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The dreaded All-Star break is here.
At least is dreaded by the Avs. They tend not to fare very well after the break. Not that they were so awesome before it. The Avs manage to lose another "four points" game, against a close rival to that final playoff spot. Because that's what the Avs' fans are hoping for now. A lousy 8th place for what would probably be a very short playoff appearance.
Is this what the former proud organization is reduced to now? And don't give me the crap about the cap era and how teams have to adapt. First of all, the cap era is going on for a while now. Second of all, how come that the Redwings still matter in this league? How come they don't have "growing pains"? And to add some salt on our wounds, the PA system happily plays "Detroit Rock City in the Can.
Robert Ciubotaru, Romania, eurolanche@eurolanche.com
27/01/2012 - 08:00
All-Star Break Thoughts
The dreaded All-Star break is here.At least is dreaded by the Avs. They tend not to fare very well after the break. Not that they were so awesome before it. The Avs manage to lose another "four points" game, against a close rival to that final playoff spot. Because that's what the Avs' fans are hoping for now. A lousy 8th place for what would probably be a very short playoff appearance.
Is this what the former proud organization is reduced to now? And don't give me the crap about the cap era and how teams have to adapt. First of all, the cap era is going on for a while now. Second of all, how come that the Redwings still matter in this league? How come they don't have "growing pains"? And to add some salt on our wounds, the PA system happily plays "Detroit Rock City in the Can.
The main subject is a team that lost its two best young stars, Duchene and O'Reilly. Duchene is not skating coming into his fourth week of absence and Ryan is out with "illness", whatever that may be. So it's really no wonder that the Wild beat them last night. Especially considering that poor defensive game they had. A huge amount of turnovers leading to too many breakaways for the Wild. On Heatley goal, for example, not one, but two Minnesota players had their chance to shoot on Jiggy's net without anyone being close to them.
So you can't fault the goalie when both D-men are playing offense.
So you can't fault the goalie when both D-men are playing offense.
Now, the goalie situation is another thing. I get it that Sacco is desperate, because missing the playoffs would almost certainly mean he won't get another contract in Denver, but riding the not-so-young Giguere in the last three games, including back to back, is not very smart. I bet seeing Jiggy in net makes Sherman sweat a bit. After all, he's the one that paid so much for what is now a backup. If only Kroenke would care about the Avs just a little bit. Alas, he doesn't so we have to settle with "Greg from Accounting" and "Scratcho". The great nicknames come from the Avs' forum, I'm not that creative.
I was thinking while watching the Avs play how some "experts" say that if you don't hear a defender's name in a game, he's doing a good job. You can argue the opposite is not true for guys on offense. And I didn't hear Stastny's and Hejduk's names as much as I wanted. What I heard quite often in the last few games is "Galiardi". Heck, I even heard "McLeod" quite often. And I'm happy they are doing their job right, as do Winnik or McClement.
But the big names aren't doing it and when you're missing big pieces, like Matty and Factor, you need production from the other top forwards. But the Avs don't get it so now they slipped into the ninth place, which is a little misleading, because three teams behind them have games in hand and can catch up. So the ninth place can become the 12th without the Avs losing another game! Not a very nice perspective. But maybe, just maybe the break will help them heal and rest, especially since no Avs was voted for the All-Star Game. And maybe the coaching staff will figure out a way to use the players to their maximum potential, as much as that is.
But the big names aren't doing it and when you're missing big pieces, like Matty and Factor, you need production from the other top forwards. But the Avs don't get it so now they slipped into the ninth place, which is a little misleading, because three teams behind them have games in hand and can catch up. So the ninth place can become the 12th without the Avs losing another game! Not a very nice perspective. But maybe, just maybe the break will help them heal and rest, especially since no Avs was voted for the All-Star Game. And maybe the coaching staff will figure out a way to use the players to their maximum potential, as much as that is.
Robert Ciubotaru, Romania, eurolanche@eurolanche.com
27/01/2012 - 08:00
