The Colorado Avalanche dropped their final game of 2009 to the Detroit Red Wings, 4-2. Serving up Detroit’s first win on a silver platter, the Avalanche had their typical third period of terrible plays, lazy skating, and blown chances.
Courtesy of nhl.com
Joe Sacco’s new years resolution should be to turn third periods into the Avs most productive period. Currently third periods are down right pathetic for the Avalanche, where games are typically given away.
For a first place team, the Burgundy and Blue seem to squeak out wins more often then they blow teams away. And for the firepower they possess, I find myself frustrated by their lack of goal scoring at times.
In what started as a decent back and forth between a struggling Detroit Red Wings and the Kings of the Northwest Division Colorado Avalanche, the game started to take a Wings tilt, with a slumping Pavel Datsyuk disintegrating the puck on a rocket of a wrist shot past Craig Anderson from on high at the face-off circle.
Exactly five minutes later, the Burgundy Boys found themselves victim to the first of two shorthanded goals by Darren Helm on a terrible pinch by Kyle Quincy. Helm bounded down the ice, forcing Anderson to helplessly throw himself at the puck like a rookie goaltender. Shocking for Anderson, who should have forced the play to come to him.
The Avs quickly responded with hard work on a fluke play that landed the puck on Brandon Yip’s stick in the wide open crease. Darcy Tucker and Matt Duchene got assists on Yip’s second goal of his career. Wings tender Jimmy Howard came way out to stop the puck, which bounced over him and ended in the net.
Brandon Yip made a game out of it, scoring halfway through the third to tie the game at two. Matt Duchene made a nice feint up the boards, drawing his defender on him before dropping the puck back along the boards to Tucker. Tucker then fired a pass through traffic, across the slot to Yip who sent the puck home. At least these guys came to play.
Then the Avalanche stopped playing. After running around in their zone, playing awful defense, Ville Leino wrangled a puck headed for Brett Clark’s face to the ice, sneaking it under a screened and desperate Craig Anderson. Take a look at this play and tell me this isn’t a high stick.
Look at Clark’s face! The puck was up. Regardless, the game was over at this point. Even with a 6 on 4 power play to close the game, the Avs couldn’t finish. The razzie of the night goes to Paul Stastny who had the game tying shot on his stick before he decided to pass the points away. Too much of that happens with this team. Grow a pair and take some shots.
What do you think?
Darren Helm managed to seal the deal with his second shorthanded goal of the night, notching an empty netter on a zone clear.
Kyle Cumiskey was a nice -2 tonight, collecting a -2 last night against Ottawa also. Maybe benching Liles wasn’t a great idea. In fact, only four players for the Avalanche broke even in +/-. The rest were all negative.
What do you think about this game? How do you feel the Avs did in the first half of this season? What are your predictions for 2010?
Related posts:
- Avs vs. Jackets Game Notes
- Liles Benched, Anderson In Net
- Avs. vs. Wild – Round 5
- Avalanche Sweep Blue Jackets
- Game of the Year
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