Avalanche News
Good & Bad: Juuso Parssinen Scores First Goal in Loss to Blackhawks
The last place Chicago Blackhawks put up a fight to better the Colorado Avalanche 3-1 on Wednesday night. The Avs outshot the Hawks 36-20 but couldn’t capitalize on numerous scoring chances.
The Avs came out with their foot on the gas but didn’t keep it on the pedal through the full 60. Juuso Parssinen scored the first goal of the game, and his first in burgundy and blue, at 6:14 in the opening period.
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Chicago revved up its game and got life with a goal from Ilya Mikheyev at three minutes left in the first. They continued to improve throughout the rest of the matchup.
Frank Nazar scored midway through the second and Connor Bedard sealed the game with a goal at 11:54 in the third period. Mrazek made 36 saves to lead the Blackhawks to their second victory over the Avalanche.
Trent Miner made his debut start and stopped 17 of 20 shots. He played a solid game and did not give up easy goals. The Avs defensive play broke down throughout the game with a high number of turnovers that led to scoring chances for the Blackhawks.
Good: Juuso Parssinen Scores a Sexy First Goal
The Avs’ latest addition, Juuso Parssinen, scored his first goal in his fifth game with the Avalanche. He got an assist in the 3-1 victory over the Florida Panthers on Monday night for his first point.
The 23-year-old Finn grabbed the puck on a rebound in the D-zone and took it the length of the ice to beat Mrazek top shelf with a backhand shot. It was an unassisted goal.
Bad: Turnovers, Bad Passes
The Avalanche played a lot of chase with missed or broken-up passes throughout the game. Although the teams were even in giveaways at 13, Chicago had one more takeaway than Colorado.
“I didn’t like some of the things we did on both those goals against โ both turnovers and then missing checks on the way in.
“We didn’t do a great job finishing on our chances … They’re going to check some pucks back, but we got to do a job better than that in defending it,” head coach Jared Bednar said.
Bad: Overthinking Shots
Only once or twice did the Avs pepper Mrazek with shots in the loss. They passed too much and several got broken up which took away their scoring chances.
Cale Makar said the team’s execution wasn’t there and “not as sharp as we should have been.”
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Good & Bad: Devon Toews Scores Twice, Avalanche Win Goalie Battle vs Florida
Good & Bad: Juuso Parssinen Scores First Goal in Loss to Blackhawks
No leadership on this team
Shameful.
Mitts turning into a pumpkin much faster than Fourgiev did. If he doesnโt start playing like a serviceable 2C Avs are screwed
This. Mittlestadt’s slump is becoming highly concerning. He’s basically been a highly overpaid B6er this season. But how can the FO solve this problem? Legit 2Cs appear to be as rare as hen’s teeth…
Riddle me this: What the hell has Lehkonen done to merit 26 minutes of ice time? Bednar’s pet has zero physical presence in the corners, is pushed around between the circles and misses the net too many times, all of which offsets his ability as a skater and puck retriever. This was a much better all-around team with Colton on the first line.
You might be the only person in the world with this take on Lehky. Everyone else loves him and clearly sees what he gives to the team and how invaluable he is.
I think with my head, not my heart. Check out the numbers, brah . . .
He has way too delicate sensibilities for that. ๐คฃ
Seems like avs need help. Seems like drouin and nuke keep getting reinjured so I would think they would add a middle six player
This is not a “fantasy” hockey league. Adding players requires $$$ of which COL has none.
The Avs have money, if they are not planning on Landeskog returning during the regular season. What the Avs do not have much of is trade assets.
Looks like $2.2m available if Landy stays out until the post season (or forever). They could use that, dump Wood and get a good M6 player with upside. But outside of Ritchie and Gulyayev who I doubt they would deal, not much to offer but picks.
The Avs are carrying extra skaters which adds to the cap hit. They don’t have much to trade, which would limit who they can get. Ideally they would get a 3C, which would allow Colton to remain a winger, but having Colton be the 3C and getting a good winger who can play on the 2nd line in case of injury would still be a plus.
Every team is guilty of trying to pass through opponents on occasion. The Avs seem to do this way more than the average team. Forcing pucks into the slot is one thing, but doing it at either blue line or god forbid from below our goal line (wtf G), is a recipe for disaster. Simple hockey is winning hockey. Just play the puck up the wall already. Overall this team has been hockey dumb for too long now, and I will point the finger at Bednar yet again. I am truly ready to believe that the cup was a fluke,… Read more »
I doubt any of the other top teams in the West look at Colorado as any kind of threat, they must laugh when they see the Avs lose 2 games to the worst team in the league and will probably lose the other two remaining games as well. Look at the disparity of talent on both teams and yet they lose both games by a combined score of 8-3 is embarrassing, absolutely no excuses for this to happen. Those 4 lost points would have put Colorado one point behind Minnesota going into Thursdays game, but instead it’s 5 and could… Read more »
Good breakdown! Most rankings I have seen have us between like 12 and 20, but its obvious that any recognition of such on here leads to being told that analytics are more important than the final score.
Well, the sky is falling again, according to the other commenters so far… This was a clear trap game that trapped us. We also have a way of making Mrazek look like Brodeur for whatever reason, but he was standing on his head in the 2nd. That seemed to take all the wind out of our sails, and the 3rd was one of the worst periods I’ve seen this team play. But, once again, it’s one bad game where we were unexpectedly without a top six forward. It happens, let’s move on, focus on Minnesota tonight, and pound the Blackhwaks… Read more »
So true…8-1-1 last ten, missing two top 6 wings and a 7th round pick getting his first NHL start in net and suddenly no leadership and Bednar can’t coach. Even looking at this game in a vacuum, the advanced stats show Avs dominated, but couldn’t solve Mrazek. xGF were 3.15 to 1.76…Not surprising since Miner has no business starting an NHL game at this point in his career. Blackwood back tonight and the boys should be upset with the outcome vs Chicago…should be a good showing.
Yes, let’s blame last night’s loss on the goalie. His inability to save a streaking, wide-open Bedar in the slot was so terrible. I hope he never puts on an Avs sweater again.
And that’s great what the advanced stats said last night, but what was the final score?
You are so dramatic. Nobody blamed last night’s loss on the goalie. It was a contributing factor along with the Avs anemic offense. He had an .850 save % and gave up 2 goals on 5 high danger chances. Mrazek had a .969 and stopped all 6 HD chances. If you don’t think goalie play was one of the reasons they lost I don’t know what to tell you. You don’t like stats, fine…answer a simple question…swap goalies last night and who wins. I hoped most people would have learned this lesson after the constant excuse making for AG.
“Miner has no business starting an NHL game.” I am the dramatic one? What do the words “high danger” mean to you? I guess they mean different things to me.
To justify your post you speculate the Avs would have won with Blackwood?
I was dead wrong about keeping Georgie. I fully admit it. I’ve barely been posting because I realize how wrong I was. I’m not renewing my subscription when it renews here in two weeks so don’t worry you will not have any type of dissent any longer.
No I was saying if the Avs had a red hot Mrazek last night and give the Hawks Miner, the Avs would have won going away. High danger has a definition, feel free to look it up, basically it’s where the shot on the ice was taken from and the historical probability it goes in. As far as “he has no business starting an NHL game right now”…๐ฏ… he will never see another start this year unless there are injuries or he gets a spot start in April if the Avs are locked into their post season position. The studio… Read more »
Don’t duck out on me Karl. I always enjoy reading your posts. I was with you in the Georgie camp but also in the Girard is too small (what caused that turnaround in Sam? It was good to see him go after the guy that fell into and hurt Wedgewood) and the Kuemper is better than MAF camp. Rico will also be disappointed.
I think you are the only one Bob, lol. Speaking of Girard, how terrible was his give away on the first goal and defensive positioning on the second? And Sammy did go after the guy after Wedgewood but got completely wiped out by another player before he could get to him. I kid, I kid, about the $5 million kid playing on the PK in the playoffs with Mark Stone and Thomas Hertl flanked on both sides of him and Barbashev whispering means things in his ear… Bob, what’s your take on the only time we get any legitimate updates… Read more »
Johnny Mitchell was all over that pass from Sammy last night. I enjoy Mitchell and JML pointing out inconsistencies in the Av’s play where improvement is necessary. Frankly, I’ve become a big fan of Sammy. He seems to have overcome his alcoholism and is showing no fear anymore. He’s never going to be able to handle the big guys but I think he’s found a nice niche where he plays solid defense and provides an excellent transitional option. I subscribe to AD’s site and he always complains about the disrespect given beat writers. As in many other sports, if they… Read more »
I generally think that Sammy has become a very consistent and solid player, I just will always be skeptical of his playoff value given that he has a very weak shot and therefore cannot bring anything to PP and his size is exposed in the playoffs against certain teams.
I’ll touch base I still have a couple of weeks to decide…not to be dramatic or anything ๐
Well we know what happened frequently to your lunch money don’t we?
I’m not sure if this was meant as an insult, joke, or both, but whatever it is has fallen flat. Try better next time.
It isn’t my job or problem to help you with your reading comprehension mate. Only you can CHOOSE to improve that. Learning to think for yourself helps. Who again needs to try better? ๐ค๐
I was coming on to post almost exactly what you said. 3 losses in the last 10 is nothing to ashamed of, even if the last game was one they should’ve won.
Some of these comments are wild. Yeah..awful loss. Didn’t think the effort was lacking as they essentially doubled up the Hawks in shots. They couldn’t finish & had a few defensive lapses. Big picture, there should be legitimate concern regarding the Avs second wave & overall depth. You’re not beating the likes of Vegas, Dallas, or probably even Edmonton’s of the world with this current center depth. If this is anywhere close to the version of Mittelstadt the Avs get for the remainder of season & into the postseason they are cooked. Parker Kelly playing 3C minutes is a joke.… Read more »
Great to see Parssinen get a goal, but that does not change the Avs major weakness, which is a lack of depth. If the Avs stars have a bad day, get sick, or are just stopped from scoring, the Avs do not do well. The bottom 6 are 4th liners and AHLers. Lose a top 6 forward and he is replaced with the AHL callup of the week. The 3rd line does not score. The 4th line hardly plays. The Avs need a 3rd line that can score and are good enough to fill in on the top 6 if… Read more »
Biggest concern for me is the play of Mittelstadt. The Avs coughed up $6m for him to be a long term answer at 2C. We can find bottom 6 guys fairly easily prior to the deadline, but that price tag makes him a fixture here. If he keeps playing like this, JB will have no choice but to move him down in the lineup. Colton will probably have to play 2C.
Yes, the play of Mittelstadt is concerning, but middle 6 guys who can score are not so easy to get. The Avs keep getting 4th liners, not middle six guys who can play on the second line, but give the 3rd line true offensive ability. They pass on guys like Kaapo Kakko. Hopefully Parssinen plays well, but he is a 4th liner, along with almost every bottom 6 Av.
Well if healthy the Avs 3rd would be Wood/Colton/Parssinen with the Kivi/Kelly/OC line as the 4th. I think they will grab one more usable FWD before the deadline…the second line needs to not be so much of a drop off from the first. Bednar may need to play around with the lineup to even out the production between the two.
“If” everyone is healthy, Colton most likely would be on the 3rd line. Wood and Parssinen are 4th liners, unless Parssinen steps up his game. If any top 6 forward is missing, then Colton is back up and again the Avs do not have a 3C. Can the Avs wait until March to upgrade the 3rd line, when they cannot keep everyone healthy? Wood may not even be back until March.
They are second in the league in man-games missed to the Leafs, had huge issues in net early in the year and are comfortably sitting in the middle of the playoff teams in the West, I think they can wait. They are 25-12-1 (108 point pace) since the 0-4 start. The situation on 9 January just isn’t as dire as people think. No reason this team can’t be very competitive and make a deep run.
It is garbage that a game listed as national gets blacked out so billionaires can get wealthier. And, to add insult to injury, they put the game on a radio station that at night is pure static. I have said prior that the Avs deserve fm and the Nuggets am coverage on the road. The Avs have 3 cups to the Nuggets one.
Agreed and what are you going to do about it?
NBA market share is off the charts compared to NHL… follow the dollars
Listen through the Altitude app. You won’t get the static like you experienced from a radio
Nearly every loss for the last six weeks fans complaints can be summarized with “we need more bottom six talent.” I just wish for once folks would go and look at COL’s cap space (i.e., puckpedia.com or whatever NHL team metrics aggregation flavor you prefer). COL’s projected cap is $95M which is ~$8M north of the 2024-25 cap space limit of $88M. Let me translate that for you – there is no cash in the COL team wallet to go out get player ____. The trade deadline is March 7 and maybe COL can swing a multi player deal for… Read more »
The Avs have money to spend, if they want to. The following lineup costs $80.326M. This includes money retained on Georgiev(.476M) and a prorated cap hit for Nichushkin(4.84M).
Lehkonen(4.5)-MacKinnon(12.6)-Rantanen(9.25)
Drouin(2.5)-Mittelstadt(5.75)-Nichushkin(4.84)
Wood(2.5)-Colton(4.0)-O’Connor(1.05)
Kiviranta(.775)-Kelly(.825)-Parssinen(.775)
Toews(7.25)-Makar(9.0)
Girard(5.0)-Manson(4.5)
de Hann(.800)-Malinski(.825)
Blackwood(2.35)
Wedgewood(1.5)
The reason the cap hit is listed as higher is because the team is carrying extra players and because of the uncertainty of Landeskog. If the team decides to spend Landeskog’s cap hit and they trade extra d-men or bottom 6 forwards and send guys back to the AHL, they can get a middle 6 forward and a better d-man.
Landeskog’s salary/cap hit for 2024-25 is $7M. His cap hit applies even with him on LTIR, but his cap hit is also added to what is called “LTIR pool” which is then added to this years cap space: Year Cap Space + LTIR Pool = Projected Cap. $88M + $7M = $95M. The team can spend up to the projected cap and any amount over that a fine formula kicks in. This allows teams to compensate for player(s) lost to LTIR and go shopping so to speak. Which COL has done: Kylington, Felhaber, Blackwood, Parssinen, etc. It is a fact… Read more »
Some of it is being spent, as the Avs are carrying more than the minimum skaters.
The NHL salary cap requires PHD level commitment to grasp all the nuances and work arounds…I certainly am not close to full comprehension, but Puckpedia says current cap space is $2.2M. that’s with Wood, Landy and Poolman on LTIR and AG’s retention. If one or both come off prior to the playoffs, then their prorated AAV would count against the cap, but if they stay on LTIR until the post season, it should be money the Avs can spend.
So when are the Avs going to tell us that Nuke really didn’t hurt his leg, but something bad fell out of his locker between the 2nd and 3rd period of the Winnipeg game?
What the hell does this mean or do I not get your humor?
We’ve had no updates on him. first it was just supposed to 3-7 days, now apparently its another 3 games. It was a pseudo joke, but sorry for offending you. I’ll put a “trigger warning” on my last few posts here.
You didn’t offend me. Odd comment about Val and odd assumption about me with the trigger warning crap. How are no updates on Val any different than injury updates on other players? You’ve clearly never had a sports injury. Rec league injuries don’t count…haha. Setbacks are not unusual even with the best care that pro athletes get. Nothing wrong with him wanting to get right before resuming play. BTW, a pseudo joke is a new one for me.
My issue is more with the Avs secrecy of everything than Val. I’m trying to think of one single time where Bednar stating a player would only be out day-to-day was actually true. Every day-to-day injury over the last 6 years has turned into a week to week.
How long have you been an Avs or NHL fan? First, if you’ve lived in another market, you’d know that all teams are secretive, but the Avs are next level. It started at the very inception of the Avs with Pierre Lacroix and the tradition of ultra secrecy has continued. Reset your expectations so you don’t get frustrated. Bednar is just a hockey coach but it’s his job to sit in front of a mic. He’s not a trainer or on the medical staff and he has now incentive to blow smoke. He’s just passing on what he hears from… Read more »
We’ve had are fair share of disagreements. But when you’re right you’re right. The Avs secrecy & vagueness regarding injuries is so ridiculous.
I wish the NHL would follow the NFL’s lead in regard to making NHL teams have to be more forthcoming & transparent with injuries & timelines. When you’re asking people to pay these absurd ticket prices. And for 14 different streaming services or cable subscriptions just to watch every game it’s the least they can do, letting you know who’s playing & when they’ll be back.
While not NHL level, the NFL used to be more secretive about injuries than they are now. What changed was gambling. Vegas was getting killed without more injury transparency and they leaned on the NFL to provide more info
I know that was the main factor (along with fantasy) as to why the NFL began to mandate more transparency. I personally think all sports leagues should do so. Too much money is involved & asked of fans to not give them that.
Itโs all good. I fully admit I was wrong about Georgie. You were right!
It is what it is. If you continue hanging around & posting. I’m sure in the not too distant future there will be a topic, player, etc. In which we won’t agree on. And you’ll be right & I’ll be on the wrong side of it.
Nobody bats .1000 when it comes to this stuff.
Come on Karl. No one is triggered by you in your recent posts. People are simply disagreeing. Jon, bless him, did not get your drug reference (I doubt the Avs can hide Val from testing and his third strike). I am sorry to see you go. Iโve really been enjoying the content on this site.
I got the drug reference. Completely fair not to trust Val. I get it. Poking fun at a physical or mental health issue is odd to me
Quite reasonable. Sorry, I was honestly quite thrilled that someone might not have understood what Karl was trying to say. I was not trying to slight you in any way. Cheers.
Great stuff Karl. Love it!
The following was posted on Twitter today. As well as the Avs are playing, it is hard to catch up if the other teams are playing just as well.
Brendan McNicholas@bmcnich
The Central is the only division in the @NHL
with four 50-point teams. Of the top 11 teams, 4 are in the Central, 3 are Pacific and 2 from both Metropolitan and Atlantic
WPG: 7-3-1 last 11
MIN: won 4 straight, 6-1-0 last 7
DAL: won 5 straight, 6-0-1 last 7
COL: 7-1-1 last 9
yep and that is why choking two points away to the worst team in the league is just something that cannot happen right now.
I mean does the fan base really want a first round match up with Vegas?
Bingo.
That’s if they are even the wildcard team. Don’t count out teams like Utah that have more money to spend at the deadline.