Detailed look @ COL/STL 11/15/10
Reply With QuoteColorado Avalanche
Jones-Stastny-Stewart
Apparently Galiardi had been playing in Jones' spot on this line, but due to the injury, David Jones gets the nod. Like Boyes, I wasn't impressed for the majority of the game, but Jones did manage to snipe a top shelf goal from in close. The goal was a huge detriment to STL and completely shattered any hope they might have had for a comeback. Paul Stastny is one hell of a player. He is extremely talented, but still pretty underrated I find. He is a very smooth skater who can dish the puck with ease. It was his pass that set up Jones for the 5th Avalanche goal and he also shoveled one over Halak as he was falling to the ice. The RW on this line, Chris Stewart, is a beast. He's only 6'2", but 228 lbs and he isn't slow by any means. He gets his feet moving constantly and isn’t afraid to throw his body around. He'll also stick up for his linemates as Backes tried some after the whistle shoving with Stastny, only to find himself face to face with Stewart instead.
Stewart had 2 assists on the night and went +3. That gives him 20 points in 17 games. This was line was dominant, but I'd love to get a speedy left handed LW on this line instead of the big right handed Jones. Stastny finished with a goal and an assist and Jones added his one goal.
Hejduk-Duchene-Yip
Milan Hejduk doesnt see as much ice time as he used to in his earlier days, but that's understandable with his knee injury. Although used sparingly, Hejduk looks good when he is out on the ice. He conserves energy well and doesn't look to have issues moving laterally or pushing off. He actually added 2 assists on the night and to my surprise, he was on the #1 power play unit. Speaking of the #1 PP unit, Matt Duchene is manning the left point. I kept waiting for a big Duchene slapper, but he fires mostly wrist shots from the slot. It's rare that he hangs out at the blue line. His speed is mesmerizing and I get excited every time he touches the puck. He's good. Brandon Yip has earned himself a spot back in the top 6, but he seemed to struggle to get much going. He got pretty lucky on a 2 on 1 when Duchene sent a backhand pass at Yip's stomach, deflecting off his hands before he was able to get a stick on it and get the goal. I expect good things out of Yip, but tonight wasn't his best night. It wasn't his worst, but it wasn't his best. Duchene also got in his first ever fight and didn't do half bad. The crowd went nuts.
Winnik-O'Reilly-Porter
This line had chemistry for sure. David Winnik sure did surprise me with his aggressiveness and speed. He had a good game and was even looking to create scoring chances on the PK. Ryan O'Reilly is a solid player. When he entered the league so young, I had my doubts about his performance the following year, but O'Reilly looks like he's been in the league a while, rather than just the one season. Quality third line center there. He is exactly where he should be for development and he has decent players around him to support. Kevin Porter caught my eye a few times throughout the night. In fact, if this line didn't have so much chemistry, I'd be half tempted to put Porter on the top line in Jones' place. Sometimes a top 6 caliber player needs to sit on the third line for a while and get comfortable scoring, while not in the spotlight, and that's what I think is going on here. Porter is more talented than Jones and the swap would be smart, but it's hard to mess with proven chemistry. It'll be interesting to see how coach Joe Sacco moves forward.
Each line member got involved in Porter’s PPG for one point on the night. Porter finished even while the two set-up men finished -1.
McLeod-Dupuis-Mouldin
Dupuis and Mauldin had energy and speed and it looked to me like every time they were sent out there, they wanted to prove they deserved another shift. They weren't complacent at all. McLeod tried to get in a scrap early in the game (wasn't even really a scrap), and when he finally did get some minutes, I didn't see any sense of urgency. I wonder where the Cody McLeod of old went?
McLeod finished pointless and -1, while Dupuis and Mauldin finished +1, with Mauldin assisting on Liles’ first goal of the game.
Liles-O'Byrne
JM Liles. Holy smokes man. Liles got it done, notching 2 goals and an assist, all in the first period. He didn't score in the later periods, but he played a strong game and he's clearly the go-to defenseman for the Avs. I'm scratching my head here because I just didn't think he had it in him. I wonder if he stays healthy, if he can keep this up for the full season. I’m starting to become a believer. Ryan O'Byrne was a healthy scratch for about a month in Montreal and finally found a new home in Colorado. He's playing well enough, logging just under 20 minutes tonight, picking up an assist, and going +3. O'Byrne isn't particularly special, but Colorado's defense was thin with the injuries they have and the former Hab is welcome company.
Hannan-Shattenkirk
I've never been a huge Hannan fan, but he's a solid mentor for the 21 year old Kevin Shattenkirk. Shattenkirk showed speed and agility, and he wasn't afraid to rush the puck up the ice. He made a couple rookie mistakes and turnovers, but Hannan was right there to knock some bodies around and get the puck right back. The more NHL time this kid sees, the harder it'll be to send him down.
Both D failed to get any SOG or add any points, but they were an even rating. At least there’s no minus here!
Foote-Wilson
Better than their opponent's #5 and 6 D, but nothing special here either. I think I caught Adam Foote check a couple people with his gigantic nose and Wilson was hit or miss with his play. Wilson would look good headmanning the puck one shift, then make sloppy turnovers the next. Foote did manage a “Dennis Wideman” (secondary assist) while Wilson went pointless.
Budaj
I won't get in to too much detail about Peter Budaj, other than the fact that he looked good. Craig Anderson is expected back soon, but I honestly believe Budaj is a capable backup who will get more starts than last year's situation. If you want to read more about Budaj, I encourage you to read Justin Goldman's scouting report at www.thegoalieguild.com. Goldman, in my opinion, provides the best goalie coverage of anyone in the business, but you should already know that. 27 saves on the night.
Avalanche notes
Although the Blues came out with a quick goal, the Avs were the hungrier team, completely dominating the first. As the 2nd period rolled along, the Blues tried to come back, eventually making the score 3-2 with 5 minutes remaining. Then came Yip and his goal was huge, making it 4-2. Clearly a bit stunned, the Blues would give up a goal to Jones only 17 seconds later and take a slashing penalty just after. In a span of 60 seconds, the Blues went from trailing 3-2 to trailing 5-2 and killing a penalty with only 3 minutes remaining in the 2nd. It was the 2nd time Colorado was able to get 2 goals in a 2 minute or less span. Those quick flurries hurt.
In the third the Blues managed to get a PPG from Boyes, but the Avs still had control of the game. Porter fanned on a nice feed from Ryan O'Reilly, which slipped through Halak to make it 6-3.
Despite injuries, Colorado looked like a very strong team. As with just about any team, there a few adjustments that could be made, but with a healthy Anderson-Budaj combo, a slightly stronger defense, and maybe one additional forward, I could see a lot of teams falling to the Avs.
As I mentioned earlier, I don't watch either of these team on a consistent basis, so everything I'm telling you is strictly from what I saw tonight. I didn't like David Jones on that top line, but the guy does have 10 points in 14 games. That's pretty hard to argue with. Hopefully you enjoyed the read, and if you have any questions or comments, I’d be more than happy to answer. My DVR also cut out the last 5 minutes of the game, but I don't think I missed anything...hopefully not.
Originally Posted by duballstar014
