GDT: Game 1: Mild @ Avalanche - 7PM - HOCKEY IS BACK

dahrougem2

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Dec 9, 2011
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The Wild can't stand Zadorov lmao. Love Big Z.

I thought Jost absolutely was quicker/faster/whatever last night. Also looked more powerful down low protecting the puck. Hopefully it's a sign of things to come. Colin Wilson looked like a completely different player but he's still an absolute plug and I will never understand how he scored 20 goals once.

Sammy G... if he's all we got for Duchene, I'd be thrilled. To think we got 6 other pieces is insane. Girard is going to be goooood for a long time. I like how the defence was spread out, too. Being able to roll all three pairs without a worry is something this team hasn't been able to do in so, so long.

Oh yeah, and **** Minnesota. What a trash team. I said it in the preseason, that team is missing the playoffs along with Chicago. Their time as a "pretty good regular season team" is over. It's downhill from here with their vets.
 

The Kingslayer

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Aug 26, 2004
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It's not the same team at least in my opinion. If it was, I don't think he'd still have been able to do anything about it. I think some coaches are better than others at dealing with a team that's in a crisis.



Yeah I also thought Rantanen was a bit quicker, but omitted that part as I wasn't sure if it was just my imagination playing tricks on me lol.
Yah usually everyone looks fast on opening night. I guess we will see in the upcoming weeks if it was opening night adrenaline or if indeed Jost got faster, Rantanens balance issues are fixed etc.
 
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Lonewolfe2015

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If you could subtract 1m per season off Calvert's contract, he is about the perfect bottom 6 guy. At 2.85m... effort will only get so far with me. I want 30 point production.

He'd be underpaid then. Calvert is a 25-30 point forward, so it's fair to expect that of him. Guys like that score once every few games...

Look at what Beagle, Roussel, Komarov, Comeau, etc all signed for. Calvert is in the right spot salary-wise as long as he can stay north of 20 points and be one of our top 2 PK unit performers.
 

Pokecheque

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It's not the same team at least in my opinion. If it was, I don't think he'd still have been able to do anything about it. I think some coaches are better than others at dealing with a team that's in a crisis.

I fail to see how you still think he can't handle tough situations when he had to navigate the very testy and contentious situation with Matt Duchene and somehow still got the team to stay on track with injuries to both goaltenders, MacKinnon, Barrie, and EJ (and long-term injuries to Ghetto and Barbs) through various times of the season. Just because he wasn't handed an absolute garbage roster doesn't mean last season was easy.
 
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Avs_19

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Jun 28, 2007
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If I'm going to nitpick and come up with negatives from a great night, I'd probably start with the PK. I thought they looked passive, had a lot of trouble clearing the zone, and were bailed out by Varly.
 
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Cousin Eddie

You Serious Clark?
Nov 3, 2006
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The pass Rantanen made to 29 on his goal was a play that wouldn’t have been made last year. Not because of the pass, but Mikko was almost at a standstill high in the zone but then made a quick burst out of nowhere to get low near the corner and pass it over. He never had that agility and burst of speed last year.
 

dahrougem2

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Dec 9, 2011
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If I'm going to nitpick and come up with negatives from a great night, I'd probably start with the PK. I thought they looked passive, had a lot of trouble clearing the zone, and were bailed out by Varly.
I also thought PP1 looked very off. Especially on that 4-on-3. The special teams are my only complaint from last night, though.
 
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Avsboy

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Dec 12, 2006
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I also thought PP1 looked very off. Especially on that 4-on-3. The special teams are my only complaint from last night, though.

Mack has to shoot more on the PP. He just has to move in from the top of the circle to the slot and get pucks to the net. Hopefully with Landy in front or Rantanen for a redirect.
 
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dahrougem2

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Mack has to shoot more on the PP. He just has to move in from the top of the circle to the slot and get pucks to the net. Hopefully with Landy in front or Rantanen for a redirect.
Dubnyk read him like a book last night. MacKinnon was beating him high glove all last season, Dubnyk wasn't giving him that at all even though that's where MacK was looking to shoot all PP.
 
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Kaako Kappo

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The pass Rantanen made to 29 on his goal was a play that wouldn’t have been made last year. Not because of the pass, but Mikko was almost at a standstill high in the zone but then made a quick burst out of nowhere to get low near the corner and pass it over. He never had that agility and burst of speed last year.
I know you don't care but Laine looks noticeably faster too. They train with same people, so whatever they are doing is working.
 

Pokecheque

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BTW back to Jost, I don't know if his top speed is any better but his acceleration and explosiveness was noticeable (again, maybe more so because Minnesota looked ridiculously slow). In any event, he got more separation last night than I ever remember him getting last season, and fought with a lot more power when they tried to muscle him off the puck. Last season he'd kinda get stuck along the boards and turn it over.
 
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5280

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I also thought PP1 looked very off. Especially on that 4-on-3. The special teams are my only complaint from last night, though.
I know you don't want to hear it, but Barrie needs to get more imagination out there besides taking the puck and passing it off to Mack or whomever. IMO that is what was wrong with the 4-3 last night. I'm not saying this to try and start another Barrie argument, but that is what I saw last night.
 

Pokecheque

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I know you don't want to hear it, but Barrie needs to get more imagination out there besides taking the puck and passing it off to Mack or whomever. IMO that is what was wrong with the 4-3 last night. I'm not saying this to try and start another Barrie argument, but that is what I saw last night.

Eh, I did kinda see that but I felt like everyone, Rants included, were trying to get it to MacKinnon instead of just ripping a quick shot off and generating traffic in front of the net. Landeskog was also fumbling the puck quite a bit on the half-wall. Oh well, work in progress.
 
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Bill Peckerskull

Fargin' Icehole
Feb 19, 2003
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Why MacKinnon wasn’t interviewed?

It looked really weird when he was going on the ice. He looked confused when he was looking back on someone in the tunnel.

Likely a mixup when paging down the three stars.

Used to be my job to tell the players who the stars were in the AHL. Often when there’s last minute goals there are mixups and it’s difficult to hear when the arena is loud. I’d bet Dubnyk was a late pity add to the 3 stars which lead to the mixup.

I just figured the NHL Network wanted to interview Mack at the same time, so they gave the interview to Mikko instead.

Assuming they’ve got someone in PR in the tunnel informing players who are the stars of the game to stick around, my undoubtedly wrong impression was that Rantanen was the 1st star, but MacK was announced, so he gave a half hearted celebratory curtain call. Otherwise, he just didn’t want to talk to LG. :dunno:

You could see them both in the back of the tunnel, talking to someone with headphones on. When Mack was announced, he turned and said something to that guy and Mikko, came out skated real quick, and went back in, then Mikko came out. It was odd and everyone was confused, including Roach and LG. It was either a mixup or Mack didn't want to do it. If he was hurt or something, he wouldn't have even come out to skate.
 
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Avsboy

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Dec 12, 2006
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Wild forum right now

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5280

To the window!
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Eh, I did kinda see that but I felt like everyone, Rants included, were trying to get it to MacKinnon instead of just ripping a quick shot off and generating traffic in front of the net. Landeskog was also fumbling the puck quite a bit on the half-wall. Oh well, work in progress.
Yeah, Landeskog was fumbling around all night. I just figure he'll come around.

I just remember one instance where Barrie finally got the Wild off step a little bit and could have passed it to Mack but he continued the flow and ended up passing it to Landy, while Mack was about to come out of his jock because he saw an advantage wanting the pass back to him like he does. The puck ended getting back over to Mack later but the Wild had recovered and Mack had to try and create a play by himself.

I was going to say the whole PP looked unimaginative but then I remembered that instance and who was actually supposed to be QB'ing it.

No big deal, really. Barrie looks like he's starting the season a little slow, too, but like Landy I think he'll get it together sooner rather than later.
 
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