Jones Goal, Budaj 26 Saves, and an Avs 4-3 Victory

I don't like to brag - until there is something to brag about.

Yesterday, I went out on a limb with five bold predictions and I'm proud to say that three of them came true. Lucky? You betcha. That probably won't happen again this season.

Anyway, I watched the first two periods of the Avs-Kings game before setting up the DVR. The next morning, I knew I was going to have to wait until the afternoon to watch the third, but I just couldn't wait. I logged on to the new-and-improved NHL.com and was pleased to see a 4-3 Avs victory.

Then I decided to check to see if I was going to look smart today.

Budaj will make exactly 26 saves

Correct. Budaj made 26 saves on 29 shots. He was decent, I guess. The first goal should have been a stop, but he didn't let in a last second goal. That's always a plus.

David Jones will score a goal

Correct. Jones scored his first of the season thanks to the nice setup by Marek Svatos. i jumped out of my seat when I heard Bob Miller, the LA Kings play-by-play guy, call his name. Congratulations to Svatos on picking up one of his rare helpers.

Joe Sakic will have a multi-point night

Incorrect. Ouch, I thought this one was in the bag. It wasn't Sakic, but rather the RPM line that was most visible during the game. Sakic was held pointless for the first time this season.

Arnason will finish with more than two shots on goal

Incorrect. My "Arnason Watch" feature during each post game blog is an indication of how bad this guy really is. Arnason was held without a shot.

Avs Win 4-3

Correct. Colorado was getting outplayed for most of the first two periods. They were lucky that they were able to capitalize on LA turnovers. Smyth's first of two goals was the epitome of how well he is gelling with Stastny and Hejduk. Speaking of Hejduk, he's been on fire. He scored his sixth goal last night after stealing the puck. Beautiful.

The weakness continues to be the penalty kill. They let up another power play goal last night and didn't seem to be improving. It's extremely unlikely any team with dreadful penalty killing will be able to win the Stanley Cup. The Avs need to figure out how to fix this achilles heel.

Three Stars of the Game

1. Ryan Smyth (Got things going early, ended with the game winner)
2. Milan Hejduk (The hottest Av to start the season)
3. David Jones (Thank you for coming through)

Video Fix

My favorite Bob Miller movie: