Well, quite the interesting night 1 of the playoffs. Three teams, all 100+ point teams (113, 109, 107) all completely crapped the bed, losing by a combined 14-1.
So, if we do get blown out tomorrow like everyone says we will, at least we won't be the only one- we can't do much worse than those 3.
I hope the Preds were paying attention to the games tonight. It is often said in the playoffs you can get away with more, fewer penalties, etc
Well, that was not the case tonight. Penalties and power plays all over the place. In the first 3 games tonight there were a total of 29 power plays. That is crazy
If our game goes like that tomorrow and we can't stay out of the box, we are screwed.
If I recall the first round is much more like the regular season and has been for a while. It's that later rounds where things get more loose. I'm more worried about the calls being one sided because they want the AV's to win.
Is it better than last year's team?? I am not so sure about that. Last year we were about a 110 point pace team in 2nd half and were red hot down the stretch and played Carolina off their tails in the playoffs.
This year?? Definitely not red hot down the stretch
On paper this team should be better than last year's but certainly did not close the year anywhere close to last year's team.
But having said all of that- history has shown over and over that how you play down the stretch has very little if any effect on the playoffs, so hopefully that will be the case with us.
Short version is Saros ruled out for Games 1 and 2, but is with the team and rehabbing to attempt to get back. No decision on starter yet. Will be interesting to see if this is just obfuscation or if Saros really does have a chance to play.
As far as I can tell AtoZ Sports is the only place to report the high ankle sprain for Saros and with how little information usually leaks out of the Preds about injuries I'm somewhat skeptical they got the scoop on it so maybe it really isn't that bad. Also, maybe the Doc can chime in here but I remember Tua Tagovailoa getting that tightrope surgery done a few years back for a high ankle sprain and coming back super quickly. Obviously the pressure put on the ankle is different between sports, but I wonder if that's something that might have been an option for him.
Yeah we're definitely better offensively this season, but at least based on performance down the stretch I'd definitely pick last years team to beat this one. Most importantly Saros went beast mode down the stretch last year whereas this year we're relying on a backup goaltender and even Saros has just been middle of the road to end the season.
Short version is Saros ruled out for Games 1 and 2, but is with the team and rehabbing to attempt to get back. No decision on starter yet. Will be interesting to see if this is just obfuscation or if Saros really does have a chance to play.
As far as I can tell AtoZ Sports is the only place to report the high ankle sprain for Saros and with how little information usually leaks out of the Preds about injuries I'm somewhat skeptical they got the scoop on it so maybe it really isn't that bad. Also, maybe the Doc can chime in here but I remember Tua Tagovailoa getting that tightrope surgery done a few years back for a high ankle sprain and coming back super quickly. Obviously the pressure put on the ankle is different between sports, but I wonder if that's something that might have been an option for him.
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Yeah we're definitely better offensively this season, but at least based on performance down the stretch I'd definitely pick last years team to beat this one. Most importantly Saros went beast mode down the stretch last year whereas this year we're relying on a backup goaltender and even Saros has just been middle of the road to end the season.
Short version is Saros ruled out for Games 1 and 2, but is with the team and rehabbing to attempt to get back. No decision on starter yet. Will be interesting to see if this is just obfuscation or if Saros really does have a chance to play.
As far as I can tell AtoZ Sports is the only place to report the high ankle sprain for Saros and with how little information usually leaks out of the Preds about injuries I'm somewhat skeptical they got the scoop on it so maybe it really isn't that bad. Also, maybe the Doc can chime in here but I remember Tua Tagovailoa getting that tightrope surgery done a few years back for a high ankle sprain and coming back super quickly. Obviously the pressure put on the ankle is different between sports, but I wonder if that's something that might have been an option for him.
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Yeah we're definitely better offensively this season, but at least based on performance down the stretch I'd definitely pick last years team to beat this one. Most importantly Saros went beast mode down the stretch last year whereas this year we're relying on a backup goaltender and even Saros has just been middle of the road to end the season.
A high ankle sprain isn't necessarily in the ankle/foot as most people think when talking about an ankle sprain. It is an injury to the ligaments that hold the the fibula and tibia (lower leg bones) together and stabilize them over the talus (top of the foot). Most people think of an ankle sprain as the side to side torqueing of the foot or "rolling an ankle" where the high ankle sprain is an injury caused by a rotating motion of the foot and lower leg.
The rotation is the reason you see high ankle sprains in hockey but very few regular ankle sprains. The skate boot supports the ankle and prevents the side to side extremes needed for a normal ankle sprain but the twisting of the foot and lower leg are seen when the toe of the blade gets stuck in a rut during a fall or when going into the boards awkwardly. If rotated too far these ligaments holding the bottom end of the bones together and to the foot as well as the membrane between the two bones can be stretched or torn.
You might surmise that the severity of the injury isn't extreme enough to need the "tightrope" surgery or the typical solid fixation with a screw if Saros is on the trip and walking around on it, even if he is in a walking boot it can't be that bad, he would be on crutches if there were a serious ligament tear.
If it is the ankle I would guess that his toe got stuck in a rut in his crease and twisted his foot wrong when going into the butterfly that last time. Then again, it could very well still be a knee injury and this is meaningless....
Landeskog is back - Not sure if that helps or hurts their chemistry (he's been out since early March). Colorado seemed OK without him, but struggled the last 2 weeks(1-4-1).
Hopeful, but then I've been watching highlights from some recent 1-8 matchups(2017 Preds-Hawks and 2019 Bolts-BJs). And we know how they turned out!
Just spent some time on the Avs board and almost 1/3 of the post think the Preds win or make it very difficult for the Avs. Most really wanted to play the Stars saying they would have been the easier team to go against. They also hope Saros is not available for the series. Without Saros they have a better shot at beating the Preds was the consensus. Kind of funny to read. Looks like Landeskog and Kadri are both skating today and available for tonights game.
Is it better than last year's team?? I am not so sure about that. Last year we were about a 110 point pace team in 2nd half and were red hot down the stretch and played Carolina off their tails in the playoffs.
This year?? Definitely not red hot down the stretch
On paper this team should be better than last year's but certainly did not close the year anywhere close to last year's team.
But having said all of that- history has shown over and over that how you play down the stretch has very little if any effect on the playoffs, so hopefully that will be the case with us.
Im going off of how this team has played this season, most of the year up until the home stretch they played solid hockey and the offense seemingly picked up, but yeah we did struggle mightly right up until now. Im hoping its much like it was in 2017 going against Chicago, though admittedly this is quite different. If the Preds are lucky enough to get Saros back and healthy, if they could win at least one game in Colorado, things could get interesting. Avs werent doing too hot either, and its usually a close game when they play each other so who knows.
Is it better than last year's team?? I am not so sure about that. Last year we were about a 110 point pace team in 2nd half and were red hot down the stretch and played Carolina off their tails in the playoffs.
This year?? Definitely not red hot down the stretch
On paper this team should be better than last year's but certainly did not close the year anywhere close to last year's team.
Hard to find to much positive spin from that game but the Avs did crush Vegas in Game 1 of their series last year and then went on to lose it in six. Ingram looked solid in relief and I think introducing him into the series with basically no pressure is better than if he had been in net to start because any goalie was going to get shelled with how played in the first.
Really the most disappointing thing to me was that we looked outmatched physically for most of the game which was supposed to be the one advantage we had. As others have noted we just looked completely gassed all game and it seemed like we lost every puck battle.
While I was none to impressed with the Vets, I'm wondering if part of what we are seeing is also a result of letting the young guys play. Keep in mind several of these guys played in last years playoffs, but they did that on a much more short season, some only playing due to injuries. This is really the first time many of these guys have played a full NHL season and also then played in the playoffs. We've all heard the saying about young guys hitting a wall, well we've seen something going on since about March or so. We have run face first into a wall that's a heck of a lot harder to deal with than Colorado if that is the case.
Times like these is when I miss 303 the most. He could at least give a thumbs up or thumbs down to what we thought we were seeing.
Many thoughts this morning but one of them is- if we scratch Tolvanen again I may just be out on this coaching staff. After that debacle last night there is absolutely no logical reason for him to not be playing.
Four of eight series had a blowout in their first game. Unfortunately we were on the losing end of one of those. Ingram and McCarron were rare bright spots last night. The team defense was absent. The offensive zone presence didn't show up except sporadically. There are a lot of areas to address starting with focus.
Hard to find to much positive spin from that game but the Avs did crush Vegas in Game 1 of their series last year and then went on to lose it in six. Ingram looked solid in relief and I think introducing him into the series with basically no pressure is better than if he had been in net to start because any goalie was going to get shelled with how played in the first.
Really the most disappointing thing to me was that we looked outmatched physically for most of the game which was supposed to be the one advantage we had. As others have noted we just looked completely gassed all game and it seemed like we lost every puck battle.
We are running on fumes, I know they are all in great shape but wonder how our conditioning stacks up against other teams. Seems like we fade faster during shifts and at the end of games.
Many thoughts this morning but one of them is- if we scratch Tolvanen again I may just be out on this coaching staff. After that debacle last night there is absolutely no logical reason for him to not be playing.
Tolvy scratched makes sense if we're looking to play a more traditional 4th line of bangers and grinders. McCarron looked good and went to the net. Olivier with a couple of good hits and a few boneheaded plays. Cousins was Cousins ... at the net a couple of times but just not getting much else done (goes for most of the team last night).
Tolvy in gives the team more offensive upside. The questions are who goes out ... do we see Tolvy and Luff in? Is Lauzon ready (the backend needs some bulk)?
I don't know how you can watch this team and not actually see they're better than last season. The buy in on the system is better, the physical play is better. I think team defense is better (eye test only) and offensively, we apply way more pressure with the forwards.
We're also way younger too, so we're probably more prone to mistakes.
Tolvy scratched makes sense if we're looking to play a more traditional 4th line of bangers and grinders. McCarron looked good and went to the net. Olivier with a couple of good hits and a few boneheaded plays. Cousins was Cousins ... at the net a couple of times but just not getting much else done (goes for most of the team last night).
Tolvy in gives the team more offensive upside. The questions are who goes out ... do we see Tolvy and Luff in? Is Lauzon ready (the backend needs some bulk)?
Olivier had no business being out there. He was sent down and has been down for a reason. Bringing him back up and then benching Tolvanen is just stupid imo. On a team that already pulls too many penalties you don't suddenly start playing a guy that has a tendency to take penalties.
I don't know how you can watch this team and not actually see they're better than last season. The buy in on the system is better, the physical play is better. I think team defense is better (eye test only) and offensively, we apply way more pressure with the forwards.
We're also way younger too, so we're probably more prone to mistakes.
On paper and with the years many of our players had, yes, this team should be better than last year. And for much of this season, I would agree that it was probably better.
But right now? And in the past month or two?? No way this team is better than last year at the same time in the season. I went over some stats in a previous post, but last year over the last 2 months we were almost the best team in the entire NHL. And gave up around 2 goals per game. We took it to everyone down the stretch.
And then played a team in the playoffs in Carolina that had basically the same record as the Avs team we are playing now, and we played them off their tails. 4 of the 6 games went to OT, and another one was a 1-0 game in the final minute. It was basically a dead even series, one that we easily could have won.
This year, we have pretty much ran out of gas and have been terrible down the stretch. Have given up a GAA of 4 in the past 25 games and FIVE in the past 10 games.
And when you factor in last night's embarrassment?? No way, at least RIGHT NOW, that this team is better than last year's
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