:: Avalanche 3, Panthers 0 ::
Craig Anderson served up the perfect plate of revenge against his former team, as he made 27 saves to lead the Avalanche to a 3-0 victory over the Panthers at Pepsi Center on Thursday night. It was his seventh shutout of the season, which also ties him with former teammate Tomas Vokoun for first in the league.
The Avalanche Guild will be hosting a LIVE GAME CHAT on Sunday afternoon when the Avalanche take on the Dallas Stars. If you are part of the Blogger Network and would like to be a panelist, contact us now!
Some really good content was posted at ALL THINGS AVS after the game, including video interviews with Craig Anderson and Matt Hendricks.
Hendricks, who scored on a partial breakaway with a few minutes left in the game to seal the victory, has come back from an injury and the Olympics break with some much-needed energy for the Avalanche. THE DENVER POST did an excellent fan ‘Q & A’ profiler on him today, so be sure to check that out.
David over at MILE HIGH HOCKEY handled their game recap, Matt over at THE BURGUNDY BLOG did the same and THE AVALANGELIST has a surprising Face Palm of the Game.
HOCKEYISM was inside Pepsi Center and had a brief comment on the game, from a fan’s perspective. ANYONE BUT DETROIT posted their thoughts on the win and weighed in on Kyle Quincey being a healthy scratch.
One final note – Ryan Stoa was sent back down to Lake Erie today, meaning Kevin Porter played well enough against Florida to warrant more minutes in the lineup. Check out Jori’s latest Signing Board at AVALANCHE PROSPECTS and get caught up on the baby Yeti’s!
Last night was one of the rare home games The Avalanche Guild had off, so I was excited to watch this game from home on HD. I was fairly impressed with a number of different aspects of this game, but I focused mainly on Craig Anderson and Kevin Porter.
My scouting notes this season, for the most part, point out numerous flaws related to Anderson’s rebound control and puck placement/movement. Of course it doesn’t take anything away from his accomplishments this season, but it’s sheerly something a scout notices technically. Since the Olympic break ended, however, Anderson’s technique has been sharper than at any other point in the season.
Not only is he staying upright and on his knees more than usual, but that’s also allowing him to control hard shots a lot better. His absorption rate is going up. By that I mean he’s not just blocking shots, he’s saving them, holding onto them and not giving up any second or third chances. The glove hand is really active right now and he’s coming up with more of those timely, desperation saves.
Porter was clearly nervous in his first game, even hesitant at times, but extremely aware positionally, which is always the main focus of a player’s first NHL game. They don’t want to be a defensive liability or make mistakes, so Porter was very conscious of his surroundings when he had the puck. He has good size and brings a physical presence to the lineup and because he was defensively sound, he’ll get a nice little star next to his name in Joe Sacco’s book.
