Archive for the 'Avalanche' CategoryPage 3 of 5

It’s Colorado

Published
by
Matt Saler
on April 23, 2008
in Avalanche and Playoffs
. 2 Comments

Update (11:19 AM): Shane Giroux of Colorado Avalanche Talk provided a likely explanation for the 10:00 starts via comment:

I’m saying this without checking the entire schedule for round 2 - I just woke up and feel too lazy - but I’m guessing it’s to help avoid games being joined in progress.

Makes sense, but that doesn’t make the prospect of some very late nights any more appealing. - Matt

Update (6:21 AM): Via Ansar Khan, the schedule:

Thursday, April 24, 7:30 p.m. Colorado at Detroit VERSUS, TSN
Saturday, April 26, 3 p.m. Colorado at Detroit NBC, TSN
Tuesday, April 29, 10 p.m. Detroit at Colorado VERSUS, TSN
Thursday, May 1, 10 p.m. Detroit at Colorado VERSUS, TSN
*Saturday, May 3, 1 p.m. Colorado at Detroit NBC, TSN
*Monday, May 5, 10 p.m. Detroit at Colorado VERSUS, TSN
*Wednesday, May 7, TBD Colorado at Detroit TSN

Why couldn’t those 10:00 games be 9:00? - Matt

With San Jose beating the Calgary Flames 5-3 last night, the Wings will face the Colorado Avalanche in the second round. If nothing else, this will be a high-skill and exciting series.

More to come.

4/16 Links

Published
by
Matt Saler
on April 16, 2008
in Avalanche, Bruins, Canadiens, Fabian Brunnstrom, Flames, Flyers, Links, Playoffs, Sharks, Sidney Crosby, Stars and Wild
. 0 Comments

Update (3:57 PM): “Is the President’s Daughter Dating a Ranger?” asks Eric McErlain. - Matt

Update (3:49 PM): Tom Benjamin has more thoughts on the firing of Dave Nonis. Meanwhile, Nonis defends his actions as Vancouver’s GM. - Matt

Update (12:13 PM): According to the Washington Post’s Tarik El-Bashir, former Red Wing Sergei Fedorov will play between Alexander Ovechkin and Viktor Kozlov tomorrow night in Philadelphia.

Rookie Niklas Backstrom has been moved down to the second line. - Matt

Update (8:31 AM): George Malik has the latest on the Brunnstrom saga. - Matt

… The Sidney Crosby Beard Watch: Day 8.

… The Sharks avoided going down 3-1 in their series with Calgary last night with a 3-2 comeback win.

… And San Jose’s Evgeni Nabokov continued his excellent post-season by … allowing two goals on ten shots. Maybe playing him in 77 games was a mistake, Ron Wilson.

… The Avalanche took apart the Wild 5-1 last night. It was the first time in the series that the game did not go to overtime. It’s now tied up 2-2.

… Anaheim staved off a Dallas sweep last night with a 4-2 win on the road. Ah well.

… The Caps are having trouble carrying through on their impressive regular season finish. They dropped another game to Philadelphia last night, falling behind 2-1 in their series. They must now win on the road and display some defensive ability in the process.

… Montreal did what we hope the Wings will do tonight: go up 3-1 in their series.

4/15 Links

Published
by
Matt Saler
on April 15, 2008
in Avalanche, Canucks, Fabian Brunnstrom, Links, Marty Turco, Penguins, Playoffs, Senators and Wild
. 0 Comments

Update (8:12 PM): At the Globe on Hockey blog, James Mirtle has more on Fabian Brunnstrom. I’m starting to wonder if this kid isn’t overrated. - Matt

Update (3:21 PM): The guys at Orland Kurtenblog have been looking for the greatest hit in NHL history and after five months of polling, a consensus has been reached: Scott Stevens’ hit on former Red Wing Slava Kozlov in the 1995 Finals. - Matt

Update (2:58 PM): If you’re into hockey stats, check this site out. (via Mirtle) - Matt

Update (2:41 PM): I missed posting reactions to the Nonis firing from two of the biggest Canucks bloggers because I got distracted and then forgot. Sorry.

Alanah of Canucks and Beyond, and Orland Kurtenblog. - Matt

… The Fabian Brunnstrom sweepstakes may not be over after all: the Canucks fired GM Dave Nonis last night in a surprise move.

Brunnstrom had apparently narrowed his choices down to Vancouver, but this latest development has him reconsidering, as Ken Holland told Helene St. James.

My guess is he’ll still opt not to come to Detroit for the same reason he was rumored to be headed to Vancouver: guaranteed playing time. The Wings still can’t give him that, but whoever takes over in Vancouver may be more amenable to the idea.

… Reactions to the Nonis firing: James Mirtle, Tom Benjamin, Eric McErlain,

… Elliotte Friedman discusses the speculation that Brian Burke could return to Vancover to fill the vacancy left by Nonis.

… I thought the Senators hit a low point with that mural near the visitor’s lockerroom. I was wrong (video here).

… Speaking of the Senators, Pittsburgh is on the brink of eliminating them from the playoffs after last night’s 4-1 win.

… Marty Turco’s not a fan of asking the crowd to wear black tonight in Dallas.

… The Avalanche/Wild series went to overtime for the third straight game. Minnesota came out on top for the second time to take a 2-1 series lead.

4/12 Links

Published
by
Matt Saler
on April 12, 2008
in Avalanche, Capitals, Devils, Flyers, Hockey Bloggers, Links, Playoffs, Rangers, Senators and Wild
. 1 Comment

… Washington came back from a two-goal deficit to defeat Philadelphia 5-4 last night in Game 1 of their series. Who had the game-winner? Alexander Ovechkin, following a Pavel Datsyuk-like steal.

… A very unfortunate event from that game: Philadelphia’s Patrick Thoresen took a Mike Green shot off a very bad place and as a result, he had to be taken to the hospital. Green went on to score seconds later, after the play was not stopped.

… As a blogger covering the decidedly anti-New Media Detroit Red Wings, I can’t even fathom being in this position.

… So the Senators haven’t completely given up on each other after all. They still lost, though.

… The Wild/Avs series went to overtime for the second time. This time it was Minnesota that scored, tying the series 1-1.

… The Devils lost 2-1 to the Rangers last night and fell behind 2-0 in their series. Lou Lamoriello was not happy with the officiating.

A new direction

Published
by
Matt Saler
on April 1, 2008
in April 1 and Avalanche
. 2 Comments

As you can tell by the new color scheme and the new blog title, I’ve decided to switch horses as we head into the playoffs. Some of you may be shocked that I, a long time Red Wings fan, would choose to become an Avs fan, but I ask you this: did not the rivalry teach us that the two best teams in hockey are the Detroit Red Wings and the Colorado Avalanche? Is it so strange that I would finally come to appreciate all the Avs have to offer?

They have Peter Forsberg, the incredible center who cannot be stopped by anything less than faulty skates. Joe Sakic, the Other #19. Milan Hejduk and Wojtek Wolski, each European superstars par excellance. Paul Stastny, with hockey in his blood. Ryan Smyth, the sight of whose dank locks is enough to strike fear in the heart of any goalie.  JM Liles, who does not give into peer pressure. Let’s not forget Adam Foote, the greatest teammate of his generation. Marek Svatos, whose nose-cutting skills know no equal. Jose Theodore, he of slick hair, guards the net like Avalanche goalies of the O7 era.

The Wings’ roster, filled as it is with players like Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Nick Lidstrom, Johan Franzen, Dan Cleary, Tomas Holmstrom, Niklas Kronwall, Brian Rafalski, Brad Stuart, Chris Chelios, Kris Draper, Valtteri Filppula, Jiri Hudler, Kirk Maltby, Andreas Lilja, Aaron Downey, Brett Lebda, Mikael Samuelsson, Dallas Drake, Dominik Hasek, and Chris Osgood, simply cannot measure up.

Only Mark Hartigan is worthy of an Avalanche fan.

So as the Avalanche prepare to enter the playoffs in the middle of the pack, I wish the Wings good luck in the first round. I’ll see you in the second, if you make it.

Go Avs!

(As I’m sure you’ve picked up by now, this is absolutely a joke. I’m a Wings fan for life and the day I cheer for the Avs… is the day they play Anaheim. Seriously. And only with a tin of breath mints by my side so I can fight the bad taste in my mouth.

For a great April 1st post, see IwoCPO’s)

Forsberg skates with Avs

Published
by
Matt Saler
on February 27, 2008
in Avalanche and Peter Forsberg
. 1 Comment

The AP reports that Peter Forsberg skated with Colorado today in an optional practice. He’s not scheduled to play tonight in Vancouver, but could make an appearance in the Avs’ home game Saturday against LA.

I know there’s a lot of skepticism about Forsberg’s latest comeback attempt and for good reason, I suppose. However, I suspect underestimating him is a mistake. The guy all but gave up on his return bid back in November, so it’s as though he’s delusional about his chances. It seems that he has found a solution after all, and if it really ends up working, watch out.

Even last season, ankle troubles notwithstanding, he put up respectable numbers:

regular season: 57 games, 55 points (13G, 42A)
playoffs: 5 games, 4 points (2G, 2A)

Again, respectable, not stellar. Still worth considering, however.

I’m no Forsberg fan, but I can respect the guy’s ability and desire to return to the NHL so that he can go out on his own terms. His reputation as a diver is well-earned, but so is his reputation as one of the most dominant forwards of his generation. Also, though “Floppa” is an apt nickname for the guy, he is, paradoxically, as tough as they come. I think it’s a safe bet that he’ll be playing through pain and take his body to the limit to make this comeback worthwhile.

With a healthy Forsberg, the Avs become a power player in the West and can’t be taken lightly. And I don’t know about you, but I’d rather Detroit not face that patricular Red Wings Killer in the first round. They’re not far out of the lead in the Northwest Division, however, so that may not be all that likely.

Lidstrom: out 7-10 days with knee sprain

Published
by
Matt Saler
on February 19, 2008
in Aaron Downey, Avalanche, Injuries and Nick Lidstrom
. 4 Comments

Update (2:42 PM): The official site has a brief piece in which Lidstrom talks about the hit and his injury.

He describes his knee as “sore and a little bit swollen,” so take that as you will. It sounds like his head is fine as he does not have a headache.

He of course does not come right out and accuse Laperriere of anything, but he does leave his true feelings open to interpretation:

“I have a pretty good mark on my chin where he hit me. Whether he tried to or not, I don’t know, but he followed through and finished with his elbow up on my chin and that’s when my head went back into the glass.”

- Matt

Update (1:43 PM): Ryan Doherty reports that Nick’s knee will be reevaluated tomorrow morning rather than today, as previously expected.

As some have noted, the “7-10 day” diagnosis came a little fast, but  there’s no particular reason to disbelieve it at this point. Sure, it’s possible that 7-10 days is optimistic, but if it was much worse than a simple sprain, we’d probably already know.

Still, pray that the MRI has a positive result. - Matt

Ansar Khan is reporting that the right knee sprain Nick Lidstrom suffered last night as a result of a high hit by Colorado’s Ian Laperriere will keep him out a week to ten days. A seven-day recovery period would put Nick back for the February 26th meeting with Edmonton, while ten days would have him back for the March 1st February 29th home game against the San Jose Sharks.

That Nick will miss 2-3 games is a blow, to be sure, but the team is extremely fortunate he won’t be out longer. A more serious injury would have put a serious damper on their hopes for a long playoff run. It is impossible to overstate Lidstrom’s importance to the team and it is going to be a major test of their resiliency as they go through the next couple games.

The situation on the blueline will be improved by Brian Rafalski’s likely return Friday, but no one player can replace a five-time Norris Trophy winner. In the coming games, the team will need to put forth the same effort that propelled them to a 4-0 win over the Avs last night.

When I got home last night after the game (which I was unable to watch), I just wanted to check the score and go to bed. Then I saw the comment emails sitting in my inbox. IwoCPO put it perfectly, titling his first post on the incident “Worst Case Scenario: Lidstrom Helped Off the Ice.” When it comes to possible injuries, losing Nick Lidstrom is basically as bad as it gets. Fortunately, the post-game news was fairly good. Otherwise, I would have slept much worse than I did.

This morning, I just wanted to see a replay as I worked on school stuff (thinking the whole time, “I have more important things to do than prepare for this presentation. Like find out how Nick is.”). Thankfully, IwoCPO posted the highlights from the game.

It’s difficult to watch. The hit is high, but not overtly vicious. Maybe unnecessarily hard, but not particularly dangerous. Laperriere caught Lidstorm in a bad position and didn’t hold back. Personally, I call it disrespect and typical of a lowlife like Laperriere, though I know there are those out there who disagree.

In any case, I’ve seen players get up fine after much nastier-looking hits. The part that’s hard to watch is Nick’s disorientation as he gets up. In all my years of watching the Wings, I have never seen him out of it like that. It was jarring in a way similar to seeing Steve Yzerman’s reaction to taking that puck to the face. Laperriere obviously caught Nick with a late elbow/forearm and his head rebounded off the glass, causing the disorientation. Let’s hope his head is okay.

I’m thankful for Mike Hasenfratz, who was quick to grab hold of Lidstrom and whistle the play dead before he fell again.

I’m glad Aaron Downey was in the lineup last night. It was good to see the replay of him beating up Laperriere. That’s precisely what #20’s job is. I’d like to think that  teams might think twice about streamrolling the Wings’ superstar now. Aaron Downey should never be out of the lineup, as far as I’m concerned.  The guy has earned his spot.

Anyway, Lidstrom has been an incredibly consistent feature of the Wings’ lineup over the years, missing only 32 22 of 1,452 games and most of those because he was being rested for the playoffs. Rarely has the team had to go it without him.

For those who say the Wings need to face some adversity before they can be successful, that they’ve had it too easy this season: you can shut up now.

Be sure to read IwoCPO’s wrap-up here.

Lastly, keep an eye on the AHL wire over the next couple days. If it turns out that Rafalski isn’t quite ready to go Friday, Jonathan Ericsson will get the call-up.

GameDay: @ Colorado (30-24-5, 65 Pts) 8:00 ET

Published
by
Matt Saler
on February 18, 2008
in 2007-2008, Avalanche and GameDay
. 12 Comments

Update (4:50 PM): Christy Hammond has posted her preview of the game at Winging It In Motown. - Matt

Update (4:48 PM): An update from Ansar Khan:

Chris Osgood starts tonight.

Brian Rafalski (groin) is out at least until Friday.

Niklas Kronwall (clavicle) it out, perhaps until the end of the three-game Western Canada trip. - Matt

Update (4:46 PM): Some game day reading for you:

- Matt

Update (9:20 AM): Via NHL Media: Mike Hasenfratz (30) and Mike Leggo (3) will officiate the game. Tim Nowak (77) and Tony Sericolo (84) will man the lines. - Matt

Update (9:18 AM): OklahomaWingNut’s GDT is here. - Matt

Tonight is the fourth and final meeting this season between the Detroit Red Wings and the Colorado. Detroit leads the series 3-0, with wins December 27th (4-2), January 8th (1-0), and February 1st (2-0).

Colorado is 3-3-1 since we saw them last. On the 2nd, they pulled off a 6-4 road win over St. Louis. Two nights later, the Coyotes beat them in Denver, 4-3 in overtime. On the 6th, the Avs defeated the Sharks at the Tank 3-1 and three nights later, they took it to the Canucks in Vancouver, 6-2.

Since then, they’ve dropped three straight. The skid began at home with a 2-1 loss to Anaheim on the 12th, continued with a 4-1 defeat by St. Louis on Thursday, and left off with a 2-1 loss in Chicago yesterday.

The Avs are third in the Northwest Division with 65 points. They are currently 9th in the Conference, but are just one point behind Calgary for the 8th seed.

Marek Svatos is the top Colorado goal-scorer with 25. Milan Hejduk (20), Wojtek Wolski (14), Andrew Brunette (11), and Ryan Smyth (11) are the only active Avalanche to have double-digit goal totals. Brunette is goalless in his last eight and Wolski is goalless in his last nine. Milan Hejduk has not scored in three and Svatos hasn’t in two.

Colorado will likely be without Paul Stastny (groin), who is close to returning, but apparently not quite ready.  Joe Sakic (hernia surgery) and and Cody McCormick (chest contusion) are out.

It seems Jose Theodore is the likely starter tonight.

For the Avs’ side of things, see Colorado Avalanche Talk,  In the Cheap Seats,  Jibblescribbits,  and Mile High Hockey.

The Wings are 3-5-1 in February, with their losses coming all in a row starting February 7th against the Kings. They’ve since lost to Toronto (3-2 OT), Anaheim  (3-2), Nashville (4-2), Columbus (5-1) and Dallas (1-0).

The loss to the Stars came yesterday and was particularly disappointing because of the stretches in which they played well enough to win. They were, however, unable to get past Marty Turco, who put on a stellar performance and got the help of the post a couple times when he couldn’t make the save himself. It was probably the Wings’ best game over the skid, but wasn’t good enough.

The loss cut the Wings’ lead over the Conference and League to eight points, as Dallas continued its bid to overtake them.

Henrik Zetterberg leads the team in goals with 33, but he is goalless in five. That his drought roughly corresponds with the Wings’ nose dive is no coincidence.

The Wings will be without Niklas Kronwall (clavicle) for the 10th straight game. Derek Meech will fill in once more.

It looks like Brian Rafalski (groin) will not play for the third game in a row. In that case, Kyle Quincey will dress.

Dan Cleary (broken jaw) will be out for the fourth straight game. Aaron Downey filled in yesterday, but I’m guessing Babock may go for a slightly mixed-up lineup today and dress Matt Ellis instead.

Projected lines:

Franzen-Datsyuk-Holmstrom
Filppula-Zetterberg-Samuelsson
Kopecky-Draper-Maltby
Hudler-Ellis-Drake

Projected pairings:

Lidstrom-Chelios
Lebda-Lilja
Quincey-Meech

My guess is Chris Osgood will return to the net tonight, but Jimmy Howard’s performance yesterday may have earned him another start.

For more of the Wings’ perspective, see Snapshots, Abel to Yzerman, HockeyTownTodd, Behind the Jersey, No Pun Intended, Red Wings Nation, yzerman is god, Detroit Hockey, LetsGoWings, and Winging It In Motown.

Todd won’t be posting his pre-game numbers any more, but you can still find OklahomaWingNut’s GDT’s at Kukla’s Forums.  He hasn’t posted today’s yet, though.

Tonight’s going to be a tough game for the Wings. The Avs have played them close in every meeting this season and the last thing they need is to face a team fighting for a playoff spot. They are going to have to build on yesterday’s performance and go a long way in returning to form if they want to come out of this one ahead.

Remember, the game is on Versus tonight.

GameDay: vs. Colorado (27-20-4, 58 Pts) 7:30 ET

Published
by
Matt Saler
on February 1, 2008
in 2007-2008, Avalanche and GameDay
. 0 Comments

Update (4:32 PM): Joe of Mile High Hockey and Shane Giroux of Colorado Avalanche Talk have their previews posted here and here. - Matt

Tonight is the third of four games between the Detroit Red Wings and the Colorado Avalanche. The Wings lead the series 2-0 with wins December 27 (4-2) and January 8th (1-0). The final game will be played on February 18th in Denver.

The Avalanche are 5-3-1 since losing to the Wings on the 8th.  They lost on the 9th to Washington, but went on to win three in a row against other Southeast Division teams (Carolina, Florida, and Tampa Bay) before an overtime loss to  Chicago on the 18th halted that streak. They beat the Blue Jackets at home on the 20th, but lost their next two, beginning with a 4-0 decision to the Predators and continuing with a 3-2 loss to division rival Minnesota. They returned from the All Star Break with a win, however, notching a 6-3 victory over Chicago on Wednesday to round out a five-game homestand.

With 58 points, Colorado is third in the Northwest Division, but are only three points out of first. Currently they are 7th in the West, but they could easily move up to 3rd, 5th, or 6th, as the teams  in those spots have 61, 60, and 60 points respectively. They could also fall in the standing pretty easily, as there are four teams within two points of them.

The Avs have been without Joe Sakic (groin) since November 30th, but two more recent injuries/health problems have exacted a heavy toll on their offense. Ryan Smyth broke his ankle on December 31st and Paul Stastny’s appendix problem has kept him out since January 15th. Kyle Cumiskey (groin) is the other injured Colorado player.

Kurt Sauer (whiplash) was activated yesterday and should return to the lineup tonight.

Stastny leads the team in points with 49, but Milan Hejduk (37) and Andrew Brunette (35) lead Colorado’s active players. Marek Svatos’ 22 goals is a team high. Nine of those have come since Smyth went down. Five other Avs have 10 or more goals: Hejduk (18), Stastny (17), Wojtek Wolksi (14), Brunette (11), and Smyth (11).

Peter Budaj will get his second start since sitting out 10 games in favor of Jose Theodore. Budaj is 14-8-2 this season, with a 2.68 GAA and an .899 save-percentage.

For the Avs’ perspective, see Colorado Avalanche Talk,  In the Cheap Seats,  Jibblescribbits,  and Mile High Hockey.

The Wings are 5-2-1  since beating the Avs on the 8th. They followed that game with a three-game skid, losing in a shootout to Minnesota 10th and continuing with regulation losses to Ottawa and Atlanta. The pulled out of that dive with a shootout win over Vancouver on the 17th and went on to sweep California, wrapping up that trip with a win over Anaheim in their final game before the All Star Break. They returned to action on Wednesday and earned a comeback win over a scrappy Phoenix team at home.

Detroit stands atop the Central, Western Conference, and League standings with 80 points.

Henrik Zetterberg leads the team in goals and points with 29 and 62. Pavel Datsyuk is not far behind with 61 points, 44 of which are assists. Aside from Zetterberg, five Wings have 10 or more goals: Tomas Holmstrom (20), Dan Cleary (19), Datsyuk (17), Valtteri Filppula (15), and Jiri Hudler (11). I’d say tonight’s a good night for Cleary to crack the 20-goal barrier.

The Wings lost a key part of their defense Wednesday night when Niklas Kronwall went down with a sternoclavicular joint injury. He’ll be out for at least 10 days.

Brett Lebda (wrist) is slated to return to the ice tonight after sitting out the Phoenix game due to an injury sustained in Anaheim.

Derek Meech will play his second game in a row after subbing for Brett Lebda on Wednesday. He’ll give the Wings six defensemen in Kronwall’s absence.

Projected lines:

Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Holmstrom
Samuelsson-Filppula-Cleary
Draper-Franzen-Maltby
Drake-Kopecky-Hudler

Because I was not able to watch the whole game Wednesday night, I don’t know whether Babcock stuck with the same lines with which he started. It’s possible he may go back to that arrangement, which had Franzen centering the second line, Draper skating between Maltby and Drake, and Filppula centering Kopecky and Hudler.

Projected pairings:

Lidstrom-Lilja
Lebda/Chelios-Rafalski
Chelios-Meech

With Kronwall out,  Chelios will take on more responsibility and play more minutes. I can’t see Babcock putting Meech with Lebda very often, though, so there will probably be some rotation that second pairing. If Meech is out there, expect to see Chelios with him.

Dominik Hasek is scheduled to start tonight.

For more of the Wings’ perspective, see  Snapshots, Abel to Yzerman, HockeyTownTodd, Behind the Jersey, No Pun Intended, Red Wings Nation, yzerman is god, Detroit Hockey, LetsGoWings, and Winging It In Motown. Todd already has his usual numbers posted.

The last time these teams met, the Avalanche played the Wings very tightly, imitating their puck possession style quite well. I don’t see them matching the Wings that closely this time, but despite their injuries, they remain a young and dangerous team. Detroit will have to be sharp and have a better first period than they had Wednesday.

While the rest of the team has had a chance to regain their sealegs if you will, Dominik Hasek has not played since last Wednesday. It will be interesting to see if he can pick up where he left off without any lapses in concentration. If his teammates play tight hockey in front of him, there should be no problem in that regard.

Despite the fact that the old rivalry seems non-existent these days, it’s still the Wings and the Avalanche, and that should mean good hockey, depleted Colorado roster or not.

Wings 1, Avalanche 0

Published
by
Matt Saler
on January 9, 2008
in 2007-2008, Avalanche and Game Reports
. 14 Comments

Update (9:07 PM): I should also point out that Brian Rafalski had a great game defensively, perhaps one of his best in the Winged Wheel. - Matt

I’m between shifts at work and don’t have a lot of time, so, once again, this will be brief. I apologize.

… This was perhaps the closest-fought game the Wings have played this season. They weren’t playing their absolute best hockey, but they were playing well enough to beat just about anyone and Colorado stuck right with them. There were stretches of play that were as exciting and tense as any I’ve seen this season and there were plenty of times where I was sure the Avs would score.

The Avalanche countered the Wings by playing a puck possession style rather than throwing fits and dumping it in like some teams, and, to their credit, they did a darn good job. It didn’t make the game more enjoyable, per se, since I was concerned about a comeback until the final seconds, but it certainly kept things interesting.

It was good to see the Wings pull out the win, in spite of the Avs’ strong play.  They still don’t look like they’re slowing down.

…  Although the Wings outshot Colorado 25-19, I thought the Avs had the better scoring chances. Hasek had to be real sharp on a number of occasions and not just by making a save; he was sharp with his stick as well and made a few timely poke-checks to cut a chance short. There were more than a few times where the Wings’ D was hanging on by a thread only to just clear the puck away.

… At the other end, the Wings had a lot of good cycle shifts, but it did not seem as though they tested Theodore as much as they often test other goaltenders. The team’s in-zone passing was strong, though in their own end and at center their passes were frequently intercepted.

… The Wings were forced to hustle a lot more than they usually do, I thought. Most games, they make everything look so easy, but last night they had to really work for it.

… Tomas Holmstrom had a fair outing in his return from a knee injury. He was a trooper on the Wings’ goal as he took a Niklas Kronwall shot off the upper inner thigh and managed to get a swipe the puck without falling over in pain. Pavel Datsyuk picked it up and scored his 17th as a result.

… I thought Andreas Lilja had a solid game. The more he does that, the harder it will be to complain about him.

… Chris Chelios took a roughing penalty at 16:40 of the first period, but it was worth it. While coming in on an offensive flurry, Cory McCormick had needlessly cross-checked Nick Lidstrom only to find himself swarmed by the the Red Wing captain’s teammates, including Dominik Hasek. Chelios, however, came around behind the Colorado punk and hauled him to the ice with one arm. When he was pulled off McCormick, Cheli dropped his gloves and started motioning at him, but was taken to the penalty box instead.

It was a great reaction to see and one I found completely understandable. When I saw the play live, I wondered what all the commotion was about, but as soon as I saw the replay, I was incensed. The game was probably too close for it, but I would have liked to have seen Aaron Downey go after McCormick and teach him something about respect, were he in the lineup.

… I said it after Dom’s shutout in Dallas on Saturday, but I’ll say it again: it’s time for the talk about concerns over Hasek’s goaltending to stop. He’s gotten back on track and comments like that just demonstrate a lack of understanding of what’s actually going on in Detroit these days. That kind of talk comes out of a desire of those who don’t like the Wings’ success to find a chink in their armor. However, it’s safe to say that, if this team has a weakness, it certainly isn’t goaltending.

… The team practiced today with the same lines as last night, so it’s possible that there won’t be any changes to the roster for tomorrow night’s game against the Wild.

Links