Game 1 Recap: Avalanche 5 - Sharks 2
by David Driscoll-Carignan on Oct 2, 2009 8:33 AM MDT
in Game Recaps
194 comments
Hello, I love you,
Won't you tell me your name?
Hello, I love you,
Let me jump in your game.
- The Doors
Show of hands: who saw that one coming?
I know I didn't. I admit, I don't think the Avalanche are going to be that good this year. If they play many more games like that, however, I may have to start changing my tune. The Avalanche rolled over Dany Heatley and the San Jose Sharks 5-2. To be fair, the Sharks looked awful for most of the game...but who the fuck cares? The Avs won and looked damn good in the process.
With all the new faces and changed jersey numbers, it was kind of hard to recognize the team on the ice at times. Truth be told, this team looked completely different. This was not the mucking, cycling, simple-minded, snore-inducing team that we saw under Joel Quenneville and Tony Granato. These guys were flying out there. The defensemen were firing long passes to break out the forwards. The forwards were circling in front of the net instead of grinding things to a hault behind it. The emphasis clearly seemed to be on skating over hitting and it was a lot of fun to watch. It occured to me that we were finally seeing Tony Granato's promised "uptempo" game. This is the place where we make derisive comments about Tony G but let's be not be too harsh. Granato was working with guys like Ben Guite and Tyler Arnason, not TJ Galiardi and Matt Duchene. There was a noticeable uptick in skill level on the ice last night compared to last year.
After the touching Joe Sakic ceremony (my favorite was the final walk through the dressing room), the Pepsi Center was rocking at the start of the game. In a move loaded with symbolism, Matt Duchene took the opening faceoff (one of the few draws the team actually won). This was the first time for many of us to see Duchene on the ice and it was something else. He looked a little nervous early (on the bench before the game, he looked downright petrified) but shook it off as the game went along. There was one penalty kill he was on (sorry, didn't note when that occured) when he put on a forechecking clinic, keeping the puck deep in San Jose for a good 20 or 30 seconds and then finished up the shift with a hit in the corner. That seemed to be the turning point for him, and he looked much looser on the ice after that. He had a couple of breakaways (including one beauty of a steal). He didn't manage to put the puck in the net, but those goals are going to come. He was blazing fast and loaded with talent. Sorry, Brampton, he ain't coming back. I'm not as convinced that Ryan O'Reilly is here to stay; I don't know think that he had a bad game (he and Duchene each had their first NHL assist) and I saw him working hard defensively...I just wasn't wow'd like I was about Duchene and the guy in the next paragraph.
Holy freaking cow. How on earth did the Detroit Red Wings let Kyle Quincey slip away on waivers? He was just a joy to watch in all areas of the game, whether it was making plays defensively, firing crisp passes up to his forwards or manning one of the points of the powerplay. It was only one game, but he really improved the defense. He and Scott Hannan played a terrific game. If he keeps playing like that, he's going to make a lot of people forget about that Ryan Smyth guy.
Finally, I've got to say that Craig Anderson looked pretty good in net. He turned away 38 of the 40 shots he faced including 19 (!) in the final period as the Avalanche took the foot off the gas (I guess you can't change everything in one game). Anderson looked, um, a bit unconventional out there as he seemed like he was dropping to the ice a lot. He seemed to be all reactions and instincts, a sharp contrast to the controlled, positional game of Peter Budaj.
It's only one game...but, hey, at least we know we won't go 0-82! The Avalanche won handily and unexpectedly last night but there is more to it than that. The Avalanche were ENTERTAINING last night and that's something we haven't been able to say for quite some time.
- Wolski - Stastny - Hejduk
- McLeod - Duchene - Svatos
- Tucker - Galiardi - Stewart
- Koci - O'Reilly - Hendricks
- Quincey - Hannan
- Foote - Liles
- Clark - Cumiskey
- According to Versus, Wolski has scored a goal on opening night in each of the last 4 seasons. They also had Salei and Hensick in the starting lineup and said that Mike Hough was the last Avalanche captain, so take that stat with a grain of salt.
- 12 Avalanche players had a point in the game.
- Kyle Quincey led all players with 27:02 of ice time.
- The Avs were a dreadful 29% in the faceoff circle.
The Avalanche host the Vancouver Canucks Saturday afternoon at the Pepsi Center (1pm MT / 3pm ET). That's the last home game until October 23rd, as the Avs are headed out on a 7-game road trip.
What I liked best about this win for Colorado was its quick-strick capability at even strength. - Adrian Dater, All Things Avs
"I'm just trying to focus on going to the net," Wolski said. "You see so many goals come on little pokes, little chips right in the crease. I'm really trying to focus on making sure I have a presence in front." - John Kreiser, NHL.com
Seeing Kyle Quincey play makes me feel much better about the Ryan Smyth trade. Dude was a beast! Ice-time is indicating #1 d-man status and he deserved it. - Shane Giroux, Avs Talk
If the Avs can play like this every game (I am not expecting 5 goals each game) then they are going to be in every game. Even in the games they lose, if the other team walks into the locker room thinking, "That game was much harder than it should have been," the Avs will be in good shape. - InYouFace, MHH
O'Reilly didn't stand out as much to me. I thought he was pretty good on the PK, but even then he was out shined by his partner T.J. Galiardi. One game is a small sample size, and we'll have to see how he does the next 2-8 games to see if he warrants staying in the NHL this season. - Magnum, Disgruntled Avalanche Blogger
At 18 years, 236 days, O'Reilly is the second youngest player to see action in franchise history. The youngest was Owen Nolan, who beat O'Reilly by two days - AP
Someone must have convinced Joe Thornton this was a playoff game because he was invisible. - Sean Payton, Anyone But Detroit
Heatley had a lousy Sharks debut with a minus three and he was the guy who didn’t backcheck, allowing the fourth goal. He was just standing there, gliding back toward the net - hell, Cheechoo would have atleast fallen down trying to get there. Heater also did a Selanne impression by missing a wide open net in the third period. - Doug, Sharks Hockey Analysis
However, San Jose's debut produced more questions than answers, shining a spotlight on the team's weaknesses in goal and along the blueline. To make matters worse, the first line was outplayed on nearly every shift, the power play couldn't manage to score on a two minute 5-on-3 in the third period, and the slow-footed defense was flustered by the speed of the young Avalanche forwards. - Ryan Garner, Shark Sandwich
It's obvious that the blueline needs some work. - Mr Plan, Fear the Fin.
Our D didn't show up. Don't know where they were but their less skilful, more inefficient clones showed up instead. "You idiots! These are not them! You've captured their stunt doubles!" So true. - Gray, Couch Tarts
"The performance was disappointing, very disappointing," McLellan said, singling out some of his top-end talent in particular. "We have some world-class athletes on our team and they didn’t play like that." - David Pollack, Working the Corners
0 recs |
194 comments
|
Email
Print
Comments
man, I really missed doing these.
Hyphens cause writers more trouble than any other form of punctuation, except perhaps commas.
by David Driscoll-Carignan on Oct 2, 2009 8:35 AM MDT reply actions
thinking more the former, but both work
Hyphens cause writers more trouble than any other form of punctuation, except perhaps commas.
by David Driscoll-Carignan on Oct 2, 2009 10:10 AM MDT up reply actions
Great Game - Great Time
My thought exactly about the up-tempo hockey. They were on fire last night.
I told my husband I hope this is Kyle Quincey’s breakout year. I think he is a player who got lost in the system and the Avs, fortunately, had the savvy to pick him up. Kudos to Sherman on that one. It he plays the way he did all season, then the Smyth trade doesn’t look so bad, even though, ironically, he would have been the perfect point man for Smyth.
Even if they lose games, if they play the way they did last night, it will be a fun season to watch.
And I agree, I hope more teams take the Avs for granted and decide to mail in the game. I don’t think the Sharks knew what hit them last night.
Colorado Avalanche: Please excuse the mess while we are under construction.
unfortunately, if they do keep playing like last night, no one will be understimating them for long.
The 2009-2010 Colorado Avalanche: Anything is possible.
"To all the cynics, I'm sorry for you, ... I'm sorry you can't believe in miracles."
-Lance Armstrong
by BeachNSnowGirl on Oct 2, 2009 8:54 AM MDT up reply actions
smyth trade
were people actually disappointed by the smyth trade? besides picking up anderson, that was the avs’ best offseason move. he was a good player, but overpaid, and not exactly a speed demon that would fit into an up-tempo system. it was so clear the avs needed to dump him that I’m astonished they managed to swing a player of quincey’s caliber in return.
Agreed.
I mean, seeing a good game out of Quincy is nice, and certainly something we want. But I feel like even if we’d just done a straight salary dump, you really couldn’t call it a bad deal for this organization at this point.
I still don’t believe that people think Smyth is overpaid. I will say it again. Smyth is not paid to be a flashy scorer. He is a garbage goaler and leader who’s intangibles are second to none. He was the best player on a team full of crap last year, and was the only one who, regardless of the score, or the crapy-ness of the team, gave his all night in and night out.
I like Quincey…but I would love to have a team full of Smyths
All the canadians that have named him captain canada would disagree. And I too would disagree. Did he fit into what we are doing now? No. Did he deserve a trade? Yes. Would the Avs be a better team with him? I think we got a good deal, especially if we can shadily dump Preissings contract into the AHL. So I think when he doesn’t fit the system, we have to trade him, regardless of the fact that he was one of the few players who gave a shit last year. If I was to build a cup contender, I would love to have him on it. So I’m not really disappointed with the trade per se, its that I’m disappointed we couldn’t utilize a player of such great talent.
Get rid of the loser point
I was really crushed by the Smyth trade. Everyone says he was overpaid, but I don’t even see it. He did exactly what was envisioned of him when he was given a contract.
And I’ve said it before, players who play smyths style (i.e power forward and screeners) are worth more than their point totals. They cause a lot of havoc and create opportunities that result in goals that don’t show up in their stats (Holmstrom in his prime was the same way).
Even though Smytty had only 59 points last season, he was probably involved in 70-80 points. $6M for 70-80 points is not all that bad a contract
The 2009-10 Colorado Avalanche: Aiming for the Charity Point
Jibblescribbits: C'mon over and waste some time
by Jibblescribbits on Oct 2, 2009 6:01 PM MDT up reply actions
Smyth never played for the Avs like he did for Edmonton. He tried to score a wraparound goal everytime he had the puck near the net (which just so happened to never work). Under Granato, he didn’t really play his expected stand in front/be a nuisance type game. And I would hardly call him a power forward, maybe an overly offensively talented pest at best.
by Jimmy_the_scumbag on Oct 3, 2009 2:40 AM MDT up reply actions
Umm
He was the Avs leading scorer last year, and his PPG were about equal to what they were in Edmonton. If he wasn’t like he was in EDM, he was pretty close.
And I agree that under Granato he (and every other player on the Avs) wasn’t utilized properly. But I disagree that he didn’t play “power forward”. He was constantly in front of the net, the Avs just didn’t shoot it at net nearly enough to take advantage of his contributions.
The 2009-10 Colorado Avalanche: Aiming for the Charity Point
Jibblescribbits: C'mon over and waste some time
by Jibblescribbits on Oct 3, 2009 9:55 AM MDT up reply actions
These guys were flying out there.
I think that is my favorite part about this new team. So fun to watch.
The 2009-2010 Colorado Avalanche: Anything is possible.
"To all the cynics, I'm sorry for you, ... I'm sorry you can't believe in miracles."
-Lance Armstrong
by BeachNSnowGirl on Oct 2, 2009 8:55 AM MDT reply actions
New to MHM
I said the same exact thing watching the game last night, this team was a lot of fun to watch. Duchene (so fast!) and Quincey were everywhere and Anderson looked great.
Hi Hockey, I missed you!
actually, you’ll fit in perfectly
Hyphens cause writers more trouble than any other form of punctuation, except perhaps commas.
by David Driscoll-Carignan on Oct 2, 2009 9:04 AM MDT up reply actions
Great, another msomethingnumber for me to remember. My Kingdom’s starting to confuse me. Can’t people get easy to remember names.
The Savage has spoken. Let it be done
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less travelled by, and that has made all the difference"
R. Frost
done.
This team will make the playoffs and upset the Sharks in the first round...it's our turn.
by An Unmitigated Disaster on Oct 2, 2009 10:58 PM MDT up reply actions
This was the first time for many of us to see Duchene on the ice and it was something else. He looked a little nervous early (on the bench before the game, he looked downright petrified) but shook it off as the game went along.
During the Anthem Duchene had his head down and was leaning on his stick. If he didn’t have a stick i think his knees would have buckled.
The 2009-10 Colorado Avalanche: Aiming for the Charity Point
Jibblescribbits: C'mon over and waste some time
another reason to love the 1st game of the season – lots and lots of recaps out there to quote. by the end of the year, I’ll be lucky to get 3
Hyphens cause writers more trouble than any other form of punctuation, except perhaps commas.
by David Driscoll-Carignan on Oct 2, 2009 9:04 AM MDT reply actions
I didnt see the win coming yesterday daytime...
…but the energy in le Can was amazing last night. The crowd was into it, the guys responded accordingly… its like the whole of the building was united in one purpose: lets get this one for Joe.
As soon as the puck dropped I had no doubt we would take the win. I didn’t know it would be quite that good tho.
Thanks Joe...
STOP BEING MODEST
you were on the JUMBOTRON. admit it. It was awesome.
The 2009-10 Colorado Avalanche: Aiming for the Charity Point
Jibblescribbits: C'mon over and waste some time
by Jibblescribbits on Oct 2, 2009 9:23 AM MDT up reply actions
if they can bring that kind of energy every game, it’ll be a fun season, whatever the record shows.
I thought San Jose did carry the play at times, and the young Avs looked out of position quite often, but that’s not unexpected. That’ll improve.
Duchenes hands are phenomenal, and he did a great job of anticipating the play and creating opportunities for himself. Someone will need to teach the kid how to finish tho.
Kyle Quincey is going to be a huge player for us. Imo, what he showed last night makes the Smyth trade worthwhile, regardless of anything Preissing does.
Please Wolski, keep going to the net.
All in all, I really liked what I saw…. Andersons weak point to me seems to be his rebound reaction. Great position on the initial shots, but not all that quick to react for the second opportunities.
I hope Hendricks sticks around, I really like what that kid brings to the team.
I think the main thing that keeps getting pointed out again and again is:
The Avs went TO THE NET! Not behind it, not around it…they crashed it. And it led to 3 of the 5 goals.
Hate Tucker all you want, that was a damn fine tip on that first goal. I know we won’t see much of that, but we take what we can get from him. Also…did anyone notice that even HE looked energized? This “give a shit” attitude might be contagious.
As for Salei, sounds like it was more of a doghouse thing. Oh well…
Isn’t it refreshing to see Clark getting 3rd pairing minutes, instead of top D pairing minutes? That said, he was still pretty bad out there, as was Cumiskey (although Kyle seemed to play better in the 3rd). ONWARD!!
Hate Tucker all you want, that was a damn fine tip on that first goal. I know we won’t see much of that, but we take what we can get from him. Also…did anyone notice that even HE looked energized? This "give a shit" attitude might be contagious.
I’m giving Tucker a pass at least until the next game. He looked good and played with energy. The only critixcisim I have with him was his awkward hug with Joe before the game.
The 2009-10 Colorado Avalanche: Aiming for the Charity Point
Jibblescribbits: C'mon over and waste some time
by Jibblescribbits on Oct 2, 2009 9:30 AM MDT up reply actions
yeah
that’s why i can make fun of Tucker, because his really stood out.
The 2009-10 Colorado Avalanche: Aiming for the Charity Point
Jibblescribbits: C'mon over and waste some time
by Jibblescribbits on Oct 2, 2009 9:33 AM MDT up reply actions
Was anyone else weirded that Tucker, out of all people, scored the first goal of the season? I mean, after all the shit we give him I was NOT expecting that.
by Avalanche318 on Oct 2, 2009 10:10 AM MDT up reply actions
maybe it’s because of all the shit we give him….mmmmmm??
The 2009-2010 Colorado Avalanche: Anything is possible.
"To all the cynics, I'm sorry for you, ... I'm sorry you can't believe in miracles."
-Lance Armstrong
by BeachNSnowGirl on Oct 2, 2009 10:37 AM MDT up reply actions
Everyone mentioned the net-crashing amazingness in the game (especially on the top line), but I think it’s important to note how awesome it is for the Avs to have two strong offensive lines now.
Don’t underestimate the frustration Stastny and Duchene will cause opponents this year. If the opposing team puts out their best shut-down guys against Stastny and his little friend Wolski, the next opposing line has to try to keep up with Duchene’s speed and ferocious determination (seriously, the kid was FOCUSED). If they send their top shut-down guys out against Duchene to bottle up his speed, the next group has to contend with Stastny and Wolski cycling around them and making them look stupid.
While the Avs have holes in places, finally having two healthy, young and super-talented centers (with different playing styles) is really going to make a big difference. We saw that last night.
The Avs may suck now, but they've still won a Cup more recently than 75% of the NHL.
Duchene looked phenomenal and the top line made SJ look silly a couple times, but Svatos was invisible and McLeod didn’t really work too well with Duchene either (though it wasn’t terrible either). for that 1-2 punch, we’ve gotta get Duchene some better linemates.
totally agree with the good doctor. it worked, but it wasn’t perfect.
Hyphens cause writers more trouble than any other form of punctuation, except perhaps commas.
by David Driscoll-Carignan on Oct 2, 2009 10:13 AM MDT up reply actions
O’Reilly wasn’t great (can we get him the guy that fixed Stewie’s skating, please?) but he looked like a very capable defensively focused center. While he’s on trial, I would support moving Galiardi to Duchene’s wing and McLeod down with O’Reilly and Stewie. I also want to see Jones on Duchene’s wing as well if he ever isn’t broken. So like:
Wolski – Stastny – Hejduk
Galiardi – Duchene – Svatos
McLeod – O’Reilly – Stewie
Tucker/Koci – Hendricks – Tucker/Hensick
And Svatos needs to freakin do something if he plays in the top 6. if he can’t pull his weight, Jones should take that slot.
i really like the idea of radar being flanked by stewie and the highlander. not sure exactly why but it just seems right. i think with the right training, he’ll make a perfect 3rd liner
The 2009-2010 Colorado Avalanche: Anything is possible.
"To all the cynics, I'm sorry for you, ... I'm sorry you can't believe in miracles."
-Lance Armstrong
by BeachNSnowGirl on Oct 2, 2009 10:40 AM MDT up reply actions
Just bear in mind that Svatos has ALWAYS been invisible for half the season. That’s what he does. He plays lights-out every other game or so and vanishes on off nights. And still scores 20-30 goals. I’m not going to start sounding the alarms on him just yet.
The Avs may suck now, but they've still won a Cup more recently than 75% of the NHL.
I disagree. Svatos either scores or does nothing…and that’s not good enough. 30 at the expense of killing your linemate’s goal production isn’t worth it. You need to be helping linemates, playing D, forechecking. Because he can’t, I’ve wanted Svatos off the team for a long time.
Trade him for the Mtl winger Kostiyensenyen or something. But trade him.
I disagree with your disagreement. One of the most-improved aspects of Svatos’ game (at least last season) was his defense. He’s no two-way player like Forsberg, but he’s not useless. He had a so-so game last night. It happens. Let’s see him with different line mates and in more games and then we’ll drop the MHH Guillotine of Guilt on his head.
The Avs may suck now, but they've still won a Cup more recently than 75% of the NHL.
don’t mistake me, this isn’t only based on last night’s play. Just reinforced by it. Svatos is what he is, a streaky, oft-injured one-dimensional scorer. You’re right that he did show some defensive improvement, but it’s still not enough for me. Agree to disagree. :)
(which reminds me of this:
Ron Burgundy: Discovered by the Germans in 1904, they named it San Diego, which of course in German means a whale’s vagina.
Veronica Corningstone: No, there’s no way that’s correct.
Ron Burgundy: I’m sorry, I was trying to impress you. I don’t know what it means. I’ll be honest, I don’t think anyone knows what it means anymore. Scholars maintain that the translation was lost hundreds of years ago.
Veronica Corningstone: Doesn’t it mean Saint Diego?
Ron Burgundy: No. No.
Veronica Corningstone: No, that’s – that’s what it means. Really.
Ron Burgundy: Agree to disagree. )
Switch Svatos and Hedjuk for a game or two and see if anything happens.
This team will make the playoffs and upset the Sharks in the first round...it's our turn.
by An Unmitigated Disaster on Oct 2, 2009 3:07 PM MDT up reply actions
Amen Brother!
It looks like the Avs days of dump and chase on every single posession are over! At least I hope so.
by Jimmy_the_scumbag on Oct 3, 2009 2:59 AM MDT up reply actions
That "no looker" was sweet!
The speed and energy from Duchene was amazing, I just wish he had put one in the net. Wolski played awesome. Our PP still kinda sucked though.
Anderson played well but to me he seemed a little floppy. A lot of the times he was sprawled out and looked a little awkward.
For the first time in two seasons we had something resembling special teams, even if it was just for one night. The PP was great, but it wasn’t horrid. The PK was pretty special too, and I don’t mean the “point and laugh” special either.
2009-2010 Colorado Avalanche: Nothing Inspirational Comes to Mind
I just about died from amazement after that. I hope as the year goes on, and the guys get more and more of a sense for each other, that we see more and more dazzle like that.
That said, I also fully expect that as they are feeling each other out, there will be plenty of boneheaded mistakes trying TOO hard to do something like that. Buts its a learning process.
Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Aph on Oct 2, 2009 9:53 AM MDT up reply actions
do you have the link??
The 2009-2010 Colorado Avalanche: Anything is possible.
"To all the cynics, I'm sorry for you, ... I'm sorry you can't believe in miracles."
-Lance Armstrong
by BeachNSnowGirl on Oct 2, 2009 10:01 AM MDT up reply actions
well, if it is, i can’t find it. =( the headache i have from last night’s revelry might have something to do with that tho
The 2009-2010 Colorado Avalanche: Anything is possible.
"To all the cynics, I'm sorry for you, ... I'm sorry you can't believe in miracles."
-Lance Armstrong
by BeachNSnowGirl on Oct 2, 2009 10:36 AM MDT up reply actions
you’re looking for the Stastny pass?
Hyphens cause writers more trouble than any other form of punctuation, except perhaps commas.
by David Driscoll-Carignan on Oct 2, 2009 10:39 AM MDT up reply actions
http://www.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?hlg=20092010,2,3&event=COL327
Hyphens cause writers more trouble than any other form of punctuation, except perhaps commas.
by David Driscoll-Carignan on Oct 2, 2009 10:43 AM MDT up reply actions
link is screwy because of the commas (almost as bad as hyphens). copy and paste it into your favorite browser.
bonus, Sakic commentary (I wish he’d had a chance to give a full answer to that question)
Hyphens cause writers more trouble than any other form of punctuation, except perhaps commas.
by David Driscoll-Carignan on Oct 2, 2009 10:44 AM MDT up reply actions
cool! thanks!
The 2009-2010 Colorado Avalanche: Anything is possible.
"To all the cynics, I'm sorry for you, ... I'm sorry you can't believe in miracles."
-Lance Armstrong
by BeachNSnowGirl on Oct 2, 2009 11:15 AM MDT up reply actions
Cumiskey and Clark
Let’s give Cumiskey some space. He is young and he hasn’t had much playing time, missed a ton of the last season and had to play with Clark. As the game went on he looked a lot better and made some nice hits. He needs some additional confidence and playing time.
i dunno, that pairing was bloody awful. worst part of the game, imo.
by thedoctor on Oct 2, 2009 10:00 AM MDT up reply actions 1 recs
By the way, there was lots of talk about Anderson’s flopping last night in the game thread, and how it made some people nervous. Well, I watched the same game as you guys, and not once did he really make me nervous. Anderson already had a Tim Thomas-like reputation for spending a lot of time on the ice in Florida, but he did very well there using that style, and he did very well last night using that style.
I think we’re all so used to Budaj’s solid-but-boring positional approach that we forgot that some goalies can be more dynamic and still stop shots. Anderson was amazing at times (that statue of liberty snag in the third put The Can on its feet). For the first time in many years I watched an Avalanche goalie play without any sense of dread at all.
The Avs may suck now, but they've still won a Cup more recently than 75% of the NHL.
I was saying last night that it was an odd feeling to not grimace every time our goalie faced a shot. I know it’s amazing what having faith in your goalie can do for the fans, and I can only imagine what it does for the team. Hopefully it keeps up.
Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Aph on Oct 2, 2009 9:50 AM MDT up reply actions
There was one time, I can’t recall when, where he got up and stumbled a bit but the puck was being cleared. I think it might have been because he’s not used to d-men blocking shots. There were a few scrambles where he went down but the puck never reached him. I did see his back a few times which isn’t good.
I really like positional goaltending but hey, whatever works!
I think it’s just going to take some time for some of us to get used to seeing Anderson’s style. Sure, you saw his back and sure he fell down a couple of times, but the puck didn’t get past him. The first goal he gave up was a perfect cross pass that almost nobody could have stopped. There were no blatant errors of judgment or reflexes. He was ON last night and saved the game several times.
The Avs may suck now, but they've still won a Cup more recently than 75% of the NHL.
I thought he almost had a chip on his shoulder in the third. Almost indignant that the fans, and us, expected the goals to go in because of last year. I love that.
it seemed to me he was more indignant that the sharks expected the goals to go in. some of the looks he gave them were priceless
The 2009-2010 Colorado Avalanche: Anything is possible.
"To all the cynics, I'm sorry for you, ... I'm sorry you can't believe in miracles."
-Lance Armstrong
by BeachNSnowGirl on Oct 2, 2009 9:57 AM MDT up reply actions
That kind of goaltender intensity has been absent from the Avs for a long time. Anderson strikes me as kind of a nutcase. The Avs have needed another nutcase in net since Roy left.
The Avs may suck now, but they've still won a Cup more recently than 75% of the NHL.
by Joe Dunman on Oct 2, 2009 10:02 AM MDT up reply actions 1 recs
He was just pissed they weren’t ice girls
Get rid of the loser point
by TheRed on Oct 2, 2009 1:38 PM MDT up reply actions 1 recs
He can do cartwheels in net if he’s going to pull off a .950 save percentage as far as I care
The 2009-10 Colorado Avalanche: Aiming for the Charity Point
Jibblescribbits: C'mon over and waste some time
by Jibblescribbits on Oct 2, 2009 2:28 PM MDT up reply actions 3 recs
Every time I saw him react to a shot or a dangerous Sharks’ play, all I could hear in my head was Anderson saying “Yo, chill out, I got this.”
The Avs may suck now, but they've still won a Cup more recently than 75% of the NHL.
It seemed to me he would make the first save, then take a ton of time getting up.
This team will make the playoffs and upset the Sharks in the first round...it's our turn.
by An Unmitigated Disaster on Oct 2, 2009 3:09 PM MDT up reply actions
Yeah, but he didn’t have to hurry because the first save was enough.
The Avs may suck now, but they've still won a Cup more recently than 75% of the NHL.
I agree, but not everyone is going to suck like SJ last night.
This team will make the playoffs and upset the Sharks in the first round...it's our turn.
by An Unmitigated Disaster on Oct 2, 2009 10:59 PM MDT up reply actions
I said this already in the other thread, but it bears repeating. Sometimes, especially for larger goalies, staying down is better than trying to get back up quickly. Stay down, fill net, find the puck, move to position. Adding an extra step to recover (technical term) back to his feet is wasted motion if you fill a good portion of the net while down and you’re fighting to find the puck.
2009-2010 Colorado Avalanche: Nothing Inspirational Comes to Mind
Wow, no mention of Galiardi?
He looked fantastic, imo. He got used on the top PK pairing, and was the first forward out on the 5 on 3 too. that 3rd line had some real punch to it.
Galiardi may finally redeem poor number 39.
The Avs may suck now, but they've still won a Cup more recently than 75% of the NHL.
EVERY time I saw #39 out there, I shuddered, and mentally cursed. It’ll take awhile to break me of that.
by Rather Dashing on Oct 2, 2009 12:12 PM MDT up reply actions
He played great
but it didn’t stop me from flinching every time I saw that 39.
I thought you knew that algebra was all razzamatazz. A Globetrotter always saves the good algebra for the final minutes.
by SlamDunkTheFunk on Oct 2, 2009 10:07 AM MDT up reply actions
I’m not sure if anyone has mentioned this or not yet, but the Avs showed a lot of character last night. Them crashing the net is an obvious example, but there was a lot of small things that really impressed me last night. First off, former Av Blake stayed on the sharks bench during the entire Sakic ceremony. He didn’t have to do that but it showed a lot of respect. The sharks kept on trying to rattle anderson last night by coming after him after the whistle but the Avs were always right there and showed anderson that they had his back. Koci did not hesitate to drop his gloves at all when Hendricks got cheap shoted. He really showed that he wants to stand up for his teammates and will not be all talk. Doogie kept on being harassed by the sharks players but he never lost his cool. The biggest example of character I saw was when Anderson was named first star. You could tell he was thrilled with the way he played and he immediately skated over and gave some kids his stick. I’m sure it really made their night. When he was coming off he high fived as many fans as he could. As one guy in my section yelled lsat night “Welcome to Colorado Anderson”
by denverpioneer10 on Oct 2, 2009 10:43 AM MDT reply actions
Blake has as much class as he has ass.
The Avs may suck now, but they've still won a Cup more recently than 75% of the NHL.
Ceremonial Puck Drop
with Sakic, Foote, and Blake together: priceless moment!!
Colorado Avalanche: Please excuse the mess while we are under construction.
It was probably the first time either of them took a faceoff since juniors.
This team will make the playoffs and upset the Sharks in the first round...it's our turn.
by An Unmitigated Disaster on Oct 2, 2009 3:10 PM MDT up reply actions
First of all,
“Doogie” is going to tempt us to break out the banhammer. His name is Boy Wonder.
Marleau was another Shark to be on the bench for SuperJoe’s ceremony along with Blake. I couldn’t see who the third Shark was. That was a captainlike thing to do of Marleau, even if they stripped him of his C.
2009-2010 Colorado Avalanche - "Hey Brother, can you spare a Left Winger?"
First off, former Av Blake stayed on the sharks bench during the entire Sakic ceremony.
I thought that was Thornton, but I couldn’t really tell from where I was sitting.
The 2009-10 Colorado Avalanche: Aiming for the Charity Point
Jibblescribbits: C'mon over and waste some time
by Jibblescribbits on Oct 2, 2009 2:30 PM MDT up reply actions
Drakenlot pointed out earlier (though perhaps on another thread?) that the 3 Sharks to be on the bench for appreciably all of the Sakic ceremony were Blake, Marleau and Thornton. Good moves on their part.
2009-2010 Colorado Avalanche - "Hey Brother, can you spare a Left Winger?"
I thought I saw Boyle in there too.
The 2009-10 Colorado Avalanche: Aiming for the Charity Point
Jibblescribbits: C'mon over and waste some time
by Jibblescribbits on Oct 2, 2009 2:38 PM MDT up reply actions
I was at the game last night, and as I was leaving, it wasn’t a kid leaving with Andesron’s stick. It was some older guy with a bunch of 40+ folks, not a kid in the group. If He gave it to some kids, then this guy ripped it off or gave them something for it.
by Jimmy_the_scumbag on Oct 3, 2009 3:10 AM MDT up reply actions
I talked to that guy last night… he tried to get Anderson to sign the stick, which apparently you can usually do if you take it to the Altitude Authentics store right after the game, they wouldnt do it because Joe was in there and something was going on.
I got a chance to hold it and look it over, it was kinda nifty. If I were more athletic I may have run away with it!
Thanks Joe...
Howler
coloradoavalanche.com has a splash page promoting his return on Saturday
Hyphens cause writers more trouble than any other form of punctuation, except perhaps commas.
by David Driscoll-Carignan on Oct 2, 2009 10:48 AM MDT reply actions
Just some of my thoughts:
-Isn’t this the type of game that we were supposed to see last year? You know, uptempo.
-for all the talk about lack of left wing depth, 4 of the 5 goals were scored by the team’s top 3 left wingers.
-Matt Duchene got his first NHL point with an assist – SO DID RYAN O’REILLY. Is that a franchise record? two 18 year olds with their first point in their first game and on the same night? Did O’Reilly become the youngest player in franchise history to get his first point? Or did Owen Nolan do the same on his opening night game?
-Craig Anderson sometimes flops, yes. But, he is always in position for the save and he controls his rebounds very well. More importantly, he’s got that swagger.
by c0nquistad0rian on Oct 2, 2009 10:49 AM MDT reply actions
The best part of this win is to actually see some fans on this site pumped about something other than a draft pick.
absolutely, I’m loving the general positivity being displayed on this site today, it’s refreshing compared to the tone we had most of the summer.
Awesome game, last night. That was a good one. Anyone know if Howler is coming back tomorrow? Is it Howler, or is it a different mascot? I saw something about it on the Avalanche website…
Here is a post from DDC above:
coloradoavalanche.com has a splash page promoting his return on Saturday
Hyphens cause writers more trouble than any other form of punctuation, except perhaps commas.
by David Driscoll-Carignan on Oct 2, 2009 11:21 AM MDT up reply actions
By the size of that head I’d say the new Avalanche mascot is the Hamburglar.
The Avs may suck now, but they've still won a Cup more recently than 75% of the NHL.
So, nobody knows if it’s Howler? Seems like the website says “He’s” coming back, to mean that we should already know it’s Howler…
yeah, sure sounds like it would be him.
Hyphens cause writers more trouble than any other form of punctuation, except perhaps commas.
by David Driscoll-Carignan on Oct 2, 2009 11:31 AM MDT up reply actions
Hmm
Maybe Wyshynski and Anderson got to pick the new mascot:
The 2009-10 Colorado Avalanche: Aiming for the Charity Point
Jibblescribbits: C'mon over and waste some time
by Jibblescribbits on Oct 2, 2009 2:36 PM MDT up reply actions
Hopefully they sent it to the cleaners before they break it out tomorrow.
This team will make the playoffs and upset the Sharks in the first round...it's our turn.
by An Unmitigated Disaster on Oct 2, 2009 11:00 PM MDT up reply actions
off topic...
has anyone had probs with spyware from my beloved MHH? my IT guys are pissed at me cuz my laptop keeps getting infected and i get a pop up blocker message every time i come here now… = (
The 2009-2010 Colorado Avalanche: Anything is possible.
"To all the cynics, I'm sorry for you, ... I'm sorry you can't believe in miracles."
-Lance Armstrong
by BeachNSnowGirl on Oct 2, 2009 11:47 AM MDT reply actions
it's weird
cuz i never have probs at home..or any other computer for that matter. just this stupid lap top. guess i’ll have to limit my personal browsing to the evenings. dunno how i’m gonna particpate in GDTs now. damn. so sucks.
The 2009-2010 Colorado Avalanche: Anything is possible.
"To all the cynics, I'm sorry for you, ... I'm sorry you can't believe in miracles."
-Lance Armstrong
by BeachNSnowGirl on Oct 2, 2009 11:53 AM MDT up reply actions
that’s odd. have you tried using a different browser on the laptop?
Hyphens cause writers more trouble than any other form of punctuation, except perhaps commas.
by David Driscoll-Carignan on Oct 2, 2009 11:58 AM MDT up reply actions
Yeah, Beach, which browser are you using?
The Avs may suck now, but they've still won a Cup more recently than 75% of the NHL.
internet explorer
The 2009-2010 Colorado Avalanche: Anything is possible.
"To all the cynics, I'm sorry for you, ... I'm sorry you can't believe in miracles."
-Lance Armstrong
by BeachNSnowGirl on Oct 2, 2009 12:14 PM MDT up reply actions
wish i could. i use it at home. IT won’t let me use anything but explorer. i know. they’re lame.
The 2009-2010 Colorado Avalanche: Anything is possible.
"To all the cynics, I'm sorry for you, ... I'm sorry you can't believe in miracles."
-Lance Armstrong
by BeachNSnowGirl on Oct 2, 2009 12:17 PM MDT up reply actions
Tell ’em its their own damn fault then. “You made me use Exploder, and it exploded. WTF did you expect?”
Get rid of the loser point
Exactly. What the hell is wrong with them? Tell them to switch to Chrome, Firefox or Safari. All are infinitely better than IE.
The Avs may suck now, but they've still won a Cup more recently than 75% of the NHL.
You would be amazed at the amount of large companies that do that. I have worked with some that refuse to move off IE 6 still.
I seriously just want to create an ActiveX control that launches from IE to run FF. Just haven’t had the time yet.
Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Aph on Oct 2, 2009 2:15 PM MDT up reply actions
We’re a public university (change can be slow) but we’ve had FF for years.
The Avs may suck now, but they've still won a Cup more recently than 75% of the NHL.
we’re not supposed to have it either, but it’s one install I was able to sneak on.
there used to be a version you could download that you could run locally, without installing it. I’m not sure if such an animal still exists, though
Hyphens cause writers more trouble than any other form of punctuation, except perhaps commas.
by David Driscoll-Carignan on Oct 3, 2009 6:19 AM MDT up reply actions
There is a version you can install on a USB stick: http://portableapps.com/apps/internet/firefox_portable
OOOOOHHHH
you hate to see a rookie mistake like that. Firefox, Safari, or now Chrome.
The 2009-10 Colorado Avalanche: Aiming for the Charity Point
Jibblescribbits: C'mon over and waste some time
by Jibblescribbits on Oct 2, 2009 2:37 PM MDT up reply actions
Use SpyBot Search and Destroy. It’s free, works well, and it’s better than a lot of things you pay to use…
can’t download anything on it. work blocks all that shit. i use malewarebytes at home (free too) and it rocks. but can’t do anything here on my own; it’s got to be IT dept that does it unfortunately. i’d say it’s lame that they don’t trust me…but i keep getting spyware so maybe not. and it always seems to appear while on hockey blogs. MHH hasn ‘t been the only one either. it’s just weird.
The 2009-2010 Colorado Avalanche: Anything is possible.
"To all the cynics, I'm sorry for you, ... I'm sorry you can't believe in miracles."
-Lance Armstrong
by BeachNSnowGirl on Oct 2, 2009 12:16 PM MDT up reply actions
surf less porn, then?
Hyphens cause writers more trouble than any other form of punctuation, except perhaps commas.
by David Driscoll-Carignan on Oct 2, 2009 12:22 PM MDT up reply actions
lol. i limit that to my home computer.
The 2009-2010 Colorado Avalanche: Anything is possible.
"To all the cynics, I'm sorry for you, ... I'm sorry you can't believe in miracles."
-Lance Armstrong
by BeachNSnowGirl on Oct 2, 2009 12:35 PM MDT up reply actions
Mac – Keeping internet porn harmless to your computer.
We are the priests of the temples of syrinx Our great computers fill the hallowed halls
We are the priests of the temples of syrinx All the gifts of life are held within our walls
by Pinchy The Lobster on Oct 2, 2009 12:37 PM MDT up reply actions
that was kind of unclear…
Macs are great for internet porn.
We are the priests of the temples of syrinx Our great computers fill the hallowed halls
We are the priests of the temples of syrinx All the gifts of life are held within our walls
by Pinchy The Lobster on Oct 2, 2009 12:40 PM MDT up reply actions
…because Justin Long is hotter than John Hodgman
Hyphens cause writers more trouble than any other form of punctuation, except perhaps commas.
by David Driscoll-Carignan on Oct 2, 2009 12:43 PM MDT up reply actions
That’s so gay… not that there is anything wrong with being gay.
We are the priests of the temples of syrinx Our great computers fill the hallowed halls
We are the priests of the temples of syrinx All the gifts of life are held within our walls
by Pinchy The Lobster on Oct 2, 2009 12:49 PM MDT up reply actions
jibblekopfed!!
The 2009-2010 Colorado Avalanche: Anything is possible.
"To all the cynics, I'm sorry for you, ... I'm sorry you can't believe in miracles."
-Lance Armstrong
by BeachNSnowGirl on Oct 2, 2009 12:17 PM MDT up reply actions 1 recs
Where are the pics from Old C's??
I want to see if all of you guys look as witty as you post…
We are the priests of the temples of syrinx Our great computers fill the hallowed halls
We are the priests of the temples of syrinx All the gifts of life are held within our walls
by Pinchy The Lobster on Oct 2, 2009 12:50 PM MDT reply actions
Just wanted to say a quick thank you to the crew that met at OC. Surprisingly few mutants.
Beachie was the official photogapher. I did my best to screw up every picture. I was going to give Jibble and Bob all kinds of crap but I refrained because of the children.
by Dario on Oct 2, 2009 2:25 PM MDT via mobile reply actions
Actually
I have xray vision, I didn’t want any of the ladies to feel uncomfortable though.
PS nice thong BiB
The 2009-10 Colorado Avalanche: Aiming for the Charity Point
Jibblescribbits: C'mon over and waste some time
by Jibblescribbits on Oct 2, 2009 2:39 PM MDT up reply actions
I think we can all agree that the females @ MHH know more about hockey and are all hotter than Julie Browman. She better watch her back! We can take her job!
An ounce of confidence can carry you a mile toward winning. Oh, and Red Wings suck.
All true, no doubt, but,
none of the ladies on this board strike me as being willing to take the casting couch route to the job, which is the only way I can fathom that she got it in the first place and manages to hang on to it.
2009-2010 Colorado Avalanche - "Hey Brother, can you spare a Left Winger?"
Oh man
If anyone at altitude was desperate enough to casting couch her, we’re in a lot more trouble than we think.
Get rid of the loser point
I can only believe,
that the same braintrust that decided to move the radio broadcasts to a HAM radio operator in his mom’s basement (yes, I do note the internets irony) and not televise the pre-season would think Julie was a good idea.
2009-2010 Colorado Avalanche - "Hey Brother, can you spare a Left Winger?"
Um,
The Avs actually cheated. The Sharks were doing the “play bad to mess with your opponents head” strategy and it obviously worked.
Why would you want to mess with the head of the what has been consensually predicted to be one of the worst teams in the league?
I’d save that excuse for later in the season – although not the playoffs, ‘cause that’d make all the Sharks fans sad (again).
Hopefully the Sharks bust out the “we have so much talent we are scary” strategy soon…
while we’re being silly…. check out the Avs at the top of the Western Conference!
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/nhl/standings/conference/
So if the playoffs started today…the redwings would be out :)
This team will make the playoffs and upset the Sharks in the first round...it's our turn.
by An Unmitigated Disaster on Oct 2, 2009 11:07 PM MDT up reply actions
I figured...
It is almost always (excepting probably Detroit) interesting to get the other sides perspective – so you are always welcome here (even if it is in the form of slightly hard-to-understand humour).
Fun to watch
That was my first thought – it was a fun team to watch, and I hadn’t felt that way about this team in a long time. Loved the tempo and energy, loved how physical they were as a team. The 3rd line, if it stays together, is going to be difficult to play against. Hockey energy is contagious live, and the morgue that is the Can actually sounded loud at times, especially after a big hit or Duchene’s breakaway or that sick pass by Statsny.
I’m glad that my pre-season observations (gleaned from my watching exactly one game) sort of turned out to be OK, at least for the first game. Quincey was good. Galiardi looks decent. Tucker looks OK. And now…so what?
Here’s the thing: For this season to be appreciably better, players have to change, and that doesn’t happen too much. Sure, there are the Cody Mac-like jumps, the guys like Quincey who needed a change of scenery and ice time, and the continued improvement of guys like Chris Stewart. But Wojtek Wolski’s still soft, and until he proves me wrong over the course of a whole season, I’ll be skeptical. Scott Hannan still has the worst outlet pass out of his own zone in the NHL, the D is still old and a bit brittle, Craig Anderson is still, for all intents and purposes, a rookie goalie, Sacco and the staff are new to the coaching in the big leagues, and the GM is new and unproven.
Really like what I saw last night. It’s only 1 game. But the fact that they checked and skated hard already makes me happier than last season. Just hope it’s consistent all season long.
it won’t be. they’re young, and along with that comes inconsistency. We’ve also got some terrible contracts and players to shed. I disagree on Hannan, who is offensively challenged but does a good job defensively (and I saw him hit someone last night, true story). Clark, Salei, Tucker, and to some extent Svatos are the players that need to go, and they’re all probably gone after this year anyways.
We already know their replacements, really — Shattenkirk, Gaunce, Mercier, and Stoa will step into the slots vacated by those guys nicely imo.
it’ll definately be an up and down season, the inexperience almost gaurentees that. I really think that either Salei is hurt in a fairly big way, or the Avs are looking to move him sooner rather than later. Svatos from all indications seems to feel better this year than last, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see him bounce back nicely. It’s definately premature to put these guys into contention status, but regardless of the outcome, I think they’ll be a fun, fun bunch to watch.
One thing that bugged me the whole game, Why was Nabby wearing black socks and not the white Sharks socks. It looked wierd to see, I would have thought he’d still have to wear team socks because every other goalei I’ve seen in the NHL has worn the team socks.
The Savage has spoken. Let it be done
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less travelled by, and that has made all the difference"
R. Frost
The Sharks have a team rule,
until their goaltender posts better than a .800 SV% in order to be allowed to wear the team socks.
Nabby’s gotta wear the black again next game!
2009-2010 Colorado Avalanche - "Hey Brother, can you spare a Left Winger?"
At least he doesn't have to hit it past the red tee
I shudder to think what the NHL would look like then
Get rid of the loser point
I’m glad you Kyle Quincey had a good game. You are really going to like him because he can do everything pretty well. He can’t do anything great, but he does everything well. I guarantee you that he’ll get a nice ovation when the Avs come to Staples Center.
Also, how good is Paul Stastny? I got into a fight with my roommate because I asserted that Paul would be as good as Ryan Getzlaf if he played 82 games a season.
The West Coast is the Best Coast.
Amazing
So, I finally buckled and stumped up for ESPN America. They showed this game and the Habs-Leafs game the other night. First TV hockey games I’ve seen in over a year and I was blown away.
The Avs looked so committed last night. Duchene’s sick screen for Lile’s goal (pls correct if necessary) and his breakaway were my highlights. Dany Heatley missing an open net from 12 inches away…beautiful. Tucker scoring the first goal for the Avs…WTF? Really loved this game. Anderson was a revelation. He had that snarly attitude and contemptuous looks that reminds me ever so much of Roy.
From the beginning, with Koci’s fight, it seemed to set the stall out to say: We are a tough team and we aren’t giving you zip easily.
Really impressed. I know one game doesn’t make a season, but the attitude the team showed was really encouraging.
It's hard to be a saint in this city
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Mile High Hockey
Related FanShots on Mile High Hockey
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2010 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
