It was a good start to the season last night and you can already get a glimpse at some promising -and some troubling - developments. I'm going to reel off some thoughts and forgo a more eloquent recap. But to make it seem like I did put thought into this, I'll group things into the "promising" and "troubling" categories.
Troubling
The Avs strategy without the puck still seems to be "chase the puck". It didn't work well last year and it doesn't look like it will do any better this year. Time to fix it.
Slow start, great middle, terrible end - this apparently hasn't changed from last year. It makes for nail-biting finishes but it's super stressful. Quit giving up the lead!
You remember during the MHH roundtable how a lot of us talked about how this team had toughness but nobody knew about it? Where the hell was that last night? They may not be the biggest team but they've got at least show they've got a pair. Anderson shouldn't have to defend himself, guys shouldn't be allowed to get close enough to bother him. And what was with Scott shoving Duchene around and getting away with it? I know he's a big guy but you can't let that precedent be set.
Where was Brandon Yip last night? Vacation? Did he stay at a Holiday Inn Express at least?
Promising
Johnny Liles is just 38 points away from hitting 40 on the season.
Paul Stastny owned that game~ He's always been the quiet guy who just GSD (got $#!^ done) but last night he was extremely noticeable. It looks like he's about to take a step forward in his development and possible become a dominant force.
Chris Stewart is a beast. A beast with silky soft hands. He is going to be so fun to watch this season.
Milan Hejduk is aging extremely well. If his knee can hold up, he should have a good year. It doesn't seem like he's lost much in terms of speed and he still has some of the best hands in the NHL.
Ryan O'Reilly is looking sharp early on. Can he have as good a start to this season as last season?
How about Matty Duchene taking control and setting up the game winning goal? Hell yeah!
Oh and how about the enthusiasm he showed after the goal? He was celebrating all the way to the locker room. That's going to be infectious for the team and it's clearly a good thing.
Final thought
Starting the season with a win on home ice is always nice. Against the defending champs makes it that much sweeter. Let's hope they can ride that momentum into...Monday?! Monday? Damn, that's a long wait.
To my Canadian friends, enjoy Thanksgiving weekend!
Friday, October 8, 2010
Avalanche 4 - Blackhawks 3, Late Review Edition
Friday, November 6, 2009
Avalanche vs Blackhawks; Game Preview
Do you know what I was doing while the Avalanche were beating the Coyotes? Sleeping. That's right, I fell asleep before the game started and didn't wake up until 12 hours later when the game was won, the rejoicing was over, the worrying had started over Duchene's sore shoulder and the callouts had begun. Aside from missing the rejoicing, I was ok with sleeping through that.
Today? I'm ready to go. It's an hour until game time, I just chowed down a protein bar (just kidding, those are crap), chugged down an energy drink (just kidding, those are crap), beat up a Leafs fan (just kidding, they're all in hiding), put on my Avalanche jersey (I honestly did this) and slammed my butt down on the couch (just kidding, I have to cook supper first).
And if you're thinking to yourself "Don't cook with your jersey on! It's probably quite flammable. And prone to getting spilled on." Have no fear. The kitchen is a no-jersey zone. It comes off when I head in to the kitchen and goes back on when I come out.
"Why don't you just leave it off until you're done cooking?", you ask. Well, if I did that, how would the team get any good vibes out of me? Let's not get crazy here, folks!
I'm in a fairly good mood today - 30 minutes ago I was kick-dancing down the grocery aisles to "Love Shack", much to the chagrin of my better half - and I have no fears that the Avalanche might let me down tonight with a lackluster effort. Though there will undoubtedly be more of those to come this season, tonight will not be one of them.
So kick back, relax and enjoy what should be a hell of a hockey game. And hey, it's always fun to watch Huet get lit up, right?*
*What? I had to at least make some mention of the game in this post, didn't I?
Addendum: Huet isn't starting. So let's all laugh at Brian Campbell's contract, mkay?
Friday, January 9, 2009
Avalanche Slide Past Blackhawks, Win 2-1
(AP)
It's not that the game wasn't exciting. It was. But I needed some laughter and Fail Blog never lets me down.
Once the smoke had cleared, the Avs had their second straight win, Raycroft had his sixth, and I was in a pretty chipper mood.
Raycroft the starter?
Geo makes a case for Andrew Raycroft to be the starter.
And as long as he keeps winning, that's what will happen.
It's not that he has significantly outplayed Peter Budaj. It's that he has out-winned him.
If Raycroft keeps his streak going, Granato will keep playing him.
(AP)
Wojtek Wolski has been a friggin' superhero since being moved to center.
With three goals in his last three games, it's almost enough to make you forget the team is missing Joe Sakic and Paul Stastny.
Ok, it's not even close but remember one thing: if those two hadn't gone down, Wolski would still be mired in inconsistency on the left wing.
Once Stastny and Sakic are back, the Avs will have a pretty solid group down the middle.
Related Links
Wolski, Raycroft lead Avs to win over Chicago
Wolski powers Avs past Blackhawks
MHH Recap
Rayzor vs Boods
Friday, December 12, 2008
Avalanche vs Blackhawks Game Preview
It has been a bitch of a week. I'm paying a mortgage + rent (long story), still can't get a decent sleep at night, had a ridiculous end to the work week, Joe Sakic nearly severed his fingers plus I still don't have my damn TV. Cable box but no TV. How messed up is that?
But do you know what could save it all? If the Avalanche could crush the Joel Quenneville-led Chicago Blackhawks tonight.
I don't want them to squeak out a win. I want them to annihilate the bastards. 6-0, 7-1, 8-3. Anything less than a 5-goal cushion just won't do it for me.
I want to see pain on the face of their players. I want to see rage in Quenneville's eyes. I want their fans to feel this loss for years to come. I want Wolski to undress Khabibulin the way Toews did Theodore.
I want a hug.
Lines
Marek Svatos is day-to-day with a back injury and will sit out this game. The Avs have called up Phillippe Dupuis from Lake Erie to fill the vacant roster spot.
With Darcy Tucker not at 100% yet, Dupuis could find himself in the lineup tonight which should be interesting. It's always fun to see someone play their first NHL game even if that player comes with no hype.
On defense, Adam Foote is back in the lineup and Daniel Tjarnqvist finds himself back in the press box. It's unfortunate as Tjarnqvist put in a decent relief effort while Foote was out.
Foote skated with John-Michael Liles during practice which would bump Ruslan Salei back over to a line with Jordan Leopold who was previously paired with Tjarnqvist. Man, that was a confusing sentence, wasn't it?
I'll re-word:
Foote-Liles
Clark-Hannan
Salei-Leopold
Goaltending
Quenneville is clinging to his "lose the right to play in goal" motto with an iron grip as he is starting Nikolai Khabibulin tonight.
Who cares if Cristobal Huet has won 3 of his last 4 starts. So what that he shut out Ottawa on Wednesday? Big deal that he seems to play better with more starts. What difference does it make that his confidence seems to be rising?
It's all about the competition. And healthy competition at that. right? They have to be scared to lose. They have to be afraid to make a mistake. They have to know that if they screw up, they're benched.
Because nothing inspires confidence and trust like making people scared to make a mistake.
For the Avs, Tony Granato will likely continue to ride Peter Budaj. I thought Budaj was going to tire out a bit but he appears to be going strong.
I just hope Granato and Budaj will be honest enough with each other to know when he does need a rest.
Game time
Puck drop is at 9:00 ET, 7:00 MT at the Pepsi Center.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Avalanche in a spiral, downed 6-2 by Hawks
The game started off great. By the end of it, I was "giving advice" to my TV screen. So much for proving something to the old coach, eh?
Call me a negative Nancy but I'm going to cover a few bad things before I ram my head into a wall to try and forget the last couple games.
Salei light
Ruslan Salei has been brutal the last couple games. Tonight, the second goal was all on him. It was Salei vs Brouwer in front of the net and Brouwer shrugged off Salei so easily it was like a baby kitten was trying to stop him from scoring. Unacceptable.
What happened to the beast we got at the trade deadline? He was great in the playoffs leading me to proclaim he would be one of the Avs best defenders. He's turned into their worst. He needs to shape up or be shipped out.
PK like it's 1895
Ok, if you have 5 defenders on the ice and the opposing team has 5 defenders on the ice, it seems logical that you should be able to clog up a lane if only by accident at some point.
However there were long stretches in the third period where you could have sworn the Hawks had a 5-on-3 advantage the way the Avs were attacking the puck.
When you have 4 guys behind you, you can take the extra stride to attack the puck carrier. It's ok. You don't have to stay a stick blade away, scared they'll pass the puck behind you. Your teammates are supposed to take care of that. You trust them, right? Right?
I'm sure my blood pressure rose to unsafe levels during those stretches. Utterly, utterly awful.
Clear it...please...just once
Once again, the Avalanche were weak on clears. Adam friggin' Foote, the toughest badass this team has, couldn't even muster up a backhanded clear if his life depended on it.
When you're trapped in your zone for 3 straight minutes, fire that flippin' puck out like it's a live grenade that had it's pin pulled three seconds ago. Who cares about icing it at that point? That's the least of your damn worries.
Bear down and clear the puck out of your zone!
I'm bleeding!?
The delay after the icing call that happened right after Brouwer hurt himself checking Jordan Leopold? That was complete and utter <insert favorite phrase>.
If Brouwer was hurt, then he should have gotten the hell off the ice. If he wasn't hurt, he should have been lined up for the faceoff right away.
Instead, he slowly made his way to to the bench, stood on the bench for a while to see if he was bleeding and then slowly made his way back out.
All the while, the linesmen were right there holding his panties for him while he checked his lipstick.
Tired?
Was the team tired? Obviously based on the way their play deteriorated as the game wore on.
Does that evoke any sympathy from me? Not much. And the players better not fall behind that safe haven in trying to explain how this one got away.
But hey, I got tired too. Of watching. I got so tired I didn't even watch the final two goals.
Actually, that's not true. I caught the highlight of the sixth goal.
Clark slowly backed towards Budaj leaving Patrick Sharp completely free to wind up like Kathy Bates with a sledgehammer before blasting home a pass from Patrick Kane.
Close the gap! What in the name of holy hell was he thinking there? Sharp winds up and he backs away to further screen Budaj? Amazing.
I might put up some of my game notes tomorrow but I don't have the energy to filter out all the profanities and I do want to keep this blog rated PG-13 as best I can.
Related Links
NHL.com Boxscore
Avalanche @ Blackhawks, Game 12 Preview
The sub-.500 Avalanche are set to face the Joel Quenneville-led Blackhawks tonight and I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to "stick it" to coach Q a little bit.
But after last nights performance against the Sharks, I'm not riding a wave of optimism.
Sleep on it
I don't think the defensive issues will be fixed within the span of a plane ride and morning skate so look for more of the same tonight.
Of course, Ian Laperriere's tongue lashing of the the team's defensive efforts might be enough to fire the team up for at least one game.
Line it up
As mentioned in the comments of the Avs-Sharks recap, it would be great to see Svatos move up to one of the top-2 lines - preferably with Sakic to keep the RPM unit together - while moving Tucker to the third line.
So far Tucker really hasn't contributed anything when playing with Sakic so why keep going back to him? Or continually backing Arnason to the press when everyone and their dog feel he is underperforming?
Ok, I understand that one to a degree because you don't hang a player out to dry to the media. But saying he's an important player is incorrect. His role is an important one and there's a big difference.
Pipe it in
Peter Budaj will be back in the pipes after a horrendous performance last night. The giant rebound he tossed out all night long were a key component in the Sharks win. If he doesn't pick up his play, he could find himself riding the pine in favor of Andrew Raycroft.*
Game time
The puck drops at 8:30 ET, 6:30 MT and will likely be to another sellout crowd at the United Center.
*Just seeing if I can rile Mike up again.
Related Links
Avalanche-Blackhawks Preview
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Avalanche End Preseason with 4-3 Win Over Blackhawks
The lead lasted until the 19:59 mark of the third when Martin Havlat scored on a powerplay to push the game to OT.
Notes
The Avalanche end the preseason with a record of 4-1-1 including wins in all three of their road games. So the Avs should be looking at about 60 wins this season based on that pattern. I better change my upcoming answer for the Avalanche roundtable on what I'll consider a successful season for the Avs.
The call from Norm Jones on the game winning goal included the words "powerplay", "Ryan Smyth" and "front of the net". Could Granato be on to something here?
Wojtek Wolski had a great night with 2 goals, 1 assist while winninng 100% of his faceoffs. Sure, it was just one faceoff he took but damn it, he won it.
The Avalanche's fantastic four of Jordan Leopold, Brett Clark, Adam Foote and Ruslan Salei led the team in ice time tonight, playing between 22 and 24 minutes each. Leopold was the overall leader with 24:19 including 3:40 of PP time.
Brett Clark was back to his shot blocking ways with 4 on the night. Jordan Leopold was right behind him with 3. Please Leo, take all precautions when blocking a shot including - but not limited to - a bulletproof vest.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Quenneville Hired as Blackhawks Scout
A Darren Dreger blog post was how I found out former Avs coach Joel Quenneville had been hired as a scout for the Chicago Blackhawks.
It took a while for coach Q to find a new home even though there was a decent amount of turnover in the coaching roles. Although the media praised him as a Jack Adams contender this season, no team was willing to take a shot at him in a head coaching position.
He should be able to learn a lot from the Blackhawks organization now that Scotty Bowman has signed up with them. Best of luck to him in his new role.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Blackhawks Outmuscle Avalanche
(Jonathon Daniels/Getty Images)
Physicality
The Blackhawks ran circles around the Avalanche and just for good measure, they pushed them around like schoolyard bullies too. I found myself more frustrated by the lack of response to the Hawks physicality than I was by the Avalanche's lack of offense. If the freight train that is Dustin Byfuglien steamrolling Milan Hejduk doesn't get the team pissed off and fired up, then what will?
It feels ridiculously ironic that after getting Ryan Smyth back, supposedly signed for grit and offense, the team loses all its grit and a good chunk of its offense. I'll tell you what, I doubt this sort of turnaround would happen with solid coaching.
Coaching Prowess
But once Sakic and Stastny are back and the team continues to underachieve, the media story will either turn completely away from the Avalanche or gloss over the idea that the coaching squad is limiting the capabilities of the team. Whether it comes to the powerplay or to line matching or to the overall strategy of this team, not a lot appears to be working.
Hell, Guite and Lappy were the only two players with any jump yesterday and they only played 11 and 13 minutes respectively. A coach needs to recognize what works and roll with it during a game, not go with the old, tired routine no matter the situation. You have to be flexible and adjust to different teams gameplans and styles.
Strategery
Dump and chase is a reasonable strategy for a team to employ. But you can't employ a dump and chase while playing a four-man back trapping system. It's just basic mathematics that one person in the corner won't be able to attain or maintain control of the puck against two or three opposing defenders.
Powerplay
The same theory holds true on the powerplay. The Avalanche continuously have one person on each corner, 2 players at the point and another circling in the high slot. And what happens when the puck is down in the corner? The penalty killers collapse on that one player forcing a pass, which is typically short pass to a player who has snuck behind the net and the other forward goes high on the boards to block clears. But if that player never chips in to outnumber the penalty killers down low, the penalty killers will always win. And I won't even get into the audacity the team has to continue putting a forward on the point no matter how many times they get burned by it.
Low end of the stats scale
The Avalanche are 29th on the powerplay, 22nd on the penalty kill, 15th in goals against, 16th in goals scored and 29th in faceoff percentage. Those numbers are going to make their playoff hopes a 50/50 shot at best. And as a matter of fact, they lie just below the 50% line at the moment according to the Sports Clubs Stats playoff picture numbers. The loss yesterday was a huge blow to their chances.
Upcoming Games
The Avalanche have a nasty schedule coming up with 6 games in the next 10 days including contests against the Wings today and the Ducks on Wednesday closing out with games against the Flames, Oilers and Canucks. Oh, and after the Wings game today, the rest of the games are on the road. This team needs to wake up and they better do it yesterday.
Related Links
NHL.com Event Summary
In the Cheap Seats Recap
Denver Post Recap
Confidence Starts at the Top
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Avalanche Commit to Pounding Blackhawks
(AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
I was busy shopping assuming the game was being recorded however the feed never kicked in on Shaw's end. So I ended up watching from the midway point via an online feed. I gotta tell ya, it's just not the same as watching on the ol' tube.
Goaltending
Jose Theodore got his 11th straight start, let in one goal and then sat out the third period with reported back spasms. Otherwise known as "We just got word the deal is almost done so sit him to avoid injury." Just joking. Seriously, I'm not a "source" so don't use this on your anonymous blog.
Peter Budaj came in for the third period sporting a killer new mask and held down the fort. He gave up two late goals to Yanic Perrault but by then it was far too late to truly matter.
As for the injury to Theodore, I'm not concerned at the moment. Players get back spasms, they sit out a few shifts. A goalie gets back spasms and it's a bit more noticeable. Hell, I get back spasms. But I just ask my in-office masseuse for a massage and it's all good. Man that'd be sweet. It could be as simple as some mild dehydration, it could be as complex as a sprained back.
I'm sure at some point, the Avalanche will tell us...well they'll tell us something. Whether it's true or not, we'll have to wait and see.
Offense
Marek Svatos led the way tonight with 2 goals and one of those ever elusive assist thingies. I only caught his second goal and it was a case of being in the right place at the right time.
Tyler Arnason made a beauty move down low and tossed the puck towards Svatos who had a wide open net to shoot at. The Versus announcers remarked "My what a shot" but my thought was "Damn, he almost missed that".
Tyler Arnason collected a goal of his own as well as adding two assists as he had his best offensive output of the season. Milan Hejduk had a goal and an assist and Wojtek Wolski had two assists.
Brad Richardson, fresh from a long stint with the Lake Erie Monsters, scored his second goal of the season. Keep it up, Richo. We're all rooting for you.
Commit to the what now?
The Blackhawks are no powerhouse team but you'd think they would have been a bit fired up after Denis Savard's rant about "committing to the Indian". I'm still surprised some human rights group hasn't latched on to that one yet. But we all know that nobody watches hockey so no worries.
Related Links
NHL.com Event Summary
In the Cheap Seats Game Notes
ColoradoAvalanche.com Recap
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Blackhawks Defeat Avalanche 2-1 in SO
(Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
The team played well defensively, limiting the Blackhawks to just 23 shots, and Theodore made the stops he needed to but the offense just didn't have enough spark to get more than one goal against Patrick Lalime.
I feel a bit complacent about this loss as it's easy to chalk up to injuries but I hope the Avalanche don't have the same attitude I do about tonight.
Marek "Wrecking Machine" Svatos
I'm going to jump right into notes after this one but I couldn't leave this one as just a sidenote.
Late in the third Marek Svatos was waiting on the wing to start a breakout but the puck went past him and he was subsequently leveled by by Tuomo Ruutu. Typically, this is the point where a player would get angry and slash at someone or try to rough them up. However I've seen that look in Svatos' eyes before and I was on the edge of my seat waiting for it.
Sure enough Craig Adams - 6'0", 200lbs - found himself with the puck circling low on the wing heading right for Svatos. Marek took 2 short strides and lowered his shoulder directly into Adam's chest, sending him flying to the ice and sending fans leaping to their feet.
This is at least the third time I've seen Svatos rock someone after taking a big hit and I love it.
He did the same thing to Getzlaf last year and it shocks me everytime. The guy is all of 5'10" and 170 lbs but can dish out some punishment when he's in the mood.
Upping the Energy
Ok, I had one more which is related to the Svatos hit. Peter McNab was stationed in the Avalanche bench for "All Access Night" tonight and after the hit, Haynes asked him what that hit did for both benches.
McNab went on to mention how both benches were on the feet trying to see what happened and after the Avalanche bench caught on, every guy on that bench was fired up and energized.
They then cut to a shot of the bench where every single player was leaning on the boards with one arm looking like they were watching paint dry.
Notes
- Lappy fought Adam Burrish early in the 1st to continue the Avalanche's fighting streak
- Brett Clark played nearly 30 minutes tonight (28:08)
- Hensick seems to be getting his legs and building some confidence
- Wolski and Svatos were showing some good chemistry together, particularly during OT
- Liles 2 great defensive plays, once diving to knock the puck from a streaking Hawk and then later hustling back to overcome a 3-on-1 and force a wide shot
- and what a shot by Patrick Kane on the Hawks goal
Related Links
ColoradoAvalanche.com Recap
In the Cheap Seats Recap
NHL.com Event Summary
NHL.tv Pre-game with Q and post-game with Theodore
Marek Svatos Hit on Craig Adams
Friday, January 18, 2008
Gameday: Avalanche vs Blackhawks
After a successful 5-game roadtrip, the Avalanche are now back in the friendly confines of the Pepsi Center to kick off a 5-game homestand starting with the Chicago Blackhawks. With a 16-6-0 home record, that's nothing but good news for a team fighting for a playoff spot.
The bad news? Well, in case you hadn't heard, Paul Stastny has joined Ryan Smyth and Joe Sakic on the injured reserve list for at least 2 weeks after undergoing an appendectomy yesterday afternoon.
The Lineup
So both top-line centers are down and out meaning somebody is going to have step in to fill the void. That someone will most likely be Jaroslav Hlinka. Although he has spent time down on the fourth line the last couple games, it's not due to lack of talent.
He was lighting it up on the second line before Tyler Arnason came back from wrist surgery so the ability is definitely there. And given that our other centers are Tyler "What Defense?" Arnason, T.J. "Up and Down" Hensick and Ben "Banger" Guite, Hlinka gets the nod almost by default.
As for how things fill in around Hlinka, it likely won't change too much. Wolski-Arnason-Svatos have played well together so Hlinka may just slide in with Brunette and Hejduk and Hensick will then take Hlinka's place on the fourth line.
To me that seems easiest but you never know. The game could open up with Hlinka centering a line with Scott Parker and Johnny Boychuk.
The Goaltending
Jose Theodore gets his 7th straight start tonight as Joel Quenneville has shown no signs of wavering lately. And with a goaltender coming off a 30+ save shutout with a couple days rest in between it would seem a no-brainer that he'd get the start again.
Patrick Lalime will be manning the pipes at the other end as Chicago is having some troubles from their mutli-million dollar goaltender, Nikolai Khabibulin. On a 0-6-1 run, it's a situation that I'm sure all Avalanche fans can sympathize with.
The Opponent
The Blackhawks are on a terrible downward spiral going 2-6-2 in their last 10, falling to 14th in the Western Conference.
They recently picked up Craig Adams from the Carolina Hurricanes to inject some veteran presence into a young squad. They also signed Patrick Sharp, their leading goal scorer, to a 4-year extension as he's having a banner season with 22 goals in 44 games. That's 2 more than the career high 20 he put up last season.
And speaking of youth, 19-year old Patrick Kane leads the team in points with 43 as he defies critics who thought he was too small to play at the pro level. At just 163 pounds, it's not hard to see why that was the consensus. I'm curious to see what his second season will be like once teams really start keying in on him.
Related Links
ColoradoAvalanche.com Preview
Injured Sauer Receives Some Good News
Theodore piping hot at good time
Hensick in Avs Spotlight
Jose left as Avs peter out (anybody else find this to be a weird title?)
Third Man In Preview (Hawks blog)
Friday, October 19, 2007
Avalanche Fight Back But Come up Short; Lose 5-3
(Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Quenneville better learn how to light a fire under his team. And quick. Yes, they're calm, they're experienced, they can score. That doesn't help when the other team is already up by 3 or 4 goals though. And it's no excuse for shoddy play.
First Period
Flipping brutal. It was a complete repeat of the performance against the Flames. Turnovers at will, lack of intensity, odd man rushes galore and lack of goaltending to bail them out.
The Avs got an early powerplay and they were fairly effective. If by "effective" I mean "giving up 2-on-1 chances". Sure, they got a shot or two off on Khabibulin, who did make some nice saves, but it was nothing that felt dangerous. Even the "backdoor" play they tried wasn't crisply executed.
Arnason had a bit of jump in him in the first and a couple times he stole the puck and got a scoring chance. On the first one, it was apparently the most brilliant steal ever as McNab remarked "When Arnason is on, he's one of the best in the world". Expletives cannot define what went through my head but I'll just say this: Is McNab on crack all the time? Or just some of the time?
The expletives that came next were out of sheer amazement and awe. Jonathon Toews scored the goal of the year as he broken down the left side, slipped past Hejduk, split past our shutdown guys Clark and Hannan, and deposited the puck past a surprised, and fairly stationary, Theodore. Now, it was absolutely gorgeous. But behind every gorgeous goal there is typically an act of boneheaded idiocy on the part of a defending player. In this case, it goes to both Hannan and Clark. Hannan for doing his stupid "lean over at the waist and try to block the pass" move - which has yet to work this year - and then Clark for deciding he'd sweep the ice off for Toews. Maybe he thought if he made it a bit slicker that Toews would slip and fall? That's all I've got to explain how terrible that play was by those two defenders.
The announcers marvelled over the brilliance of the goal - we all did - and then proclaimed "Not that I want to point out when anybody does anything wrong..." and proceeded to point a finger at Hannan and Clark. Are you kidding me? Honestly. If you can't be realistic in your assessment of the game, you should take your ball and go home. These two announcers nearly crap their pants at the beauty of every opposing teams goal in the hopes that us simple-minded fans don't notice that somebody must have screwed up to lead to said goal. It's like listening to Tony Snow.
And as I was ranting on about this in my head...the Hawks went up 2-0 on a Guite giveaway and Theodore bobble. Guite laid out a nice hit but had a pass - which I think would have ended up in the slot anyways - deflected right to Jason Williams. He tossed a quick shot on Theodore to which Theodore replied with "Good one. Hey Patrick, want to try?" and tossed the rebound out. Sharp gobbled up the huge rebound in the slot and buried it up high.
Feeling left out, Jordan Leopold decided he wanted to get in on the action. So he gave the puck away at the blueline which led to a 2-on-1 with Kane and Patrick Sharp. Sharp fed Kane and Kane put a beauty of a shot high glove on Theodore. 3-0 Blackhawks and they haven't broken a sweat yet. Also, "Kane" is an awesome name. Whether it's your first or last name. But if it's your first AND last name, that's a bit weird.
The Avs then got another PP chance which meant a couple more Hawks 2-on-1 chances. They couldn't cash in but at this point, they were likely just feeling sorry for the Avs. The period ended 3-0 for the Hawks. Just like the other night against the Flames. Sigh.
Second Period
The Avs had a bit more jump to start this period. Svatos had a brief shift with Sakic and the two worked well together. Not well enough to put the puck in the net of course. The Avs put a couple big point shots on net but Khabibulin got a hold of both. There were rebounds on each but he was able to keep them out as well. *hint, hint*
The Avs kept pressure on and the Hawks eventually iced the puck. Q tried to hurry up the faceoff but Savard called a timeout to give his players a break. So Savard has used up his only timeout but he had to be thinking there would be no need for one later on in this game the way things were going.
Patrick Sharp got another chance on another Avalanche turnover and Karlis Skrastins defended him the best way he knows how. Yep, he just sprawled on the ice as big as he could, closed his eyes and hoped for the best. Sharp didn't score, but Skrastins managed to trip him and take a penalty. Defence. It's what's for dinner.
The Avs looked ok on the PK but Leopold decided there weren't being tested enough. So he smashed Toews into the boards from behind and headed to the box. Although McNab tried to be an apologist and do the "He turned at the last second" bit, Leopold had plenty of time to let up and he didn't. It didn't help that Toews was off-balance when he got shoved but that's about the only saving grace for Leopold on that play. Thankfully they killed off the 5-on-3 and the remainder of the Leopold penalty to keep the game from running away. Farther away I mean.
The first line, which had been buzzing all period long finally broke though and got rewarded for their effort. Wolski was holding the puck in deep and decided to get rid of it and head to the front of the net. Andrew Brunette saw him heading there, fed him a great pass and Wolski buried it past the Bulin wall. Sakic was factor in that he had 2 Hawks players defending him in front of the net, freeing up Wolski to pull the trigger.
Theodore made a few more saves on which he looked very shaky. He's really bobbling rebounds and not looking confident. He's not kicking them out far or to the corner, but he's not putting them close enough for him to cover up. He nearly made a huge save on a 3-on-1 but turns out...the post did it. He likely wasn't there for it anyways judging by the reverse angle.
Third Period
It was a good start to the third. Svatos worked hard to keep the puck in, raced to the net, got the puck and made a beauty of a backhand that got up high past Khabibulin. A sweet, sweet shot. Not as nice as the Selanne backhand on Theodore in the 06 playoffs - remember that one? - but very nice. Anyways, 3-2 Hawks at that point.
The Avalanche then went back on the PK which again looked pretty good. Brett Clark was able to negate the penalty after he lost an edge and the trailing referee called Robert Lang for a hold. It was not, but I'll take it. Liles successfully defended the inevitable Hawks chance on the PP as he broke up a HUGE up ice pass to Kevyn Adams. The Avalanche then did the unthinkable.
Joe Sakic circled back in the neutral zone, took a slash to the wrist, put on the after burners, broke in past the Hawks blueline, dished it to Brunette who immediately fed it to Smyth and Smyth made no mistake as he redirected it past Khabibulin's outstretched pad. Yep, the Avs have fought back from deep deficits twice in two games. Be still my beating heart. Wait...that can't be right. I want it to keep beating, don't I?
Wojtek Wolski then got sprung on a breakaway, was in the clear and being hooked by two Hawks players, didn't get the shot off... but was not awarded a penalty shot. I thought the NHL wanted to call more penalty shots this year? Well, maybe these refs didn't get the memo. Maybe it didn't have had a cover sheet. Unfortunately the Avs couldn't take advantage of the penalty but were able to generate some chances.
Brett Clark decided to make it a perfect repeat of the Flames game as he took a silly holding penalty late in the game. My heart may have stopped beating during this PK, I'm not sure. Thankfully they killed it off so Clark won't be the scapegoat of this game.
The Avalanche than took an ill-timed icing call and they paid for it. Savard quickly put out the young guns and they were flying. Kane circled the net, fired it out to the far point, Johansson blasted it and Ruutu deflected it home. With just 1:25 left to play, that one definitely ended the game.
And just to make sure, the Hawks put in an empty netter and that was that. 5-3 Hawks and the Avs still don't have a road win. Minnesota is up next. Good luck guys.
Stats
Brunette and Sakic had 2 assists each, Svatos, Wolski and Smyth were the goal scorers and Stastny got his 9th assist of the year.
Wolski and Sauer were the only players in the + column. Hlinka was at -3. Clark, Hannan, Guite, Lappy and Stastny were at -2.
Clark led the team with 24:10 in ice time. Sakic was next with 22:06 followed by Stastny with 20:49. Liles put in 20:08, a shade more than Hannan's 19:59. I don't want to look it up, but that sounds like the least ice time Hannan's had so far. He still managed 34 shifts which tied with Clark for tops in the game and put in 6:22 on the PK.
Stastny and Svatos got off 5 shots while Wolski had 4. Laperriere, Guite and Sauer were the only Avs not to record a shot.
Yanic Perrault was 100% in the faceoff circle. 12 for 12 including a crucial defensive zone faceoff against Sakic late in the game.
Notables
- Toews faced off against his hero Joe Sakic to start the game
- Svatos was all over the ice with tons of energy
- Toews and Kane are dynamite
- Kane is only 5'9" and 160lbs (that's as "big" as me)
- Guite had some good energy and hits (but a terrible giveaway on 2nd goal)
- Leopold turned the puck over a lot (don't trust the scoresheet)
- every Avs PP led to a 2-on-1 for the Hawks at some point
- Liles unloaded some good point shots
- Stastny took a hard shot to the back of his leg but didn't miss a shift
- Pierre Turgeon is coaching the Women's Select hockey team in Denver
The Good
- fighting back from a lead again
- decent PK (killed all 5, now 30 for 31)
The Bad
- in a deep hole early on
- lack of stand-up defensive play (flopping is not defending)
- I think I've said enough in the rest of my comments
The Ugly
- Brian Engblom (get a haircut!)
Related Links
NHL.com Scoresheet
ColoradoAvalanche.com Recap
In The Cheap Seats Recap
Toews Goal on Youtube
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Game Preview: Avalanche vs Blackhawks
(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
They will be attempting the feat with Jose Theodore in net. Well, he'll be starting the game anyways. The Denver Post reported on the starting goaltender choice yesterday afternoon and DD from In the Cheap Seats subsequently had an embolism. Ok, he wasn't that upset but judging by Dater's headline, sensationalism is where it's at when writing so I figured I would jump on the bandwagon.
In other goaltending news, Jeff Hacket is now a full-time goaltending coach with Theodore and Budaj. To that I say...he wasn't before? Why not? Wasn't it obvious that the team had goaltending issues? Or was everyone living in the glorious land of Oblivitarion?
Milan Hejduk is set to rejoin the lineup after sitting out a game with a sore back. The offense didn't suffer without him in terms of production but the jump he's shown all season long might have helped their anemic first period against the Flames. This means we'll see Marek Svatos back on the third line as the original RPM line is reunited after their brief breakup. It's unfortunate that Svatos has to work on the third line but you have to make the best of your opportunities.
I'd also expect Wojtek Wolski to remain on the JAW line with Sakic and Brunette. And that's just where I'd like to see him stay. Wolski has improved his game noticeably this year and I've been very happy with what he brings each night. He's stronger on the puck, he's stronger in the corners, he's stronger on the forecheck and he's starting to learn how to backcheck. He may not be the most defensively responsible forward out there, but is that what everyone truly expected him to be?
I've seen people dismiss the "He's young and learning" line of thought when it comes to Wolski's "liabilities" using an argument of "Well Stastny is young and look at him". Now I know I'm not the only one who sees the flaw in that logic. I never expected Wolski to be a 100 point getting, Selke winning machine so maybe that's why I'm not on his case as much. But he got 50 points in his rookie season and has 4 points in 6 games so far this year. So what exactly is the problem?
During the blogger roundtable, I gave Wolski the runner-up choice on being the new whipping boy. I hope that doesn't turn out to be right as I don't believe he deserves it. But it does give me a pedestal to stand up on and rant which is always fun.
So with that rant behind me, let's get back to the upcoming game. The Blackhawks will ice a lineup that won't include their leading scorer from last year, Martin Havlat. He is undergoing rehab on a shoulder he injured in their season opener. But fear not Hawks fans, youngsters Jonathon Toews and Patrick Kane are making up for his absence and then some. Toews has 4 points in 4 games while Kane has 4 points in 6 games. Young blueliner Brent Seabrook is at magic number 4 as well. The youth movement is strong in this one.
With Khabibulin turning back into the Bulin Wall, the Hawks aren't a team to be taken lightly this year.
Oh..and Stastny for President.
Related Links
NHL.com Preview
ColoradoAvalanche.com On the Road Feature
Tapeleg Tears Dater a New One
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Pre-game vs Chicago - Mar 1, 2007
The 5-game roadtrip for Avalanche makes its first stop in the Windy City as they invade the United Center. It's hopefully the start of a 5-game winning streak as well! The Avalanche are coming off a 3-2 win against Columbus which say a 3-0 lead nearly evaporate in the final 2 minutes of play. The Hawks are coming off a loss to Detroit in which leading scorer Martin Havlat did not play. And of course Bryan Smolinski, their #2 point getter, didn't play as he was traded to the Canucks on Monday.
Struggling goaltender Peter Budaj put in a good showing against the Jackets and will get the start in goal tonight. Budaj has seen his GAA drop from 2.41 in early January to his current 2.85. A bit of the mid-season doldrums it appears as he seems to be turning his play around. And if I were to hazard a guess at a starting goaltender for Chicago, I think the safe bet is on Khabibulin being between the pipes. His stats are on par with Budaj's as he's had an up and down season as well.
It sounds like Scott Parker will be in the lineup so look forward to seeing him. For about 2 or 3 minutes. He's coming off an ankle injury and he was never really deserved of playing any more than 5 or 6 minutes a game so he'll likely see limited ice-time, skating on the fourth line ever 3 shifts or so. But I could be wrong and he'll skate on the top line with Sakic and score seven goals. It's possible.
Peter Statsny continues his hot streak tonight according to tsn.ca. I don't know how he continues to rack up the points considering that he doesn't play anymore, aside from a backyard rink from time to time. His son Paul continutes to light the lamp as well as he's on a 13 game point streak. That streak is tops in the NHL at the moment. 8 goals and 11 assists during that time have propelled him to #2 in the rookie scoring race.
Injuries
Brisebois - back, LTI
Leopold - wrist, mid-March
Skrastins - knee, day-to-day
Turgeon - calf, IR
Barker - ankle, day-to-day
Handzus - knee, mid-March
Salmelainen - hip, IR
Vandermeer - ankle, IR
Hot
Stastny has 19 in 13, Brunette has 14 in 8, Sakic has 19 in 12, Hejduk has 4 in 2, Rycroft has 3 in 3, Guite has 2 in 2.
Hamilton and Seabrook have 2 in 2.
Cold
Both Colorado goaltenders
Lapointe and Arkhipov have 0 in 6, Bourque has 0 in 4, Ruutu has 1 in 6, Sharp has 1 in 5.
Goaltenders
Peter Budaj - 19-15-4, 2.85 GAA, .903 save pct
Nikolai Khabibulin - 20-19-5, 2.78 GAA, .902 save pct
Standings
Colorado - 30-29-5, 5th in NW, 10th in West
Chicago - 23-31-9, 4th in Central, 13th in West
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