:: Avalanche 5, Blues 3 ::
In a similar fashion to Sunday’s 5-3 win over Dallas, the Colorado Avalanche scored a huge power play goal and got timely goaltending in the third period to steal two points from the Blues on Tuesday night in St. Louis. Peter Budaj made his first start since Jan. 8, and in just his ninth game of the season, made 28 saves for the win.
The Avalanche flew home right after the game and will host the Calgary Flames Wednesday at Pepsi Center at 7:00pm.
The DENVER POST has an official game recap by Adrian Dater, while Marc Moser from ALTITUDE RADIO NETWORK checks in with the station’s post-game highlights.
David over at MILE HIGH HOCKEY points out the hilarity behind another Avalanche win that, well, wasn’t really earned and so does Sean from ANYONE BUT DETROIT. THE AVALANGELIST took a liking to the second line but made Budaj pay for his gaffe eight seconds into the game.
Despite Peter Mueller’s exceptional play and his potency on the power play with John-Michael Liles, there’s still some trade skepticism lurking out there. Check out REAL DENVER SPORTS and get Scott’s thoughts on Mueller’s future in Colorado.
With this being Peter Budaj’s first game in months, I played close attention to his performance tonight. I thought he showed some good mental toughness in this game, but the rebound control is still not improving. But to be perfectly honest, I can’t blame him. A goaltender needs NHL games in order to improve technique and puck management. Practices help, but nothing works as effectively as true NHL minutes.
Regardless of his technical issues in the game, he battled hard and relied on his great work ethic to make it through a 60-minute game without giving up a costly goal. It was a big two points for him and the team, but during the post-game interview with Peter McNab, Budaj had a frustrated and somewhat unhappy demeanor. He could have been better, but at least he was more effective than Chris Mason.
It might not be Budaj’s last game as an Avalanche, but I think this game went a long way in showing the organization that he’s not developing as a prospect. He’s a decent backup goaltender, but not worth re-signing when Tyler Weiman is developing at a much faster rate, mainly due to the fact he’s playing almost every game for Lake Erie.
Simply put, a goalie needs to play in order to grow. And with Budaj rarely playing, his ability to develop has been slowed down to almost a standstill. Weiman, on the other hand, continues to develop at a good click and it will probably once again be proven in training camp.
