Dater: Observations From A Wild Game 1
A win is a win is a win is a win. Avs win Game 1, on to Tuesday.
Well, OK, let’s discuss that circus of a game last night under the Big Top that was Ball Arena.
It was a new Avs record for goals in a playoff game. It was close to a record for most against, too. What happened? Here are some takes:
It doesn’t happen too often, but in this case, I think one of the worst things to happen to the Avs was getting out to such a fast, 3-0 lead. Everybody, including me and apparently the Avs too, thought the game was over. This Wild team, though, is not a bunch of quitters. That much we learned in Game 1.
There were uncomfortable stretches of the game where it seemed the Wild could do whatever they wanted around the front of the net. The Avs’ interior defense was poor, and so was their defensive play in the neutral zone. The Wild waltzed into the Avs’ far too easily at times and got a lot of good shots off in the slot area.
That said, the Avs were quite a lot to handle offensively too, and here’s my biggest takeaway from Game 1: Jesper Wallstedt, the Wild’s rookie goalie, isn’t yet ready for prime time.
