Avs vs Vegas

[TruePowerSlave]

Avs offense, Dcore and depth is better.

Vegas has the goaltending and special teams.

X factor is the Avs health, they had a lot of injuries all season.

 

[dmac7719]

Goaltending: Vegas
Defense: Vegas (give me Theodore+Piet > Makar+Girard)
Offense: Very slight edge to Avs; but it can go either way. Vegas has the better depth, Avs have the better top-end guys.

Vegas wins this, plus they're better suited as a "Playoff team"

Why you using depth for the forward position, but at the defense position you seem to be basing it off of 2 players for each team?

 

[Tralfamadore]

Ideal western conference matchup.

Vegas has the top elite talent on D but Colorado has the better depth on D. This could change real soon though with Makar Girard and Byram maturing and with Petro aging.

At forward Colorado has the edge in both the top end talent and depth.

I'll give an edge to LV on goaltending but the Avs goaltending gets so underrated around here sometimes. Grubaur and Francouz are a great pair. I'll admit however staying healthy is slowly becoming a concern.

Either team could win any one series. If they played 100 times I'd give the nod to the Avs at about 60/40.

 

[Adele Dazeem]

I have no idea how someone can look at those forward groups and say Vegas has better depth. Just comical. As for defensive groups, I'd take Avalanche comfortably. Vegas might have the best defenseman out of the bunch if you compare Pie to Makar or Sammy, but they sure as hell are weaker across the rest of the board.



Francouz was injured throughout the playoffs.

Oh the travesty, come on guys... I'll give you (MacK+Landeskog+Rantanen>Machy+Karlsson+Stone), but is it that out of the world to prefer a middle-6 of Patches+Tuch+Smith over Saad+Kadri+Burakovsky?

 

[Adele Dazeem]

Why you using depth for the forward position, but at the defense position you seem to be basing it off of 2 players for each team?

Because it doesn't make a difference in my assessment (I gave Colorado the edge in forwards), I'm not going to breakdown every player against a player.

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

I have no idea how someone can look at those forward groups and say Vegas has better depth. Just comical. As for defensive groups, I'd take Avalanche comfortably. Vegas might have the best defenseman out of the bunch if you compare Pie to Makar or Sammy, but they sure as hell are weaker across the rest of the board.

Shea Theodore would also be the best defenseman on the Avalanche.

 

[TruePowerSlave]

Shea Theodore would also be the best defenseman on the Avalanche.

No he wouldn't, #1D would still be Makar

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

No he wouldn't, #1D would still be Makar

Makar can be better as early as next season and it wouldn't shock me in the slightest but right now he is not as good as Theodore. The only argument that Makar really has is points and that is far too heavily influenced by the forwards they play with for me to consider it compelling.

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

Makar can be better as early as next season and it wouldn't shock me in the slightest but right now he is not as good as Theodore. The only argument that Makar really has is points and that is far too heavily influenced by the forwards they play with for me to consider it compelling.

The two teams scored at a pretty similar level this season and Makar was 2nd on the Avs in points while Theadore was 5th on the Knights.

I don’t know, I don’t really get the knocking players that play with other good players in their career. Good teams have good players.

Guys like Lidstrom, Sakic, Forsberg, Yzerman, Hedman, Kucherov, Pastrnak, Burns, Keith, Blake, and Coffey have all played with other great players.

I don’t see the reason to knock players for that.

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

The two teams scored at a pretty similar level this season and Makar was 2nd on the Avs in points while Theadore was 5th on the Knights.

I don’t know, I don’t really get the knocking players that play with other good players in their career. Good teams have good players.

Guys like Lidstrom, Sakic, Forsberg, Yzerman, Hedman, Kucherov, Pastrnak, Burns, Keith, Blake, and Coffey have all played with other great players.

I don’t see the reason to knock players for that.

I’m not knocking Makar for playing with good players. I’m saying I don’t care how many points he scored.

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

I’m not knocking Makar for playing with good players. I’m saying I don’t care how many points he scored.

Gotcha. My B.

 

[avsfan9]

Shea Theodore would also be the best defenseman on the Avalanche.

Shea Theodore is not better than Makar.

 

[BlueMed]

Colorado is better. Vegas lacks depth at center and defense.

 

[LetsGoBLUES91]

Avs. Pretty easily. Not to say Vegas can't win a series obviously, but on paper if they stay healthy the Avs are the best team in the West.

 

[Islay1989]

Shea Theodore would also be the best defenseman on the Avalanche.

Thst is all.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Vegas has an awful defense.

Martinez, McNabb, Holden is quite possibly the worst left side in the West.

What if they swap Holden and Theodore? It's not a great argument you are making because thats a very flexible group of players. It's not 3 RHD and 3 LHD.

How about this?

Martinez-Pietrangelo
Theodore-McNabb
Hague-Holden
Whitecloud

Is that the worst left side in the league?

 

[amnesiac]

would be a hell of a series!!!.... tough one.

Ill say VGK. A bit deeper and much better goaltending.

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

Isn’t Theadore a lefty? I assume he plays on the left side?

The Knights could put him with Petro, or make a more balanced top-4 by playing them apart.

 

[CanadienShark]

Avs, but it's close. My anti-Vegas swayed me.

 

[The Abusement Park]

Oh the travesty, come on guys... I'll give you (MacK+Landeskog+Rantanen>Machy+Karlsson+Stone), but is it that out of the world to prefer a middle-6 of Patches+Tuch+Smith over Saad+Kadri+Burakovsky?

I mean the issue is that Chandler Stephenson is the 2C for Vegas... I mean the depth is pretty even until we start talking about the C's where CO demolishes them, unless Glass takes a big step forwards this year.

 

[Kcb12345]

On paper you could say Colorado is definitely better, however goaltending is a very clear and large advantage for Vegas. I also prefer Vegas' defense now with Pietrangelo. Makar>Theodore but Pietrangelo>the rest of the Avs dmen combined

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

On paper you could say Colorado is definitely better, however goaltending is a very clear and large advantage for Vegas. I also prefer Vegas' defense now with Pietrangelo. Makar>Theodore but Pietrangelo>the rest of the Avs dmen combined

Oh, hell no. We’re not going to put that much value on Pietrangelo, are we?

 

[PAZ]

On paper you could say Colorado is definitely better, however goaltending is a very clear and large advantage for Vegas. I also prefer Vegas' defense now with Pietrangelo. Makar>Theodore but Pietrangelo>the rest of the Avs dmen combined

The defense that we iced against the Stars? Sure.

A healthy defense with the addition of Toews? Not a chance.

A defense of:

Graves - Makar
Girard - Zadorov
Cole - Connauton/Timmins

is vastly different than:

Toews - Makar
Girard - EJ
Graves - Cole/Timmins/Byram

 

[Bounces R Way]

Neither are as good as people like to make them out as. Give me Vegas for the goaltending.

 

[stl76]

If Glass can step up his play, I think the Knights are the answer. I think Colorado’s goaltending is more of an issue than asking Glass to be the 2C.

This is really what it boils down to for me...which is the bigger weakness: the knights Cs vs the avs Gs?

Colorado's goaltending issues are health related. Grubauer has proven he can he can be a difference maker in the playoffs when healthy. His last 19 playoff games over the past 2 seasons: 12 wins, 6 losses, .924 SV%, and a GAA below 2.30.

On the other hand, Las Vegas' center depth is just not good enough IMO. Maybe Glass can step in and play well, but asking him to be a top 6 C on a cup winner as a 21/22 year old rookie is a HUGE ask. Even if Glass can handle the 2C role, I still don't think Karlsson is a good enough 1C to win the cup.