Pre-Game Talk: Enter if you're a masochist 2.0 FLA/VAN/@SJS/@ANA

[Foppberg]

Monday vs Florida
Wednesday vs Vancouver
Friday @ San Jose
Sunday @ Anaheim



So lines looking like?

Rantanen-MacKinnon-Kerf
Sven-Brassard-JTC
Landeskog-Soda-Jost
Wilson-Dries-Calvert

Click to read more...

 

[CB Joe]

WWWW

 

[KingSizeKirby]

WWLW

 

[AllAboutAvs]

LLLL...that worked out pretty well last week!!!!!!

 

[Avsboy]

Not too bad of a schedule, I'm gonna say WWWW and we don't have to face Calgary in the 1st round.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Honestly.... Getting a healthy Wilson back and adding Brassard actually makes our depth look pretty ok. Especially when we break up the top line and spread that elite talent out a little bit. Keep Mack and Mikko together but move Landy down a line knowing he's still a good and productive player on a different line.


Our depth doesn't look terrible when we're healthy and quite frankly having Greer/Toninato/Aggz as our callup guys is decent AHL depth as well. I'd roll out lines like this tonight I think:


Rants - Mack - Sven
JTC - Brassard - Kerfoot
Landy - Soda - Jost
Wilson - Toninato - Calvert


When Nieto gets healthy stick him on Sodas wing and move Jost to the 4C spot. Mack/Brassard/Soda down the middle is solid Center depth for this team. Obviously nowhere near Tampa or Toronto right now but hopefully a Hayes UFA signing this summer and/or a Hughes draft pick will fix that right up.

 

[Cousin Eddie]

I think the coaching staff are finally realizing they need to play Jost at centre. Even last night the shifts he played down the middle were so much better than the shifts on the wing.

He’s not a great skater and he’s absolutely awful on the walls. He’s at his best in open ice with the puck and he’s at his best in the defensive zone when he’s playing down low.

He’s not a winger and almost all of his success has come while playing centre. Most centers are capable of playing wing but Jost isn’t. His flaws are completely exposed on the wall.

 

[Flanagan]

OTL OTL OTL OTL

 

[The Shermanator]

Honestly next time we go to OT I only want to see players on the ice who never get to play OT.

 

[RoyIsALegend]

OTL
W
OTL
W

Optimistic.

 

[lonelybadger]

The Avs really need 6 of 8 points for these 4 games..... only 5 more points to go.

 

[Grackle Party]

Still hate they sent down Greer and Toni (earlier). To me their play were key factors (along with good goaltending) in breaking out of the funk. The current 4th line is garbage. If players like Dries are hanging around the line up next season Im going to be pissed.

 

[RoyIsALegend]

Still hate they sent down Greer and Toni (earlier). To me their play were key factors (along with good goaltending) in breaking out of the funk. The current 4th line is garbage. If players like Dries are hanging around the line up next season Im going to be pissed.

Seriously...

Kerfoot - MacKinnon - Rantanen
Landeskog - Soderberg - Compher
Jost - Brassard - Calvert
Greer - Toninato - Ghetto/Gork

Sucks having Nieto out, but even Wilson would be a nice addition to Greer-Toni on the 4th line. Some big bodies who bang and play simple.

 

[CobraAcesS]

Seriously...

Kerfoot - MacKinnon - Rantanen
Landeskog - Soderberg - Compher
Jost - Brassard - Calvert
Greer - Toninato - Ghetto/Gork

Sucks having Nieto out, but even Wilson would be a nice addition to Greer-Toni on the 4th line. Some big bodies who bang and play simple.

The biggest damn problem with the 4th line is not having a real 4C IMO. Why they like Dries for that over Toni I have no idea. The others matter, but that is probably my biggest complaint.

 

[Avs]

All L’s as long as they keep Dries in the lineup.

 

[hooverdam]

I just looked at the lineup and realized it's possible that Wilson pushes Calvert down to the fourth line where he belongs when healthy...then realized they'll probably just make Wilson play 4C when he gets back.

Calvert has been okay of late but he's not a third line player and continuing to play him there isn't the right move. Wilson is only a few degrees better but still better.

They need to just commit to an Eagles fourth line, sans Dries. Toninato should be the 4C until he f***s it up badly because right now he's the most natural option for it. Greer on his left and then Calvert/Wilson/Ghetto on his right, depending on health. The fourth line that played yesterday should never be dressed together again.

 

[Thepoolmaster]

I just looked at the lineup and realized it's possible that Wilson pushes Calvert down to the fourth line where he belongs when healthy...then realized they'll probably just make Wilson play 4C when he gets back.

Calvert has been okay of late but he's not a third line player and continuing to play him there isn't the right move. Wilson is only a few degrees better but still better.

They need to just commit to an Eagles fourth line, sans Dries. Toninato should be the 4C until he ****s it up badly because right now he's the most natural option for it. Greer on his left and then Calvert/Wilson/Ghetto on his right, depending on health. The fourth line that played yesterday should never be dressed together again.

I'd rather have Wilson play 4C and Calvert play on the third line than have Dries play 4C though.

Agreed on the last paragraph though. That would be the ideal situation imo.

 

[CobraAcesS]

I just looked at the lineup and realized it's possible that Wilson pushes Calvert down to the fourth line where he belongs when healthy...then realized they'll probably just make Wilson play 4C when he gets back.

Calvert has been okay of late but he's not a third line player and continuing to play him there isn't the right move. Wilson is only a few degrees better but still better.

They need to just commit to an Eagles fourth line, sans Dries. Toninato should be the 4C until he ****s it up badly because right now he's the most natural option for it. Greer on his left and then Calvert/Wilson/Ghetto on his right, depending on health. The fourth line that played yesterday should never be dressed together again.

Yeah and I think having an incompetent 4th line after Kam went down is something that has been underrated as part of their struggles. Good 4th line shifts can lead to icings that allow you to put good lines out there against tried lines. When your 4th line has zero impact that is a lot of opportunity lost beyond them actually scoring.

 

[dahrougem2]

OTL
L
L
L

 

[hooverdam]

Yeah and I think having an incompetent 4th line after Kam went down is something that has been underrated as part of their struggles. Good 4th line shifts can lead to icings that allow you to put good lines out there against tried lines. When your 4th line has zero impact that is a lot of opportunity lost beyond them actually scoring.

Exactly. Bednar throws his fourth lines out there and then acts baffled when the only good thing they can accomplish is not getting scored on (and even that's a stretch). Then he cuts their minutes because they suck, and then between one game and the next he forgets how much they suck and does it all over again.

I wouldn't really expect Greer and Toninato to score, but if they can just hold onto the puck and keep it going the right way, that's more than what Dries and Bourque ever accomplish. Adding Calvert to that mix could actually really help that. Stop expecting Calvert to be some offensive dynamo (looking at you, MacKinnon) and just tell them to get the puck and keep it, tiring the other team out, and that's an effective fourth line to me.

 

[forsbergavs32]

OTL
W
L
L**

**autoloss since I’ll be in attendance

 

[Ararana]

OTL
W
L
L**

**autoloss since I’ll be in attendance

I'm thinking about going to the Anahiem game as well and I've got a pretty good record so I'll counter-balance you.

 

[SaltySkywalker]

The biggest damn problem with the 4th line is not having a real 4C IMO. Why they like Dries for that over Toni I have no idea. The others matter, but that is probably my biggest complaint.

Malkin, come on down!

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

WLW

I believe!

 

[SaltySkywalker]

WWL. I think we play up to the Sharks and down to the Ducks.

Don't feel great about Van but hopefully we can snag that one.