GDT: Avs @ Panthers - Game 7

[Raucherhusten]

Damn. He must be hurt then.

Huh`Not every player that has a couple of rough games is automatically hurt. If so Jamie Benn must be hurt for over a year now.

 

[Alex Jones]

“Avs need secondary scoring”
- No one

Avs need secondary scoring

- Argument destroyed

 

[BrickNHL]

Missed the game, did they won?

 

[TheForsbergShow]

Missed the game, did they won?

They winned hard

 

[Balthazar]

Huh`Not every player that has a couple of rough games is automatically hurt. If so Jamie Benn must be hurt for over a year now.

Benn isn't hurt he's done. It's a little too soon to compare Landy to him isn't it?

 

[the_fan]

We are all complaining about MacK not having a strong start to the season but he's on pace for like 117 points or something. If that's the slow version of MacK, I'm happy

 

[Raucherhusten]

Benn isn't hurt he's done. It's a little too soon to compare Landy to him isn't it?

God i hope so.

But it's also a bit soon to say Landy has to be hurt after a couple of rough games, right?!? Besides, the whole line looks a "little bit" off atm, not just Landy.

 

[Frobbo]

FWIW I took in the DU-BC tilt tonight, good game. Newhook (Avs first rounder) played wing on Boldy's (MN first rounder) line for BC. I thought he looked really comfortable out there and showed big league skating ability. He rang a shot off the post and was way more impressive than Boldy.

On the other hand Helleson (Avs 2nd rounder) looked uncomfortable and slow. He coughed up the puck and generally looked somewhat overwhelmed. He has a ways to go IMO.

 

[S E P H]

Landeskog has played solid except for one game. Now if any of you lot are expecting the same numbers last year he just isn't going to be able to hit that consistently.

E: It should be said that I did not watch the game tonight.

 

[crue7]

Mack talking about home ice in the playoffs in the post game already. Gotta love that mans compete level.

 

[Avs9296]

Mack talking about home ice in the playoffs in the post game already. Gotta love that mans compete level.

He has more compete level in his words than his play on the ice so far this year.

 

[crue7]

He has more compete level in his words than his play on the ice so far this year.

It's not like Landy or Mikko has been much better. From what I've been seeing so far, Mack isn't receiving the puck off the rush and it's frustrating him. Rants and Landy have not moved their legs enough to get things going off the rush.

Rantanen has been bambi on the boards and Landeskog has been pedestrian on the forecheck. These guys keep trying to skate through 3 guys at once and it is just not working. They won't get going until they start moving their feet and start working a little harder.

 

[Freudian]

The first line last year not only were able to gain the offensive blue line with ease, they also had a strong cycling game. This year it's mostly solo raids and missed passes. Very little sustained pressure through cycling. All three of them look a bit off.

Good news is of course that the team is winning without their best players performing. When they get going, Avs will be very good.

 

[Pokecheque]

FWIW I took in the DU-BC tilt tonight, good game. Newhook (Avs first rounder) played wing on Boldy's (MN first rounder) line for BC. I thought he looked really comfortable out there and showed big league skating ability. He rang a shot off the post and was way more impressive than Boldy.

On the other hand Helleson (Avs 2nd rounder) looked uncomfortable and slow. He coughed up the puck and generally looked somewhat overwhelmed. He has a ways to go IMO.

Wait...Boldy played center?

 

[MarkT]

I just watched it.

• That second line was money. Donskoi and Bura are looking very comfortable, and I think Kadri's next in line to get rolling.
• The 4th line is everything we'd hoped it would be after Bellemare was signed. Bottom pair defensemen are getting eaten alive by them.
• The top line is basically like a defensive tackle in football right now - eating up blocks so other guys can get the sacks. Mack and Co are getting all the tough matchups, which frees up the other lines. It sucks that they (Mack and Rantanen especially) seem to be fighting the puck a lot, but I fully expect them to get rolling again at some point. This game against Tampa should bring out the best in them.
• If Makar keeps playing like this, it may be time to send him to the Eagles and play Rosen or Timmins instead. He doesn't look ready right now, and isn't really helping the powerplay all that much. I don't trust him in his own zone.
• Girard also had a tough night, but I've seen enough from him to trust him to bounce back.
• Cole looked awesome tonight - he clearly can't skate any more, yet he's positionally so sound.
• EJ also looks strong out there in a shut-down role.
• Jost & Co were pretty invisible for most of the game.
• Graves is starting to level off after a great start to the season. I think he's still good enough for his current role though.
• Grubauer was terrible at the start of the game, but lights out as usual in the third. I like that trait in him.
• First star of the game: Jared Bednar. This game proves that he means it when he says the guys playing the best will get the minutes. Late in the game there was a Florida icing. The Mac like was rested, but instead he put out the Kadri line despite them just being out there a couple shifts ago. Then in overtime, Donskoi, Kadri and Bura all got multiple shifts, while Rantanen got one and I don't think Landy got any. The players will notice that and realize that if they play well they're going to get rewarded, and if they play poorly they're going to sit. It's fair and I like it.

 

[klozge]

Give me Kamenev or at least Nichushkin for Wilson. Other than that this was a very fun game. This team's really special.

 

[benzino]

Give me Kamenev or at least Nichushkin for Wilson. Other than that this was a very fun game. This team's really special.

Kamenev-JTC-Nuke is worth a try with Wilson and Jost eating nachos with Barbie.

 

[SirLoinOfCloth]

Interesting stat given he was benched the game before - Big Z had the third most TOI behind only EJ and Mack. He was out there for big moments like PKs, last few minutes of regulation and OT. I thought he did very well last night. So maybe the healthy scratch did him good? Bednar clearly trusts him if he's getting 21mins of ice time. Or he was giving Z a chance to prove himself.

 

[UncleRisto]

You know what I like is, I don't hate any of the players in the rotation. So when they make changes I'm fine with them.

 

[henchman21]

Wait...Boldy played center?

It was fairly widely thought that Boldy would end up at center at some point... his skill set works there and he played there prior to the US team.

 

[MaKarter]

I just watched it.

• That second line was money. Donskoi and Bura are looking very comfortable, and I think Kadri's next in line to get rolling.
• The 4th line is everything we'd hoped it would be after Bellemare was signed. Bottom pair defensemen are getting eaten alive by them.
• The top line is basically like a defensive tackle in football right now - eating up blocks so other guys can get the sacks. Mack and Co are getting all the tough matchups, which frees up the other lines. It sucks that they (Mack and Rantanen especially) seem to be fighting the puck a lot, but I fully expect them to get rolling again at some point. This game against Tampa should bring out the best in them.
• If Makar keeps playing like this, it may be time to send him to the Eagles and play Rosen or Timmins instead. He doesn't look ready right now, and isn't really helping the powerplay all that much. I don't trust him in his own zone.
• Girard also had a tough night, but I've seen enough from him to trust him to bounce back.
• Cole looked awesome tonight - he clearly can't skate any more, yet he's positionally so sound.
• EJ also looks strong out there in a shut-down role.
• Jost & Co were pretty invisible for most of the game.
• Graves is starting to level off after a great start to the season. I think he's still good enough for his current role though.
• Grubauer was terrible at the start of the game, but lights out as usual in the third. I like that trait in him.
• First star of the game: Jared Bednar. This game proves that he means it when he says the guys playing the best will get the minutes. Late in the game there was a Florida icing. The Mac like was rested, but instead he put out the Kadri line despite them just being out there a couple shifts ago. Then in overtime, Donskoi, Kadri and Bura all got multiple shifts, while Rantanen got one and I don't think Landy got any. The players will notice that and realize that if they play well they're going to get rewarded, and if they play poorly they're going to sit. It's fair and I like it.

What were the D pairings for the most of the night? Did Makar mostly play with Cole?

I missed the game but I've read it was bad night for #8

 

[MarkT]

What were the D pairings for the most of the night? Did Makar mostly play with Cole?

I missed the game but I've read it was bad night for #8

He played mostly with Z, but as always, the pairing were all over the place. I think he played less in during the 3rd period due to is poor game, and Cole got his minutes instead.

 

[Tralfamadore]

Seems like there was a lot riding on Makar having a smooth transition into the top 4 at this level. The argument can definitely be made that it was a mistake to think that but he was arguably the most NHL ready prospect in the league. Q Hughes in Vancouver has been fantastic but something hasn't quite clicked for Makar yet. Problem now though is there's a bit of a hole in the lineup and we already have to dress some borderline scrubs in Graves/Barb.

I don't know if sending Cale down to the AHL is necessarily the right option but he is struggling right now and it's hurting the team. The skating/passing is absolutely NHL level but he just keeps fumbling the puck or just misplaying it in general.

 

[Avs71]

Makar is 7 games into his NHL career. 7. He does not need the AHL. He has one less point than EJ, Girard, and Zadorov combined. He will struggle some nights, and he will dominate other nights. Seems pretty standard for a young player. He’s just giving the world a reality check right now that he won’t be competing for the Norris in his rookie season.

 

[oxenfree]

The first line last year not only were able to gain the offensive blue line with ease, they also had a strong cycling game. This year it's mostly solo raids and missed passes. Very little sustained pressure through cycling. All three of them look a bit off.

Good news is of course that the team is winning without their best players performing. When they get going, Avs will be very good.

They really don’t have the same support from the defense at even strength that they did last year. Outside of Girard and a few shifts from Zadorov and Makar, no one on the blue line has been able to help sustain offensive pressure consistently. That really has to change for long term success and it totally can if Makar gets to be more consistent, but that’s still an if right now.

You can see it in the advanced stats (lots of negative Corsi players on defense), you can see it with the eye test, and you can see it in the point totals on defense. You can’t trust this defense to help with offensive pressure yet, and I think people underestimated just how much the top line depended on that.