Avs Have a Case of the Mondays

If this is having a case of the Monday’s, I want them. The Avs seem to play their best hockey on Monday nights, and are now 8-0.

The first period was a back and fourth one for the Avs, ending in a 2-2 draw. From then on out, it was all Avalanche all the time.  Avs would add three goals in the 2nd period to take the win 5-2.

Chris Stewart had a Gordie Howe Trick, while Brandon Yip added in two goals. Everyone had a great game tonight.

The Infamous three stars

3. Paul Stastny – 1 goal, 7 shots

2. Chris Stewart – 1 goal, 2 assits

1. Brandon Yip – 2 goals, 5 shots

Other Notes

- It looks like David Koci is done for the year after breaking his hand in the first during a fight with DJ King.

- Matt Duchene now has 40 points on the season. That now puts him six up on John Tavares.

- Brandon Yip had two more points tonight, and is now with 11 goals and 18 points.

So, What Exactly Does Budaj do During the Game

The Question is…what EXACTLY does Peter Budaj do, since Craig Anderson is seemingly going to play every game from here on out.

Some of the Avs Army on Twitter has an answer…

Mutters, “I could’ve made that save.” every time Andy gets scored on.

Plots ways to take out Andy and make it look like an accident

Has actually figured out a way to sleep with his eyes open

Enthusiastically fist bumps his teammates when they score…just cause it makes him feel a part of things

Gets all excited when Andy goes down…could this be his chance?

Chokes on his popcorn when he realizes Andy might be really hurt

- JessicaAvsFan

Verifies the attendance, seat by seat

tic-tac-toe on the glass with the fan seated next to him

Regrets the time he house-sat for Coach Sacco, and the dog peed on the carpet…

- lakat

Thinks “I could’ve done that” when Anderson gives up 2 quick goals vs Blues

Attempts to find a fan wearing his jersey in the stands

Ask to ride the Zamboni so the fans can cheer for him

Comes up with excuses for Sacco about why he still starts Tucker

Makes a fake twitter to post his own #whatBudajdoesduringthegame tweets…

wets his face to see what it feels like to sweat

looks for a bench to get for his house so he can practice sitting on one at home

puts adds on craigslist with skill set listed as “don’t remember”

tries to remember his position in preparation for the olympics

Wonders how Arnason is getting more ice time than he is

- SCrociata

Wishes he and Coach Q were still “together”

- RealDenverSport

Wonders what its going to be like to ride the pine in Vancouver

Photoshops himself into the MMH Young Guns poster

Reminds his teammates of his that great run at the end of 06-07 season… every 5 minutes

Rock, paper and scissors tournament with David Koci

-AnyoneButDET

checks out #whatKocidoesduringthegame to make himself feel better

checks flights to chicago…constantly texting Q

has conversations with the empty seats next to him

texts craig billington and david aebisher asking if this is what it was like with Roy

calls up Matt Groening to see if he can get in the simpsons

- horbayj

Remember, we don’t hate Budaj, actually, he’s quite popular. We love Budaj, which is why we got some real fun with him.

Singin’ the Blues: St. Louis at Colorado

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St. Louis Blues (25-24-9, 54 pts) @ Colorado Avalanche (32-19-6 70 pts)

Season Series

Date	Location	Results
Dec 7		4-0

What’s the Big Deal?

St. Louis is fading fast. Davis Payne’s squad is 1-2 on a current seven game stretch vs. playoff teams. In other words, they are desperate for the points, they sit in 13th in the west, but only 7 points out of a playoff spot. Since beating Calgary 2-0 on the road January 25th, the Blues have only won twice, both on the road. They have won three in a row at the Pepsi Center.

Meanwhile, Colorado is desperate for points for another reason. They’re a mere two points behind Vancouver for the third seed in the west, but 5 points back of the 5th and 4th seeded Los Angles and Phoenix. The Avs have only won two of their last five games. However, Colorado is coming off a dominating 3-0 shutout of the Edmonton Oilers. Matt Duchene leads the Avs with 18 goals, and leads all rookies in scoring.

Goalie Probables

Chris Mason (17-16-8 2.49 GAA 1 SO)

Craig Anderson (28-15-5 2.43 GAA 6 SO)

Injuries

Updated	Player	Pos	Injury	Expected Return
02/06/10	B.J. Crombeen	RW	Lower body	Questionable for Feb. 8 at Colorado

Updated	Player	Pos	Injury	Expected Return
02/01/10	Ruslan Salei	D	Back	IR. Out until at least early February
01/25/10	Milan Hejduk	RW	Knee	IR. Out until at least early March
11/30/09	David Jones	RW	Knee	IR. Out until at least late March
02/01/10	Matt Hendricks	C	Ankle	IR. Out indefinitely
02/07/10	Ryan O’Reilly	C	Foot	Questionable for Feb. 8 vs. St. Louis
02/01/10	Ryan Stoa	C	Shoulder	IR. Might be out for the season

By the Numbers

St. Louis Blues 25-24-9

Colorado Avalanche 32-19-6

SCORING
145	Goals	162
251	Assists	285
396	Points	447
36	Power Play Goals	40
4	Short-Handed Goals	7
GOALIES/PENALTIES
2.66	GAA	2.49
.910	Saves %	.920
4	Shutouts	7
907	PIM	750

More Game Notes

- Blues forward David Perron is donating $1 to Haiti relief for every new person added on his Twitter account (@DP_57) this month.

- By collecting their 70th point, Colorado has now surpassed last season’s point total of 69. A win tonight would be number 33, which would also surpass last season’s win total.

- Avs are 7-0 on Monday nights this season, this will be their 3rd home game on the day named after Mars, the god of war.

- Colorado’s rookies/first year players have combined for 116 points, and are tied with New Jersey for the most rookies used (10 (which means the rookies are averaging 11.6 points per player.)). The Islanders/Rangers are in second with 57 points.

- Colorado has scored seven 5 on 3 goals this year. No other team has scored more than five.

- Keith Tkachuck has made a career out of playing the Avs, 52 points in 53 career games vs. Colorado.

- Chris Mason is 6-4 all time vs. the Avs with a 1.81 GAA and one shutout.

Hockey Night in Denver: Oilers at Avalanche

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Edmonton Oilers (18-32-6, 42 pts) @ Colorado Avalanche (31-19-6, 68 pts)

Season Series

Date	Location	Results
Oct 27		3-0
Nov 8		5-3
Nov 18		6-4
Jan 18		6-0

What’s The Big Deal?

Edmonton is done. Injuries and horrible play have conspired to end the Oilers’ season before the Olympics. All they can do now is play spoiler. The Oilers have won two straight since snapping a thirteen game winless streak on Monday. The Oilers are winless on the road in 2010, the last time they won away from Rexall Place was on December 11 in St. Louis.

Colorado is officially in a slump. One win in their last five games, since a six game winning streak was snapped last week. However, Colorado still manages to be just two points away from a division lead, which is held by Vancouver (who has started their Olympic road trip). The Avs are coming off an embarrassing performance in Music City, losing 5-3 in a game they were never in. Craig Anderson will look to regain form, against an Oilers team he has dominated in the past.

Goalie Probables

Peter Budaj (4-4-1 2.21 GAA 1 SO)

Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers (11-17-3 3.06 GAA 2 SO)

Injuries

Updated	Player	Pos	Injury	Expected Return
11/30/09	Ales Hemsky	RW	Shoulder	IR. Out for the season
02/01/10	Ladislav Smid	D	Concussion	IR. Out until at least early February
02/03/10	Sheldon Souray	D	Hand	Out until at least mid-March
02/03/10	Steve Staios	D	Concussion	IR. Out until at least mid-February
02/01/10	Ryan Stone	C	Knee	IR. Out indefinitely
01/13/10	Nikolai Khabibulin	G	Back	IR. Likely out for the season

Updated	Player	Pos	Injury	Expected Return
02/01/10	Ruslan Salei	D	Back	IR. Out until at least early February
01/25/10	Milan Hejduk	RW	Knee	IR. Out until at least early March
11/30/09	David Jones	RW	Knee	IR. Out until at least late March
02/01/10	Matt Hendricks	C	Ankle	IR. Out indefinitely
02/01/10	Ryan Stoa	C	Shoulder	IR. Might be out for the season

By the Numbers

Edmonton Oilers 18-32-6

Colorado Avalanche 31-19-6

SCORING
140	Goals	159
239	Assists	281
379	Points	440
40	Power Play Goals	40
1	Short-Handed Goals	7
GOALIES/PENALTIES
3.28	GAA	2.53
.895	Saves %	.920
2	Shutouts	6
727	PIM	744

Mike Ricci Night

Mike Ricci will be honored before the game tonight. Ricci was one of the bigger parts of the Peter Forsberg deal. Ricci played a total of 339 games as a member of the Quebec/Colorado franchise, tallying 228 points (91g/137a) in that span. Of course, he was also one of the more key cogs of the 1996 Stanley Cup team. Congrats Mike, it’s well earned.

Tonight, The Future is Here…WELCOME THE BURGUNDY ARMY!!!!

I don’t quite have a logo for it yet. It will get worked on…but

- Are you a fan of the Colorado Avalanche?

- Do you live and die with the Burgundy and Blue?

- Are there more than enough posters of Adam Foote, Matt Duchene, ect. that people think you’re a stalker?

THEN YOU’RE HARDCORE ENOUGH TO JOIN WITH THE GREATEST FANBASE IN THE WORLD!!! Ladies and Gentlemen, I bring you THE BURGUNDY ARMY!!

WE ARE STRONG, WE ARE ONE, WE ARE THE AVALANCHE NATION!!! NO LOSSES WILL BRING US DOWN. We are the future of NHL fandom. We want to see you guys at the games (I’ll go to as many as possible, seeing as I live in South Carolina) be loud, sing through the games, and cheer on the Avalanche as they start their reign of terror in the NHL.

As time progresses, I’ll keep you updated on what changes we will have and when an official website will come up.

Music City Mayhem

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Colorado Avalanche (31-18-6, 68 pts) @ Nashville Predators (30-21-4, 64 pts)

Season Series

Date	Location	Results
Oct 8		3-2
Nov 25		4-3
Jan 22		2-1

What’s the Big Deal?

Nashville and Colorado have played some of the closest games of the season. All three of the games have been one goal games. As far as the playoff race goes, Colorado will not move regardless of winning or losing, but could be tied with the Canucks for first place in the Northwest division with a win and a Canucks loss to Ottawa tonight. Vancouver will have the tie breaker with three more wins than Colorado.

The Avalanche broke a three game losing streak in EMPHATIC fashion with a 6-1 win over Columbus. The Young guns stepped up big in that game, with Ryan O’Reilly scoring two short handed goals in the third (which had never been done since the Avs moved to Denver). Brandon Yip continues to muscle himself into the Calder conversation with two more goals.

Meanwhile, Nashville is fighting for their playoff lives. With a loss tonight, the Predators could be on the outside looking in when they take the ice against San Jose Saturday night. The Predators are coming off a 1-0 loss, which was a classic. Rinne made 26 saves, before losing the game in the 10th round of the shootout.

Goalie Probables

Craig Anderson (27-14-5, 2.43 GAA, 5 SO)

Pekka Rinne (19-10-3, 2.72 GAA, 3 SO)

Injuries

Updated	Player	Pos	Injury	Expected Return
02/01/10	Ruslan Salei	D	Back	IR. Out until at least early February
01/25/10	Milan Hejduk	RW	Knee	IR. Out until at least early March
11/30/09	David Jones	RW	Knee	IR. Out until at least late March
02/01/10	Matt Hendricks	C	Ankle	IR. Out indefinitely
02/01/10	Ryan Stoa	C	Shoulder	IR. Might be out for the season

Updated	Player	Pos	Injury	Expected Return
02/02/10	Wade Belak	RW	Foot	Questionable for Feb. 4 vs. Colorado
02/03/10	Cody Franson	D	Ribs	Out until at least early March

By The Numbers

Colorado Avalanche 31-18-6

Nashville Predators 30-21-4

SCORING
156	Goals	147
276	Assists	245
432	Points	392
39	Power Play Goals	30
7	Short-Handed Goals	5
GOALIES/PENALTIES
2.49	GAA	2.71
.921	Saves %	.906
6	Shutouts	4
732	PIM	494

Coat Check: Blue Jackets at Avalanche

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Columbus Blue Jackets (22-16-9, 55pts) @ Colorado Avalanche (30-18-6, 66pts)

Season Series

Date	Location	Results
Dec 5		3-2
Dec 19		5-2
Jan 2		3-2

What’s the Big Deal?

For Colorado, you wonder if they think anything is a big deal. Well, that’s the way they’ve treated the last three games, nothing but not caring. Colorado has been outscored 7-3 in that span. Craig Anderson has played his worst two game stretch since November, and now the Avs have a massive distraction. John-Micheal Liles, who has 9 points in his last 10 games has been benched yet again. Have we seen the last of JML in an Avs uniform?

Columbus is another team with a ton of problems. After their first playoff appearance in team history, things haven’t exactly gone the way of the Jacket this season. Steve Mason, after a Calder campaign last season, is  in a sophomore jinx, and has allowed four goals in four of his last five campaigns. Rick Nash seems to be one of the few bright spots for the Jackets, with 51 points on the season.

Goalie Probables

Steve Mason (13-18-6 3.28 GAA 2 SO)

Craig Anderson (26-14-5 2.46 GAA 5 SO)

Injuries

Updated	Player	Pos	Injury	Expected Return
12/31/09	Rostislav Klesla	D	Leg	IR. Out until at least early February
02/01/10	Mike Commodore	D	Hip	Doubtful for Feb. 2 at Colorado
01/30/10	Kristian Huselius	LW	Flu	Questionable for Feb. 2 at Colorado
01/30/10	Milan Jurcina	D	Flu	Questionable for Feb. 2 at Colorado
01/30/10	Anton Stralman	D	Flu	Questionable for Feb. 2 at Colorado

Updated	Player	Pos	Injury	Expected Return
02/01/10	Ruslan Salei	D	Back	IR. Out until at least early February
01/25/10	Milan Hejduk	RW	Knee	IR. Out until at least early March
11/30/09	David Jones	RW	Knee	IR. Out until at least late March
02/01/10	Matt Hendricks	C	Ankle	IR. Out indefinitely
02/01/10	Ryan Stoa	C	Shoulder	IR. Might be out for the season
01/31/10	Marek Svatos	RW	Chest	Out indefinitely

By the Numbers

Columbus Blue Jackets 22-26-9

Colorado Avalanche 30-18-6

SCORING
147	Goals	151
266	Assists	269
413	Points	420
43	Power Play Goals	39
4	Short-Handed Goals	5
GOALIES/PENALTIES
3.11	GAA	2.51
.894	Saves %	.920
4	Shutouts	6
758	PIM	720

Broken Down (no more predictions)

Colorado will look to go for the sweep tonight against a struggling Blue Jackets team. If the Avs don’t want to hand the division over to the Canucks, this is one of those games that has to be won. The Avs are going to get very few scheduling breaks from here on out, and they have to win the easy ones.

*EDIT: Since this posting, it has been announced that Mathieu Garon is the starter tonight, not Mason.

If I Were Avs Coach…

The locker room would sound something like this right about now…

Dear Avs

This is how I feel after that loss

Home with the Range: Rangers at Avalanche

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New York Rangers (24-24-7, 55 pts) @ Colorado Avalanche (30-17-6, 66pts)

What’s the Big Deal?

The last time the Rangers and Avalanche met, the Rangers snapped an eight year losing streak against Colorado. Now, both clubs are in the beginning of their rebuilds.  The Rangers are struggling on offense, scoring only five goals during their six game losing streak. Two of those five came last night in a loss to Phoenix.

On the other side of the coin, the last time the Avs lost to the Rangers in Denver was way back in 1998. After winning six in a row for the first time in 2 years, Colorado has looked lackluster in the last two games, scoring only 2 goals, while giving up four. The Avs will spend a lot of time in Denver until the Olympic break, with six of their next seven at the friendly confines.

Goaltending Probables

Chad Johnson (0-2-1 2.71 GAA)

Craig Anderson (26-13-5, 2.45 GAA 5 SO)

Injuries

Updated	Player	Pos	Injury	Expected Return
01/31/10	Henrik Lundqvist	G	Stomach flu	Questionable for Jan. 31 at Colorado

Updated	Player	Pos	Injury	Expected Return
01/25/10	Milan Hejduk	RW	Knee	IR. Out until at least early March
11/30/09	David Jones	RW	Knee	IR. Out until at least late March
12/28/09	Ruslan Salei	D	Back	IR. Out until at least late January
01/22/10	Matt Hendricks	C	Ankle	IR. Out until at least late January
01/30/10	Marek Svatos	RW	Chest	Questionable for Jan. 31 vs. N.Y. Rangers

By the Numbers

New York Rangers 24-24-7

Colorado Avalanche 30-17-6

SCORING
138	Goals	150
237	Assists	267
375	Points	417
36	Power Play Goals	39
5	Short-Handed Goals	5
GOALIES/PENALTIES
2.70	GAA	2.51
.908	Saves %	.921
3	Shutouts	6
777	PIM	703

Infamous Prediction

After two straight losses, the Avs are going to come out and play lights out. Meanwhile the Rangers are down, and dog tired. This has blowout written all over it.

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