Holiday Massacre at the Can

Martin Luther King Jr. stood for peace.  He was the youngest person to ever win the Nobel Peace Prize.  Today we celebrated MLK Day.  Peace was not a word uttered in the Pepsi Center tonight, however, as the Avalanche went up against the Edmonton Oilers in a Northwest Division Collision.  When the final buzzer sounded, the Avs looked down at their foes with a 6-0 win.

Photo by Doug Pensinger - Getty Images

With this game, Matt Duchene has surpassed #1 Draft Pick John Tavares of the New York Islanders for most points by a rookie this season.  Dutchy scored twice, once in the first and again in the third, and notched an assist in the first as well.  Craig Anderson had a hell of a game as well, adding another shutout to his resume.  Though he only faced 24 shots, subpar to what he usually faces, a couple of them were pretty awesome.

Photo by Doug Pensinger - Getty Images

Kyle Cumiskey also tallied two goals, one each in both the 2nd and 3rd periods.  Chris Stewart also notched one in the 2nd while Johnny Liles (you read that right) got the first goal of the game along with two assists, one on Dutchy’s 1st period goal and the other on Cumiskey’s 3rd period score.

The Burgundy Boys had a great game all around.  Though they didn’t have to try too hard, the Oilers are currently sitting at the bottom of the Northwest Division with 37 points and also rest near the bottom of the NHL standings at 29th place.  As we speak, the San Jose Sharks are beating the life out of the Calgary Flames 9-1.  With the two points the Avs pick up tonight, the Flames will sit 4 points behind.

Photo by Doug Pensinger - Getty Images

There were no notable plays by the Oilers.  In fact, I wasn’t sure they were there until Cody McLeod got in a fight with Stortini.  Sure enough, the Oilers were there, but not producing.  The Avs did a great job in the 1st period of keeping the Oilers in their own end.  The second saw a bit more pressure from Edmonton, but they were no match for the Avalanche engine.  In the 3rd, with about 7 minutes left, the Avs put on their D shoes and didn’t rush the Oilers net much.  Still, there weren’t any scary moments in this game and the Avs finally outshot an opponent 34-24.

If the Boys keep this up, they’ll be one hell of a force.

Related posts:

1. Avs Stop East’s Best (Devils)
2. Avs Redirect Lightning’s Spark in Shootout
3. Curse of the 3rds Smack Avs in the Face… Again
4. It’s the Little Goals
5. Coyotes Have Trouble Catching Roadrunner Duchene