Avalanche vs Wild: Oh, the Horror!

Well, the first half of the Colorado Avalanche vs Minnesota Wild looked excellent. The Avalanche were dominating the game and hitting Wild players like they were born to do it.

Then, as Patrick Roy pointed out, Minnesota scored a second goal, the momentum shifted in their direction, and the next thing you know Wild left wing Zach Parise is earning a hat trick. Everything that had been going right in the game was suddenly going horribly wrong.

It was all so reminiscent of last season, when the Avalanche could not play a full 60 minutes.

I’m not going to spend a lot of time bashing the Colorado Avalanche. They’re my team, and I’ll love them forever. However, let’s look at a couple issues before we have a couple celebrations.

Turnovers and Possession

I love Matt Duchene, I really do. But Dutchy laid a couple goose eggs of turnovers, one of which resulted in one of Zach Parise’s seemingly endless stream of goals. Duchene’s so good at protecting the puck — I don’t know what his deal was last night.

He wasn’t the only culprit, of course. Tyson Barrie appears allergic to keeping the puck in the zone. I love me some Tyson, too, but seriously, kid.

Toward the end, Nathan MacKinnon let off a stinker, too, when he had possession of the puck right in front of the Wild net, and he turned it over to a Minnesota player. Ah, MacK, loves ya, bro, but that was a total stinker.

Again, these aren’t the only instances. There were lots. We all know the Avs aren’t great at puck possession. I really wish they’d find a way to work on that.

Speaking of things I wish Colorado would work on…

Faceoffs

Oh, the horror. The Colorado Avalanche couldn’t seem to win a faceoff to save their lives. Well, that’s overstating the matter. The official ratio is Minnesota Wild 55%, Colorado Avalanche 45%. However, watching the scoreboard most of the night, the Wild ran mostly at 60%.

The only Avalanche player with a winning faceoff percentage was Matt Duchene. He had an impressive 65%. Next for the Avalanche was John Mitchell with 47%, Nathan MacKinnon with 44% and Carl Soderberg with a dismal 20%.

I don’t know what’s up with that last one. Soderberg looked pretty weak out there. MacK… he was trying. He eventually resorted to powering through with his body, which sort of helped but… well. Moving on.

Momentum

The Avalanche gave it up. They let the Minnesota Wild off the ropes, and Minnesota made them pay.

I’d like to reiterate how strong the game started out for the Avalanche. They were literally dominating the ice. However, the Wild are known for being tenacious, and they kept at it even when the score was 4-1.

As head coach Patrick Roy pointed out, Colorado just couldn’t stop the Wild’s momentum. When asked why he didn’t take a time out, he pointed out two things. One, the team loses their chance at a coach’s challenge if they take a time out. Two, there were two quick TV time outs — it should have been enough.

Well, enough of that. Beyond how awesome the Colorado Avalanche looked for the first 45 minutes of the game, let’s celebrate a couple players who really brought it last night.

Francois Beauchemin

My mind is made up about him. I like defenseman Francois Beauchemin. He looked rock solid every single shift he was on the ice. He even earned three assists.

If there’s a player who can lead the Colorado Avalanche to Anaheim Ducks’-style of possession hockey, it’s Beauchie.

Blake Comeau

Winger Blake Comeau came here from Pittsburgh. Yet he seems to have an intrinsic hatred for the Minnesota Wild. He was hitting Wild players like he was playing Whack-a-Mole at the state fair.

Needless to say, I highly approve.

He’s only credited with two hits on the night, but, trust me, there were a lot more.

And… the Power Play

The Colorado Avalanche currently have a 100% conversion rate on the power play. Can I get a “Whoop-whoop!”?

Looks like some things have changed from last season.

So, Cinderella Rule, Avs Nation — we’re not allowed to wallow after midnight, and it’s definitely after midnight. So, let’s just remember Colorado Avalanche hockey is back. Let’s strap ourselves in and get ready for the ride.

Next: Top 5 Avalanche-Minnesota Fights

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