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Avalanche Game 41 Recap: The Halfway Point
Seems like yesterday that this season started, yet here it is, Game #41 of the Colorado Avalanche's 2023-24 season. Game #40 did not go well for the Avs, as it saww the Florida Panthers thrash the Avs and put up eight goals on the team. For this game, the Avs were facing the Boston Bruins, a team who the Avs have a very good history with for the last quarter-century.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 4 months ago in UnbalancedJohn Jay Loses Four Goal Lead in 7-5 Defeat to Horace Greeley
On December 15 at the Brewster Ice Arena, it looked like a Friday night party when John Jay treated their fans to a 5-1 second period lead. But being fashionable late actually proved the difference for the other guests on the invite list.
Rich MonettiPublished 4 months ago in UnbalancedAvalanche Game 40 Recap: Ay Caramba!
OK, so...that happened. So the Colorado Avalanche were coming off a pair of amazing overtime comeback wins to start the New Year, and this game was the start of a three-game homestand. Our opponents were the Florida Panthers, the first meeting of the season between the 2022 Stanley Cup Champions, and the 2023 Eastern Conference Champions. The game started before the football games started, and it was supposed to be part of an epic day.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 4 months ago in Unbalanced- Top Story - January 2024
The History of the Adams Division
I've followed the NHL in some form for 30 years, but I'm still learning about the league I enjoy watching. A long time ago, I did learn about the old divisions: Adams, Patrick, Norris, and Smythe. These divisions predated the geographical ones that we've known for the last 30 years, and the rivalries were immensely intense during that period. This will be the first of four stories focusing on those classic divisions, and I'll start geographically, even though the names had nothing to do with location. First off, the Adams Division.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 4 months ago in Unbalanced Avalanche Game 39 Recap: Hey Now, You're an All-Star!
The Colorado Avalanche are coming off the team's first overtime win of the season; a 5-4 comeback win over the New York Islanders. Colorado has won three straight games, and regarding game #39, it's a trip to Dallas to face off against the Stars. The Avs' last visit to Dallas ended with Colorado winning 6-3 after trailing 3-0 in the second period. This is an important game, as Dallas is in the thick of the Central Division race.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 4 months ago in UnbalancedAvalanche Game 38 Recap: New Year, Same Resolve
To the eight billion people in this big, wide world, it's a new year. To the percentage of us who are hockey fans, it's January. Here's what January means in the NHL: it's no longer "early." January is the last full month before the NHL goes on their All-Star break, and for all of the league's 32 franchises, it's the last chance to get in a good position heading into that break, because chances are, if you're in a good spot by the All-Star break, playoffs are in your future.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 4 months ago in UnbalancedAvalanche Game 37 Recap: Ending 2023 in Style
2023 was quite the year for the Colorado Avalanche. When the calendar year began, the Avalanche were the reigning, defending, undisputed Stanley Cup Champions. It was a calendar year that saw Nathan MacKinnon pick up his very first 100-point season. It was a calendar year that saw Mikko Rantanen finish a 50+ goal season, and also rack up 100 points. Now, unfortunately, it was a year that saw the Avalanche's attempt at a repeat come to an abrupt end. But it would also be a year that the Avalanche would begin the process of dusting ourselves off, and try, try again.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 4 months ago in UnbalancedJohn Jay Gets in the Win Column with 12-3 Victory over Fox Lane
After losing their first two games, John Jay fell behind Fox Lane 1-0 on Tuesday December 5 and then went down two men on the power play. But the way the game begins doesn’t necessarily signify how it will end, according to Coach John McKeon. “It’s all about staying composed, getting your feet wet and getting adjusted to the game speed,” the first year coach said, and his sentiment definitely proved true.
Rich MonettiPublished 4 months ago in UnbalancedAvalanche Game 36 Recap: Bouncing Back
The Avalanche were coming off quite an embarrassing overtime loss; leading 4-0 but giving up five straight against the Arizona Coyotes. Ironically, the one point that Colorado received was enough for the good guys to take the Central Division lead, but still, this was a terrible loss. In addition, after being road warriors to start the season and winning those games outside of Ball Arena, the Avs were on a six-game road losing streak, with three of the losses coming in extra time.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 4 months ago in UnbalancedAvalanche Game 35 Recap: It Was 4-0
Well...at least we're back in first place. Yay? The NHL returned from their three-day holiday break with 14 games, and the Colorado Avalanche were no exception. The Avs were coming off a big 4-1 win over the Arizona Coyotes on December 23, and in this go-around, the Avs faced the Yotes again, this time in the desert. Mikko Rantanen was my Avs Twitter Psychic pick in the game, and for only the third time this season, I was correct. It was a power play goal late in the first, and it was Rantanen from Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. The Avs led 1-0 after 20 minutes, and for MacKinnon, his points streak reached 19 games.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 4 months ago in UnbalancedThe Airing of Grievances: NHL Edition
The day is here; a Festivus for the rest of us! Hardcore Seinfeld fans remember this very well. One of the episodes from the show's ninth and final season, "The Strike," revealed that Frank Costanza (played ever so brilliantly by the late, great Jerry Stiller) created Festivus as a response to the commercialism of the actual holidays. The holiday is celebrated on December 23, and instead of a tree, a pole is put up, as Frank finds tinsel distracting.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 4 months ago in UnbalancedAvalanche Game 33 Recap: The Nathan MacKinnon Show
I repeat: Put Nathan MacKinnon's name on the Hart Trophy already! Following the team's loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, the Colorado Avalanche returned home for the holidays (well, close to it) for the first meeting against the Ottawa Senators. A little bit about the Sens; it's been hell for them at this point, and they just hired a new coach---well, sort of. Jacques Martin, who coach the Sens from 1996-2004, and coached them to the Eastern Conference Final in 2003, returned to the helm, with Sens legend Daniel Alfredsson as the assistant.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 4 months ago in Unbalanced