GDT: Game 41 - Bruins @ Avalanche - Halfway - 8PM

[Foppa2118]

f*** Taylor Hall and all his lawyers on TNT.

Just look at the trajectory he took. Even if Nate's stick isn't there, he's still hitting him in the head. If not with his shoulder, then his back, or his right elbow.

That was 100% a predatory hit too which is probably what pissed off the Avs. First shift of the game he takes a run like that on the Avs star player? Perhaps because the Avs didn't sign/trade for him? Then he runs and hides all game? f*** that gutless piece of shit.

Haven't fist pumped that hard at a win in a long time.

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

f*** Taylor Hall and all his lawyers on TNT.

Just look at the trajectory he took. Even if Nate's stick isn't there, he's still hitting him in the head. If not with his shoulder, then his back, or his right elbow.

That was 100% a predatory hit too which is probably what pissed off the Avs. First shift of the game he takes a run like that on the Avs star player? Perhaps because the Avs didn't sign/trade for him? Then he runs and hides all game? f*** that gutless piece of shit.

Haven't fist pumped that hard at a win in a long time.

Honestly, I think that hit was a lot like Kadri’s last playoff.

Hall was really lucky MacKinnon’s stick was there, because I think he makes late head contact if MacK’s hands aren’t up.

 

[Foppa2118]

Honestly, I think that hit was a lot like Kadri’s last playoff.

Hall was really lucky MacKinnon’s stick was there, because I think he makes late head contact if MacK’s hands aren’t up.

Very similar with the semi blindside angle. Nate didn't even have time to try to jump around the hit either, so that's not the reason. Hall just mistimed the angle like Kadri did.

There's ZERO chance Nate gets out of that unscathed, and the only thing Hall would have hit would have been the head. He wouldn't have caught any of Nate's body, just the head. At full Taylor Hall speed. Like Bednar said, that's the kind of hit the NHL claims they're trying to get rid of.

Kadri got 8 games. Hall I'm assuming gets 0. In part because Darren 'I hate the Avs' Pang and Stephane 'Blind as a Bat' Auger said it shouldn't have been a penalty about 100 times on national television.

 

[McMetal]

Hall was throwing his shoulder up and towards MacK's head in open ice. Just because he only got a glancing blow and the stick did most of the damage doesn't mean it wasn't dirty.

And it was f***ing gutless of him to not pay his dues for it. I get not wanting a piece of MacDermid, but he needed to answer the bell to somebody. I know he's not a fighter and that isn't his game, but if that's the case then you shouldn't be in the business of taking runs at superstars.

 

[Vk1ing]

Love the memes from this game

 

[Foppa2118]

I was laughing at EJ until he turned and complained about the penalty. I figured he knew what he was doing and just didn't give AF. But seeing him confused about it was jarring.

It was a bad penalty because EJ should know that's a penalty this year, but he was upset because Hall flopped to the ice like a fish three times in a row.

Let's be honest though, those weak cross checks never would have been a penalty before this year. That exact play happened all the time with multiple cross checks knocking down a player in a board battle and they never called it. Refs just viewed it as a battle. Especially on the PK.

Everyone complaining about EJ's penalty. Burakovksy's was even worse. Tries to dangle through like three guys in the D zone, then turns the puck over for the millionth time, then sticks his stick out with no chance of getting the puck and trips the guy.

 

[Anders Cain]

Just watched the 3rd and OT.... Mmmmm feels good bro

 

[Spleenless Wonder21]

It was a bad penalty because EJ should know that's a penalty this year, but he was upset because Hall flopped to the ice like a fish three times in a row.

Let's be honest though, those weak cross checks never would have been a penalty before this year. That exact play happened all the time with multiple cross checks knocking down a player in a board battle and they never called it. Refs just viewed it as a battle. Especially on the PK.

Everyone complaining about EJ's penalty. Burakovksy's was even worse. Tries to dangle through like three guys in the D zone, then turns the puck over for the millionth time, then sticks his stick out with no chance of getting the puck and trips the guy.

I wonder whether cross checking is kosher again in a little less than 3 months.

 

[Foppa2118]

I wonder whether cross checking is kosher again in a little less than 3 months.

We'll see. If so, I wouldn't be surprised to see that exact same play, but with harder cross checks, go unpenalized about 10 times in the playoffs.

Still though, even though I stick up for EJ, I try to be honest and accurate in my assessments of all players, and I have to acknowledge that was a bad penalty to take in a regular season game, because practically every cross check has gotten called this year. Even though I hate the new guidelines, as I'm sure every defenseman does.

 

[Foppa2118]

Yeah… the team wasted a period and a half before getting back to their game. The switch in the third likely followed and ass chewing by Bednar.

FYI, the same coaching staff, with basically the same team, but with worse goaltending this year and a ton of injuries, is now 2nd in the NHL in winning % when trailing after 2 periods, and tied for the 2nd most wins when trailing after 2.

NHL Stats

 

[Spleenless Wonder21]

We'll see. If so, I wouldn't be surprised to see that exact same play, but with harder cross checks, go unpenalized about 10 times in the playoffs.

Still though, even though I stick up for EJ, I try to be honest and accurate in my assessments of all players, and I have to acknowledge that was a bad penalty to take in a regular season game, because practically every cross check has gotten called this year. Even though I hate the new guidelines, as I'm sure every defenseman does.

To be clear, that wasn’t a bag on EJ (though, that penalty was foolish, even if the new rule enforcement is excessive), or you. More a foreshadowing prediction of how I expect games to be officiated come postseason play, per usual. Outside of the post-lockout season of 2005-06 the refs tend to let a lot go. Not on the level of the Dead Puck Era, but way more than the new, touchy, feely NHL claims to be against.

 

[dahrougem2]

It was a bad penalty because EJ should know that's a penalty this year, but he was upset because Hall flopped to the ice like a fish three times in a row.

Let's be honest though, those weak cross checks never would have been a penalty before this year. That exact play happened all the time with multiple cross checks knocking down a player in a board battle and they never called it. Refs just viewed it as a battle. Especially on the PK.

Everyone complaining about EJ's penalty. Burakovksy's was even worse. Tries to dangle through like three guys in the D zone, then turns the puck over for the millionth time, then sticks his stick out with no chance of getting the puck and trips the guy.

That's because the NHL and their refs were morons (still are). There's no room in hockey for cross-checking, it's a cop out defensive strategy and should rightfully be called every time.

 

[AvsCOL]

Man I wish Makar took 10 shots a game. His shot is so good that you just know that it's going in eventually. It's getting to the point where the PK is crowding the middle of the ice to block his point shots, which should really open up things for MacKinnon and Rantanen on the half walls. He's a gift to a PP unit, just a game changer.

 

[AllAboutAvs]

Man I wish Makar took 10 shots a game. His shot is so good that you just know that it's going in eventually. It's getting to the point where the PK is crowding the middle of the ice to block his point shots, which should really open up things for MacKinnon and Rantanen on the half walls. He's a gift to a PP unit, just a game changer.

This 100%. People complain is doesn't shoot as much because he defers to Mack too much but the real reason is that the other teams are defending against his shot because it is so good. Unless people want results like with EJ's shots in shinpads he need sto be more selective with his shots unfortunately. But it is OK because like you said it opens up other lanes for other players.

 

[AvsCOL]

This 100%. People complain is doesn't shoot as much because he defers to Mack too much but the real reason is that the other teams are defending against his shot because it is so good. Unless people want results like with EJ's shots in shinpads he need sto be more selective with his shots unfortunately. But it is OK because like you said it opens up other lanes for other players.

Yeah he's been a lot better this year with actually getting the puck through, but like you said teams are really clogging the middle of the ice when he's on. I don't think MacKinnon has been particularly good from his spot this year if I'm being honest. Rantanen has been a lot more effective at getting his shots on net than MacKinnon has. Obviously Nate is making up for that with his phenomenal playmaking ability, but I'd like to see him hit a few more from his spot. He's definitely not a Stamkos/Ovechkin type guy from there. Nit picking I know.

 

[AvsGuy]

Lost in the hype of all that happened in this game is an excellent last minute shift from the captain leading to the GTG

I was worried about Landeskog's contract aging poorly and perhaps still am but he is knocking this first $7 million year out of the god damn park

 

[pont]

I have a feeling when Nate gets healthy, Hall is going to get a serious and deserved beat down.

 

[dahrougem2]

Lost in the hype of all that happened in this game is an excellent last minute shift from the captain leading to the GTG

I was worried about Landeskog's contract aging poorly and perhaps still am but he is knocking this first $7 million year out of the god damn park

Landeskog went full Viking that shift. Haven't seen him celly a goal like that since his early seasons, either.

 

[Foppa2118]

That's because the NHL and their refs were morons (still are). There's no room in hockey for cross-checking, it's a cop out defensive strategy and should rightfully be called every time.

Don't agree. In practically every sport you're allowed to shove people around. Whether it's a penalty or not depends on the force.

In hockey you have to play with a stick in your hands. So either you have to drop your stick (not gonna happen) to shove someone, or you're helpless to move them. Nothing wrong with a light cross check IMO.

I'm all for trying to cut down as much as possible on head shots or knee on knee shots because they can be so devastating. I'm even ok with eliminating the slashes to hands because that's much more like what you're describing.

But trying to play defense without being able to cross check at all, which is essentially the new guideline, makes it too easy for forwards to impose their will. Defenseman are at too big a disadvantage.

I like that the tough areas in front of the net and down low are tough to play against, and the players who battle in those areas get more respect than the ones that don't. Makes for more excitement when someone scores a big goal after battling through all of that. Also makes the playoffs more of a war, which makes hockey so much better than every other sport, and winning the Cup more respectable.

 

[Jazzguitar]

Very similar with the semi blindside angle. Nate didn't even have time to try to jump around the hit either, so that's not the reason. Hall just mistimed the angle like Kadri did.

There's ZERO chance Nate gets out of that unscathed, and the only thing Hall would have hit would have been the head. He wouldn't have caught any of Nate's body, just the head. At full Taylor Hall speed. Like Bednar said, that's the kind of hit the NHL claims they're trying to get rid of.

Kadri got 8 games. Hall I'm assuming gets 0. In part because Darren 'I hate the Avs' Pang and Stephane 'Blind as a Bat' Auger said it shouldn't have been a penalty about 100 times on national television.

I'm still super annoyed about that, all the national announcers are terrible and super painful to listen to but Pang and Auger are the absolute worst. Yet we have people complaining about Peter McNabb lol. Then the announcers were like well we should say something good about the Avs and I don't remember what exactly but it was so clearly doing it for the sake of doing it. Something like, "Jost is just a phenomenal hockey player and has been all season" or something dumb like that and blatantly obvious they never watch the Avs.

Kadri should have just put his stick up to be in between his body and the head last year I guess.

 

[Foppa2118]

Lost in the hype of all that happened in this game is an excellent last minute shift from the captain leading to the GTG

I was worried about Landeskog's contract aging poorly and perhaps still am but he is knocking this first $7 million year out of the god damn park

Was wondering if anyone caught this.

Landy was battling his ass off for a while in that game, but not only did he score that tying goal, he forced the turnover along the boards by hustling his ass off and getting his stick in there for what looked like a very easy clear by Marchand.

Then he picked himself up off the ice and got himself ready to shoot and executed a perfect shot on the one timer into the top corner to beat a goalie that was stopping everything.

Great stuff from the captain. His celly was like a standing version of his flu game when he was a rookie where he had a temperature over 100 but scored the OT winning goal and dropped to his knees to celebrate, in part because he was so exhausted.

 

[dahrougem2]

Don't agree. In practically every sport you're allowed to shove people around. Whether it's a penalty or not depends on the force.

In hockey you have to play with a stick in your hands. So either you have to drop your stick (not gonna happen) to shove someone, or you're helpless to move them. Nothing wrong with a light cross check IMO.

I'm all for trying to cut down as much as possible on head shots or knee on knee shots because they can be so devastating. I'm even ok with eliminating the slashes to hands because that's much more like what you're describing.

But trying to play defense without being able to cross check at all, which is essentially the new guideline, makes it too easy for forwards to impose their will. Defenseman are at too big a disadvantage.

I like that the tough areas in front of the net and down low are tough to play against, and the players who battle in those areas get more respect than the ones that don't. Makes for more excitement when someone scores a big goal after battling through all of that. Also makes the playoffs more of a war, which makes hockey so much better than every other sport, and winning the Cup more respectable.

Yeah, you're allowed to shove people around legally. There's a reason crosschecking is in the rulebook, just like pulling the facemask in football, shoving with your forearm extended in basketball, etc. There's no reason to defend with a crosscheck. It's lazy, not tough.

Hockey can still be a war without using your stick as a weapon. Crosschecking is just as bad as slashing.

 

[Foppa2118]

Yeah, you're allowed to shove people around legally. There's a reason crosschecking is in the rulebook, just like pulling the facemask in football, shoving with your forearm extended in basketball, etc. There's no reason to defend with a crosscheck. It's lazy, not tough.

Hockey can still be a war without using your stick as a weapon. Crosschecking is just as bad as slashing.

Yeah and there's a reason the NHL went 105 years without calling cross checks the way they do now.

 

[niwotsblessing]

Yeah and there's a reason the NHL went 105 years without calling cross checks the way they do now.

One reason is that NHL refs cannot call the rules of the game with anything approaching consistency, or clarity.

 

[dahrougem2]

Yeah and there's a reason the NHL went 105 years without calling cross checks the way they do now.

Once upon a time hitting someone in the head wasn't called, either. Didn't mean it wasn't in the rulebook, but it did mean it was stupid to not call it.

I honestly don't understand the appeal of crosschecking and how anyone can actually be for it. There's nothing "warrior like" about using your stick as a weapon. Learn proper body positioning, defend the puck and outplay the opposition instead of resorting to lazily crosschecking because you struggle to defend without that crutch.