SB Nation - Wojtek Wolski

Game 37 Recap: Avalanche 5 - Blue Jackets 2

David Driscoll-Carignan — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 04:50:07 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

2 days ago: Just recalled from a minor league club, Colorado Avalanche right winger Brandon Yip, left, picks up the puck as Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Kris Russell defends in the first period of an NHL hockey game in Denver on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009. Yip was appearing in his first game in the NHL. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

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Final - 12.19.2009	1	2	3	Total
Columbus Blue Jackets	0	2	0	2
Colorado Avalanche	4	0	1	5

Complete Coverage >

It looked like it was going to be a blowout, but that didn't quite materialize. Pretty much everything went right for the Avs in the 1st period as they put up 4 goals on board in the first 8:02 of the hockey game - 2 by Wojtek Wolski and one each by John-Michael Liles and Paul Stastny.

Unfortunately, there's no easy button in hockey, and, to their credit, the Blue Jackets didn't roll over in this one. Columbus battled back to make it 4-2 and the game was never really in hand until Milan Hejduk iced it at the 16:32 mark. A major positive for the Avs is that they didn't turtle with the lead - the two teams were even at 18 shots each over the final two periods. It may not have been the most exciting hockey to watch, but the Avs get the win and, with the Calgary loss, move back into first place in the NW and jump from 7th to 3rd in the Western Conference.

The Avalanche had a strong game from 5 forwards tonight - Wolski, Hejduk, Stastny, Matt Duchene and Stewart (who I think was the best of the bunch and not just for his attempt to get the net back on the moorings at one point in the game). Hejduk, Stewart and Wolski combined for a whopping nineteen shots, which is probably why they had 4 of the Avs' goals. If the Avalanche can get two dangerous lines rolling like this on a consistent basis, then they will likely continue to run in the top part of the standings.

Stick tap also to John-Michael Liles who had two points and 5 blocked shots. This on a night when Pierre Lebrun stated on the Satellite Hotstove that the Avs are actively shopping him around the league (well, to the 12 clubs they can trade him to).

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?

Colorado Players Among League Leaders

Joe Dunman — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:16:13 -0000

More photos » by Jay LaPrete - AP

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One sign that a team has a strong offense is the presence of its players among the league's individual leaders. Last season the Avs' offense was the worst in team history, and because of that, few Avalanche players made the final leader lists at the end of the season.

Historically speaking, Avalanche players have frequently appeared in large numbers on the league leader boards. In 2000-01, four Colorado players finished the year among the top 50 players for points scored (Sakic, Forsberg, Hejduk, Tanguay), with three more just outside (Drury, Blake, Bourque). Last season, not one Avalanche player appeared on the list.

Non-offensive categories like blocked shots and average time on ice feature Avalanche players this season as well. Last year no Colorado players ranked among the top 50 in ice time, nor did anyone make the +/- leader board. This year is a different story.

Below is a comparison between last year's leaders and this year's current standings, separated by category. First is the player's rank, then name, then current total in parentheses.

	2008-09	2009-10
Goals	t-47th Hejduk (27)	t-26th Wolski (13)
		t-29th Hejduk (12)
		t-47th Jones (10)

Assists		t-8th Stastny (26)
		t-20th Wolski (20)

Points		t-14th Stastny (34)
		t-17th Wolski (33)

(+/-)		t-11th O'Reilly (12)
		t-16th Wolski (11)
		t-33rd Hannan (9)
		t-44th Stastny (8)
		t-44th Wilson (8)

PIM	11th Laperriere (163)	17th McLeod (59)
	12th McLeod (162)	t-42nd Koci (44)

ATOI		10th Quincey (25:11)

Hits	t-22nd McLeod (194)	21st McLeod (87)

Blocked Shots	2nd Clark (238)	1st Clark (108)
	t-14th Hannan (162)	7th Hannan (76)
	29th Salei (143)	t-11th Quincey (67)

Shots	t-23rd Smyth (257)

PP Goals	t-39th Hejduk (10)	t-10th Hejduk (6)
	t-39th Smyth (10)	t-38th Duchene (4)

PP Assists		t-26th Quincey (8)

SH Goals		t-1st Jones (2)
		t-12th Duchene (1)

SH Assists		t-9th Galiardi (1)
		t-9th Foote (1)

The season is not yet half over. If these trends continue, expect to see a major Avalanche presence on the NHL individual leader boards at the end of the year.

Game 35 Recap: Avalanche 3 - Flames 2

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

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

8 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.

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.

Game 34 Recap: Avalanche 2 - Lightning 1 (SO)

David Driscoll-Carignan — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 05:10:35 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

10 days ago: Colorado Avalanche goalie Craig Anderson uses his shoulder to deflect a shot against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second period of an NHL hockey game in Denver on Friday, Dec. 11, 2009. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

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Final - 12.11.2009	1	2	3	OT	SO	Total
Tampa Bay Lightning	1	0	0	0	0	1
Colorado Avalanche	0	0	1	0	1	2

Complete Coverage >

I'm still kind of scratching my head a bit, wondering if I really saw what I just saw. I've decided that this was some sort of Freaky Friday puzzle, and I'm supposed to find all the things that weren't normal about the game. Let's see how I do...

The Avalanche started slowly and, get this, got better as the game went on! (I could stop there and that would be freaky enough. But wait, there's more).
The Avs won the faceoff battle (handily: 54%-46%)
The Avs outshot the other team
The Avs outshot the other team in the 3rd period
The Avs outshot the other team in the 3rd period by a wide margin (18-4)
The Avs got better defensively as the game went on
Brett Clark and John-Michael Liles both played excellent, in both ends of the ice (okay, this might be a little hyperbolic, but I sure did love seeing Brett Clark rub out Alex Tanguay in the corner).
Speaking of, those two played terrific on the powerplay and both were firing bombs from the point
Scott Hannan and Kyle Quincey did not play well, and were probably the two worst d-men out of the six
Darcy Tucker had a whale of a game
The Avs won a goal review
Antero Nittymaki is, apparently, a bona fide NHL goaltender. He's the only reason this was close.
Craig Anderson stopped the first attempt in the shootout
Wojtek Wolski scored in the shootout (first time time this year)
The Avs actually played one of their more physical games of the season

Did I get them all? So many things in this game that I'm just not used to seeing; forgive me if I've missed a couple. Oh, and, Marek Svatos left the game midway through the 2nd period and did not return - but that doesn't fit into any of the bullet points above.

Big, big game on Sunday as the Avs host the Flames; winner gets 1st place in the Northwest.

Game 32 Recap: Avalanche 4 - Blues 0

David Driscoll-Carignan — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 04:33:35 -0000

More photos » by Tom Gannam - AP

14 days ago: Colorado Avalanche goalie Peter Budaj deflects a shot on goal in the second period of an NHL hockey game against the St. Louis Blues, Monday, Dec. 7, 2009 in St. Louis.(AP Photo/Tom Gannam)

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Final - 12.7.2009	1	2	3	Total
Colorado Avalanche	1	2	1	4
St. Louis Blues	0	0	0	0

Complete Coverage >

Nothingness
Lonliness
Empty chest
And nothing lasts forever

-Living Colour, Nothingness

My first instinct is to make this recap a long, sarcastic diatribe about how Peter Budaj has sucked his way into a 1.34 GAA and .959 save percentage over the last 3 games (and, by the way, 2 key road wins). However, since I don't really know what "diatribe" means, I'm going to play this one straight.

As I stated in my recap tonight, the Avs were going to need a strong game from Peter Budaj to beat the stingy Blues' defense, and they got exactly that. Budaj turned aside all 35 shots he face (including 17 in the final frame) to earn his 1st shutout of the season. His defense played well in front of him (they blocked 20 shots to the Blues 4) for most of the night (3rd period thoughts to follow below), but let's give the credit to the #1 star of the game; Budaj played a hell of a game.

The Avs came out firing in this one, putting up 13 shots on Chris Mason in the 1st period. I saw mention somewhere that Joe Sacco is looking for his team to fire more, and Blues' reporter Bernie Federko was between the benches during the game and indeed said that Sacco was emphasizing this during the game. Despite the solid first period play, it looked like the Avalanche weren't going to have anything to show for it, especially when Mason made a stupendous glove save behind a screen on John-Michael Liles on a late first-period powerplay. Thankfully, on the faceoff immediately after this save, the Avs won the draw, got the puck back to Liles who dished to Kyle Quincey who fired a shot/pass to the net that Chris Stewart deflected into the top corner with just 11 seconds to go in the first.

That would be enough, but the Avs would tack on a few more. At 6:08 of the 2nd, Stastny scored a controversial goal set up by Wolski and Stewart. Wolski took advantage of a sloppy line change by the Blues and carried the puck in down the left wing. The Blues were scrambling to get back in position, and Stewart found space in front of the net. Wolski and Stewart exchanged passed and then David Backes cleared Wolski out of the crease...but he ended up running Wolski into Mason. Stastny came in late and tapped the puck into an empty net. The Blues were outraged, feeling that Wolski interfered with Mason. I've given up trying to figure out what is goalie interference and what isn't, but let's just say I was kind of surprised that one was allowed to stand, even if it's Backes' own stupid fault that Mason was taken out.

The Avs made it 3-0 later in the period, with Stewart deflecting a point shot into the net for the second time in the game (this time, it was Liles taking the shot). Stewart picked up his first 2-goal game of his career. He has 12 points in his last 9 games. Perhaps more importantly, he has 8 points in the 5 games since the David Jones injury, helping to fill a critical void. Matt Duchene effectively iced the game in the 3rd when Wojtek Wolski intercepted a pass and bumped it ahead to Duchene who skated in and fired a wrister through Mason's 5-hole. That goal was Downy soft on Mason's part, but was still a pretty slick shot for Duchene (who otherwise had a quiet night). It was also Wolski's 3rd point in the game. He's been taking a lot of heat this year, but he now has 30 points in 32 games, well on his way to a career year (his high is 50 points). As of right now, he's 19th in the league in scoring, tied with guys like Iginla, Nash and Zetterberg.

The Avs play in the 3rd period continues to mystify me. Actually, after the strong 1st period, the Avs managed just 9 shots the rest of the way- 6 in the 2nd and 3 in the 3rd. Luckily, they made those shots count and Budaj made some big saves to preserve the shutout, but it wasn't very pretty to watch. The Avs didn't look sharp in the 3rd - pucks were turned over in the neutral zone, battles to the puck were lost, etcetera etcetera. I wonder, could it be a matter of fatigue? While I like the concept of Joe Sacco using the guys who've played the best in the 3rd, I wonder if using just 3 lines in the final frame is the right idea, especially with a lead. Marek Svatos, Matt Hendricks and David Koci had about 4 minutes of ice time in the 3rd period. While those guys aren't exactly Selke award candidates, a couple of timely shifts in the 3rd to spell our other players might help. Maybe it's not fatigue, but I'd really like for someone to figure it out soon so that it can be fixed; the Avs won't always have an ace like Peter Budaj between the pipes. (and...scene).

Game 29 Preview: Return of the Foote

Mike MacLean — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 20:31:50 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

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This is going to be extremely quick, folks. I just found a computer and I don`t even know if the formatting will turn out. This is the return of Adam Foote, I won`t bag on him as much as others do, but it will be interesting to see how the fans treat him.

Andrew Murray and Raffi Torres return to the lineup, and the defensive pairs have been shaken up. Toots and Stralman aren`t together anymore, Stralman is with Russ and Methot returns to the lineup to play with Fedor. Should be interesting how the Russ-Stralman pairing does five-on-five.

I won`t be able to watch this game tonight unfortunately, but I will be checking the boxscore on my Blackberry. Here`s hoping the boys can pull one out and get back in the win column.

Fearless Prediction: A win, damnit.

Game Time: 7:00pm ET

Opponent's Blog: Mile High Hockey

Game Page: Avalanche vs Blue Jackets Coverage

TSN Preview: Avalanche vs Blue Jackets Preview

TV: FSN Ohio

Radio: WBNS-AM (1460); WWCD-FM (101.1)

More after the jump...

From the Columbus Dispatch:

Colorado captain Adam Foote makes his first appearance in Nationwide Arena since he was traded by the Blue Jackets to the Avalanche on Feb. 26, 2008. The Blue Jackets are in a 1-4-3 tailspin since Nov. 19. Columbus won all four games last season and has won six of the past seven games in the series.

Jackets Links:

Columbus Blue Jackets / Columbus Blue Jackets Schedule

Columbus Blue Jackets Roster / Columbus Blue Jackets Stats

Here are the lineups for tonight's tilt:

Columbus Blue Jackets

Kristian Huselius	Antoine Vermette	Rick Nash
R.J. Umberger	Derick Brassard	Jakub Voracek
Jason Chimera	Samuel Pahlsson	Andrew Murray
Raffi Torres	Derek MacKenzie	Jared Boll

Fedor Tyutin	Marc Methot
Mike Commodore	Jan Hejda
Kris Russell	Anton Stralman

Steve Mason

Mathieu Garon

EXTRA: Alexandre Picard

INJURED: Fredrik Modin, Andrew Murray, Derek Dorsett, Rostislav Klesla, Marc Methot

Colorado Avalanche

Matt Duchene	Paul Stastny	Chris Stewart
Wojtek Wolski	T.J. Galiardi	Milan Hejduk
Cody McLeod	Ryan O'Reilly	Darcy Tucker
David Koci	Chris Durno	Marek Svatos

Scott Hannan	Kyle Quincey
John-Michael Liles	Brett Clark
Adam Foote	Ryan Wilson

Peter Budaj

Tyler Weiman

Game 29 Recap: Panthers 6 - Avalanche 5 (SO)

David Driscoll-Carignan — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 04:04:30 -0000

More photos » by J Pat Carter - AP

19 days ago: Florida Panther's Stephen Weiss (9) begins to celebrate a goal in the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Colorado Avalanche in Sunrise, Fla. Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2009. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

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Final - 12.2.2009	1	2	3	OT	SO	Total
Colorado Avalanche	0	2	3	0	0	5
Florida Panthers	2	2	1	0	1	6

Complete Coverage >

Honestly, I have no idea where to begin.

This game had a little bit of everything. The Avalanche gave up 44 shots, 33 in the first two periods. Florida's Stephen Weiss had hat trick before the game was half over (and the crowd of about 217 people rewarded him by tossing maybe 4 hats onto the ice). Craig Anderson wasn't particularly crisp, although, again, he faced 44 shots tonight. The Avalanche didn't play defense tonight but, 29 games into the season, they finally decided to do something about their goalie getting run into constantly; every time there was a whistle, Adam Foote and / or Ryan Wilson punched somebody.

The Avs fell down 2-0. Then they made it 2-1. Then they fell down 3-1. Then they made it 3-2. Then they fell down 4-2. Then they cut it to 4-3. Then they fell down 5-3 and the game was over. They pulled Anderson...and made it 5-4. And then, they completely ruined the SAT numerical pattern question by scoring again to tie the game with 16 seconds left. Yep, after playing like ass for 59 minutes, the Avalanche turned it on and scored two goals in the final minute.

In overtime, each team traded some shots and it went back and forth until 4:18 when all hell broke loose. Keith Ballard made a great play to blow by Brett Clark and rushed hard to the net. Craig Anderson made the save...and then got hit hard by Ballard. Anderson went down hard and ended up leaving the game, making him the second goalie Ballard has knocked from a game this week (couldn't resist). Ballard got pummeled by Adam Foote. Peter Budaj - who should have started to begin with - came in cold and had about 42 seconds to warm up for the shootout. He was excellent, stopping the first 4 shootout attempts. Unfortunately, the Avalanche couldn't score at all and the Panthers ultimately won the game on Weiss' shootout winner.

Matt Duchene and Chris Stewart continue to be the bees' knees on offense. Duchene had another 2 goals, and each of them had 3 points on the night. Stewart might have had more, but he was effectively tossed from the game for instigating a fight with Bryan Allen when he mistakenly thought that Allen had leveled Duchene. I've wanted to see Stewie get more physical all year; that was a poor time to do it. Interestingly, before Stewart was tossed the two finally found a suitable left wing to complement their skills: Paul Stastny. Stastny played left wing with Duchene and Stewart in the 3rd period and ended up with 4 points.

So, here are the big questions going into tomorrow.

First and foremost, is Craig Anderson okay? And what about Brett Clark, who went to the locker room late in OT? Can any forwards other than Stastny, Duchene or Stewart score? The Avs had 5 goals, and the only forward besides those three with a point was TJ Galiardi. Wojtek Wolski had 6 shots...but no points. What happened to the defense that held Tampa off the scoreboard on Monday? When was the last time someone had 4 points and wasn't named one of the 3 stars, as was the case with Stastny tonight? And is Peter Budaj the first goalie to lose a game without facing a shot on net? Is there anyone who's lost a game with less than 42 seconds of playing time? I'd like the answer to all these on my desk first thing tomorrow, okay?

Game 28 Recap: Avalanche 3 - Lightning 0

David Driscoll-Carignan — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 03:42:57 -0000

More photos » by Chris O'Meara - AP

21 days ago: Colorado Avalanche center Matt Duchene (9) celebrates with teammates, including Chris Stewart (25) and Marek Svatos (40), of Slovakia, after scoring a first-period goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning during an NHL hockey game Monday, Nov. 30, 2009, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

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Final - 11.30.2009	1	2	3	Total
Colorado Avalanche	1	1	1	3
Tampa Bay Lightning	0	0	0	0

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The Avalanche and a two-goal lead walk into a bar and...hey, wait a minute. They changed the joke? They held a lead? Really?

In his first 27 NHL games, Steven Stamkos had 11 points and was a -11. While it took the first overall pick a while to get rolling, he would finish strong with 19 points in his final 20 games. Matt Duchene has had a similar slow start to his first NHL season. Although he's had some great flashes, he only had 12 points in his first 27 to show for it and he was a -10.

That's been changing, though. Duchene scored two tonight, the second a highlight-reel deflection out of the air that the Lightning broadcast showed, I kid you not, about 15 times. While we've been lamenting the loss of guys like David Jones and the play of guys like Marek Svatos and Wojtek Wolski lately, I think we've given short shrift to the sudden maturation of #9. Duchene had zero points in his first 7 games in November, but he finished up with 7 in his final 7 games. He's looking more and more like a superstar every night. Now he just needs a nickname. Duchene's two goals were all the scoring the Avalanche would need (Wojtek Wolski added an empty net goal) as Craig Anderson and the Avalanche defense held a potent Tampa Bay offense off the scoresheet.

It wasn't perfect. The Lightning were given 7 powerplays (including one from yet another bench minor penalty), although an effective Avalanche penalty kill kept the Lightning from cashing in. And, yet again, the Avalanche played prevent D in the 3rd period and were outshot 16-6. But a big save by Anderson and another save by the post kept the Avalanche up and ruined my Avalanche-and-a-bar joke.

[EDIT]

By the way, if you watched the Altitude feed then you missed my new favorite play-by-play guy in Tampa's Rick Packham. Man, he had an excellent voice and called a GREAT game - mostly neutral, didn't just call the names of the Lightning players on the pbp, didn't start dropping anecdotes every few minutes. Crisp, clean, professional. And I still think he sounds like Sean McDonough. You also missed an excellent intermission interview of Matt Duchene in which he revealed that he talked to the refs at the end of the 2nd period to make sure that Stastny got an assist for his 2nd goal. Great kid.

Also, in searching for something else, I discovered that the Avs played in Tampa two years ago and won 3-0 (with an empty net goal). They allowed 22 3rd period shots in that one (Theodore got the shutout).