Coach Q discussed the first two lines for the Avalanche with Adrian Dater of the Denver Post:
The final game was notable because of the new line combinations used by Quenneville. He had a first line of Ryan Smyth, Joe Sakic and Milan Hejduk – with Andrew Brunette dropped to a second line with Paul Stastny and Jaroslav Hlinka.
Brunette made the move look good, scoring the winning goal with 5:01 left in the game, a wrist shot that beat an old friend, Coyotes goalie David Aebischer, to the near post to break a 2-2 tie.
Quenneville hinted the lines would stay the same against the Stars.
“We’ll talk about it, but the likelihood of the lines being comparable, starting on Wednesday, is likely,” he said. “I think with the options and the versatility of our lineup, you’re not afraid to try different things in games.”
Coach Q try different things? How odd. Oh, wait no it isn’t. Q loves to mix up lines with little rhyme or reason, and even less patience. It’s enough to drive you mad.
And Mark Rycroft got sent down to Lake Erie. I’m sure that isn’t how he envisioned his contract last season. I was a little disappointed in his signing last season, mostly due to the lack of other free agent activity. We’ll see how long it takes for him to be called up.