Coyotes at Avalanche Recap, Yotes bore Avs to death 4-1

This one left a bad taste in my mouth, not hopeful for a win on friday…

Pfffft. They didn’t even have fighting in 95. Definitely the weakest game to model your style after.

FOs tend to be trending downward. Not happy about this. I’ve said before they need to keep possession. Now I think they need to get it in the first place. Still happy-ish, but definitely concerned. Gotta win at home, guys, you just gotta.

This team is already falling into the 2nd half traps of the last couple of years. And with all I heard about our defense over the summer, they are still 21st in the league in shots allowed. At some point you have to question if this is a coaching issue.

This team should have the speed to beat the trap, they can’t.

This team should have the size to bruise people and limit shots. They have it. When they use it, they tend to play better.

Yes, the Coyotes are a boring team, but a team this current Avs squad should be able to beat…instead they play down to their level.

Oh and that first goal? Another terrible Johnson turnover…plus a breakdown of having anyone near the net after said turnover. Ugh, the guy has so much potential, but he is so frustrating to watch when there is any pressure on him

I’m glad I didn’t watch this one. The home ineptitude has got to stop.

Empty seats and little to cheer for. Enos must be proud.

This team sucks. They will never be 8 – 4 so the season is over. Everything sucks.

Have to admit I bailed on this one after that third period goal. It was some boring hockey. My son bailed on me in the first to go watch TV with his mom. Sad stuff. Still thought the Avs didn’t play that bad. At least the forwards. Except for Duchene. He just isn’t moving his feet enough.

Sigh. Avs break into the zone. Phoenix brings 5 guys back into the crease to stand in front of their (extremely large) goalie. Shake. Mix. Repeat.

That was a phenomenally boring game. Worse than Minn., I have to say. Sheesh.

Overall I thought the Avs played a pretty good game, despite.. you know.. not scoring.

• Hejduk had some great chance. Two or three of his shots were less than inch from going in.
• Gali looked good on the scoring lines. He created some good chances and in the very least looked fuck loads better than Koba-nothing-happens. Gali seemed to get time all over the place though. He started on Stastny’s line, played with Duchene & Jones and had a few other random occurances.
• Another great game by the Thirst line
• Noticed Stastny playing well, but zero points at home still. Story of the game, team seems to be doing little things well, but nothing going in the net
• EJ with some crappy puckhandling. Someone sit down with this kid and teach him to handle the puck in his own zone please. Honestly, drills and practice can help this sort of thing or at least should be able to…
• Varly looked good again

Boring. Boring. Boring

I quit watching in the third period because it was clear the Avs were not going to score another goal.

If the crash-the-net routine isn’t working (because of the defensive style of the opposing team and a huge goaltender) why do they persist in doing it? Is there no ability to change the game plan?

That was the suckiest suck that ever sucked.

Without Bryzgalov, that team has no talent and will suck. There must have been a scoring error.

Random Rundown of Thoughts on Last Night’s Game:

• I wholeheartedly agree that stretches of that game were lousy from a spectator standpoint. Five guys laying down in front of the crease and playing chip and chase hockey all night isn’t fun to watch.

• Goal 1 was on the D-pair. No lucky bounces, IMO. Morris makes a good dump cross-ice, EJ plays it weakly up the boards, on his backhand, into the legs of two forecheckers while his partner is going to the center of the slot. Had he “eaten” the puck or swung it behind the goal, that puck doesn’t stay in a problem area. Still… After his weaksauce “clear” get’s picked up by PHX, Hejda steps right into the rush, essentially forcing a pass across turning a standing 2-on-1 into a pick-your-poison moving 2-on-1. Why he didn’t take away the pass and let Varly take the shooter, I’ll never understand.

• Goal 2 was a good hard play by PHX that came about because Hejda got turned around and then wiffed on a bouncing puck right in front of his goalie. Not sure how Vrbata snuck that past Varly as there wasn’t a good replay. Looked short-side though.

*Goal 3, I discussed above. Varly looked to play the initial angle well, recovered back to his feet after the rebound, but then didn’t make any adjustment on the puck. He seemed centered on the shooter. I really wonder if his instinct was the threat was gone either from Korpikovsky falling down or Quincey picking up the puck. His post-goal reaction seems to agree with that a little bit.

• Everybody has talked about the “crash the net” style not working last night and I agree. The way you beat a defensive scheme like PHX and a goalie like Smith (IMO, I’m no expert) is to change the angle of attack. Smith is just too damn big to get him on an initial shot. You’ve got to drive the wing or slot and then dish the biscuit to get him moving. I felt like most of the Avs were moving in a straight line toward the net all night. Not necessarily a bad thing, but if you’re all moving in the same line, it doesn’t force Smith to move or get any of the D out of position. They didn’t even manage that very effectively on the PP.

• All that said, one bounce goes our way or one of the scoring opportunities gets buried in the first two periods and the complexion of that game would have been vastly different.

Really? Post after post saying the we had a good game.. We just did not get the win.. Hot goaltender..

Some of you sound like Sacco after every game last year. The only thing I agree with in almost the entire thread is that our scoring chances were not good enough. Sacco also has no ability to Coach “During” the game. That will happen when you have your talent spread to thin. Lots of shots but not always dangerous ones. Sacco thinks that its not his system its the players. It is a combination of both but I am also starting to think shaking the lines up as much as he does plays more into creating doubt among the players.

Who is going to be my wing next game now? Am I going to be centering the 4th line next game? Will I play the next game? End result the forwards are gripping their sticks to tight and their less focused on the game because they are thinking to much. Take a look at how long each of them hold onto the puck at times and then lose it ending in nothing happening.

Sorry but they looked uninspired, Sacco let Smith get in their heads before making changes to their attack. Then Sacco got into their heads by changing the lines and creating uncertainty. If the lines worked last game… Maybe its not the lines, maybe it is that your playing a different team so you need to adjust more than. “Duh get the fore-check going early guys”

New coach time.. AND new wing time!