Tag Search Results for "vs"
So say it with me Wild Fans. Let's Play Hockey!!!!!!
It's the most wonderful time of the year.......(sing it). It even feels like Christmas with snow on the ground. God seems to have extended winter in honor of the Wild's post-season birth.
The playoffs are finally here and the Wild are back! Memories of 4 years ago still dancing in our heads as fans. But, in a ...
Brett, you better start working on your script for the Stanley Cup Finals. You will be on TV for games 4-7. Try expanding your vocabulary, try eliminating the word TERRIBLE.
Maybe you can write the Ducks off early and whine some more about the Red Wings and why they didn't make it to the finals. They played terrible for two periods tonight. Great game tonight, dominat...
After the great let down that was watching our most hated rival clean our clocks in the Eastern Conference Final it was left to the commonwealth of Sabres fans to figure out what went wrong. Many comparisons to the previous year began to emerge and it gave me the idea of actually watching some taped games to see if their really was a difference between the two teams. Wh...
[b][i]Vitaly Vishnevski is now a Devil[/i][/b]
The Predators lost another unrestricted free agent yesterday when the New Jersey Devils signed Vitaly Vishnevski to a three year deal worth a reported 5.4 million dollars. This is a player that no one in the organization or fans of the Preds expected to resign.
"Vitaly Vishnevski is a defenceman who brings a physical pr...
I thought I'd throw out some off-season humor. A few months ago, Alexi Ponikarovsky had a signing acorss the road from where I worked at the time (Newmarket, ON). Anyways, after I paid my some $17 (and change) for a Leafs flag and signature (the signature was more than the flag BTW) some bald guy made his rounds down the line with a sticky notepad asking what we wanted h...
AlexanderScharf writes...
NYR- To Be or Not To Be: Peca, Jovo, Avery, Hossa
Posted Thursday | Comments 2
What are the Rangers going to do next? Although the Rangers should be content with what they have done this off-season, especially considering that they do not have alot of cap room, rumors continue to swirl about a big move that they are planning. I've heard the Rangers are interested in Ed Jovanovski and Michael Peca and they are yet to resign Sean Avery and Marcel Hossa...
Its been a great offseason for the Rangers. They signed two top tier centers to long term deals and retained their core group of players, with the exception of Nylander and Cullen. But its not too late to botch the job. Critics have already labeled this offseason as a return to the "Same Old Rangers". I dont believe that to be true but that is a dicussion of its own. What ...
that is one step in the right direction for hockey. i no longer have to hear about how he won his cups, or ridiculous analogies or watch keith jones or chicken parm roll their eyes at his less than intelligent comments.
this is good news.
Just listening to the Avs vs. Sharks game - and Mr. Paul Stastny has 1g 4a in this game, while having a hat trick on opening night, which brings him to 8points in 3games. And i got him in 3 of my Fantasy Teams :-)
I knew this kid would rock this season, and i also did believe he would have a fair shot at the 100 point mark - but this much improvement and absolute domina...
Ryan Smyth returned to Edmonton for the first time since being traded last season at the deadline. He was traded to the New York Islanders for prospect Ryan O'Marra, Robert Nilsson and the Islander's first round draft pick for the 07 draft (Alex Plante).
Before the game began a tribute to Ryan Smyth was shown over the video display board of his contributions to the Edm...
[b]COLORADO AVALANCHE:
A NATURAL DISASTER
IF YOU HAVE TO PLAY THEM[/b]
My National Team tour leads me to one of the most offensive teams in the league, the Colorado Avalanche. The Av's most potent weapon is obviously the offense, with way too many players to mention who can put the puck in the net. This team has talent good enough to match up with any team in the...
Tonight will be a good one. Colorado has a record on the road like the Sharks have at home, but throw all that out the window. Colorado always shows up to play the Sharks whether it is at home, away, Japan, or Zimbabwe. No matter how you look at it tonight will be a good test of will for the boys in teal.
Colorado will be looking to improve a woeful road record, while ...
[b]Well tonight's game certainly had its share of ups and downs for both teams. I thought Colorado came out with a lot of speed and energy to start the game, flying up the wings and making smart passes. Then came a disheartening goal by Weber who let one rip from the point on the PP. Shortly thereafter, the Preds continued to press and wound up hitting 2 posts (if i'm not ...
[b]At the beginning of the month, I admit I was pretty skeptical about the Avs chances to make the playoffs. With the injuries to Sakic and Smytty it was looking more and more likely that the Avs could miss the 2nd season for a second season in a row. The month did not start out very well as the team continued its dismal end to December, going 1-3 in the first 10 days but ...
[b]'Tis trade deadline month I hear, and each day that we get closer to the 27th, the more itchy the "trigger fingers" become as General Managers try to find the best ways to improve their teams. The Avalanche are notorious for big-time deadline acquisitions - though in recent years the "blockbusters" have been somewhat lacking. Considering all this, here are 5 transaction...
Alright. Well. In the last two games against the Wild, the Canucks have looked ugly, disgusting, and in all senses of the word, unattractive. It seems fitting that this game falls on VD, which, in addition to being an anagram for Valentine's Day, is also an anagram for something ELSE that may or may not share characteristics with my descriptions of the Canucks' play agains...
[b]
While some don't agree, I am unbelievably joyful that long-lost Foppa returns to Colorado!
Even if it turns out to be just one game, just one time to see him put that jersey back on, with his #21 and to see him step onto the ice - that's more than enough for me. I'm sentimental I know and maybe a bit of a mushball but this guy - this great Avs players - has returne...
[b]
Peter Forsberg returned to the Avalanche lineup last night, MUCH to the delight of the home crowd who rose to their feet in appreciation of all he has done and in hopes of what he will do in the future.
There was a lot of hype leading up to this game, mainly because we were all waiting to hear if he when he would actually play his first game for the Avs. Peter hims...
[b]Colorado hosts Anaheim tonight in what should be a spirited contest. Anaheim has won all three meetings with Colorado this season, but keep in mind, by only one goal each game. Personally, I thought the Avs could have won all 3 games but somehow Anaheim squeaked out the victories in each contest.
Here are some quick-hit keys to Colorado beating the defending Stanley ...
[b]Chalk another win up for Colorado during their "March Madness"! I don't think any team is better during this month, this year and last year - I just hope it doesn't end up with them missing the playoffs by one measly point thanks to OTL's.
It sure wasn't a "pretty" game last night by either team, but nonetheless, it was fairly entertaining. There were a lot of hits i...
[b]I wanted to write this yesterday but I came down with a bad case of strep throat coupled with a decent fever...ugh...oh well, it gives me a day or two off work at least!
TSN recently polled website visitors regarding who they thought should be named "Comeback Player of the Year". The choices were Alex Kovalev, Jose Theodore and someone else (forgive me for not rememb...
[b]Coming off their lucklaster performance against the Wild on Monday, Colorado will look to rebound as they get set to faceoff in the Saddledome tonight at 9pm EST/6pm PST.
Calgary, as we all know, is a very skilled team. They have gotten great goaltending from Kipper as of late, even though by all accounts he has struggled this season. Of course, the Flames' D is tou...
[b]It seemed like an easy thing. After an embarrassing 3-1 loss to Minny on Monday I figured the Avs would come out of the gate flying - good rushes, hits, etc. At least there was a fight.
In a CRUCIAL game, the Avs simply did not come to play...AGAIN! They looked a lot better in the third but even then, come on. With a whopping 3 shots in the first, 7 shots in the sec...
[b]Avs 2, Flames 0. Although the score may seem somewhat misleading, the game was much closer. Again, at the start of the game the Avs came out somewhat tentative, though I have to say our passing was much crisper tonight. I thought Calgary really set the physical tone early, especially thanks to Phaneuf. I love this guy, I really do, and I thought he was great tonight (at...
I wrote this blog in the beginning of this year, and I got bashed for it.It turns out I was right on almost everything.Please read this ,and let me know how wrong or right I was.
08 should be a piece of cake for wings...until the playoffs.
Posted 12:37 PM ET | Comments 13 | Edit | Delete
The season of '08 is looking great for th...
[i]Preds tough guy Tootoo could be marked man tonight...[/i]
[b]At this point in the season[/b] every game for the Predators carries huge playoff implications. To say we need every point we can get is a huge understatement and tonight's tilt against division rival Columbus is as big as they get.
The Preds are coming off a hard fought (literally and figuratively) 3...
Hockey every night for 2 months? My favorite time of the year, and last night didn't disappoint.
Sens vs. Pens: Nothing that I didn't completely expect from the Sens OR the Pens in game one, except I guess I expected Crosby would get on the scoresheet. At the end of the CBC broadcast, Garry Galley, who was doing color for the game alongside Jim Hughson said he couldn't...
When a team wins first place in the regular season, why can't that home-ice advantage extend to even a modicum of home-fan advantage for broadcast start times of away games?
Those of you cheering on your teams in the Eastern Conference won't even know what I'm talking about. But for Wings fans, being in the Western Conference and in the Eastern Time Zone results in an ...
Well, not bad for the first round... 4/4 in the East, but only 2/4 in the West; having picked Anaheim and Minnesota to move on.
So I will recap my predictions and update them for the 2nd round!
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Detroit vs. Colorado... Oh, NBC must love this. I'm sorry to say this series won't have the same guts as the ones in the late 90s used to, but it should ...
Sports lore is replete with curses. In baseball, the Curse of the Bambino and the Curse of the Goat come to mind.
In hockey, some think the President's trophy [b]MIGHT[/b] be a curse. While this award really hasn't been around long enough to provide sufficient data for that conclusion, smart teams no longer take chances with it. For example, Wings Captain Nic Lidstr...
sm623181 writes...
The Truth about hitting the Post/Last night's wrap up
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
...We all know that "clank". It's the last minute of the game. Your team is down by one. They've pulled their goalie for the extra attacker. It's a jumble of players in front of the net when suddenly the puck pops free and right to the stick of you star. He shoots with just seconds left on the clock. It's almost as if everything is moving in slow motion.
"CLANK!"
...
...I'm going to be in Europe from the 9th to the 16th...so i'll be missing the first 4 games of the series. Does anyone know a way I can watch abroad??? Help! I appreciate any ideas.
Tomorrow night the Detroit Red Wings organization will give everyone a free red t-shirt with the Winged Wheel logo on the front to, "Make the Stars see Red."
On the back the shirts have the official cartoon of "Al" the octopus as though he were in a police line-up. The actual purple octopus hanging from the ceiling of Joe Louis Arena and let down before the games is o...
[b]First a little disclaimer: this blog won't be entirely different from my last as it concerns the addition of grit to the Avalanche in the upcoming season...thought you'd like to know now instead of later.
So, in the past few days, the Avs have resigned the "Cody Macs", that is Cody McLeod and Cody McCormick and now have added former Avs player Brian Willsie from the ...
[b]This blog is in response to the latest slew of rumors concerning the [former] Bulin Wall, Nikolai Khabibulin. Per EK's latest blog: "The Avalanche are currenty rumoured to be getting into the Khabibulin race." He goes on to say, "I frankly don't get it." Well that would make two of us, at least.
Let's take a look at some numbers, courtesy of NHLnumbers.com. The Avs c...
[b]EK, on his latest blog, was suggesting the Avs have been linked to Pavel Kubina of the Leafs. He also states that the Avs are in the Jay Bouwmeester sweepstakes. Let's take a look at some numbers (per TSN stats):
Kubina, signed at $5M per until 2010:
Age 31, Games-664, Goals-83, Assists-187, Points-270, +/- of -86, PIM-827, Shots-1252
Boumeester, RFA, seeking clo...
[b]So as you will probably already know and as per the Denver Post, Marek Svatos has resigned with Colorado for 2 years, with a contract worth $4.1M (1.75/2.35). It is great to see Svatty back in our colors after all the talk surrounding possible trading partners like Chicago and Florida. Though I wouldn't rule those deals out, per se, for the time being, I'm really happy ...
This year the North West division might be the closest and one of the most interesting divisions in hockey. Why you ask? Well because all 5 teams have a legitimate chance of winning the Division but all face certain questions that could make or break there season. But who really knows anyone could be a top three seed come April.
[u][b]Colorado Avalanche[/b][/u]
...
I love looking back to see what kind of ramifications past trades hold on the present-time NHL. For example, in 1990 the Flames and Devils swapped a number of picks that gave the Flames the 11th pick (Trevor Kidd) and the Devils the 20th pick... which just happened to be Martin Brodeur. Bruins blogger Jesse Connolly wrote about the Cam Neely/Barry Pederson trade that, af...
This is the second part of my TOP10 draft picks chart, if you missed the first part, you can find it here:
[url]http://my.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?user_id=50777&post_id=6017[/url]
[b]5th - 2001, 7th round (227th overall), Colorado Avalanche - M. Svatos[/b]
It took some time before Svatos could be promoted from AHL Hershey Bears to Denver, but his first full season w...
While Fletcher has made some questionable trades this off-season, the addition of Grabovski to the Leafs' line-up is an intriguing one - one that is going to cost Toronto a 2nd round selection in 2010.
Grabovski is a bit of an unknown commodity. Having just 27 games of experience in his NHL career, (played 24 last season) he has shown strong offensive potential consider...
I will be honest I got the idea from a hockeynews blog that I read with a player from each division to watch . I liked the idea so much that I decided just to expand on it. So I will be naming a player of interest to watch this year from each team. The reason they are of interest vary and may be either ; contract value , potential , looking to break a record ect ect. So ...
[b]
Well, training camp is over and so is preseason. Cuts and roster moves have been made and really the only question remaining is: Isn't this the same team as last year?? Good question.
There has been a lot of hype (mostly negative) surrounding new, old head coach Tony Granto's decisions regarding his final roster moves. If you hadn't heard already TG sent TJ Hensick...
Alex Ponikarovsky also know as Poni in Toronto has scored 60 goals the past three season for Toronto but does not seem to get understand the concept of keep your stick down. Poni took another lazy penalty against the Rangers last night because he stopped moving his feet, thanks to the stellar play of Toskala the Leafs managed to get a point out of another shootout loss but...
After their 6-1 embarrassment at the hands of the Sharks on Thursday, the Flames really couldn't have delivered a better birthday present to this blogger. In their most impressive effort yet, they fired 51 (!) shots at Peter Budaj, who preserved the game until Adrian Aucoin's game winning goal 12:28 into the 3rd. The final score was 4-1, a score far too generous to the Avs...
As the circus get's ready to complete it's first week in Big D, the Stars were able to mix in a hockey game between Avery circus . Marty Turco posted the win stopping 27 shots; outdueling Peter Budaj. Not missed in all the saves was Marek Svatos he was all over the ice creating plenty of scoring chances. Scoring with 55 seconds left on a sweet pass from Paul Stastny to tie...
* I can't let you read this blog without first apologizing for the title. Shameful, just shameful. *
Alexei Ponikarovsky is in the midst of a career season.
14 goals and 30 points in 42 games played – on pace for 26 goals and 58 points.
But who is responsible for this sudden jump in production?
Ladies and gentleman, I present to you the so-called back-stabbin...
* Inspired by Eric Engels' thought provoking question blogs*
Ten questions to ponder while you prepare for the Leafs - Thrashers tilt tonight:
1) If you were Brian Burke, who would you unload before the Trade Deadline?
2) Matt Stajan is on pace for 20 goals and 64 points (in 76 games). Trade him while his value is high, or lock him up as an integral piece to the L...
In a game that could be described as the answer to the question I posed in last night's postgame blog ("Is Kipper playing too much?") the Flames were whupped 6-2 in Colorado by the Avs tonight with Curtis McElhinney in net. Though this game looked virtually the same as yesterday's home loss to Phoenix, I still pin most of the blame on Curtis Mac, as I blamed Kiprusoff for ...
Now I know that a lot of people are saying that the team needs to just give up and let it sink. I don't feel this is really going to do anything! This team has a good roster, it just has had too many injuries to too many key players. Now the important thing to notice is that there have been no season ending injuries. Although some say Sakic's injury might be a season e...
Recently, things have been eventful for the teams in the Atlantic Division on and off the ice. Here are a couple of thoughts I have for each team.
I just found out a couple of minutes ago that the New York Rangers have fired Tom Renney. I'm sure most Ranger fans would say the wrong guy got fired, but the way the Rangers have been playing, a change was imminent. Sather h...
He should stay. Period.
Mikhail Grabovski is a pending Restricted Free Agent this summer. Brian Burke will have exclusive rights to discuss an extension with the Belorussian, but it remains to be seen if he wants to retain him. Decisions, decisions…
Many have tagged Grabovski as a head-case whose attitude is a detriment inside the locker room (well, that's what Mon...
I thought we would play fantasy hockey; pretend that we are all fantasy general managers (in my case it is really fantasy). What would you give up to get the Heater? Is Danny the franchise player, or better yet, does he make the players around him better?
Well, first of all, you can bet the Sens would like to get a top dman and number one prospect. Also, maybe another ...
He’s been highly touted as the “best goaltender outside of the NHL” and has been rumoured to be coming over to the NHL to play next season. The 24 year-old has apparently been in contact with the Maple Leafs, Avalanche, Sharks, and Stars. We still don’t know where he’s going to end up, and it’s almost July 1st. Now, I’ve watched as much tape as I could possib...
[b]DANNY HEATLEY SAGA[/b]
NHLPA is standing behind Heatley. Well, technically he is not doing anything wrong. Morally is another story. When it comes to pure talent, I am one of his biggest fans. I love watching Heater play. I am a huge fan of his play, but right now I am not a fan of his attitude. When it comes to a player, I would like to be a fan of the hockey pla...
There has been a lot of comparison lately between the summer of Sundin and this summer - the summer of "the Monster". But make no mistake about it, this is one heck of a tough decision for Gustavsson to make. The young goalie is still young...don't over-look that. At age 24, he has lost both parents - his mother very recently. He's been getting huge credit in Sweden for ...
Michael Lindow
July 14, 2009.
Toronto – It has been less that a year since Brian Burke took the reigns as the Toronto Maple Leafs President and General Manager but already the team has a new look and some much needed optimism in a city that was starved for it. Having to clean up the mess left behind by the previous GMs John Ferguson Jr. and Cliff Fletcher Burke stil...
Hi everyone. This is my first blog on Hockeybuzz. I plan to write one or two blogs per week, one on the Maple Leafs, and one on the Blackhawks. Well, enough of that. I believe the Maple Leafs have a decent chance of making the play-offs this season. I mean, I don't expect them to be at the top of the conference, but I could see them finishing 7th or 8th. Their defense shou...
Happy August everybody! The 2009 Free Agent Frenzy is a month old today, a month of excitement, frustrations, surprises, and disappointments for the fans of the 30 NHL teams. We haven't watched a live game of hockey since the conclusion of the 2008-2009 season in June, but have been entertained by the Entry Draft, Free Agent Frenzy, and the occasional trade, hiring, or fi...
The days keep winding down to the open of the 2009-10 season and myself like many Maple Leafs sit pondering who will score this season for the Leafs and will any Maple Leaf actually crack the 30 goal mark? The last time that this has happened in Leafland with a player not named Mats Sundin, we have to go all the way back to the 2002-03 season when Alex Mogilny scored 33. T...
Pat Quinn was fined today for his comments after last night's Flames-Oilers game. Quinn called Jarome Iginla's trip on Sheldon Souray a "dirty play." Having watched the video on NHL.com and read the words myself, I can't say I blame the NHL for the decision to fine Quinn for his comments, but I also can't say that what Quinn said was wrong.
Players today are taking more...
WarHero writes...
Game Day - 15/10/09: Mtl - vs - Col - Let the Battle Begin!
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
At last folks ... the home opener! How appropriate that we play Colorado with all the recent talk about reserrecting the Nordiques!! For the opening they had all the Habs say "Je Suis" followed by their name. Was nice to hear ... here we go!
1st Period:
20:00 - Start of Period
19:21 - Avs with a chance, Habs with some great defensive work
19:10 - Habs with a chance...
I have realized over the past few days I tend to be biased toward certain groups of players. With biased opinions being having a strong presence in any fan base, it does not surprise me that I tend to want these players to succeed more than others, even if the logo on their sweater dictates I should think otherwise. There are a few attributes that would make a fan apprec...
Looking at the recent extensions in Chicago, this this make the rumored deals involving Sopel of Sharp coming to the Leafs that much more possible? I wouldn't rule either out. Even though the Leafs are looking better as of late, a lot can still be done to make this team look a lot better, and Sharp is a great place to start. Question is who would the leafs need to give ...
Domaju writes...
The Main Attraction in Leaf Land: The Team Coaster Part 2
Posted Friday | Comments 1
When it comes to having fun, a roller coaster is above all one of the best. I think someone needs to tell the forwards on the Toronto Maple Leafs that the same doesn't apply to a roller coaster of a season.
As it stands the Leafs are being led by a defenseman in points. Of course Tomas Kaberle is a very offensive player, but no team should ever be led by a d-man if you ...
So here we are, two days after the glitz, glamour and ru-ha-ha of the always exciting NHL trade deadline. The dust has settled and traded players are dawning new colors and settling into new digs. Ryan Jones debuted against the Blackhawks Wednesday night, Ryan Whitney and Aaron Jones will wear their new numbers, 6 and 2 respectively, in their debuts tonight against Minne...
After showing promise after the Olympic break and a couple of high-profile trades the Maple Leafs have little right to take anything for granted and need to make continued changes in the off-season if they want to guarantee themselves a playoff spot and not a tee time in April.
1) The Ponikarovsky Deal
While I was disappointed to see Poni shipped to the Pens he is a pe...
Since joining the Toronto Maple Leafs, Brian Burke has worked feverishly to distance the club from the atmosphere of mediocrity which pervaded during the years of mismanagement that came before.
While upgrading the playing staff and reducing the age demographic of the locker room are the two most apparent hallmarks Burke has placed upon the Leafs, his backstage upgradin...
NHLNumbers writes...
Best Draft Years Between 1998 - Present (Anaheim to Detroit)
Posted Sunday | Comments 2
Total Games Played and Player Quality Considered - All results are open to debate
Anaheim Ducks 2003 Draft
Rd 1. Ryan Getzlaf
Rd 1. Corey Perry
Rd 6. Drew Miller
Rd 8. Shane O'Brian
Atlanta Thrashers 2000 Draft
Rd 1. Dany Heatley
Rd 6. Darcy Hordichuck
Boston Bruins 2006 Draft
Rd 1. Phil Kessel
Rd 2. Milan Lucic
Rd 3. Brad Marchand
Buffalo Sabres ...
Recently I had the pleasure of spending a day with the Toronto Maple Leafs during a workout and massage session. I was thrilled for the opportunity to be around this group of finely tuned young guys. I was especially eager to "learn the ropes" and see what a day in the life of an athletic therapist is like.
I came away VERY envious of these men and the fine job th...
Despite an off season overhaul and the appointment of Dion Phaneuf as the 18th captain in club history, the Maple Leafs have yet to turn around a sinking ship and prove that they can in fact become playoff contenders.
An early season winning streak that saw the Leafs record a 4-0 record out of the gate created false hope for Leaf fans and team management that the team w...
Despite being down four goals in the middle of the second period the Flames clawed back to gain a very valuable point. Head on over to The Sports Roundup to find out what this means for the surging Flames!
http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/01/flames-show-resiliency-in-comeback.html
Newman
twitter.com/TSRNewman
www.thesportsroundup.com
The boys in Maroon and Blue really enjoy keeping the Avs fans on the edge, right until the very end. It has become a common trend to see more competitiveness amongst the teams in the NHL, especially from the Western Conference. Last year the Avs clinched the final spot in the West just five points ahead of the 90 point Blues and Flames. This year it seems to be even closer...
Nothing has ever come easy to Jonas Gustavsson in his hockey career. He has had to work for everything that he has achieved and has strived to prove naysayers that he is capable of being a starting goaltender in the NHL.
After displaying a dominant performance in his final season with Farjestad of the Swedish Elite League, which included a 1.96 goals against average, 0....
The past two games may have been the Avs worst combined performances all year. Colorado is now outside the playoff race at No. 9 with 54 points, 1 back of No. 8 San Jose, and 2 back of No. 7 Chicago.
With a 5-1 and 6-2 lose to the Preds and Bruins respectively, it appeared that the Avs were sloppy and defeated at every position on the ice. With the exception of Matt Du...
The last bunch of games have been a roller coaster for this young Avs roster. The boys in Burgundy and Blue simply have to be better and more consistent if they would like to stay in the playoff picture.
Goaltending has been extremely shaky. Anderson had a solid game, followed by complete disasters. The one game vs. the Wild, he was poised, controlled and making those s...
Brad Boyes and the Buffalo Sabres proved how much they wanted to win with a comeback victory against the top team in the Eastern Conference. The Sabres rallied for five goals in the final two periods to defeat Philadelphia 5-3.
Andrej Sekera and Brad Boyes each collected two points on the day as they continued their hot streaks. Thomas Vanek and Paul Gaustad both had a ...
A first place team plays worse hockey than their minor league affiliate (who've won 28 out of 75 games thus far.)
If I'm Peter Laviolette, Leights starts the next two games.
As I said in my last post, having him on the big-boy roster, if nothing else, will show Bouchrovsky that:
--they are in fact, expendable..
--that there is a reason why an undrafted rookie an...
What are the Flyers doing???
Hind sight is 50/50 - Yes - but why start Leighton???
I still don't understand why they didn't ride Bobrovsky. Sure he let in a few stinkers but he had one heck of a season. He is young - he is a rookie - why not get him the playoff experience.
Will be interesting to see how Bobrovsky's confidence is after being a healthy scratch for t...
Despite Peter Laviolette's proclamation that the pressure is now on Boston, those of us based in reality understand the Flyers are truly feeling the heat of an 0-2 hole as the Eastern Conference semifinals shift to Beantown.
This is very different from last year. In 2010, the Flyers were taking an 0-2 deficit to Philadelphia, not on the road. On top of that, they were g...
A year ago it was different. A year ago there were three hotly contested games, a goaltender the Flyers appeared able to score on, and a certain will and determination cast after months of scrapping their way into the playoffs.
Last night, after two goals before the ice had a chance to start melting, we're left with a different impression. The Philadelphia Flyers are a ...
When netminder Sergei Bobrovsky was pegged the starter for the season opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins, there was a faint hope in the minds of Flyers fans that they had finally found their true, number one goaltender. The young Russian goaltender has needless to say, come out of nowhere. Winning 28 games this season, and having a superb first half of the season (much...
I just got off the phone with a source of mine in Colorado who tells me a Huge trade might happen soon between the Av's & Leafs.
[u][b]To Colorado[/b][/u]: Gustavsson, Lebda, 25th & 30th Picks in 1st Round (2011), Leafs 3rd Round Pick (2011) & Boston's 2nd Round Pick in (2012)
[b][u]To Toronto[/u][/b]: Paul Stastny & John-Michael Liles
I hope t...
With Ilya Bryzgalov signed to a 9 year deal, Sergei Bobrovsky becomes one of the more expensive backups in the NHL. At 23 years old come September, he is a developing goalie who is anticipated to only get better. Subsequently, a raise will come at the end of his contract in 2013. Considering Bryzgalov is only 30 now, he has at least 4, 5, maybe 6 good years left. Would you...
Hello all. My name is Aarif Deen. I am currently a Junior studying at University of Michigan. My major is Broadcast Journalism and I'm minoring in Print Journalism. My main focus is hockey. My life long dream is to stand in front of a camera and talk hockey for living. Analyzing the great sport we all grew to love. My first step in reaching the dream is to get my nam...
Over the Next 30 days I will be Previewing each of the National Hockey League Clubs heading into the 2011-12 season starting from the Anaheim Ducks. Day 7 of the series belongs to the official AarifDeenReport Colorado Avalanche Preview.
Please resort to myhockeybuzz page for previews of teams falling before this team.
[b]Follow me on Twitter @AarifDeenReport please....
Over the Next 30 days I will be Previewing each of the National Hockey League Clubs heading into the 2011-12 season starting from the Anaheim Ducks. Day 12 of the series belongs to the official AarifDeenReport Florida Panthers Preview.
Please resort to myhockeybuzz page for previews of teams falling before this team.
[b]Follow me on Twitter @AarifDeenReport please.[...
Since winning the Calder Memorial Trophy for being the top rookie in 2008-09 Steve Mason of the Columbus Blue Jackets has been downright terrible. Mason had a terrific rookie year posting a 2.29 GAA with a .916 save percentage to go along with an incredible 10 shutouts. But since that fabulous debut Mason has posted a GAA of over 3 with a save percentage of .901 along wit...
Sully8303 writes...
Battle of the back ups: Ben Scrivens vs Jonas Gustavsson
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson's recent decision to start 'Big Ben' instead of 'The Monster' against the St Louis Blues played out as nothing short of an inspired choice. Scrivens was undeniably excellent on a night when the Leafs came out strong, fell asleep for 35 minutes, and then awoke for the final few minutes and overtime to earn the W. What does this decision ultima...
OK .
Where do i start.
Do you know what is sad? When a Die-hard Avs fan like myself has to witness so many bad played games by the Avs that i consider not cheering for them anymore. But i cant do that, because that means i would have to stop liking hockey altogether. And honestly, i still love the Avs.
So i was thinking on my way home after the 3-0 loss t...
Yesterday I wrote a missive about the similarities in the evolution of concussion treatment and diagnoses in sports, and that in other areas of medicine and society. Last night shortly after it was announced that Chris Pronger would be sidelined for the remainder of the NHL season and playoffs, agent Allen Walsh issued a very direct verbal attack on the NHL and the lack o...
Ring around the goalie, pocket full of? Nothing rhymes with goalie that would sound relevant. However, some may look at the Flyers current goalie situation as a ring around. To begin, Bryz started off the season playing very well going 3-1-1 in his first five games which included a shutout, something the Flyers didn’t see last season. Then Bryz began to slowly decline an...
Well in my last post I was talking about the Jackets and in that there where some rumors of Jeff Carter being shiped off to Toronto. Now the Leafs would and I know for a fact go for this. The Leafs are 19-15-5 and are 10th in the Eastern Confrence 1 pt behind the red hot Devils. Now the Leafs could possibley offer Kadri, Grabovski and a pick for Carter. That sounds reasona...
As of late the play of Mikhail Grabovski has brought some attention to whether throw him on the trade block or extend him. Either would can bring good value. Another two guys they could put in the mix is Cody Franson and Luke Schenn. Talented young defenders that could bring a nice top six forward to the club. In all honestly though I doubt they will move Grabo at the dead...
As of late the play of Mikhail Grabovski has brought some attention to whether throw him on the trade block or extend him. Either would can bring good value. Another two guys they could put in the mix is Cody Franson and Luke Schenn. Talented young defenders that could bring a nice top six forward to the club. In all honestly though I doubt they will move Grabo at the dead...
Another game, another loss. Give the Avs credit, they played a solid game but the issue of scoring keeps coming up. Right now, the Avs just dont have that extra shooter that can be a difference maker for this team. Mueller's play has been a spark, no doubt, Duchene is still hurt, but even when both come back this teams loaded down the middle but lacking a true sniper on th...
I can already imagine the comments I will get on this piece, but regardless what I am told, I need to document my stance on this (as well as put this on record for when the prediction comes true :)).
Jonas Gustavsson has been under some serious heat from the moment he was signed by the Blue and White. Thought of as the soon-to-be goaltending saviour of the franchise, w...
Goaltending rumors are everywhere right now. Speak to anyone in Toronto, Chicago, New Jersey, Los Angeles, Vancouver and here in Tampa and it becomes abundantly clear that this could well be the “summer of the goaltender” in the NHL. Names that come up often have been well documented here and by the mainstream media. You have Schneider, Luongo, Bernier, Harding, Lindba...
Michael_Stuart writes...
Lightning Draft Andrei Vasilevski and Slater Koekkoek
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
After a rather uneventful evening at the Tampa Bay Lightning draft table, the organization has come to acquire two very talented youngsters. Of course, the selections which took place at 10th overall and 19th overall were met with some controversy but as a whole, fans should be very happy with what transpired today! Get my thoughts on what happened with the Lightning ove...
JasonPanov writes...
Free Agent Signing to Add Energy to Detroit Goalie Corps
Posted Sunday | Comments 0
I know I promised (on Facebook) that I wouldn't make any Monster jokes, but I couldn't help myself. Wings have inked former Toronto backstop Jonas Gustavsson to a 2 year deal. Gustavsson went 39-45-15 in 107 appearances with the Maple Leafs over the past three seasons with a 298 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage. To be honest, I’m not terribly exci...
Is there one piece still missing ? With over 17 million left in Cap space, O'Reilly will get a raise somewhere around the 3+ million mark Jamie McGinn should get a raise probably around 1.5-2 million area. Leaving close to 12+ Left so Im thinking between 3-4 million on another top 6 forward would be a bonus plus you must lose salary with a D-man going somewhere hate to say...
There are plenty of topics regarding the Union Blue that I could pinpoint in my first piece for this site. That, in large part, is because the 2011-2012 season of Blue Jackets hockey was like that scene in [i]The Strangers[/i] where the record player begins to skip as Liv Tyler painstakingly searches her dark cabin for maniacs. The point being: there’s work here to be do...
[u]I apologize for the late submission of part 4. I've been having trouble on this website getting this uploaded. Finally got it to work. Thanks for reading![/u]
[b]For everything hockey - 24/7 news updates, scores, humour, blogs, and everything else in between, please follow me on twitter at https://twitter.com/DailyNHLGrind.
[/b]
[b]15. Los Angeles: [/b]
Lad...
Obviously everyone out in blogger world (for the NHL at least) is igniting this site with lock out news (we all know its looking grim for a normal season). So I figured A different blog could be beneficial to us who still want to discuss possible outcomes for the (hopeful) season.
I believe we Avs fans are on the verge of a season worth the wait considering how tough i...
Obviously everyone out in blogger world (for the NHL at least) is igniting this site with lock out news (we all know its looking grim for a normal season). So I figured A different blog could be beneficial to us who still want to discuss possible outcomes for the (hopeful) season.
I believe we Avs fans are on the verge of a season worth the wait considering how tough i...
Obviously everyone out in blogger world (for the NHL at least) is igniting this site with lock out news (we all know its looking grim for a normal season). So I figured A different blog could be beneficial to us who still want to discuss possible outcomes for the (hopeful) season.
I believe we Avs fans are on the verge of a season worth the wait considering how tough i...
tigran777 writes...
Enjoy!Watch Texas A&M vs Auburn live stream online NCAA 2012
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
Do you want to watch Texas A&M vs Auburn live streaming online on pc?Searching for a good way to watch Texas A&M vs Auburn live streaming online today? You've come to the right place!We'll show you how to watch Texas A&M vs Auburn games live stream online in perfect high definition quality using any PC or Mac computer! It's possible! Now you can watch every ...
As it is with any team, good goaltending leads to good results. That was borne out Saturday in the Columbus Blue Jackets season opening tilt against division rival Nashville. New #1 goalie Sergei Bobrovsky was solid stopping 32 of 34 shots in regulation and OT before besting five of six Predators in the shootout.
Derick Brassard tallied the shootout winner in the sixth...
Columbus should consider themselves very fortunate to leave Monday night’s home opener with even a point. If not for the stellar performance of Bobrovsky (again) the Wings might have won by three or four goals. But thanks to Bob and some timely PP goals the Jackets were in position to come away with the win and two points in the standings before poor defensive coverage, ...
Maybe Don Cherry was right when he boldly stated that the Leafs new toughness is the reason for a much steadier and confident game play by the young team. I can remember thinking so many times last year..."IF Colton Orr were here that guy wouldn't be hacking Kessel to ice everytime he touched the puck". And when you look at the 1-0 loss to the bruins this year it was a c...
February 10, 2013
[b]A Tale of Two Cities; Leafs Dressed for Battle, Kings Relinquish the Sword[/b]
In December of 2011, I took in my first Maple Leaf game in Toronto against the eventual Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings. At the time, the Kings had been struggling mightily and had just fired their coach Terry Murray and had yet to replace them with Darryl Sutte...
[b]February 14, 2013[/b]
[i]Maple Leafs 1 @ Carolina Hurricanes 3[/i]
[b]Hurricanes bring out worst in Maple Leafs for second time this season[/b]
I am not so sure anyone can call that a hockey game on behalf of the Maple Leafs. Almost the same can be said for the Carolina Hurricanes, playing their first game on home ice after a successful long road trip. But cred...
TheKingsGarden writes...
The Good (Leaf) and the Bad (Leaf) From Florida
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
[b]February 19[/b]
[i][b]Opportunities Arise, but Toronto Only Able to Take Just Two Points from Sunshine State[/b][/i]
[u][i]Maple Leafs 2 @ Tampa Bay Lightning 4[/i][/u]
I hate to say it, but this loss can be chalked up to poor goaltending. Since James Reimer went down with a sprained MCL, Ben Scrivens had stood tall and became the "iron curtain" for the Leafs. ...
Randy Carlyle is very close to going from hero to goat in Leafland if the results don't change and soon. The team was 15-9-0 and in 5th place just a short time ago and all was well, but a recent 0-3-1 slide has the microscope focusing on the bench boss and a few of his curious decisions. It is difficult to be too hard on Randy, however, this Leafs team has played a much mo...
TheHockeyDaily writes...
Does Anyone Care About The Columbus Blue Jackets?
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
There are about nine teams in the Western Conference that certainly care about the Columbus Blue Jackets right now. Perennial losers they may be but CBJ are not letting their past stop them from making a serious push for the playoffs this season. Since February 26 the Jackets have gone 6-0-5, earning points in eleven straight games.
The streak has allowed the Jackets t...
The Avalanched have taken the first few steps needed in order to turn around this franchise. Sacco being fired and winning the lottery (albeit by chance) take the first 2 spots, but the biggest and possibly the most crucial move came when the club announced that Josh Kroenke and Joe Sakic will be replacing the Lacroix's who previously held the President and VP positions. C...
The Avalanched have taken the first few steps needed in order to turn around this franchise. Sacco being fired and winning the lottery (albeit by chance) take the first 2 spots, but the biggest and possibly the most crucial move came when the club announced that Josh Kroenke and Joe Sakic will be replacing the Lacroix's who previously held the President and VP positions. C...
The Avalanched have taken the first few steps needed in order to turn around this franchise. Sacco being fired and winning the lottery (albeit by chance) take the first 2 spots, but the biggest and possibly the most crucial move came when the club announced that Josh Kroenke and Joe Sakic will be replacing the Lacroix's who previously held the President and VP positions. C...
royalgardens writes...
Resigning of Tyler Bozak Imminent? (Updated 10:35 PM)
Posted Thursday | Comments 1
Happy 4th of July to everyone in the United States...and a belated Canada Day Week to folks in our near North!
Just a couple of thoughts before I head up to Lake Geneva for the day from the Chicago area...
Good news hearing the Maple Leafs have decided to buyout Mikhail Grabovski to free themselves of the decent size cap hit the Belarusian cost over the next four mor...
Hello, my name is Daniel Jackson, i am 22 years old and i have been reading this site for 3-4 years now. i am quite interested in writing blogs and i plan on writing many here. I am a HUGE avalanche fan, so you will see many directed to them, but i would like to cover every team in a "look to the season" with projections, lineups, breakout players and whats to come for the...
Losing my post v-card, here we go...
We all know Grabovski had some choice words for the Leafs organization and staff, but considering how he was used by Carlyle, can you really blame him? We all know players in his situation are thinking it, but it actually takes balls to say it! You have to commemorate him for holding it all in during the season and showing up every ...
With golf season winding down and training camps on the horizon, the Colorado Avalanche set to begin the 2014 season rejuvenated. The additions to the front office have already broken with tradition, extending both Matt Duchene and Gabriel "Call me Gabe" Landeskog. With both Joe Sakic and Patrick Roy at the helm, fans can expect a bit more transparency, or at the very leas...
The 2013-14 NHL season has errupted in fighting and banging on the glass fashion. Little did anyone know that it would start off this way....oh I'm sorry I was trying not to laugh at that. When you take a temper prone hall of fame goal tender and put him behind the bench of a team that typically plays an "in your face" type game, and another coach who lost his coaching job...
This is my first blog, so I figured to start off with a hotly contested subject as the new season starts. Just who is the best goaltender in the NHL. By all accounts I read through this summer, that distinction belongs to either Quick or Lundqvist. Lundqvist has played 3 more seasons than Quick, and since I am a Rangers fan I decided to reduce Henrik's numbers to only 5...
It wasn't exactly pretty, and the Ducks clearly have a lot of things that they need to work on, but they walked away with 2 points and their 1st win of the season. And when it comes down to it, that's what counts.
The Ducks played a good game against Minnesota. It was by no means great, and there were a lot of holes, but it was good enough. I'm still trying to figure ou...
5 years, $21 million dollars hardly sounds like a good deal for a center that many have called a ‘third-liner’. Calls from media sources and bloggers alike went on throughout the ensuing summer questioning the thinking of Dave Nonis in making the decision to use a compliance buyout on Mikhail Grabovski while re-signing Tyler Bozak to a contract which would overpay him...
After a solid effort against one of the easts top teams, the Lightning are ready to overcome their loss and avoid receiving back-to-back losses for only the 2nd time this season. With the help of solid goaltending and a team effort, it's hard not to like the lightning's chances heading into the first battle of these two teams.
Since the loss of Steven stamkos, the light...
Well, I was finally able to watch most of a Ducks game (some electrical issues kept me blacked out through the 1st 12ish minutes), so I can finally do my next game write up. Last night, the New York Islanders came to the Pond. They had lost 9 straight road games, and the Ducks were coming home from a successful road trip that saw them pick up wins against 2 of the NHL's el...
I just wanted to toss this out there, but what would one think of the Colorado Avalanche signing Marty Brodeur to a 1 year deal? When he and Patrick Roy were younger Marty lived in Roy's basement. As history played out, Roy became the NHL's all-time winner in regular and post-season, followed by much more. Game 7 - Roy and Marty went toe to toe for the cup, which we all re...
After a rocky 2013-14 season with two MCL sprain injuries the Colorado Avalanche have decided to part ways with PA Parenteau. Colorado has traded PA and a 5th round pick in the 2015 draft to the Montreal Canadians for Forward Danny Briere.
Some comparison:
Adrian Dater of the Denver Post ranked Pa Parenteau a C for Colorado in 2013-14 (http://blogs.denverpost.com/av...
July 1st 2014 began very horribly for Colorado Avalanche fans as they found out Centre Paul Stastny signed a 4 year (overpaid) contract with rival St. Louis Blues.
As the day went on, the Avalanche made a few moves that could be questionable yet could turn out to be great.
What Colorado got:
Jesse Winchester, 30, had 18 points (9g/9a) in 52 games for the Florida...
[b]AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT HIS CAREER AND THE ARBITRATION HEARING MOVING FORWARD[/b]
The Colorado Avalanche and Ryan O’Reilly are facing an arbitration hearing just six days away. The rare ‘club-elected’ hearing was set after the Avs refused to extend a 6.5 million dollar qualifying-offer to the young forward.rnrnIt’s a story that seems all a bit too familiar for the ...
Tomorrow will mark what happens to Ryan O'Reilly's situation with the Colorado Avalanche. Ryan is looking to stay in Colorado, long term. The only issue here is Ryan's long term is 8 years at nearly $7m per, while Joe Sakic's idea is more like - 5 years $5.5 per (give or take .0-.999)
We all go back to free agent frenzy day and beyond when a presser was held in Denver....
After a waiting and waiting, Colorado fans did not have to get news on Ryan O'Reilly from an arbitration stand point. O'Reilly and the Avs have agreed to a two year deal that nets a cap hit of $6M per. For Ryan it is broken up $5.8m year one an $6.2 in his second season.
There are still big questions here. Yes they were able to work out a deal however where does the bl...
AarifDeen writes...
Ryan O’Reilly Signs For Two Years: What It All Means
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
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As first reported by TSN’s Darren Dreger, the Colorado Avalanche and Ryan O’Reilly both
confirmed Wednesday morning that the two sides agreed to terms on a two-year deal worth 12 million dollars. The contract will pay him 5.8M in 2014-15 and 6.2M in 2015-16. The deal was struck between Pat Morris and Joe Sakic in the w...
July 23rd 2014 marked a big moment for the Colorado Avalanche organization. Colorado and Executive Vice President Joe Sakic, General Manager Greg Sherman, Ryan O'Reilly and agent Pat Morris were able to settle a short-term bridge contract. O'Reilly was awarded a two-year deal worth $12M, $5.8 and $6.2 per, with a season cap hit of $6M per. It finally opened up a gate to bo...
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[b]A Glance Back[/b]
Looking back, it’s insane to think that this division didn’t win the Stanley Cup. The Blackhawks were amazing, the Blues were great, and the Avalanche were simply fantastic. They actually stole the title from St. Louis during the final days of the season.
Patrick Roy got the best out of pretty muc...
I’m unbelievably high on what Barry Trotz can do for this team so let me start off by clearing that up. Two young men who are in the lineup for tonight’s season opener are going to reap the rewards of having a veteran coach, who for one of the first times in his career actually has a talent filled lineup and a chance to do damage with it.
Surrounded by a mix of ta...
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The Colorado Avalanche won their first game of the 2014-15 NHL season in Boston on Monday. The afternoon game ended with a 2-1 score after Daniel Briere scored the game-winning goal in the third period with less than a second left on the clock.
The teams played a hard fought offensive game for 60 minutes ...
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The Avs held on for as long as possible in Toronto but we're unable to come away with a victory. On their 40th shot of the night the Maple Leafs came away with a 3-2 overtime win off of Phil Kessels stick
The game started off the right away for the Avs. Right off the opening face off Duchene drew a pen...
Greetings,
[b]Habs vs Bruins[/b]
Anyone else love the Dryden to Price torch hand-off?
In the world of sports there are very few rivalries that sparks such intense emotions than Bruins vs Habs. Am I happy with the outcome? Yes. Am I happy with how the game went? Nope. But let's break that down, shall we?
I'm getting this out of the way right away. I didn't like ...
AarifDeen writes...
GOALIES DOWN: Avs blow 3-1 lead - Lose Berra To Injury
Posted Friday | Comments 1
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The Ottawa Senators stormed the Avs in the third period to come away with a 5-3 victory on Thursday night. The Avs' loss came with rookie goaltender Calvin Pickard losing his first career NHL contest in his first appearance.
Earlier in the day the Avs announced starting goalie Semyon Varlamov would be a g...
Greetings,
[b]Habs [/b][b]vs [/b][b]Avs[/b]
Before I get into the actual game, I would like to say congrats to Pierre Gervais on 2500 games in the NHL. I've never heard of an equipment manger as loved, nor a team throwing one a ceremony before, but hats off to the Habs on celebrating what has been a hard working and accomplished career so far. Keep in mind he's won a...
Greetings,
[b]Habs vs Wings[/b]
So this edition of the Habs has done something that hasn't been done since the 77/78 season, which is to win 6 of 7 to start a season. This torrid pace might not be sustainable for 82 games, but every point now is money in the bank when things get tight near the end of the season.
I'll be the first to admit I began to feel a little ...
AarifDeen writes...
Avs Drop 4-3 Contest in Overtime – Winless in Four
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
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DENVER — The Avs hosted their second home game of the season Tuesday night but couldn’t come away with a victory. They were beat by the Panthers 4-3 in overtime despite using a big second period to erase a two-goal deficit against a low-scoring Panthers team.
They didn’t start the game off as stron...
AarifDeen writes...
A Night That Was Long Overdue – Avs Score 7 Goals, Route Van
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
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It was only a matter of time. The Colorado Avalanche finally unleashed the offensive weapons and defeated the Vancouver Canucks 7-3. It was the night of story lines for the Avs. But more importantly, it was a night they desperately needed.
Coach Roy made it very clear after the loss Tuesday night tha...
Greetings!
[b]Habs vs Rangers[/b]
Before I start I need to rant a little.
WTF is up with CBC/Sportsnet with only playing Leaf games on Hockey Night in Canada?!? Seriously, if I wanted to watch a mind numbing show I would turn on the Kardashians and slowly wait for my brain cells to die. It would hurt less...
Now on to the Habs.
You would have to go back 50 y...
AarifDeen writes...
Avs’ Overtime Loss hands Winnipeg Third Win of The Season
Posted Sunday | Comments 0
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On a Sunday matinee in Winnipeg, the Jets scored twice to win the game but the Avs will need more than just two ice packs in the locker room to attend to the wounds from today’s battle.
The Jets outhit the Avs 27-23 and leading the way was big, rugged, 260 lb forward Dustin Byfuglien with eight. In the...
AarifDeen writes...
Goalie Gains a Point – Avs Lose to San Jose Despite Solid
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
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Semyon Varlamov. That was the beginning, middle, and end of this 65-minute story.
The Avs lost their fourth overtime game of the season tonight by a 3-2 final. This one went all the way to the shootout. Despite the Sharks seemingly controlling the play for almost the entirety of the first two periods, the...
AarifDeen writes...
A Night Of Firsts – MacKinnon, Fourth Line Lead Avs to SO
Posted Friday | Comments 0
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It was a night of firsts in Denver tonight. The Colorado Avalanche defeated the New York Islanders 5-0 for their first shutout of the season. The game-winning goal came off the stick of Cody McLeod early in the opening period and the Avs never looked back.
McLeod’s goal, which came off a nice setup from...
AarifDeen writes...
Avs Still Can’t Solve The Overtime Period, Steal a Point in
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
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The Avs remained winless both in overtime and in divisional play Saturday night when they lost a shootout to the St. Louis Blues. The Blues skated away with a 3-2 victory after holding a 2-0 lead early in the third period.
The Avs used their power play to tie the game before the third period even went to ...
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In a hard-hitting Sunday night matchup, the Avs tried to use a late surge to tie the game, but were unable to get a goal. They lost to the Ducks 3-2 after scoring the first goal of the game.
They continue to attempt to ride red-hot goaltender Semyon Varlamov and a penalty-killing unit that hasn’t surren...
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[/b]
The Avalanche lost 5-2 to the Canucks on Tuesday after scoring the first two goals of the game.
They came out with an early jump and got on the board quick. John Mitchell received a nice pass from Alex Tanguay and lasered one past Ryan Miller for the goal just over a minute into the contest. It was his se...
AarifDeen writes...
Avs End Winless Streak – Beat The Leafs in a Shootout
Posted Friday | Comments 0
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The Avalanche hosted Hockey Fights Cancer night and skated away with a 4-3 shootout victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Pepsi Center. The entertaining, fast-paced game was won after the Avs put a perfect three pucks past Bernier on three opportunities in the shootout.
Despite the fantastic pace on...
AarifDeen writes...
Avs fall short of a Comeback, lose to Flyers in Philadelphia
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
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The Avalanche was unable to complete a third period comeback and dropped a 4-3 contest to the Flyers. They scored three times in the third period, all coming from the bottom two lines, but were unable to capitalize on the last minute push.
Colorado’s goals from Max Talbot, Alex Tanguay, and Zach Redmond...
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When the Colorado Avalanche signed Jarome Iginla to a three-year contract this summer, they were looking for a player to replace Paul Stastny’s production offensively. Statstny had just signed in St. Louis while Iginla was coming off yet another 30-goal season with the Boston Bruins.
Iginla was always J...
AarifDeen writes...
Islanders shut out the Avalanche in a one-sided game
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
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The Avalanche suffered a 6-0 loss on Tuesday night by the very same team they dominated just 12 days ago. On Veterans Day and on their last trip to the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Colorado was held win-less for the 13th time in 17 games.
Nick Leddy’s goal just 93 seconds into the game was the eve...
AarifDeen writes...
Avs battle for a shootout victory at Madison Square Garden
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
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The Avalanche won its fifth game of the season in a shootout Thursday night after defeating the New York Rangers 4-3. It was their second straight shootout victory following two losses in the tiebreaker where they went scoreless on five opportunities.
Matt Duchene scored the first goal of the game and add...
AarifDeen writes...
Duchene scores late, Avs defeat Devils for second straight v
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
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The Colorado Avalanche has strung together its first winning streak of the season. With Matt Duchene’s late third period goal, the Avs defeated the Devils 3-2. The teams were tied at 1 going into the final frame but the Devils scored before the Avs (6-8-5) eventually tied and won the game before the final ...
I wanted to break down what the Colorado Avalanche so far this season. The Avalanche have had a rough start that many people did not expect, although some expected a slower start, not many expected this slow of a start.
Breaking down the subtractions and additions to the roster as of 11/16/2014:
Paul Stastny; signed a 4 year deal with the St. Louis Blues. Stastny st...
Last season, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Colorado Avalanche were near identical in almost every aspect. They both had a top three pick at the 2013 NHL draft, Colorado selecting Nathan MacKinnon from the Halifax Mooseheads number one overall and Tampa Bay taking Jonathan Droiun (MacKinnon’s line mate) also from the Halifax Mooseheads.
Both teams went out and made a tr...
Once again in less than 20 games for the Colorado Avalanche, goaltender Semyon Varlamov is injured. The first time Varly sustained a lower body injury during morning practice before the Avalanche took on the Ottawa Senators. In that game, less than three minutes in, backup goalie Reto Berra, would sustain a head injury after a collision with two players. This left young ro...
AarifDeen writes...
Ovechkin scores late, Capitals beat the Avs by one goal
Posted Friday | Comments 0
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Colorado was back on the ice Thursday night after four days off and was beaten by the Capitals 3-2. The Pepsi Center crowd, which was graced by the presence of Hall of Famer Peter Forsberg, witnessed a hard-hitting, back-and-forth contest that was decided when Ovechkin scored with under 6 minutes remaining o...
AarifDeen writes...
Avs erase slow start to defeat Carolina 4-3 with Pickard
Posted Sunday | Comments 0
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Ladies and gentleman, the cardiac kids are back. Colorado was down two goals twice tonight and roared back to win 4-3 against the Hurricanes at the Pepsi Center. Reto Berra started the game but was pulled late in the first period after surrendering three goals on 10 shots. With Varlamov still suffering from ...
AarifDeen writes...
‘Cardiac Kids’ are here to stay—Avs erase three goal deficit
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
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It was Déjà vu in the desert Tuesday night for the Avalanche. Colorado won for the second straight game after Reto Berra was pulled and replaced by Calvin Pickard in the first period. They beat Arizona 4-3 in overtime despite surrendering three goals in the opening 10:53 of tonight’s game.
As miraculo...
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Colorado missed out on another opportunity to get back to 500 for the first the first time this season. After tying the game early in the third period, Colorado surrendered the game-winning goal with 5:17 remaining for the loss in front of a sold out Pepsi Center crowd.
Calvin Pickard started in net for t...
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Colorado won its ninth game of the season on Saturday after defeating the Stars 5-2 in Denver. They outshot the opposition 47-24 and kept their foot on the pedal until the very end. Alex Tanguay scored the game-winning goal late in the second period and Matt Duchene added a powerplay goal early in the third ...
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The Avalanche lost to Montreal 4-3 Monday night in Denver and was denied a chance to reach .500 hockey once again. The game was tied at three heading into the third period but a late goal from Max Pacioretty gave the Canadiens the victory. Montreal won both contests against the Avs this season with Calvin Pi...
AarifDeen writes...
Avs blow another game in overtime, lose to Calgary at the Sa
Posted Friday | Comments 0
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Calgary scored twice in the third period to win its 17th game of the season. They defeated the Avalanche 4-3 in overtime and their two goals brought their third period total to a league leading 39 goals.
The Avalanche got their starting goalie back tonight but was still unable to play a solid 60-minute effort in...
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The Avalanche has hit rock bottom. After blowing a late lead last night in Calgary, Colorado had nothing going for them tonight. The Jets stormed out to score early an often en route to a 6-2 victory over the Avs. Bryan Little led the way with a hat-trick and they also received goals from Chris Thorburn, And...
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Colorado’s season continues to dwindle after another shutout loss in Denver. The Predators came into the Pepsi Center and put one goal past Calvin Pickard. They would eventually add a couple of empty-net goals to finish off the struggling Avs 3-0.
Pickard was called up to start after Semyon Varlamov onc...
AarifDeen writes...
Pickard plays spectacular as Avs come back to win shootout
Posted Friday | Comments 0
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The game clock had 8:16 remaining on it when Paul Postma exited the penalty box. The Avs had just failed to score on its second consecutive power play opportunity and were down 3-1 with nothing going for them.
Colorado scored two late third period goals after the failed power play attempts en route t...
AarifDeen writes...
Avs and Blues put on a show, Oshie wins it in Overtime
Posted Sunday | Comments 0
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Paul Stastny made his long awaited return to the Pepsi Center to play his former team tonight and came away with a victory after the Blues defeated Colorado 3-2 in overtime. The centerman signed a 4-year $28 million contract with St. Louis after spending eight years as an Av.
Stastny however was not a fac...
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The Avs lost their second consecutive game in overtime Thursday night after Blake Comeau scored the only goal of the game 2:24 into the overtime period. Calvin Pickard faced 48 shots and saved all but one in front of a rowdy crowd in Pittsburgh.
The Avs fought valiantly through 40 minutes exchanging shots...
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The Avalanche is turning a corner. With John Mitchell and Patrick Bordeleau both returning to the lineup tonight, the Avs are as healthy as they have been in a long time.
Colorado completed its second game of a three-game road trip tonight at the First Niagara Center and came away with a 5-1 victory. It w...
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They were once a couple of 18-year-old goaltenders waiting to get drafted into the National Hockey League. Calvin Pickard, the Seattle Thunderbirds goaltender, was ranked #1 by Central Scouting rankings among North American goalies. Petr Mrazek was a goalie playing in the Czech Extraliga. In fact, he was not...
The duel for back-up in Denver seems to be over, though it is not 100% sure what Colorado will do. Just a few weeks ago, Calvin Pickard was re-assigned to Lake Erie even though he had played out of him mind for the Colorado Avalanche. The young goaltender was sent back due to the fact that Semyon Varlamov was healthy and Reto Berra was their number two. Their other reason ...
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The Avalanche is back at .500 in time for the Christmas holidays. Colorado scored early and often as they shut out the Blues 5-0 Tuesday night in Denver. Semyon Varlamov returned after missing six games with a groin injury and recorded his second shutout of the season.
“It’s a big win for us. You know...
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It was an old fashion battle between two of the fastest up-tempo teams in the NHL Saturday night. The Avs and Hawks put on a show in front of an overcapacity sold out crowd at the Pepsi Center as Chicago came away with a 5-2 victory after an empty-netter sealed the deal late.
“Their powerplay was better...
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Tonight may very well go down as the final meeting ever between two NHL greats—Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur. With one of them a coach and the other nearing the end of his career as a player, Roy and Brodeur’s storied rivalry will go down as one of the best between two goaltenders in NHL history. Tonigh...
AarifDeen writes...
Ryan O’Reilly scores in overtime – Avs win last game of 2014
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
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We’ve all heard the story before. A player dominates an entire game, fights for puck possession every single shift, hits a couple of posts, misses a couple of opportunities, and has nothing on the scoresheet to show for it. Until of course, overtime comes around.
That was Ryan O’Reilly today. The one ...
AarifDeen writes...
Avalanche shake off a desperate Oilers team with a shootout
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
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Colorado started the year off right in front of a rowdy Pepsi Center crowd. The boys in burgundy fought through a very quiet game offensively and came away with their fifth shootout victory of the season after defeating Edmonton 2-1. It was the first meeting against the Oilers this season and it comes while ...
AarifDeen writes...
Blue Jackets stun the Avs with last minute game-winning goal
Posted Sunday | Comments 3
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Colorado suffered a heartbreaking loss Sunday night in Denver. It was a game they wanted to win, perhaps should have won, and more importantly—needed to win. David Savard took a shot from the point with 61 seconds remaining and it bounced past Varlamov off of Borna Rendulic. The Blue Jackets cemented their...
AarifDeen writes...
Avs moving in the right direction after another big win
Posted Friday | Comments 0
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Semyon Varlamov was at it again for the Avs. It seems the Blackhawks aren’t the only team wondering how to solve the goalie. The Senators put 38 shots on the Russian Olympian tonight and scored just twice. The Avs countered with five of its own en route to a convincing 5-2 victory Thursday night at the Pep...
AarifDeen writes...
Colorado wins the big game, inching closer to playoff spot
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
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It’s been hyped up around the team for days now. Colorado Avalanche vs Dallas Stars in a divisional battle for the better positioning in the wildcard race. Colorado came in winners of two straight and they turned some heads with an impressive comeback win in front of a sold out Pepsi Center crowd. The Avs ...
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Avs lose in Washington; Roy unhappy with penalty call
Posted Monday | Comments 0
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Colorado saw its three game winning streak come to an end Monday night after losing a 2-1 battle to the Capitals at Verizon Center. Washington won after scoring the first goal, which they have done so many times this season. The only team with a better winning percentage after scoring first is Montreal.
A...
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Colorado was dominated once again in the shot category on Tuesday night in Carolina. The Hurricanes won 3-2 in the shootout and Calvin Pickard had to make 44 saves in his first NHL start in nearly three weeks.
The Avs were playing their second of a back-to-back and came away with a single point after losi...
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There are plenty of words that could describe the Avs’ recent five-game road trip. The simplest way to put it is ‘not good enough.’
Colorado went 1-2-2 in the five-game swing away from home with both OT losses coming in the shootout where they had won five straight coming in.
“Looking back at t...
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For the third time in four games the Avs received a late goal with Semyon Varlamov on the bench. In Tampa Nathan MacKinnon scored with 7 seconds left, at home against Boston Ryan O’Reilly scored with 1:45 remaining, and tonight, with just 36 seconds left on the clock, Nick Holden scored to tie the game at ...
AarifDeen writes...
Avs split with Nashville; Iginla records 1,200th point
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
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Nashville has the second best record in the NHL? No problem. Erik Johnson is out for the foreseeable future? Big deal. Semyon Varlamov starts his 15th game over the last 16 contests? No biggie.
The Avalanche welcomed the Predators to the Pepsi Center in the second of a home-and-home series tonight and wal...
AarifDeen writes...
MacKinnon scores a hat trick as Avs hold on to beat Tampa
Posted Sunday | Comments 3
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For the first time in almost five years the Pepsi Center crowd was treated to a hat trick by a Colorado Avalanche player. Nathan MacKinnon, just 19 years, 174 days old, scored his first career three-goal game in the NHL to break out of a 14 game scoring drought. It was the youngest Avalanche hat trick in tea...
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JT Compher Exclusive: “I’m Excited to join young Avs core"
Posted Friday | Comments 1
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The opportunity to join an organization with a young core provides a lot of excitement for newly acquired Avs prospect JT Compher.
The third player acquired in the Ryan O’Reilly blockbuster deal, Compher believes he will “fit right in” with the Avalanche’s young players.
“It’s great anytime you j...
[code]Tampa Bay Lightning backup goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, 21, underwent a successful vascular surgery on Thursday, September 3, General Manager Steve Yzerman announced this morning. The surgery where performed to remove a blood clot from near his left collarbone and was successfully handled at the Tampa General Hospital, but will keep Vasylevskiy sidelined for 2-3 mo...
Through 7 games CBJ is without a point in the season standings. The hockey world has waited with trepidation since Bob-O came out of the no-confidence closet. The hockey world waits again to see if Torts’ reform is the answer.
Tortorella has proven himself as a winner, and as a sore loser. Can Torts steer this ship back on course or will the elusiveness of a winn...
The Isles needed four points last weekend, and they ran into slumping teams. The Islanders scored two goals in two games this weekend (one in each) and both were back-to-back 2-1 losses to the Avs and the Coyotes. Johnny Boychuk had a goal on Friday and an assist on Alan Quine's goal on Saturday. Thomas Greiss played both games and was brilliant in both. Staying discipline...
AarifDeen writes...
Is Carl Soderberg having an underrated offensive season?
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
For NHL standards, 32-year-old Carl Soderberg is a grizzled old veteran waiting to be replaced by a young up-and-coming star. It also doesn’t help his case that he plays for a team that has preached developing younger players at the NHL level. The Colorado Avalanche are the youngest team in the NHL with an average age of 25. Soderberg is one of just two regulars on the t...
AarifDeen writes...
Where does Nathan MacKinnon's primary-point-production rank?
Posted Tuesday | Comments 3
Nathan MacKinnon collected his fourth weekly NHL three-star honors this afternoon after posting six goals and two assists in four games for the Colorado Avalanche. MacKinnon’s eight points were one off of leader Alex Pietrangelo’s nine points. But as he’s been doing all season, MacKinnon has done a fantastic job collecting primary points. He scored six goals and adde...
AarifDeen writes...
MacKinnon deserve the Hart Trophy for his consistency
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
The Hart Trophy has been a hot topic around the NHL for the better part of this entire season. It seems like there’s a new name added to the list of potential nominees each week. While reporters everywhere have dug into all the reasons why certain players should win, I’ve decided to look at the consistency of these players throughout the year in regards to offensive pr...
I'm not a hockey insider. I'm a fan. I don't understand or pay attention to the advanced analytical stats. I watch/play hockey for fun and enjoy it for what it is, a sport (but I am not naive that it is a business too). rnrnNHL '94 may be the greatest sports game ever created. rnrnIt is unbelievable that there has not been a CBJ blog on here since October of last year. rnr...