SB Nation - Craig Anderson

Game 38 Recap: Avalanche 4 - Wild 3

David Driscoll-Carignan — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 04:28:14 -0000

1 day ago: Colorado Avalanche's Kyle Quincey, right, keeps Minnesota Wild's Antti Miettinen, center, of Finland, away from the net and goalie Craig Anderson during the first period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Dec. 21, 2009, in St. Paul. Minn. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

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Final - 12.21.2009	1	2	3	Total
Colorado Avalanche	1	3	0	4
Minnesota Wild	0	1	2	3

Complete Coverage >

(It really shouldn't have been this close, but by popular request, I'll be in shiny, happy mode for this recap).

The Avalanche showed they belong at the top of the standings as they held off a talented Wild team in a big 4-3 win in Minnesota. The Avs beat the Wild for the first time this year (after, you know, losing 4 games to a couple of really bad breaks and stuff) and guaranteed that they'll spend Christmas atop the NW division. They actually would have had a shot at first overall in the Western Conference, but the Sharks win over Dallas put the kibosh on that.

Even going all Altitude for this one, I can't say the Avalanche exactly came out flying in this one. In fact, I think both teams kind of looked like they were breaking in new equipment or something. Both teams had a, well, less-than-inspiring powerplay opportunity in the first. The Avs got a second opportunity late in the period when Owen Nolan dropped the gloves to challenge Kyle Quincey (after he put he put a legal hit on Antti Miettinen, shown above) and landed his grizzly ass in the box. The Avs didn't quite score on that PP, but did get the puck in just after the penalty expired with Matt Duchene banging home the rebound for his 23rd point of the year.

Chris Stewart made it 2-0 early in the 2nd period when his smoldering one-timer (set up by a slick pass by Paul Stastny) blew past Nik Backstrom into the top, far corner. On the replay, it looked like the Avs may have caught a break on that play, as it looked like Stastny clipped a Minnesota player with his stick on the play, but I called Curtis Glencross for his opinion after the game and he said that clearly the Wild player was diving.

Milan Hejduk made it 3-0 midway through the 2nd. He and T.J. Galiardi busted out on a breakaway. Hejduk, with the puck, wanted to pass but didn't have a lane so he wristed a beaut above Backstrom's blocker. Pretty, pretty play.

The Avs got a bit sloppy with that 3-goal lead...er, I mean they got a tough break. You know, the tough break like when you're on the powerplay and give up a 3-1 break to the other team and that team scores a shorthanded goal? Yeah, that kind of tough break. That goal was scored by Carl Clutterbuck who is really damn annoying.

The Avalanche returned the shorthanded favor not long after, when the Wild delivered an early Christmas present. Matt Hendricks and Cody McLeod grabbed the puck in the neutral zone and dumped the puck into the Wild zone...and then watched wide-eyed as every Minnesota player left the ice for a line change. That left the two on a 2-on-0 break. Those aren't the two most gifted scorers in the league, but even those guys can convert on a 2-on-0. Hendricks ended up with the goal after some fancy give and go passing. It was a crazy goal, especially as it would turn out to be the game winner.

As you all know, Owen Nolan is contractually obligated to score a goal every time he faces the Avalanche. I didn't have our team of fact-checkers research that, but I'm going to assume it's true. That dude always seems to score on us. Sure enough, he scored at the 11:37 mark of the 3rd. That goal was notable because it made it 4-2, but also because it was John-Michael Liles' final shift of the game. (Message or just a change to a more defensive focus?)

The Avalanche got another one of them bad breaks two minutes later when Martin Havlat found himself all alone behind Avalanche defensemen Brett Clark and Ryan Wilson and beat Craig Anderson for a deflating goal. This was Brett Clark's final shift of the game as well, his second straight shift that ended in a goal against, but at least he was in the picture when the goal was scored. Wilson was still at the red line, coasting back after getting caught pinching deep in a 4-2 hockey game.

But we're not being negative. Clearly, that was just a bad break, and the Avs were in control the rest of the way. Craig Anderson made some big stops and Duchene and Ryan O'Reilly had some big defensive shifts (not sure if Duchene's sliding save to block a puck headed for an open net made the highlight reel, but it was a big play). It wasn't as pretty as it could have been (and there was a couple of ugly boarding plays by the Wild including one where Derek Boogaard forced Kyle Quincey's head into the boards, knocking Quincey out of the game for a few shifts), but it was a win.

One thing that is pretty? All that facial hair the Avs are sporting right now. Not sure what the occasion is, but I dig it. Especially Chris Durno, whose beard gave him an odd resemblance to Peter Forsberg (from the waste up, I presume).

Game 37 Preview: Blue Jackets at Avalanche

David Driscoll-Carignan — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 16:10:30 -0000


Columbus Blue Jackets	7 MT / 9 ET / 2 GMT	Colorado Avalanche
14-14-7	December 19th, 2009	19-11-6
35 pts	Pepsi Center	44 pts
12th in West	Denver, CO	7th in West

If you have a riff with people wanna bust,
Break out before you get bumrushed at the (Wild Wild West)
When I roll into the (Wild Wild West)
When I stroll into the (Wild Wild West)
When I bounce into the (Wild Wild West)

Will Smith, Wild Wild West

Welcome to the wild, wild west where the Avalanche have slipped from 2nd to 7th in the span of just 6 days. That's the kind of crazy stuff that happens in a division where 1st and last are separated by just 14 poits. A win tonight could move them back in 3rd (and atop the NW division). Then again, they could also win and stay right where they are. Losing is not really an option, as the Red Wings and Canucks are just 3 and 4 points behind the Avs going into tonight's games.

The Blue Jackets are a struggling team right now, with a dismal 2-8-5 record in the past 15 games (one of those 8 losses is to the Avs). Steve Mason will get the call for the BJs. Derek Dorsett and Rotislav Klesla are on IR (if I recall correctly, both players missed the previous Avalanche - Blue Jacket matchup.

The Avalanche laid an egg on Wednesday, a game notable mostly for David Koci's non-suspension-worthy boarding penalty on Mike Green and John-Michael Liles' 3rd period benching. Hopefully, the Avalanche will get a boost from the return of Milan Hejduk, who has missed the last two games with a lingering knee injury. I hope the rest has done him some good, as he hasn't looked all that sharp lately and has just 1 point (a goal) and just 8 shots in his last 6 games. Marek Svatos will not play (according to Dater) and Brandon Yip is expected to make his NHL debut (he'll be wearing #59). Craig Anderson will get the start. No shock there; Peter Budaj has gotten just two starts while Anderson has been healthy.

Today in Colorado Avalanche History: December 19th, 2007. Cody McLeod makes his NHL debut against the Anaheim Ducks. He was here to stay - he's missed just 9 regular season games since his debut (all due to injury, I believe).

Blue Jackets vs Avalanche coverage

Blue Jackets vs Avalanche preview

The Cannon

Surprise, Surpise, Surprise

David Driscoll-Carignan — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:00:24 -0000

I love surprises. And the Avalanche have been chock full of them this year. Some are obvious (Joe covered one yesterday), but I think the sheer number of unexpected improvements from a lot of the same guys who "participated" in last year's mail-in season makes it possible that a few of the surprises fall through the cracks. In light of that, and since we've got an extra off-day to fill, I thought I'd look at surprise improvements from Avalanche players, in order from least to most surprising.

Craig Anderson

Anderson has been rock solid, although I'm not sure he's really taken any of us by surprise statistically. He does appear to have that starting goalie swagger that no Avalanche goalie other than Patrick Roy has possessed, and that part isn't something everyone saw coming. But his stats - 2.68 GAA and .916 Save Percentage are right on par with his career numbers (2.82 / .912). I would say that's right in line with what we expected.

Chris Stewart

With 21 points in 31 games, he's already topped his career high 19 in 53 games last year. His PPG rate has almost doubled from .36 to .68. Not a complete shock, of course, because we've all seen that he has a belt full of NHL tools at his disposal. The question has always been whether or not he had the desire to use them, and that was certainly in question earlier in the season when Stewart was briefly demoted. As Joe pointed out yesterday, he has come on strong lately.

David Jones

Yes, his season is all but over. But before wrecking his ACL in a freak collision, Jones had already set a career high for goals, points and set a record for most predictable nickname. I placed him a bit higher than Stewart on the DDC Surprise O Meter scale mostly because Stewart was a 1st round draft pick and Jones was taken 288th overall - the lowest Quebec / Colorado draft pick to make the NHL.

Wojtek Wolski

In my opinion, Wolski hasn't gotten anywhere near enough notice for the season he's having. His 33 points have him 22nd in the league in scoring. He needs 17 more points to set a career high and his .92 PPG is well above his career average going into this season of .61. Wolski's point totals have dropped every year he's been in the NHL, so this breakout season is a welcome turn of tale for WW. He still seems to attract way to much ire from the fans but geez, folks, he's not a power forward. Get over it already. He's scored a point in 25 of the 36 game's he's played in this year - 70%, which blows away the 55% for Stastny and 45% for Hejduk.

Scott Hannan

Hannan isn't as young as the other guys on this list, but I think he deserves some props for the improvement to his game. Hannan's struggles in his first two seasons in Denver are well documented. So we might as well make sure it's in print that Hannan - not Kyle Quincey or Adam Foote - has been the Avs' most consistent defenseman this year. I have long been on the record that Hannan's $4.5 million isn't the disaster it's been made out to be, and I think he's been well worth that money this year. He's even been providing a little offense, which is a welcome addition.

Kyle Cumiskey

Nothing surprised me more this fall than Kyle Cumiskey making the club out of camp. I always enjoyed watching him play, but didn't have faith that he'd ever pull it together in the pros. He's proving me wrong. Cumiskey has been breathtaking to watch this year (he's currently on the shelf with a foot injury). He's been steady defensively (a part of his game he'd already been pretty good at), but he's also been greatly improved on the offensive side of things (a part of the game where he previously stunk at). His .29 PPG rate still isn't hot (works out to 24 points over a full season), but it's double his career rate going into this year (.13).

Ryan Wilson

On a team full of surprises, Ryan "Mitch" Wilson has got to be the biggest surprise of them all. Wilson was never drafted, despite being the top-scoring defenseman in the OHL. Twice. The knock on Wilson seemed to be his lack of skating as well as some defensive deficiencies. Check out one scout's comments on Wilson from back in 2005:

He’s too knock-kneed for me; he’s got some offensive gifts but my groins get sore watching him skate! There’s no way that he can be an NHL player and skate like that, his knees will wear out from rubbing together.

When Wilson was acquired in the Jordan Leopold trade, I don't think any of us thought of him as anything less than a throw in. Kent Wilson of Matchsticks and Gasoline called him "a long shot to ever be an NHLer" while a genius here at MHH pointed out that the 2nd round pick obtained in that deal was "the key" of the deal (yeah, it was me). Surprise. Wilson has been an absolute find, and even if Stefan Elliott (the aformentioned 2nd rounder) never plays a minute in the NHL, that trade is looking right now like it's going to go down as an absolute steal for former GM Francois Giguere. Wilson doesn't look much to me like a knock-kneed defensive sieve. He's been reliable defensively, he's shown some spark offensively and he's already had so many open-ice hits that whenever I see someone in another jersey get run over out of the corner of my eye, I immediately say "yep, that was Wilson." And about 75% of the time, I'm right. His ice time has steadily increased (12:25 in October, 14:41 in November, 18:16 in December) and he's starting to get used more and more both on the PP and the PK. When Kyle Cumiskey returns, Joe Sacco may have a really tough decision on his hands. That's high praise for an undrafted free agent who was considered AHL filler just 9 months ago. The secret may be out though. To sponsor Wilson's page at hockey-reference you'd have to shell out $25, more than any other active Avalanche player. Yes, really. You have a problem with that?

Poll

Who has been the Avs most surprising player this year?

Recap: Caps 6, Avalanche 1

Becca H — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 06:01:39 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

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[AP Recap - GameCenter - Game Summary - Event Summary]

Tonight's game featured two of the best teams in the League right now - and yet there was little to no hype leading up to it, few (if any) mentions of it being a Cup Final preview, and more than a couple of empty seats scattered throughout the Pepsi Center.

Still, the Capitals and their fans didn't need any of that to understand the importance of this game. The first of three games against the Western Conference, on the road, facing a team with more familiar faces behind the bench than on it...this was a test.

And the Caps passed with flying colors.

Ten more notes on tonight's game:

Making his NHL debut probably would have been enough of a birthday present for Kyle Wilson, who turned 25 today. Two hard-working assists, the game's third star and a Caps win? Icing on the birthday cake - and enough to likely give him a slew of new fans among the Caps' faithful. Welcome to DC, kid.
Of course, on the end of those two assists was some good net-crashing work by Tomas Fleischmann, who picked up goal #12 and 13 on the year tonight. Coming into this season, Flash had just two career two-goal games; he's got four already this season.
When this team is clicking, everyone's involved. It was, and they were, as four of the six goals came from the third and fourth lines.
Jose Theodore made a triumphant return to Denver and came oh so close to blanking his former team, turning aside 27 of 28 shots and keeping his composure while being run more than once. Just the kind of game he needs to get back on track.
At the other end of the rink, however...yikes. Craig Anderson has gotten a lot of credit this year for leading the Avs back to respectability, and rightfully so, but he was less than sharp tonight. To put it nicely. Very nicely.
Going into this game, the Caps had nine - nine - defensemen on the roster. By the end of the night only four of the six who dressed remained in the game, with Green getting taken out late in the second (more on that in a minute) and Morrisonn mysteriously absent. And let's not forget the fact that Erskine spent a good chunk of time in the sin bin.
The shortage of able-bodied men on the blue line led to Brooks Laich stepping in as a defenseman for the third period - and did a nice job of it, too.
The Avalanche did a pretty good job of doing the impossible - making Alex Ovechkin seem invisible. Of course, they forgot about his two talented linemates, who each picked up a goal. And the other three lines. Six different guys had multi-point performances tonight, and not one of them wore #8.
It's hard to say that the Caps weren't working hard, because they were, or that they didn't win the little battles, because they did. So it's a little puzzling that they only managed to draw one minor penalty. Less puzzling? They took five of their own. It happens.
The David Koci / Mike Green / John Erskine incident has riled up the debate once again that the Caps need an enforcer so other teams will stop running our players. I'm of the (somewhat unpopular) opinion that it's not necessary, nor is it a deterrent - guys like Carcillo and Koci aren't going to be deterred by "threat of punishment" because this is the way they play. Furthermore, few if any enforcers kicking around the league today can be had for cheap, and few if any know where the line is between defending teammates and becoming a liability by acting stupid.

Of course, GMGM gets the final word. Discuss.

Controversy and debate aside, this was nothing short of a statement game.

The Caps rolled four lines, allowed just one goal in a stunning display of solid defense and goaltending, and threw six goals at the home team. They did all of that despite Alex Ovechkin being neutralized and despite losing a third of their defense. They did it with the help of secondary scoring and a few more reinforcements from Hershey.

It was the epitome of a team game. They finally showed a killer instinct, and they did it all in a dominant, explosive way that serves as a reminder of just how good this team can be - when they want to be.

Game highlights:

Game 36 Recap - Capitals 6, Avs 1

Mike @ MHH — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 05:34:45 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

7 days ago: Washington Capitals left winger Alex Overchkin, left, of Russia, gets tangled up while pursuing the puck with Colorado Avalanche defenseman John-Michael Liles in the second period of an NHL hockey game in Denver on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2009. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

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One Sentence Recap Style:

The Avalanche laid a turd on the ice last night in the shape of a Hot Pocket.

[Joe here. I'm going to add a few more sentences of my own.]

One of the downsides of having so much youth and inexperience is inconsistency. Some nights the Avalanche just aren't going to show up, and this was one of those nights. It happens. It will happen again. The good news is that Calgary also lost last night, so the Avs retain the top spot in the West.

The only thing that doesn't make sense to me is why David Koci continues to play hockey at all. What is his purpose? Aside from a few fights in the opening minutes of a few games, he plays no more than three total minutes, contributes nothing to the offense, and generally warms the bench. Matt Duchene and Craig Anderson have been getting roughed up all season, so it's not like Koci has provided any kind of protection.

Koci's hit on Mike Green last night was clearly boarding, and the game misconduct was well-deserved. It was a dirty hit and Green is lucky to have come away with just a few stitches and a headache. Green never saw him coming. The only reason Koci was on the ice in the second period instead of his usual first-minute-of-the-game beat-down was that Washington doesn't have a big enforcer like Donald Brashear any more. Koci didn't have anybody to fight. Coach Sacco knew this and played him anyway.

I hope the league suspends Koci for a game or two. If nothing else, it will free up a spot in the lineup for somebody who actually plays hockey.

Game 36 Preview: Capitals at Avalanche

David Driscoll-Carignan — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:00:28 -0000


Washington Capitals	7:30 MT / 9:30 ET / 2:30 GMT	Colorado Avalanche
20-7-6	December 14th, 2009	19-10-6
46 pts	Pepsi Center	44 pts
1st in East	Denver, CO	Ahead of Calgary

Okay, folks, fun time is over. We spent yesterday thoroughly enjoying the win against Calgary, especially the part where Curtis Glencross was an incredible tool. But those clowns are gone now and a new circus has rolled into town. The Avs will have to take on the giant, happy, funball that is the Washington Capitals. As of this writing (as Tuesday's games are just getting underway), the Caps have the best record in the NHL (that will have changed if the Kings - the KINGS - defeated Vancouver). That's all daunting and stuff, but our hapless Avalanche are just two points behind Washington, clearly because the NHL rewards blatant dives.

Craig Anderson has been rock solid in net since his return from Keith Ballarditis, and the Avs defense has been excellent the last few games. They will be tested tonight, though, as the Capitals have the league's best offense and most potent powerplay. The Avalanche will need to play a disciplined game and stay out of that penalty box.

Capitals goalie Semyon Varlamov has been outstanding this year. But, he's injured and it's likely that the Avalanche will face old friend Jose Theodore in what will be his first game in Denver since leaving via free agency. This would be the point where you start chuckling and getting all confident and stuff. This would also be the point where I would punch you in the arm and remind you that we were shut out this year by Andrew Raycroft.

Capitals vs Avalanche coverage

Japer's Rink

Tailor Arnason update

Arnason's team won the battle of the Dinamo as the Riga Dinamo shut out the Minsk Dinamo 2-0. No points for Arnie, but Riga pulled into 8th in their conference. The KHL is now on a break until December 22nd.

Tale of the Tape

(note that all stats are from before last night's games)

Washington			Colorado
1st	46	Points	6th	44
1st	3.48	GF/G	11th	2.86
16th	2.79	GA/G	12th	2.69
1st	23.9	PP%	18th	18.4
22nd	78.6	PK%	16th	80.8
5th	32.3	S/G	30th	26
13th	30.1	SA/G	25th	32.1
5th	52	FO%	29th	46.6
4th	10.5	PIM/G	14th	13.3
Ovechkin / Backstrom	37 pts	Top Scorer	Stastny	34 pts

Game 35 Recap: Avalanche 3 - Flames 2

David Driscoll-Carignan — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 04:27:53 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

9 days ago: Calgary Flames left winger Eric Nystrom, front, skates past as Colorado Avalanche players Kyle Quincey, Wojtek Wolski, of Poland, Chris Stewart and Matt Duchene celebrate Wolski's power-play goal in the first period of an NHL hockey game in Denver on Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

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Final - 12.13.2009	1	2	3	Total
Calgary Flames	0	1	1	2
Colorado Avalanche	1	2	0	3

Complete Coverage >

Wow.

The Avalanche are back in first in the NW division after knocking off the Calgary Flames 3-2 tonight. I wanted to see if the Avs would show up, and they did. In spades.

Right out of the gate, the Avalanche were ready to play. If I had to use one word to describe them tonight, it would be "relentless". Thanks in part to 5 PPs given up by a reckless, headhunting Calgary club, the Avalanche launched 20 shots on Mikka Kiprusoff in the 1st. Kipper had an extraordinary game and kept his club in it, and the Avs only managed to get one goal in the first, a Wojtek Wolski one-timer on a 5-on-3 for his first PP goal of the year.

Colorado kept it up in the 2nd, and a great play by Wolski to regain the puck after his breakaway attempt was stopped so that he could dish it to Chris Stewart and Paul Stastny led to a Stewart goal and a 2-0 lead. Rene Bourque cut the lead to 2-1 just a minute or so later, but then Darcy Tucker scored the eventual game winner with a tip-in that knuckled over Kipper late in the 2nd. The Avalanche have been absolutely incredible at keeping the puck inside the blueline the last couple of games, and it's really paying dividends on both shots for and shots against.

After two periods, the Avs had a decided 33-14 shot advantage and I was already thinking of ways to work in metaphors about 60 minutes of effort in this very recap. But, once again, they petered off a bit in the 3rd. The Avalanche were better in the 3rd period than they've been in previous games with a lead, but they still need to find a way to generate more pressure than 2 shots. Colorado had a 3-1 lead going into the 3rd and started off playing pretty well, but then gave up 3 PPs to the Flames. Even though Avs PK hadn't allowed a goal to Calgary all year, you can't keep giving them chances like that. Sure enough, Mark Giordano scored a PP goal with just under 7 minutes left. And the nail biting could officially commence.

Craig Anderson was nowhere near as busy as his counterpart was tonight (just 21 shots, the 3rd straight game the Avs had given up 22 shots or less), but he came up with a couple of big saves in the 3rd to preserve the lead. T.J. Galiardi and Ryan O'Reilly had a couple of great late-game shifts as well. Still, enough with the hang-on-for-dear-life endings, okay?

This was a big, big victory for the Avalanche. The team had 7 rookies in the lineup and it wasn't a detriment at all. In fact, the rookies were the difference. Galiardi had one of his better games as a pro. O'Reilly had a great game defensively. Duchene overcame getting mugged 3 times in the first period to have a solid game. Ryan Wilson's thunderous hit on David Moss was highlight reel material (and he assisted on Tucker's game-winning goal). Seven different Avs had a point tonight. Six of those scorers are under 25. These kids aren't riding the bus, they are driving it. And they are doing a hell of a job.

Game 35 Preview: Flames at Avalanche

David Driscoll-Carignan — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 14:20:50 -0000


Calgary Flames	6 MT / 8 ET / 1 GMT	Colorado Avalanche
19-8-4	December 13th, 2009	18-10-6
42 pts	Pepsi Center	42 pts
2nd in West	Denver, CO	5th in West

Must win? Probably not, but this still shapes up as a big, big game for the Colorado Avalanche. The winner of tonight's game is in sole possession of first place in the Northwest. The loser will be in 5th place in the West, just 2 or 3 points ahead of the 6th-place Phoenix Coyotes.

I am very interested to see how the Avalanche play tonight. They've been a bit inconsistent lately, and I'm anxious to see if they can rise to meet tonight's challenge. Joe pointed out yesterday that the wheels are far from off of this magic bus. If you look at the tale of the tape below, you'll see that these two teams are pretty evenly matched statistically.The Avalanche can absolutely win this game...but it's probably going to take 60 minutes of effort to do it.

It would be nice if the Avs had a big, raucous home crowd to help fire them up. Unfortunately, the Avalanche are struggling attendance-wise, with just one sellout (opening night) and an average attendance of 13,994 (78% capacity). Only 4 teams have a lower average this year (Nashville, Atlanta, Phoenix and the Islanders). Of the 10 sparsest crowds the Avalanche have played in front of this year, 8 have been in the Pepsi Center. Come on, good people of Denver. Your team is in a battle for 1st place tonight; get out there and show them some love! You'll have plenty of time to get to the arena after watching the Broncos knock off the Colts today.

For the Avs, Craig Anderson is the confirmed starter. He set a career high in minutes on Friday and could set a high for wins with a W tonight. Milan Hejduk (knee) is doubtful for tonight. Figure on Ryan Stoa (#29) to make his NHL debut tonight for sure, and if indeed Svatos (mystery ailment) isn't in the lineup, Justin Mercier (#43) should play as well.

Figure on Mikka Kiprusoff as the Flames starter tonight. The Flames are almost at full strength. Corey Sarich will not play tonight and Craig Conroy is banged up and will be a game time decision.

Flames vs Avalanche coverage

Matchsticks and Gasoline

Taylor Arnason update:

Arnason assisted on Oleg Sorokin's 1st goal of the year (glad to see Oleg get of the schnide) as the Dinamo rolled over the Tagliatti Lada on Friday 4-1. Riga is now tied with the Torpedo for the 8th and final playoff spot in the Western Conference

On this day last year:

On December 13th, 2008, the Avalanche were 12th in the conference with a 14-14-1 record. To that point, the Avalanche had 85 goals for (2.94 p/g) and 81 against (2.85). (Those goal numbers include shootout goals. I think).

Tale of the Tape:

Calgary			Colorado
6th	42	Points	6th	42
10th	2.87	GF/G	11th	2.85
5th	2.32	GA/G	12th	2.71
25th	17.8	PP%	18th	18.5
13th	81.7	PK%	15th	80.8
28th	27.4	S/G	30th	25.8
17th	30.6	SA/G	25th	32.5
30th	45.6	FO%	29th	46.5
21st	14.3	PIM/G	13th	13.1
Iginla	32 pts	Top Scorer	Stastny	33 pts

Ryan Stoa and Derek Peltier Recalled

David Driscoll-Carignan — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 23:19:02 -0000

More photos » by JACK DEMPSEY - AP

3 months ago: Colorado Avalanche's Ryan Stoa, front right, celebrates a goal with the bench during the second period of a preseason NHL hockey game against the Dallas Stars in Denver on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

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The Avalanche today recalled forward Ryan Stoa and defenseman Derek Peltier from Lake Erie. Brian Fahey - who has been a healthy scratch in every game since being recalled on November 26th - is headed back to Cleveland.

Stoa and Peltier were both among the last players cut in training camp this fall. We've seen Peltier before, of course, but have yet to see the former Golden Gopher Stoa in a regular season NHL game. Stoa is not exactly off to a blazing start in his pro career with 9 points in 25 games, but he does have 7 goals. It sounds like Milan Hejduk is doubtful for Sunday's game and we still haven't heard what kept Marek Svatos of the ice for the 2nd half of Friday night's game. With that in mind, it seems likely that Stoa will be in the lineup tomorrow against Calgary. I sure hope so, because I've run the above photo a couple of times now, and wouldn't mind a few more choices. Peltier, however, is likely just around as a 7th d-man.

In related news, Craig Anderson will get the start against the Flames.

No Wheels Required: The Avs Are Still Contenders

Joe Dunman — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 18:34:06 -0000

The Colorado Avalanche had the best October of the team's history, going 10-2-2 to start this season. The good luck continued for a few more games, and after seventeen, the Avs' record was 12-3-2. Then, depending on how you look at it, the wheels fell off, as the Avs managed a sub-par, 5-6-3 November. But 5-6-3 isn't terrible, considering the Carolina Hurricanes went 2-10-2 during the same month. Things could have been worse.

Still, 5-6-3 is a long way from 10-2-2. Criticism was warranted. The good thing about starting the year so well is that the inevitable cooling-off period wasn't so damaging to the overall record. At the end of November, the Avs were still in second place in the Northwest Division, just two points behind Calgary and locked into a playoff spot.

Now, five games later, the Avs are tied for first place and face the Flames in their next game. The winner will take the division lead. So even if the team had hit a wall (and with so many injuries, their performance is still very impressive), they've recovered sufficiently to stay in contention.

What's been key for the Avs is their point production. Colorado has collected at least a point seven times in their last ten games. They've been pretty bad in OT and the shootout overall, but with the NHL still clinging to the charity point system, the Avs are staying put near the top of the conference standings by dragging games beyond regulation.

Another saving grace for the Avs was the solid play of Peter Budaj. In the four games he started in December, he didn't have a single bad showing. His save percentage was .940 or better and he managed a shutout. Craig Anderson has cooled off and the Avs' defense has struggled at times, but Budaj came through when Colorado needed it, proving once again that he's a solid backup goaltender.

After 34 games, the Avs have scored 100 goals. That's fifth-best in the NHL, and third-best in the West. They're currently on pace to score 241 goals this season, which would be a 51-goal improvement over their poor 2008-09 showing. Granted, they've only scored seven more goals than at the same point last season, but hopefully they'll avoid the second-half collapse the team endured last year.

Player-wise, the Avs are a mixed bag. David Jones was on fire but got hurt and will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. Luckily, Chris Stewart has finally stepped up, scoring 12 points in his last ten games. As surprise stand-out Ryan O'Reilly has cooled off, slow-to-get-going rookie phenom Matt Duchene has heated up. Paul Stastny suffered a temporary drought but is again contributing to the offense and ranks near the top in the league in scoring. Wojtek Wolski has scored at least one point in 15 of his last 18 games.

Defensively, Kyle Quincey has lost his dominant edge, but Scott Hannan has played very well. Brett Clark is a puck-blocking but generally immobile pylon, while rookie Ryan Wilson is a solid +7 and continues to play well. The rest of the blue line is hit-or-miss, depending on the night, but generally nobody has been awful. Just like the offense, the performances vary.

Overall, the Avs have cooled but are still contending. They're a top-tier team in the Western Conference and have a strong chance to win in every game. If an 18-10-6 record after 34 games (by a team predicted to be in dead last) still qualifies as the wheels being off, we'll take it.