Game 56: Avalanche At Canucks, Preview And Open Thread
by Joe Dunman on Feb 9, 2008 3:33 PM MST
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As has become custom for the Avalanche this season, their previous injury reports are never quite as accurate as they could be. After more than a week of "Stastny will be back on Saturday against the Canucks," it seems that he actually won't be. The team considers him "questionable" for the game and he's still on the injured reserve. Pending a miracle, he won't play tonight.
Jose Theodore will play, however, as his back seems fine after his dominant win against the Sharks earlier in the week. If his play continues to be as amazing as it has been, the Avs won't miss Stastny as much as they could.
As far as the importance of this game, it's---I'm unafraid to say---a must-win. A win tonight could spring the Avalanche back into first place in the Northwest Division and stall Vancouver's ascent at the same time. A loss could mean the Avs would be battling for the last Western Conference playoff spot. Again.
The game starts at 8:00 PM Mountain time, 10:00 PM Eastern. Because UofL plays Georgetown tonight in what will probably be the best college basketball game of the season, I likely won't be watching the Avs. But I know you will be, so contribute to this thread!
ESPN preview.
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Basketball sucks
I wonder if fans jump to the air and scream every time the ball goes in the basket... :P
Just joking, not my cup of tea, really, but better than paper rock scissors, or watching golf.
MUST-WIN, MUST-WIN...
Canucks have lost
4 of their last 5 games at home and are 3-7-3 in their last 13 games overall while the Avs have won 5 of our last 6 road games and are 7-3-2 in the past 12 games so we've got that going for us. And i have to say i personally don't know how any one could watch basketball over hockey, it's just so boring to me and they whine over getting slapped on the arm. It rivals soccer for wussiest athletes. No Offense to soccer fans.
Agree and not agree
I don't like basketball because I think it is boring as well. Plus, the NBA, I know Joe is talking about college, but in the pros, it seems fixed. (did I break the record for the most commas used in one sentence?) The Donaghy betting scandal. All-stars getting preferential treatment for fouls. It looks fixed.
Soccer is cool though. There is too much flopping, especally in the World Cup but the endurance needed for that sport is outrageous. I have repect for them.
Sports
Hockey is awesome.
So is soccer, yes there are diving athletes, but most are in no way wussies. As a lifelong soccer player i can tell you, some players are tough and play the beautiful game the right way (I know Luis is Portugese, but Christiano Rinaldo is the biggest diver in the world right now)
by Jibblescribbits on Feb 9, 2008 8:26 PM MST up reply actions
Oh, don't mind
I actually agree with you.
And soccer is cool, specially in the World Cup, I really enjoy watching.
I respect
their endurance and skills but it's just the preety boy aspect(Beckham type of players) and the amount of diving and whinging they do over every little touch that drives me away. If they got rid of all the diving and toughened up a bit i might like it. Playing as goalie i don't mind but watching it on TV i hate.
Well
Sometimes the diving is strategic. With no rests for any of them, sometimes players fall and try to draw a foul to get play to stop for a rest. I don't like it, but i understand it.
Also there's one ref for 22 players, think about it, there's 2 for 12 in Hockey. Personally I think with more refs there would be less diving because refs are making judgments from 30-50 yards away and it's easy to pretend you get tripped.
by Jibblescribbits on Feb 9, 2008 8:34 PM MST up reply actions
Re: I respect
two words... Dominik Hasek
by Jibblescribbits on Feb 9, 2008 8:53 PM MST up reply actions
Re: Amen
Yeah i can't stand Hasek and his stupid fish out of water imitations. I have no idea ho people can seriously say that he's one of the best of all time and compare him to Roy. All Hasek does is flop, throw his stick, i mean drop his stick, and flop some more.
Foppa's
narrowed down his choice of teams he'll sign with
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/new...
seems to be Philly, Avs, Anaheim, Ottawa or Vancouver but his agent wants a $5 mill deal for next year. Their poll has 82% of people saying Avs should sign him.
Price
At that price, I know Philly and Anaheim can't afford him.
Not sure about Ottawa and Vancouver. Avs have the money
by Jibblescribbits on Feb 9, 2008 8:29 PM MST up reply actions
Re: Price
I think Philly's only chance is if they sign two seperste i year deals so they can trade some people in the off season. Every one seems to think he's definately gonna sign with the Flyers but i don't know why, doesn't he still have a house in Denver or something?
House
I think he has a condo downtown.
by Jibblescribbits on Feb 9, 2008 8:37 PM MST up reply actions
Affording Forsberg
Ottawa can if they let Wade Redden go, And Vancouver will be able to afford him too.
by Jibblescribbits on Feb 9, 2008 8:36 PM MST up reply actions
Canucks
Forsberg isn't going to want to sign with Vancouver if he is watching this game. OH BURN!
NW Division score check
Calgary's leading the Oilers 3-0 and the damn Wild beat the Islanders in OT 4-3 so tonight is definately must-win. Although it's always good to see the Dead Wings lose, Toronto beat them 3-2 after they blew a 3-1 lead after two periods to lose 5-3 against the Kings on Thursday.
SVATS MACHINE
With a really nice goal. You don't see many of those hardworking type goals from him... Avs flying tonight
Little Luck
Wolski should have been called for High Sticking before the goal.. Refs missed it.
by Jibblescribbits on Feb 9, 2008 8:43 PM MST up reply actions
Avs have already
scored the same amount of goals as they have in their matches against the Canucks this year. They've only managed 3 in every game, hopefully they change that today.
3-0 1st period
13-5 in shots, which is almost exactly what it was after 1 against the Sharks Weds (13-4 Weds). hopefully Q doesn't fuck up the line changes, call for line changes every 15 seconds and send 1 guy in to forecheck like he did Weds.
Really strange to see Svats and Arny both score those "Smyth" bang them in front goals. Whatever works though
Funny
I'm sorry, but the ads on the Canadian TV for "The Border" are cracking me up. I really think they should have just titled the show: 24 eh!
Wow
Arnason sounds a lot different to what i thought he would. I thought he have a deeper voice than he does and more of an accent.
PP Avs
McCommick (not Richardson as the announcer said) draws an interference penalty on Linden. Let's put this one away guys
LOOOOOUUUUU
The LOOOUUUUU chants have really gotten quieter since the beginning of the game. Can't imagine why
Yes
Yes they really are. Not as good as Euro crowds, but impressive nonetheless
by Jibblescribbits on Feb 9, 2008 9:13 PM MST up reply actions
They're just like WWF crowds...
...drunken mouth-breathers screaming at the top of their lungs over completely irrelevant events.
Heh, it is funny to see them STFU though. Nice that our Avs can be the ones to do it, too.
by Thomas @ Mile High Hockey on Feb 9, 2008 9:33 PM MST up reply actions
HEY!
" Great Goaltenders, it's not how many you let in, it's when you let them in"
Umm I'm pretty sure it's how many you let in
by Jibblescribbits on Feb 9, 2008 9:12 PM MST up reply actions
GRRRR
And the one of the Sedin Clones score to make this a game
by Jibblescribbits on Feb 9, 2008 9:16 PM MST up reply actions
3-1
Henrik Sedin puts home a rebound. Salo and the other one with the assists.
by andrew @ Mile High Hockey on Feb 9, 2008 9:16 PM MST up reply actions
couldn't tell
couldn't tell if there was a tip in there or not. If there was, i guess it's a good goal, but if not Theo probably should have been able to control the rebound just a bit better, but really someone on defense should have been on the Sedin twin
by Jibblescribbits on Feb 9, 2008 9:18 PM MST up reply actions
Announcers
Just called Clark "The number one Defenseman for Colorado" while praising what good defenseman he's become.
I'm pretty sure Jeff Finger, JM Liles, Hannan, and Leoprone take offense to that comment, and probably Sauer does to. He is better than Skrastins though
???
Bas-Ket-Ball?
Actually i don't mind college ball, I have a friend that went to UofL so I have no ill will towards Louisville.
by Jibblescribbits on Feb 9, 2008 9:30 PM MST up reply actions
Re: ???
That's good to know.
I don't like college basketball, but UofL pays my rent, so I have to root for the home team. They just beat the number 6 team in the country! Woot!
Neither the Hoyas nor the Cardinals are a match..
...for my mighty Michigan Wolverin....okay, I can't say that with a straight face. My word, what a bunch of losers. They try hard though.
Very much looking forward to the Final Four, because that means NHL playoffs, baseball and NASCAR!
by Thomas @ Mile High Hockey on Feb 9, 2008 9:38 PM MST up reply actions
Wolverines
Might make the NIT this season (OSU fan)
by Jibblescribbits on Feb 9, 2008 9:40 PM MST up reply actions
Don't Start
Let's keep the OSU/Michigan crap to a minimum here. Both teams suck, and that's the final word on the subject.
Can't disagree
I can't disagree with that at all (for basketball at least)
by Jibblescribbits on Feb 9, 2008 9:43 PM MST up reply actions
I wouldn't go THAT far!
I don't know that they are good enough to make the NIT. Maybe next year.
by Thomas @ Mile High Hockey on Feb 9, 2008 9:52 PM MST up reply actions
NIT
If OSU makes the NIT and Michigan doesn't i still don't think that qualifies as bragging rights, so you won't hear much from me
by Jibblescribbits on Feb 9, 2008 9:57 PM MST up reply actions
OSU
Isn't a basketball school. So making the NIT is a bigger accomplishment for OSU than it is for Michigan.
Michigan isn't a basketball school either, but we used to have really good basketball teams. Recently, when we make the NIT, we either win it, or we lose in the final round. Even just playing in the NIT is a failure of a season for Michigan.
I honestly don't understand why anyone would want to be an OSU fan unless they went there (which is funny, because I went to grad school at OSU). Same with Duke. I'm betting that if you lived where there were a lot of OSU fans and you saw how they acted, you probably wouldn't be one.
by Thomas @ Mile High Hockey on Feb 9, 2008 10:02 PM MST up reply actions
Grad School
I got my masters there.
Yes some OSU fans are complete idiots. I lived 6 blocks from the horseshoe for about 8 months.
To be honest I kind of sort of liked UM as a kid. My mom's from MI and so i kinda rooted for them. When I applied to Grad School, UM's office wouldn't even send me grad materials (before they knew who I was or what my GPS is, so no "weren't good enough to go to UM jokes") and generally acted like stuck up snobs. OSU sent me stuff and after seeing my GPA and GRE scores gave me a scholarship.
So no I'm not a bandwagon fan, I actually have a reason for rooting for tOSU
by Jibblescribbits on Feb 9, 2008 10:08 PM MST up reply actions
Hmh.
Doesn't surprise me about UM and how they treated you. I grew up rooting for UM, and always dreamed of going there, and they gave me a full ride, so of course I had to go. As an alum, I obviously have strong ties to the school and it has a special place in my heart. But the people there are awful, for the most part. The entire place definitely has its nose up in the air.
When it came time for grad school, I didn't even consider Michigan. I was ready for something else. I was accepted everywhere I applied, but OSU showed the greatest desire to have me (and offered me the most money), so I went. Everyone wondered how a UM alum could go to OSU. I embraced the place, but my advisor and I had a falling out over the 2004 election (it was more me keeping my mouth shut - if you can believe that - and him flipping out because of who I voted for) and I ended up leaving the program over it. Hard to get good PhD offers when you can't even trust your MA advisor to write you a fair letter of rec, you know?
The other grad students at OSU were great. The undergrads were some of the dumbest I have ever come across. The school itself is nasty and run down. Columbus is cold and grey, and the townies are disgusting.
The bright side to the whole debacle is that for the first time in my life, I actually dislike OSU. I never had the hatred that most UM fans did. UM students don't have any hatred for OSU. They're all too stuck up to have a rivalry with any school that happens to be inferior academically.
Nice to know that you have a reason for being an OSU fan. I completely respect that.
by Thomas @ Mile High Hockey on Feb 9, 2008 10:29 PM MST up reply actions
Undergrads
I don't know much of the OSU acceptance system, but if it's like CU they have to accept anyone that gets good enough grades in HS. If it's as easy to get good grades in Ohio HS's as it is CO HS's then yes there's a reason all the undergrads are dumb.
Columbus is the weirdest town i have ever been in. the ghetto was right near campus, but on the north side the nice part was near campus too. Very strange. The students are so diverse intellectually that it was tough to TA. I was teaching really bright kids in classes with really dumb kids. I felt bad for the bright kids because they weren't getting the education they deserved. I liked OSU for grad school, but I'm REALLY glad i went to a smaller school for undergrad. They could give me the attention I deserved.
by Jibblescribbits on Feb 9, 2008 10:38 PM MST up reply actions
I prefer...
...small program in a big school. Individual attention, but you also get the amenities of a big school as well. If I had gone to a small school, I probably wouldn't be married to a woman from Hawaii. I probably wouldn't have met two people from the same small town in South Korea who didn't happen to know each other. I wouldn't have discovered all the cuisines that I did. I wouldn't have had the opportunity to write for several different student newspapers before I found the right fit for myself.
Obviously, it depends on the school. But I am glad I picked the school I did for undergrad.
Then again, if you pick the right small school, that can be every bit as rewarding. I visited Northern Colorado on my grad school hunt (they have the oldest and still one of the top two or three schools in my field), and I thought that would have been a cool place to go to school. CU was nice, but there are only two types of people there...hippies and Abercrombies. I really liked UWyoming.
by Thomas @ Mile High Hockey on Feb 9, 2008 10:55 PM MST up reply actions
CU
Went to CU-Springs. The diversity wasn't there, to say the least, but my profs were really good and I was in a class of 4 for my program. I got a great education. Yeah i missed out on some Big school stuff, but made up for it in grad school. I can't complain (and met my wife there)
by Jibblescribbits on Feb 9, 2008 11:11 PM MST up reply actions
UNC
Has a top-3 program? What is that?
by Hardshell_Taco_del_Lowayne on Feb 10, 2008 12:08 AM MST up reply actions
Clark
Right after we slammed him. Shows us
oh Avs scored. 5-1
by Jibblescribbits on Feb 9, 2008 9:32 PM MST up reply actions
Score again!
I have no idea what just happened. Totally missed it. 5-1 Avs.
Svats Machine
Maybe time to pull Luongo
by Jibblescribbits on Feb 9, 2008 9:33 PM MST up reply actions
PP Goal
Clark gets credit for the one timer goal, Hit one of the Canuck players, maybe Kesler. Go up 4-1
GOOOAAAALLL
Svats scores just seconds later, go up 5-1 and the Canucks get called for a penalty. 5-1
FIGHT
Lappy, with classic Lappy, comes straight out of the penalty box and into a fight. Lame fight, but it was one nonetheless.
Maybe the Penalty box benches are heated?
Oh yeah
Can't resist the crooked nose huh?
by Jibblescribbits on Feb 9, 2008 9:39 PM MST up reply actions
2nd period
It's a good game when the announcers are openly wondering whether we'll see Sanford for the 3rd.
This score scares me....
Sorry just realized we had a score very similar to this a few years ago in a game in Vancouver....
Sanford in net
Luongo's been pulled. No surprise there he got shelled in the first two periods. Can you believe there's still 5 games between Vancouver and Colorado.
Colorado PK
Hedjuk for hooking
by andrew @ Mile High Hockey on Feb 9, 2008 9:57 PM MST reply actions
Goal
5-2 Avs. Salo shot from the point
by Jibblescribbits on Feb 9, 2008 9:58 PM MST up reply actions
Damn Frankenstein line
don't get the goal, but get the penalty and then salo scores on the power play 2 for 2 tonight.
Fight
McCormmick gets taken down, then the Canucks guy gets some shots in after that. McCormmick get some shots in after the refs got together
by Jibblescribbits on Feb 9, 2008 10:01 PM MST reply actions
PK
Theo gets a good save to start it out. McCormmick must have gotten an extra 2 min.
by Jibblescribbits on Feb 9, 2008 10:02 PM MST reply actions
6-2!
Hedjuk from Hlinka and Brunette.
Lots of blowouts tonight.
by andrew @ Mile High Hockey on Feb 9, 2008 10:13 PM MST reply actions
Penalty's
go to Hannan and Burrows for roughing @ 20:00 of the third period? Why even bother?
by Americanario on Feb 9, 2008 10:40 PM MST up reply actions
More shoving
from the hapless can-nots at the end of the game...
Hensiiick's scoring streak ends at 3 games. But Avs win 6-2
Hensick
Still has a point streak, at least.
by andrew @ Mile High Hockey on Feb 9, 2008 10:37 PM MST up reply actions
Whoops
Should have read this comment before mine
by Jibblescribbits on Feb 9, 2008 10:39 PM MST up reply actions
Hensik?
I thought he got an assist, but after 6 goals maybe that's just an assumption
by Jibblescribbits on Feb 9, 2008 10:39 PM MST up reply actions
He did
Hensiiick got an assist on Clark's ppg.
by Americanario on Feb 9, 2008 10:41 PM MST up reply actions
YEEESSSSS!
HUGE win tonight for the Avs! I'm glad Theodore was good again. The first goal was tipped like 3 times, the 2nd goal looked stoppable, but oh well, at least he made the big saves when it counted. That save on Ritchie(I think) was huge! I'm so happy that Hejduk/Svatos started to score again! That last goal by Hejduk was total pwnage. And I still don't get how Svatos keeps getting his stick on those garbage pucks around the net. When he scored 30 goals as a rookie, I don't remember him scoring that way, I remember him being a finesse player and deking through guys with sick moves and an accurate shot to score. But oh well, at least he's scoring again :D
by Mike the Avs Fan on Feb 9, 2008 11:13 PM MST reply actions
Svatos
Svatos has always scored that way. That's why he kept getting hurt, he plays tough but doesn't have the size to do that safely. He's got the skill to play a finesse game and an uncanny knack at getting open, but if there's no room for finesse and he's not getting open, he goes back to pretending he's Tomas Holmstrom.
by Thomas @ Mile High Hockey on Feb 10, 2008 1:35 AM MST up reply actions
Arnason
Arnason is usually useless because he usually doesn't put forth the effort needed to be productive with his skill set.
Svatos' effort has never been a problem. The guy always works, and he's always at least trying to play well defensively. He's one of the most consistent players on the team when it comes to effort.
by Thomas @ Mile High Hockey on Feb 10, 2008 10:20 AM MST up reply actions
Great win
Great win, very good. Bad luck none of the other important results went our way. Minnesota winning against a Eastern Conference team, Calgary beating Edmonton... Well, if we win our games, we won't have to care about the others.
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