Game 63: Avalanche At Oilers, Preview And Open Thread

by Joe Dunman on Feb 24, 2008 3:35 PM MST in News Comment 45 comments

One would think that the Avalanche would have no problem beating the weaker Oilers tonight. The Avs are still on the road, where they've played fairly well as of late (compared to their last few home games, which were atrocious), and the Paul Stastny is back in the lineup and scoring again (1g against Phoenix on Friday).

But this is the Colorado Avalanche we're talking about, and anything goes. They're just as likely to lose 2-1 as they are to win 6-3. Regardless, there are just 19 games left to play after tonight, and every match up, especially against division rivals, is critical.

Jose Theodore will be in goal again. Joe Sakic has a ~~very small~~ 50/50 chance of playing tonight, but ~~it's more likely that we'll see his~~ he could return in the next Avs game on Tuesday against Calgary. I'm unsure if Jeff Finger will be back after missing one game with an apparent hand injury. Let's hope.

The game starts at 6:00 PM Mountain time, 8:00 PM Eastern.

ESPN preview.

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Comments

Actually......

Sakic has a very high chance of playing tonight. They just activated him and sent Hensiiick down to the minors.

There's this one Avs fan on the boards who is usually almost always right, she has some connections. She said that barring something totally unpredictable/crazy, Sakic should play tonight.

by Mike the Avs Fan on Feb 24, 2008 3:45 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Re; Actually...

If true, that's great news!

by Joe Dunman on Feb 24, 2008 3:52 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

yeah

it was the right move sending hensick down. He's a great player with a bright future, but his inexperience has really showed these last couple of games, his TOI has dipped. It'll be good for him to finish the season in the minors. That's what I think should've happened this season, he should've spent the whole season down there along with Stewart. But with all the injuries we were forced to call him up.

by Mike the Avs Fan on Feb 24, 2008 4:03 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Finger was sent back to Denver

So it's probably unlikely that he'll play during the rest of this road trip. But you never know.

Hope Joe comes back with a vengence...

by Americanario on Feb 24, 2008 5:45 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Sakic!!!

I'm wearing my Sakic jersey tonight in honor of his return. Hopefully he'll score something like 30 goals in the next 20 games to make up for all the ones he missed.

by Rather Dashing on Feb 24, 2008 6:08 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Goal!!!

Holy crap that was fast! Arny!

by Rather Dashing on Feb 24, 2008 6:11 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Arnason scores!

Boy the puck had barely even dropped

by Americanario on Feb 24, 2008 6:11 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Lines...

Stastny-Smyth-Hejduk
Arnason-Bruno-Svatos
Sakic-Jones-Wolski
Guite-Mcleod-Lappy

What's up with Arny having better linemates than Sakic?

by Rather Dashing on Feb 24, 2008 6:17 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Sakic

he is probably going to play very limited minutes. But yeah, it does feel weird.

InYoFace Hasek! InYoFace

by InYoFace on Feb 24, 2008 6:22 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Minutes

Yeah, I don't suppose they want to wear him down too much in his first game back.

by Rather Dashing on Feb 24, 2008 6:23 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Lappy and Roy at center

Lappy gets the better of Roy who needs stitches.

by Americanario on Feb 24, 2008 6:21 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Goal! Maybe I was wrong

Maybe Sakic is going to play decent minutes. Great assist as Guite drives to the net for the goal. 2-0 Avs.

InYoFace Hasek! InYoFace

by InYoFace on Feb 24, 2008 6:29 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

First period

Great first, with the Avs up 2-0. Now it's time to watch us sit back, right? uggh.

by Rather Dashing on Feb 24, 2008 6:52 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Start of the second

Game on.

by Rather Dashing on Feb 24, 2008 6:58 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Avs on PK

Hooking on Cumisky...

by Rather Dashing on Feb 24, 2008 7:01 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Goal...

Avs kill the penalty, but Gagne scores. 2-1 Avs.

by Rather Dashing on Feb 24, 2008 7:05 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Sitting back

Stupid Q (:00 through the second and no shots recorded. Pathetic!

by Americanario on Feb 24, 2008 7:13 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

above

Should read 9:00

by Americanario on Feb 24, 2008 7:13 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Frick

The game is tied. 2-2 from a lousy neutral zone turnover.

by Rather Dashing on Feb 24, 2008 7:18 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

tie game

Shit now we can't even wait till the third period to frak up the game....

by Americanario on Feb 24, 2008 7:18 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

PK

Tripping on Hejduk. Awesome.

by Rather Dashing on Feb 24, 2008 7:21 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

no shots on the pp for edmonton

still none in this period for the Avs

by Americanario on Feb 24, 2008 7:23 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Well

It's now 3-2 Edmonton.

Downhill we goooooo...

by Joe Dunman on Feb 24, 2008 8:03 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

3 unaswered goals

hard to get things going when you sat on your asses for 20:00

by Americanario on Feb 24, 2008 8:06 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Another lead, another blown opportunity

This is becoming eerily similar to last season, when the Avs would take an early lead in almost every game just to blow it and lose. It's Coach Q's calling card.

by Joe Dunman on Feb 24, 2008 8:08 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Cumiskey

Cumiskey is super-fast just skating around his own zone. That kid has wheels I can't even comprehend.

by Joe Dunman on Feb 24, 2008 8:10 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Joe in the circle

Joe Sakic has won two face offs in the last four minutes. That kind of contribution is useful, considering how bad the Avs have been lately.

And the Edmonton fans are doing the wave because they're loooooooosers.

by Joe Dunman on Feb 24, 2008 8:12 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

PP

Avs go on the power play. It would be helpful to score a goal now.

by Joe Dunman on Feb 24, 2008 8:13 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

How do you miss that?

Stastny just had an open net and couldn't settle the puck

by Americanario on Feb 24, 2008 8:14 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Damn

On the replay it looked like he tried to shoot it three or four times and couldn't get a handle on it.

That sucks.

by Joe Dunman on Feb 24, 2008 8:18 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Spinning puck

The rebound had so much spin it shot off his skate weird.

Never trust the lunch lady.

by Hardshell_Taco_del_Lowayne on Feb 24, 2008 8:30 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Fuck

Coach Q has Sakic playing the point again with Liles on the power play. Svatos, Stastny and Smyth are down low.

And of course it doesn't work.

Stastny just had a wide-open net and fanned on the puck. A huge missed chance.

by Joe Dunman on Feb 24, 2008 8:14 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Sakic as PP QB

Sakic is by far the best passer on the ice, and I assume that's why Q plays him as the power play quarterback, except that they don't need more passing, they need big shots from the point.

by Joe Dunman on Feb 24, 2008 8:16 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Passing

The Avs have a horrible tendency to pass to teammates who are heavily covered. I've seen at least three recent passes to guys with two guys right on them. It looks like a youth league game.

by Joe Dunman on Feb 24, 2008 8:22 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Cliche

Another loss snatched from the jaws of victory.

This is bullshit hockey, Q. Bullshit.

by Joe Dunman on Feb 24, 2008 8:23 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Lynch Q

seriously...three straight games we blow a lead. He needs to go and fast!

by Americanario on Feb 24, 2008 8:23 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Re: Lynch Q

And it's always the same story: get a lead, stop trying on offense, get beat bad in their own zone.

Is it really that hard to figure out that this strategy doesn't win games?

by Joe Dunman on Feb 24, 2008 8:25 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Well they say

you can't teach and old dog new tricks. It's obvious Q hasn't learned anything.

by Americanario on Feb 24, 2008 8:26 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Not to mention Arnason's PP minutes

Arny has TUNNEL VISION, which helps create 5 on 5 chances when he drives to the net. However, his play does nothing for the PP. He just wristers into the goalie from the circle or does lame passes. Sakic was wide open on that last PP and Arny threw the puck away.

Never trust the lunch lady.

by Hardshell_Taco_del_Lowayne on Feb 24, 2008 8:32 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Also lines

Haynes mentioned what we all saw. I don't think a single line played together more than twice the whole night. Not helping Q. Damn why did I ever feel happy to hire you (guess Granato made me desperate).

Never trust the lunch lady.

by Hardshell_Taco_del_Lowayne on Feb 24, 2008 8:35 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Right now

Granato is a better option than Q. Man how low we have sunk.

by Americanario on Feb 24, 2008 8:38 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

jaslkdfjldskjdslkjadslkf

PLAY TO WIN.

i have nothing else to say.

by thedoctor on Feb 24, 2008 9:48 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

crap

I didn't watch the game, how was our goaltending? Did we really sit back again?? Was Sakic good?

by Mike the Avs Fan on Feb 24, 2008 10:53 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Re: crap

I only saw the last Edmonton goal get scored, and Theodore got beat fair and square on a shot he should have stopped. Sakic had an assist and looked pretty good. He wasn't skating as hard as he could, but he was passing better than anybody on the team. He played on a line (for a while) with Ben Guite and Wojtek Wolski, and it seemed to work fairly well.

by Joe Dunman on Feb 25, 2008 4:14 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

We plain got beat

When you don't have a shot through 15 minutes of the period I don't know how you can say you didn't sit back. But then again it is hard to get any kind of line chemistry going when the lines are being mashed together and are changed every shift.

by Americanario on Feb 25, 2008 1:32 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs