It’s a good time to be a Colorado sports fan – Saturday, Ubaldo Jimenez mowed down the Braves with the first no-hitter in Rockies history. Then on Sunday, the Sharks peppered the “Ninja Yeti” Craig Anderson with 51 shots, and Andy stopped each of them on his way to a 1-0 overtime shutout in Game Three of the first round playoff series.
For the Avalanche faithful who watched Andy carry this team from the season’s opener versus these Sharks at Pepsi Center (a 5-2 win) all the way to a playoff birth, through two epic games in San Jose, and back to Pepsi Center for a crucial Game 3 win, Craig Anderson has come full circle.
The baby Avalanche grew playoff brass in San Jose, taking the big boys to task and stealing home ice from the playoff-challenged Sharks. Now the series heads back to Pepsi Center. The house that Joe built. The land of Roy. Peter’s playground. The Can has a history that San Jose can only dream of… Championship history.
The Avalanche blocked shots, scrapped mightily for pucks, matched the physical Sharks hit-for-hit all game long, and rolled their 3rd & 4th lines with the same regularity as their 1st & 2nd lines, especially in the first half of the game. Only 4 of 18 Colorado players failed to log a shot through this total team effort.
The top-seeded Sharks play incredibly well in San Jose, and the Colorado Avalanche will need to find a way to win a close game at the Shark Tank to steal the series. For all the Sharks’ regular season success in San Jose, playoff demons lurk there as well…
The Vancouver Canucks matched the Colorado Avalanche goal-for-goal through three periods of hockey Tuesday night. But it was the Avalanche fighting for their playoff lives, and Colorado brought the fight to the Canucks’ doorstep early and often.
The Avalanche had their chances, moving the puck well, attacking with speed through the Neutral Zone, and generally controlling the flow of play. However, Colorado simply failed to convert good scoring chances into goals throughout the game.
What it comes down to, is that the Avalanche need somebody, anybody to force this team forward ahead of Calgary’s charge. Otherwise, it’s going to be a long offseason for the Colorado hockey faithful.
There are some players who are elites and some player who are merely good. The difference between them is when the season comes to its end, the good player maintain while the elites raise their game. I’ve yet to see Anderson raise his game.
The Avalanche are as dangerous as any team in the league playing from behind. The Coyotes maintained an excellent flow from shift to shift right up to the closing minute of the 2nd Period, but Colorado never quieted down. The Avs continued to fight hard and that transitioned to good Offensive Zone possessions.
