(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
He’s back. And he brought some magic with him.
No one really knew how Peter Forsberg would play last night, perhaps not even Forsberg himself. After almost a year away from the ice, Foppa barely missed a beat in his return. From the moment he stepped on to the ice to a standing ovation, 28 seconds into the game, Forsberg showed that he still has a lot to offer this game. While his skating looked a little tentative early on, his creativity with the puck opened up chances all game long and his physical play drew the attention of several Canucks. He and linemates Joe Sakic and Milan Hejduk combined for 13 of the team’s 31 shots. They didn’t score, but their steady offensive pressure notified the Avs upcoming opponents that there’s a new line to be reckoned with in Colorado.
That might free up more room for the team’s leading point producer, Paul Stastny. Stastny played on a line with Wojtek Wolski and Andrew Brunette and scored the first goal of the game. The goal was started by Jordan Leopold when Leo broke up a scoring chance after Ruslan Salei’s clearing attempt was turned over. Leopold crisply outletted to Andrew Brunette at the red line and Bruno quickly deflected it across the ice to Wolski (that little deflection pass is one of a number of “little things” that Brunette quietly does to help the team on a regular basis). After taking the pass, Wolski carried it in, and dropped it back to Stastny. Stastny had a clear lane, as the Vancouver defensemen had to cover Wolski and Brunette. With a little space, Stastny was able to easily roof a shot over Robert Luongo’s shoulder to give the team an early 1-0 lead as well as some momentum lost after an early powerplay opportunity fizzled.
While the Avalanche slightly outplayed the Canucks in the 1st period, they ramped things up in the 2nd period. Colorado dominated for the first half of the period, with the Canucks getting their first shot around the 10 minute mark. None of the Avs’ 13 shots could beat Luongo, though, and the Canucks were able to tie things up late in the 2nd on a powerplay goal by Ryan Shannon (while Adam Foote was in the box for hooking).
Thankfully - and unexpectedly - the Avalanche powerplay was able to answer. Just 2:27 into the 3rd, John-Michael Liles’ point shot was deflected by a sliding Mike Pettinger past Luongo. It was a bit of a fluky goal, but the Avs PP was generating some action for much of the night with the addition of Forsberg. Teams are still content to collapse down low and give up the perimeter to the Avs, something Colorado has yet to really take advantage of. But with Liles shooting (4 shots last night) and the addition of Salei, perhaps we can get a little spark going with the man advantage.
With the 1-goal lead, the team predictably went into prevent defense mode for much of the final 17 minutes of the game. Last night was a great example of why I don’t like this technique (despite the win). Frankly, it’s not the strategy I take exception to: it’s the execution. For two periods last night, the team played generally excellent defensive hockey (the additions of Foote and Salei seem to be just about perfect for this squad). Then, with a lead, the team goes into “defensive mode” and suddenly can’t play defense. Vancouver had their best scoring chances in the 3rd period when Colorado was in lockdown mode. I don’t really understand why the team defense seems to fall apart when the focus has shift to, you know, team defense. While it worked out okay - Jose Theodore turned aside all 10 shots he faced and the team killed off two key 3rd period penalties - I again have to wonder out loud if this team has the correct personnel to be sitting on leads like this…
Lines
The line / shift report is up. All jokes about the Parker effect aside, is there anyone else wondering where Jaroslav Hlinka is? Hlinka has been a scratch for 7 straight games and hasn’t seen the ice since his disastrous game against Detroit on February 18th. Meanwhile, Parker has played in 6 of the last 7. Although, by “played” I mean he’s watched the game from the bench instead of the press box. Is there a reason we’re seeing Parker instead of Hlinka? Is his muscle that critical? Alex Burrows and Kevin Bieksa both took shots at Forsberg last night; obviously, having the Sheriff in the lineup didn’t scare them at all (it helps that he only had one shift in the final two periods). Wouldn’t it make more sense to have Hlinka out there instead of forcing a player (Stastny, for example) into double shifts? I kind of wonder if we’ve seen the last of Hlinka over here - it certainly wouldn’t shock me to see him come down with a Pierre Turgeon-like “calf injury” that puts him on the shelf for the rest of the year before he returns home next year. Just thinking out loud.
Quick Hits
- The Avs have allowed 2 goals or less in 9 of the last 13 games.
- Scott Hannan had 7 blocks in the game. He also had his first fight in the Avalanche unipron, tangling with Alex Burrows after the first shift of the game.
- Ruslan Salei was tops for both teams in TOI with 24:17
Next Up
The Avalanche host the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday. That also happens to be my birthday.
Personell decisions are one of my major gripes about the Coach of the Year crap for Q. Do we need to list them all? It’s not just who dresses and who sits, game decisions are whacked also.
I was disappointed with Foote’s two penalties last night, even though they were somewhat marginal by all accounts. Those hooking penalties are the EXACT thing that all the BJ fans said we’d have to live with.
Forsberg looked good, but not great. He had a couple of sloppy passes in the early parts of each period and one on the PP in the 3rd. Hopefully it’s a timing issue and not a “I think I’m better than I really am” issue.
The absence of Hlinka (and until last night, Wolski) from a lineup somewhat hurting for offense with Smyth and Svatos out is another indicator that Coach Q isn’t the right fit for this team. I think he’s SOOOOOO focused on defense, regardless of the personnel that it comes as a detriment to the offense. The double whammy is that the defensive ceiling for this team is really low compared to the offensive upside from the group, and by trying to force a bunch of square pegs into a round hole, he’s stiffled one of the team’s assets.
Look at Wolski. He was a steady offensive contributor last year, but 99.9% posative that during the offseason he got the “you need to improve you defensive game” speech from Q and it has stifled him. He could easily be a Vrbata 2.0 in a couple of years where he has a much more consistent offensive game, albeit with another team.
Mike, the baffling part in all of what you said (which is true) is Arnason. In some regards I like Arny but his role does not fit him.
wow, 78% at faceoffs for Stastny. I remember talking about how his faceoffs needed to improve just last year, amazing. He’s so awesome.
yes, Stastny’s turnaround in the faceoff circle has been tremendous
It’s funny how Stastny’s improvement in the faceoff circle contrasts with Arnason’s continued failure. It’s clear that one of them is working hard to improve his game, and the other is not. If there’s some other reason why Arnason isn’t getting any better, I’d love to know what it is.
And I find it strange that we have birthdays that are two days apart. If you tell me you were born in 1979 I might just freak out.
that is a little odd. fortunately, I was born way back in the dark ages of 1971; freak out avoided!
so, was yesterday your big day? or Saturday?
This has been bothering me all day:
What the fuck is that guy holding the sign wearing. Is that a new jersey? In that picture, it looks like one of those baseball vests with a t-shirt underneath, or worse these guys If anyone needed proof that those new jerseys are god-awful aprony this picture is it.
Seriously compare what that guy is wearing to the what the lady on his right is wearing, it’s NO CONTEST. Better yet, look at the old 3rd jersey on the lady in front of him.
Sorry but this photo jut reminds me how awful those jerseys are
yep, definitely one of the new ones (the NFL-style front label is one of the giveaways).
speaking of the new jerseys…
Yesterday, Dater posted a link to a new pic of Foote, Forsberg and Sakic. I commented that it was too bad they had to wear the ugly new uniprons.
the comment is no longer there.
The Denver Post deleted your comment? Seriously?!
By the way, I thought David Jones looked REALLY good against Vancouver. I see subtleties in his game that I’m pretty excited about. I’m tempted to give Q some credit on this but I see the same things in Richardson who I happen to think is a better player option than Parker, Hlinka, McLeod and Arnason right now. So what do I know?
I noticed David “Don’t call me Davey” Jones in the last couple of games. He’s gotten 1-2 great scoring chances in each of the last couple of games but hasn’t buried the biscuit. He’s gotten beat by everything from great goaltending, missed calls, and just plain bad bounces. Every time it happens I find myself chuckling and commenting out loud “He can’t BUY a goal!”
“The Denver Post deleted your comment? Seriously?!”
well, I don’t want to say they deleted it. Perhaps it got lost in the mail. All I know is that I made a comment and saw it on the site, and it appears to not be there now. *shrug*
I wanted to comment on Jones as well, but it didn’t quite make the cut of an already lengthy recap. I too noticed that he had a strong game. Which no doubt means he’s due to be sent down.
Agree about Jones, commented on exactly that fact to Bob in Boulder (the Woody Paige of the blogs). Thought it was his strongest game yet.
Look, I know Hlinka’s not gonna make or break this team, but I can’t imagine that he wouldn’t bring more to the table than Parker (or Arnason or Wolski or Jones, for that matter). I know people who will disagree, that’s fine, but he’s played on the top 2 lines at times and on the PK. No idea about his attitude or other intangibles, but I think he makes the team better when he’s on the ice. Maybe Q doesn’t want to break up the chemistry, I don’t know.
Beating a crappy Vancouver team is good and all, but the next 3 games should tell us more. I’m not gonna be surprised with a 1-3 record and 2 points - and Budaj’s gotta play sometime in there, doesn’t he?
I would be shocked by a 1-3 record in the next 3 games, oh Kiszla of the blogs. I’ll be thrilled with 2-1, and honestly think they could ride this wave and do it. Anaheim and Dallas are tough, but somehow I have faith in this newly injected team.
You would think Budaj would play one of the two back-to-backs against Dallas, no? On to Hlinka, for you Hlinka hlover, DD is right, he was the worst of the worst in that dreadful showing against the Wings. I was there and calling for his head. Not sure why, but he literally gave the puck away and then stood and watched on several occasions. It was almost as if he was channeling the NBA. I can easily see why that earned him a permanent stay in Q’s doghouse, but also begrudgingly agree that it would make more sense to have him in the lineup, because he does have some skill, rather than dress Parker and sit him on the bench, for example.
Jones has some upside that I also noted way early on. He is pretty big too. A power forward with some skill in the making?
Good grief those Jerseys are terrible. I’ve tried not to notice, so much so that I’ve tried to talk my self into spending that hard-earned tax rebate on a “new” Foppa or Foote jersey. Thanks for that picture, now I’ll be putting that money into something else. Maybe I can still find an old one on E-bay somewhere?
Dan and Bob,
In your honor, I’ve got a post about the missing H-link up over at MHH.