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After the lights had gone down on the improbable second season for the Avalanche it was hard not to think about what could have been. 

What would have happened had Nathan MacKinnon not injured his shoulder three minutes into game seven against the Sharks? How far could the team have gone had the Colin Wilson goal not been stripped away by a questionable offsides call? How would the game have ended had the Avalanche adjusted to Joe Pavelski’s return sooner?

It is easy to be angry about any of these things and more. But then, if we keep our heads, we are able to feel grateful. The Avalanche. These Avalanche were two goals away from the conference finals. Let that sink in. 

During my admittedly erratic twelve years of writing about Avalanche hockey, there have been periods of glory woven into long stretches of mediocrity. The last time the Avalanche were a serious threat— a truly dominating force— was over fifteen years ago when the top three lines and defense iced Hall of Famers named Sakic, Forsberg, Kariya, Selanne, and Blake. 

There have been fits and starts since that moment: there was the false start of the Patrick Roy coaching era, and there was the false hope of the Ryan Smyth era. But mostly there was nothing. 

Absolutely. Stinking. Nothing. 

Just three years ago the Avalanche endured the worst hockey season in the modern era. Even the attention of the die hards started to wane when the questionable motivations of the Kroenke ownership seemed content to keep the roster set to perpetual mediocrity. I don’t blame anyone for turning away. There were better things to do. 

But this time seems different. This time there is a real spark. This time there is the hope of potential being realized. I have been an expatriate since August 22nd, 2009, when my career evaporated. Expatriate life is often an incredible mix of extremes. It is a life of exhilaration mixed with loneliness. Often the mind cries out for some kind of anchor. Something to cling to when the cold logic of personal economic decisions wins out over the emotional desire to return home. 

Personally my anchor has been sports because it always provides a welcome distraction. I was a die hard fan long before the economic crash of the late aughts drove me from my home. These days my love of the Colorado sports borders on madness. 

During the San Jose series I felt things that I hadn’t felt since the night I watched José Théodore carry the Avalanche to a playoff win over the Wild in 2008 from the upper deck at the Pepsi Center, the last time before this season that the Avs won a playoff series. I felt the pride that came along with controlling a superior team. The pride that comes along with being taken seriously. This time the pride was magnified even more because I watched the playoffs with my infant daughter. 

Say what you will, there is a pervasive and real inspiring force that comes with following a team that wins. Just as there are the soul sucking doldrums that come with being a fan of a team that constantly fails. 

I am sad today that there is no more Avalanche hockey this year. But I am happy that this time around the success the Avalanche realized was real and sustainable. In a way it feels like coming home.  

Until next year, friends. 

By the Power of Landeskog!

The Landy Man Can. Compher awakens. Jost gets involved. Hell, the Avs have a galldang second line! And Zadorov continues his hit parade, all narrated by the booming Gary Thorne voice in my head. 

It’s the Dog and Pony Show to your face! 

And like that, after a game in which the Avalanche were superior largely because of the emergence of J.T. Compher’s Magical Menagerie of Mystery Men we find our heroes returning to the land of the ten dollar coffee for more of the hockey after a heroic overtime goal by Gabriel Landeskog. 

Hooray for game sevens!

Can the Avs do what they can away from the Can as they did last night at the Can? 

You know the Landy Man Can!

Five Thoughts

1. Captain Avalanche 

For all but the most die hard Avalanche fans, Gabriel Landeskog has seemed like something of an enigma. While Nathan MacKinnon has soaked up the superstar attention and Mikko Rantanen has provided spectacular passes, it was, and has always been, the Avalanche captain who has done much of the dirty work on the best line in hockey.

Landy isn’t a typical superstar team captain but he gets the job done because he is willing to get dirty. Hell, Landy thrives on diving into the corners and emerging with a solid punch to the throat of the opposition. Admittedly, up until the last couple years I often looked at his numbers and shrugged. Fantasy-wise, he wasn’t much of a producer outside of fairly inconsistent twenty goal, seventy five penalty minute seasons, which made him a nice, middle round multi-category player but that was about it. However, life isn’t always numbers, and as I have ranted about before saber metrics and analytics can drag the fun out of sports more often than not. In hockey, heart, battling, leading, and teaching still matter. The Avalanche captain demonstrated those traits tonight as he has been doing all series. This time his hard work paid off with a game winner in overtime. 

2. It’s About Damn Time!

With three points from J.T. Compher, a goal from Tyson Jost, and solid contributions from Carl Soderberg, the Avalanche’s true second line at long last joined this hockey tournament. San Jose is a different hockey team when the Avalanche are able to throw together their super line and get support from their second unit. Suddenly, the Sharks can’t sit on MacK like he’s a lawn chair. 

For all their greatness, Burns, Karlsson, and Vlassic cannot defend against the speedy youth of the Avalanche when they are rolling depth. They especially have trouble when the Avalanche launch at them like they’ve been fired from a cannon, like Compher did when he almost sent Erik Karlsson back to 1955. If we get a repeat of the Avalanche we saw last night this will be a very, very interesting game seven in San Jose. 

3. Gruuuuu!

Yeah, the Avalanche goalie let in a gut punch of a game-tying goal off of Nikita Zadorov’s skate, but once again Philipp Grubauer proved that he is the solution in net for the  Avalanche. His positioning has been spot on and his recoveries after the first save have allowed his cat-like reflexes to take over. It’s such a pleasure to watch good, consistent goaltending in Denver again. 

4. About that Rantanen hit. 

At this point everyone who had followed the Avalanche knows that you never, ever, put your head down over the middle of the ice. Markus Naslund and Steve Moore, anyone? Last night Mikko Rantanen learned that rule the hard way against the wrong guy. Brent Burns is pulling no punches in this series and although it pains me to admit it, Rantanen should have known better than to watch his feet with Mongo roaming the ice. 

5. For game seven the Avalanche return to the land of the people who get rich off of selling your grandmother’s personal data. I have two predictions for what should be a very compelling game seven between the Avs and the team that will absolutely, definitely, go Stanley Cup-less yet again. 

First, Matt Calvert will make a triumphant return to the squad and be instrumental in at least one Avalanche goal. Second, the Avalanche will take the series with another stunning overtime goal after Nathan MacKinnon finds enough space to operate. 

Mark it dude. 

Until next time, Avarinos. 

Go squad!

Well, Damnit!

By the time the Sharks defense was done drop kicking Nathan MacKinnon in a manner that made me consider paying Marty McSorely hitman money to un-retire the Avalanche had been outrun and Philipp Grubauer had finally been solved. 

This may have been the last best chance for the Avalanche against San Jose but the war is not over yet. If anything this squad has shown the ability to find their legs and strike back. They have finally grown into a threat that needs to be taken seriously now and for the next several years. 

Now, where’s my wallet?

—->

Two Big Thoughts

1. The Grubauer Defense

For the last two games, up until Tomas Hertl was gifted an unfortunate puck drop in the crease, Philipp Grubauer has demonstrated that he is a far better goalie than Semyon Varlamov, and perhaps even better than Brendan Holtby, who was unceremoniously ejected from the playoffs along with the rest of Washington at the hands of the upstart Hurricanes. 

During these playoffs Grubauer has been a steadying force for an Avalanche defense that has a tendency to get stuck and run around in their own zone. He anticipates passes before they happen and gets sticky; rarely allowing bad rebounds, or many rebounds at all. At long last the Avalanche appear to have a franchise goalie who can weather the pressure of a deep playoff run. 

2. When Calvert is out, the game’s in doubt. 

Once again Matt Calvert was in the press box with an injury and once again the Avs lost a game in which his ability to grind and pester the opposition was sorely missed. He has become the lynchpin for the Avalanche during this playoff run. Without him Sven Andrighetto has had to step up. But as a diminutive wing who struggles when space on the ice is limited, he is not right player for the situations in which he is expected to perform. Namely, defensively, where he struggles.

As a result, San Jose is presented with an easier matchup against the Bourque-Jost line and consequently a cascading problem is created that effects the other lines. If Calvert is unable to return it is difficult to see the bottom two lines helping much against the Sharks at a time when depth scoring is sorely needed. 

The Avalanche return home for what could be their last stand against the Sharks. I’m not a fan of my playoff beard but it has become a fine companion during this run, like a puppy or some kind of chin ferret. Since I live in the Middle East I have also noticed that it gets me a certain amount of respect from strangers. Say what you want about this part of the world but there is something to be said about people who appreciate a solid lip skirt. 

San Jose May have the psycho billy trucker goatee market cornered but in the battle of the beards I’ll take Gabriel Landeskog and his wily crew of punks for the game six win. Let’s get to seven. 

Go Avs!

The Superstar

At some point in all of the hitting, cussing, punching, hustle and heart, playoff hockey comes down to the stars. Much ink has been spilled here about the impact of third line wingers, but in the end the story comes down to whether or not a team’s top players performed or were punished. 

In the last two years Nathan MacKinnon has developed into a player who is on a very short list of stars in the NHL. Last season he had every right to win the Hart Trophy as MVP of the league. This playoff season the young Avalanche superstar has begun to stake his claim on history. 

With a goal in the midst of a game he took over, the puck was batted not once, but twice out of the air by MacKinnon as he moved into territory not seen by any Avalanche or Nordique that came before him. He has now gathered a point in eight straight playoff games. Neither Joe Sakic or Peter Forsberg managed such an accomplishment. Nor did Michel Goulet or any of the Stastny brothers or children. Nobody in franchise history as been so consistent in the playoffs. Has the time come for us to consider Nathan MacKinnon to be one of the greats? Not quite yet, but soon. The future for Nathan MacKinnon remains as tantalizing as his present and that is a main reason why this playoff run has become so fun. 

—>

Five Thoughts

1. Jekyll versus Hyde

So far this series the Avalanche have shown that they can both dominate and disappoint. Game four saw the good Avalanche finally arrive in Denver after an uneven performance in the previous game. This time around they dominated. What are we to make of this team?! What am I seeing?! Why can’t I stop shouting?! 

The first half of the season we were treated to a juggernaut that was mainly dragged along by its top line. In stark contrast, the second half of the season begat a squad that attempted to diversify its talent and failed miserably. In the playoffs it seems that the Avalanche have finally responded to the change. Suddenly they are a deep, dominant team and the result is as awesome to watch as it is confounding. 

2. But also...

...Great goaltending helps. 

Gruuuuuuuuu!

3. So about that grinder award I made up and gave to Matt Nieto. 

(Sipping coffee) Yeah...about that. We’re gonna need you to give it Matt Calvert. Thanks. 

4. Authentic Frontier Jibberish

Until tonight Brent Burns was content to go full Mongo on the Avalanche. With at least one point in every game it wasn’t hard to see how the toothless Yeti was keeping the Avalanche pinned behind a piano. That all went up in smoke like a candy gram with Burns seeing no points and a minus-three. He was instrumental in allowing every goal by the Avalanche and was undressed more than once by speedier Avalanche players. He’ll be back, but tonight Mongo was merely a pawn in the game of life. 

5. Up Next

The puck remains in Denver for one more game as the Avalanche continue to take advantage of the Sharks by out-sprinting them at altitude. I expect the Sharks to bounce back but the Avs have the momentum. Let’s call it a victory for the home team in Game Five. 

Oh, Mylanta

DNP Game 3 Sharks vs Avs

In game three against the Sharks, the Avalanche fumbled their way around the ice as they succumbed to a wholly unwelcome return of the neutral zone trap. It was a throwback to everything I hated about hockey in the nineties. All it needed was Peter Forsberg wearing half the Kings as a backpack and I would have settled in for a long springtime nap. 

San Jose put up a wall of grizzled, toothless gorillas at the opposing blue line who sucked the life out of the Avalanche offense for the majority of the game, and I’m not just talking about the shapeshifting yeti otherwise known as Brett Burns This series is becoming a study of San Jose forwards who I didn’t pay attention to in fantasy hockey drafts coming back to bite me.  (Thanks bunches Evander Kane, Timo Meier, Gustav Nyquist, and Kevin Labanc!)

By the time Nate MacKinnon snapped a wicked wrister by Martin Jones the Avalanche had spent half the game trying to outrace what the Sharks threw at them. But even when they did, their lack of puck possession skills betrayed them harder than Ross betrayed Rachel on Friends (or whatever other 90’s reference I can come up with that hasn’t been beaten into the ground by a wave of millennial induced nostalgia. Will and Grace? Something, something, Courtney Love’s heroin guy? I’ve got nothing.) 

With the loss the Avalanche drop their home ice advantage that they had secured a mere two days ago and risk losing control of their stake in the series. Though I feel they aren’t done after this. There is still a lot of life left in this pony.  

—-> 

Five Thoughts 

He Was on a Break!

Seeing Nathan MacKinnon doing Nathan MacKinnon things has become almost passé at times. At any one time he is the absolute best player on the ice. But I’m waiting for Mikko Rantanen to do something big against the Sharks. Tonight, aside from a couple of flashes, Mikko was essentially invisible. The entire team seemed to have grease on their stick blades but Rantanen was gone for long stretches, having been largely neutralized by San Jose. If the Avalanche are to even things up number ninety-six needs to get engaged, and he needs to do it without being put back with MacK and Landy. The Avs can’t afford to be one line deep against the Sharks much longer. 

Matt Nieto‘s Big Adventure

Upon scoring his fourth goal of the playoffs on a fluky bounce off of his skate I officially declare that I have no idea what I’m talking about and recognize that the Shjon Podein/Mike Keene Super Grinder Torch of Honor has been passed to Matt Nieto. I await with baited breath the next goal that he scores off of his ass so that I can see another shot of him on the bench laughing like he just won a Carolina Panthers beer koozie in a nearby crane game. 

Have Goalie Will Travel

It isn’t a secret that the Avalanche are in the playoffs largely because of the late season efforts of Philipp Grubauer. Despite doing their best to give the Sharks the puck tonight, Grubauer kept the Avs in the game. Since watching Semyon Varlamov breakdance his way down the depth chart after being the beneficiary of what I can only assume was extreme nepotism it’s nice to have a guy consistently stand on his head in the crease for the Avalanche again. I’d like to go a while without having to act like I’ve been paying attention to Washington’s goalie pipeline while having David Aebischer flashbacks. 

The Glue

Am I to believe, simply based on his absence and the subsequent result, that Matt Calvert is the straw that breaks the back of opposing teams? After watching the likes of J.T. Compher, Carl Soderberg, Sven Andrighetto, and Rene Bourque stab at the puck tonight like a bunch of fifth graders poking a dead rat I’m starting to believe it. I spent my entire previous DNP extolling the virtues of Tyson Barrie but now I’m wondering if I should have devoted a few hundred words to Calvert instead. If Bulldog hadn’t been brutalized by Brent Burns on a hit that made my molars hurt there is a chance that he gets under the skin of San Jose and the Avs find a way to win. 

So I’m Saying There’s A Chance?

The Avalanche were not as bad as I’m making it out to be. They didn’t get the bounces against San Jose and the fact that they tied the game is a testament to their teamwork and heart. I’m starting to love this Avalanche squad, and that is saying a lot since part of me has been slowly dying over the past fifteen or so years while the Avs have nestled into consistent mediocrity. The pieces are there for the Avs to shock San Jose. 

They sport three fast defenseman (Barrie, Girard, and Makar) who back up an interesting mix of power forward types (MacK, Landy, Wilson, Soderberg). They can hit (Zadorov), they can lock people down (Johnson), and they are pesky (Calvert, Cole, and Nieto). 

The question at this point is can they do it consistently? I’m betting in the next game they show they can. If I’m right, this will be the kind of game four that opens a lot of eyes around the league to the dawn of a new age for the Avalanche. One that us old timers have been waiting for for a long time.  If I’m wrong, then it’s back to another offseason of waiting for the kids to grow up. 

We’ll see. 

Trade Barrie!

Throughout the years one of my hobbies has been to pay attention to the Avalanche fans who doggedly pursue the one player they think is the reason the Avalanche are failing to win. 

Occasionally these people, who presumably spend their free time shouting at rocks, clouds, or John Elway, will target a player and actually be correct. Like, for example, Matt Duchene, who was miscast as a top line center and lacked the motivation to be one. But mostly the scorned Avalanche player du jour is generally undeserving of the wrath that is heaped upon him. Take for example Paul Stastny and Ryan O’Reilly. 

Those gentlemen were hard working, defensively responsible, and the kind of players a team needs to succeed even if they are not superstars. Yet during their tenure in Colorado, they drew the ire of critics who felt their salaries were too high while their contributions were too thin. As with any stereotype, there is a nugget of truth. Those two did not always work well on the team and their frustrations with the direction the Avalanche were going at the time influenced their play. However, once they were gone, the Avalanche spent a considerable amount of capital and draft picks trying to replace them. 

This brings us to Tyson Barrie. During the swoon that hit the team in December that erased the team’s massive gains from early in the season, at any given time, in any given comments section under an Avalanche article there would be a comment to trade Barrie. “He’s soaking up salary while not playing defense!” howled the commenters as they gnashed their teeth and shook their fists, presumably at twin posters of Joe Sakic and John Elway (whom I’m throwing in to this argument as an example of how public sports figures in Denver can never, ever do anything right, until they trade down ten spots to land a potential superstar tight end before scoring a beast of an offensive lineman and a potential franchise quarterback in the second round and/or guide two legendary teams to Super Bowl victories at the end of their career. I’ll let you pick.)

True, Tyson Barrie is not Brent Burns. Nor is he Erik Karlsson. Nor is he Mark Giordano. He is also not Tony Stark, Jim Brown, Jesus Christ, or Clark Freaking Kent! New toys are fun. Cale Makar is great to watch. Samuel Girard can be the best skater on the ice at any one time. They both have very promising careers. But time and again Barrie has shown more often than not that he is the player that stirs the Avalanche offense from the blue line. 

In game two it was not Brent Burns or Erik Karlsson who stole the show. It was Tyson Barrie and his three points that turned the tide in San Jose and sent the Avalanche back to Denver with a clean slate. Trade Barrie? Get a life. 

Playing With House Money

Going into the second round series the theory was that the Avalanche, who were coming off of what seemed like a month of rest, would be able to stand up to a San Jose squad that essentially lucked its way to a game seven victory against Las Vegas. 

This game was to be a test of the controversial “rest vs. play” hockey theory which states that, seemingly depending on the weather, that either a well rested team should beat a team fresh off of a grueling run of games, or that a team coming straight off one strong series will carry that momentum into the next, easily defeating a team that has been relaxing. 

Trumpets blared, and people rocked forward in their seats, for it was a chance for Science, glorious Science, to light the way. For in 21st century America, logic rules and nothing shall counter the raw litmus of Science! 

Sites like Mile High Hockey spent all week propping up the Avalanche as contenders who were above playing with house money. They were not just “hot at the right time,” the pundits stated. They did not just “match up well” with a suddenly slumping Calgary team. The Avalanche were meant to be taken seriously. 

As it went from Colorado’s perspective, San Jose would be worn out, especially goalkeeper Martin Jones who has been the definition of Swiss cheese this season. And the Avalanche, who had made quick work of Calgary, the best team in the Western Conference, would stand up to a Sharks squad that, although deep and featuring a power play that on paper was somewhere between “terrifying” and “not fair,” could not handle the youthful exuberance of a team that was suddenly four lines deep and well rested. 

And as Avs fans expected...our boys lost handily——— in Game 1, because of course they did. 

-like a frat boy pounding free drinks at nickel slots

-lost it like a sorority chick turning 21 on the Vegas Strip. 

— like a teacher in May dropping a week’s pay into a bar top poker machine hoping for a few more bucks to help them afford a foreboding summer of costly weddings that, sure, anyone with a manager’s salary at Denny’s could afford but not us teachers, am I right Sheila?!

(I was told that the Avalanche would be playing the Knights in the second round so I have a surplus of Vegas jokes that need to be liquidated faster than the four day old seafood at an all-you-can-eat-buffet.)

Now, I know what you’re thinking, “You have no faith, D’Albey! I’m an Avs fan since before forever and you can go stand in the trash along with the other people who are wrong about things! Like the people who thought Betamax would be profitable because it had superior image quality and was better built than VHS even though the shorter tapes made it incompatible with the nascent rental market of the 1980’s! Take that, genius!”

But as I cautioned early in the Calgary series, the Avalanche might be plucky but despite the form they took in the first round they still are not a deep hockey team. They might have depth people show up to play from time to time, but you can’t tell me, for example, that a grinder like Matt Nieto, who before the Calgary series hadn’t scored since December 6th, was just lying in wait and is actually a point per game player. 

Now, there is hope. The Avalanche were fast during Game 1. They were able to break containment and cause problems in the opposition zone, and they did manage to possess the puck fairly well before the wheels came off in the third period. If they can get back to playing disciplined in their own zone; If their grinders can play above their heads; If MacKinnon and company can get some bounces, things will change. But, until then, we will need to be wearing out our rabbit feet, healing crystals, essential oils, and pyramid hats. 

Because, Science!

Burning Down the Flames

And neither man nor beast had words. There was a thunderclap and lightning tore the peaks above as the gates swung open revealing the second round, as was spoken of by the elders. It was, the travelers whispered, “on”.

—->

Five Thoughts

1. Calgary was outrun, out gunned, and out in one when the lights went out at the Saddledome tonight. Having been no more threatening than a sack of bunnies Calgary has a lot of questions to answer. Namely, how were they the best team in the western conference this year? 

Who was this opponent? They didn’t play cohesively, were thin skinned, and went ice cold at the wrong times. Mike Smith played admirably but was overwhelmed and the Calgary top line was invisible for long stretches. The Gaudreau line may or may not have been at the games, I’m not sure. 

Kudos to the Avs for shutting down the best in the West, but also for being clearly the better team.  The only way this series could have been more fun was if Theo Fleury was shot out of a cannon.

2. For the longest time the philosophy in hockey was to spread the talent on a team among the top two lines. The thinking was that it would put more pressure on the opposing team’s depth. But what if the talent is so dominating that the best strategy is to go with a super line and let it roll?

MacKinnon, Rantanen, and Landeskog were a force of nature in this series. As the season flagged and the Avalanche floundered it made sense for Jared Bednar to drop Mikko Rantanen down a line, especially when Landeskog went off with an injury (Bednar dropped Rantanen down again at times this series as well- think two Colin Wilson goals). But early on, with the grinders clicking reuniting the best line in hockey turned out to be the choice of the series. It is difficult to imagine another defense stopping the Avalanche top line over seven games. 

3. MacK Smash!

Name me another superstar who can do what Nathan MacKinnon is doing right now. I’ll wait. Calgary targeted MacK in Game Five and he responded by beating them up, both on the scoreboard and about their collective heads and necks. His elbow to the throat of Garnet Hathaway towards the end of Game Five was sublime. 

4. The answer to my question is: Mikko Rantanen. 

When MacK and Landeskog weren’t brutalizing Calgary, Mikko proved to be the enormous, skillful engine that could. In showing absolutely zero remorse for sabotaging my fantasy season by missing the last eight games of the regular season, Rants looked like I imagine I do when I decide to step in and dominate my fifth grade class in four square.   

https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/1milns/bill_murray_spiking_a_little_kid_trying_to_play/

5. So...what next?

If the smoldering playoff bracket I’m looking at is correct the Avalanche can probably expect to meet Vegas in a matchup that will most certainly involve mob references by me, in writing, in a series of blogs that could lead to my untimely disappearance at the hands of, let’s say, Max Pacioretty’s bookie.  

It will also be a chance for Paul Stastny to pay back the team that drafted and molded him so long ago. You owe us, Paulie. 

As we bid adieu to Calgary let’s take a moment to appreciate all of the Alberta locals who say Cal-GARY. If there was a slower way to say that name I’m sure it would have been found by now.

Will There Ever Be a Rainbow?

So what I’m thinking is that of all species that can swim, humans are the best swimmers. I know what you’re thinking. “But what about the platypus?” Stay with with me here. Platypuses at least have bills.  Humans do not.   

We weren’t made for swimming with our floppy limbs and lack of blowholes. Dolphins: swimmers. Other fish, also swimmers. People? Not really. However, we can swim at least four different ways. We can freestyle, breast stroke, backstroke, and butterfly. We can also swim sideways, which is useful when reaching for a drink. Take that, manta rays. 

We’re the best at swimming. 

Deal with it, Nature. 

—->

By the time Sam Bennett was ejected for looking like a midwestern plumber, the Avalanche had made the statement of the series: We’re better than Calgary and we’re not going anywhere. 

With dominating waves of offense, the Avalanche overwhelmed an overmatched and undisciplined Calgary squad in Denver. At the end of the first period the Avalanche were on the board with 22 shots, three of which landed on the scoreboard, and they never looked back. 

Forget this series. Three games in and I’ve seen enough. Calgary is being dominated. Barring a David Rittich replacement goalie miracle this series is over. Mike Smith is deflated and done. 

Five Thoughts

1. Hot Dog...The Hockey

Since the reuniting of the MacKinnon line, the Avalanche have done a complete 180 from game one. They are driving the play, passing sharper, and outworking Calgary on every shift. Every man, all four lines. The Calgary defense doesn’t have a chance when they have to devote so many resources to fighting the scourge of the Avalanche’s top line. 

Remember when Bob Hartley would reunite Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg for five or six shifts and everyone would lose their minds? The Avs have been doing that for basically two years.  

It’s like the Chinese Downhill: 

action packed and packin’ action!

2. Cale Makar is better than Bobby Orr. 

The list of greatest defensemen ever is:

1.Cale Makar

2.Cale Makar’s future son

.

.

.

264. Bobby Orr

End of list. 

3. No, but seriously. 

What do you do if you are Cale Makar’s parents? 

Your kid is right off a crushing defeat in the national title game and then he steps on the ice in Colorado and scores on his first shot in the playoffs against your hometown team. 

What do you do? Take him out for ice cream and then ground him? Make him clean out the garage and then buy him a trampoline?

Asking for a friend. 

4. Mikey will not!

Is this the last time we see Mike Smith?  Like, ever? I can’t understand why he was left in after the fourth goal. The game had devolved to beer league levels by that point. 

In my life I have been dissuaded from many wrong notions and myths such as the full moon causes male pattern baldness and women don’t poop. Over the last two games I have been dissuaded from my belief that Mike Smith was actually a great goalie who just happened to be six-foot-four. No dice, amigos. 

5. Who is Matt Nieto?

Not really, I know who he is, but really? I had asked in a previous Dog and Pony Show who this year’s Mike Keene or Shjon Podein would for the Avalanche. Well, ask and I shall get...a guy who, before this series, hadn’t scored since December 6th in Florida? Matt Nieto scoring a goal is like Matt Calvert scoring a goal with Gabriel Bourque’s stick! Amirite?! Oh, fourth liner jokes are just the best. 

—->

Next up: Calgary puts up a fight and things get nasty but they are unable to win custody of Cale Makar, the greatest defenseman ever. 

Shazam!

Squad. Goals. 

MacKinnon, Compher, Nieto, Kerfoot, Landy, Mikko, Calvert, Girard, Johnson...

Everyone chipped in. 

This was the early season, threatening Avalanche that we love. This is what happens when the Avalanche don’t stop at the end of the first period. This one was artful and dramatic and dominating and perfect. 

And now we’re even. 

Belissimo!

Five Thoughts:

1. Don’t let MacKinnon get it on his forehand. Ever. 

Some signature shots just have more of a signature than others. 

Ovechkin has his slapper off the left post. 

Cicarelli had the tip at the top of the crease. 

MacInnis had the boomstick from the point. 

MacKinnon has the wrister off the sprint. 

Works every time. 

2. Is it already time to start the “Mike Smith is just really big” campaign yet?

He threw down the shutout last time but that mostly had to do with the Avalanche failure to crowd the net after the first period. This time, the Avs threw the kitchen sink. As a result, Smith got caught leaning, diving, and sprawling at the wrong times. I’m not sure how he got to the NHL by diving at glove-side shots, but Smith will not be in net much longer if he keeps falling out of the crease. Maybe he should try to be less tall. 

3. Alex Kerfoot could not get robbed any more if he wore a sign that said “Payday Loans”.  The Avs needed a skilled plugger to show up in this series, and Kerfoot is paying off in spades. This team is night and day better when Rantanen can be moved around and an effective Kerfoot enables Bednar to play the matchups to his advantage while giving the defense one more problem. 

4. It’s the Get Along Gang!

Do you see what happens when everybody works together and tries hard?! Matt Nieto scored, Compher took out the trash, and MacK put the cherry on top. Easy peasy. It’s like the Avs had more than one line!

During long spans of time the Avalanche dominated at a level that I have not seen in a very long time. Nobody was touching them, and when they did the offense had the puck on a string. As a fan it was like finding a pair of wonderful old pads and then giving a Red Wing a forearm shiver. 

5. Andddd...just like that it could all fall apart. Sam Girard is the stick that is stirring much of the transition game for the Avs. Should he be out any length of time with the shoulder injury sustained late in the game, this party could come crashing down before the second keg shows up. If Girard is out, can Tyson Barrie make things work? The last time the Avalanche threatened in the playoffs they were able to deploy two offensive defensemen: Barrie and Nick Holden against the Wild under the Roy regime. 

Next up: The Avs play Calgary again on Tuesday during which I plan to teach my daughter the merits of a solid throat punch. 

Game One Was No Fun. That Rhymed.

At the conclusion of tonight’s tilt against Calgary I felt that this series could maybe, somehow, go the Avs’ way. And then Mike Smith sent a tape to tape pass to Matthew Tkachuk for an empty net goal. 

I want to feel like the Avalanche are in this series. Against the Flames the Avs came out running and dominated the first period. Mikko Rantanen looked good. Samuel Girard was feisty. Eric Johnson looked stout. And then attrition set in. 

Calgary has all but owned the Avalanche in their matchups this year. The Avalanche have held leads only to watch them evaporate. This time they never even had the chance. Mike Smith’s glove would not allow it. 

There is still hope. The Avs have plenty of chances; I doubt Smith can stand on his head forever. But this team needs to stand tall for all three periods to avoid playing catch up. 

Five Thoughts

1. Why does Matthew Tkachuk make me hate him?! 

There are few players in my life who I have admired more than Keith Tkachuk. His name is the sound of hockey.  Along with John LeClair and Jeremy Roenick, Tkachuk set the standard for cocky, brash, American power forward hockey players. These fighter pilots were a band of pricks that stood up against the Canadians. They were our douchebags, and I loved them—even when Roenick was busy getting shut down by Patrick Roy and John LeClair was Legion of Doom-ing around Philadelphia. 

Now along come the Tkachuk brothers, led by Matthew, and I have no doubt they will both have long careers scoring in tight spaces while punching as many throats as they can handle. That Calgary gets to enjoy Matthew’s services infuriates me and I can’t stop watching. He’s my spirit animal. 

2. Mike Smith has the dumbest goalie mask in the history of the game. 

Let me get this straight. At some point the decision was made to create a goalie mask in Jofa red-brown and then paint ears on it. Is it an homage? Is it a joke? Is Smith saving up for something better?

Something tells me it was created in earnest. That thing was designed and then held aloft before god and country for all to see! It looks like a beer league mask from the 80’s. But not the nostalgia inducing parts of the 80’s, the parts when your parents couldn’t afford a black helmet for midgets and instead borrowed a helmet from your weird cousin. 

And then painted ears on it. 

3. From the Peter McNabb files:

(Paraphrasing his observation after a Jared Bednar bench interview early in the first period): 

“That is what is great about Coach Bednar. He listened to the question and he answered the question. Those are just great coaching skills. What more can you ask?”

Nothing. I ask for nothing more. He behaved as a human should after being asked a question by another human. Perhaps he could teach that skill to other humans? Your observation was spot on Peter. Have a lollypop. 

4. So Patrick Nemeth showed up for the playoff game today. I forgot to mention him on my previous post but that’s the point. He’s a good, hard nosed, defensive player and his poke check on a charging Tkachuk in the first period was what the Avalanche need more of if they are going to stand a chance the rest of this series. It’s time to get punchy and mean!

5. The bright side of this loss today was that the Avalanche will remain in the same time zone as Denver when they play their next game of hockey. That’s it. That’s the bright spot. 

Bonus:

Mark Rycroft wore a blue checked suit with a hot pink tie and pocket square. In fact two of three of the Avalanche desk guys wore some kind of checked ensemble. I think Denver may want to ease up a little bit. Maybe take a step back, have some coffee, sober up a bit, and reflect on how they got here. I’m kind of worried for my city. 

Next up: Game two in the land where the cowboys say “eh”. 

So It Begins!

Hola Avarinos! It’s playoff time! Welcome to the Dog and Pony Show! 

This sentence was intended to be the first sentence of this article, but this blog is rigged so it fell to fourth overall. 

Earlier today I wondered what 30 year old me would have thought about 43 year old me showing up at the beginning of the playoffs after not writing during a long and arduous regular season that culminated in a Game 81 wild card clinching Avalanche victory. Without hesitation I responded that 30 year old me would have drilled current me straight in the nuts. Just a solid steel toe right to the baby makers. 

“There’s no excuse for this, D’Albey!” I proclaimed. “Like old Jack Burton always says, you might as well play hockey in a tie.” 

——

Sooo....what has changed since the Avs exposed Nashville for the suckers they were last year? Well, I have a daughter now who I’m already training to be a two-fisted, take no prisoners goaltender. At the moment she’s sitting in the fridge punching a chicken carcass like she’s Rocky. She’ll be up with me at 5am Saudi Arabia time to drink a raw egg and watch the Avs shock the Flames. I won’t need to set an alarm, Amelia is the alarm!

But enough about my terminator. 

Let’s get to those Five Thoughts!

1. I will never tire of the “Injured Hero Returns Just In Time” narrative in the NHL because it is always shocking and invigorating. What’s that? Mikko Rantanen has returned from his sucking chest wound, (sorry, “upper body injury”), just in time to pepper the Calgary goaltenders with Finnish insults? Well then, sir, I doff my cap. 

Perkele!

If the Avalanche are to have a chance in this series they will need to get goaltending and score in bunches. Whatever brought Mikko down just in time for his absence to torpedo my fantasy team will need to take a hiatus. 

2. Speaking of torpedoing my fantasies... Jack Hughes or Kaapo Kakko would have been fun times on a feisty Avs second line for the next ten years, huh? I guess now we’ll just get to hope that one of the seventeen prospects that Joe Sakic throws a dart at at the draft pans out.  Is anyone else tired of reading “yeah, but they are a playoff team with a top-four pick”? That’s not the point! 

The Penguins tanked their way to a dynasty. The Oilers couldn’t build a ham sandwich and they still landed Connor McDavid and three other number one picks in six years. The Avalanche are still recovering from the worst season in modern history two years ago and what do they get? Oh, right, Red Wings fans pointing out that the Avs have had a bunch of first round picks over the last ten years. Great, go back to the 10th hole, Detroit. 

The talent is too watered down across too many teams these days. To succeed teams need generational or difference-making talent in several positions. That means landing number one picks and/or getting preternaturally smart at scouting. I think I can be forgiven for being apprehensive about Sakic’s ability to scout out and assemble a championship team, even if the Avs are in the playoffs this year. 

Don’t believe me? Ask Tampa and Steve Yzerman. 

Unless the Avs get lucky, I’m going to be bitter about this draft for a while. Here’s hoping they land a keeper. 

3. It isn’t a secret that the Avs have about four and a half people on the team who know where the opposition net is, but it shouldn’t take Jared Bednar tacking together a super line to get the puck past the opponent. 

Kerfoot, Compher, Soderberg, Brassard, Andrighetto, and Jost. Somebody has to do something for the Avs offense or this will be a short series featuring Matthew Tkachuk punching Avs defensemen in slow motion while Johnny Gaudreau hits on their moms. 

4. Hockey News readers already know this, but Elliott’s Friedman mentioned that there is an outside chance for Cale Makar to join the Avs blue line after the Frozen Four. It would be a crazy baptism, but I think it would be a fine introduction for the next Avalanche Norris Trophy winner. If there was ever a time to cheer extra hard for the University of Denver to beat UMass that time is now. 

Few things give me comfort like the thought of Makar sending Rob Blake-like outlet passes to sprinting Avs forwards.

5. When all things are considered, for the Avalanche to win what some are predicting will be a shootout (the silly media thinks the Avs have more than one line), Philipp Grubauer needs to continue his momentum from the stretch run. There is no other way around it. The Avs defense basically involves Eric Johnson and Nikita Zadorov hitting people in between trips to injured reserve. The Landeskog-MacKinnon-Rantanen line got figured out by the league two months ago. And for the love of god I can’t name a single difference making Avalanche grinder who can put in a fluttering Tyson Barrie rebound on a consistent basis. Where is the Shjon Podein on this team? Where is the Mike Ricci? 

If we see a single minute of Semyon Varlamov the fun will be over. You know it. I know it. Amelia knows it. But there is hope. 

If Grubauer stays hot. If Kerfoot summons his inner Hinote. If MacKinnon finds room. If Girard and Brassard can make some moves. If Johnson and Barrie can contain and maintain. Then our boys will shock the world. 

Fingers crossed. Jerseys on. Beards are go!

Avalanche!