Sorry for the lengthy reaction post.
How in the hell does Mikko Rantanen miss all of training camp and pre-season, only get a couple practices in, and step into game 1 looking like he’s in Hart trophy form? No rust whatsoever with the puck. Even took a big elbow from Tkachuk in the jaw and shook it off. One of the more impressive performances I’ve seen from a hockey player given the circumstances. Mere mortals simply can’t do that. Like a mini version of Forsberg missing the whole regular season and then stepping into the playoffs and dominating.
Avs power play is gonna be #1 at the end of the season if they can stay healthy. They are just dominating out there. Kadri’s puck handling and dangerous sniping ability give them five legit scoring threats out there, and some beautiful puck movement. Avs are gonna get a lot of PP chances again too because they just skate circles round teams until they have to trip or hook them.
Grubauer made some good saves, but also looked a little shaky early on. Played his best in the 3rd period though. Hopefully he keeps that going.
Makar and Timmins had some nice moments but also some rookie turnovers. Hopefully just some nerves and they settle in as the season goes on.
Nichuskin with another solid game after a good pre-season. I don’t know how consistent he’s gonna be this year, but I really think the Avs with their up temp system gives him the best opportunity to succeed in the NHL. If he can’t make in Colorado he’s not gonna make it. He’s showing some good passing and back checking just like he did in pre-season too which is exactly what he needs to do to be multi dimensional.
What do you know Lucic punches someone again with his glove on and the dumbass refs only give him an extra 10 minute misconduct. How do you let him punch someone straight in the face and not give the other team a power play? Zadorov gets called for friggin boarding because Czarnik turns at the last second. Nothing about those calls make any sense, but neither did three of the other calls they made on the Avs, or the missed high stick on Landy that led to his goal. Terrible game by the zebras tonight.
Speaking of players that punch people in the face with their glove on, Tkachuk sure is annoying to play against but I love how many turnovers he has. He had about five terrible passes to nobody that sent the puck either out of the zone or led to a scoring chance for the Avs. Keep it going dummy.
That Jost-Kadri-Burakovsky line looked exactly like what they are. Three guys who’ve never played together before this year. Hopefully they can build up some chemistry, but it may take a little bit. Got better as the game went on and Jost had a few nice chances setup by Kadri though so that may be a good sign.
Kadri had a great game though. Doing so many little things, and just out battling guys which I love to see. He just willed the face-off win on the Avs 4th goal. Could have quit like three different times on the puck battle, but kept fighting for it and eventually won it to set up the beautiful feed from Nate to Mikko. That goal doesn’t happen without that effort. Made some rock solid hits and helped Landy let the Flames know not to mess with Mikko and Makar. Perfect example of a guy you hate when he’s not on your team and love when he is.
