After a 3-0 win, the Avs are back to a place they haven't been for a long time- first in the NHL.
The Avs got a goal from Milan Hejduk 25 seconds into the first period and never looked back.
Scott Hannan stole the puck from Shawn Horcoff on the Edmonton goalline passed it into the slot to a waiting Hejduk who put it by Nikolai Khabibulin. The goal took the air out of the building and put the Oilers on their heels.
Craig Anderson was good in net, though the Oilers failed to get a lot of good quality scoring chances, stopping all 25 shots he faced. He was also helped out by his defense who was intercepting passes, deflecting shots and carrying the play for most of the game.
Plain and simple, the Oilers looked like a club half asleep. They didn't really move their feet or try to get to the dirty areas. However, after two periods, they only trailed 1-0. That was before Wojtek Wolski decided to step up his game.
Wolski took the puck down the left wing, burned by Taylor Chorney pulled a shootout-esk move around Khabibulin and put it home to give the Avs a 2-0 lead.
The Avs would eventually add another Wolski goal after he was held on a breakaway with an empty net.
The Avs played the perfect defensive game tonight. Everyone was active in the zone and played really sound, unselfish, defensive hockey, keeping the traffic and scoring chances around the net to a minimal.
It worked considering that, after facing a combined 80 saves against Carolina and Detroit, he only had to face 25 tonight.
The Avs certainly brought their A-game to Edmonton and hopefully will do the same tomorrow night in Calgary.
Three Stars
1. Wojtek Wolski- Scored two goals and was really strong on the puck.
2. Craig Anderson- Stopped all the shots in his second shutout of the year.
3. Scott Hannan- Was really strong defensively and was key to stopping Dustin Penner.
Facepalm of the game
Chris Durno's boarding hit on Andrew Cogliano was awful. Just days after Ruutu's hit on Tucker, Durno bascially did the same thing just a little slower. He played well the rest of the game but it's common knowledge: when you see the number you don't hit. It's good that Cogliano wasn't hurt, at the very least.
Get well soon Boods
News came out today that Peter Budaj has Swine flu and that's why he hasn't been around the team. Hope he has a fast recovery but, in the meantime, it would be nice to see Tyler Weiman get a start to give Anderson a rest.
Other injuries
The injuries are beginning to hit but some of the players could be back soon. John-Michael Liles, who is necessary for the Avs' powerplay to function, should be back before the end of the roadtrip, Tom Preissing is skating and Cody McLeod should be back soon as well. At least (knock on wood) none of the core forwards have been hurt and the Avs' call-ups have been able to take up the slack in their absense.
FINALLY!
It took them 11 games but the coaches finally put a skilled winger with Matt Duchene. Tonight, T.J. Galiardi skated on the left side of Duchene and Svatos. The line didn't have any points but it was more offensive and Duchene and Galiardi had good chemistry. Given what was shown tonight and Galiardi's less-than-stellar faceoff percentage, it would be good for both players and the team if they remained on the same line.
Colorado Avalanche Blogger • 
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