As much as fans would love to blame someone else for this game (refs), the Colorado Avalanche 5-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks sat squarely on the team’s shoulders. It still seems to be a matter of core fundamentals that are costing this team valuable points in a race for 8th place that is quickly becoming unbearably tight.
Courtesy of NHL.com
Right off of the bat I’ll say that the defensive issue I discussed earlier is still obviously plaguing the team. If you want to know, read the article, but suffice it to say that positioning is something they are clearly struggling with.
I’ll add to that now with the concept of coverage. If you are going to pinch and help out offensively, either a forward needs to cover for you or your partner needs to play conservatively. Odd man rush was the name of the game for the Ducks, who used it to break the backs of a decent looking Burgundy and Blue.
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The first period saw the Avs have a high sticked goal called back on Cody McLeod, who, if I heard right, hasn’t scored since November 4th. It was a close call and probably shouldn’t have counted, but the Ducks responded with two of their own, the second coming mere seconds before the whistle.
A similar score for the Ducks would happen at the end of the 2nd period, which is basically a heartbreaker when you’re looking to come out of the gate flying. You can thank a lazy Craig Anderson for the third goal, who took his time coming across from a previous save. The Avs did manage to beat backup Ducks keeper Curtis McElhinney (former Colorado College Tiger – boo!) on a Power Play opportunity.
NHL.com
Paul Stastny was at the side of the net and waited long enough to give Milan Hejduk the time he needed to rio the puck high. Keeping shots off the ice would have prevailed over McElhinney, if the Avalanche could have hit the net with their shots.
If I had a dollar for every time the team missed tonight, I wouldn’t have to work two jobs and have ads on the site. It was just downright pathetic, including the handful of open net chances.
Wayne Gretzky once said something to the effect of:
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
When I was in high school our coach told us:
You miss 100% of shots not on goal.
This team needs a bag skate and shooting practice because it was just sad.
The Ducks would manage to capitalize two more times in the third, while the Avs would get a rebound netted by none other than Darcy Tucker to finish off the game. Anderson didn’t even leave the game for the extra attacker. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t all gloom and doom, but it wasn’t what it takes to win in the postseason.
Adam Foote and Kyle Cumiskey, the mean and green, laid a giant stinker tonight, combined for a -6. In fact, John-Michael Liles and Ruslan Salei are the only two who came out even on the night, so it’s hard to blame them. The not-so-merry-go-round on the blueline continued tonight with both Kyle Quincy and Brett Clark sitting. Obviously not the right choice here.
Speaking of +/-, Matt Duchene, Milan Hejduk, and Peter Mueller were -3 each.
With the Calgary Flames leading the Phoenix Coyotes 2-0 at the time of writing, things just aren’t looking up for the Avs. Teemu Selanne (another former Av) continues to haunt them as well, scoring his 601 goal against the Burgundy Boys. Friday’s game against the Flames is going to be epic in terms of importance. Buy tickets now!
What do you think fans?
Related posts:
- Avs Drop Another Stinker In the Can
- Avs Drop Coyotes 4-1
- Postseason To Start Like Regular Season
- Avs Loss To Sharks Not As Bad As It Looks
- Avs vs. Jackets Game Notes
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