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| Articles about Avalanche |
| TSN Offers Advice To Avalanche But Not Really | | 2008-06-18 08:21:41 | |
I never understood TSN's "Off-Season Game Plan" columns. They've been around at least since last season (I didn't really read TSN before that, so I don't know), and they're heavily linked-to among hockey blogs.
The only problem is they don't really offer an "off-season game plan." All the columns really do is list the players that are returning and those that are free agents. The columns don't really offer any advice to the teams, or suggest likely outcomes or anything really interesting. It's more or less just, "this guy plays this position and is pretty good. If he doesn't come back, they'll need somebody else."
Not exactly earth-shattering info.
And sometimes, like in the Avalanche column, they just pull stuff out of their rear ends:
Though Tyler Arnason's 31 points represented a career-low, he provides solid depth down the middle and doesn't get as much quality ice when he's behind Stastny and Sakic.
I think we're all past the point where we think | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Gemballa Avalanche 600 GT2 EVO | | 2008-05-24 13:26:00 | | The tuning scene is booming in Europe, the USA and Japan, with more and more tuning companies as a result but few are regarded as highly as Porsche specialists Gemballa. Today the German tuning house bursts onto the scene with a 600 bhp Porsche GT2 (or Porsche 997 Turbo) conversion that can hold its own with the Maranello and Sant'Agata-Bolognese in-crowd. Gemballa has a few tweeks in store for your unsuspecting GT2 or 997 Turbo like a power kit that will boost power to 600 bhpn (442 kW) with 840 Nm of torque, body kit, sports exhaust, coilover suspension, 20 inch 'Racing' wheels and a luxurious interior. The new power can propel the car from stand still to 100 km/h in just 3.5 seconds. The body kit consists of the Avalanche body kit, a GT hood, Avalanche front skirt with additional cooling openings, GT2 front spoiler lip, GTR EVO tailgate skirt with diffuser and hot air outlets and GT2 EVO rear spoiler. All in all, the car looks fast even when standing still.Of course power is nothing | | By: Car Tuning Styling | | |
| | Avalanche Motorizada | | 2008-05-22 04:00:00 | | Para compensar termos postado vários Mini's modificados de "gosto duvidoso", apresento-vos o Gemballa Avalanche 600 GT EVO.Baseado no Porsche 997 turbo ou GT2, apresenta performances que fazem justiça ao seu nome: 600 cv e 840 Nm de binário e a performance de uma avalanche: 320 km/h e 0 aos 100 km/h em apenas 3.5 segundos. | | By: Quatro rodas e um volante! | | |
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| Wings Coach Poaching: Avalanche Fans All For It | | 2008-05-21 07:56:47 | |
You'd think, considering our serious hatred for anything and everyone associated with the Detroit Red Wings, that we fans of the Colorado Avalanche would be against hiring one of their assistant coaches for any job outside the Pepsi Center concession stands.
But you'd be wrong.
Todd McLellan, the mastermind behind Detroit's killer power play and an all-around solid coach, is apparently the top candidate for the head coaching job in Denver. And the fans are all for it. The Denver Post put McLellan up against Kevin Dineen, Ron Wilson and Tony Granato and it wasn't even close:
On a side note, Kevin Dineen has vowed to stay in the race despite his clear second-place finish and the numerical impossibility of him winning the poll.
McLellan also has the support of a former Avalanche defensmen, the impossible-to-pronounce-correctly-on-the-first-try Curtis Leschyshyn. Leschyshyn, now a competitive cyclist and a member of the early Avalanche team that won the Cup in 96, ha | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | WCS Game 4: Red Wings 8, Avalanche 2 | | 2008-05-02 08:56:17 | | Well, thank god that's over. Despite the hope that they would leave the series with at least one win, the Avalanche once again completely crapped the bed and lost to the Red Wings 8-2. The sweep in the Western Conference Semifinals worsened the Avs' record against the Wings this season to 0-8. 0-8. Of all the teams to go winless against, why the Red Wings? Detroit fans can now gloat and revel in the fact that their extremely talented (and healthy) team easily dispatched a former arch rival completely decimated by injuries and crippled by poor coaching, both of which plagued the Avalanche all season long. The only exception was the first round series against the Wild, when everything seemed to come together. Just as the Avs got healthy, coordinated, and backed up by a solid goalie, it all fell apart again. Ryan Smyth, Scott Hannan, Paul Stastny, Wojtek Wolski and Peter Forsberg all missed significant chunks of the series. Can anyone imagine the Red | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | WCS Game 4: Red Wings At Avalanche, Preview And Open Thread | | 2008-05-01 13:00:03 | | In some ways, it's hard to believe this could be the last game of the season for the Avalanche. In other ways, it's hard to believe the season didn't end on April 6th. But I'm not going to write a season wrap-up just yet, since the Avs could still conceivably win tonight and keep their playoff hopes on life support for a bit longer. Paul Stastny, Ryan Smyth and Wojtek Wolski are all out for sure. They won't be back even if the Avs pull a Red Sox and make it to the next round. Marek Svatos, if he's off his crutches by now, has been warming up the local golf courses for his teammates. And, this just in: Peter Forsberg is out as well. The Avalanche will dress seven defensemen instead because, well, they can. Tonight TJ Hensick and David Jones will get another chance to show off their developing skill sets, since they'll have to play significant minutes filling in for the injured regulars on the team. Poor Jones has been struggling to score goals sin | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
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| WCS Game 3: Red Wings 4, Avalanche 3 | | 2008-04-30 07:48:58 | | Going into the all-important Game 3 last night, the Avs needed to get the offense going and take the play to Detroit. At least, that's what Avs fans thought. The coaching staff didn't figure that out 'till the second intermission. By then, Paul Stastny was out after an awkward leg-on-leg collision with Henrik Zetterberg, Peter Forsberg had already left once for some kind of ankle problem and then returned, and the refs had decided that they'd rather just get the series over with ASAP. The game got started off on a fairly even pace and then Cody McLeod of all people scored with a tip-in of a T.J. Hensiiick shot after a nice feed from Tyler "Whipping Boy" Arnason. The jubilation in Le Can lasted for a couple of minutes until the Detroit puck-possession game got into full swing. Then the shelling of Jose Theodore commenced with full fury. He-who-wasn't-previously-named saw 19 shots in the 1st period. Two got past him: a PP goal from Pavel Datsy | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | WCS Game 3: Red Wings At Avalanche, Preview And Open Thread | | 2008-04-29 13:08:05 | | Okay, first of all, I'm proud to announce that I've been meeting with a psychologist for the past two days and major progress has been made. I'm no longer superstitious about goalie names. The therapist helped me to realize that not saying the name(s) of the Avalanche goalie in the past two game threads didn't do jack to prevent the Red Wings from scoring a crap ton of goals. So I'm over it. Feel free to compliment Jose Theodore (or attack him) in the thread, as MHH no longer believes in silly things like superstitions. As for Theodore, I still think Budaj should get the start tonight, but I understand the other side, and the ESPN preview (linked below) suggests that Theodore was indeed still sick in game 2, so both of his consecutive meltdowns may have been due to fever and nausea and not a simple reversion to his 2007 self. Of course, that begs the question, why the hell did Coach Q let him play? But whatever. That's in the past. Tonight' | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | WCS Game 2: Avalanche At Red Wings, Preview And Open Thread | | 2008-04-26 06:37:05 | | Gut check time. As in, seriously, every Avalanche player should check their stomachs, ribs, and any other body parts for illness, sprains, breaks or any other kind of injury before suiting up this afternoon against the Red Wings. Wojtek Wolski, we learned yesterday, is out for the rest of the series. Peter Forsberg is as reliable as Republicans banning abortion or Democrats creating universal healthcare. Don't expect him to play. If he does, it will be a nice surprise. His absence clears the way for some guy named Jaroslav Hlinka to play today, whoever that is. I vaguely remember him, but it seems like years ago since we saw him on the ice. Dater says: Jaroslav Hlinka needs to have the attitude that "I’m going to play the game of my life tomorrow." If there was ever a chance for a guy to start proving that he is a PLAYER in this league, tomorrow is it. I don’t think Peter Forsberg is going to play in Game 2, so Hlinka has the ch | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | WCS Game 1: Red Wings 4, Avalanche 3 | | 2008-04-25 07:03:08 | | photo courtesy of Karl Gahring/Denver Post Johan Franzen is a beast. The 6-3, 220 pound center was the key player for the Red Wings early on in last night's game 1 against the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Semifinals, leading his team to a 4-3 victory. He scored the third and fourth goals (the latter of which turned out to be the game-winner) for his team and also had an assist. All this in just 16:35 of ice time. He also inadvertently took out Wojtek Wolski when he careened into him after a first period hip check from Ruslan Salei (who was awful early in the game). Wolski's early departure, combined with the loss of Peter Forsberg to another "groin injury" and Jose Theodore to some kind of horrible stomach illness, were just too much for the Avs. Theodore was yanked from the game early in the second period for two reasons: one, he got shelled and had no defense in front of him; two, he was sick as a dog and probably shouldn't have played at all. &n | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | WCQ Game 6: Avalanche 2, Wild 1 | | 2008-04-20 09:04:20 | | Wild Eliminated, Avalanche Advance photos courtesy of Karl Gehring/Denver Post The Minnesota Wild were no match for the power of the Pimp Cane. Despite putting 35 shots on goal in a desperate attempt to beat Jose Theodore, the Wild lost 2-1 to the Colorado Avalanche and have now been eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. There's no way I could possibly write a summary of Theodore's performance in the first round that would do him justice. He was simply phenomenal. Six games, four wins, a 1.88 goals against average and a save percentage of .940. Successful playoff teams rely on their goalies to carry them, and Jose Theodore has certainly carried the Avalanche. The Wild didn't stand a chance. Now, since the Avalanche will advance to the second round, it's a little premature to start crowning any individual players on the team, but Theodore's turnaround has been unbelievable. The fact that I'm now slobbering all over my keyboard thinking about h | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | WCQ Game 6: Wild At Avalanche, Open Thread | | 2008-04-19 13:45:37 | | The Avs need to put the Wild (and their fans) out of their misery tonight. Strike quick, strike hard, and be done with them. None of that lazy crap that dominated the first two periods of game 5, because the Wild aren't going to lose again if that's the way the Avs play. Nothing else needs to be said. A game 7 back in St. Paul is not an option. If you're at the game, help bring the house down. If you're not, help us get this thread going. Let's go Avs! ESPN preview. | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | WCQ Game 5: Avalanche 3, Wild 2 | | 2008-04-18 09:10:02 | | photos courtesy of AP Jose Theodore has come a very long way over the past season. If there was any one complaint many of us still harbored about him, it was that he still wasn't really "stealing" games for the Avalanche. Last night, he stole a game. He snuck in, tied up the owner, wrecked the place and made off like a bandit. The Avalanche beat the Wild 3-2 in game 5 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals solely on the back of a goaltender everyone thought was washed up just a few months ago. Theodore's Pimp Cane was the strongest it has been all year, as he stopped 38 of 40 shots, including all but one in a flurry of 32 shots in the first two periods. The Avalanche defense gave him almost no help at all, especially in the second frame, but Theo was impossible to beat. The look of frustration on the face of Marian Gaborik's face (still no points in the series) was priceless. Theo stopped four shots from him. Andrew Brunette opened the scorin | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | WCQ Game 5: Avalanche At Wild, Preview And Open Thread | | 2008-04-17 09:15:20 | | With emotions from Game 4 still running high, I figured the game thread today couldn't be posted too soon. We saw the Wild's true colors come out on Tuesday, with cheap shots and attempts to injure, multiple misconducts and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. We saw Stephane Veilleux take a flying leap into the back of Paul Stastny's head and more or less embarrass himself all night long with bush league behavior. In a typical show of inconsistency that has plagued them all year, the NHL's disciplinary overlords are apparently not going to punish Veilleux for his grossly illegal and dangerous attack. So be it. Minnesota has become the State Of Denial as they continue to whine and cry about the Avalanche, specifically Ian Laperriere and Cody McLeod, accusing them of being just too darn annoying, not to mention cowards despite their repeated willingness to fight the perpetrators of crap penalties by the Wild. The Wild faithful are still crying over the " | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | WCQ Game 4: Avalanche 5, Wild 1 | | 2008-04-16 09:01:00 | | How a team wins can say a lot about them. How a team loses can say even more. If that's true, then the resounding message from the Minnesota Wild's 5-1 loss to the Avalanche last night was "We're pathetic." After falling behind four goals to none in the second period, the Wild gave up completely and decided to spend the rest of the game trying to injure their opposition. It was shameful. 119 penalty minutes, including seven misconducts and two unsportsmanlike conducts pretty much sums up what the Wild are all about. They didn't come into game 4 looking to play hockey. They came looking to make Mark Kiszla---who wrote a piece lamenting the cheap, dirty play of the Wild prior to game 4---look like a soothsayer. Anywhere the Wild goes, flowers wilt, the sky turns gray and beauty dies. After three games, can there be any doubt? This series is doomed to be a bloody mess. The moans and groans from the Wild fanbase were loud and obnoxious. Yo | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | WCQ Game 4: Wild At Avalanche, Preview And Open Thread | | 2008-04-15 17:19:45 | | I think we've just about covered all the things the Avalanche needs to address as they prepare for this game in the last two posts. The power play must score. Tyler Arnason must sit. Jeff Finger should sit or see a major reduction in ice time. Peter Forsberg must be wrapped head-to-toe in ace bandages and ice (no word on whether or not he'll play tonight). And the Avs can't sit back on a lead---EVER AGAIN. Factors that will surely play into tonight's game for both teams: The Avalanche Losing two in a row stings. Time for redemption. Still at home. The team can feed off the fans if they want to. Lappy, Smyth and Wolski have been great. The altitude, maybe. The Wild Winning two in a row means forward momentum. Cheap play and hard hitting have worked so far. Gaborik is itching to score. Backstrom plays his best in OT. The game is late again tonight, starting at 8:00 PM Mountain time, 10:00 PM Eastern and will air on Versus. I'm | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | WCQ Game 3: Wild 3, Avalanche 2 (OT) | | 2008-04-15 08:49:07 | | photos courtesy of David Zalubowski/AP Another first period goal for the Avalanche. Another stellar first two periods. Another blown lead in the third period. Another overtime. Another loss. The Colorado Avalanche have apparently found a formula they're very comfortable with, as the exact same scenario played out for the third time in a row last night against the Minnesota Wild. Unfortunately, the result wasn't victory like in game 1, it was defeat like in game 2. The Avs got off to a good start when Andrew Brunette potted a goal from the slot off a rebound from a Joe Sakic Wrist Shot™. But the real key to the play was the superb puck handling and passing of Wojtek "Can You Bench Me Now" Wolski. He skated into the zone, faked out a defender, stopped in his tracks and fed the puck directly to Sakic for a great wrister. The Avs enjoyed that 1-0 lead for two full periods, as Jose Theodore was in full Pimp Cane mode for 40 great minutes. | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | WCQ Game 3: Wild At Avalanche, Preview And Open Thread | | 2008-04-14 14:01:36 | | Let's get this show on the road. Had the Avalanche won game 2 on Friday night, they'd be cruising into the friendly confines of the Pepsi Center with a 2-0 lead in the series and everybody would already be speculating about their second round opponent. But they didn't win game 2. Instead, it's all even as the Avs head back home to Denver. Two things have to happen for the Avs to win tonight and tomorrow night in Colorado. First, they have to quit blowing leads. Two games they scored first, two games they found themselves in overtime because they let the Wild get momentum. Second, The Can has to put Xcel Energy Center to shame. Each member of the much-maligned Avalanche fanbase needs to take out a couple of loans (for tickets), swallow their disappointment (at the coaching staff), and act like they've been cooped up all winter and are ready to bust out. The Can needs to be bursting at the seams. Denver used to be a place other teams dr | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | WCQ Game 2: Wild 3, Avalanche 2 (OT) | | 2008-04-12 07:47:37 | | If anyone expected the Colorado Avalanche to sweep the Minnesota Wild in the Western Conference Quarterfinals, they were kidding themselves. In that building, in front of that crowd, the Avalanche are lucky to be returning to Denver with a win in hand. After another intense, roller coaster of a game, Keith Carney of the Wild exploited a bad shift by Joe Sakic and his linemates, and got a lucky tip off the skate of Ruslan Salei to win the game just 1:14 into overtime. Sometimes Super Joe isn't all that clutch. Mikko Koivu made him look silly on defense before getting the puck to Carney and the rest is history. The Avalanche have been extremely consistent so far. They've scored first in both games, and then squandered the lead in the third period. Only this time overtime didn't go their way. Peter Forsberg scored a gorgeous goal in the first period off an assist from Jeff Finger, and Milan Hejduk tipped a John-Michael Liles slap shot on a power play in | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | WCQ Game 2: Avalanche At Wild, Preview And Open Thread | | 2008-04-11 10:51:58 | | Another early start to the game thread because there's nothing else to talk about today except tonight's matchup. Sure, things fell the Avs' way in Game 1, but don't think for a second---even with the mounting injuries faced by the Wild---that Minnesota is out of it. If anything, getting humbled in front of their own crowd is only going to make them play harder. Nobody wants to go home early from the playoffs. Mark Parrish is out, but Martin Skoula will play with a sore leg and Chris Simon will likely be in, so the Avs will have to keep their heads up at all times because he's the dirtiest player in the league. Forsberg needs to stay light on his skates because he'll be dodging two-handers all night long. Even Forsberg shadow Brent Burns is not above cheap play, and neither is the rest of his team. The good news is, Burns had to play 30 minutes in game 1, and if he has to do it again tonight, he'll be toast. Foppa wasn't happy with his line's p | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | WCQ Game 1: Avalanche 3, Wild 2 (OT) | | 2008-04-10 08:48:48 | | photos courtesy of Tom Olmscheid/AP Joe Sakic. Great clutch player, or the greatest clutch player? After his team blew a two-goal lead in the third period, captain and patron saint Super Joe scored eleven minutes into overtime to lead the Colorado Avalanche to a huge win over the Wild in the first round, 3-2. The goal, a backhand garbage shot, was the eighth playoff overtime goal of his career and extended his league record. When you're on a list ahead of guys like Maurice Richard and Glenn Anderson, you know you're the clutchest mofo on the planet. Chris who? But Super Joe's heroics wouldn't have been necessary had the Avs held on to the lead they established in the second period. Kurt Sauer got things started with a tip in from the slot with help from Sakic and Wojtek "Suck My Ass, Q" Wolski just a minute and a half into the middle frame. Sauer's celebration was less surprise and more "how you like them apples?" Priceless. Ryan Smyth followed | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Round 1, Game 1: Avalanche At Wild, Preview Omnibus And Open Thread | | 2008-04-09 09:38:12 | | Let's get this going early, shall we? The game tonight doesn't start until 7:00 PM Mountain time, but the anticipation, anxiousness, and sheer joy of the postseason started a week ago, at least for me. It's time to get crazy. Anything less than the Stanley Cup is a failure. First of all, let me get this out of the way. The Wild are a boring team. They play a boring system of defense-first trapping. Sure, you could argue that the Avs play a similar style and scored a similar number of goals as the Wild this season, but I don't care. That doesn't make the Wild exciting. It makes the Avs boring, too. I stand by what I wrote in my cameo appearance on The Pensblog yesterday: Watching the Minnesota Wild play hockey is like watching the New Jersey Devils play hockey. Sleep-inducing. At least the Devils have some great history and three spots on the side of the Stanley Cup. The Wild, not so much. The Avalanche have history, too, but they had t | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Avalanche Season Recap Part II: Who's In Your Five? | | 2008-04-08 14:22:40 | | I could do player-by-player report cards, or some other detailed, highly quantitative analysis of individual performances this year. But I'm not going to do that, because other people (see: Draft Dodger and Shane, maybe Jibble) will likely do that. No, instead I'm just going to pick the five players from the Avalanche who most impressed me this season. Their statistical output plays into my choices, of course, but I also considered a number of intangibles that probably wouldn't make many scouting reports. So, without further ado, the following are the top five Avalanche players of the regular season: Paul Stastny Son of Stastny had a great rookie season, but even with a ruptured appendix his sophomore year was better. 71 points in 66 games. The only other player to score more than 70 points in less than 70 total games was Sidney Crosby. Sure, Stastny was inconsistent at times and lost a lot of games to injury, but the team would be nothing without him.Je | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Avalanche Season Recap Part I: Some Numbers | | 2008-04-07 13:49:05 | | First of all, I'm sure the illustrious Draft Dodger will be posting oodles of great statistical summaries over the next few days/weeks here and at ITCS to help us all wrap our little heads around the 2007-08 season. But in the meantime, I figured it wouldn't hurt to run down a few of the more prominent numbers and see where the Avs stand compared to the rest of the NHL and their own showing last year. The value of the dollar may be plummeting, but the value of 95 points in the National Hockey League seems to be on the way back up. Last season, the Avs were the first team ever to miss the playoffs with that many, but this year they more or less coasted in. Nashville, the eighth-place team in the West, managed only 91. Boston and Ottawa made it in the East with just 94. The Avs' 44 wins---tied with last year's total---was good enough for eighth overall, a tie with Minnesota. Last year the Avs were tied for 12th with Tampa Bay. And last year th | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Paul and the Avalanche | | 2008-04-02 21:55:34 | | I think that arguing with us is like being caught in an avalanche for Paul. Once he picks up momentum he’s gone and always trying to go back.
Paul got a phone call today from a friend inviting him over. Of course Paul hadn’t done anything that he had been asked to do all [...] | | By: Life With Paul - Living with FASD | | |
| | Game 81: Avalanche 4, Canucks 2 | | 2008-04-02 09:17:15 | | PLAYOFFS? PLAYOFFS?!! photo courtesy of Jonathan Hayward/Canadian Press Follow the formula: the Avs give up cheap goals to the Canucks to start the game, and start the second period with a scoring deficit. Then Jose Theodore goes into Pimp Cane mode and the Avs come alive. They then score several unanswered goals and win the game. The Avs followed this formula on March 26th and they followed it again last night. The result? THE PLAYOFFS! Honestly, it would have seemed unthinkable five or six years ago for an Avalanche blog to make a big deal out of making the playoffs. But with last season's disappointment and this season's ridiculousness (goalie carousels, injuries, bad coaching), it's a wonder the Avs didn't finish last place in the West. But they didn't. Last night the Avs clinched a playoff spot by beating the Canucks 4-2, a win that included an awesome breakaway goal by Peter Forsberg, his first since returning to the NHL at the begin | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 81: Avalanche At Canucks, Oh My God This Is Important | | 2008-04-01 13:48:24 | | Sorry about the title of this post, I got a little caught up in the excitement. First of all, Forsberg is reportedly "probable," according to this article by Terry Frei about why Coach Q hates Ryan Smyth. John-Michael Liles apparently hurt his beautiful, modelesque groin muscle near the end of the game against the Wild on Sunday, but he is also supposedly good to go tonight. Don't bet money on anything the Avalanche organization says. Ever. The Avs have played well against Vancouver this season, and they've chased Roberto Luongo twice so far. Hopefully he doesn't play a full game again. Now, what are the playoff implications of tonight's matchup? First of all, if the Avs win tonight, they clinch a spot in the playoffs. But that's not the only result of winning. Remember that the Avalanche can still win the Northwest Division as long as they beat Vancouver tonight and Minnesota on April 6th. Oh, and as long as Minnesota doesn't win ag | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 80: Wild 3, Avalanche 2 (OT) | | 2008-03-31 09:09:39 | | You'd think a big loss like the Avs suffered against the Wild yesterday would change the face of the division and the playoff race, but it didn't. Minnesota still hasn't clinched the Northwest Division title, and Calgary's loss against Vancouver makes it harder for the Flames to pull it off. Nothing has changed. The Avs can still win the Northwest Division title. The Avs can still finish fourth in the division. The Avs can start the Western Conference playoffs in the third seed. The Avs can miss the playoffs entirely. If the Avs win their final two games, and the Wild and the Flames lose the rest of theirs, the Avs will win the division through a tie-breaker with the Wild (Colorado would have more wins). But, if the Avs lose the next two games, there's a very strong possibility that they will be out of the playoffs entirely. "Down to the wire" doesn't even cover this insanity. As for the game, what a heartbreaker. The Avs got off to their customary firs | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 80: Avalanche At Wild, Preview And Open Thread | | 2008-03-30 16:30:58 | | Just in case you don't grasp the pure insanity of this final little bit of the season, consider the following facts: The Avs can still win the Northwest Division title. The Avs can still finish fourth in the division. The Avs can start the Western Conference playoffs in the third seed. The Avs can miss the playoffs entirely. That's ridiculous. As for personnel in tonight's game, despite being "out of gas" at the end of regulation against the Oilers two nights ago and then skipping the next day's practice, Peter Forsberg made the trip to Minnesota with the team and is expected to play. Maybe he was out of gas because Coach Q played him more than 22 minutes in regulation (he didn't play in overtime). Probably not a good idea, Coach Q, three assists or not. If the Avs make the playoffs, they're probably going to need a very healthy Foppa around. The rest of the team appears to be up and running just fine. Jordan Leopold is expected to return soon, and th | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 79: Avalanche 5, Oilers 4 (SO) | | 2008-03-29 07:26:34 | | photo courtesy of David Zalubowski/AP One day, Joe Sakic is going to retire from professional hockey, and for Avalanche fans and team members, that's going to be a tough day. The ageless wonder proved his overwhelming value to the franchise once again with a ridiculously clutch goal with 5.9 seconds left in the game to send the Avalanche to overtime with the Edmonton Oilers. The Avs would eventually go 3-for-3 on the shootout and grab the full two points for one of the biggest wins of the season, beating the Oilers 5-4. The win moves the Avs into a tie with Calgary in points, and seventh place overall in the Western Conference. If the Avs can stay there, their first round opponent will likely be the San Jose Sharks instead of the Detroit Red Wings. But, Colorado hasn't clinched a spot yet, because Nashville (newly eighth place) and Vancouver (now in ninth), can still mathematically surpass the Avs and kick them out. As long as the Avs win at least one more g | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 79: Oilers At Avalanche, Preview And Open Thread | | 2008-03-28 16:07:45 | | Has it been a long season or what? Tonight the Avalanche and the Oilers face each other for the eighth and final time this year. Colorado has so far dominated the series, but they can't rest on their laurels. Edmonton still has an outside chance to make the playoffs, and beating the Avs would go a long way to helping them achieve that goal. A win for the Avs tonight would guarantee that the Oilers couldn't steal a playoff spot from them. Nashville still could, but not the Oilers. Adam Foote is set to return---again---from a hip injury that has made him miss the last few games. Hopefully it's fully healed this time. Unfortunately, the hip injury bug has been passed to poor Jordan Leopold, who will miss tonight's game but not much longer, according to the team---for whatever that's worth. Jose Theodore will be in net. The game starts at 7:00 PM Mountain time, 9:00 Eastern. ESPN preview. | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 78: Avalanche 6, Canucks 3 | | 2008-03-27 08:33:31 | | Sometimes it's okay to change up an offensive line combination. When one player is clearly having a very bad game (Ryan Smyth), and another looks really good (Peter Forsberg), it's okay to switch them up. This shouldn't become habit, of course, but sometimes it's an effective way to jump start the offense. Last night was one of those times. After struggling early on---and then pretty much throughout the rest of the game---Ryan Smyth was pulled from his usual spot on the second line with Paul Stastny and Milan Hejduk. He was replaced by Forsberg, who, despite playing less than 15 minutes, went on to tally three assists. Hejduk had two goals and an assist, while Son of Stastny had a goal and two assists. Those nine total points drove the Avalanche to a dominant 6-3 win over the Canucks, who pulled ace goalie Roberto Luongo in the middle of the second period. Unfortunately, knowing Coach Q, two things will probably happen. Either Ryan Smyth will neve | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 78: Canucks At Avalanche, Preview And Open Thread | | 2008-03-26 14:25:23 | | For those of you living in a cave, this game is important. Critical. Win-or-die-trying critical. A win tonight moves the Avs out of eighth place in the West and into seventh, and a much better position playoff-wise. Sure, the San Jose Sharks are freakin' mean as hell, but the Avs beat them twice this year already and I honestly believe they could beat them again. Maybe. The Wings? Eh, not so much. Beating Vancouver tonight is one of those "four point games" against a divisional foe they'll only face one more time this season. The Avs lead the series 4-2 so far, and could really make a statement by drubbing a team I think is probably the weakest overall of any of the Northwest Division right now. A loss tonight makes it that much easier for Nashville (or Edmonton!) to catch them and steal the final playoff seed. All this said, I'm still on the fence about making the playoffs. The win against Calgary changes nothing. Coach | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 77: Avalanche 2, Flames 0 | | 2008-03-25 08:40:56 | | photo courtesy of Jack Dempsey/AP After the Edmonton game, and the wary reports from Sunday's practice, you would have thought Jose Theodore was all washed up---again. Not so. Theo tallied his third shutout of the year as the Avalanche blanked Calgary 2-0 at the Pepsi Center. Theodore made 23 saves, including a couple of great ones on Craig Conroy and Alex Tanguay, to secure the critical win for his team. Theo had some help, too. The Avalanche defense was remarkably sound, and all the blueliners had really solid games. John-Michael Liles was all over the ice, making key checks and mucking up the passing lanes, Jeff Finger and Kurt Sauer were gritty and physical, Jordan Leopold seemed confident despite just returning from a concussion, and Scott Hannan was all over the Flames. He led the team in ice time and prevented the Flame-Outs from setting up any screens all night long. He even got involved in the near-constant pushing and shoving match | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 77: Flames At Avalanche, Preview And Open Thread | | 2008-03-24 13:19:58 | | Flames again. Phadouche will be back in The Can, up to his usual dirty tricks, but this time with an able-to-fight Lappy no doubt itching for a good scrap with him. Lappy fought in the Edmonton game for the first time in weeks now that his lacerated finger has healed, and he definitely had a good showing. Let's hope he wastes little time wrecking the Flame-Outs defenseman. Now, lets talk about line combinations for the 150 millionth time, shall we? I know everybody is just dying to talk about them some more, so I don't have a choice. Dater (who I owe some serious royalty checks to lately), says tonight's lines (at least for half of the first period) will appear as such: Wolski-Sakic-Brunette Smyth-Stastny-Hejduk Forsberg-Arnason-Jones McLeod-Guite-Laperriere In his morning preview of tonight's game, Dater asked Coach Q about Wolski returning to the first line with Super Joe and Andrew Brunette. Quenneville said: Asked about his line-juggling | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | The Avalanche Rosetta Stone | | 2008-03-24 09:35:59 | | In my last post, a recap of the 7-5 loss to Edmonton, I went out on a limb and tried to translate a seemingly innocent statement by Joe Sakic---that the team wasn't prepared to play Edmonton---to mean that the players were frustrated with Joel Quenneville and the rest of the Avalanche coaching staff. I said: Now, that quote can be read two ways. Either the players just came out in the first period and didn't care, didn't play hard enough, and it's all their fault. Or---and I admit this is pretty paranoid and maybe a major bit of reaching---they weren't prepared for the game by the coaching staff. Super Joe, infamous for his simple, matter-of-fact comments to reporters' questions, could be speaking in code these days. Is he blaming himself and the other players, or are his quotes a veiled cry for help? Is he trying to tell the world that the coaching is at fault without actually saying it? I wonder, but that's probably just me. Lots of caveats, l | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 76: Oilers 7, Avalanche 5 | | 2008-03-23 07:51:04 | | photo courtesy of Andy Devlin/Getty Who could have predicted, after the Avalanche won eight games out of nine between February 26th and March 13th, that they would then lose four in a row, including all three games in a critical three-game road trip against divisional foes? For a brief time, the Avalanche were sitting pretty atop the Northwest Division with 84 points. That was on March 13th. The Avs haven't won a game since, and now sit in fourth place, five points behind first-place Minnesota and barely clinging to the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The latest humiliating defeat came at the hands of the formerly-terrible Edmonton Oilers, who are now, especially with yesterday's 7-5 win over the Avs, very much still in the playoff fight. The Avs were terrible to start the game, allowing three goals by the Oilers in the first period, including one just fifty seconds into it. Jose Theodore didn't even play fifteen minutes before getting y | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 75: Flames 2, Avalanche 1 | | 2008-03-21 08:57:00 | | So the Avalanche didn't commit to the Yeti last night when they let the Flames win 2-1. They have apparently committed to losing instead, having now dropped three games in a row in the midst of a critical final run for playoff positioning. The Avs are still in eighth place, despite all of this. Luckily for Colorado, Nashville and Edmonton are having lots of trouble catching up, and the former still sits four points back in ninth place. Edmonton is behind by five points and Phoenix is six points behind. Funny how things work, Colorado plays Edmonton tomorrow and then again a week from today. Even if the Avs lose both games to Edmonton, but tie with them for points at the end of the season, the Avs would get the nod for the eighth playoff spot because they would have a 10-7 advantage in points and a 5-3-1 record over Edmonton this season. That is, of course, as long as neither Nashville nor Phoenix has stolen the eighth spot by then. Playoff race | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 75: Avalanche At Flames, Preview And Open Thread | | 2008-03-20 13:14:49 | | Well look who we have here. If it isn't the Flame-Outs, fresh off a most impressive 3-0 shutout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, who don't have a healthy starting goalie, or a veteran captain, or much of an offense other than Rick Nash. Nice work. I suppose Dion Phadouche (0g, 0a, - 3) wasn't properly fueled for the game. The bad news is that Colorado hasn't been all that hot lately, either. A frustrating loss to New Jersey and an unforgivable choke job against the Wild mean the Avs are treading water when they should be backstroking into the upper seeds of the playoffs. Peter Forsberg is being over-played (and trying to over-play), the power play is causing a kitten holocaust, and the defense periodically takes a night off here and there. It's time to separate the men from the not-men. The Avalanche need to rise above their injuries, the bad coaching, and all the other problems they've succumbed to this season and make a statement that the glory d | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 74: Avalanche At Wild, Preview And Open Thread | | 2008-03-17 13:30:08 | | THE STRETCH RUN BEGINS Well, kiddos, every game matters now. Every game is a must-win---even the games against Edmonton. The Avs are 2-3 so far this season against the Wild, but they've won eight of their last ten and are finally getting healthy again. Peter Forsberg and Adam Foote are both expected to return to the lineup (I have no time for "maybe"), and Paul Stastny's groin seems to be doing just fine, if his two points and 22 minutes of ice time against New Jersey are any indication. Jose Theodore and the Avalanche defense looked weak in the Devils game on Saturday, so hopefully the return of Foote will tighten up the loose ends and remind the others how well they are capable of playing. Theodore I don't worry about too much anymore. He'll either be fine or he'll be on some other team next year. Either way, it will ultimately work out fine for the Avs. The line juggling should be truly epic tonight, since Q has already switched Hejduk, Smyth and H | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 73: Devils 4, Avalanche 2 | | 2008-03-15 22:53:59 | | photo courtesy of David Zalubowski/AP I'll be totally honest with you. I didn't watch much of this game, and I'm pretty glad that I didn't. On paper, the game looks fairly even, with shots and hits being similar for both teams. But on the scoreboard and between the pipes, it was all New Jersey. Martin Brodeur set a new record today, winning his 40th game for the seventh time in his career---something no other goalie has ever done. I guess this blog will have to up its game a bit if it's ever going to convince anyone. I did watch enough of the game to see Ryan Smyth put a great shot on goal at the very end of the second period, but it was his only shot of the day and Brodeur's sweet glove save pretty much summed up the entire game. If there's one bright spot about this loss, it's that Paul Stastny continues to be consistent as hell since he returned from his appendectomy/groin injury layoff. He has four points in his last three games (1g, 1a against th | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 73: Devils At Avalanche, Preview And Open Thread | | 2008-03-15 13:56:44 | | This has all the potential to be a really great game. Or, it could also be the most boring game ever played. You never really know with the New Jersey Devils---a team Colorado almost never plays. The Devils are good, and currently lead the Eastern Conference by just one point over division rival Pittsburgh and Northeast Division foes Montreal and Ottawa. All three teams are tied with 87 points. The Avs are still in sole possession of first place in the Northwest Division, but losing today is really not an option for them. Every other team in the division, with the exception of idle Calgary, plays tonight. A Colorado loss and wins by Vancouver and/or Minnesota would result in yet another annoying tie for first place. And nobody wants that. The Devils are hot, winners of four of their last five games. The Avs are hot, winners of eight of their last nine. Ryan Smyth is expected to return to the lineup, and Paul Stastny, despite t | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 72: Avalanche 5, Oilers 1 | | 2008-03-14 09:01:35 | | photo courtesy of David Zalubowski/AP What a day. The Avalanche beat the Oilers 5-1 and every other team in the Northwest Division lost, with only Minnesota losing in overtime. The Avs now occupy first place with a two-point cushion and only ten games left to play. As a bonus, Colorado's two power play goals lifted their overall percentage to 13.8, just above St. Louis and no longer the worst in the NHL. Also worth noting, so far in the final 19 games of this season, Colorado is 8-1-0. A 7-1-2 finish will tie last year's amazing streak, only this time it will guarantee a playoff spot, if not the Northwest Division title outright. The game last night started slowly, but Jeff Finger lit the scoreboard first with help from Jaroslav Hlinka and Paul Stastny. The Avs went into the second period with a slim, one-goal lead, but the floodgates were opened and it was all over for the Oil. Four goals, scored by Hlinka (unassisted off a gorgeous steal), | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 72: Oilers At Avalanche, Preview And Open Thread | | 2008-03-13 13:24:31 | | The Avs are in good shape right now. Calgary lost last night, and so did Vancouver, which leaves Colorado in a tie for the top spot in the Northwest Division going into tonight's game against surprisingly resilient Edmonton. The Oilers have been pretty hot lately, and a win against the Avs would compliment their continued good fortunes. Luckily for the Avs, though, the Oilers seem to only win in overtime, which means a point in the standings for our boys and that would still help. As far as injuries go, Ryan Smyth and Ruslan Salei both participated in a "scaled-down practice" on Wednesday and appear to be ready and/or just about ready to return. Salei's eye is improving and Smyth's concussion symptoms are gone. Adam Foote and Peter Forsberg remain mysteries, though, since neither skated on Wednesday and the team has played its usual hall of mirrors injury report routine. Coach Q seemed optimistic about Foppa coming back, but his status has still | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 71: Avalanche 5, Thrashers 2 | | 2008-03-12 08:48:43 | | photo courtesy of Gregory Smith/AP Just like they should have, the Avalanche beat the Thrashers 5-2, gaining two incredibly valuable points and moving up into a two-way tie for the Northwest Conference lead. Fellow first place occupier Calgary has played two fewer games, but hopefully they'll hold true to late-season form and suck from now until April. Andrew Brunette, who Dater informs us has the nickname "Kitty" because he's a little less fast than a cat, scored two goals and seemed to click extremely well with rookie David Jones on a line with Joe Sakic. Jones scored his first goal of his NHL career and also had two assists, along with a team-leading five hits. I've said all season that Brunette is junk without Sakic, and his recent success when paired with the Avalanche captain seems to confirm that. The Jones-Sakic-Brunette line had eight points on the night. Obviously, they will never play together again. Also worth noting was the power play goal | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 71: Avalanche At Thrashers, Preview And Open Thread | | 2008-03-11 17:55:44 | | The Atlanta Thrashers suck. They're not a good hockey team. The Avalanche should have no trouble beating them tonight and gaining two points in the standings. Enough said. In injury news---since all my game previews are actually injury reports this season---Adam Foote is expected to return to the lineup, but fellow defensemen Ruslan Salei and Jordan Leopold will miss at least one game due to their respective injuries. Salei does not have a broken orbital bone and is predicted to return for Thursday's game, while Leoprone is showing symptoms of a minor concussion and may have to sit longer. I really feel sorry for him these days. The poor guy may never play a full season. Peter Forsberg is still out with a sore groin, but he skated in practice and is showing signs of improvement. Hopefully he just needs a little more rest and will be good to go on Thursday as well. The game starts at 5:00 PM Mountain time, 7:00 PM Eastern. I'm not sur | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 70: Stars 3, Avalanche 0 | | 2008-03-10 06:23:43 | | I would do a game recap if the Colorado Avalanche had actually played a hockey game yesterday. They didn't, so I won't. The real news is that the entire team is now injured. Peter Forsberg faked out everyone and hurt his groin instead of his ankle, or he hurt his ankle and the team is just lying about it. Or they've misdiagnosed it. Or he's just tired and needed to rest. One of those scenarios might be true. At any rate, he didn't play yesterday and there's no word on when he might return. Adam Foote's hip is still sore because he's an old man. It's reportedly a minor ailment and he could return soon. Or not. Steve Ott is a trap! First he leveled Jordan Leopold into the boards with a highly questionable hit, and Leoprone left the game with the wind knocked out of him. Then, Ruslan Salei tried to fight Ott in Leopold's defense, which is admirable, except that Salei can't fight and Ott may have broken his orbital bone in th | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 70: Avalanche At Stars, Preview And Open Thread | | 2008-03-09 15:40:00 | | The rematch. I bet the Stars are pretty pissed they blew that game last night. I bet they're going to try harder to win. I also bet that the Avs will be trying hard, too, because a win tonight (and a loss by Minnesota) would move Colorado to first place in the Northwest Division. I'm posting this kind of early, so I don't know for sure if Peter Forsberg, Adam Foote or Jose Theodore will be playing tonight. There was some question about whether Foppa could handle back-to-back games on his vulnerable ankle, and while Foote is not seriously hurt, his hip could probably use some more rest. They're both effectively day-to-day. Coach Q has a tendency to play his goalies in games on back-to-back days, but hopefully he'll have the sense not to wear out Jose Theodore with so many games left to play. And Peter Budaj could use a refresher course. I'll update later when more is known. UPDATE: Forsberg is out with a groin injury, according to ESPN. | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 69: Stars At Avalanche, Preview And Open Thread | | 2008-03-08 11:01:20 | | The Colorado Avalanche is still in the playoff picture with just 14 games left to play, and has won five games straight. But, this new, improved version of the Avs sure has its work cut out for it. Today they face the steamrolling Dallas Stars, the best team in the Pacific Division and arguably the Western Conference. Detroit has a better record, but Dallas is deeper and hasn't endured a long slump this season. They've lost the past two games, but it's barely a blip on their radar. The Avs need just ten more wins to duplicate their 15-2-2 run of last season, having started this year's final 19 games with a 5-0-0 record. Can they keep it up? And can Peter Forsberg finally get on the scoreboard? The game starts at 1:00 PM Mountain time, 3:00 PM Eastern. Jose Theodore will be in net, and everyone should be praying for the poor kittens. ESPN preview. | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 68: Avalanche 1, Ducks 0 | | 2008-03-07 07:33:08 | | photo courtesy of David Zalubowski/AP What is it about the last 19 games of the season that the post-Lockout Avalanche like so much? So far, the Avs are 5-0-0 in the last 19 this season, and only need eight more wins to reach that magical 94-point plateau that should mean a spot in the playoffs. After last night's 1-0 shutout of Anaheim, the Avs' fifth win in a row, it seems likely (instead of just possible) that the Colorado Avalanche will be playing hockey in April. In a game punctuated by big saves instead of big goals, Wojtek Wolski was the lone scorer, beating Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller top shelf with a superb one-timer. Andrew Brunette and Paul Stastny were credited with assists. Hopefully Wolski is on his way out of Coach Q's doghouse, and hopefully this kind of effort from him continues. Still no points for Peter Forsberg, but once again his line (with Sakic and Hejduk) was dangerous the entire game and got a few good chances. His points will come. | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 68: Ducks At Avalanche, Preview And Open Thread | | 2008-03-06 14:30:03 | | It's tough to play in the Northwest Division. The top four teams, Minnesota, Calgary, Colorado and Vancouver are all within five points of each other, and there is still a possibility that all four could make the playoffs. But the Northwest isn't the most intimidating division in the NHL. That honor goes to the Pacific. The Anaheim Ducks, the defending Stanley Cup champions, come into the Pepsi Center tonight in third place in the Pacific Division. That's third place having won eight games of their last ten. That's third place with 83 points, seven more than the Avalanche, who are in third place in the Northwest. Though the Ducks don't score goals like Detroit or Dallas, their offense has gotten a burst of energy from the return of Teemu Selanne, and they've only lost once with him back in the lineup. They play an extremely physical game, by far the most penalized team in the NHL, with 1315 total penalty minutes---even ahead of the Br | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 67: Avalanche 2, Canucks 1 | | 2008-03-05 08:03:45 | | photo courtesy of David Zalubowski/AP The Avs absolutely had to win last night against the Canucks, and they did. It wasn't flashy or all that impressive of a win, but it meant two points in the standings for Colorado and none for Vancouver, who now slips down to ninth in the Western Conference and out of the playoffs. The Avs moved up to seventh. The big story of the night was Peter Forsberg's return, but it was two younger players who stole the show. The game got off to a relatively slow start, with Tyler Arnason predictably losing the opening faceoff and then both sides exchanging a few chances here and there. Both goalies looked sharp from the beginning, and it was clear that a high score wasn't in the cards. At the 9:12 mark, Wojtek Wolski broke free in the Canucks zone and shot a laser pass to Paul Stastny, who wristed a shot top shelf past Luongo to give the Avs an early lead. The near-sellout crowd erupted in a way I haven't heard in a long t | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 67: Kings At Avalanche, Preview And Open Thread | | 2008-03-04 14:44:46 | | Good lord this game is important. First of all, the Canucks and the Avalanche are tied at 74 points, with Vancouver's superior win percentage giving them seventh place in the Western Conference and Colorado, eighth. Nashville, still stuck just outside the bubble, also has 74 points and faces Edmonton tonight---so it's critical that the Avs win. Second of all, tonight Peter Forsberg will make his triumphant return to the Pepsi Center once again wearing the Burgundy and Blue (only in a more ugly, aprony form). How much ice time he'll see and on which lines is yet to be determined, but it doesn't really matter. The Can is going to be crazy the second he hits the ice. Said Ian Laperriere upon learning that Foppa will be on the bench tonight: "He's playing? It's great news. It's Christmas again." To all the MHH members who will be at the game, know that I am jealous beyond description and I hate all of you. In a good way. The third reason this is a huge game | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 66: Avalanche 5, Kings 2 | | 2008-03-02 08:40:03 | | The Colorado Avalanche just can't win for winning. Despite Adam Foote's debut on home ice (to a hero's reception) and the Avs' complete demolishing of the worst team in the NHL, it was a bittersweet night as both Ryan Smyth and Marek Svatos left the ice under assistance. Smyth's assistance was a stretcher. Late in the second period, after scoring two goals, Smyth was checked hard into the edge of the glass next to the team bench, hitting his shoulder and head and then falling hard to the ice. Kings young d-man Jack Johnson was the culprit, but the check was clean if poorly timed. Smyth lay on the ice while being treated by the Avs' medical staff and then was taken by sled to the locker room. According to reports, however, Smyth left for the hospital under his own power and was both walking and talking. More news on his condition should be released today. Hopefully he's fine and will return soon. Marek Svatos hurt his knee while assisting Ruslan | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 66: Kings At Avalanche, Preview And Open Thread | | 2008-03-01 15:46:35 | | Peter Forsberg will not be in the lineup tonight for the Avalanche, so there's really not that much to talk about. The Avs got a serious personnel upgrade when Adam Foote and Ruslan Salei joined the defensive squad. They've won both games they've played since Foote's return, but not in regulation. The Kings are the worst team in the entire NHL. The Avalanche should have two primary goals tonight: win in regulation and win big. The game starts at 6:00 PM Mountain time, 8:00 PM Eastern. I have no idea if I'll be present for the game, but please, don't let that stop you from threading away. ESPN preview. | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 65: Avalanche 3, Canucks 2 (SO) | | 2008-02-28 08:03:21 | | It seems as though the Colorado Avalanche think a hockey game is naturally 65 minutes long instead of 60, because they've been playing for overtime pretty consistently. The good news is that they've been winning in overtime (and the shootout), but the bad news is they're giving their opponents a point each time. But whatev. A win is a win and every two points is precious. Last night, all seemed lost. Or, I should say, all sounded lost, because I was stuck listening to a delayed radio feed and couldn't actually watch the game. Some genius in Toronto decided that the NHL Network counts as a national television station and therefore the Center Ice feed (both TV and online) was blacked out. The NHL Network is available in less than 10 million homes across the U.S. To understand how pathetic that is, consider that there are more than 7 million households in the New York City television market alone. But I digress. Last night, all seemed lo | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 65: Avalanche At Canucks, Preview And Open Thread | | 2008-02-27 15:05:37 | | Wow. It's been a busy week. Forsberg got signed, Foote got traded for, Skrastins got shipped off to the suckers in Florida (when have the Avs ever not gotten the best of the Panthers?), and I somehow got into a silly pissing contest with an angry talk radio host. I should take a vacation. The Avs should take one, too. Tonight is the final game in a five-stop road trip that began last week. The Avs beat Calgary in overtime last night, but it's even more important that they beat the Canucks in regulation tonight. The Canucks are just two points ahead of them in the Northwest standings and also in the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Losing tonight is not an option. If I've been wrong before, I'm not wrong now when I say that this is a must-win game. Newly acquired d-man Ruslan Salei is present and accounted for and ready to join the team against the Bad Luck 'Nucks. Though I don't know for sure, I'd assume that Kyle C | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Porsche Gemballa Avalanche GTR 800 EVO-R | | 2008-02-27 09:27:53 | | In series, the Porsche Turbo engine works with 480 HP. The German Tuner „Gemballa “increases this achievement with the Porsche 997 to 800 HP! The Porsche achieves optimized aerodynamics with a kit 100 km/h after only 3.5 seconds. The maximum speed lies over 330 km/h. Which however probably makes at most fun, Kraft are of nearly 1000 Newtonmeters. Even of further dream cars you find further impressions under www.gemballa.com. | | By: Pipsnet Technology | | |
| | Game 64: Avalanche 3, Flames 2 (OT) | | 2008-02-27 08:02:37 | | Am I being set up for disappointment? After last night's come-from-behind victory over the Calgary Flames in overtime, I worry that the Colorado Avalanche are just building me up to be let down in the end. But one thing is for sure, if the Avs play with as much heart and fire in every remaining game of this season that they did last night, things are going to be okay. Colorado got off to a great start, totally dominating the ice for the first five minutes of the game, during which Ryan Smyth scored his first goal since returning from injury to give his team a 1-0 lead. Unfortunately, the momentum shifted around the ten minute mark and the Flame-Outs started to take over. The Avs had trouble clearing it out of their zone, despite the arrival of newly-acquired but not new-to-the-team Adam Foote. The Flames tied it up around the 15 minute mark and the period ended 1-1. The second period was more of the same, with Calgary periodically taking over and makin | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 64: Avalanche At Calgary, Preview And Open Thread | | 2008-02-26 17:57:16 | | Hoo boy. What a day. The trade deadline has passed and the Avalanche are now the proud owners of Peter Forsberg, Adam Foote and Ruslan Salei. They are minus one Karlis Skrastins, definitely a third round pick in 2008, and maybe a first round and a fourth round pick as well. Only time (and Adam Foote) will tell on those. I'm excited about the Skrastins trade because I was never excited about Skrastins. I don't know much about Ruslan Salei's exploits with the Panthers (seriously, the Panthers are still a team?) but I've heard good things, and everyone seems to agree that he's an improvement over Skratch. I'll gladly take that. Forsberg, well, I'm glad he's back like I'm glad when my sick grandfather gets out of the hospital. It's good to see him again but there's a nagging feeling that he won't be around for very long. At least Foppa will only cost the Avs around $1 million and some pride if he goes down for good. Footer, on the other | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 63: Oilers 3, Avalanche 2 | | 2008-02-25 08:04:10 | | It seems as though we'll just have to get used to the Avalanche blowing leads for no reason. Despite the growing pile of evidence that it's a horrible strategy, the team insists on giving up all offensive effort once a one- or two-goal lead is established. Once again, it failed to produce a win and the Oilers scored three unanswered goals to win 3-2 in Edmonton. Is there any other team in the league with less heart than the Colorado Avalanche? Captain Joe Sakic's return from injury seemed to spark the Avs immediately, but the effect was short-lived. Oilers-killer Tyler Arnason scored super early in the first period and Ben Guite followed at the halfway mark (assisted by new linemate Sakic), but the Avs quit playing in the second period and were out-shot 8-3. I'll just let Adrian Dater's recap paint the picture: After skating to a fast 2-0 lead, the Avs apparently thought that would be enough against the Oilers and had the play taken to them much o | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 63: Avalanche At Oilers, Preview And Open Thread | | 2008-02-24 16:35:51 | | One would think that the Avalanche would have no problem beating the weaker Oilers tonight. The Avs are still on the road, where they've played fairly well as of late (compared to their last few home games, which were atrocious), and the Paul Stastny is back in the lineup and scoring again (1g against Phoenix on Friday). But this is the Colorado Avalanche we're talking about, and anything goes. They're just as likely to lose 2-1 as they are to win 6-3. Regardless, there are just 19 games left to play after tonight, and every match up, especially against division rivals, is critical. Jose Theodore will be in goal again. Joe Sakic has a very small 50/50 chance of playing tonight, but it's more likely that we'll see his he could return in the next Avs game on Tuesday against Calgary. I'm unsure if Jeff Finger will be back after missing one game with an apparent hand injury. Let's hope. The game starts at 6:00 PM Mountain time, 8:00 PM Eastern. ESP | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 62: Avalanche 3, Coyotes 2 (SO) | | 2008-02-23 06:27:59 | | photo courtesy of Roy Dabner/AP Is it possible to criticize the shootout for being too individualistic when it goes twelve rounds and involves more than half of each team's lineup? The Colorado Avalanche beat the Phoenix Coyotes 3-2 in a shootout after blowing a one-goal lead with just two seconds left in the third period. They got pretty lucky, considering how well Coyotes backup goalie Mikeal Tellqvist played the entire game, and how much pressure his team was able to apply throughout the third period. But the Avs won on the back of their own netminder Jose Theodore, who had a superb game overall. The game was scoreless half-way through the first period when Scott Parker got called for tripping, which is pretty much all he did in the game. Just a minute later, Karlis Skrastins completely lost his mind and grabbed Joel Perrault's stick like he'd never played hockey before and got called for it. The subsequent 5-on-3 lasted all of ten seconds, when St | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 62: Avalanche At Coyotes, Preview And Open Thread | | 2008-02-22 12:00:43 | | There are a few teams in the NHL that the Colorado Avalanche just can't seem to beat anymore. One is Detroit. Another is Anaheim. And, surprising enough, one is the Phoenix Coyotes. The Avs are 0-1-2 against the 'Yotes this season, and tonight's final matchup is inarguably the most important---the teams are tied with 66 points and share the ninth spot in the Western Conference. Ilya Bryzgalov has anchored Wayne Gretzky's merry band of rookies and cast-offs, who could make the playoffs for the first time since 2002. Beating the Avs tonight would certainly help their cause. The Avs, on the other hand, are looking to extend their five-game losing streak in hopes of missing the playoffs for the second straight season. Paul Stastny, who will likely return to the lineup for the first time since his appendix (and then his groin) betrayed him just before the All Star break, will look to emulate his new teammate Ryan Smyth, who has been totally inv | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 61: Ducks 3, Avalanche 2 (SO) | | 2008-02-21 07:48:03 | | Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit amphetamines. "S-O-L" means a lot more than just "Shoot Out Loss" to the Colorado Avalanche these days. It also means shit out of luck, which is what they're going to be if they don't get their crap together and start winning games again. The playoffs, I'm sad to say, are becoming a distant memory to this franchise. Last night, the Avalanche once again snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, giving up a 1-goal lead in the third period and losing 3-2 to the Anaheim Ducks in a shootout. Though it was the fifth straight loss for the Avs, at least this time they salvaged a point out of it. That's something. I'm not even sure it's worth mentioning again that trying to hold a one-goal lead by abandoning the offensive attack is a horrible strategy that almost never works. How many leads do the Avs have to blow? How many close games do they have to lose in the third period or in overtime for them to get the m | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 61: Avalanche At Ducks, Preview And Open Thread | | 2008-02-20 12:27:35 | | In Isaac Asimov's Foundation series of novels, a vast, galaxy-spanning empire begins to fall apart. At first it's barely even noticeable. Only a few futurist mathematicians (called psychohistorians) even notice the tiny scraps of evidence that indicate something is wrong. The empire itself doesn't notice, not until the conflicts on its borders become more than just mildly bothersome and whole star systems begin to fall out of control. Recognizing that the entropy is too big to prevent, a man named Hari Seldon and his followers set off to a distant, isolated corner of the galaxy to establish what effectively amounts to a giant backup disk---a "Foundation" that will maintain the legacy of the original empire after the inevitable collapse is complete. Just as predicted the empire eventually dies and the long process of rebuilding must begin. The Avalanche franchise is that empire, fraying and falling apart at the seems, unable to adjust to the changes ar | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 60: Red Wings 4, Avalanche 0 | | 2008-02-19 07:39:21 | | For a second I wondered if Ian Laperriere's crushing hit on Nicklas Lidstrom (and Lidstrom's subsequent exit due to injury) would spark the waning rivalry between the Avalanche and the Red Wings. But then I realized that you can't have a rivalry if one team never beats the other. After losing 4-0 last night, the Avs finished this season's series against Detroit with the same score: 4-0. Zero wins against a team they used to frustrate and infuriate on a regular basis just a few years ago. The game last night was a sad, sorry affair, much like the season as a whole has started to become. The Red Wings went up 2-0 on two fairly lucky bounces and shots in the first period, but the Avs at least tied them for shots and seemed at least partially interested in playing hockey. After the first, though, it was all downhill. All the life drained out of the team and they coasted through the rest of regulation barely making an impact at all. They were outsh | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 60: Red Wings At Avalanche, Preview And Open Thread | | 2008-02-18 12:15:16 | | Well, the good news for the Detroit Red Wings is that they should have no trouble ending their six-game losing streak tonight against the Avalanche. They're no doubt crazy motivated to win right now, playing against an old rival and struggling to regain the momentum that has carried them through the season up until just recently. Of course, six straight losses means they still only have 15 for the whole season, but you know they're tired of seeing that "L" in the box scores. The Avs, on the other hand, are starting to embrace the L. Or, I should say, "Commit To The L." No team looks more committed to losing right now than Colorado, with the exception of the Flyers, of course. Funny that those two teams are supposed to be the top two choices of Peter Forsberg, who is now rumored to be interested in playing for Minnesota. If his ankle doesn't explode (it will), his superb two-way play would fit right in with the Wild's defense-first system. | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 59: Blackhawks 2, Avalanche 1 | | 2008-02-18 08:23:39 | | Okay, we get it, you won. Knock it off already. Sad. That's all I have to say about the Avalanche. If you want a full recap, check out the AP or ITCS. I can't bring myself to do one of my own. UPDATE: Dater's recap at the Post is pretty good, and addresses what most of us here have already noticed before about the Avs' defense. Skrastins, this time, fully withstanding: "We didn't handle the puck a lot." When they did, Quenneville said, "we made some direct passes from our stick to their stick, with not a lot of pressure." Quenneville was probably thinking of Karlis Skrastins' umpteenth giveaway of the kind he made Sunday on the game-winning goal. Skrastins had the puck with time during a Blackhawks flurry, but instead of a safe clearout or pass to a teammate, he put it right back to the Blackhawks at the point. A few seconds later, the puck was behind Avs goalie Jose Theodore, after Martin Havlat shot it into the right side of the net to make i | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 58: Blues 4, Avalanche 1 | | 2008-02-15 07:44:52 | | It appears that Manny Legace's Avalanche mind control powers are back in full effect. 40 shots, 39 stops. That's ridiculous. At least Peter Budaj played very well in relief of Jose Theodore, something he failed to do last time he was brought in to replace the starter. I trust Theodore can shake off this one bad night and be ready to go against Chicago (who've outscored their last two opponents 13-3) on Sunday. If he can't, he's a baby. I'm not even going to waste my time talking about the rest of the players or the game in general. The quicker this pants-crapping is a memory, the better. | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 58: Blues At Avalanche, Preview And Open Thread | | 2008-02-14 13:46:22 | | Man, Mile High Hockey's been on post overload all day. Good lord, I must be bored. Anyway, let's do this. The St. Louis Blues have been sucking something awful lately, even if you include the win against Los Angeles the other day. All that momentum they had at the start of the year is gone, pretty much. Now they're just running on fumes and Paul Kariya's nightmares about Scott Stevens. You know he still thinks about it all the time. Ouch. The Avalanche, on the other hand, are running on prescription pain killers, which might explain why they tend to fall asleep halfway through the second period of almost every game they play. The whole team is hurt and full of Vicodin. I'm excited about Ryan Smyth returning to the lineup tonight after a six week absence due to a broken ankle, but not because I want to see him play or think he'll contribute to the team. I'm excited to see what new injury he'll no doubt suffer tonight. Skrastins not w | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Global avalanche hits Tel Aviv | | 2008-01-24 01:58:00 | | The Tel Aviv Real Estate 15 Index lost a further 1.23% today, a decline which now leaves it 40% adrift of the high it reached in May 2007. Much has been written about this sector in the past year but as the new year begins, the performance by real estate stocks can be summed up in one word - a bubble. This, however, does not contradict the fact that the current slump in share prices in this sector will probably create quite a few buying opportunities in the future. But that is how it works on the market.
| | By: Israel real estate | | |
| | Game 46: Avalanche 3, Lightning 0 | | 2008-01-16 10:48:37 | | And just like that, the Colorado Avalanche have won three games in a row, all on the road. Sure, those three wins came against lackluster Southeast Division teams, but three wins is six points, and the Avs will take every one of them. Getting a shutout last night probably couldn't have come at a better time for a number of reasons. Let me name them: If it's true that the Avs are indeed shopping Jose Theodore around by playing him in every single game on the road, his three consecutive wins and shutout last night were perfectly timed. Nobody needs a goalie as bad as the Tampa Bay Lightning, and Theo made a great case why he could be both a source of solidity in net as well as a bit of salary cap relief if traded for. What better place to send him than Tampa if it meant somebody like Vincent Lecavalier came the other way? Just a thought... No other Northwest Division team won last night. Vancouver lost to Columbus. Calgary lost to Nashville. Edmonton lost to Los Angeles. Minnesota didn't play. Just like that, the Avs are now right back into contention in the division, in third place just one point behind the co-leading Canucks and Wild. Theodore's shutout (his first in four seasons and the team's first of the year) is further testament that playing just one goalie---any goalie---on a consistent basis is better than constantly rotating them. Despite getting off to a slow start with a boring first period (minus the first two minutes that saw both Lappy and Cody McLeod get in fights), the Avs turned up the heat in the second by scoring two power play goals. Holy shit! That's right, TWO power play goals. First Jeff Finger scored from the point, then Paul Stastny added his own tally a while later. No other goals were scored until late in the third period when Milan Hejduk found the back of the empty Lightning net and sealed the deal. No that the | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 46: Avalanche At Lightning, Preview And Open Thread | | 2008-01-15 13:20:11 | | The Avalanche finish their tour of the Southeast Division (and their five-game road trip) tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning, despite boasting league-leading scorer Vincent Lecavalier, are the second-worst team in the league behind Los Angeles. The Lightning only really have one scoring line (Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, Vaclav Prospal), so all Coach Q really has to do is set McCormick, Lappy and Ben Guite on them the whole game and shut them down. If they fail, it's only Jose Theodore between the Lightning's big boys and the goal line, and his impending meltdown could happen at any moment. Let's hope it doesn't. After all, Theodore's fragile hold on the starting position could be gone in an instant, and we certainly wouldn't want that to happen. Poor Peter Budaj would have to shake the cobwebs off and somehow instantly win five games in a row if he ever wants to get consistent playing time again. Coach Q hates him, apparently. The game starts tonight at 5:30 PM Mountain time, 7:30 PM Eastern. Happy open threading to all! ESPN preview. | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 45: Avalanche 4, Panthers 3 (SO) | | 2008-01-14 07:59:30 | | photo courtesy of Luis Alvarez/AP Despite blowing a one-goal lead three times, once in each period, the Colorado Avalanche still managed to win 4-3 against the Florida Panthers, but it took a heroic shootout goal by Milan Hejduk to seal the deal. Back-to-back road wins have never felt this good. With just one more game to play in a five-game road trip, the Avs are now 2-2. The offense is once again showing some life, with Andrew Brunette finally taking control in the absence of Joe Sakic as a leader of the team. He scored two goals. Marek Svatos added another highlight to his phenomenal road trip performance by scoring in the second period on the power play. No kidding. Svatos now has 20 goals on the season and seven in his last six games. The defense is also finally starting to contribute to the offense, with Jordan Leopold, John-Michael Liles and Jeff Finger all adding assists. Despite allowing tying goals three times in the game, Jose Theodore still didn't suck at all, making 30 total saves and proving once again that he's one of the very best goalies in the league when it comes to shootouts. He's nearly impossible to beat. And his solid performance suggests that we'll be seeing him in goal for at least a few more games---until his eventual meltdown, of course. Noteworthy from the game last night was the scrappy first period. Cody McLeod and Nathan Horton went at it after just 49 seconds had elapsed, resulting in double minors for roughing for both. At 10:47, Ian Laperriere tangled with Steve Montador. By tangled I mean actually tangled, because the two pretty much just bear-hugged each other and then fell to the ice. Yawn. Then, two minutes later, Brett Clark put his stick in the face of Olli Jokinen but the refs failed to call a penalty. Understandably angry, Jokinen went after Clark and the two tussled but pretty much just fell down like the earlier Lappy/Montador s | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 45: Avalanche At Panthers, Preview And Open Thread | | 2008-01-13 13:49:08 | | Honestly, why do the Florida Panthers even exist? Why does most of the Southeast Division even exist? Regardless of the reason, the Avalanche fly into Florida today to face the struggling Panthers, a day after beating the struggling Hurricanes with a dramatic third period comeback led by new team hero Marek Svatos. Svatos' rise couldn't have come at a better time. The Avalanche continue to make adjustments on their offensive lines due to the injuries of Ryan Smyth and Joe Sakic. It's gotten so weird that rookie power forward Cody McLeod has been seen on the top line---Dater even wrote a quick blurb about it. Goal scoring has been way down, but last night against the Hurricanes everything came together for them. Stastny and Hejduk scored for the first time in what feels like forever. Tyler Arnason had two assists. Jose Theodore actually won a game. Will last night's success be short-lived? The team rarely plays well on the road and this game, back-to-back with last night's, is the fourth in a five-game road trip. Surely the team is feeling the wear and tear. A win tonight would go far in getting the Avs back in contention for the Northwest Division lead, especially since all four other rival teams are playing tonight, including the latest installment in the Battle Of Alberta (Calgary vs Edmonton for you newbies). The Avs must win! Game starts early today, 3:00 PM Mountain time, 5:00 PM Eastern. I hope to see everyone here for the thread. ESPN prevew. | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 44: Avalanche 5, Hurricanes 4 | | 2008-01-13 05:53:19 | | photo courtesy of Karl DeBlaker/AP Marek Svatos, for lack of a better term, is on freakin' fire. He has finally started living up to his nickname "The Svats Machine," scoring six goals in his last five games (nine in his last ten), including two last night that led the Colorado Avalanche to win 5-4 over the Carolina Hurricanes. Down 4-2 at the start of the third period, Svatos capped a brilliant late-game charge by scoring twice in the last seven minutes of the game. Cody McLeod scored early in the final frame to begin the comeback. Jose Theodore didn't have nearly as good a game in net as his last few, but, as it was pointed out in the game thread, maybe he realized that the Avs just don't win games in which he only allows one or two goals. And, despite allowing four goals, he still stopped thirty shots. No telling when his next complete meltdown will be, but for now it's good to see him get a win. Also noteworthy from the game last night, Paul Stastny scored a goal and an assist, and linemate Milan Hejduk netted one, too. Tyler Arnason's two assists were both on Svatos goals in the third period, so maybe Coach Q will leave a line combination alone for a while and let those guys play together more often. One more interesting point to note, Scott Parker actually got to play, but he spent more time in the penalty box than on the ice. His 2:57 was spent hunting down and fighting Hurricanes rookie Tim Conboy, an aspiring enforcer who actually held his own against The Sheriff. Three on the ice, five in the box---just a regular work day for Parker. The Avalanche continue their ongoing road trip by facing the Florida Panthers this afternoon in Miami, another dreadful Southeast Conference team. It's really amazing to compare the competitiveness and success of the Avs' Northwest (four teams with 49 points or more) to the lousiness of the Southeast (no teams with 49 points or more). Hopefully Colorado can ke | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 44: Avalanche At Hurricanes, Preview And Open Thread | | 2008-01-12 16:43:01 | | Well, the Avalanche take on another defenseless Southeast Division team tonight. This time it's the Carolina Hurricanes, who are allowing an average of 3.3 goals per game and suck on the penalty kill. That's all well and good, but Colorado just lost to the Capitals (only scoring one goal against them), and Washington is not exactly a defensive powerhouse either. I'll save all the bitching and moaning I could write here, and instead just say that the gap from first place in the Northwest Division to the Avalanche isn't getting any smaller. Now there's a three-way tie for first among Calgary, Vancouver and Minnesota. The Avs are five points back and Edmonton is winning games again. If things don't turn around and the offense doesn't get their shit together, this season is as good as done. Last year the Avs waited until game 65 to really get rolling---and it wasn't enough. This year they can't wait past game 45. Let's get some goals! Game starts at 5:00 PM Mountain time, 7:00 PM Eastern. I won't be around. Please keep the thread rolling along and I'll do my best to join in at some point. Go Avs! ESPN preview. | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 43: Capitals 2, Avalanche 1 | | 2008-01-10 07:47:59 | | When the defense is playing relatively well, Jose Theodore is playing capably and the only source of offense is Marek Svatos, you know something is seriously wrong with the Avalanche. Last night's 2-1 loss to the Washington Capitals makes this all the more evident. Now, bear with me as I share some of my thoughts on the team and how they now exemplify a much larger trend. I have always believed that the reason goal-scoring has been much lower in the NHL starting in the mid-90s was due to league expansion. As the number of teams increased, the number of star players per team decreased, spread thin across a greater number of clubs. Forced to fill roster positions with lesser players, coaches shifted to a defense-first mindset. You can't teach everybody how to score like Ilya Kovalchuk or how to pass like Joe Thornton, but you can teach them how to hit like Dion Phadouche and how to obstruct, clutch and grab like the entire Minnesota Wild. That stuff's easy. | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
| | Game 40: Coyotes At Avalanche, Preview And Open Thread | | 2008-01-02 12:18:54 | | After a disappointing loss to the Phoenix Coyotes in a shootout on Monday night, the Avalanche will face them again tonight, this time at home in Denver at the Pepsi Center. One of the highlights of Monday's debacle was the continuing success of call-up Cody McLeod (pronounced "McCloud"), who scored his second career goal after tallying one against Detroit last week. He's got two goals in six games, a similar goal-scoring pace to Marek Svatos, Wojtek Wolski and Ryan Smyth. Mike Chambers wrote a nice piece about McLeod in today's Post, in fact. But let me be completely honest here. On a team with guys like Paul Stastny, Milan Hejduk, Ryan Smyth and Wojtek Wolski, there is absolutely no reason a player like Cody McLeod should be getting any ink at all. No offense to him, because his gritty, physical play (see also: Ben Guite, Ian Laperriere, Cody McCormick) is a huge asset to the team. But the fact that he's scored a couple of goals in six games sh | | By: Mile High Hockey | | |
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