When I was in 8th grade the Avalanche lost Game 7 vs. the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Finals. I remember sitting alone on the couch and throwing my pom pom at the TV when Mike Modano scored to give the Stars a 2-0 lead. When the game ended 3-2 in favor of the Stars, I threw my shoe. I have small feet, and therefore tiny shoes, so the TV was ok. However, my opinion of the Dallas Stars has never been the same.
It has been 20 years since that fated game, but the fury I felt that night quickly resurfaced after the Avalanche lost Game 2 on Monday night. Thankfully, I refrained from throwing anything at the TV. Old habits may die hard, but sometimes you mature.
After a strong start in the first period, the Avs were up 2-0 in the second, but took two consecutive penalties nine minutes into the period, putting the Stars on a 5-3 power play for nearly two minutes. Then the worst case scenario of the two-man advantage happened: Pavelski scored immediately into the power play, therefore remaining on a 5-4 power play, and then Faska scored less than a minute later, evening the game at two. It was only two minutes out of a 60 minute game, but that was all that was needed for the Stars, who would end up scoring a total of five unanswered goals, to take the game, and a commanding series lead.
As much as it infuriates me that the Avs lost control of the game in a matter of minutes, it is also one of the things that makes hockey exciting. Rather than bemoan what the Avs did wrong, of which there was a lot, let’s talk about how quickly the tide can turn back in our favor. If there is a team that could come back from a 0-2 deficit, it would be this Colorado team. No one would even be surprised. In order for that to happen, the Avalanche will need to step it up defensively, especially with Erik Johnson out indefinitely, as well as other players stepping up. MacKinnon is a god, there is no doubting that, but he can’t do it alone. The Avs need to see more productivity from their other lines that were so dominate in Round 1. The Stars are a good club, and the Avs have had a hard time playing them this year, where they went 0-4 in the regular season. However, we defeated them 4-0 during the round robin series, and we all know that the team we have seen the last two games on the ice, is not the Colorado Avalanche we know.
It doesn’t help matters that my brother took off his lucky hat (he is 4-0 this playoff series with it on) after the Stars tied it up. I don’t blame my brother for going to bed, he is an extremely early riser, but it is his fault that he took the hat off off. While the puck drop for Game 3 is even later than Game 2, and it would be surprising if he makes it though the 1st, we have discussed that it is best if he sleeps in the hat. Living on the east cost dictates that the game won’t be over till at least 1am, my usual bedtime is before the opening face off of 10:30pm, but we all must make sacrifices, whether it is a sleepless night or sleeping in a baseball hat. You do what needs to be done, and I know that the Avs will be doing the same. Facing adversity is part of the playoffs, and being down a goaltender, a defenseman and two games in the series, are things that the Avs will have to overcome. Overcome they must, if anything for the sake of my TV. I might still have small feel, but my TV is now much closer to the couch than it was in my house in 8th grade. Here’s to another late night, but one where we can have sweet dreams. Go Avs!