Tonight, the Avs took on the one team they could possibly catch, could possibly keep pace with and whittle down a ten point gap between dancing and crying in your bad corduroy suit, wondering why the pretty girls are all dancing with someone else. Prom night turned out not to be the awkward part of life where you believe it all went horribly wrong, and you wind up in years of therapy. Basically, the Avs beat the Flames 3-2, and the most important part is, they did it in regulation.
While the Flames and their fans are still in 8th place, the Avs and their fans are looking ahead with fear, a hardened sense of reality, and dare I say it (yes, I dare) hope. The Avs are playing like they should have played about 60 games ago. Skating hard, good passing, and some decent defense have all come together when it may be too late, but the tension and drama make it all worth it. First, a quick recap:
Sakic scored career goal 602 only a minute and change into the game, after being given a silver stick for getting to goal 600 (he even used it during the game (LIAR!!!))
The Flames got it back and one with two power play goals from Hamerlik and Yelle, both right before the penalties expired.
Hejduk tied things up.
Paul Stastny got the game winner, extending his record breaking rookie point streak to 19 games. He’s the bomb (or da bomb, he’s something like that). I have no idea how it got in the net, and one I bet Kipper would like back. Simply put, what a goal.
So, what else can I tell you:
The crowd at Sobo 151 was up for the tilt tonight. The weight of the game was not lost on anyone. (Greg, they were asking where you were)
During the first power play, there was an interesting situation where the ref blew the whistle while the puck bounced in the air. The puck went in the net, but the goal was waived off. Lucky for the ref, the Flames scored on the PP anyways. No one had any idea what happened. As far as I can tell, it was a ref mistake. Anyone know anything else? (after further review, I still don’t get it)
Kurt Sauer and Brett Clark were matched up against the Iginla line tonight. I think that says everything about the season the Avs have been having. It would be Liles and Leopold in that match up if this were a perfect world without injuries.
Andrew Brunette is the worst interview ever. Borrrringgg. From before the interview….
“Hey, Bruno, want to do an interview?”
“Sure, whatever, my nose itches”
“Ummm…. Yeah….”
I swear, the posts were hit more often than the puck going in the net. Post after post on both ends tonight.
Kiprusoff was a monster in net tonight. NHL.com says he saw 42 shots. Budaj only saw 19 shots all night, and that includes the nail-bitter end of the game. Kipper absolutely robbed the Avs several times, so even with the loss, hats off to him (it’s hard not to like the guy).
Ken Klee made it interesting by taking a slashing penalty in the end. I am not sure of the ruling there, but still he sat, and the Flames could have tied it up. If this were the pre-trade deadline Avs, they would have let the game be tied up, then lost in the last few seconds. For some reason, those Avs are now playing in St. Louis. Go figure.
Does anyone need to be told that Peter Budaj is the man? Boods has stepped up to the role of number one goalie, and gives the Avs a chance to win every night he plays. He has been excellent in net, and even lucky at times. Luck counts for something in a game of inches.
Would I say that this is a playoff push? What else can I call it? Even if it doesn’t work out, there is a push. A push that could have come a little earlier. Perhaps Scott Parker was the missing link. Or it was finally time for the Avs to look like a team. While I wish it would have come sooner, at least it is coming.
11 responses to “Umm…Playoff Push???”
Up until recently My thinking was we needed to get a clear cut #1 in the offseason and let Budaj play backup and grow into the eventual #1.. earlier this year he was just too inconsistant for me.
He has changed my mind. Now the Avs need a good vetran backkup that can steady the ship if Budaj gets inconsistant and mentor Budaj (I like the Idea of bringing in Kevin Weekes from the Rangers).
Colin – I wonder how Budaj would respond with a clear challenge, or someone who would be able to take up the slack when he gets tired. Theo is not that guy, obciously, but one season does not make a goalie. Just as Cam Ward. Or Theo for that matter. Budaj did not look like the man last season, but he does this season. what does that tell you?
It tells us that he’s maturing. I like Boodz (I used a ‘z’ because it seems vaguely bad-ass). Clearly he CAN be a great goalie, he just hasn’t done it all the time. He’s played well enough for me to give him the benefit of the doubt.
And AH! Not the playoffs! The Avs are my stress-free team. And as soon as I consider the playoffs they’ll start losing. Without admitting anything about a “push”, they’re playing great. Any clue what’s going on with Marek? He could only help this whole thing out.
Well at least they got their goaltending issues resolved for the most part. The Avs won’t make the playoffs this year, but you know they’ll be back next year, much to my dismay. That was a great game against the Flames.
Are they going to shed themselves of fucking Theo’s salary in the offseason?
Katie – Call it what you like. Thje future looks bright, playoff push, whatever. At least they have started to play well.
Zan – The general vibe I get is that the fans want to see a Theo buyout. I’m not convinced that it will happen. The Avs management is nothing if not proud.
They are proud, but they’re not stupid.
A Theo buyout makes more sense than anything. It gives them Cap room. This team had offense, and just needs to add a couple Defenders to be back in the leagues elite (assuming Budaj comes through next season).
Really they were week on Defense, and really lacked a true #1 point man. Liles can do in a pinch, but they need a #1.
Colin – They may not be stupid, but the PL pride has gotten him in trouble before, like when he had his son on the team. He couldn’t look past his own desires and see how negative it was for the team.
They do need the money back, and could get more bang for the buck hiring Ty Conklin at 3 million a season (NOOO!!!!). Just saying. Also, I hope Leopold has a Kariya year next year, injured all year, then comes back in the next. I hope he does it around here.
True there’s pride there, but Giguére isn’t LaCroix. I think it’s about 75% that the Avs will buy out Theo’s contract. I just don’t see any way to keep him on the roster, and I don’t think he wants to be here anymore. Not that Theo’s a malcontent but he needs a change of scenery, where the pressure isn’t on him, in order to regain his form. He just won’t be able to do it here since there was so much pressure on him here (and in MTL).
The best place for Theo is somewhere like Columbus where he can play in obscutrity and not have any pressure and get his form and confidence back (if he can).
Colin – I think you are right about the 75% chance. I doubt Theo wants to be here either. He is about one bad game from being showered with garbage from the crowd.
But I thought this was supposed to be his change of scenery. This was his chance to get away from the glarring eyes of the Montreal media, change divisions, take some of the pressure off, and get his game back in form. Now that he has made his money, will he be willing to tone down the paycheck to play somewhere else?
The test this offseason is not just going to be a Theo buyout, but what Giguere is able to do as far as moves and signings. The question is going to be, how much is he in charge? Has Lacroix handed him the steering wheel? The GM speak will mean nothing. Actions will dictate that answer.
Keep on eye on my blog.. I plan on addressing that as soon as the avs are really eliminated.
On a side not-If the Avs can stay close I’ll be goign to the Flames-Sharks tilt in a few weeks and cheering full heartedly for the Teal and Black, while wearing Burgundy and Blue
I’m thinking this will turn out like the ’04 Oilers push — a day late, a dollar short — but given that the consensus has had the top eight decided since mid-February, I’m actually kind of hoping for a bit of unexpectedness/excitement. Besides, if the Avs are in, that means the Flames are out, and who can really argue with that?