Highlighted by former Avalanche defenseman Ken Klee, St. Louis Blues forward Derek Armstrong and the honorable NHL Hall of Famer Michel Goulet acting as the celebrity coach, The Hockey Guild’s third-annual celebrity charity game ended in a 13-12 victory for Team White.

There were a multitude of memorable moments during this game, all of which were perfectly captured by Janet Smith from Charlie’s Caps. Be sure to check out the game’s official photo gallery by clicking here!

For those of you interested in a DVD copy of the game, be sure to visit 5280 Sports and their video partner, Goalmaster28 Productions. They did an amazing job of capturing the excitement of the Championship Games earlier in the day and the entire Skate with the Stars experience as well.

Overall, the game was a wonderful way to cap off the third-annual Quest charity hockey festival and we appreciate everyone who helped make this possible, especially Ice Monkeys captain Bea Schneider, who personally hand-stitched almost every jersey used in this year’s game…during the tournament!

We also want to thank Reebok Hockey rep Geoff Dell for once again providing us with the awesome Reebok Edge jerseys and Outback Steakhouse for another succulent post-game celebrity meal!

I walked into Pepsi Center for Game 3 of the Avalanche-Sharks series fully expecting a good goaltending matchup. Boy was I wrong. It wasn’t a good matchup, it was downright historic.

Craig Anderson made 51 saves for the shutout, including 21 in both the second and third period alone, and Evgeni Nabokov stopped every scoring chance thrown his way in what was by far the most memorable hockey game and goaltending matchup I’ve witnessed live since the NHL Lockout ended.

So many things will be written about Anderson’s performance, including the lop-sided shot total of 51-16, the number of penalties he helped kill, the sheer quality and quantity of scoring chances against him and the fact that almost the entire third period was spent in his own zone.

Yes, all of those things are glorious morsels of information about one of the most dominant goaltending performances in Pepsi Center since Patrick Roy won the Stanley Cup in 2001. He was exhausted at times, he was lucky at times, but more often than not, he just simply executed to perfection. But few will talk about or explain the importance of his ability to stay composed throughout this game, mainly because it’s not something that can be quantified statistically.

The reason Anderson was so focused in this game was due to his aggressiveness and fierce focus. He established a presence very early in the game and never backed into his blue paint. No matter how much crease-crashing or screening or deflecting happened in front of his net, he never once relinquished his space.

Establishing a certain amount of healthy space in front of the net isn’t easy, especially against the Sharks, because it forces a goalie to exert energy and react. And when that happens, a goalie is mentally distracted and they are forced to do things that take their mind off the task at hand of stopping and tracking pucks.

On a number of occasions, Anderson would jab a Sharks player with his stick to keep them out of his crease, push back players with his gloves and most importantly, when bodies were battling against each other in his crease, he displayed maturity and focus by skating away from the nonsense. He stayed in his own personal bubble of perfection.

You hear so often about a goalie being in the zone and seeing the puck turn into the size of a beach ball. That’s so very true, and that perfect combination of rhythm and focus is often the difference between a shutout and one bad bounce or one goal against.

But Anderson’s performance in Game 3 was so much more than just the aligning of stars or the luck of pure timing. It was a masterful display of extremely high work ethic and composure. There were tons of hits, 15 Sharks power play shots against him, long periods of grueling movement and tracking in the zone and a lot of calls from the referees. Regardless, Anderson’s focus on stopping the puck and his ability to block everything else out of his mind was the reason why he had the energy to sustain the Sharks’ onslaught late in the third period. It was the most effective mental management of a playoff hockey game from an inexperienced playoff goalie that I may have ever seen.

So as you watch these glorious playoff games remember what composure means to a goaltender and learn what it looks like. Of all the endless topics and moments I could have discussed in this week’s School of Block, none is more important than composure because it’s a lesson in life that no person or player is exempt from learning.

Composure is passing up chances to draw an interference penalty. Composure is not taking liberties with players above your crease when their back is turned. Composure is staying in the net instead of trying to go out and make a risky poke check or pass. Composure is not reacting negatively to the referee when a questionable goal is scored. Composure is literally hiding all emotion and revealing stone-cold poise.

And most importantly, composure is the ability for a goalie to eliminate chances for the other team to gain confidence.

Because that’s the source of the struggle. The lack of consistent defensive effort is the biggest reason why they have continued to slide down a slippery rope and almost lose their grip on a Western Conference playoff spot.

Many fans, friends and scouting cohorts have been asking me if the main reason for the 6-8-1 record in March was due to Craig Anderson being tired. They ask me if the reason the Avs are giving up more goals than usual is because he’s simply wearing down, like it was something we all expected to happen, like it was bound to come.

Well, if you take a closer look at the defensive pairings in March, you’ll find that there’s much more to this freefall than meets the eye. Goaltending has been weakening, but as I’ll explain, that’s not the source of the issue. Below you will find the defensive lineup for every game in March, including scratched players.

As you can see, only four times in 15 games did the same set of six defensemen skate together. This is not only an issue, it’s a perfect storm just waiting to destroy this team’s playoff hopes. Here are a few stats that come out of the lineups you see above. I’m not a big stats guy, but it’s important evidence that proves something needs to be done about the constantly-changing defensive pairings.

:: BRETT CLARK :: 
When he was in the lineup, the Avs were 5-3-1 and allowed 29 goals against.
When Clark was a scratch, the Avs were 1-5-0 and allowed 25 goals against.

:: RUSLAN SALEI ::
When he was in the lineup, the Avs were 3-6-1 in March.
When he was a scratch, the Avs were 3-2-0 in March.

:: RYAN WILSON ::
When he was in the lineup, the Avs were 3-4-0 in March.
When he was injured or scratched, the Avs were 3-4-1 in March. 

First and foremost, the importance of Brett Clark being in the lineup is irrefutable. You should think of him as “Ol’ Reliable” back there. He’s not the fastest skater, but he brings a clearly visible sense of confidence and composure and it spreads throughout the other five defensemen. He is the glue that holds the blueline together. He’s not flashy, but he gets the job done and he skates with an extremely calming influence.

The other thing Clark brings to the table, which is absolutely necessary in today’s game, is his shot-blocking ability. That alone should force him from ever being scratched, but that reasoning has clearly been ignored. Anderson already faces the most shots in the league on average - you don’t think he appreciates and wants Clark blocking another 6-8 shots a game? It adds up, it makes a difference, it’s something every NHL team would die to have on a consistent basis.

Looking at all eight defensemen that skated in March, the biggest correlation to winning and losing with any one defenseman is by far and away Clark. It just goes to show that you need your workhorses on the ice, regardless of whether or not they make a couple of bad mistakes.

Every defenseman is going to be hung out to dry sooner or later, it’s a matter of doing whatever is possible to keep things positive in the locker room. There’s a very fine line between a defenseman playing bad enough to be scratched and a defenseman looking bad because he’s trying to be responsible on the ice by covering someone else’s man.

Regardless of who is in or out, there’s a collective sense of hesitation and uneasiness when the puck is in Colorado’s zone. There’s very little communication, paths are being double-crossed, there’s too much confusion, too many turnovers, too many missed assignments in the slot and too much looking around. There’s not enough composure and now there’s problems with the penalty killing. To be honest, it’s a big, sloppy mess. But can you blame them? I’d have trouble making clean passes and transitioning with ease if I was rarely passing to the same guy twice.

I’m not going to sit here and question Sacco’s decision-making. That’s not my job, nor is it something I care to try and figure out. He puts the best defensemen out there and he knows the team inside and out. Rather, I’d like Avalanche fans to know why the constantly shifting lines negatively impacts a team’s ability to play with any sense of familiarity.

As a goaltender, I can tell you that communication, cohesion and “being on the same page” is about the most important thing when it comes to playing as a group of three different defensive pairings. There’s a working relationship, an understanding so to speak, that must be created and strengthened between defensive partners over the course of the season.

Think back to the beginning of the season. What were the pairings? Were they consistent? Not really. I can remember Adam Foote skating a lot with Kyle Cumiskey in the first half of the season and I remember John-Michael Liles being paired with Kyle Quincey as well. Then it was Scott Hannan with Quincey for a little while … and it’s about that time I start to lose track … mainly because the pairings were always different.

So as I’ve been saying all throughout March, as long as the three defensive pairings are different, even just by one player, it’s going to make bringing a complete defensive effort that much harder.

Anderson isn’t physically tired. Any goalie in decent shape can play 70+ hockey games in a season. But goaltending is 90% mental, and when you have to play at your best and display more focus than you have at any given point in the season, it’s much, much tougher in March and April to play with that same level of energy and intensity.

Playing 70+ games is no big deal, but having to win massive games late in the season when you’ve already faced more shots than any other goalie and played more games than Patrick Roy ever did in an Avalanche uniform, you’re going to hit a roadblock sooner or later.

Anderson has hit that mental roadblock. He’s cutting corners with the effort, he’s getting more and more visibly frustrated by the weak and collapsing defense in front of him. He’s getting rattled easily and he’s not displaying that same cold death stare we’ve been so used to seeing.

But the reasons for this are not his alone. It comes from the unraveled, unsettled defensive play in front of him. The Avalanche are caving in on their defensive leader and they are allowing bodies to get in his face, distract and screen him. And when more bodies are crashing and flying right in front of Anderson, he’s losing sight of the puck. And when a goalie loses sight of the puck, even if for a nanosecond, he’ll start to give up rebounds, which leads to more issues.

Whether through statistics like the ones I posted above or just by watching the cohesion in the defensive zone, you can see how things have gone from bad to worse for the Avalanche in just a few weeks.

Our third-annual Battle for the Banner Colorado Avalanche shootout finals took place last night during the first intermission of the Avs/Ducks game on Pepsi Center ice between Realty Source Financial and Hatrick Swayze.

The Avalanche Guild would like to congratulate REALTY SOURCE FINANCIAL on winning the Championship Banner with a 2-1 victory, winning on the 10th and final shot!

Please check back over the weekend as we will post tons of photos and hopefully a short video of the shootout! Thanks to everyone that checked out the shootout and enjoyed the adult hockey in-game entertainment experience!

:: REALTY SOURCE FINANCIAL ::
Reggie Archer
Alex Guralnik
Adam Kane
Will Briggs
Warren Niffeneger
Mike Berry (G)

Below is the official completed bracket from the Battle for the Banner 3 Shootout Tournament, which took place last month at Pepsi Center.

CLICK ABOVE TO DOWNLOAD THE FINISHED BRACKET

:: AVALANCHE 4, KINGS 3 (SO) ::

The Colorado Avalanche chased Los Angeles goaltender Jon Quick with 18 shots and a 3-1 lead after the first period, but the Kings battled back thanks to a late power play goal and tied the game to salvage a point in the standings. Once the Avs were dominated in the third period and out-shot 5-0 in overtime, Chris Stewart had seen enough. He went on to score the clincher in the shootout, and the Avs snuck off with a 4-3 overtime win and two crucial points in the standings.

The Avalanche head to Phoenix for a Saturday night game against Wojtek Wolski and the Coyotes, then turn around and play the Sharks in San Jose on Sunday night. The next home game is Wednesday, March 31 against the Anaheim Ducks.

That game is a special night for The Avalanche Guild, as we will be hosting the Battle for the Banner 3 Finals during first intermission. Realty Source Financial will take on Hatrick Swayze in an adult shootout for the prized Guild Banner! We are also hosting an After-Hours post-game skate between the Loan Sharks and the Red Lions.

ALL THINGS AVS is back on the beat and recaps the big win, but not before questioning the team’s ability to play in a conservative manner. ALTITUDE RADIO and Marc Moser posted their post-game podcast and had some more great audio as usual.

The newest AVALANCHE MAILBAG edition was posted this morning. Avs fans sent in their questions for the players and then Craig Stancher collected great answers from Craig Anderson, T.J. Galiardi, Matt Duchene, Matt Hendricks and more!

Dustin over at MILE HIGH HOCKEY thoroughly enjoyed the game, as most Avalanche faithful probably did, and had some love for the Kevin Porter – Matt Hendricks – Ryan O’Reilly line.

Alex over at LOST AMONG STATUES shot some cool videos of Peter Mueller and Stewart’s shootout goals. She also took a ton of photos of our After-Hours game, which we will be posting later on in the day!

We’re continually impressed with the hard work put in by THE BURGUNDY BLOG. Check out their post-game recap and this really solid feature on fans and the inspiration behind the EUROLANCHE FAN CLUB, the first and only Avalanche fan club based in Europe.

HOCKEYISM is hosting their second-annual College Hockey Championship Pick ‘Em contest, so be sure to head over there and download your brackets and send them to contests@hockeyism.com by midnight tonight (March 25)!

Earlier this week, the Avalanche signed Zach Cohen to an entry-level contract and promptly reported to Lake Erie. See how he fared over at AVS PROSPECTS and stay caught up on all the baby Avs!

THE AVALANGELIST had some positive things to say in particular about the return of a strong power play and Peter Mueller’s continued success in an Avs uniform.

Kara over at COLORADO AVALANCHE CONNECTION recaps the Avs’ month of March and never stops believing in the post-season dream! And finally, REAL DENVER SPORTS aptly wonders about the decisions Joe Sacco is making in regards to scratching a different defenseman every game.

Like I have been saying on the radio all week, there’s a huge, huge difference between playing panic hockey and playing urgent hockey. Playing with panic means a team lacks confidence. Playing with a sense of urgency means there is plenty of confidence.

Again, from a player’s and goaltender’s perspective, the only thing that matters is getting two points. It was very obvious that Craig Anderson was not going to slack off on any wraparounds, so it was good to see the defensive leader play with a stronger sense of urgency.

I see sporadic moments of panic, but this is not a team that lacks confidence. Rather, they simply need to elevate their collective intensity and effort. Someone needs to have a massive game, whether it’s three goals, a Gordie Howe hat trick, a shutout. Whatever way it takes for someone to ignite the team to play at a higher level, with a heightened sense of awareness.

And of course I would be remiss to not spill the stat du jour for this month. When Brett Clark is in the lineup this month, the Avalanche are now a solid 5-1-1. When Clark is scratched, the Avs are only 1-4-0.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that Clark has to stay in the lineup, regardless of his mistakes or effort. He’s ol’ reliable on the blue line and calms everyone else down. In every single game, a defenseman will make mistakes. You can find a reason to scratch all seven defensemen if you look close enough. But jumping back and forth between Liles, Salei, Cumiskey and Clark is really starting to affect the cohesion and communication between the pairings.

How can you expect the defensive effort in front of Anderson to be strong if nobody is on the same page? Keep the pairings the same. Choose six and run with it through the rest of the regular season. Make sure Clark is one of those six. Repeat as necessary.

There was a lot of free food and drink, video games, casino games, and a silent auction all on the arena floor. Here are a few observations I made as I toured the party:

• As I played blackjack with Carmelo Anthony, I quickly learned that I am no good at blackjack.
• As I played Wii basketball with Matt Duchene (hey, how did he get in? The invite said 21+…), I learned that he’s either a gracious host and let me win, or I am much better at it than he is.
• Craig Anderson is a lot taller than I expected.
• Peter Mueller is a whiz at craps. I played for 30 minutes and I still have no idea what the rules are.
• Brett Clark was the nicest guy I spoke with all night. Instead of just listening to my questions and congratulations on a good season, he asked me about myself and how I was doing. It was a pleasant surprise.
• Matt of The Burgundy Blog was there, and though we only briefly spoke, it was great to talk to him. Definitely give him a follow on Twitter.

The event was a blast and I’m definitely going to try and make it again next year. The Avalanche website has a photo gallery and video of the event, so head over there for more.

Did you attend? Tell us all about your night in the comments.

:: Avalanche 2, Flames 3 ::

Flames forward Rene Bourque scored two goals, including a short-handed breakaway in the first period and then the eventual game-winner, as Calgary defeated the Colorado Avalanche, 3-2, at Pepsi Center on Wednesday night. 

The Avs now have a rare three-day break before a quick road trip to California, which includes stops in Anaheim on Sunday and then Los Angeles on Monday. Their next home game will be Wednesday, March 24 against the Kings and The Avalanche Guild has an AFTER-HOURS discount ticket special for that game!

We’ll start with Marc Moser’s post-game show up on the ALTITUDE RADIO BLOG, produced as always by Mark Bertagnolli. Adrian Dater from ALL THINGS AVS was still sick from the night before but still brought you the story from a few days ago about Vitaly Kolesnik being beaten by a crazed fan in Russia.

Good job by the boys at THE BURGUNDY BLOG for reminding us about the unbelievable string of 3-2 results between these two teams. Scott from REAL DENVER SPORTS also finds some good silver linings in the loss.

Paul’s Coffey handles post-game duties at MILE HIGH HOCKEY while THE AVALANGELIST keeps things short and sweet by describing why the Avs seemed to be stuck in neutral all night long.

This was the first and last Avalanche home game I’ll watch from the stands, so I was very excited to watch from a much closer perspective, as opposed to high up in the press box. I didn’t have my laptop with me for this game, but I still absorbed a lot of mental scouting notes on a number of different players.

The situation with scratching defensemen continued tonight for the Avs and after tonight, it is getting worse. Kyle Quincey once again struggled with his focus in this game, but I’m not talking about the turnover that led to Bourque’s short-handed goal. In fact, it was Chris Stewart’s pass from the half-boards that was chipped way too high and bounced at the line…it  kind of put Quincey in a tough position.

No, I’m talking about his hesitation, his lunging and over-commitment. He’s a mess right now and it’s a slippery slope, because once the confidence starts to weaken, the decision-making goes next. Then you become an even bigger liability, which means the head coach has to once again shift his thinking when it comes to managing minutes. 

Brett Clark needs to stay in the lineup. Ryan Wilson, who will probably need a day or two to recover from his fight with Jamal Mayers, should stay scratched. Quincey needs to continue playing, but take the next three days to refuel, re-focus and get back to the basics. 

Back to the basics. That’s the key for any hockey player that’s just not making the right decisions with the puck while in tight spaces or pressure situations. Quincey is fine, he just needs to get out of this funk. A little pep talk and positive reinforcement from the coaching staff will do the trick, but when Sunday rolls around, it’s up to him to perform with more energy and alertness than at any point of the season.

:: 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.

:: Avalanche 5, Stars 3 ::

Craig Anderson made 48 saves, including many clutch stops in the final minute of play, as Colorado clung to a late lead and defeated the Dallas Stars, 5-3, on Sunday afternoon. The Avalanche will be back in action on Tuesday when they take on the St. Louis Blues, then again on Wednesday in Denver against the Calgary Flames.

Our LIVE AVS CHAT was wildly entertaining, especially in the game’s dying moments, as THE AVALANGELIST joined our panel and provided readers with on-the-fly analysis and comments during the game. Be sure to join us on Tuesday for another live chat, as we do these ever road game and invite Avalanche bloggers to be a part of the panel!

MARC MOSER has another post-game podcast up on Altitude’s website and as usual brings fans some great quotes from the locker room. If you aren’t following him on TWITTER already, be sure to do so. This guy is a character and a great voice on the air and in the Avalanche community!

ANYONE BUT DETROIT had a short and sweet game recap, while Derek over at MILE HIGH HOCKEY has a good recap on the game as well. Adrian Dater was sick for the first time in what must be forever, so there was no coverage from him in this game. But you can read the AP report that appeared on the DENVER POST website.

Finally, for a great recap of the Avalanche’s play over the last few games, Jay over at AVS HOCKEY PODCAST finished his 50th post on Saturday morning, so be sure to check it out!

Besides the first two games of the season, this may have been Craig Anderson’s best game of the season. Even though the Avalanche had a 5-3 lead in the final 90 seconds, every save he made was of the clutch variety. There’s no other way to say it – he stole the show in Big D today. It was a brilliant display of focus, desperation and hard work, as a number of sequences included desperate swipes, toe saves and snow angels.

Injuries were easily the low point in today’s game. Cody McLeod blocked a shot off of his left leg and had to crawl to the bench and Stephane Yelle went face-first into the boards on a check attempt and skated off slowly somewhat hunched over. Both tried to skate it off later in the period, but were unsuccessful.

Although you have to give a ton of credit to the Avalanche for turning the power play issues around by going out and getting Peter Mueller, it looks like the next hurdle for the team to overcome is the consistent defensive effort. Dallas completely dominated the game in many areas, including a 51-22 shot advantage, so all three pairings need to tighten up with their decisions in their own zone.

I think it’s about time the defensive pairings get straightened out to the point where they stay the same for at least 3-4 games. I’m not sure how effective it was to scratch a big body like Ryan Wilson over Kyle Cumiskey, who was effective when the speed was needed, but not when bodies needed to be cleared in front of Anderson.