To get to this point, the Jets scored a kinda fluky, kinda Jonny-on-the-spot Ladd goal to take the lead. Quick to respond was a flying Jan Hejda up the wing with a brilliant pass to a wide open Matt Duchene for a tap in roofer.
Yes, you read that correctly. Jan Hejda with speed.
Yes, you read that correctly. Jan Hejda with speed.
Then the two captains squared off in what may have been the best fight of the year, probably for both teams. Ladd and Landeskog exchanged flurries of blows until Landeskog eventually took Ladd down to the ice.
Shortly thereafter, the Jets scored a powerplay goal when Jan Hejda (again) with the diving effort, slowed the puck just enough for Postma to have the perfect one timer to take the lead 2-1 Jets.
Enter the third, and disaster strikes the heart of Avs fans as a turnover from the foreign rookie line sets up Mark Scheifele for an absolute snipe past Pickard to go up 3-1.
With the clock winding down, Matt Duchene fed an incredible 30 foot pass to Tanguay, and let him do his magic. Tanguay walks in, set a perfect pass as usual to Iginla who ripped a wrister past Pavelec to make it interesting at 3-2. Then with 3 minutes to go, Landeskog tosses a nice shot on net, and O'Reilly earns his paycheque driving the net for the rebound to bring it into overtime. OT was back and forth like mad, both teams having some outstanding looks but unable to take the win.
Then the shootout came.
I'm not even going to describe the absolute filth both Nathan MacKinnon and Matt Duchene rained down upon Pavelec to seal the deal for the Avs. Calvin Pickard looked great in shootout to earn the much deserved W for the boys.
Calvin Pickard was outstanding for the team once again. The kid never gives up on the play, and he has outstanding net presence facing every single shot head on. In my opinion, I say he gives Varly a run for the co-lead in net. Roy says he needs to play a lot to get better. He has payed his dues in the AHL, and he's playing lights out right now. I mean, 25/30 starts each for Varly and Pickard could spark the miracle that the Avs need if they want to push for a wildcard spot. Both would be rested and ready to shine every time they play. That's just me though, I think it'd be interesting to see.
The top lines really stepped up when called upon, but we still need to find the groove to become a 60-minute team. Silly lapses in puck handling and poor defensive presence cost us 2 goals, but they wouldn't have happened if it weren't for the asshat refs again. Two completely soft penalties led to their 2 PP goals. We need better ref. standards.
Tonight the Avs take on the Blues, in yet another pivotal 3 point Central Division game. If we want to get a streak going, it'll take a full team effort.
By: Brian
By: Brian
No comments:
Post a Comment