AVS-SHARKS RUNNING GAME DIARY

Mikko, Mikko, Mikko

Graphic by Pat Salvas

I’m going to rip a page out of Bill Simmons’ book and do a running diary of the Avs-Sharks game tonight. And, this might be a pattern. Avs won tonight in San Jose, and I watched it all and wanted to just comment on the game as it went along.

Game stories are, well, boring. And they don’t “sell.” They’re not interesting to write, either. So, let’s try this:

• I’m at my friend Mike’s house. He’s an eye surgeon and gave me a free pair of wicked nice glasses once in lieu of him destroying my cell phone after the Avs lost to the Flames in OT. Long story short: I sat with him in the stands, lower bowl, at the game. Avs lose in OT and he extends his arms in frustration and knocks my phone out of my hand. It fell directly into the tunnel where the Flames walked to their dressing room. It smashed, inoperable.

• Mike is almost as cynical about everything as I am, so we get along well.

• Marc Moser and Ryker on the call here. Mose always seems like he has 500,000 mg of Red Bull in him. Did you know he’s also a pilot? Or, that he can fly a plane?

• Rick Astley commercial. He was hot in the ‘80s for a couple years. I would do the jig to that “Never Gonna….” song.

• Slow start for both teams. Announcers focusing a lot on Mikko and his potential 50th. What a year he’s had, eh? He just had a 2-on-1 with Nathan MacKinnon and got stoned though.

• My buddy Mike starting to complain that “guys are passing to Mikko too much instead of shooting!”

• Mike is truly cracking up here on a Snickers ad that implied a wife wanted swinger swap, only to be corrected that the other side only wanted to change teams in a game of Monopoly or something.

• This game is ZZZZZZZZZ through the first 12 minutes. Shots are 4-3 Avs.

• No points in 12 games for Alex Newhook as I type. First off, I hope this is a great DaterReverseJinx. I don’t know what’s going wrong so much, other than…he doesn’t hold on to the puck long enough. He doesn’t possess the puck enough. Everything seems too herky-jerky and rushed with him right now.

• 1-0 Sharks. Erik Karlsson beats the loafing J.T. Compher and Denis Malgin to the front of the net from the point and puts home a rebound.

• MIKKO! 50! 50!

• Great to see it. First player since Hejduk in 2003. What a year.

https://twitter.com/BarstoolDenver/status/1644175533985464320

• Mike apoplectice at a no-call trip on Eller. “Are you (bleeping) kidding?” “Avs get no calls.”

• 1-1 after one. I don’t love the vibe from this game. Feels like the Avs playing like big-headed favorites tonight.

• I just realized I couldn’t embed the tweet above because of some new business pissing match between Elon Musk and Substack.

• A little between-periods reading on the new drama in Arizona over the Coyotes. Honestly, it’s just an embarrassment now for the league with this team. The fact that there is an NHL team playing in a college arena while the supposed plans for a new arena are in super jeopardy again? And the fact that Quebec doesn’t have an NHL team? That’s not right anymore.

• Mikko quote between periods to Kyle Keefe: “It’s just a number, but happy to get there.”

• Paywall coming here…hope you subscribe!