Who the heck is Peter Meuller? Has anybody seen Wojtek today?

So let’s address the elephant in the room; Wojtek Wolski for Peter Mueller and Kevin Porter.

The real trade is Wolski for Mueller, Porter is a toss in.  The trade in and of itself makes sense; young Center playing left wing for young Center playing left wing.  The Avalanche get the younger one, the Ducks get the more proven one.  Neither player has quite panned out, so maybe a change of scenery will help both.   Here’s the issue I see…

The Avalanche just gave up their only decent left wing for a player who’s not as good yet.  This is a long-term trade, which says to me that the Avalanche front office and/or coaching staff think this team needs more developing before they can win the big one.  It’s a bitter theory, I know, but it’s the only way everything fits.

The other half of Colorado’s trade deadline movement was fine: a prospect for a prospect & penalty killer.  The Avalanche made that trade with Carolina (in one of the first of many salary dumps in this new capped league).  There will be something satisfying in seeing Stephane Yelle playing in Avalanche burgundy again.

1^st Period.

Paul Stastny’s line gets the opening face off.  The way it should be.

First look at Peter Mueller:  Found himself in a good place on the ice when Matt Duchene won a work-in battle, then took a poor shot and sent it too high.  Wolski definitely takes a better shot, but probably isn’t aggressive enough to chase Duchene into the zone for the play.  Current Trade Advantage: it’s a tie.

Paul Stastny Holds the stick of Cory Perry 2:00 Minute Penalty.

1^st Five Minutes are slightly favoring the play of Anaheim.  The penalty helps them, but it’s mostly just slow, cautious play by both teams.

No later than I type that the Duck are playing cautious than they pull off two very risky passes and put a wrap-around shot and then a rebound try on Craig Anderson.  Anderson saw the wrap-around coming, and he’s tough to move when he sees a shot and gets set.  Great save.

Avs gave up the one rush I mentioned, and then spent a lot of time at center ice.  Young Peter Mueller even got his first shot as an Av.  Nice Kill.

Avalanche give the Ducks an extended pressure with two Defensive Zone turnovers.  The Avalanche are playing terrible in the Defensive Zone at even strength.

2^nd Five Minutes is all Anaheim, due just as much to miscues by the Avalanche as solid play by Anaheim.  Anaheim stepped up the tempo at the perfect time to catch the Avalanche sleeping and earned two shots while the Avalanche handed two more shots to the Ducks with poor puck handling.

Avalanche put together a good rush up the middle that forces a Hooking Penalty by Brett Festerling 2:00 Minute Penalty

Well that was a boring Power Play.  Colorado registered zero shots, and the best chance came on a shot wide by Anaheim after a turnover at center ice.  Kill.

Cody McLoud gets nabbed on a bad penalty.  Just got his stick wrapped underneath a Duck’s armpit against the boards.  2:00 Minute Penalty.

3^rd Five Minutes leans toward Anaheim again.  They are simply outskating the Avalanche in the open ice.  I wonder if the extra two days off after the Olympics are helping the Ducks’ Olympians.

Ducks somehow get a three-on-one breakaway.  Great save Anderson.

Jason Blake all alone left side behind Anderson.  Wrap-around near side.  I don’t know how he got underneath Anderson’s pad but he did.  PP Goal, Anaheim 1-0. Colorado had decent position on the play.  Craig has to make that save.

Ryan Carter and Darcy Tucker trade some roughing penalties.  2:00 Minutes Four on Four.

The Ducks have full control of the action right now, but aren’t really taking control of the game.  They are more just pushing the puck around and letting the Avalanche chase.  Some good news though; the open ice because of the four-on-four finds the Avalanche skating better.

Final Five Minutes are pretty evenly played, minus the PP Goal.  I got the sense that something had changed after the goal was scored.  I couldn’t tell if the Duck let up a little or if the Avalanche picked it up a little, or both.  But the Avalanche are skating better.

End Period.

Take away one bad penalty by McLoud and the Avalanche are probably in a 0-0 tie right now, but dems the breaks.

Peter Mueller hasn’t distinguished himself yet, but shows promise.

The Avalanche ,more than anything, need to find some energy.  I don’t know why a team with 17 players who got 2 weeks off is having trouble with energy, but that’s the problem right now.

2^nd Period.

The Avalanche are playing awfully cautiously for a team that’s down by a goal.  More than a few passes backward in the Neutral zone, and a couple dumps in the zone for some line changes.

Adam Foote has his stick break at the point, gives up a breakaway to Bobby Ryan.  Ryan goes wrist shot from 15 feet to the glove side.  Andy remains calm and makes the save.

Neutral Zone turnover gives the puck to Saku Koivu on the left side boards with the Ducks in better position.  Koivu works in and passes to Blake in the Left circle.  John-Michael Liles lays out but can’t stretch quite far enough.  Blake to Teemu Selanne on the right side and Andy had no shot.  Goal Anaheim 2-0. Refs missed two Anaheim players waaaaaaay offside on the entry into Colorado’s zone.

1^st Five Minutes belong to the Duck again.  Though the game is beginning to tighten up.  This is the second game in a row the Avalanche have started slowly and will need to overcome a deficit.  Maybe they’ll finish the comeback this time.

Matt Hendricks works it in on the left side boards against Sheldon Brookbank.  A failed stick check gives up defensive position and draw a slash. 2:00 Minute Penalty.

Duchene ends up with the puck off the opening faceoff, drives right side, dishes to Stastny down low, Jonas Hiller must go to the ice to stop Stastny, pass along to Chris Stewart, wide open net goal. PP Goal Anahiem 2-1 Smart puck movement by the Avs, pretty play.

2^nd Five Minutes is the first solid chunk of the game the Avalanche were playing the better brand of hockey.  They could still use a bit more energy, but great puck movement especially in the Neutral Zone.

Kyle Chipcurra and Ryan Wilson meet head behind the net.  Chippurra wanted to fight, Wilson was having none of it.  Chippurra dropped the gloves, Wilson skated away.  Enter Matt Hendricks, and Chippurra gets his fight, 5 minutes for him and Hendricks.

The Avalanche have taken control of the game now, but Hiller is still an elite goaltender.  Highway robbery on Duchene right in front of the net.

The Ducks ice the puck, Mike Brown decides to put Ruslan Salei into the boards for making the icing official.  2:00 Minute Penalty for Roughing

3^rd Five Minutes have the Avalanche looking like they plan on winning this game.  They dominate the play entirely in the Neutral zone and are getting some good chances.

Clear attempt by the Ducks on the power play.  Liles lays out and this time it works, brilliant Keep in.  Mueller puts in on net and Stastny tips it down.  Goal Tied 2-2. Mueller has a decent shot from the point and Stastny is a threat to score at any time, but this goal belongs to a diving Liles keeping the play alive at the blue line.

Crazy little play in front Anderson: no one could get a handle on the puck and in the chaos Anaheim’s Blake hooks somebody.  I don’t know, I didn’t see it, but there certainly was a lot of contact and a lot of sticks moving bodies.  2:00 Minute Penalty.

Avs are showing signs of taking their foot off the pedal.  They’ve move the free skater on the PP back to the line.  Maybe they are content to come out a short PP in the 3^rd period, maybe they feel confident about the game overall and just want to kill the period.  But you can’t let Anaheim get any momentum back.

Final Five Minutes feature a solid goal-scoring PP by the Avalanche, and the first half of a (so-far) weak PP by the Avs.  Anaheim is skating with a bit more fire after giving up the lead.  The Avalanche need to realize the gamble they take by letting this Ducks team find their legs again.

End Period Tied 2-2

Right up until the second Anaheim goal, the Duck were playing worse and worse while the Avalanche were playing better and better.   But now that the Avalanche have tied it, Anaheim is showing signs of life while the Avalanche are regressing.   If things continue as they are, it will be very close.

The Avalanche need to focus on the things that got them back into the game to put this thing away.   Press the issue in the Neutral Zone and good puck movement in the Offensive Zone.    Defensively, Colorado still looks pretty good.

3^rd Period.

First good chance of the 3^rd is Anaheim’s; wrap-around left to right, Andy dives across the crease to make a fingertip save.  It could be a game-changing save.

Avs and Ducks trading 20-30 second pressures on each other with no shots.

Stewart works in right side all alone on Steve Eminger of the Ducks.  Eminger is simply no match for Stewart one-on-one and get his stick tangled up in the Stewarts legs going for the puck. 2:00 Minute Penalty.

Anaheim wins the faceoff and Mueller trying to get back in front of Todd Marchant gets his stick underneath Marchant’s skate.  2:00 Minute Penalty. Four-on-four play coming up.

Anaheim is skating much better in the open ice now.  The Avalanche look lost in the Neutral Zone.

1^st Five Minutes are slightly favoring Anaheim again.  To the Avalanche’s credit they are restricting Anaheim’s shooting chances.

Avs get a lucky bounce and get a two-on-one. Matt Duchene takes the shot himself and on the rebound Eminger put the puck over the glass for a delay of game.  Bad Penalty.  2:00 Minute Penalty.

Paul Stastny and Chris Stewart with some nice movement through the Neutral Zone work the puck in, Stewart shot saved, Duchene picked up the rebound and finishes what he started.  Stewie skates right to left in front through traffic, Goal Avalanche 3-2. First lead of the game.

70 seconds later Galiardi picks off a drop pass, shoots, saved, rebound, score.  Goal 4-2 Avs Avalanche have taken control.

2^nd Five Minutes are the Avalanche victory minutes.  Two goals.

Chris Durno pretty blatant Holding the Stick on Scott Neidermeyer.  2:00 Minute Penalty

Avs playing solid Penatly Kill, the puck is spending most of the time along the boards.

As the PP expires, Salei puts his stick into Blakes head and draws blood.  4:00 Minute Penalty. Nice Kill but now the Avalanche have to play 6 straight minutes man down.

3^rd Five Minutes belong to the Ducks.  That’s what happens when you give up three penalties.

Anaheim is throwing everything at the net.  They know that, down two goals, this is it.  Andy is having the type of game the Avalanche needed him to have.

Halfway through the double-minor, Neidermeyer drives the red line from the right side, just throws the puck out in front and it deflects in off Scott Hannan’s skate.  Goal 4-3 Avs. Ducks want to make a game of it.

Avs predictably playing trap down the stretch, nothing quite like the victory defense.

Hiller is gone with 1:11 to go in the game.

Final Five Minutes of the game, Ducks understandably pressing the action but can’t mount the amazing comeback.

End Game.  Avalanche Defeat Ducks 4-3.

This game was decided on two factors.

1. When you’re goaltender is hot, you win.  Craig stood on his head tonight.  Two of the goals he could do nothing about and the third was a PP goal on a pretty bad penalty.

2. It doesn’t matter who plays better longer, it matters who makes it count.  The Ducks were in control for most of the game, but they couldn’t get the puck in the net.  The Avalanche played a slow game by their standards, but when they had momentum they made the Ducks pay.

Congrats to Mueller on his first Avalanche goal.  (Apparently, I think Stastny tipped it, but for now Mueller has the Goal.)  I saw promise when Mueller jumped up into plays well, and he didn’t make any mistakes.  So far the trade looks good.

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