One o’clock this afternoon marked the end of trading for the rest of the 2009-2010 NHL season. It was a busy time for a lot of teams and one team in particular made a couple of moves I didn’t expect. The Avalanche acquired Peter Mueller and Kevin Porter from Phoenix for Wojtek Wolski, as well as Stephane Yelle and Harrison Reed from Carolina for Cedric Lalonde-McNicoll and a 6th round draft pick. Mueller was present for the game tonight against the Anaheim Ducks.
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The first period was pretty miserable for the Avalanche. The Ducks outshot them 14-2, outright dominating the Boys from Colorado. Mueller and Adam Foote were the two shots as we didn’t hear much from the rest of team. Ryan Stoa was recalled from the Lake Erie Monsters to fill in for an injured Brandon Yip (slated to be out 4-6 weeks) and had a pretty good period.
The Ducks did score in the 1st period with 3:49 left in the period. Jason Blake come from the right side of the net and shot on the goal, blocked with Craig Anderson’s leg pad. Andy had a moment of weakness and lifted his pad for a split second and Blake shot it on his own rebound. The period ended 1-0 in favor of the Ducks.
When the second period began, it looked like the Avs were still up to the same old shenanigans. Less than five minutes in, Teemu Selanne got a shot over Anderson as he was sprawled on the ice, committing to another Blake shot. Instead, Blake faked it and passed to Selanne who buried it. Shortly after that, Sheldon Brookbank took a hooking penalty. Fifteen seconds into the power play, Chris Stewart got one past Jonas Hiller, bringing the score to 2-1.
That goal woke the Avs up. The Boys started checking more, got better on the forecheck, and started shooting the puck. Most of the period was spent in the Anaheim zone. Then, at 15:42 of the period, something just clicked. The Ducks blocked a pass from the Avs and the puck began to slide toward the blue line. Just before it crossed, John Michael Liles dove at the puck with his stick out. He saved it from being cleared and the puck went straight to Mueller. From the left point, Mueller shot the puck in and put it past Hiller. From the point! As Avalanche fans, how often do we see that?
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The only other highlight of the 2nd period was when Kyle Chipchura tried to drop gloves against Ryan Wilson for a hit Wilson had made moments earlier. Wilson wasn’t willing to drop the gloves, but Matt Hendricks came out of nowhere, sent his gloves flying, and wailed away at Chipchura. Both were assessed 5 minute majors for fighting. Chipchura got an additional 2 minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct and Hendricks got 2 minutes for roughing. The period ended tied at two.
Period the third was another Avalanche dominated show, yet not as much as the second. The Burgundy Boys got two more goals, one from Matt Duchene on the power play and the second from T.J. Galiardi. Duchene had spent some time getting hungry for a goal, but Hiller had his number. Unfortunately for Hiller, Duchene has skill. That brought the score to 3-2 in favor of the Avalanche. T.J. Galiardi’s goal was icing on the cake. Duchene is now tied, once again, for most goals on the team with his buddy Stewart.
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Ruslan Salei received the last penalty of the game, a double major for high sticking Blake. As Blake spent some time nursing his fat, bloody lip (and likely crying), the Ducks went on a huge power play. With 43 seconds left in the power play, the Ducks knocked one past Andy. After that, the Avs went on defense to maintain the lead. The buzzer sounded and the Avalanche were the victors with a 4-3 score. Winning this game denied Anaheim their 12th straight home win.
What did you guys think of the game? How do you think Mueller did and how well do you think he’ll fit in the lineup?
Related posts:
- Avs vs. Ducks – Pregame *Updated*
- Ducks Steal Life From Avs
- Avs Jump the Sharks
- Avalanche Blank Panthers 3-0
- Ducks Soar Over Avs
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