Goals Under Review March 13th, 2023

I don’t get the TV feed for the Avalanche game today, so I will be listening to the game and giving it the Goals Under Review treatment.

Colorado Avalanche @ Montreal Canadiens

Goal Colorado by O’Connor: This is a great start. Logan O’Connor gets some open ice, he takes the shot and the shot gets to the goal. Not only was the shot good and it was scored by depth players; Artturri Lehkonen was in front being a bother for the goalie and a thorn in the side of the defense. He won’t get any credit for the goal but a goal like this I hope feels rewarding. Great start and a goal unlike the kind of goals the Avalanche have been scoring of late. Very encouraging. Avalanche 1-0 UPDATE: The official scorer gave the goal to Lehkonen.

Goal Colorado by Byram: Bowen Byram is a monster. This was an incredible individual effort. A drive from the side wall, gets passed the defender with a lovely move to keep the defender’s stick away. Byram cuts across the front of the net, gets passed the goalie all while staying under the defense and pots the goal. He is a defender. Cale Makar, is a defender. They have two wingers hiding on their blue line. These two are going to be Avs for a long time. I know my next two jerseys, Rantanen and Byram. Colorado 2-0

Goal Colorado by Nieto: DEPTH GOALS!!!! This goal also had some fancy in it. The Avs dump and chase into the zone got the Canadien defense deep in the zone. The second wave showed up in the form of Matt Nieto. Nieto had tons of open space in front of him and he used all of it. He deked a pass across the front of the goal, got the goalie to bite and he completed the goal on his own. The lesson here for non-Avs fans is that the depth is capable of playing at this level and playing like this against the teams farther down in the standings means they could be in great shape for the playoffs. Avalanche 3-0

Goal Colorado by Lehkonen PPG: YES! I know this was not a clean deflection, but a goal for Lehkonen is what I’ve been asking for and he got one. This is great, the players that need to get back on the score sheet are getting on the score sheet. One game is not a trend, but all trends start with game one. Here is to hoping that the Avs are turning back into the 6-wins in a row team we saw not too long ago. Avalanche 4-0

Goal Montreal by Anderson PPG: That was a fluky goal. Not one you ever want to give up, but when you’re up by four goals already, you hope that is enough to get you through the rest of the game. Stay out of the box and this doesn’t happen, that’s the lesson here. Avalanche 4-1

Goal Colorado by Rantanen: When the Avalanche are scoring goals like this in front of the net, all is well in the land of Avs. The Avs had two players in front. A nice passing play to get the puck down low and Mikko is able to jam the puck home for a goal. These are game speed repetitions for the Avalanche tonight and I’m so pleased they are playing this way against a team they have to beat. Avalanche 5-1

Goal Colorado by Compher: Another “depth” goal. The Avs are allowed to skate wherever they want. That is what I’m seeing from the highlights. There isn’t a lot to be learned from this game. There is a concern for those who play the Avalanche in the upcoming weeks. Are the Avs going to use this game as a catapult into the team they know they can be? In the pre-game interviews there was a lot of talk about the palyers knowing they all have another gear, or gears. What is is that gets them going? This game could be it and the confirmation won’t show itself until a later date. Avalanche 6-1

Goal Montreal by Gurianov: This one hurts for a couple reasons. This ends a Penalty Kill streak for the Avs and this was a goal given up in the last minute of the period. Avalanche 6-2

Goal Colorado by MacKinnon PPG: I love it when mack decides he is going to score. He took the puck down the middle of the ice and just went faster than everyone. i hope the league was watching because this version of the Avs is there to win games. Colorado 7-2

Goal Montreal by Ylonen: This was just a good play the Canadiens. They pushed the play through the neutral zone. It wasn’t an odd-man rush but they moved into the zone with the advantage. They played a quick game of high to low and back to high. A shot was tipped for the goal. A very nice tip-in goal. You tip your cap and move on. I don’t think the Avalanche are at risk of losing this game but I don’t want to the Canadiens to get any ideas. Colorado 7-3

Goal Montreal by Matheson: Ugh, Rodrigues goes down and is out of the play. The Canadiens are effectively on the Power Play and the Avalanche are in scramble mode. The Canadiens score the goal on a nice shot. I don’t want to give too much credit nor deal any disajulations (look it up kids). I’d prefer the penalty be called there, but I really want Rodrigues to not be hurt. Colorado 7-4

Goal Colorado by Nichushkin PPG: Just a great tip-in and I would love it if this gets Val going for the rest of the season. I know I hit on this point a lot but it’s really important for the scoring to come from more players across the roster. Games like this where the puck is going in the net a lot, hopefully lead to a goal train with stops in the next several games. Colorado 8-4

Buffalo Sabres @ Toronto Maple Leafs

Goal Toronto by Matthews: The goal was ugly but the play that led to the goal was not. This was a very nice full surface goal. The Leafs got the puck out of their zone faster than the Sabres defense could keep up. A great pass led to a 2-on-1 with Matthews not far behind yet not quite in the play. The ugly passes begin and the puck bounces toward Matthews who has followed the play where an ugly bounce brings him into the play for a shot and a score. This is a good team doing good team things to score a goal. The defense needs to get back into the play, that’s the lesson here. Maple Leafs 1-0

Goal Toronto by Jarnkrok: This was a simple shot that found a way under the goalie with a little help from the Sabres defender’s shin pad. I don’t have a feel for how many depth players are scoring goals for the Maple Leafs right now but I will be watching for players not names Matthews, Nylander and Marner scoring goals for the team over the next few weeks. Maple Leafs 2-0

Goal Buffalo by Quinn PPG: An ugly Power Play goal when the Sabres really needed a goal. This was the second Power Play they had of the period and they didn’t do much on the first power Play. If they want to be a team that is taken seriously they need to use these opportunities to get back into the game and here we are. maple Leafs 2-1

Goal Buffalo by Tuch: This is the goal you want to see as a Sabres fan. Thompson to Tuck down low in the middle of the defense. It was a great pass on a good hockey play where two players are taking on the entire defense. For the Maple Leafs, there was nothing fancy or fast about the play. Where is the urgency to keep the lead or extend the lead? I expect to see the Leafs push for the next goal in this game. If I’m a fan, they better score the next goal. Effort is what I want to see at this point in the season with the playoffs almost assured. Tied 2-2

Goal Buffalo by Cozens: Great individual effort, turns into pretty passing across the entire Maple Leafs’ zone then back down low for a tip that leads to a crease scramble and a goal off the rebound. Good for the Sabres. this goal had everything. This is the kind of paly that shows control and puck luck and being in the right place at the right time. A well earned goal. For the Maple Leafs, where is this casual play coming from? Three unanswered goals, as I type this a fourth unanswered goal. I know the Maple Leafs are an easy target but they have to be on their game all the time, effort needs to be there. When they are getting outworked or look like they are taking the game off for whatever reason, that is not acceptable. Losses happen, casual play cannot. Sabres 3-2

Goal Buffalo by Tuch PPG: I’m pissed if I’m a Maple Leafs’ fan. There was a moment where the Leafs had the puck on their stick ready for a clear and the Sabres outworked them for the puck. The next time the puck left the zone was for the center ice faceoff. The Sabres rana great play after the takeaway, just as you expect a good team to do with the extra possession. Bad games happen and I don’t expect my team to be on all the time but i’m disappointed by the slow drop in effort I’m witnessing on the ice from the Maple Leafs. I will be looking for this to happen again in the next few games to see if this is the trend or just a bad game. The Sabres are in good hands and the fans should be excited. I made a comment in the last game where I wasn’t sure where the non-Thompson scoring was coming from and Tuch and Cozens have shown me where the next wave of scoring is going to come from. Sabres 4-2

Goal Toronto by Nylander Empty Net: This was a great individual effort after the Sabres blew an opportunity at an ENG. And incredible shot with a minute left and a chance for the Maple Leafs to get the tie and the point. I’m excited about the highlight goal but I’m still annoyed by the “where was this effort” when the Sabres were scoring four unanswered? Sabres 4-3

Dallas Stars @ Seattle Kraken

Goal Dallas by Dadonov: Such a Dallas goal. The puck is thrown at the back baords, it bounces off to an open Dallas player who then throws the puck towards the net. Another bounce and Dadonov takes a swipe at the floating puck and it goes into the net. Dallas is the second best 1st period team in terms of goal differential. They are playing their game and getting results. They are hard to beat when they get the lead and can play big hockey. This is Dallas hockey. Stars 1-0

Goal Dallas by Benn PPG: Another “Dallas Goal”. To their credit, they ran the puck around the zone with speed and great passing. They got the shot, created some chaos and found the wide-open net. The Stars are a good team and they showed it. They are playing their brand of hockey, they will be hard to beat in this game with a two goal lead. Stars 2-0

Goal Seattle by Gourde: Haha, take that Dallas. A shot from deep turns into a huge rebound off the boards onto the stick of Gourde and he puts the bounce away for an easy goal into a wide-open net. Some teams use this as a real way to score, the Stars being one of those teams. My takeaway is that you have to be aware all the time on defense and keep moving. The Stars find ways to the puck when everyone in the zone is stationary. Keep moving and put pressure on the Stars to move with you. Stars 2-1

Goal Dallas by Pavelski PPG: A really nice power Play shot-pass for a tip from the bumper. Not complicated, but kind of complicated. If I recall correctly, the Kraken are not the best on Power Play coverage? The Stars look really good when they are playing well. I know they are capable of playing close games but if they are scoring like this and playing their game when the playoffs get here, they will be a tough out. Stars 3-1

Goal Seattle by Tolvanen: Things happen when you throw the puck at the net. Scrum in front, goes off a leg and finds a way passed the goalie. This is how you score on Dallas, or skate faster than their huge players and score pretty gaols. Stars 3-2

Goal Dallas by Johnston: A turnover followed by great individual effort and the Stars get another goal. When playing the Stars, you have to be secure with the puck. Stars 4-2

Goal Dallas by Robertson PPG: A great tip, by the wrong team. Robertson took the shot and it tipped in off a defender. Stay out of the box, don’t give the Stars easy bites at the offense apple. Stars 5-2