Avs Pack Some Punch
Colorado smokes Vancouver; Bertuzzi is heckled in return
(from the Rocky Mountain News)
By Rick Sadowski
Rocky Mountain News
October 27, 2005 - Vengeance for the Colorado Avalanche didn't come in the form of punches or cheap shots Thursday night but with a gaggle of goals.
Playing the Vancouver Canucks at the Pepsi Center for the first time since Todd Bertuzzi attacked Steve Moore 19 months ago and sent him to the hospital with broken vertebrae and a concussion, the Avalanche routed the Northwest Division leaders 6-2, ending their winning streak at six games.
Fans welcomed Bertuzzi with sustained boos whenever he touched the puck. They roared when Ossi Vaananen checked him into the boards and when Rob Blake knocked him to the ice with a thunderous hit.
Four fans wore convict outfits with Bertuzzi's No. 44 on the back and held up a cardboard sign with prison bars that read: "We're going as Todd Bertuzzi for Halloween."
Some fans wore neck braces as a show of support for Moore, who still experiences post-concussion syndrome and doesn't know if he will be able to play again.
Another held up a sign that said: "Hit me, my back is turned."
The Avalanche spent the first two periods hitting the back of the Canucks net, sprinting to a 6-1 lead before taking a slew of third-period penalties while getting outshot 23-0.
That isn't a misprint.
"I had a good workout, for sure," said goalie David Aebischer, who finished with 40 saves. "We played unbelievable in the first two periods and slacked off a bit in the third. But the first 40 minutes were the best we've played this season."
The Avalanche moved above .500 as Pierre Turgeon delivered his 498th and 499th career goals, Ian Laperriere recorded one goal and one assist, Andrew Brunette totaled three assists and the penalty-killing units snuffed out all eight of Vancouver's power plays.
"I thought we were ready to play," Avalanche coach Joel Quenneville said. "There was great energy in the building, and we got off to a great start. It was a friendly environment for us, and we fed off it early in the game."
The Avalanche chased Canucks starting goalie Dan Cloutier with four goals on 18 shots. Cloutier was replaced by Alex Auld at 3 minutes, 44 seconds of the second period after Turgeon beat him with a wrist shot at the edge of the right circle for a 4-1 lead.
Milan Hejduk, with his 200th NHL goal, and Turgeon hiked the advantage to 6-1 with power-play goals that came 2:15 apart. Turgeon banked the puck off Auld and inside the right post on a five-on-three skating advantage at 14:02.
But the Canucks completely dominated play in the third period. They didn't convert any of four power plays but forced Aebischer to make a bundle of big saves.
"That was a good indication that you can't relax," Quenneville said.
Vancouver managed a third-period goal, which came off the stick of Ryan Kesler after a pass from Bertuzzi, prompting more boos.
"He better get used to it, at least in this building," Laperriere said. "It was a playoff atmosphere. It was great to feel the crowd in a big game like that."
When the game ended, Bertuzzi skated off the ice to a loud, obscene chant.
The victory enabled the Avalanche to pull six points behind the Canucks, and the teams meet again Saturday at the Pepsi Center.
"We've got a big game on Saturday," said Brad May, who left the Canucks as a free agent to sign with the Avalanche. "It was a big win for us; obviously we're chasing Vancouver. They got off to a red-hot start. It was a big win for us, but we play them six more times. They're a much better team than that. We're going to have a heck of a game Saturday."
The Avalanche grabbed a 3-1 first-period lead, getting goals from Steve Konowalchuk and Laperriere 1:59 apart to break a 1-1 tie.
Konowalchuk, who has scored three of his four goals in the past four games, beat Cloutier with a quick shot to the glove side at 10:33.
Laperriere, who has recorded three goals and as many assists in the past five games, converted Brunette's behind-the-net pass at 12:32 for what proved to be the winner.
Laperriere celebrated a little more than usual after the goal, saying later: "I had a little too much butter on my toast."
Joe Sakic opened the scoring with 4 seconds left on a power play, deflecting Brett Clark's shot into the net at 2:37.
The Canucks tied the score 1-1 at 5:40 when Aebischer inadvertently knocked the rebound of Henrik Sedin's shot into the net with his stick, but he more than made up for that faux pas.
"David was great," Quenneville said. "He made many big saves and they had some very dangerous chances. It was his best game to date."
But the Avalanche's habit of sitting back with leads and playing sloppy in front of Aebischer or backup Peter Budaj remains a concern.
"In our first 10 games, our offense has been great," Quenneville said. "But our defense - I'm talking about the entire team - can really improve."