photo courtesy of Jeff McIntosh/AP
Let's assess the damage, shall we? Three straight losses, all on the road, with one more road game left to play. Two out of three losses to divisional opponents. Outscored 3-14. A loss to the hated Flames. Theodore back to sucking full-time (11-14, .786 last night), and Budaj looking shaky.
I guess Super Joe didn't read my letter yesterday...
The only bright spot of the 4-1 loss to Calgary last night was the young trouble maker Cody McCormick, who came up from Cleveland and made a huge, physical impact almost immediately. He flattened Dion Phaneuf early and then fought (and defeated) Eric Godard. He hustled from one end of the ice to the other. In only 7:15 of ice time, he led the Avalanche with five hits and five penalty minutes.
If Ian Laperriere ever leaves Colorado, McCormick should carry on his legacy with no problem whatsoever.
Too bad McCormick's hard work didn't inspire the rest of his teammates to win the game. Again the Avalanche looked like a disorganized rabble---they controlled the puck for much of the game but could barely string together a decent offensive play. Only the lone goal, scored by Marek Svatos off a sweet 2-on-1 pass from Paul Stastny, looked like an NHL scoring chance. The rest of the game was filled with bad passes, wide shots, and weak efforts.
The next Avalanche game is in Edmonton on Thanksgiving night. Hopefully I'll be home from my annual food binge to live blog.
Speaking of live blogging, I want to thank all those who participated last night---it was a great thread with four active posters, including the first openly female Mile High Hockey member, Rookie. How she tolerates us I have no idea. But welcome aboard, and thanks for having a good sense of humor.
Stars of the Game:
- Owen Nolan WTF (2g, 0a)
- Robyn Regehr (0g, 1a)
- Miikka Kiprusoff (20sv, .952)