With success like this, at least for tonight, it’s hard to complain. This is what’s sitting in my inbox:

Stastny, Hejduk spark Avs (Fox Sports)

Stastny Propels Avalanche (New York Times)

Avalanche tame visiting Sharks (Covers.com)

Stastny’s 5 points lift Avs past Sharks (Lexington Herald-Leader)

Stastny’s career-best five points lift Avs over Sharks (FOX 23 News Albany)

Paul Stastny lifts Avalanche to 6-2 win over Sharks with goal, four assists (Canadian Press via Yahoo! News)

Paul Stastny: not the next Payton Manning, but then again, who is?

Technorati Tags: Avalanche, Hockey, NHL, Stastny

Let’s be honest. I don’t really expect to liveblog this thing so much as just shoot off some comments every so often. I have the Avalanche feed on Center Ice here in Dallas, TX, so I feel I should do something.

Tyler Weiman is the backup, so maybe Theodore didn’t make it back from Cleveland in time. Or….

Time counts down

1st period

18:48 1st: First penalty of the night is a double minor of Hejduk. Not how you want to start off the game, and the way the PK was last season, and the fact that Q is still in charge, this can’t be good.

16:45: Huge action in both ends. Smyth punches one wide, and as great as that may be (at least it’s a chance), it leads to Roenick having an opportunity up ice. Maybe teal suits him.

14:45: The Avs kill the double minor, and get a scoring chance along the way. The PK looked pretty good. Peter McNab is happy as hell.

14:05: Some creativity from Wolski and Svatos. That’s what Avs fans were waiting for last season.

13:00: Coach Q has a new commercial for GMC. Gonna be watching that thing all season. Shots of Denver looked nice, even though it was raining like a mother for the Broncos game. The time change for the Rockies post season bid was unneeded.

12:45: I am all for fighting cancer, but take time from your commercial break, not while the game is on. Or if you do, show the game while you talk. And what do we miss? The first Sharks penalty.

10:45: Sharks kill the penalty, but Svatos is looking good through everything so far. Where was that last season?

8:40: Avs rocking the puck down low. Gonna watch me some hockey, back in a bit.

6:44 Wolski gets a little too creative, and a slick little pass to Svatos turns into a turnover. That isn’t really a complaint. I like to see these guys playing with creativity, and that means things don’t always work out. Sometimes you have to miss a pass to make one later. This is the type of creativity we saw from the younger players at the beginning of last season, so can they make it stick? And make it effective?

5:05: Hlinka is doing his job, getting the puck to Sakic. Roenick is in the box, and so is Vlasic. 5 on 3 Avs. Super Joe scores!!!! Tying Phil Esposito in points, and movers past Bobby Hull in all time goals. 1-0 Avalanche.

2:21: Avs go back on the Power Play, with Joe Thornton in the box. And Hejduk SCORRRREESSS!!!!!!! Sakic with the assist on the no look pass moves him past Espo to take 8th place in points all time.

End of the First: Coach Q has to look pretty smart right about now, even though both goals happened on the PP, they came from Sakic, who has been a little flat the last few games. 2-0 Avs against a very dangerous Sharks team is nothing to get too comfortable with, but it sure is exciting. More in a bit.

2nd period:

18:04: Sharks can’t seem to stay out of the penalty box. Vlasic in the box, but it doesn’t take long before Liles goes in the box for interference (pretty much a pick play, even if McNab doesn’t think so). A little 4 on 4 hockey.

16:45: More shots coming from farther out, something people were complaining about during the last game. Leopold hammers a shot wide, and I would have ducked if I were a goalie. Then again, I’m not a goalie.

15:39: Another F-bomb makes it through a broadcast. Something is going on with the Sharks, and Roenick goes in the box, for too many men, but there was some serious disbelief on the bench. I know a certain amount of acting involved, but you have to wonder. McNab says it’s due to Vlasic turning into the play when he came out of the box from his penalty. Go figure.

13:00: Some good checking out there. Finally some collisions that you can hear. Budaj just had a huge and scary moment, when he went down to stop a puck, but it stayed in play directly in front of the goal. It was a tense few moments while play continued, but things worked out for the good guys.

12:13: Giant rebound off Budaj, punching out to the middle of the ice, and the Avs lead is cut in half. 2-1 game. The life is back in the Sharks.

7:45: Shot on goal for the Sharks, and you could hear the thump form his pads. Avs killing a penalty, and even tough the puck was in the Sharks possession, the PK looked to be calm and well disciplined. I can’t ask for much more. The Sharks don’t score, but they look like they have some confidence.

End of the 2nd: The Sharks are making their comeback, outshooting the Avs 12-3. Cutting the lead to one is a good start for them, and making the defense work hard is another. The D, though, has stood up, and will hopefully continue. More shots from the point for the Avs, and some good work from Peter Budaj. This game is still a game. I love the tension, and I hate the tension.

3rd Period:

19:30: Hlinka isn’t much for keeping the puck. (Edit: I didn’t really finish my thought here.  He is getting the puck quickly to either Sakic or Hejduk.  The definition of an unselfish player. )
19:08: Stastny with the GOAL!!!!! Even strength (the kind they needed) from Paul Stastny, who has 3 points so far tonight. So far this season, where Stastny goes, so go the Avs.

17:36: Budaj is makes two key saves in a row. One on a screened shot, on on a charge in from Joe Thornton.

17:13: Hejduk Goal!!!!! Stastny to Smyth, to the Duke. Hard to complain about the way the lines are working out. 4-1 Avs.

15:52: Fight! Lappy and Murray have a few words, and they go. Not a huge scrap, but a few good shots thrown.

12:44: Little feature on the Goal Judge being moved. Eight more seats (high priced seat) for Le Can. Old time hockey dies a little.

12:12: Svatos with a goal!!!! Svats was the dog last season, and has been proving otherwise the first few games of the season.

11:54 Smyth with the wrap around GOAL!!!! Six to one for the Avs! Smyth gets his first goal with the Avs. This is starting to look like the Boston Red Sox game from earlier. I would say the lines are clicking. scoring coming from the first, second and third lines. Where was this play the other night against the Preds?

9:15: It takes this long for McNab and company to notice that there has been a goaltending change. Dimitri Patzold is in net. And the Avs finish off one penalty, and then take another right away. Smith comes out, Smyth goes in. And it’s the third time for the same Coach Q commercial. I am already starting to hate it.

6:12: Jeff Finger gets scrappy with Milan Michalek, for getting a little pushy with him after the whistle. I like this Finger kid. Do we really need Karlis Skrastins back? Avs get a powerplay out of the deal.

4:18: Wyatt Smith puts the puck in the net, but there is no goal, due to the whistle being blown before-ISH the whistle was blown. So, a quick whistle takes a goal away, but it’s a 6-1 game. So, really, who cares? Wyatt Smith, I bet, but that’s about it.

3:55:Svatos my be in the box, but Brian Engblom is in the Altitude studio. WTF? Why do we have the worst haircut in hockey in Colorado? Who did he sleep with?

2:07: PP goal for the Sharks. But with 2 minutes left, and the score 6-2 Avs, whoopie. Hlinka is impressing everyone with his play, taking the puck unto the Sharks zone deep, and dishing it off to Svatos in the near slot. He’s a keeper.

Final: 6-2 Avalanche. That’s a good win. Joe Sakic with a milestone game, and Paul Stastny with five point (1G, 4A).

Your three stars:

1) Paul Stastny (“rooting for the Rocks”)
2) Milan Hejduk
3) Ryan Smyth

Good game for the Avs. Peter Budaj makes a come back (from only one game ago) with a solid performance, and Paul Stastny puts his point total to eight, leading the league. Hard to complain about much of anything the Avalanche did tonight. Unless you are a Sharks fan.

I’ll update with blogger post-game reports when they come in.

UPDATE: First blogger recap is in.

Colorado Avalanche Talk

Technorati Tags: Avalanche, Hockey, NHL

You know, it just wouldn’t feel like Joel Quenneville behind the bench without some line changes. From the Denver Post:

Ryan Smyth is a hockey player who has been around long enough to know when he needs to be a diplomat. The Avalanche’s biggest offseason free-agent signee might not be thrilled at playing on his third line combination since training camp, but he’s not about to openly criticize coach Joel Quenneville.

This time, I find it hard to disagree with making a change, as the top line has been dogging it since in the first two games.

“Whatever Coach feels is best for the team, that’s what happens,” said Smyth, who will skate on the second line with Paul Stastny and Milan Hejduk today against San Jose at the Pepsi Center. “We weren’t clicking as well as we could have been, and sometimes that’s the way it goes.”

After two games in which his top line failed to record a point, Quenneville will have four new combinations against the Sharks. Smyth and Hejduk were dropped to a line with Stastny, and Andrew Brunette and Jaroslav Hlinka will skate with captain Joe Sakic.

So, Q is hoping that Brunette and Hlinka will work some magic with Joe Sakic, while Stastny will be good for Smyth. But is Q going to throw the baby out with the bath water? It’s fairly obvious that from the first game, the second line of Stastny, Brunette, and Hlinka were working just fine. Now, we get something entirely different. I understand the issues here. You only have so many players to choose from, especially ones you can trust on your first two lines. But how is this going to affect the line the goals are coming from?

Proof in the pudding tonight against the Sharks, 5:00 pm local.

The game is going to be broadcast on Yahoo Streaming tonight. Get that high speed internet connection ready.

Previews by bloggers:
Colorado Avalanche Talk
In The Cheap Seats

Technorati Tags: Avalanche, Hockey, NHL, Smyth, Hejduk, Brunette, Sakic, Stastny

The Avalanche were the first team in the league to hit the two games (in North America, where things count) mark, and played what look like two vastly different games. I was able to record and watch the first game (Stars at Avs), but was only able to experience the second (Avs at Predators) through the magic of the internet, and the calm, cool, informative demeanor of message boards. Let’s do a little breakdown:

Stars at Avs:

This was a game that was flat out owned by the second line of Paul Stastny, Andrew Brenette, and Jaroslav Hlinka. Owned. With massive internet misspelling (pwned, onwed, ow3nd, create-your-owned). Wojtek Wolski, who had a lot of questions about him, answered some of them right away. The biggest disappointment was the first line, of Sakic, Smyth, and Hejduk, if only that they didn’t light the place on fire and play heavy metal music. In fact, they were a little slow, and not that creative overall.

Peter Budaj stood on his head at times, and even though the Stars made a comeback, the last few minutes of play were nerve-wracking due to the intensity, but Budaj made the saves, and did the do. Hard to complain.

I have thoughts on the penalty kill that are brilliant and insightful, but they would involve video and arm waiving, neither of which are available to you over this internet connection. Still, the first power play goal by the Stars (which was the second goal) was not the fault of the Avalanche player closest to the goal scorer, it was the fault of those who were far from the goal scorer (did I just blow your mind?).

Overall, a good game, with the first career hat trick for Paul Stastny, and two points in the hip pocket.

Find you blogger based game recaps at:
JibbleScribbits
Mile High Hockey
In The Cheap Seats
Colorado Avalanche Talk

Avs at Preds:

But, the good times can’t last forever. Sometimes, they don’t even last for a day.

The game trudged on while I was at work, out in the audience, so I could only keep track via the NHL.com scoring machine (which I am no fan of in it’s current incarnation), and the fore-mentioned message board. As far as I can tell, said board was in complete freakout mode, and the Avs did not show up for the game. I heard of lazy skating, a tired Budaj, and classic Coach Q line changing.

Budaj was replaced by Tyler Weiman, who will be sent down promptly when Jose Theodore is standing and skating on both legs. Weiman stopped all ten shots that came his way in his first ever regular season Avs game. Weiman, whom you will be hearing more about here in the coming days, will most likely be spending the rest of the season in Lake Erie (not in the lake, see, the team is…oh, nevermind), unless someone really pisses Coach Q off, and gets his ass sent down (fat chance, at least at the sending).

So, two points one night, being shut out the next. Thems the brakes.

Game recaps from your friendly neighborhood Avs bloggers will be posted when they are available. Hey, you get the linky when I get the linky. No sooner.

I’m not worried. I don’t panic early, I wait until the third period. It’s a long season, gotta pace myself.

EDIT: Game recaps are trickling in:

Colorado Avalanche Talk

JibbleScribbits

In The Cheap Seats

Mile High Hockey

Technorati Tags: Avalanche, Hockey, NHL, Predators, Stars

The season previews are coming out hard and fast, even after the season has begun. And even though the Avalanche are in full swing right now, you can still hear what I have to say about them. Alanah from Canucks and Beyond called myself and Greg from Post Pessimist and Hockey Rants us for a little conversation, and then put it out for the world to hear on the Crazy Canucks podcast.

You can hear the results here.

Disclaimer: That night, I was supposed to be at a Flaming Lips concert in San Antonio, but was way too sick. Instead, I stayed home and recorded the podcast. So, while I may be of sound mind in it, I am sure I am not of sure voice, as the snot had taken over. Usually, when I’m sick, I get my full Barry White on, but only after the sinuses have dissolved themselves of their gifts to humanity. That had not been the case yet.

Blame Alanah. She got me started on this whole blogging thing.

Technorati Tags: Avalanche, Hockey, NHL

After yesterdays blogger round table, you would think I’d had my say. You would think I had done enough damage, and you could all go back to sleep. You would be wrong.

Steve Lepore at SportsFan Magazine asked me some questions about the Avalanche and the NHL in general, and it went up yesterday. They are asking all sorts of bloggers about their teams, and it makes for some good reading. With the real season starting tomorrow (yeah, yeah, London, blah blah blah), it’s time to get your A-game up to date.

My entry can be found here.

Technorati Tags: Avalanche, Hockey, NHL

The title says it all. Well, most of it. The Avs are ranked 8th in the league, not just the conference. Of course, this will change (and hopefully for the better) as the season picks up. It’s hard to rank anything when you haven’t even started playing for points. But I’ll take what I can get. From ESPN.com:

8. Colorado Avalanche
Is a mullet worth at least a point in the standings? We think Ryan Smyth is the kind of player who is the difference between making the playoffs and an April round of golf. Just ask the Islanders and Oilers. Add in Scott Hannan, the now healthy Jordan Leopold, Paul Stastny and the eternal Av Joe Sakic, and you have one of the best “punches” in the league. Peter Budaj and Jose Theodore round out the lineup in net. This team was tied for third in goals scored last season (267) and finished the season on a 15-2-2 run. They’re ready for more.

Mullets count these days, at least at the home of Barry Melrose. And that’s good enough for me.

Technorati Tags: Avalanche, ESPN, Hockey, NHL