OffThePost.org

VS.


What's this? A game at the Pepsi Center? Wow, what a novel concept!

Okay, the kids are rested, I'm expecting a better and more disciplined effort at least after the debacle in Minnesota. Peter Budaj will get the nod...hopefully he doesn't get the hook. Given the team's tendency to get stuck in their own zone for long periods Budaj will see plenty of rubber.

No earthly idea what the lines will be with McLeod out. I'm hoping, even though he hasn't really earned the right, that TJ Hensick gets put on a scoring line. It's no use putting him on the 4th line.

Whoops...never mind.

http://avalanche.nhl.com/club/news.htm? ... L|COL|home

Wow, Avs come out flat as pancakes. The shuffled lineup is apparently not working. One positive note is we finally see something resembling effort from Chris Stewart. The fourth line of Koci-Galiardi-Hendricks is displaying some energy as well.

2-0 Canes in the first.

Svatos has replaced Clark as the designated Avs-fans goat and he's doing a lot to earn our ire tonight.

Wow, just like that the Avs score 2 in 30 seconds and it's tied 2-2 after 1. Stastny with a sick move to freeze Pitkanen and backhand it past Ward for the 2nd goal, Ryan O'Reilly extends his point streak to 6 games with his second goal.

4-3 at the start of the 3rd. Best line by FAR for the Avs has been Wolski-O'Reilly-Stewart.

Avs get a 3-minute power play after a scary hit by Ruutu on Darcy Tucker, where Tucker had to be taken off with head immobilized. No update yet on his condition.

Avs hang on to win it 5-4. Career night for Paul Stastny, two goals and his first ever three point game, if the blurb on Altitude is to be believed.

If only he could play that way on the road.

Anderson played well, not quite to his inhuman standards of past games, but made the saves when it mattered, the most important of course being the penalty shot on Whitney.

Unfortunately we lose yet another player who was playing well for us. Darcy Tucker got his head bounced off the glass tonight by Tuomo Ruutu (who I hope gets a decent suspension) and you could tell he was out because he thudded onto the ice like a bag of pucks. Initially the thought was he might have suffered some neck injury but it turns out X-rays were negative and he is merely concussed.

Welcome back, Chris Stewart! Finally we see some physicality from the guy and it paid dividends. Sacco appears to be pushing the right buttons.

A shaky game for Mr. David Jones, made a pretty bad turnover in his own zone that brought the Canes within one in the third. Otherwise I thought he was fine. The penalty that led to Whitney's penalty shot attempt was, unfortunately, necessary.

So now Darcy Tucker is likely joining the walking wounded, so I guess that means one way or another the hockey gods have said that TJ Hensick will damned well play. Let's hope, like Stewart, he makes the most of his opportunity.

Only guy who I thought looked consistently bad tonight? Adam Foote. Dude just looks old right now. Outmuscled seemingly everywhere and almost a little hesitant. If there was one thing Foote never was, it was that. Having him and Cumiskey out there with the 4th liners was a near-disaster. Cumiskey continues to play very well and with growing confidence, even did a Campbell-style spinorama move tonight.

Ryan Wilson with his first NHL point! Put in a pretty solid effort too, laid some great checks and has a good first pass, not to mention a powerful and, more importantly, ACCURATE shot.

On a side note, hard to believe Eric Staal is only 24. Feels like he should be older given how long he's been around. Too bad the Canes can't seem to get him a winger he clicks with as well as he does with Cole. Well...good news for us I suppose.

Once everyone gets healthy I suppose Sherman has some decisions to make. I hope the replacements don't get scratched or demoted should they keep playing the way they are, but I'm not sure what you do once Liles and McLeod come back.

And to close...I neglected to start a Duchene wood thread, but as it turns out Ryan freakin' O'Reilly deserves some too! I kind of dismissed the gushing going on during the draft on HF Boards but really, he's so far surpassing expectations and making it very easy for the coaching staff to roll four lines confidently. And...what's this? We're winning faceoffs!? Wow! I'm thrilled!

Right now the Avs are the best team in the Western Conference. I'm saying that now because I don't expect it to last, especially with the two highest-scoring teams in the league right here in our division, but it's nice to see the road to rebuilding might not be as long as we feared.

Tucker was injured by a dirty play?

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Is that like Todd Marchant getting a career ending knee injury?

http://blogs.newsobserver.com/canes/ruu ... suspension

Tuomo calls Tucker to apologize for the hit. But please, next time Tuomo, don't quote Todd Bertuzzi. Ever.