GDT: Avalanche vs Oilers 03/16/24 @8:00PM MST (Emergency GDT) These bragging rights are good for 19 days.

[littletonhockeycoach]

I'm not sure why you even bother. Knowing the Avs 1/3 those guys will be out of the lineup pretty soon.

Hmmm.... Photo taken of Imperial Germany Navy (Kreigsmarine) men post Scapa Flow fleet scuttling?

My mother's cousin in Germany sent me a similar photo of his older brother who was imprisoned by the British afterwards.

 

[Snow Arc]

Hmmm.... Photo taken of Imperial Germany Navy (Kreigsmarine) men post Scapa Flow fleet scuttling?

My mother's cousin in Germany sent me a similar photo of his older brother who was imprisoned by the British afterwards.

Good eye

 

[AllAboutAvs]

McDavid at least gives an effort defensively and he is not as bad as some people make him out to be. Drai on the other hand is horrible due to a massive lack of effort.

Mikko can be lazy but I'll take him every day as a player over Drai. The only thing Drai has on Mikko is if Mikko is hurt he is fully hurt and out of the lineup...Drai on the other hand is only hurt defensively so he can still play and produce offensively.

 

[NOTENOUGHRYJOTHINGS]

This is off topic but I just want to say this : if you're changing your username because your takes have been so f***ing horribly bad for years, then kindly go f*** yourself!

Not aimed at anyone in particular.

I love you too.

 

[a mangy Meowth]

It's not that hard. Look at the Bryam trade thread. Alienblood is on his 3rd name this season

Glad that dude got a clue and stopped posting his awful Byram takes around here

 

[chet1926]

McDavid at least gives an effort defensively and he is not as bad as some people make him out to be. Drai on the other hand is horrible due to a massive lack of effort.

Mikko can be lazy but I'll take him every day as a player over Drai. The only thing Drai has on Mikko is if Mikko is hurt he is fully hurt and out of the lineup...Drai on the other hand is only hurt defensively so he can still play and produce offensively.

Sorry, McDavid is not great defensively and doesn't put in a whole ton there, borderline lazy and almost always cheats offense. Drai is even worse. Rants also is absolutely miserable defensively as well.

All 3 of these guys will not be remembered for a 200ft game.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

This is off topic but I just want to say this : if you're changing your username because your takes have been so f***ing horribly bad for years, then kindly go f*** yourself!

Not aimed at anyone in particular.

Did RIAL just switch back to TPS?



Just kidding buddy.

 

[a mangy Meowth]

I love you too.

You have immunity lol

 

[AllAboutAvs]

Sorry, McDavid is not great defensively and doesn't put in a whole ton there, borderline lazy and almost always cheats offense. Drai is even worse. Rants also is absolutely miserable defensively as well.

All 3 of these guys will not be remembered for a 200ft game.

You are right that none of them will be remembered for their 200ft game but I disagree about McD. Since the start of their long streak the Oilers as a team have committed to a better defensive game and McD has bought in to it. The issue is that he is not that good at it but like I said at least for a while this season he has been giving a good effort defensively. Drai did also for a short time but went back to his whole self pretty quickly.

 

[22FUTON9]

McDavid at least gives an effort defensively and he is not as bad as some people make him out to be. Drai on the other hand is horrible due to a massive lack of effort.

Mikko can be lazy but I'll take him every day as a player over Drai. The only thing Drai has on Mikko is if Mikko is hurt he is fully hurt and out of the lineup...Drai on the other hand is only hurt defensively so he can still play and produce offensively.

I think taking Mikko over Draisaitl is definitely a bit of a stretch…. His production blows Mikko out of the water the past few seasons.

I would say though, IMO the main difference in production comes from how well Draisaitl reads the play from McDavid. Their Chemistry is the best in the league, and I don’t think it’s really that close.

Whether that’s more on Draisaitl having incredible offensive IQ, or just being the McDavid factor, we really won’t find out until if or when one of them leave, but I think that is the main difference between the two.
With Mikko and Mack, I feel its more of just two incredibly talented players playing together, rather than them having insane chemistry.

 

[AllAboutAvs]

I think taking Mikko over Draisaitl is definitely a bit of a stretch…. His production blows Mikko out of the water the past few seasons.

I would say though, IMO the main difference in production comes from how well Draisaitl reads the play from McDavid. Their Chemistry is the best in the league, and I don’t think it’s really that close.

Whether that’s more on Draisaitl having incredible offensive IQ, or just being the McDavid factor, we really won’t find out until if or when one of them leave, but I think that is the main difference between the two.
With Mikko and Mack, I feel its more of just two incredibly talented players playing together, rather than them having insane chemistry.

And how many goals against has he been responsible in those past few seasons? I would bet it is quite a few more than Mikko. His horrible defense was responsible for their loss last night. You take Drai and I'll gladly stick with Mikko.

 

[Miri]

I feel like I hear that every year

To be fair, they were. I expected them at least 2x already to make it to SCF. But somehow, they always blew it so far. Maybe this year they finally get there, Guentzel taking them over the edge.

Hoepfully, it will be us to meet them there and beat them.

 

[SirLoinOfCloth]

The EDM board has calmed down a bit but there's still some enjoyment to be had. I especially liked when someone suggested that the oilers have been the best team in the league if you forget their bad start and just look at it since.

Cool. The Avs are undefeated if you subtract all their losses. Top of the league baby.

Let's just remove the part of the season where you played way below expectation because it doesn't fit your narrative and keep the bit where you played way above expectations because it does.

 

[Ararana]

If I lived in EDM, I’d buy a Lehky jersey

Never hurts to know who your daddy is.

 

[The Abusement Park]

McDavid at least gives an effort defensively and he is not as bad as some people make him out to be. Drai on the other hand is horrible due to a massive lack of effort.

I’d argue one of the biggest failures during the Oilers window has been not getting wingers to take some of the defensive pressure of McDrai. I think the way Sakic and Cmac have handled the wings here has been fantastic.

Mack’s obviously gotten better in his own end, but is still never going to be a great defensive player. But pairing Mack with Landy, Lehky, Nuke takes so much of the pressure of Mack defensively and they all create space with their forechecking.

 

[AllAboutAvs]

I’d argue one of the biggest failures during the Oilers window has been not getting wingers to take some of the defensive pressure of McDrai. I think the way Sakic and Cmac have handled the wings here has been fantastic.

Mack’s obviously gotten better in his own end, but is still never going to be a great defensive player. But pairing Mack with Landy, Lehky, Nuke takes so much of the pressure of Mack defensively and they all create space with their forechecking.

I actually agree with you 100%. The Oilers have done a very poor job insulating their stars' defensive weakness. With that said the Avs didn't start being dominant until everybody bought in to the defense including their star players. Mack and Mikko have never been great on the defensive side but in 2022 they put in a real effort to play good/decent defense. They were not great at it but at least the effort was there. Mikko was a lot less lazy that year. Since then over time he has become more and more lazy but he has been better IMO the last 5-6 games and it shows in the team's defensive stats. Nobody is asking McD and Drai to be stellar defensively. They are paid the big bucks to put up points just like Mack and Mikko. All a coach can ask is put in the effort and be an example to the rest of the team that they are buying in. Mack and Mikko did that (Mikko less so this season except the last 5-6 games) and IMO McD has been doing it as well since Knochblaugh (sp?) took over. He is just not good at it but he can get better at it with reps. Drai just doesn't care.

But I agree that their GMs have been really bad at giving them help around them defensively. As you said the Avs did it to perfection.

 

[Grigowski]

So we made a "statement" win....

Maybe we should let them win one of those remaining 2 games (or maybe both).. Just to give them some false secure and hope before the playoffs.....

No, serious: Was fun to watch. McDavid and Mac going at each other is always a must-watch, imho.

And that Mac-Assist in OT..... Crazy shit.

 

[littletonhockeycoach]

Good eye

Great photo. Great commentary!

 

[littletonhockeycoach]

So we made a "statement" win....

Maybe we should let them win one of those remaining 2 games (or maybe both).. Just to give them some false secure and hope before the playoffs.....

No, serious: Was fun to watch. McDavid and Mac going at each other is always a must-watch, imho.

And that Mac-Assist in OT..... Crazy shit.

I didn't catch MacKs puck capture until someone pointed it out.

Never in a million years would I ever be able to pull anything like that off!

At best, most would blindly flail the puck toward the net off their back hand.

For MacK, it was a controlled capture with full intent... Curl, use skate to kick puck up to stick blade and send the pass. How the hell does one even practice that move??

Screw the voting sports reporters, MacK is the league's best player. No question. MVP. Give him both the Hart and the Ross!!

 

[SoundwaveIsCharisma]

I actually agree with you 100%. The Oilers have done a very poor job insulating their stars' defensive weakness. With that said the Avs didn't start being dominant until everybody bought in to the defense including their star players. Mack and Mikko have never been great on the defensive side but in 2022 they put in a real effort to play good/decent defense. They were not great at it but at least the effort was there. Mikko was a lot less lazy that year. Since then over time he has become more and more lazy but he has been better IMO the last 5-6 games and it shows in the team's defensive stats. Nobody is asking McD and Drai to be stellar defensively. They are paid the big bucks to put up points just like Mack and Mikko. All a coach can ask is put in the effort and be an example to the rest of the team that they are buying in. Mack and Mikko did that (Mikko less so this season except the last 5-6 games) and IMO McD has been doing it as well since Knochblaugh (sp?) took over. He is just not good at it but he can get better at it with reps. Drai just doesn't care.

But I agree that their GMs have been really bad at giving them help around them defensively. As you said the Avs did it to perfection.

I think that's the big part. We don't need MacK and Mikko shutting down the other team, but they can't be floaters either - which is where we saw some players fail, and fail quite miserably (RyJo being the biggest culprit). I don't think Bednar has unrealistic expectations regarding the defensive capabilities required to play his system, you just need to actually back check and put pressure on the puck carrier in the hopes that it causes a turnover for a quick transition.

 

[henchman21]

I think that's the big part. We don't need MacK and Mikko shutting down the other team, but they can't be floaters either - which is where we saw some players fail, and fail quite miserably (RyJo being the biggest culprit). I don't think Bednar has unrealistic expectations regarding the defensive capabilities required to play his system, you just need to actually back check and put pressure on the puck carrier in the hopes that it causes a turnover for a quick transition.

The biggest thing Bednar's system commands is effort. If it lacks, it becomes exceedingly obvious where it breaks down. Which probably hurts the perception of Mikko here... in other systems (sans a few) he'd be hidden a bit more. Here any effort issues stick out heavily.

I do think the strain of Bednar's system can overtax players and their legs. We tend to see players over worked and their legs go out at different times. Right now Colton and Wood don't look great, but they probably have 60-90 minutes more than they should have to this point. LOC has been this poster boy for years... always starts hot and wears down.

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

The EDM board has calmed down a bit but there's still some enjoyment to be had. I especially liked when someone suggested that the oilers have been the best team in the league if you forget their bad start and just look at it since.

Cool. The Avs are undefeated if you subtract all their losses. Top of the league baby.

Let's just remove the part of the season where you played way below expectation because it doesn't fit your narrative and keep the bit where you played way above expectations because it does.

What I like is that, Avalanche seems to be peaking at the right time. I think we are playing our best hockey right now. Just perfect timing for the playoffs.

Edmonton peaked a bit earlier imo

 

[SirLoinOfCloth]

What I like is that, Avalanche seems to be peaking at the right time. I think we are playing our best hockey right now. Just perfect timing for the playoffs.

Edmonton peaked a bit earlier imo

Yea, these arbitrary subsections of the season that people draw are always so funny to me.

I mean, let's draw another one - how have EDM been since their unsustainable win streak proved to be unsustainable?

11-6-3

So, pretty decent, similar to the Avs in that timeframe, but not "the best record in the league" like when they magically draw the line in December. Basically Edmonton were horrible, then they recovered and wiped the slate clean, and since then they've been more or less where you'd expect them to be. They act like because they had such an awful start it proves how great they are now. When in reality, right now, they are about where you'd think they'd be. Not world beaters by any stretch of the imagination.

 

[dahrougem2]

I’d argue one of the biggest failures during the Oilers window has been not getting wingers to take some of the defensive pressure of McDrai. I think the way Sakic and Cmac have handled the wings here has been fantastic.

Mack’s obviously gotten better in his own end, but is still never going to be a great defensive player. But pairing Mack with Landy, Lehky, Nuke takes so much of the pressure of Mack defensively and they all create space with their forechecking.

Hyman does this offensively for 97 but he's not exactly good defensively, and it's because he's not a thinker. He's a "TRY MOAR HARD" player through and through. You can see it in the offensive zone, too. When there are several plays to be made, Hyman usually puts his head down, battles endlessly and tries to get to the net.

Draisaitl doesn't have that, but this guy was hailed for years as a more offensive Anze Kopitar. What we have seen over the last several years is that he is more like Alexei Kovalev on steroids.

 

[BrickNHL]

Friedman saying that Edmonton took a long look at Sean Walker and decided not to go for him

LMAO