:: Avalanche 4, Canucks 6 ::

The wrath of Mikael Samuelsson’s hat trick caused the Colorado Avalanche to surrender a 3-0 lead in the second period and then crumble defensively in the third, as the Vancouver Canucks went on to win the game, 6-4, and complete a stunning comeback on Tuesday night.

Therefore, as you could imagine, today’s snapshot of the Avalanche Blogger Network is chock full of some pretty poignant doom and gloom. Nevertheless, the Avalanche have no time to think about the past, except maybe goaltender Craig Anderson, as he and his teammates are set to play his  former team, the Florida Panthers, on Thursday night at Pepsi Center.

Although The Avalanche Guild’s After-Hours game is now taking place on a different date, you can still purchase discounted tickets to the game right here.

We’ll start at the top, where ALL ABOUT AVS bids farewell to their hopes of a Northwest Division title and ANYONE BUT DETROIT echoes a  lot of the same frustrations.

Clearly, however, Mike from MILE HIGH HOCKEY has topped them both in terms of venting frustrations. Beware, this is a pretty crappy sight. And yes, that’s a pun.

To shift gears a little bit, THE BURGUNDY BLOG is more bitter towards the referees, who may have made some questionable calls, at best, in the game.

One of the more positive and insightful posts following the loss was from THE AVALANGELIST. He points out the issues surrounding the defensive corps and their recent performances, which was clearly lacking last consistency again last night.

Finally, props to Kara over at THE AVALANCHE CONNECTION for shelling out some love to Craig Anderson and Chris Stewart for their incredible seasons to date!

I know there’s a reason for fans and bloggers to be alarmed, but there’s absolutely no reason to panic after this loss. Like I’ve  been saying all week, it’s not where in the Top-8 the Avalanche end up, it’s how they’re playing when the final game of the regular season is over. The Avalanche have things to work out defensively just like they’ve had to work out shots on goal (still dead last) and faceoffs (still 27th). Their next three games are against non-playoff teams (as of today) and they have shown resiliency all season long.

Why freak out now? Every young team buckles from time to time. It’s okay to point out the weak defensive effort in the second and third period, but the Northwest Division is not out of sight and saying so is a little sensational. It’s six points. That’s three games. Last time I checked, there were 16 remaining.

To be honest, however, of all my scouting notes from this season, it became quite clear that this was Kyle Quincey’s worst performance of the season. But because he’s been a rock most of the time, I don’t take it for anything more than a rough night. It’s not worthy of being another healthy scratch, as he needs positive reinforcement right now, not a negative one.

Nevertheless, the loss is still the beginning of another slippery slope. The last-minute loss to Phoenix, combined with last night’s meltdown, will bring out the nerves in a few of the younger players. And that is totally understandable, even acceptable. But as a goaltender and a professional scout, I am sure every Avalanche player understands the importance of not getting too high and not getting too low.

There’s no reason for panic in the locker room, only a stronger sense of urgency and intensity with every game. Listening to the players speak after the game, there’s an incredibly strong sense of cohesion and culpability. That awareness something that often gets lost in the drama of a tough loss, so don’t be overwhelmed or wrapped up in the sensationalism of a dramatic comeback by the opposition. It happens in an 82-game season.

Related posts:

1. Avs 3, Canucks 0