Game 73: Devils At Avalanche, Preview And Open Thread
by Joe Dunman on Mar 15, 2008 11:56 AM MDT
in NHL News
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This has all the potential to be a really great game. Or, it could also be the most boring game ever played. You never really know with the New Jersey Devils---a team Colorado almost never plays.
The Devils are good, and currently lead the Eastern Conference by just one point over division rival Pittsburgh and Northeast Division foes Montreal and Ottawa. All three teams are tied with 87 points.
The Avs are still in sole possession of first place in the Northwest Division, but losing today is really not an option for them. Every other team in the division, with the exception of idle Calgary, plays tonight. A Colorado loss and wins by Vancouver and/or Minnesota would result in yet another annoying tie for first place. And nobody wants that.
The Devils are hot, winners of four of their last five games. The Avs are hot, winners of eight of their last nine. Ryan Smyth is expected to return to the lineup, and Paul Stastny, despite tweaking his groin during the Edmonton game on Thursday, is also supposedly going to play. We'll see.
The game starts at 1:00 PM Mountain time, 3:00 PM Eastern. I might not be around for the whole game, but I'll try to check in. Happy threading.
ESPN preview.
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McCormick gets the healthy scratch
along with Wyatt Smyth. I would have preferred McLeod, but whatever.
Good Chances
We have had some good chances, though. Good pressure from both teams. Things seem to be heating up as the period goes on.
Salei
They showed Salei's eye on the pregame. That is one nasty looking shiner. He's lucky is wasn't worse.
Momentum Shift
The Avs are looking a little flat after NJ scored. Passes aren't connecting and NJ is winning the defensive battle.
PP
I wonder how many goals we have scored just as the PP expires. If we could score just a few seconds earlier maybe our stats would not be so bad but we seem to score often upon expiration.
Re: PP
Yeah, the Avs have scored a lot just after. I know at least two goals Marek Svatos scored this year that were two or three seconds after the PP expired. Hejduk, too.
dead kitten
Even though Stastny scored right after the PP ended.
by Rather Dashing on Mar 15, 2008 2:11 PM MDT up reply actions
Theo
Seems to me Theo has been out of position a lot in this game. He keeps it up, the Devils could have a high scoring game.
Re: PP
Well, they're passing well...
At least Liles has taken a few shots, Sakic too. They're shooting, but nothing is going their way.
Brodeur
Martin Brodeur with a huge save on Ryan Smyth to end the second period.
The Avs have 15 shots on goal so far. I'd prefer 25, but they're not getting totally dominated, and that's good.
Jersey has 18 shots.
Arrrgh
It is getting so annoying to watch the PP. There are nice set-ups from behind the net or down the slot and no one is ever there to take the shot in front of the net. I mean, jeez, that last play was beautiful and no one was there to take the shot. You think they would get it by now.
0-4
PP started off looking good, but Brodeur looked better, and the Avs kill their fourth kitten of the night.
by Rather Dashing on Mar 15, 2008 2:55 PM MDT up reply actions
Welp
It's like I said. Theo out of position, not having a good game and we have a high scoring game - in favor of NJ. Bummer, should have seen Budaj.
Good lord
I leave the house for 25 minutes and this is what happens? 4-1?
Talk about a blown opportunity...
oh crap
now you know that idiot Q is gonna put in Budaj the next game, just great :(
by Mike the Avs Fan on Mar 15, 2008 3:20 PM MDT reply actions
6th Man on the Ice
I have noticed that real good teams have 6 players on the ice, not 5 and a goalie, like we have. Roy also played like the 6th man on the ice which I think really contributed to our success. If we could get Theo and Budaj to play like the 6th man, we could be unbeatable.
Hate to disagree
But Roy wasn't very good with the puck at all. I thought it was his biggest weakness honestly
by Jibblescribbits on Mar 15, 2008 3:34 PM MDT up reply actions
We can agree
to disagree. Roy passed the puck up ice to make plays, cleared the puck out of the zone, and generally played as the 6th man. I do remember him getting clobbered and making some bad plays too, but that comes with the territory. If Roy had a weakness, it was his attitude off the ice.
Count me in Jibbles corner
ROy couldn't hold a candle to most of the good puckhandling goalies of the modern era. To his credit, 99.9% of the time, he knew it and didn't try to do too much. When he felt that he had to try and show those skills off is when he got burned, usually against goalies that were better at that than he was. I'm speaking specifically of the SC series against NJ in 01, for one. Brutal display of puckhandling throughout the series and it cost the Avs game 5.
Conversely, you can do too much even as a skilled puckhandling goaltender. TheRick in NY is getting chastised by his own coaches for doing to much and getting burned repeatedly.
scoreboard watching now
I had a bad feeling about this game. Oh well. Maybe Kopitar will score a hat trick on Minnesota tonight. Vancouver has a good chance of losing against Dallas.
oh wow
my friend just told me this, the avs are 5-25-4 when scoring 2 or less. That means we have to get our offense going. I commend Q for playing Wolski and Hlinka tonight. However, I think they'll both sit next game :(
by Mike the Avs Fan on Mar 15, 2008 3:58 PM MDT reply actions
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