SB Nation - Marek Svatos

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.

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

6 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

10 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 28 Recap: Avalanche 3 - Lightning 0

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

More photos » by Chris O'Meara - AP

18 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

Complete Coverage >

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).

Minnesota Wild @ Colorado Avalanche: Game Recap

nathaneide — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 05:08:16 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

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Minnesota Wild 3-2 (so) Colorado Avalanche

Two games against the Avalanche, two excellent efforts, seven goals and four points. This was exactly the kind of week the Wild needed to try to break out of their funk. Hopefully they can build on this, and Andrew Ebbett and Guillaume Latendresse continue to fit in as well as they have in the first week.

While it didn't always look this way on the scoreboard, the Wild controlled this game. Colorado got sloppy once they had the lead and Minnesota took advantage of the miscues and poorly times penalties, worked their way back into it, and never relinquished control, carrying it through to the shootout, where Mikko Koivu and Andrew Ebbett sealed the deal.

The Wild came out hot, with 12 shots in the first and 14 in the second. Were it not for the outstanding goaltending of Craig Anderson, the Avs could've easily found themselves on the wrong end of a bloodbath. Lucky for them, Matt Hendricks and Matt Duchene took advantage of two nice scoring chances (basically the only two chances in the first for the Avs) and got the Avs up 2-0 against the run of play. After that second goal, the Wild kept up the pressure and you could feel that it was only a matter of time until they took over on the scoreboard as well.

The scoring was started early in the second as Eric Belanger came flying in on a two on one, and rocketed one past Anderson. Nice to see Belly score, because he hadn't done so all month. After that goal, the Wild kept flying and kept the pressure on, but Anderson kept turning away everything the Wild could throw at him.

Each team had a goal disallowed for being played with a high stick. Duchene in the first and Guillaume Latendresse in the third. Lucky for the Wild, Latendresse is learning from his past in Montreal and parking himself in front of the net to get the rebounds, the way a power forward should. After a shot from Owen Nolan goes off Anderson, Latendresse is right there to bury it and get his first goal as a member of the Minnesota Wild.

Neither team would get another opportunity in regulation, and in overtime, disaster was averted as a puck trickled just wide of the cage as Josh Harding mussed it with his glove and it slid through the crease. This would send both teams to the shootout where Mikko Koivu would use his patented backhand roofer, then Andrew Ebbett scored the winner as Marek Svatos and Wojtek Wolski were stopped by Harding.

Please read the game recap over at Mile High Hockey

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

Guillaume Latendresse (1 G)
Andrew Ebbett (shootout winner)
Craig Anderson (34 saves)

Questions to Answer

Will Kobasew find the first line to his liking again? He didn't score, but did get three shots and at least two nice scoring chances tonight. I think he fits well on that line.
Will Josh Harding perform well, spelling Backstrom? Harding was very solid today. Definitely earned his first win of the season.
Does Latendresse show signs of fatigue with all his travel the last few days? If he was feeling it, he certainly wasn't showing it. Nice goal to tie it up.
Is Adrian Dater the biggest ass in NHL media? Always. Luckily he talks trash about the Avs as well as anyone they play.
Will we see some bitterness due to the home and home? Will this game get ugly? Well, it got ugly really early on as David Koci tried to spark the Avs by tangling with John Scott. Not a great decision by Koci, as he couldn't match the reach of Scott, and it was a series of grabs and punches that didn't really land.

Game 25 Recap: Predators 4 - Avalanche 3 (OT)

David Driscoll-Carignan — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 05:22:05 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

22 days ago: Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne, top, of Finland, lands on Colorado Avalanche defenseman Tom Preissing after they collided in the first period of an NHL hockey game in Denver on Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

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Final - 11.25.2009	1	2	3	OT	Total
Nashville Predators	2	1	0	1	4
Colorado Avalanche	0	3	0	0	3

Complete Coverage >

I don't know what it is about the 2nd period, but it is almost single handedly making the Avs' season so far. Some games (like tonight), the Avs have come out flat. Other games, they coast towards the finish line. But that middle period? That's keeping them in hockey games, and up in the standings. It's nothing really new. In each of the last 4 seasons, the 2nd period has been the Avs' best offensively. Goal totals over those 4 seasons: 224 in the first, 233 in the 3rd and 289 in the 2nd. Why? Honestly, I don't have the foggiest. It just seems to be what it is.

The Avalanche looked terrible in the first 20 minutes, although, to be fair, the Predators played excellent hockey early on. With Brett Clark taking an early penalty, Nashville was able to convert and jump on an early 1-0 lead. Marcel Goch later made it 2-0 and, really, it could have been much worse. The Avalanche limped to the dressing room after 20 minutes lucky to be down by just two.

But, as has been the case all year, the Avalanche came to life in the 2nd period. Terrific passes by Milan Hejduk, David Jones and Chris Stewart set up goals by Ryan Wilson, Hejduk and Marek Svatos and in just over 14 minutes, the Avalanche turned a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead. The couldn't seal the deal, though, as Shea Weber scored late in the 2nd period to tie things up and both teams tightened it up in a scoreless 3rd period.

There's been a lot of talk about the large number of shootouts this year. Like a lot of people, I fall into the "hate the shootout, but admit it's fun to watch" category. It's true; I think the shootout is a ridiculous way to decide a hockey game, although I find them exciting. But tonight's game is a good reminder that OT can be every bit as exhilarating as a shootout. Yes, Nashville was the team to score, leaving the Avs with a solitary loser point, but that was 3 minutes of wild hockey. Frankly, I'd much rather see OT extended to 10 minutes. If you still want a shootout after that so that there aren't any ties, I'll stop complaining. But you have to get rid of the loser point. Please.

To our American readers, have a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving tomorrow! For everyone else: we'll see you early on Friday; the puck drops in Minnesota at 2pm eastern.

Avalanche Olympic Preview

David Driscoll-Carignan — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:00:15 -0000

Around SBN, each of the hockey blogs is running a little preview of the Olympics with a look at who has a chance to make the Olympic rosters. We're still about a month and a half away from when the rosters are announced (Canada announces on December 31st, USA on January 1st), but here's a look at how the Avalanche are shaping up as of today. Remember, in 2006 the Avalanche sent 11 players to 8 different Olympic squads, tops in the league. The list won't be as big this year.

Team USA

Craig Anderson was not invited to Team USA's orientation camp in August (Tim Thomas, Ryan Miller and Jonathon Quick got the nods), but his strong play to date has to put him in contention to make the roster. Fairly Safe Bet

Paul Stastny did attend the orientation camp and figures to have a solid chance at making the roster. Fairly Safe Bet

John-Michael Liles was not one of the 12 defensemen named by Team USA GM Brian Burke, so it would seem doubtful that Liles will get a chance to repeat his 2006 Olympic participation. Work To Do

Team Canada

No Avalanche players were invited to Team Canada's camp in August. Actually, two were invited...but Ryan Smyth got traded and Joe Sakic retired. The Avalanche have some good Canadian-born players, of course, but no one strong enough to crack a very deep Team Canada squad.

Team Czech Republic

Milan Hejduk already has a gold medal (1998) and a bronze medal (2006) to show for his 3 Olympic appearances. Figure him to be on the team once again. Pack Your Bags

Team Slovakia

Peter Budaj played in the 2006 Olympic games (he was 2-1 with a 2.01 GAA) and is a good bet to make the team this year as well. He's likely to be battling Jaroslav Halak for the starting position. Nearly A Lock

Marek Svatos also played for the 2006 team. I'm not sure that he's a lock; perhaps they need an enforcer? Fairly Safe Bet

Team Belarus

Ruslan Salei is a lock...assuming he's healthy. Pack Your Bags

Late comeback not enough as Flyers fall 5-4 in Colorado

Travis Hughes — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:47:01 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Claude Giroux reacts as time runs out in the third period of Colorado's 5-4 victory Monday night. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

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[TSN Recap] - [Full Boxscore] - [Colorado Reaction]

Final - 11.23.2009	1	2	3	Total
Philadelphia Flyers	1	1	2	4
Colorado Avalanche	2	3	0	5

Complete Coverage >

It shouldn't have even come to this.

The Philadelphia Flyers should have walked all over the Colorado Avalanche on Monday night in Denver. Instead, they fell to a 5-4 decision after trailing by as many as three goals with under 10 minutes remaining. The Flyers would pepper Avalanche goaltender Craig Anderson with 19 shots in the third period alone, but in the end it was an embellished penalty call that would up doing Philadelphia in.

But before we get to the pulse-pounding comeback attempt, we must recount a game that the Flyers simply did not deserve to win. They played sloppy, lazy, even uninspired hockey throughout most of a contest that they, quite frankly, deserved to lose. That doesn't mean Colorado deserved the 'W', however.

No, the Avalanche tried throughout to cough this one up. After jumping all over a shaky Ray Emery early in the first, they began to sit back with a two goal cushion -- in the first period. Danny Briere made them pay with less than a minute to go in the first twenty to cut the lead in half and give the Flyers the momentum. It was clear they possessed it when the second period began, as right off the opening draw they began to apply pressure. Within thirty seconds, they'd be hammering away at a loose puck in front of Anderson -- a puck that Jeff Carter would eventually bang home to tie the game at two.

At this point, a defeated Avalanche team that had lost its last two games by squandering two-goal leads should have been knocked out for the count. Instead, the Flyers sat back and allowed Colorado to gain some confidence. Before long, the Avs would score two more goals to replenish their lead, and Emery would be headed to the showers.

His replacement, Brian Boucher, would allow a goal, but he didn't necessarily play poorly. He only saw 14 shots, thanks to the Flyers third period efforts. Really, they decided to turn things up following Briere's second goal -- a beautiful one-timer over the shoulder of Anderson -- gave them some life with about nine minutes left. Philadelphia kept up the pressure as time continued to tick away and Colorado could certainly feel it.

Nerves must've set in on the Avalanche bench as someone jumped over the boards too quickly, causing a too-many-men penalty that gave the Flyers a late power play. Carter would score his second of the night on the ensuing man advantage to cut the lead to 5-4 with 4:39 left. But that's as close as the Flyers would get.

Still applying pressure late, Scott Hartnell would play a little too close to Anderson. Trying to avoid an errant shot, Hartnell would jump and collide with the Colorado goaltender, who fell backwards toward his net like he had taken a bullet to the chest. Hartnell was already seated in the penalty box long before Anderson even attempted to get up, but much to the surprise of nobody, he was able to stay in the game unharmed. What should have been a 4-on-4 situation with an added diving call turned into an Avalanche power play, effectively sealing the game for the home team.

The Flyers should have run away with this one in the second period, but in reality, they had no business even making this one close. Despite their efforts in the final nine minutes of play, Philadelphia earned a loss tonight, making a long, lonely, injury-laded Western road trip a lot more painful to swallow.

After the jump, we'll have a few more assorted thoughts on the tough loss, we'll answer our pregame questions, take a peek at the highlights, and hand out a comment of the night.

Some more thoughts on the loss....

During the late Colorado power play, the Flyers pulled goaltender Brian Boucher and almost had some success. By the time Hartnell left the box with nine seconds left, Philadelphia was swarming in the Avalanche zone yet again. But with three seconds left and the Flyers seemingly on the verge of a last second tie, Jeff Carter was whistled for interference after knocking down a Colorado defender in front of the net. For the record, it was a cross-check and the Avalanche player embellished on that one, too.
Down two in the second, the Flyers tried to kick up the rough stuff in an attempt to get some mojo back. Hartnell initiated some activity with several Avalanche players right after their fourth goal, and a few minutes later, Dan Carcillo, Mika Pyorala, and Ian Laperriere stepped up in front of their goalie and took a few Colorado players to task. Laperriere, still a Denver fan-favorite, received a roughing and an unsportsmanlike conduct call for his role.
Claude Giroux got in a fight with Marek Svatos. It's not as weird as Briere versus Marc-Edouard Vlasic, but still. Who would've thought? Don't believe it? Video here.
Kimmo Timonen only took two shifts in the third period. Nobody in the Philadelphia media in Denver seems to know the deal. Maybe we'll learn something on Tuesday. No more injuries, please.
The special teams were vastly improved tonight. The penalty kill held the Avs scoreless on eight attempts, while the power play went one for two.
The AHL line, made up of David Laliberte, Jared Ross, and Andreas Nodl, was probably the only line with any semblance of energy throughout much of the first period.
With the loss, Wednesday night's game on Long Island becomes critical. The Flyers need to prove to themselves and to us that this three game skid is just a bump in the road, not a defining factor of the season. A crucial game against the Isles in November? Crazy sport...

Questions With Answers

How many minutes does the AHL line log tonight? Nodl played 12:11, Ross played 9:44, and Laliberte played 8:51. All three saw their minutes cut as John Stevens went to a shorter bench in the third period.
Can Mika Pyorala have the same kind of chemistry Blair Betts did with Laperriere and Carcillo? Pyorala had an excellent chance in the second period that would've tied the game at three, but an excellent, somewhat lucky, flailing save by Anderson kept it out of the net. It's hard to say how much chemistry he had with his linemates, though, considering most of the team had zero chemistry for most of this one.
Can the special teams get back on track tonight? Tough to say with a limited PP sample size, but the PK certainly did its job.
Do the line changes adversely effect players who seemed to be benefitting from the old order, namely James van Riemsdyk and Claude Giroux? Again, hard to say. Just about every line struggled for the first 52 minutes.

Comment of the Night

Whatever you do, just DON’T TOUCH THE BASEBALL CAP.

>> Ben Feldman, after Emery took a seat on the bench

Highlights

Game 24 Recap: Avalanche 5 - Flyers 4

David Driscoll-Carignan — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:00:13 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

24 days ago: Philadelphia Flyers center Mike Richards, front left, consoles goalie Ray Emery as members of the Colorado Avalanche celebrate a goal by David Jones in the first period of an NHL hockey game in Denver on Monday, Nov. 23, 2009. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

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Final - 11.23.2009	1	2	3	Total
Philadelphia Flyers	1	1	2	4
Colorado Avalanche	2	3	0	5

Complete Coverage >

Hey, Colorado Avalanche, that was a nice win. Now, please don't ever, ever do that again.

For the 3rd straight game, the Avalanche squandered a 2-goal lead. Thankfully, this time it happened in the 2nd period, before the Avs turned in for the evening. It's a good thing, because otherwise they would have been toast.

The Avalanche started things off early, with David Jones scoring just a minute in and Paul Stastny breaking his 12-game goal drought a few minutes later. But the Flyers scored a goal late in the first and tied it up just 63 seconds later in the 2nd period, and Avalanche fans were already starting to mutter to themselves.

The Avalanche own the 2nd period, though, and tonight was no exception. Cody McLeod, David Jones and Scott Hannan all scored in a wild middle frame to give the Avalanche a 5-2 lead after two periods.

They'd need all of it. The Flyers' comeback was inevitable. The Avs had been outscored 7-0 in the last two 3rd periods going into the game. You can make that 9-0 now. Philadelphia peppered Craig Anderson with 19 shots. Anderson was excellent, but couldn't stop them all. Daniel Briere - Briere being french for "little pussy"...he knocked Scott Hannan out of the game with a sleazy post-whistle cross-check after Hannan made it 4-2 - scored at the 11:17 mark to make it 5-3 and then, with the Avs serving a flipping penalty for two many men (how, how, how does that happen with 6 minutes left in the 3rd period), Jeff Carter made it 5-4. The Flyers kept on coming and might have knotted it up had Scott Hartnell not run over Craig Anderson with just over two minutes left (Anderson, to be honest, sold that one perfectly). Even then, the Flyers had some chances late, and Craig Anderson's save on a wide-open Braydon Coburn was the ultimate game-saver.

I'm glad the Avalanche won, but I can't take many more 3rd period laydowns like this. Please?

Kudos, by the way, to Marek Svatos. No, he didn't score. But he did have his first NHL fight, taking on Claude "Don't Call Me Shane" Giroux in the 2nd period. Not only did Svatos acquit himself nicely, but he was the one who invited Giroux to drop the gloves. Maybe he should give some pointers to Cody McLeod. McLeod's goal was huge, but he's not himself on the ice lately. Maybe he's hurt, or maybe he's just not comfortable wearing that visor. Whatever the deal is, I noticed him shy away from an opportunity to make a check on several occasions. And that thing with Lappy was embarrassing. I have ZERO problem with McLeod refusing to drop the gloves for Lappy, especially with the Avalanche up in the game at the time. But, if you aren't going to go, don't make it look like you're going to and don't goad the other guy into dropping his gloves. That's a move an assclown like Matt Barnaby would pull. It is not a move befitting a Highlander.