GDT: Game 68: Avs @ Wild |Tuesday, March 13th, 6:30pm MT (NBCSN)| Unforgettable

[KingSizeKirby]

She got better as the game went on but at the beginning it was looking pretty bleak.

 

[The Kingslayer]

It brought me so much joy seeing how angry Parise was last night. He's honestly one of the most dislikeable players in the league. I pray the next CBA doesn't include compliance buyouts so that Minnesota is stuck with his heinous contract.

Z had Parise and Zucker frustrated as f*** last night. Zucker got nailed on the side boards by Z and gave Z a decent slash right after. Z terrorizing the the Wild for 25 minutes last night was my favourite thing about last night. The goal was nice but he had a brilliant game last night. Both Buffalo bros had great games.

 

[McMetal]

Z had Parise and Zucker frustrated as **** last night. Zucker got nailed on the side boards by Z and gave Z a decent slash right after. Z terrorizing the the Wild for 25 minutes last night was my favourite thing about last night. The goal was nice but he had a brilliant game last night. Both Buffalo bros had great games.

1st Star of the Game: Ryan O'Reilly.

 

[The Kingslayer]

1st Star of the Game: Ryan O'Reilly.

I hope the media will circle back and give Sakic credit for this trade. Will they? probably not. Its like when we traded Dregers nephew to Ottawa and he said we got Girard and a bunch of decent futures back totally downplaying the giant package we received. I hate the media.

 

[UncleRisto]

 

[dahrougem2]

I hope the media will circle back and give Sakic credit for this trade. Will they? probably not. Its like when we traded Dregers nephew to Ottawa and he said we got Girard and a bunch of decent futures back totally downplaying the giant package we received. I hate the media.

The media thinks Zadorov is a bust that will bolt to the KHL like Grigorenko and that Compher doesn't even exist. They'll never give credit for the ROR trade.

 

[CobraAcesS]

But Barrie sucks!

For real though, this was a huge win for this team. They overcame some adversity, continued dominance of a division foe, and got a vital 2 points in the playoff race.

I'll completely admit to being impressed with Barries entire body of work since EJ has been out. I didn't like his start, but Z was also not playing well in support. Once Z came back to respectability that pairing stabalized enough to really let Barrie go without as much of a downside.

I was really curious to see how well Z and Barrie could work together. I think them developing some chemistry in this stretch is big for our future. Girard makes a lot more sense next to EJ once hes ready for more minutes.

I like that Barrie uses Z too, and he seems to be getting used to playing with a partner who can read the play well enough that hes got an out when he gets into trouble.

Barrie and Z both deserve a lot of credit.

 

[Freudian]

 

[agentblack]

If you had told me a year ago they'd walk into Minny without EJ and win handily with Z, Dunk, and Warsofsky id say you were nuts but here we are

 

[Freaky Styley]

The media thinks Zadorov is a bust that will bolt to the KHL like Grigorenko and that Compher doesn't even exist. They'll never give credit for the ROR trade.

A playoff series or 2 will go a long way. Playoffs creates exposure for a lot of these guys and I have no doubt that Z and Compher will be a big part of our success if we get there.

 

[ArWKo]

Greg Wyshynski recognized Zadorov as a "leveled up" player this season in an article he recently did on ESPN so I think there are some corners where people are starting to notice Z.

 

[dahrougem2]

A playoff series or 2 will go a long way. Playoffs creates exposure for a lot of these guys and I have no doubt that Z and Compher will be a big part of our success if we get there.

It's more eastern bias with western teams not getting exposure/recognition.

Look at how ROR was perceived while in Colorado, and look at how he's perceived now that he plays in Buffalo.

 

[Freaky Styley]

It's more eastern bias with western teams not getting exposure/recognition.

Look at how ROR was perceived while in Colorado, and look at how he's perceived now that he plays in Buffalo.

I don't disagree with you, but those truly in the know will appreciate how good these guys are, especially after the Avs continually improve based on their play. Maybe I just don't care/pay attention to the media as much, but I don't think we should be upset by lack of exposure. We know how good/impactful they are, and if they continue to be then the rest of the hockey world will come around. At that point we can always say, "i told you so"

 

[CobraAcesS]

I don't disagree with you, but those truly in the know will appreciate how good these guys are, especially after the Avs continually improve based on their play. Maybe I just don't care/pay attention to the media as much, but I don't think we should be upset by lack of exposure. We know how good/impactful they are, and if they continue to be then the rest of the hockey world will come around. At that point we can always say, "i told you so"

Playoffs would be nice exposure.

 

[Ceremony]

I honestly don't care what anyone says about the trade, and not just because of how much pleasure I take from O'Reilly playing for a team as terrible as Buffalo. We know that it's a good trade, we know why it was made, we know why it's been successful so far and will be even moreso in the future. And in the meantime we get to see Zadorov rattle every team, player, fanbase going on a regular basis all the while improving as a player. I said a while back he'd have a Chara-esque career trajectory and I'm still quite confident in that. I'm also quite sure he'd be great in the playoffs, especially against a team we hate as much as the Wild.

 

[Foppberg]

Honestly, I wouldn't trade Zadorov straight up for ROR. Let alone Compher and the other pieces.

 

[5280]

You know what's great, there are so many likeable dudes on this team again. From Mack to Z to Rants to EJ to Landy to JTC and Jost, the list goes on. Before I was having to choose between the ghosts of Iggy and Beauch to Greg f***ing Zanon.

 

[Cousin Eddie]

Zadorov and Barrie had a great night together. In fact they've been good for two consecutive games now. but people seem to be forgetting that they've been a disaster together overall since EJ went down. The team has played well. Tyson Barrie has played well, but Zadorov and Barrie on the ice together has not been good.

When EJ is healthy, he goes back with Zadorov. That should be a no brainer.

 

[lonelybadger]

Zadorov and Barrie had a great night together. In fact they've been good for two consecutive games now. but people seem to be forgetting that they've been a disaster together over the last 11 games. The team has played well. Tyson Barrie has played well, but Zadorov and Barrie on the ice together has not been good.

When EJ is healthy, he goes back with Zadorov. That should be a no brainer.

Ideally Barbie can come back eventually and be re-united with Barrie

 

[Freaky Styley]

Honestly, I wouldn't trade Zadorov straight up for ROR. Let alone Compher and the other pieces.

It's so hard not to love everything about big Z. I was with the Knights when he was in London and have been trying to reassure everyone here of what he was capable of. Just an absolute monster.

 

[5280]

It's so hard not to love everything about big Z. I was with the Knights when he was in London and have been trying to reassure everyone here of what he was capable of. Just an absolute monster.

Yeah he's a hard guy not to like.

 

[Pokecheque]

Speaking of Buffalo deals, it's not often you see a lose-lose scenario but I think Scandella/Pominville for M. Foligno/Ennis comes close. I get that Minny was trying to dump salary but still...Foligno is awful. He seriously cost them any chance of coming back last night with that needless cheap shot on Nieto last night. Avs wisely didn't take the bait.

 

[littletonhockeycoach]

As both a regular Sabres poster (and fan) and Avalanche fan (lurker) I have to weigh in here regarding the trades. The RoR trade has been a win win for both franchises. Zads was still a bit immature in terms of his work habits and development when Buffalo (Murray) let him go. Sabres fan have generally regretted losing Zads. I regularly remind them of how well Compher is doing. Folks back there gave up on Grigorenko and his tenure and departure from the Avs didn't surprise me. Most knowledgable fans back there realized Comp's potential. And also aren't surprised.

Buffalo received RoR back and he's been a great acquisition for them. With Eichels injury, RoR has stepped up to more of an on ice leadership role now that's he's gotten his legs, intensity and work ethic back. I see this as a sign however that RoR plays best when he's the go to guy in the organization.

Buffalo's issue with RoR now is that their rebuild schedule is completely blown to tatters and that RoR is going to get a bit long in the tooth before the Sabres became playoff contenders. So, he's starting to look like one of the few marketable assets the Sabres have to jump start their "remodel".

The Scandella/Pominville for Foligno/Ennis trade is a big win for the Sabres. Yes, Pominville has lost a step and is mainly there for locker room/bench experience and leadership. And he was a Wild salary dump. I expect he has maybe 1 season left.

Scandella has been an outstanding acquisition and everyone is very happy with him. He's had a great year and if Spurgeon is hurt (after last night) Minny will wish Marco was back on the team. No one in Buffalo misses either Ennis or Foligno (Foligno marginally better than Nolan in terms of physical presence.) The Sabres GM (Botterill) IMO comes out of that deal with Fletcher as the winner.

 

[The Mars Volchenkov]

Zadorov and Barrie had a great night together. In fact they've been good for two consecutive games now. but people seem to be forgetting that they've been a disaster together overall since EJ went down. The team has played well. Tyson Barrie has played well, but Zadorov and Barrie on the ice together has not been good.

When EJ is healthy, he goes back with Zadorov. That should be a no brainer.

They were good against Chicago as well, and were even against Nashville until the final shift of the game where the Preds D just launched shots from the point. Talking to Barrie on Saturday, he admitted to being difficult to play with and that Z has been making adjustments. I think they've looked better for a bit now, Columbus game aside. I would still put Z back with EJ but there are options now.

 

[CobraAcesS]

They were good against Chicago as well, and were even against Nashville until the final shift of the game where the Preds D just launched shots from the point. Talking to Barrie on Saturday, he admitted to being difficult to play with and that Z has been making adjustments. I think they've looked better for a bit now, Columbus game aside. I would still put Z back with EJ but there are options now.

I just think it's important for the future that they can play together. They have never automatically clicked. So it being forced now is a good thing, and they have seemed to turn a bit of a corner.

So yeah, options are good.