Sorry about the lack of weekend recaps...I was scratched due to illness. Key points:
1. So we know Comrie can fight...if we can just get him to start scoring goals. 2. Steiggy and Errey were in rare form. The money quote was Steiggy, "Sometimes I see things that aren't even there!" Honestly, I really don't mind them. At least they're entertaining. I had the misfortune of having to watch FSN Detroit the other night when the Avs played the Wings. If I ever have to watch their broadcast again, the mute will be on the whole time. 3. The Pens played very well for most of the game. They HAD this win. Everyone was playing with confidence, the defense was clicking...and then Michalek, as Seth from Empty Netters said, "forgot how to skate". 4. How big was Lundqvist? If he would have gotten a shutout, he would have deserved it. Stupid move breaking his stick and chucking it down the ice though. The Rangers' defense also played very well. 5. I like Chris Connor more and more every game. He's fast, and he's a good pairing with Test Tube and Kennedy. I can't wait to see more of this line once Kennedy is back in the lineup. 6. I don't even get excited about the power play anymore. At least it's more organized than the Avs' penalty kill, which is probably one of the biggest disasters ever known to mankind. 7. This sums it up:
At least something went right: Avs 6, Blues 3
I didn't have a chance to watch this game, but it looks like John-Michael Liles is still tearing it up. 2 goals and an assist! Something of note from the highlights:
Duchene's first fight!
Well, let's just focus on kicking the Canucks' asses tomorrow night! Go Pens! Go Avs!
I was more awake watching this game than the one against the Preds, so I got a little bit better recap out of it. Once again though, I couldn't watch the FSN Pittsburgh broadcast, and had to watch FSN Midwest. Oh well, at least I got to see more Jack in the Box commercials. :-)
1. Welcome back Orpik! Also, we see Johnson in net again. Sorry Fleury, but I think that was a good decision by Bylsma.
2. Pietrangelo is frighteningly good. He was just all over the place. Every time he took the ice, I was scared. Ditto for Oshie.
3. The Blues played a very physical game, and their defense played very well.
4. With the exception of the Adams/Crombeen "fight", the first period was like watching a game of chess. A lot of strategy, but not a lot of action.
5. Second period brought more offense, and a great save on Oshie by Johnson.
6. I honestly thought that either Mike Rupp or Max deserved a goal this game. They both worked their asses off.
7. Does anyone know if Polak is OK? I hope he is...it's always scary to see a player run off down the runway with a trainer like that.
8. FSN Midwest was having some technical difficulties, so a lot of the second period was glitchy. I'm not a fan of the thing they have called the "Dirt Cheep shot of the game." Just going out and looking for any hit, just to be able to call it that is asinine.
9. And for Aubrey, I have the WTF media award: "Johnson's knob came up big twice."
Now for the shitstorm that was:
Avs 4, Kings 6
Ok, so it wasn't really a total shitstorm. The Avs played very well, as did the Kings.
1. Hey kids, it was Bernie's 1st birthday!
I think that the cutest mascot award goes to the Islanders though:
And here I thought they would have the fish stick guy as a mascot...
2. The first goal of the game was scored by Poni...it didn't help that Andy lost his stick and had to use Radar's. Can't really blame Andy on that one.
3. After allowing the initial goal, the Avs went on an offensive tear. Great puck possession for once, and everyone was skating hard to the net.
4. Welcome back David Jones!
5. The Avs still need help when it comes to special teams. They allowed the worst power play in the game to score two goals, and also allowed yet ANOTHER short-handed. Surprisingly, they weren't the undisciplined team in this game, and Duchene managed to stay out of the box for once. At least our guys don't butt-end players in the junk (but more about that later).
6. John-Michael Liles gets his 10 millionth assist, tying the NHL record for consecutive games from the start of the season with an assist. Now all he needs is a goal. 10 assists already...the man is a beast. He also had his second NHL "fight", if you can call it that. He didn't get destroyed, and didn't break his hand...I think that's all we can ask for.
7. Hannan left the game with a head injury...just great.
9. And about halfway through the 3rd period, Wayne Simmonds pulls the dick move of the year, and butt-ends Galiardi in the balls with his stick. Galiardi is not one to drop easily, and I just knew when I saw him go down that it had to be something bad. Simmonds got a 5 minute major and game misconduct for it. I think this is the first time I have ever seen a butt-ending penalty called. This is what T.J. is good at though, he pisses everyone off enough so that they do something stupid. The man is a friggin tank, and came back later to finish the game. He just takes the punishment and keeps going about his business. That's one of the reasons he's my favorite Avs player, and one of my favorite players in the entire league. So, should Simmonds be suspended? I say no. He got his punishment, and it was a cheap shot, but I think for once, that the penalty fit the crime. It was a dick move though, and I'm relieved to see that Galiardi and his boys are OK.
Again, I am horribly late with this post. I'm on vacation from work this week, so hopefully that will help me stay caught up. Pens recap:
1. I honestly thought that Bylsma was going to continue starting Johnson until he lost. I was surprised to see Fleury in net.
2. Fleury looked shaky, but he hasn't played for a while, so I guess that's to be expected. Allowing a goal 53 seconds into the game was definitely not a good way to start. Kunitz was also to blame for that...he just seemed to wander away from who he was supposed to be covering.
3. I never realized how tall Pekka Rinne is. Apparently Nashville has an obsession with tall goalies, since their backup Lindbach is 6'6".
4. The penalty kill didn't look too bad, and the power play continues to thrive. The power play is just aggravating to watch...they'll seem like they're getting into a groove for a couple of games, and then just fall apart. Hopefully that doesn't happen this time around.
5. Tangradi continues to look good, and what else can be said about Test Tube? Yet another point this game. Dude is amazing!
6. Is it me, or does Sid seem like he's playing a little more aggressively this season? At the end of last season, it looked like he was beginning to, but it's becoming a little more evident this season. It's good to see.
7. Now that the Pens have Engelland, does Godard have a job? I think we'll see Godard traded at some point this year. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Godard, it's just that now we have an enforcer who is a more complete player in my opinion.
8. One thing I noticed about Fleury in this game was that he did seem a little more comfortable playing the puck. The pass he made to Sid was great!
9. How huge did Geno come up in this game? He was just on top of everything.
10. I was stuck listening to the FSN Tennessee broadcast for this game. Say what you will about Steigy and Errey, but they're way better than these guys. One good thing about watching the Tenn broadcast was this:
Jack in the Box has the best commercials. Too bad there aren't any anywhere near where I live. Or any in the state of Ohio at all for that matter.
11. Dupuis saved the day when he made that great play to clear the puck out of the crease on the one play.
Sorry for how sucky that recap was, but I was starting to fall asleep watching it. Now for the Avs:
Avs 2, Sharks 4
I was more excited to watch this game than the Pens. It ended up being a hell of a lot more entertaining.
1. Welcome back Brandon Yip!
2. Lots of back and forth action in this game. Neither team seemed to have the upper hand for too long, and both teams played very well.
3. Anderson is a beast. He looked confident for the most part in net, but then again, when doesn't he?
4. Good thing Sacco decided to dress 7 defensemen. Adam Foote left the game with a concussion. As far as I know, it is unknown when he will return to the lineup.
5. Kyle Cumiskey's skating ability never ceases to amaze me. He's a quick, strong skater. I'd even go so far as to say he skates like Pavel Bure.
6. All in all, the Avs still need a little bit of help when it comes to special teams. Taking so many penalties in the second period didn't help things.
7. The Sharks pretty much went into a defensive shell once they were up 3-1 going into the third period.
8. Congrats John-Michael Liles! He's the first Avs player to score in 7 straight games to start the season. He's also the first Avs defenseman to have a 7 game scoring streak. He played very well in the playoffs last year, and it's good to see that it carried over to this season.
9. The Avs can be irritating to watch sometimes. One minute, someone is making a beautiful, unreal pass, the next minute, a terrible turnover.
10. I call bullshit on the 4th Sharks goal. The puck clearly hit a Sharks player on the bench, and then ricocheted (that's not a fun word to spell) off of the linesman, resulting in a nasty bounce which resulted in a Sharks goal. It was a non-reviewable play. I think everything should be reviewable.
So there it is. Two games to recap again tonight. Have fun kids!
