Avalanche Defeat the New York Dipietros

(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

The first period was ok, the second was good, the third was awesome and OT was the icing on the cake. This game just got better as it went on and, contrary to what Marek Svatos said in his post-game comments, it was not a boring game by any stretch.

Sure it was a low scoring game but there were plenty of chances at both ends and more than enough action to keep fans entertained. Or maybe I'm just in a good mood after Canada pulled out a 4-peat at the WJHC today. Come on, you knew I'd sneak that in at some point.

The only reason it was a low scoring game was thanks to the heroics of Rick Dipietro. He certainly earned his money in this game as he stopped 37 of 39 shots, many of those being prime scoring opportunities. For now, the 15-year contract is looking like a solid investment. For now. Anyone want to do the math on how much money he made for each save tonight?

Jose Theodore had the start at the other end much to my surprise. But after giving up an early goal where he was slightly off the angle, he shut it down for the rest of the night, particularly in the third period. He even pulled off a Statue of Liberty glove save midway through the third to electrify the crowd.

The Avalanche forwards had a very different look today as recent call-up Johnny Boychuk and speed demon Kyle Cumiskey were playing on the wing today. That's right, the team called up a defenseman to play on the wing. Weird. They didn't get much ice-time but when they did they had solid shifts.

Wojtek Wolski was an absolute beast tonight as he seemed to have a magical connection between his stick and the puck. He started off centering a line with Cumiskey and Boychuck - yes, a left wing playing center - but was quickly moved to the top line with Paul Stastny and Milan Hejduk. He not only fired off 4 shots in 20+ minutes of ice-time but his solid play with the puck directly contributed to the game winning goal.

And how about Marek Svatos scoring his team-leading 16th goal of the season. He also tied Wojtek Wolski for the team lead in game-winning goals with 4. Now that's the Marek Svatos we want and again it was an opportunistic goal. He had a dangle chance today and failed. He had an opportunistic chance and cashed in. Keep it simple, Marek. We love your goals no matter how pretty or ugly they look on SportsCentre.

Lines
Wolski-Stastny-Hejduk
Brunette-Hlinka-Svatos
Mcleod-Guite-Laperriere
Cumiskey-Hensick-Boychuk

Notes
- who bought Quenneville that tie for Christmas? Methinks it's a re-gifter candidate
- when (and why?) did Guite shave the Fu?
- I want Dipietro to go back to his old pads from 2 versions ago
- in Q's pre-game he mentioned that he hopes Theodore takes the goaltending reigns and goes on an extended run...and he didn't seem to be joking
- a disgruntled Isles fan gave Svatos a double-finger salute after scoring the winner

Related Links
ColoradoAvalanche.com Recap
In the Cheap Seats Game Notes