him back in the lineup on Monday.

Coaching
I've got to give it to Q, he's been doing a great job coaching so far. From the timeout in game 1 after the comeback to the timeout tonight to tell his boys what to do on the 6-on-4, he's been rock solid behind the bench.

Actually, maybe all he has in his arsenal is timeouts. I kid, I kid. Mostly.

Home ice advantage
The series shifts back to Denver for back-to-back games on Monday and Tuesday. So the Wild have time to rest up but I don't see the back-to-back games doing them any favors unless

Scheduling
Who is the idiot that made the schedule this year? Why do we have to wait until the first period is almost over before TSN/VS cuts in to cover the second half of their double-header? The CBC games have been flawless so you know it can be done.

I'd like to blame the league since they're obviously the ones who make the schedule but at the same time, I don't get how CBC gets perfect coverage and TSN/VS are left twiddling their thumbs.

Heck, Wings or Preds fans had to wait an hour for the Masters to end before TSN cut to their game. Yes, golf pre-empted hockey...in Canada! Ridiculous.

Related Links

NHL.com Event Summary

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

Avalanche Take Game 1 in Wild OT Thriller

(AP Photo/Tom Olmscheid)

Wow. If that's how the entire series is going to be, I don't think I can watch any more games. That was Intense. It was hard-hitting, fast-paced and had about 100 times as much emotion as their last game against each other.

In other words, this was playoff hockey!

Recap
The game started off with both teams hitting anything that moved. And that mindset never let up for the full 71:11 tonight.

The Avalanche got on the board first on a Kurt Sauer marker. No, that's not a typo. Kurt Sauer scored his second playoff goal - his previous was in Minnesota as well - off of a beauty Joe Sakic setup early in the 2nd.

Ryan Smyth followed that one up with a powerplay goal late in the second. Yes, the Avalanche were 100% on the PP tonight. It must be a full moon tonight or something.

The Wild never shut down though and they came out hard in the third. They were rewarded early as Mikko Koivu got a puck past the previously impenetrable Jose Theodore. He got that puck past Theodore thanks to an unfortunate redirection off of Jeff Finger's skate. But we still love Finger.

Then just 3 minutes later the Wild tied it up on a powerplay of their own as Todd Fedoruk found himself all alone in front of the net and got it past Theodore. Who was supposed to be covering Fedoruk? And why didn't Foote get that puck out of the zone?

So it was off to OT while I tried to calm my beating heart.

You know who was already calm? Joe Sakic. You know who decided the game had gone on too long? Joe Sakic. Elevent minutes in, he gobbled up a rebound off a Ruslan Salei point shot and slid it underneath a sprawling Backstrom. And you know what? The usually reserved Mr. Sakic was caught on camera giving a giant "Whooo!" after he scored. I love it!

OT Superhero
We can talk all we want about Chris "Clutch" Drury but let's never forget what Joe Sakic has done for this team when it matters most. This was Joe's 8th career OT playoff goal and he is magic when the game is on the line.

His composure in these situations keeps the entire team relaxed and focused so they can do their jobs. Heck, tonight Joe was even laying the body out a bit to help lead by example.

That's one other thing to not forget. Joe is a strong, tough player. He comes from "the Dub" and that league is not for the faint of heart. If you survive in that league, you're going to come out the other side with a rough-and-tumble exterior.

Goaltending
Wow. Kudos to both goaltenders for putting on a show. Nik Backstrom didn't need to get going until about midway through the game as the Avalanche didn't put much rubber on him but once they did, he was up to the task. He made at least 3 snazzy glove saves and looked cool as a cucumber in net.

At the other end, Jose Theodore looked sensational. If it wasn't for Theodore, the Avalanche would be hanging their heads after a 5-1 defeat.

Early on the Wild were pressing hard but Theodore stood tall - and quick - in the net and kept his team in the game. When the Wild finally got their first goal, the shots were 22-9 in favor of the Wild. Enough said.

Refereeing
Ok, look back through pretty much every post I've ever made and you'll notice one thing; I don't bitch about refs.

Tonight was different. There was a stretch in the second period where the refs looked to actively have their heads shoved somewhere they shouldn't be. There were quite a few interference calls that were missed including the blatantly obvious one by Rolston on Hannan. In that same shift, the Wild got their first goal. So yes, the refs directly led to the Avalanche first goal.

And then, they had the audacity to try to "make up for it" by not calling the most obvious trip in the game. Milan Hejduk was all but in the penalty box after he tripped a Wild forward but both refs inexplicably held their arms down. Oh wait, it wasn't inexplicable. It was a gesture of incompetence to try and appease the Colorado bench.

Terrible effort by the refs.

Smyth, Wolski and the Forse
Ryan Smyth had a tremendous game. This was the Ryan Smyth I was stoked about last summer. He played an in-your-face style, charged the net hard, kept his feet moving and was an overall menace. If only he'd been able to convert on his penalty shot opportunity! But hey, he did managed to score the Avs second goal so we'll forgive him.

Wojtek Wolski also had a whale of a game. He had 2 assists on the night including setting up the game winning goal with some nice, composed moves up high. He was forechecking, backchecking and hitting and that's what I want to see out of Wolski. If he does those 3 things each game, the points will come just like they did tonight.

And Peter Forsberg. What can be said about this guy. I'll have to echo Pierre McGuire's comment - albeit less enthusiastically and high-pitched - and say "This guy is spectacular!"

I don't know Forsberg keeps the puck on his stick the way he does but it's magical. And the respect he garners opens up so much ice for his teammates that it's unreal. Please, please, please stay healthy, Foppa.

Props all around
I singled out Ryan Smyth, Wojtek Wolski and Peter Forsberg but really, the whole lineup deserves kudos tonight. The checking line of Guite, Laperriere and McLeod worked hard, the defense played a solid game and there really was no scapegoat tonight.

Of course winning helps deter the need for a scapegoat. But I'm still looking at you, Arnason.

The "Boogeyman"
This dude scares the crap out of me. However he appears to do no such thing to the members of the Avalanche. He absolutely flattened Ben Guite and David Jones at different points in the game and they both got right back up and kept on ticking.

There were a couple times that Guite directly went after Boogard even after Boogard had flattened him. He also whiffed on an open cage during a powerplay opportunity when something with hands - not fists - would likely have buried it.

And it certainly didn't stop the Avs from knocking Marian Gaborik down multiple times.

So much for the "Boogeyman" effect.

Next game
The next game is at 9:00 EDT on Friday which should leave the West coast fans plenty of time to hit the bars to celebrate a 2-0 series lead. Or did I just jinx it?

Related Links
NHL.com Event Summary
Sakic's OT Goal Wilts Wild
TSN Recap

Playoffs? Is that tonight?

How quickly the last couple days flew by. After the Avalanche dispatched the Wild in a preview of their upcoming series - you know, minus intensity - we had to endure 2 days of playoff previews, prognostication and petulance. Ok, mostly the petulance was from subjecting myself to Pierre McGuire's "Monsters of the Year" segment on TSN.

But the day has finally arrived! The Stanley Cup playoffs begin tonight and so does the Avalanche's quest for their third Stanley Cup. And who wouldn't want to taste that sweet, sweet Cup? Heck, even hottie Hayden Panettiere got a little Cup action the other day as you can see.

At 9:08 EDT the puck will drop to start off the Colorado Avalanche-Minnesota Wild series. The game will be joined in progress on TSN/VS (ugh!) but can be caught online at TSN.ca or via their sister feed, RDS. What more needs to be said? Well, a whole lot actually and I'll link to a ton of articles at the end of this post.

Predictions
In the meantime, what about my thoughts? Well I'll be honest with you, I don't do a lot of predicting. Sure, there are teams I'm expecting to win but come playoff time, predictions don't mean much. That's why TSN has a friggin' monkey making picks on their show. And why the monkey has often predicted better than their hockey panel.

Analysis
However I couldn't let things pass without giving a quick overview of my thoughts on this series during my lunch break.

First, I'm in complete agreement with DD on the style of play. I'm not bored to tears by the Wild style at all. Maybe it's because that's the style of hockey I played back in my days. Or maybe I'm just more easily pleased than others.

Offense
The Avalanche have the edge in offensive panache in this matchup. With Peter Forsberg healthy, the team has gone 8-1 and averaged 3 goals per game. But let's not forget that the Wild still lit the lamp 223 times this season, just 8 goals behind Colorado.

Defense
Defensively, you've got to give it to the Wild. Or at least you used to. Unfortunately for them Nick Schultz recently had his appendix removed and won't be available. Combine that with Kurtis Foster's broken leg and the Wild are looking like a beat up team on the back end. However they have a great checking line centered by Mikko Koivu and it appears the whole team knows the meanings of "backcheck" and "clog the lane".

Goaltending
In net I'll give a slight edge to Colorado. Jose Theodore has been one of the hottest goaltenders through the second half of the season and tends to perform well in playoff situations. The team has credited him with keeping them in the running when injuries were weighing the team down and he appears to be getting some swagger back.

At the other end, Niklas Backstrom has been money all season long. He plays a solid positional game but can make some acrobatic saves when necessary. At times it appears his legs aren't attached to his body the way he stretches out. He is untested in the playoffs though and all NHL players will tell you that playoffs are a whole different ball game. Or hockey game, so to speak.

Special Teams
Even with the Avalanche resurrecting their PP as of late, the Wild still hold a decided advantage here. With Brian Rolston's booming shot and Marian Gaborik's elusiveness down low, the Wild have a fearsome unit which ranked 7th overall this season.

On the penalty kill, the Wild were the 4th ranked unit and the Avalanche were 21st. Enough said there really.

Coaching
Love his style or hate it, Jacques Lemaire is a great coach. Joel Quenneville is a very good coach - at times.

Down the stretch it appears JQ has solidified his lines and he chose a goaltender back in February. If he can managed to keep himself from playing the line dance shuffle, he's got a shot at unseating one of the best coaches in the league.

Related Links
ColoradoAvalanche.com Preview
RMN Wild-Avalanche Series Preview
Avalanche as underdogs
Theodore saves his career
ITCS Playoff Predictions
5 Keys for the Avs
Trash Talk Rules
NHL Network Online