Sharks devour Avs

Ok. Ok. so I know that I haven't posted here since the season actually started, but I'm renewing my vow to this blog and tonight seemed just as good a place as anywhere to start.

Tonight was officially one of the worst games I have seen the Avalanche play. And I had the added benefit of witnessing the devastation in person. The team couldn't click, they were working against each other and the worst part was that the Sharks didn't even look like #1. Nabokov wasn't impressive at all. In fact, he looked like a nervous rookie at the beginning of the game, flailing around and making unusual plays. It took him a while to find his poise.

At the beginning of the game, they looked bad and we looked worse. But it was all downhill from there. I gave up hope very early in the second period.

Goal #1: Daniel Tjarnqvist charges out and goes to stick check a Shark, not sure who, for no logical reason. His stick flies out of his hands to center ice, but he's got back up so he goes to the bench not real quick to get a new one. Then he trails back into the zone just in time to have no impact while Milan Michalek walks right into the crease and burns Raycroft. Terrible.

Goal #2: Michalek skates right in unmolested and blasts a shot stick side straight through. Maybe Raycroft should have had this but he played better than most.

Goal #3: No wait, it was called back. I've been hard pressed to find a decent replay of this but there is no way that Nabokov gloved the puck, as he was falling face first into the net, and managed to keep his glove and the puck from crossing the goal line.

Goal #4:Patrick Marleau gets the empty netter.

Ryan Smyth, Wojtek Wolski, and Milan Hejduk were the only skaters that looked like they gave a damn. They moved the puck and set up plays and worked the cycle. The rest of the team just made terrible turnovers and poor passes. Lappy was back and it's nice to have him as he always works his ass off, but he couldn't do much. Svatos made some decent plays but couldn't convert, which seems to be a sticking point with him. He can do it too, but just needs some confidence I think. Stewart had an almost fight, he lost according to the judges, but it was a decent attempt.

Arnason needs to go. Hensick has fallen off the face of the talent list. Jones may have hurt his back, again. And we're without Stastny and Sakic for a while longer. Does anybody remember when Finger misplayed that puck against the Wild and it cost us a goal in the playoffs last year? He was out of here. That's how I feel about Tjarnqvist. When is Foote coming back? Why do I pay to see this mediocrity?