GDT: Game 41: Avs vs Senators | January 8th, 7PM MT | Halfway Through

[5280]

There was a Wild fan really early in the year who made a comment about how much better the Wild were than the Avs, and mocked the Avs being last in the division.


Yeah, guess who's last now!


Only halfway through the year, and the Wild have a game in hand, but it feels great that the Avs are ahead of them after all the trash talking from Wild fans about how amazing they were.

They really are a bunch of D-bags as a group. I'm sure not all of them, but man do they get annoying......... at least around here.

 

[Avsboy]

Landy ROR Mac
Tangs Duchene Iggy
Talbot Mitchell Rendo

That is still what I would do. That 3rd line probably gets killed though.

Problem here is that Tangs and Iggy aren't good enough individual players to counteract Duchene's poor play at the moment. Landy and Mack would make good linemates because they are both strong and relatively fast. They could pretty much do well with Duchene wandering off looking at flowers.

 

[henchman21]

Id say if anything, swap Talbot and Landy. The lines are not great right now, but the balance is helping. Also I think Briere and Duchene could find something, but Briere is always finding his way down the lineup.

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Problem here is that Tangs and Iggy aren't good enough individual players to counteract Duchene's poor play at the moment. Landy and Mack would make good linemates because they are both strong and relatively fast. They could pretty much do well with Duchene wandering off looking at flowers.

Duchene is really really bad at the moment. Not the same Duchene we have seen the last 1,5 season's. He must be seriously injured at this point.

 

[TheStranger]

Problem here is that Tangs and Iggy aren't good enough individual players to counteract Duchene's poor play at the moment. Landy and Mack would make good linemates because they are both strong and relatively fast. They could pretty much do well with Duchene wandering off looking at flowers.

Tanguay/Iginla can create more by themselves without help than Landeskog/Mackinnon can

 

[AvalancheFan19]

Minnesota and Winnipeg losing. Great night for us!!! Now let's keep winning!!

This team is certainly improving their play, but is it gonna be enough?

We need the whole team playing with confidence and drive. They need to start believing in themselves again and I hope Roy is doing his best to help them do so. This team was oozing with confidence last year, we need that mentality back if we want to make the playoffs.

 

[MonsterMack]

Duchene, while not good, was not bad tonight

 

[forsbergavs32]

I don't know why I just don't think Landeskog and Duchene are very good together.I'd try...

Mackinnon-Duchene-Rendulic
Tanguay-ROR-Iginla
Landeskog-Mitchell-Briere
McLeod-Cliche-Talbot

 

[Freudian]

I think the Duchene line is fine. They're just a bit disjointed but working hard enough and doesn't allow a lot of goals (unless EJ goes rogue on us like he did in the third).

I hope the lines are left alone. Briere on the fourth line is a bit of a waste but at least he should get favorable matchups.

 

[Avsboy]

Tanguay/Iginla can create more by themselves without help than Landeskog/Mackinnon can

They have good chemistry but let's say Duchene makes a mistake and loses the puck. Do Iginla/Tanguay have the individual ability to recover from those mistakes? IMO Mackinnon and Landy are more capable. Then you have to consider that RoR is showing great chemistry with Tanguay/Iginla...no need to break it up. And you have to consider the sex appeal of a Landeskog-Duchene-Mackinnon line. It's too good to pass up.

Also, I'm not loving Rendulic. He had a nice rush and a nice play or two but often he makes a painfully simple and skill free play that isn't befitting of the top line. But he plays well defensively it seems. So put him on the third.

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Duchene, while not good, was not bad tonight

Well, but he's not on his own level. He is bad for his own standards what he has created the last 1,5 season.

 

[Avs44]

They really are a bunch of D-bags as a group. I'm sure not all of them, but man do they get annoying......... at least around here.

I'm sure they all think the same about us. The most annoying thing about them is their arrogance/belief they know more as fans/are superior to other fanbases due to the fact that Minnesota is the so called "state of hockey." It's quite something.


Anyways, decent game by the Avs tonight. They looked way better than they did even a few games ago, but still way too sloppy and giving up that many shots against Ottawa is inexcusable. And at this point I have to conclude Duchene is injured. Everything is completely off with him, including his skating. He looks slower and has way less jump than usual. Something is very wrong there, and I think it's more than mental.

 

[TheStranger]

They have good chemistry but let's say Duchene makes a mistake and loses the puck. Do Iginla/Tanguay have the individual ability to recover from those mistakes? IMO Mackinnon and Landy are more capable. Then you have to consider that RoR is showing great chemistry with Tanguay/Iginla...no need to break it up. And you have to consider the sex appeal of a Landeskog-Duchene-Mackinnon line. It's too good to pass up.

Yeah Mackinnon recovers A LOT of pucks right?

 

[Avsboy]

Yeah Mackinnon recovers A LOT of pucks right?

He's strong along the boards and can catch up. But I was thinking more that he has more individual skill than Tanguay and Iginla in this stage of their careers, and that could counteract Duchene gaffes.

 

[forsbergavs32]

I'm sure they all think the same about us. The most annoying thing about them is their arrogance/belief they know more as fans/are superior to other fanbases due to the fact that Minnesota is the so called "state of hockey." It's quite something.


Anyways, decent game by the Avs tonight. They looked way better than they did even a few games ago, but still way too sloppy and giving up that many shots against Ottawa is inexcusable. And at this point I have to conclude Duchene is injured. Everything is completely off with him, including his skating. He looks slower and has way less jump than usual. Something is very wrong there, and I think it's more than mental.

Good points about Duchene...if he's really that hurt maybe he needs to see limited ice time on the 4th line and roll with Mack, ROR, Mitchell down the middle...or maybe even sit for a couple games.

EDIT: and if Dutchy is really hurt then why in the world is Roy still allowing him to play.

 

[RockLobster]

Are people really forgetting how bad Duchene and MacKinnon were when they played together earlier in the season? (or even the handful of times last season)

For real guys, give your heads a shake. Keep Duchene and MacKinnon away from the same line.

 

[failedsaucerpass]

Mark Rycroft ‏@RycroftMark 2h2 hours ago

Was that O'Reilly again, was that O'Reilly again! Congrats to @6ErikJohnson on setting a new career high in goals. Look forward to your 20th

Erik Johnson ‏@6ErikJohnson 47s48 seconds ago

@RycroftMark 20th goal or pizza?

LOL

 

[Cousin Eddie]

Are people really forgetting how bad Duchene and MacKinnon were when they played together earlier in the season? (or even the handful of times last season)

For real guys, give your heads a shake. Keep Duchene and MacKinnon away from the same line.

This times a million.

 

[Avsboy]

That EJ tweet is golden. It's funny how hockey players instantly go check their tweets from their phone.

Nonis is probably on the phone right now. You have to wonder if Reilly+ can be pried from Toronto.

@RL We can't keep Mackinnon playing with Talbot and Mitchell. It somehow worked against Chicago but it won't in the long run.

 

[Avs44]

Good points about Duchene...if he's really that hurt maybe he needs to see limited ice time on the 4th line and roll with Mack, ROR, Mitchell down the middle...or maybe even sit for a couple games.

EDIT: and if Dutchy is really hurt then why in the world is Roy still allowing him to play.

I remember the last season Duchene played something like he is now he was also injured for the vast majority of the year as the Avs pushed for the playoffs. Even then he only played 55 games. I'm really hoping, if he is injured, the Avs are smart enough to sit him out at some point and let him heal...don't keep him playing like this just to try to reach the playoffs.


I wonder if his knee is bothering him again. He returned seemingly fine from it in the playoffs last year and at the beginning of this year, but I know from personal experience knee injuries might never really go away.

 

[The Shermanator]

Playoffs!!!!!!

 

[member 116861]

Why are we starting threads on the main boards?!? Are you guys not aware of the jinx?

 

[RockLobster]

@RL We can't keep Mackinnon playing with Talbot and Mitchell. It somehow worked against Chicago but it won't in the long run.

Well he can't play with Duchene, it's been proven that he can't. So for the time being he's going to have to continue playing with Mitchell and Talbot...at some point, if the Avs ever bring Everberg back up, I wouldn't mind seeing what a big body like him could do with Mitchell and MacKinnon.

The two of them clearly did not work well in the limited time they played together last year, and they looked even worse in the extended time they played together this year.

It's not the way to get either of them jumpstarted.

 

[The Kingslayer]

Why are we starting threads on the main boards?!? Are you guys not aware of the jinx?

who did this?

 

[Tweaky]

Tangs plays much more on the PK than either Landy or MacK, indicating that he is better in his own zone. Or at least Roy is more comfortable with him back there. Iginla plays as much D as either, so a wash.

The RoR Tangs Iggy line is what I consider an almost ideal 2nd line. It is the line you can match up with the other teams top line. Can beat them by shutting them down, or by outscoring them.

Duchene, Landy and MacK is solid as well, not quite as good defensively, but on paper, better point producing. But it leaves 3rd/4th lines full of holes and weaknesses. McGinn and Winchester being healthy would help...scratch Cliche and any one of the remaining wingers (bench Rendo and Briere if you want both lines to be 100% D focused). I would also like to see Everberg back up. Third line of McGinn, Mitchell and Briere would have some scoring punch (for a 3rd line); and 4th line of E-flow, Rendo, and Winchester would be high energy and maybe even score some..without either being totally suspect defensively. Not sure on PK pairs with that lineup, though it could be worked out. And it would never happen unless the players I would scratch are injured...and even then, Roy would probably call up Carey or some such. Also not sure who would take on the duty of getting beat up for the sake of momentum.