Post Game Avs/Devils: What the Players DIDN'T Do

A team fighting for their playoff lives should not go 65 minutes AND a shootout without scoring a goal. Sure, they are playing against a future Hall of Famer in Martin Brodeur, but he is not the goalie he used to be. He isn't Marty of the 90's. Tonight like so many other nights, the Avs made the opposing goalie look like a God. Brodeur made some huge saves, but the Avs need to score some goals. 

Players of the Game: 

J.S. Giguere: Again, the Avs netminders are the reason Colorado leaves the game with more points than when it started. When the Devils peppered him with shots late in the third, he stood tall. He was great in the overtime too, making a key pad save in the last 2 minutes. He let 2 shootout goals in, maybe he should have had both of them, but for those who say Varlamov should have played in the shootout, you can say that after every game any goalie gives up 2 in the circus time. 

Ryan Wilson: He had a solid defensive game. He made great plays, good outlet passes, and jumped into the rush. He was especially dangerous in OT.

The Doghouse

Matt Duchene: Duchene seemed afraid to get into the dirty areas tonight. He wasn't awful but he was not as effective. He said he was playing even though he still had some pain, which leads me to this statement. If you are going to play hurt, and be ineffective, DON'T PLAY. Mind you, the alternative in Kevin Porter couldn't have been much worse. 

Milan Hejduk: Invisible again. He needs to step it up.

Not a lot more to say about this game. We got a point. Not the best outcome, not the worst. God help us against the Rangers.

The Avaholics 3 Stars: 

1.      J.S. Giguere

2.      Ryan Wilson

3.      David Jones

Post Game Avs/Sabres: What the Players Did

What an exciting game put on by the Avs and Sabres! Jamie McGinn, are you kidding me? They should not have won this one. Varlamov was an absolute stud between the pipes tonight. If it was not for his first period heroics, the Avs would have found themselves in a hole way too big to fight their way out of. The Avs did not start with the passion they needed to take a strangle hold early. With the playoff race as close as it is, and the Avalanche clinging to their last life, every game, and every two points is so crucial. The defense was slow out of the gate and they failed to make outlet passes out of the zone when they needed to most. Too much north-south hockey gave the Sabres a good number of scoring chances in the first period. If Varlamov did not stand on his head, Colorado could have been down three goals quick. But the boys in white pulled it off. Jamie McGinn’s miracle goal with 0.7 seconds remaining shocked everybody in the Avs community. What a rush by Landeskog. Great on ice awareness and sense of mind to realize how much time was remaining. Varlamov was solid again in the shootout, and Mueller’s snipe was all the Avs needed. A big two points in a game they should not have won. But I think I speak for everybody when I say they’ll take it!

Players of the Game:

Gabriel Landeskog. What a game by the 19 year old. AGAIN! All I can say is Calder for this guy. He is the reason we won the game. What a last second rush.

Jamie McGinn: 2 goals by the newest member of the Avs. His second 2 goal game of his young career. Both have been with Colorado. McGinn for Winnik and Galiardi? Great move Sherman.

Semyon Varlamov: As previously stated, the Avs lose the game big without Varlamov. He let 4 goals in, but they weren’t all his fault. The Avs still overpaid for him, but these clutch performances are helping to shoulder the blow.

Steve Downie: No points for Downie, but he played over 21:00 minutes of ice time, and was a physical FORCE. I don’t know about you, but I loved watching him rough it up with Patrick Kaleta. Downie had some great chances, had good hustle, and was dangerous in front of the net. You don’t need numbers to have a great game and Downie’s contributions are proof of that.

Avaholics Doghouse:

Milan Hejduk: Invisible again. People say “well he’s only playing 4^th line minutes”…so? He can still be a difference maker on the ice, get some good chances and generate scoring. He has done virtually nothing the past 20 games. Time to step it up captain.

Paul Stastny: He had a couple of good shifts, but again was not a difference maker on the ice. He disappeared in the last half of the game. He is letting the new kids on the block take over. Don’t be surprised to see him shipped out of Colorado by next season.

Kevin Porter: uhhhg….

Matt Hunwick: Bad game from #22 in white. Poor defensive plays, made some awful passes, just an all-around bad night. But don’t lose your faith in him yet, he has played some very solid hockey. One bad game shouldn’t make him lose all the praise he has garnered since his return to the lineup.

Lets talk Peter Mueller. His giveaway that led to the Sabres SH goal was brutal. That was a bad play by Mueller. BUT. It would not have happened if the Avs abandoned that STUPID neutral zone drop pass. There will be more on the drop pass in a future blog. But, tough break Mueller, you made up for it in the SO!

Avaholics Unanimous’ 3 Stars:

1.      Gabriel Landeskog

2.      Jamie McGinn

3.      Semyon Varlamov

The Name Game

Hockey players are notorious for their uncreative bad nicknames for teammates. The Avalanche players are no different, squeezing out such gems as “Landy”, “Dutchy” and “Jonsie”. Maybe players keep nicknames short and sweet as an easy way to call out to a fellow line mate on the ice. Saying “Yea Dutchy!” in an effort get a cross ice pass would be a lot easier than saying something like “Yea Pizza the Hut!” (if Matt Duchene really liked pizza, we’re really not sure), but still. If these players weren’t hockey players, what would their nicknames be? We here at Avaholics Unanimous spent an outrageous amount of time thinking about it, and here is what we have come up with: We’ll go alphabetically:

Tyson Barrie: Barrie Bonds (If he worked at a financial institution)

Mike Connolly: Conner the Spawner (After starting a huge family)

Steve Downie: Downs with Webster (If he worked at a dictionary company)

Jan Hejda: The Swag from Prague (After sweeping numerous women off their feet)

Milan Hejduk: The Duke of Earl (If he worked in a Gene Chandler cover band)

David Jones: DJ Jonesy D (After fake tanning for years and standing in front of a high powered fan for 6 hours with wet hair)

Gabriel Landeskog and Ryan O’Reilly. The Young and the Restless. (Because nothing keeps these guys from working hard night in and night out)

Jay McClement: McClementine (After he became chief foreman of a Nuclear Power Plant) ((Clementine was a code name for the world’s first fast neutron nuclear reactor)) jeez, keep up people.

Peter Mueller, from Bloomington, Minnesota. The Bloomington Blur (After post-concussion symptoms left him with blurred vision. Congrats on the recovery though Peter!)

Mark Olver: Olver and Company (If he was CEO of a corporate franchise)

Kevin Porter: The Im-Porter (After opening a latex manufacturing company. They do imports, no exports)

Ryan Wilson: Brian Wilson (After lying in bed for days on end)

Daniel Winnik: Winny the Blue (After the depression of playing for the tanking SJ Sharks kicks in)

After retirement, hockey players often start small businesses with their money. Here is what we think some of the Avs players might get into after they hang up the skates.

Matt Duchene: “Goin’ Dutch” A restaurant where everybody pays for themselves.

T.J. Galiardi: “The Doghouse” A pet supplies store. Given his recent benching’s by new head coach Todd McLellan, this seemed fitting.

Milan Hejduk: “Hedgie’s Hogs” A motorbike company

David Jones: “The Jonses Furniture Warehouse” He sells the furniture that everybody wants.

Chuck Kobasew: “Chuckie Squeeze” An adult oriented establishment

Cody McLeod: “McLoud 9’s” A mental hospital to help the severely depressed.

Ryan O’Byrne: “Oh Burns!” A treatment center for burn victims

Ryan Wilson: “Wilson Genuine Undrafted” A beer company (Because we was never drafted into the NHL)

David Van Der Gulik: “Van-DerLay Industries” A rival latex manufacturer of Kevin Porter’s business. They import AND export.

By the way, we realize how awful Mike Connolly’s nickname is. The guy who thought that one up is clearing out his desk as you read. If you think you can do better, feel free to share and we’ll include them in a future blog.

Post Game Avs/Ducks: How The Players Did

This will be the first of many post-game blogs analysing how certain Avs players did in the preceding game. This feature will aim to praise and/or criticize Avs players for their hard work or awful plays. So let’s get this party started!

Semyon Varlamov: If it was not for Semyon Varlamov, the Avs would not have left the Pepsi Center that night with 2 crucial points. He made key saves when the Avs seemed to sit back after gaining the lead. The Selanne goal was not his fault at all. Lazy defense on the PK by Paul Stastny and a defensive breakdown by the Avs, coupled with a beauty pass by Matt Belesky led to a sure goal that no one can blame #1 in Burgundy and Blue for. Bottom line: Varlamov was solid when the Avs needed it most, and was my 1^st star for the Avs.

Kevin Porter: Porter scored his 4^th goal of the season on a great tip in. Good shift by #12. Other than that, he had a poor game. He could not keep the puck on his stick for the life of him, he was lazy on the back check, and his defensive play was noticeably subpar. Oh and Kevin, when you skate into the corner with a member of the opposition, it wouldn’t hurt to ACTUALLY HIT HIM. If I had a nickel for every time Porter lightly grazed a Ducks player along the boards or in the corner instead of actually laying a solid hard check on him, I would probably have about 45 cents. There were at least 9 times I noticed, without the help of rewinding my PVR, that Porter either hit the boards beside his man, or brushed against him so lightly and harmlessly that the opposing players probably thought he threw a feather duster at their bodies. Porter needs to be better. He scored, yes. And that goal helped the Avs win the game; no one can knock him for that. But one goal does not excuse a player from a game full of mistakes and lazy play. Mike Connolly is waiting for a chance to play again and Chuck Kobasew won’t be hurt forever. Matt Duchene will return and Porter will once again be in the press box. He had a chance to show the team, the coach, and the management why he deserves a roster spot on this young blossoming team, and he has done nothing but fill everybody’s heads with reasons to let him walk in the summer. Sick tip in though.

Matt Hunwick: Another great game from the once dark horse of the Avalanche back end. He deserves to stay in the lineup and he should be given a big pat on the back for his poise and class after being a healthy reserve most of the regular season. His play to keep the puck in the attacking zone just before the Landeskog OT goal was key.

Paul Stastny: not playing up to his bloated 6.6 million dollar salary. He needs to be better offensively, better defensively, keep his stick on the ice, get to the dirty areas, and not FLOAT so much. The goals aren’t just going to come to you Mr. Stastny; you need to work for them.

Jamie McGinn: Every time the puck went to net, or a player made a powerful move around the Ducks D-men, it seemed #11 was the man doing the work, or was close by waiting for a key scoring chance. McGinn could have had 2 or 3 goals tonight. Solid effort, great pick up by Greg Sherman. (I can’t believe I just typed that!)

Erik Johnson: EJ could have had 2 goals as well. He played a good defensive game, and even though he is in a bit of an offensive drought (0 G’s in 12 games) his play tonight did not suggest that. He was rushing the puck left right and center, creating offense and generating scoring chances. He almost squeaked one by Hiller in the 2^nd and had another quality chance in overtime. Solid game by Johnson. Remember how many awful games he had earlier this year? Those are few and far between in the second half of the season. 

I would love to hear some comments, questions, and input of your own! Comments can now be added by anybody, and we will do our best to answer them and get back to you! Thanks for reading Avaholics!

Landy For Calder

Lets go back to the Avalanche's OT win at home against Anaheim. What is the main thing you can remember from that game? What a shot by Landeskog! For a guy who was too sick to take to the morning skate to go into overtime and blast the winner behind hot goalie Jonas Hiller, he is making it awfully hard for the generally east-biased Calder Trophy voters to peg Adam Henrique with the coveted first year prize. If I had a vote, I would put a big fat checkmark in the box beside LANDESKOG on the ballot sheet. He deserves it, and this game was the perfect example as to why. And on national television nonetheless. Great nationwide exposure for the rookie who plays on a team that seems to have been forgotten by those out east.

Landeskog was kind of invisible throughout the game. He played just under 17:00 and was a +1. He had three shots on goal, and played 1:12 on the powerplay. He had an extremely solid game with no defensive miscues. He absolutely destroyed Ducks Lubomir Visnovsky then went through the rest of the game without any flashy plays, huge chances in front of the net, or thundering body checks. But this is what makes him so special. He was not the center of attention as he has been so many nights before. He was not one of McGuire’s Monsters, and he did not reach the score sheet until overtime, but he was an effective player for the Avs and his play made a difference.

This is why Landeskog has my vote for the Calder. He doesn’t need a huge offensive game to be one of the biggest difference makers on the ice. He makes those around him better even when he does not reach the score sheet. He plays hard, smart, responsible hockey. He hits hard, and often; he always gets pucks to the net (just one SOG away from breaking the all-time franchise mark for shots on goal by a rookie, set by Peter Stastny in Quebec), and he just doesn’t stop. Now if someone were to read this and have no knowledge of any player on the Avs, they would be absolutely shocked to find out that he is only 19 years old!!!!! He can’t legally have a beer at a steakhouse in Denver and he is one of the most effective players in the league!

Landeskog will more than likely go up against Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (EDM) and Adam Henrique (NJD) for the Calder. Henrique and Hopkins won’t win. But we will save that blurb for another blog.

A Must Have For Avalanche Fans

This is not a "plug", a "tire pumping" or a paid advertisement from its author. This is just a courteous mention of a piece of literature that any Avs fan, young or old, should own.

The book – “Blood Feud: Detroit Red Wings v. Colorado Avalanche: The Inside Story of Pro Sports' Nastiest and Best Rivalry of Its Era.” The reason you should own it, or at least read it: Because this is the best piece on non-electronic reading on the Colorado Avalanche ever published. The Avs have books written on them, such as “Colorado Avalanche” by Gary Olson, and various articles, stories, blogs, and online sources, but nothing offers such an in depth, non-biased look at the franchise, and one of the early defining moments, and most famous brawls in hockey history. I won’t give away parts of the book, such as interviews and specifics, but the book is obviously about the rivalry between the Red Wings and Avalanche, among other lightly touched subjects.

The author, Denver Post employee and Avs beat-writer Adrian Dater had first-hand access to the events and was in the perfect position for getting post-game analysis as well as opinions and thoughts by players well after the event.

Bottom Line: I bought this book in early 2009 and I read it in 2 days. I could not put it down and have read it 3 times since. Any Avs fan should have this. Older Avs fans should read the book to relive memories, and younger Avs fans should read the book to get a great sense of what this franchise used to be.

The book is available on amazon.com at this link: http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Feud-Colorado-Avalanche-Nastiest/dp/1589793196

It is very reasonably priced, and for you techno-literate Avs fans out there, you can even buy it for your kindle. Anyways, enjoy the Avs/Ducks game tonight. As always, this is a MUST WIN for the Avs. Make some noise for the boys.

When the Final Buzzer Sounds, The West Will Look Like...

When the season ends early April, What will the final seeding look like in the Western Conference? This is what I think will happen when the final buzzer rings in the final game of the 2011-12 NHL season.

1.       St. Louis Blues

2.       Vancouver Canucks

3.       Phoenix Coyotes

4.       Detroit Red Wings

5.       Chicago Blackhawks

6.       Nashville Predators

7.       Dallas Stars

8.       Colorado Avalanche

9.       San Jose Sharks

10.   LA Kings

11.   Calgary Flames

12.   Anaheim Ducks

13.   Minnesota Wild

14.   Edmonton Oilers

15.   Columbus Blue Jackets

In this highly likely scenario, two potential powerhouses, San Jose and LA, miss the playoffs. That would send a surprising shock through the NHL, especially California.

The Sharks have a better chance than anyone to make the playoffs, as they have 3 games at hand on Colorado, and 2 on LA, PHX, and CGY, and are only 1 point out of 8^th. 9 of the Sharks remaining games are against LA, PHX, COL, CGY, and Dallas, pivotal games that will definitely decide the outcome of the season. They end the season with a home-and-home against the Kings. If these games are the typical 3 point games that bubble teams seem to like to play these days, this could mean big trouble for the Avs. But in the end, if the Avs stay hot, and San Jose stay cold (3 wins in their last 15), then I believe in their chances.

There will be a blog outlining why the Avs could very well miss the playoffs after the game against the Ducks tonight.