Game 64 Recap: Coyotes 3, Avalanche 1
Well that was a kick in the nuts, eh? And who better, or should I say worse, to deliver said kick than the man who was an Av until yesterday, Wojtek Wolski?
The Avs came out flat for yet another first period and got badly outshot again. Lee Stempniak opened the scoring driving the net hard and recieving a great pass from Vernon Fiddler who was set up behind the net. Craig Anderson managed to keep Pheonix to one, however and the first ended 1-0. True to form, the Avs started to play hockey in the second. Marek Svatos got a great feed from Matt Duchene right in front of the net and was robbed by Ilya Byrzgalov. Then the Avs went on the powerplay and John-Michael Liles put a nifty shot through with Chris Stewart screening. The second ended 1-1 with shots 18 apiece. In the third, Pheonix had more jump, possibley because they were looking to end a three game skid. The Avs had their chances, however, including a 4 on 3 for a 1:58 that that was kept in the Pheonix zone nearly the entire time. With about a minute left, the Avs started to play very conservative hockey and Pheonix pressed the play. With 30 seconds left old man Shane Doan outhustled everyone to the puck, found Wolski in front and Wolski slammed it home. The Avs didn't get anything going with the last 22 seconds and Radim Vrbata scored an empty net goal.
Some positives to take away from this game. Peter Mueller and Liles have the power play cooking right now. Mueller turned out to be just what we needed in a point man. What else? Stephane Yelle was back and looked alright. Negatives? The Avs suck in the first period right now. Suck as bad as they sucked in the third period back in December. Also, this leaves a very sour taste in the mouths of those of us who were unhappy with the Wolski trade. Yes, Meuller had an assist and looked decent this game. But Wolski scored the game winner. And that hurts.
Dustin's Three Stars
John-Michael Liles - 1 goal. Sacco, I swear to god if you scratch him while the power play is working this well...
Shane Doan - 1 assist. This guy is so underrated. Physical, hard working and great offensively. An amazing guy for Phoenix to have as their captain.
Wojtek Wolski - 1 goal. Scored against his old team with 22 seconds left to break a tie in a massivley important game.
Minus of the Game - None of the Avs struck me as particularly bad but what was that shit where Stempniak grabbed Paul Stastny from behind and threw him to the ice. Was it because he said something (the horror!) to Fiddler for cross-checking him? What an asshole.
0 recs |
99 comments
|
Comments
Well, from a FORMER Wolski fan, I can say that Stempniak was also the douche that ran anderson. And I’ve always liked Doan, too bad he’s been stuck in that hell hole for so long.
"Sometimes you think they must have come out of the chimp cages at the Bronx zoo" - Gerry Cheevers, former Boston Bruins goalie, on New York hockey fans
Detroit Sucks
I forgot about that. Man, I really dislike that guy.
by Dustin Burfiend on Mar 4, 2010 10:40 PM MST up reply actions
I was a Hanzal fan until that hit he had a few games back.
I’m REALLY glad I was called away from the computer about 2 minutes into the 3rd.
I call it... The Avaslug!
I am the 1st and probably only official member of the David "Dr." Jones fanclub.
Syracuse Basketball 2010: Big East Champs!!! G'Orange!
by UZ on Mar 4, 2010 11:52 PM MST up reply actions
This loss stings. Like bad. I feel worse about this loss than any other this year. Wolski getting the game winner that late in the game is bad enough but the Avs really got hurt in the standings as well. Nashville is just 3 points behind now. The safety net is disappearing.
Burgundy army now taking recruits.
how bout this Wolski kid..
i’ll admit..i watched maybe 5 mins total of the game today, enough to see Ferris and Johnny Liles work magic on the PP though..
While i think we knew it was inevitable that our friend son of a bitch wolski would score on us..i thought it would be a HT
that being said..i think this whole ‘shitting the bed in the first’ thing has to do with us playing..4 games in 6 nights
'I googled what the white stuff in a Ho-Ho was, i found out it has NINE cups of sugar..that will KILL YOU, it would turn your blood into fruit punch!'
They sucked in the first period against Detroit, and most of the team hadn’t played in two weeks!
www.returnoftheghostbusters.com
that’s true..i was willing to give them a pass on that one..and the fact they went out and beat anaheim last night..but tonight just hurts
'I googled what the white stuff in a Ho-Ho was, i found out it has NINE cups of sugar..that will KILL YOU, it would turn your blood into fruit punch!'
Im willing to give them a pass if they don’t come out and play well in the 1st. Its a young team and its not like they’re intentionally trying to come out flat. All I care about is if the team has a chance to win the game in the end, and damn near every game this year the Avs have been in position to win.
by AvalancheUpNorth on Mar 4, 2010 11:31 PM MST up reply actions
This sucks
Why can’t this team get games to overtime for atleast a point. The whole 3rd period I was just waiting for the Coyotes to score and take the game. It happens ALL THE TIME. Of course it was Wolski, If theres an opportunity for the worst to happen it usually does. This was the Ducks game all over again. Happy to be gettin a valuable point in the standings atleast then suddenly shit goes bad and we get nothing. This is going to sting for the next 24 hours.
by AvalancheUpNorth on Mar 4, 2010 11:23 PM MST reply actions
It feels like being stabbed in the heart. Definitely hurts. I don’t really care if it was Wolski, but not getting points hurts.
I can see it from a mile though. Phoenix play like they want to win in the third.
3 points between us and Nashville. Le SIGH.
yes, but we’re 8 points ahead of Les Ailes…remember guys, we weren’t supposed to be in the top 8 let alone competing for a division title/playoff position..all i care about is if we’re playing past april 11
I cite the Penguins, and I can see us taking the same route..maybe in more years..now im sure you guys are familiar with this..but for those who aren’t..
07 swept by the sens, they’ve got a chip on their shoulder coming into the 08 season..seeing what it takes to win in the post..
08 they sweep those same sens..make it all the way to the cup final
09 seeing what it takes to win IN the finals, they take detroit to 7 games..we know the rest..
Granted, we don’t have a crosby, malkin duo..but it all comes down to hard work, lucky bounces and DIGGING DEEP
tonight we didn’t dig deep enough..i hope we can turn it around
'I googled what the white stuff in a Ho-Ho was, i found out it has NINE cups of sugar..that will KILL YOU, it would turn your blood into fruit punch!'
I hate the Penguins
So much so I only use my Penguins hat for painting rooms.
(May or may not (may) be a Sens fan)
SNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE!!! - ryanclassic.net
by Ryan Classic on Mar 4, 2010 11:46 PM MST up reply actions
im sorry ryan, i just couldn’t get behind those 07 sens…i don’t really know why
'I googled what the white stuff in a Ho-Ho was, i found out it has NINE cups of sugar..that will KILL YOU, it would turn your blood into fruit punch!'
Heatley
SNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE!!! - ryanclassic.net
by Ryan Classic on Mar 4, 2010 11:54 PM MST up reply actions
were you in ottawa during the run?? did they party?? they seemed quite tame compared to the nutso oiler fans just a year earlier
'I googled what the white stuff in a Ho-Ho was, i found out it has NINE cups of sugar..that will KILL YOU, it would turn your blood into fruit punch!'
I was in Vancouver during the worst spring of my life
To be honest, I don’t remember much of the run. It doesn’t feel very real to me.
SNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE!!! - ryanclassic.net
by Ryan Classic on Mar 4, 2010 11:56 PM MST up reply actions
They were.
“Sens Mile” as they called it was pretty fun to go see (went after one of the Buffalo games one time), but apparently it was just a complete rip off of what they did in Alberta during their runs, mind you less tops off for Kiprusoff.
Tops off for Alfie doesn’t have the same ring to it…
by '96 Avs Bandwagon on Mar 5, 2010 5:29 AM MST up reply actions
I couldn’t get behind them either…
For obvious reasons in my case.
I call it... The Avaslug!
I am the 1st and probably only official member of the David "Dr." Jones fanclub.
Syracuse Basketball 2010: Big East Champs!!! G'Orange!
by UZ on Mar 5, 2010 1:12 AM MST up reply actions
Dallas-Buffalo series was the worst for me
Both teams had eliminated my two teams. Sucky year. Hockeywise.
SNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE!!! - ryanclassic.net
Wolski scored in the same way he usually does, just standing there waiting for the puck to get to him. How unsurprising.
I call it... The Avaslug!
I am the 1st and probably only official member of the David "Dr." Jones fanclub.
Syracuse Basketball 2010: Big East Champs!!! G'Orange!
I thought most his goals were empty netters?
snicker snicker
by Paul's Coffey on Mar 5, 2010 11:08 AM MST up reply actions
This one is a tough one to take. I was trying to find a way to describe it to my friends earlier tonight. Perfect Kick straight to the Nuts. I’m gonna be pissed about this one until at least Saturday. Hopefully the team is too, and they’ll kick in some Blue’s teeth, cuz I’ll be at the Can for the second time this year ever.
That said, I really really really like the way the Mule and Liles are connecting on the passing drill power play. I think they have good chemistry and hopefully it’ll only get better from here.
No such thing as a hockey fan... only hockey fanatics!
GO AVS!!!
oh, and fuck off, WW. Used to be a fan. Not so much any more.
No such thing as a hockey fan... only hockey fanatics!
GO AVS!!!
I’ll probably get over it within the week. Maybe that should read Not so much “right now”. But still. F off.
No such thing as a hockey fan... only hockey fanatics!
GO AVS!!!
Trust me, I know how this feels. Really, STINKS. I hope we can get a win on Saturday. We already lost ground on Vancouver, and had lost 2 out of the last 3 games.
Now it's 3 of 4
great
I call it... The Avaslug!
I am the 1st and probably only official member of the David "Dr." Jones fanclub.
Syracuse Basketball 2010: Big East Champs!!! G'Orange!
by UZ on Mar 5, 2010 1:12 AM MST up reply actions
you can’t draw that game up any worse. what a disaster.
Mile High Hockey: stupid jokes for the intellectual crowd
by David Driscoll-Carignan on Mar 5, 2010 5:29 AM MST reply actions
By the way, I didn’t see the whole game, so I won’t comment on the 2nd period on.
But hey JM-Liles…you were caught SLEEEEEEPING on that first goal. Even the look on your face said, Oops.
Good to see that Liles has found some of his offensive spark again…that is definitely needed.
As for the score, when I saw it this morning, I know Wolski scored…I didn’t even have to check. Whoever didn’t see that coming, didn’t see that shutout by Raycroft against us earlier in the year
2009-10 Colorado Avalanche: The wheels are firmly secure thank you!
Advice to Red Wing Fans: If you don't want the reputation of being whiners, then stop whining about EVERYTHING. Your team is allowed to lose games, and when they do, it's not always because of the refs or Gary Bettman, and you seem to continuously claim
yeah, there really was no question about it. I’m kind of conflicted today. That was tough, tough way to lose. I feel good for Wolski though.
Mile High Hockey: stupid jokes for the intellectual crowd
by David Driscoll-Carignan on Mar 5, 2010 6:31 AM MST up reply actions
Wasnt the first goal the one where Radar didnt pick up Stepniak’s stick? There were two missed opportunities to prevent that goal.
Thanks Joe...
Don’t forget, Liles hit the post on the 4 on 3 PP in the 3rd that would have probably been the game winner, if not for Bryzgalov getting the butt of his stick on the puck and deflecting it into the crossbar. JML is rolling offensively – and I’d take that Liles with his defensive lapses over the other Liles that has lapses on both defense AND offense.
And why do goalie stick parts gets names like: butt, shaft and knob. What, are the equipment manufacturers 13 year old boys?
by Paul's Coffey on Mar 5, 2010 11:51 AM MST up reply actions
WOW can someone please tell me where that Wolski was when he was playing with us? Oh yeah that is the sometime Wolski just to bad one of his sometimes games was last night UGGHHHHHH
I may live in NC but my seats are definatly Center Ice LOL
I thought he was pretty unnoticeable in the 1st period (what I saw). And talking to people this morning he was a non-factor right up until the end
2009-10 Colorado Avalanche: The wheels are firmly secure thank you!
Advice to Red Wing Fans: If you don't want the reputation of being whiners, then stop whining about EVERYTHING. Your team is allowed to lose games, and when they do, it's not always because of the refs or Gary Bettman, and you seem to continuously claim
Skate, I have two requests.
First, the infamous Captain Kirk Khaaaan! photo with Woooooooskiiiiiii! instead.
Second, Seinfeld photo with “Hello, …Woslki”
Dater went all New England/sky is falling on his blog after the game. Wolski didn’t make that play but he was in the right spot and Andy got caught. The bigger issue is having Foote/Hannan totally cross up their assignments with no back checking forward in the slot with 30 seconds to go. The defensive pairings have been shuffled to the point of diminishing returns. They need to pick some pairings and let them gain some chemistry.
That Liles-Clark combo scared the hell out of me last game.
And I think Liles was paired with Foote on the 1st goal, I could be wrong. But again it looked like a mix-up again, because whoever it was went to take the guy behind the net, and Liles ended up being about two steps behind Stepniak. Sucky
2009-10 Colorado Avalanche: The wheels are firmly secure thank you!
Advice to Red Wing Fans: If you don't want the reputation of being whiners, then stop whining about EVERYTHING. Your team is allowed to lose games, and when they do, it's not always because of the refs or Gary Bettman, and you seem to continuously claim
Liles was out with Salei on the first goal according to the game summary….
MHH: The Burgundy Army is on the March!
I'm The Canary - but I'm not cute nor cuddly, and I don't sing.
by Americanario on Mar 5, 2010 11:21 AM MST up reply actions
Why does Sacco have Foote and Hannan should not be a pair. He needs to go back to:
Hannan Quincey
Footer Wilson
Salei/Liles/Clarke combo
Until Cuminsky comes back.
I may live in NC but my seats are definatly Center Ice LOL
Not that hard…. sigh.
Never trust the lunch lady.
by Hardshell_Taco_del_Lowayne on Mar 5, 2010 8:17 AM MST up reply actions
When Roadrunner gets back I think it looks like this:
Hobbit – BMF
Footer – Roadrunner
Hotpocket/Salei – Wilson
Clark can relieve Boods opening the door. I hear Koci needs somebody to cut his meat with that broken hand, maybe Clark can help out!
Footer – Wilson is a big hitting pair and could be good once we get into the playoffs for wearing down the other team’s top scorers, but they are essentially the same guy, save for the fact that one is roughly 342 years younger than the other (aww, Footer, don’t cry, we love you!). I’d like to see a pairing in the back with a stay at home guy and one who can start the rush.
2009-2010 Colorado Avalanche - On the upside, there's only 18 more (regular season) games of Darcy Tucker left!
According to Haynes, McNab, and Rycroft, Wolski’s goal started with Anderson making the decision not to go behind the net and play the puck because he thought it would be an icing call, and that decision was the contributing factor on that goal. The first goal: I think everyone was asleep; straight through the 5-hole with no screen. Ouch.
I agree that Mueller and Liles have chemistry. Mueller doesn’t shy away from shooting the puck, and I really think that is going to spark Liles and give him some confidence.
Colorado Avalanche: Aiming for Magic #31 - 31 points in 28 games. 12 points in 9 games; 19 points to go!
Anderson, and the two defenders all gave up on the play. Maybe they thought it was a sure icing, maybe they were tired from the night before, maybe it was simple miscommunication, maybe they thought the game was assured OT, but the fact of the matter is: Shane Doan didn’t think any of those things. HE went hard till the end and it paid off. I’m happy for WW, but credit should go to Doan for his hard work. WW was simply opportunistic.
A game is 60 minutes boys. Don’t forget next time!
by Paul's Coffey on Mar 5, 2010 11:47 AM MST up reply actions
yeah, as much as this game hurts, I there’s some things the team should learn from it, first and foremost that you must play buzzer to buzzer. With all the young guns on the team, its surprising we haven’t had a last 30 second heartbreaker before this. Hopefully it wont happen again.
No such thing as a hockey fan... only hockey fanatics!
GO AVS!!!


(Mueller has a really, uh, weird shaped head)
by xskatebakerrx on Mar 5, 2010 1:11 PM MST up reply actions
I’ve looked at this photo like ten times and it gets simultaneously funnier and scarier each time. I laugh my ass off.
Thanks Joe...
Dear Skater… while my Kahn picture gets sillier and scarier each time, your Kirk picture gets way funnier. I think Im high on Friday or something, cause i am giggle over this like a schoolgirl. The hell is wrong with me?
Thanks Joe...
Haha, every time I look at your Kahn picture I laugh out loud and my dog looks at me. It just fits so perfectly!
by xskatebakerrx on Mar 5, 2010 9:18 PM MST up reply actions
C’mon, guys. You knew Wolski would get that goal. It was inevitable. And not just because it’s an Avs thing, but because Wolski wanted it – BAD. Now he’ll go back to inconsistency. I am happy for him that his new team is loving him right now. I’m sad that they won’t be soon. I just wish that happiness FOR him wasn’t mixed with so much bitterness because it came at the Avs’ expense.
Now, on to the more important subject: my BF. Oh, how I love him! And oh, how I wish he played like this all year long. I think everyone is totally wrong about him. He’s not lazy. Just the opposite. He tries too hard and gets way too much into his head, overthinking things. Now he’s just letting his instinct take over and, well, you can see the results. Also, he loves being on the point with Mueller. That was totally obvious during his intermission interview. When asked about him, Liles’ face brightened up and his tension relaxed visibly. This was a good trade. Our PP is going to be much more successful.
The 2009-2010 Colorado Avalanche: People can stop waiting for these kids to hit the wall. They won’t.
Something else positive to take away from this game: Matt Duchene is turning into a full-fledged tantric orgasm. Every single time he even gets near the puck now, I’m on the edge of my seat, saying, “Oh man, here we go!” And then when he does get the puck, it’s like a Cirque de Soleil show watching him do his freaking magic with it. I know everyone gets their panties all in a wad when the “F” name comes up in comparison, but it’s getting to the point where that isn’t such an outlandish analogy anymore. The dude is THAT good. Some of the moves he was making last night…there really are no words. Seriously. I have none to describe them.
The 2009-2010 Colorado Avalanche: People can stop waiting for these kids to hit the wall. They won’t.
St. Louis
I know this may sound dumb, but I really hope Saturday’s game goes into overtime. The Avs need the two points, but I really want to see St. Louis knock the Things out of the playoffs.
Acquired from Pensburgh for a first round pick and two comment posters to be named later.
Nope, that sounds like good logic to me!
by xskatebakerrx on Mar 5, 2010 11:56 AM MST up reply actions
the million dollar question.
The 2009-2010 Colorado Avalanche: People can stop waiting for these kids to hit the wall. They won’t.
by NurseBeachie on Mar 5, 2010 10:04 AM MST up reply actions
keeping my fingers crossed on before the post-season. i’d say probably middle of next week if his back doesn’t bother him much more, but the hedge-duck is getting a little old, so it may take longer
maybe an internet pipe froze and burst
Mueller Pass
Anyone else see that sweet, saucer, near-assist to Stoa from Mueller? Altitude had a really great shot of that pass coming straight into the lens. Didn’t go, but was a nice play.
Also noticed that the Avs seemed to relish giving Wolski shots, lending credence to the theory that there was some irritation aimed at him.
wish Stoa
had more of finishing touch
AKA Stastnystooth on twitter... Yeah that's me, his tooth.
by Ben from Portland on Mar 5, 2010 1:17 PM MST reply actions
I think he just needs time. I don’t see the natural, inherent talent that some of our other youngsters have… that flash. But I think he can have a place on this team [especially with our lack of LWers] as long as he keeps his nose to the grindstone and gets some playing time at the NHL level.
Thanks Joe...
I think he just needs to find his timing with his line mates, he seems to be getting closer and closer with each game. From watching him in college, and then his burst in the AHL this year when he found the chemistry with Hensick and Haydar, I’d expect that once he scores his first he could very well go on a pretty good streak.
He’s started doing a better job on the forecheck, and the last two games I’ve seen him planted in front of the goalie a lot. If Mueller/Duchene (or any other line mates if he gets bumped off of Duchene’s line) can get the puck on net while he’s there, he could start getting a lot of goals off the rebounds.
Basically, I keep waiting to see the Stoa I watched all last season.
UGH. I like cruising around the net, reading random websites about hockey. Know what the lead story is on EVERY SINGLE SITE??? “Ex-Av Wolski Nets Game-Winning Goal on Former Team in Waning Seconds” or “Wojtek Wolski Gets Revenge with Late Goal to Beat Avs 3-2.” Seriously…must they rub it in so?
The 2009-2010 Colorado Avalanche: People can stop waiting for these kids to hit the wall. They won’t.
DUDE
BUDAJ IS TEH SUXXORZ FOR LETTING IN THAT GOAL IN THE LAST 30 SUCK-ONDS.
Oh wait….
That was Anderson.
An ounce of confidence can carry you a mile toward winning. Oh, and Red Wings suck.
Bwahahahahaha!
But really though. Budaj should have started last night. Andy looked tired toward the end of that game.
Proud Soldier in the Burgandy Brigade.
"You mess with our Hejduk and the Spirit of Lappy is coming!"-Jibbles
and he looked pissed when the 2nd goal went in
No such thing as a hockey fan... only hockey fanatics!
GO AVS!!!
Budaj? Who’s Budaj?
The 2009-2010 Colorado Avalanche: People can stop waiting for these kids to hit the wall. They won’t.
by NurseBeachie on Mar 6, 2010 10:16 AM MST up reply actions
Dont want to start a new post tonight:
Updates from around the league:
Detroit beats Nashville 5-2. Keeps Nashville 3pts behind the Avs but now Detroit is only 6pts back from the Avs and 3pts ahead of Calgary.
In the second period:
Vancouver is down 2-5 to Chicago.
Calgary is tied with New Jersey 1-1.
Edmonton has a 1-0 lead on Minny.
MHH: The Burgundy Army is on the March!
I'm The Canary - but I'm not cute nor cuddly, and I don't sing.
I watched that game, did you hear the Chicago crowd LUUUUUing him? They were brutal!!!
by xskatebakerrx on Mar 5, 2010 9:18 PM MST up reply actions
Update:
Chicago finishes off Vancouver 6-3. The Avs still have a chance to catch up.
Calgary is keeping itself in the play off hunt after beating NJ 5-3 (Brodeur has not looked good since before the Olympics)
Oilers and the Adjectives go to the shoot out with Edmonton wining in the 6th round.
MHH: The Burgundy Army is on the March!
I'm The Canary - but I'm not cute nor cuddly, and I don't sing.
Hooray Oil!!
I’d MUCH rather see Hall in a Bruins sweater than in an Oil sweater!!!
2009-2010 Colorado Avalanche - On the upside, there's only 18 more (regular season) games of Darcy Tucker left!

by 































