GDT: Game 1 - Colorado Avalanche vs Minnesota Wild - 7PM MT. PART II

[trip trancid]

I think Dutchy's proven he can be a legit first line guy, the question of his ceiling remains though. I'm guessing he lands firmly in the "very good but not quite elite" category, which is fine. Not every team can be spoiled rotten with a Sakic/Forsberg tandem. I do, however, kinda expect MacKinnon to reach elite status. Time will tell.

One thing's for sure...we have yet to see Matt Duchene line up alongside wingers that truly complement him for a full season, or at least most of a season. We've seen brief snippets here and there (Fleischmann, Stewart when he was good) but for the most part we've never seen a top-flight talent still in his prime play on Duchene's wing...please correct me if I'm wrong here anyone.

I kinda wish the Avs would



Well...that's the thing. Avs shouldn't need to use them that much, not when they have Barrie and Zadorov rounding out that bottom four...with maybe Gormley and Stuart in there. But when you put clearly inferior pieces like Holden and Guenin, two guys you have to shelter the living **** out of for fear of them being exposed on a nightly basis, then yes, you're already over-relying on two guys who simply can't handle that level of workload.

I'm not expecting this team to contend...but I think they could be competitive if they ice a competitive lineup. Last night's lineup was not competitive. And it could (potentially) be with two, maybe three substitutions.

I realize it's not the same people saying different things but opinions swing drastically between extremes where Duchene and his linemates are concerned. Some blame his poor line mates but then others will ironically point to Fleischmann and Stewart as this golden age of Duchene chemistry. If Fleischmann and Stewart are this golden age of Duchene chemistry, how is it true that he requires a top level winger to lift his game?

Or is the core issue one of Duchene then vs now? Has he plateaued and is he possibly regressing? Has he been regressing for some time?

It's fairly enigmatic but I'm not sure if a more talented LW is the answer. I mean, if you put a more talented LW there, there might be an increase in production because there's a better player there. But would Duchenes improved chemistry with his line mate be commensurate with the actual improvement in talent at LW? Let's bear in mind, Duchene and Landeskog hasn't exactly been peanut butter and jelly.

If people refuse to admit regression, by bringing up Fleischmann, they're basically saying, he's hard to play with and its not about having some über talented LW next to him.

 

[freeboy]

Im suprised we did not get any new threads
but

realizing the 4 in under 6 minutes of death we witnessed is not the end of the story.

We are a potentially good team, and we need time to get our sea legs. I think Varly is rusty as well. I hope we show some team defense.. all that being true it was an awesome time watching the first period. It showed how we have tools to be a legit team after we jell.

So, does anyone know who skated with whom friday?
Do we have a line up for tonights game?
Go Avs ....

 

[Nzap]

Im suprised we did not get any new threads
but

realizing the 4 in under 6 minutes of death we witnessed is not the end of the story.

We are a potentially good team, and we need time to get our sea legs. I think Varly is rusty as well. I hope we show some team defense.. all that being true it was an awesome time watching the first period. It showed how we have tools to be a legit team after we jell.

So, does anyone know who skated with whom friday?
Do we have a line up for tonights game?
Go Avs ....

Same line-up as last time around. Sadly.

 

[linusandvarlamov]

I've noticed there has been a lot of dislike for the Avalanche on the main boards recently. People saying after the 1st game of the season : Avs have terrible systems, terrible defense . Terrible everything pretty much . Everybody has us finishing last of the central.

Let's squeeze into the playoffs this year. That is all.

 

[Miri]

Im suprised we did not get any new threads
but

realizing the 4 in under 6 minutes of death we witnessed is not the end of the story.

We are a potentially good team, and we need time to get our sea legs. I think Varly is rusty as well. I hope we show some team defense.. all that being true it was an awesome time watching the first period. It showed how we have tools to be a legit team after we jell.

So, does anyone know who skated with whom friday?
Do we have a line up for tonights game?
Go Avs ....

I think its overblown too. Varlamov is not going to have 83% success rate every game and there wont be opposing players scoring hattricks against Avs every night either, like Parise did - especially his first and third goal were the kind of snipes he is not going to score at will throughout the season....
I hope they beat Dallas so much.

 

[freeboy]

I really am looking forward to
in no order

Our first win
Dutchies line getting a line hattie
Our first shutout
A game where we play a team defense without a replacement of mental oops with mental gotcha plays...

on that note I know people are hating on Stuart but at least he can play slow defense....

 

[AslanRH]

I don't dislike Duchene, but it's especially frustrating that a number of the weaknesses he had when he came into the league, are still effecting him now.

Agree, and for me, I think those weaknesses could very well hinder team success regularly considering the role he is filling.

Also (not directed at you RL),

how many years does Duchene get to hold the "just a kid" card on here? He's played more NHL games than what makes the average NHL Career. By now, I would expect and can't believe other don't expect him to be considered a vet and a leader.

Can we also have a Complimenting thread where people who have only good things to say can go and not worry about getting mocked for being positive about some of the unpopular players?

 

[InjuredChoker]

Agree, and for me, I think those weaknesses could very well hinder team success regularly considering the role he is filling.

Also (not directed at you RL),

how many years does Duchene get to hold the "just a kid" card on here? He's played more NHL games than what makes the average NHL Career. By now, I would expect and can't believe other don't expect him to be considered a vet and a leader.

Can we also have a Complimenting thread where people who have only good things to say can go and not worry about getting mocked for being positive about some of the unpopular players?

supporting this idea. positivity thread.

 

[Hesher]

I'm still trying to get over the fact that Patrick willingly chose to play Barrie - Holden/Guenin against Parise.

 

[The Shermanator]

God hopefully we win tonight so we can be the best team in the world again for 2 days.

 

[ColoradoSportsFan]

I dunno, a positivity thread seems ripe for mocking and ridicule. If the perpetual downers and "I told ya so" posters would just keep it to themselves the threads might be easier to read without wanting to slash your wrist.

I'm not saying there can't be constructive criticism but for people to already be calling for the heads of Roy, Sakic, Duchene, etc...after a slow pre-season and one bad period...I mean HF is the place of over the top hyperbole. But it gets damn near un-readable around here after losses.

 

[RockLobster]

I'm still trying to get over the fact that Patrick willingly chose to play Barrie - Holden/Guenin against Parise.

You mean Farrish. He and Roy need to be on the same page.

 

[tigervixxxen]

If people want a positivity thread then we'll make sure it stays that way.

It's a bit much to suggest Duchene is regressing and to say it's an excuse when Mitchell and Talbot were some of his most common linemates. I'm not going to write him off. As I said earlier, it's looking like it probably is in this team's best interest he settles into 2C, which is fine because we have MacKinnon who is the type of player that is going to be a 1C.

 

[StLAvsFan]

I've noticed there has been a lot of dislike for the Avalanche on the main boards recently. People saying after the 1st game of the season : Avs have terrible systems, terrible defense . Terrible everything pretty much . Everybody has us finishing last of the central.

Let's squeeze into the playoffs this year. That is all.

It's not dislike. It's supreme frustration seeing 45 minutes of solid, structured effort against an arch rival flushed down the toilet coz the entire team (coach included) have a 6 minute vapor lock of the brain event leading to a fiasco of epic proportions. Yes, it's just one game in a long season, but it's also a microcosm of this teams' schizophrenic playing style the past 2 years, where they look like world-beaters in some periods/stretches, and then like drunken AHL'ers in others. Granted, the Avs are a work in progress, with several new faces in the lineup, so we can expect and accept plenty of ups & downs this season. But total collapses (with 3-goal leads in the 3rd period--on home ice) aren't acceptable under any circumstances. There are no excuses for what happened against the Wild, and it does not bode well for the Avs playoff hopes to have exhibited that level of mental weakness in the first game of the season.

 

[bromando]

If people want a positivity thread then we'll make sure it stays that way.

It's a bit much to suggest Duchene is regressing and to say it's an excuse when Mitchell and Talbot were some of his most common linemates. I'm not going to write him off. As I said earlier, it's looking like it probably is in this team's best interest he settles into 2C, which is fine because we have MacKinnon who is the type of player that is going to be a 1C.

Agreed, let's not say Duchene is regressing at this point. He's been saddled with more responsibility since both ROR and Staz are gone and he's not handled it as well as we would've liked but regression is harsh at this point. I do agree with the idea that he hasn't fixed many of the holes in his game which is frustrating.

I think Comeau will be good for him this year and may help to transition his game into a simpler game. Comeau fed him quite a few times against the Wild on breakouts and if he just put the puck on target, people wouldn't be complaining about his offensive game (though clearly he got lazy on the other end).

Just speculation but since Duchene is such a mentally on or off player, I wonder if the expectations of being #1C just hurt his game too much. If he accepted a role as#2C, maybe he'd calm his game down and not try to do so much by himself.

Final thought is....I think he got complacent with our lead and just wanted to get himself some points and took his head out of the game. He was fine in the first although he missed the net a couple times. It wasn't until later in the game that he struggled.

 

[The Kingslayer]

If people want a positivity thread then we'll make sure it stays that way.

It's a bit much to suggest Duchene is regressing and to say it's an excuse when Mitchell and Talbot were some of his most common linemates. I'm not going to write him off. As I said earlier, it's looking like it probably is in this team's best interest he settles into 2C, which is fine because we have MacKinnon who is the type of player that is going to be a 1C.

Agreed. Duchene isnt a bum by any stretch but his position as the top centre on this team is going to be challenged this yr if Mack has the season im expecting. Matt being a good number 2 guy is fine. People talk about finding Matt the right linemates but its not easy playing with this guy. U can flank Matt with 2 superstar wingers and it still might not work. Matts too Jazz.

 

[AslanRH]

I dunno, a positivity thread seems ripe for mocking and ridicule. If the perpetual downers and "I told ya so" posters would just keep it to themselves the threads might be easier to read without wanting to slash your wrist.

I'm not saying there can't be constructive criticism but for people to already be calling for the heads of Roy, Sakic, Duchene, etc...after a slow pre-season and one bad period...I mean HF is the place of over the top hyperbole. But it gets damn near un-readable around here after losses.

To be fair, many of the criticisms of all 3 (and even many of the "etc"s) are based on not seeing noticeable improvement in results year to year, not just what has happened since September 2015.

Sure we have our share of posters who are critical anytime they are given a window, but too many times it feels those who have been critical/skeptical/pragmatic whatever for a while get dismissed just as quickly as whiners and complainers.

 

[tigervixxxen]

Back to this game, since this thread will probably be closed soon anyway. I am kind of surprised Roy managed to find Zadorov 21 minutes of ice time all even strength. I think this is what he needs so I'm glad to see him get the minutes.

 

[The Kingslayer]

I dunno, a positivity thread seems ripe for mocking and ridicule. If the perpetual downers and "I told ya so" posters would just keep it to themselves the threads might be easier to read without wanting to slash your wrist.

I'm not saying there can't be constructive criticism but for people to already be calling for the heads of Roy, Sakic, Duchene, etc...after a slow pre-season and one bad period...I mean HF is the place of over the top hyperbole. But it gets damn near un-readable around here after losses.

I liked it better when we were the most sarcastic fan base on here. That 13-14 season really changed us and we had expectations. Now that we suck again I wouldnt mind if we went sarcastic again about everything lol. I dont know about you guys but I spend a ton of money on all things Avs mainly Jerseys and Cards every year neither of which come cheap so im always going to be hot headed when the coach does things like play Holden more than Johnson etc. Just irks me to even write that lol. I'll always love this team even though they consistently break my heart.

 

[The Kingslayer]

Back to this game, since this thread will probably be closed soon anyway. I am kind of surprised Roy managed to find Zadorov 21 minutes of ice time all even strength. I think this is what he needs so I'm glad to see him get the minutes.

He didnt look horrible in those 21 minutes either. A few bad passes early and bad positioning on the tieing goal but other then that I thought he was excellent. I reallly hope he gets some PP time. He nailed Comeau with a shot from the point lol hes got a canon and i want to see it on the pp

 

[Foppa2118]

What is this Minnesota GDT, I don't know anything about this? Is this the season opening thread from last year? We're starting the 81 game season against the Stars tonight right?

 

[Ivan13]

Z getting 21 minutes is nice, but then you realize he got that much because he was glued to Holden's hip and suddenly it looks a bit worse.

 

[tigervixxxen]

I liked it better when we were the most sarcastic fan base on here. That 13-14 season really changed us and we had expectations. Now that we suck again I wouldnt mind if we went sarcastic again about everything lol. I dont know about you guys but I spend a ton of money on all things Avs mainly Jerseys and Cards every year neither of which come cheap so im always going to be hot headed when the coach does things like play Holden more than Johnson etc. Just irks me to even write that lol. I'll always love this team even though they consistently break my heart.

Please no. lol. Sarcasm only works when it's funny.