The situation got a little more bleak for the Avalanche last night, who fell 1-0 to the Canucks, wrapping up a dismal season series with Vancouver in which the Avs went 0-5-1. I must say, last night’s game rests solely on one man’s shoulders: Cory Schneider. Vancouver’s backup goalie made 43 saves, some of which were very impressive, moving his record since Christmas to 11-1-1. Some backup, huh? If you follow Vancouver much, you’d know that there’s a debate amongst their fans about who should be the starter. While Roberto Luongo is incredibly talented, he tends to be like the San Diego Chargers and fall apart after winning the division (playoff time). We’ll see if that holds true this year.
Chris Higgins didn’t help, adding his 3rd goal against the Avalanche in their last 2 meetings. It was a shorthanded goal that came late in the first period. Unlike the dismal performance we saw against San Jose Monday night, the Avs played incredibly well last night, dominating the 1-on-1 battles, and consistently controlling the puck in their offensive zone. In the end, it just wasn’t meant to be. Win or lose against Calgary on Friday, the Avalanche will most likely be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs during their upcoming 5 day break which extends into next week, and so will the Flames. I’m predicting that between the 3, 7, and 8 seeds, Dallas, Los Angeles, and San Jose will make the final cut. Phoenix could sneak into the 8 spot, but the Avalanche and Flames are done.
3 comments
Manderson
March 29, 2012 at 12:37 PM (UTC -6) Link to this comment
This year it seems like every Nuggets game you watch, the opposing team makes 60+% of their 3′s. Likewise for the Avs with quality goaltending. With few exceptions, every night the Avs are playing a hot goalie. Aside from dismal defensive and goaltending performances at times, the offseason focus has also got to be generating quality scoring chances. Last I checked, shots on goal isn’t an overtime decider! We need to stop making backup goalies look like all-stars. Thanks for the comments!
Nugget One
March 29, 2012 at 10:46 AM (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I miss the Avs deep playoff runs….I am totally dating myself, but the teams from the late 90′s and early 2000′s were a blast to watch. Those playoff games were so intense! Guess I will just pop in a tape from 2001 and re-live the glory days with Bourque, Forsberg, and Roy……
Jcanoy3
March 29, 2012 at 10:31 AM (UTC -6) Link to this comment
15-0-2 in the last 17 against the Canucks !!!!!!!! No mater what happens next year this has to become a focus next year! Beat the people in your division, even if they only split with Vancouver this year they would be closer to a playoff spot, but no! For the first time in team history we’ve been swept by the Hated Canucks !!!!