Takin' 'em to Slovakia

The Isles come away from the Coliseum with a win to show for all their hard work lately. Colorado's a great team this year, so it was good to see the boys take this one both because (a) they flat-out played better and (b) they were actually the more talented team, even with Streit and Okposo out. This is the type of game you were looking for them to put together to continue the encouragement that they could be a playoff team this year. Both teams were coming off back-to-back games, though the Isles had to travel while Colorado was already in the area capping off their tour of the tri-state hockey squads.

Milan Jurcina showed why he belongs. I was a little worried after the first couple games, but eventually, Jurcina came through on several fronts-- culminating in his effort during this Colorado game. It's not just that he scored the two goals, though they were obviously huge tallies. He's put together three really good games in a row on the PK against very tough teams, ramping up his physical play to make even more of an impact. He's the best defenseman on the team at clearing the crease, and he showed it again tonight. The slapshot he unleashed to open the scoring was just a bonus. I was all about slotting Hillen over Jurcina in the beginning of the season, but as they say, that's why I'm blogging and Scott Gordon's coaching.

Frans Nielsen is without question one of the top five defensive forwards in the NHL. Last night, he was instrumental in silencing Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Tonight, Matt Duchene, Chris Stewart, Paul Stastny, and Milan Hejduk had tons of trouble trying to solve him. He was all over the ice and constantly made his presence known despite not showing up on the score sheet. Snow's contract for him always looks better with every game Nielsen plays.

Good to see Dwayne Roloson's still got it. His effort shouldn't be overlooked. One questionable bad-angle goal, but a host of other spectacular saves to give the Isles momentum. He matched Craig Anderson's excellent first period effort and outlasted him through the rest of the game. He even showed more of an affinity for playing the puck, an activity in which he normally refrains from participating altogether.

Josh Bailey is finding even more ways to get better. Tonight, it was in the faceoff circle, where despite winning only three out of seven draws, he had two key victories in huge situations. One of them led directly to the first goal in a shorthanded situation. Bailey now has seven points in five games, and he's playing like a #1 center. Granted, Bailey doesn't really need to continue performing at this pace to make a huge contribution to the Isles' effort to make the postseason. However, if he does, then he'll establish himself as a bona fide top line center in the NHL. That'll be something interesting to watch throughout the season.

No mental mistakes tonight. Dougie Weight took two pretty smart penalties, but other than that, the Isles did a good job staying out of the box. No offensive-zone penalties, no bench minors, no boneheaded turnovers, no ill-advised passes. This is the type of game the Isles can play when they minimize the goofs.

P.A. Parenteau might actually have some chance of winning me back over. Maybe. He did a good job creating on Bailey's goal and Grabner's goal. He also didn't screw anything up tonight. It's possible he's getting his act together. We'll have to see if he's for real.

One negative from this evening:

The early third-period goal is a drag. You never wanna give another team momentum like that. The Isles couldn't convert on a huge power play to start the stanza, then Stewart comes right back down and scores. I'm sure the team will put the clamps on the opponents next time they come out with a third-period advantage.

On the Avs:

The Avs are similar to the Isles in that they're a young team reaping the benefits of all their kids coming together at once. Last year's magical season speaks to the idea that the draft is the right way to build. The thing about Colorado's roster is that while they are chock full of talented kids, they lack serious star power. Many Avs fans will argue that Duchene is that guy for them, and some will even go so far as to say he's gonna be better long-term than Tavares. I don't think that'll be the case at all, but they're entitled to their opinion.

I also like Stewart, Cumiskey, Yip (didn't play tonight), and Galiardi. The Avs also have some nice prospects in the pipeline, including but not limited to Kevin Shattenkirk and Steve Silas (who they absolutely stole this year). That being said, Stastny doesn't really qualify as a headliner. The Isles, in the meantime, look like they're putting together a top six full of headliners. That being said, it's still early, and either team can still end up anywhere. My feeling, though, is that the Isles will have the star power to pull through to the next level.

On to Toronto, where the surprising Leafs await.