Game 63: Avalanche At Oilers, Preview And Open Thread
by Joe Dunman on Feb 24, 2008 3:35 PM MST
in NHL News
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One would think that the Avalanche would have no problem beating the weaker Oilers tonight. The Avs are still on the road, where they've played fairly well as of late (compared to their last few home games, which were atrocious), and the Paul Stastny is back in the lineup and scoring again (1g against Phoenix on Friday).
But this is the Colorado Avalanche we're talking about, and anything goes. They're just as likely to lose 2-1 as they are to win 6-3. Regardless, there are just 19 games left to play after tonight, and every match up, especially against division rivals, is critical.
Jose Theodore will be in goal again. Joe Sakic has a very small 50/50 chance of playing tonight, but it's more likely that we'll see his he could return in the next Avs game on Tuesday against Calgary. I'm unsure if Jeff Finger will be back after missing one game with an apparent hand injury. Let's hope.
The game starts at 6:00 PM Mountain time, 8:00 PM Eastern.
ESPN preview.
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Actually......
Sakic has a very high chance of playing tonight. They just activated him and sent Hensiiick down to the minors.
There's this one Avs fan on the boards who is usually almost always right, she has some connections. She said that barring something totally unpredictable/crazy, Sakic should play tonight.
by Mike the Avs Fan on Feb 24, 2008 3:45 PM MST reply actions
yeah
it was the right move sending hensick down. He's a great player with a bright future, but his inexperience has really showed these last couple of games, his TOI has dipped. It'll be good for him to finish the season in the minors. That's what I think should've happened this season, he should've spent the whole season down there along with Stewart. But with all the injuries we were forced to call him up.
by Mike the Avs Fan on Feb 24, 2008 4:03 PM MST up reply actions
Finger was sent back to Denver
So it's probably unlikely that he'll play during the rest of this road trip. But you never know.
Hope Joe comes back with a vengence...
Sakic!!!
I'm wearing my Sakic jersey tonight in honor of his return. Hopefully he'll score something like 30 goals in the next 20 games to make up for all the ones he missed.
Lines...
Stastny-Smyth-Hejduk
Arnason-Bruno-Svatos
Sakic-Jones-Wolski
Guite-Mcleod-Lappy
What's up with Arny having better linemates than Sakic?
Sakic
he is probably going to play very limited minutes. But yeah, it does feel weird.
Minutes
Yeah, I don't suppose they want to wear him down too much in his first game back.
by Rather Dashing on Feb 24, 2008 6:23 PM MST up reply actions
Goal! Maybe I was wrong
Maybe Sakic is going to play decent minutes. Great assist as Guite drives to the net for the goal. 2-0 Avs.
no shots on the pp for edmonton
still none in this period for the Avs
by Americanario on Feb 24, 2008 7:23 PM MST up reply actions
Another lead, another blown opportunity
This is becoming eerily similar to last season, when the Avs would take an early lead in almost every game just to blow it and lose. It's Coach Q's calling card.
Cumiskey
Cumiskey is super-fast just skating around his own zone. That kid has wheels I can't even comprehend.
Joe in the circle
Joe Sakic has won two face offs in the last four minutes. That kind of contribution is useful, considering how bad the Avs have been lately.
And the Edmonton fans are doing the wave because they're loooooooosers.
Damn
On the replay it looked like he tried to shoot it three or four times and couldn't get a handle on it.
That sucks.
Spinning puck
The rebound had so much spin it shot off his skate weird.
by Hardshell_Taco_del_Lowayne on Feb 24, 2008 8:30 PM MST up reply actions
Fuck
Coach Q has Sakic playing the point again with Liles on the power play. Svatos, Stastny and Smyth are down low.
And of course it doesn't work.
Stastny just had a wide-open net and fanned on the puck. A huge missed chance.
Sakic as PP QB
Sakic is by far the best passer on the ice, and I assume that's why Q plays him as the power play quarterback, except that they don't need more passing, they need big shots from the point.
Passing
The Avs have a horrible tendency to pass to teammates who are heavily covered. I've seen at least three recent passes to guys with two guys right on them. It looks like a youth league game.
Re: Lynch Q
And it's always the same story: get a lead, stop trying on offense, get beat bad in their own zone.
Is it really that hard to figure out that this strategy doesn't win games?
Well they say
you can't teach and old dog new tricks. It's obvious Q hasn't learned anything.
by Americanario on Feb 24, 2008 8:26 PM MST up reply actions
Not to mention Arnason's PP minutes
Arny has TUNNEL VISION, which helps create 5 on 5 chances when he drives to the net. However, his play does nothing for the PP. He just wristers into the goalie from the circle or does lame passes. Sakic was wide open on that last PP and Arny threw the puck away.
by Hardshell_Taco_del_Lowayne on Feb 24, 2008 8:32 PM MST up reply actions
Also lines
Haynes mentioned what we all saw. I don't think a single line played together more than twice the whole night. Not helping Q. Damn why did I ever feel happy to hire you (guess Granato made me desperate).
by Hardshell_Taco_del_Lowayne on Feb 24, 2008 8:35 PM MST up reply actions
Right now
Granato is a better option than Q. Man how low we have sunk.
by Americanario on Feb 24, 2008 8:38 PM MST up reply actions
crap
I didn't watch the game, how was our goaltending? Did we really sit back again?? Was Sakic good?
by Mike the Avs Fan on Feb 24, 2008 10:53 PM MST reply actions
Re: crap
I only saw the last Edmonton goal get scored, and Theodore got beat fair and square on a shot he should have stopped. Sakic had an assist and looked pretty good. He wasn't skating as hard as he could, but he was passing better than anybody on the team. He played on a line (for a while) with Ben Guite and Wojtek Wolski, and it seemed to work fairly well.
We plain got beat
When you don't have a shot through 15 minutes of the period I don't know how you can say you didn't sit back. But then again it is hard to get any kind of line chemistry going when the lines are being mashed together and are changed every shift.
by Americanario on Feb 25, 2008 1:32 PM MST up reply actions
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