Wings Flutter Past Avs: Here Are Some Takeaways

Thumbs Up: The Start

The Colorado Avalanche really came out and set a tone early in the game. There was a buzz in the arena as Avalanche and Wings fans tried to vocally cement their dominance.

Cody McLeod and Jarome Iginla threw the body around, and the young lad, Nathan MacKinnon, dropped the gloves for his first career NHL fight.

Unfortunately for MacKinnon, he didn’t get the better of the joust. Unfortunately for the Avalanche, they didn’t come away with a lead after their best period of the night. A period that saw them outshoot the Evil Empire 12-5.

The Avalanche could have had the lead, thanks to a Gabriel Landeskog goal. The referees thought otherwise, and pulled the tally off the board. Nick Holden gloved a puck out of mid air down to his feet, and Kyle Quincey‘s skate directed the puck to the wheelhouse of Landeskog. Landy didn’t miss, but the refs waived it off due to a “hand pass.”

I thought the NHL missed the boat a little bit with the call. As a fan, I want to see goals. I can understand waiving off a goal if Holden made a blatant pass with his hand to Landy, but in this situation, that wasn’t the case. Especially considering Quincey’s skate significantly altered the course of the puck.

Thumbs Down: The Finish

I’ve heard a lot of people say that the Avalanche played a good game, and were robbed by a solid goaltending effort from Petr Mrazek.

I think that after the first period, the Avalanche weren’t very good. The Avs were on top of the Wings early with their skating and aggressive puck pressure. The rest of the way, the Wings were able to control the game with their superior puck possession. The Wings only had one giveaway on the night, compared to eight for the Avs.

The Avalanche just didn’t seem to be able to keep up and play that style of game. I don’t know what happened to the relentless aggression they displayed early in the game. The Avs should have kept coming at Detroit to get that goal they deserved in the first period. Perhaps they just don’t have the juice to play that way for a full 60 minutes. Or perhaps Detroit’s precise passing broke the will of the Avs.

I found it concerning that the Avalanche saw their shot total drop each period. Seven total shots in a third period when trailing isn’t how you earn your “comeback kids” moniker.

Thumbs Down: The Special Teams

Knock Knock. “Who’s there?” The Avalanche power play.

Joke Complete.

The Avalanche are too talented to have the 29th rated power play in the NHL. It’s a complete joke the way that unit has performed this season, especially lately.

Then you have the Wings who are able to pass the puck around, and more importantly, penetrate the defensive shell of the Avalanche. The major difference between the units is the ability to break down the defense, and get the puck to the scoring areas.

I re-watched all of the power plays from last night, and the Avalanche generally play a three-man game near the blue line. They pass back and forth with those three guys, while the other two players are down low. The Avalanche rarely get the puck deep, or try to pass through the Wings defensive structure.

The Wings on the other hand ran circles around the Avalanche.

The Wings were also aided by a major faux pas by Nathan Guenin on the lone legit goal of the game. Justin Abdelkader was allowed to waltz directly to the front of the net, while Guenin just watched.

Here’s my thought process on that play. Nate Guenin needs to take out the guy in front of the net. That has to be his responsibility, and he can’t let it be that easy for Abdelgoobner. Instead Guenin sits in no-man’s-land, and has a front row seat for the goal. You can try and justify Guenin for trying to take away the backside pass. Fine. I still 100% think Guenin’s first priority is to take out the guy in front. Blow him up. Get your stick in there. DO SOMETHING. Nate Guenin needs to be in that picture above. That’s the hockey sense he needs to have.

It’s hard for Abdelkader to make that pass if you put him on his ass.

If the Avs are getting burned backside, then Roy needs to adjust his systems. A forward needs to track back with the defenseman that pinches. That’s not on Guenin. Watching a guy walk right in front, and have an uncontested point blank shot on Varly. That is on Guenin. Guenin is in the lineup to be a boss in front of the net, and wreck faces for going there. Please do that Nate.

Thumbs Up: Stefan Elliott

A very solid debut for Elliott. I thought he was in position all night, and moved the puck well. I would love to see Elliott get another shot for the Avalanche, especially against the Wild.

Minnesota has given the Avalanche fits with their ability to pin the Avs with a strong forecheck. Elliott’s passing and skating ability seem primed to bust that strategy for the Wild.

Thumbs Down: The Goalie Pull

You look like a genius when it works, and look like a fool when it doesn’t. Roy was extremely aggressive, yanking Varlamov with over three minutes to go in the game, despite the Avs needing a single goal to tie.

I’m not going to criticize, because the Avalanche had scored 4 goals in the previous 5 times they had the goaltender pulled.

Tonight, lady luck wasn’t on their side. More importantly, Erik Johnson and Tyson Barrie weren’t on their side. I love the aggression from Roy, but when your top two puck handling defenseman are out of the lineup, it puts a lot of pressure on the other defenseman to pull the goalie that early.

I thought that pressure showed. The Avs seemed disjointed on the back end, which allowed Detroit to quickly put the game on ice with an empty-netter.

Next: MacKinnon drops the gloves!