GDT: Game 52: Avs in LA | 8:30 PM MT | January 27, 2016

[Ivan13]

My other job is watching hockey. I pause all the time to look up stuff that cross my mind.

I write and watch hockey in my spare time, usually I wake up very early and I do all of my days work until 12:00, after that it's just keeping an eye on my e-mails and answering calls from on field engineers.

Writing is really what gets me going though, I write about loads of stuff and all of my friends think I should start writing about hockey since it's a pretty niche sport here in Croatia. So the last couple of months I've been giving that a lot of thought.

 

[AvsGuy]

Unreal game. Roy can coach. And Pickard is going to be amazing.

Wow... Picks was fantastic, Roy coached his ass off, and Iggy found a time machine, even if for one night.

I've been saying it for a while now, we need a decent RD if we want to keep Bigras up and playing decent minutes. I'm not saying a 18 minute guy, but somebody who can get Bigras a more regular shift on a consistent basis. We have a ton of bottom pairing types, but none who can help Bigras in that way.

What does this refer to exactly?

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

My favourite game of they year so far...these are the games you look back at and say this was the reason we made the playoffs.

 

[ArWKo]

The way I look at last night's game is that you certainly don't want to have to win games like that all the time, but you have to love the moxie the team showed and you like 2 points even more. A lot like the Dallas game where we were ridiculously outshot but this time even though they conceded a few goals, they played a crazy strong 3rd period and pulled out the W.

I saw last night that the Landy-Soda-Comeau line were all 50%+ CF 5v5 on the night when nobody else on the team was even really close to 50% so impressive job by that line possession-wise.

 

[henchman21]

What does this refer to exactly?

The adjustments made throughout the game... Roy had a big part of this win and was deeply involved to the last second (he was drawing up the defense in the final minute, not Army or Farrish).

 

[ArWKo]

I think on the NBCSN feed the guys were even talking about what a great job Roy and his staff did coaching in the third keeping the team together when things were really tough and keeping his guys pushing and pushing for the W.

 

[the_fan]

Gotta give lots of credit to the Avs i must say, i didn't think they would come out of LA with a win

 

[LazRNN]

I think on the NBCSN feed the guys were even talking about what a great job Roy and his staff did coaching in the third keeping the team together when things were really tough and keeping his guys pushing and pushing for the W.

They also mentioned how when the team was playing poorly in the first period, there was nothing but positive coming from the coaching staff. That doesn't mean, I don't think, that they were happy with the performance... just that they were encouraging the guys. That very much seems to be Roy's style which no one really expected when he was hired (he had the hot head reputation).

 

[burnstick]

Seriously. Thank god Bigras seems very cerebral and a quicker learner, because anyone else and this would be really bad for their development pairing him with terrible defenders that can't help him on the ice or on the bench. He's helping them.

I'm sure he is with all his pro experience. teaching the older D how to play.

 

[Former Ladder]

From Frei's article, I wonder what Dutchy was talking about with the "stuff" going on with the players on the bench/in the room. Hopefully nobody was giving up and verbally saying the team should stop trying or something to that effect. This is my own inference but I sometimes question MacK's motivation when the team is behind by a couple goals or more. Hopefully that is way off base.

Good to see Iggy with an extra step these last couple of games and working to get back up in the lineup. Hopefully he sees that he is not immune to demotion when his effort suffers.

 

[tigervixxxen]

Duchene told Moser that he and a couple others laid into the team. I don't think it's any more than that, it was time for someone to speak up and they got the job done.

 

[AvsRobin]

Duchene told Moser that he and a couple others laid into the team. I don't think it's any more than that, it was time for someone to speak up and they got the job done.

This is Duchenes 7th year in the league. He should be a leader on the team and a much better player than he is today.

Edit: Oh, sorry. I thought it was october.

 

[Foppa2118]

I'm sure he is with all his pro experience. teaching the older D how to play.

Have you watched any games recently? He's covering for Redmond and Bodnarchuk's mistakes on every shift.

 

[Cousin Eddie]

This is Duchenes 7th year in the league. He should be a leader on the team and a much better player than he is today.

Edit: Oh, sorry. I thought it was october.

A++

 

[henchman21]

Duchene told Moser that he and a couple others laid into the team. I don't think it's any more than that, it was time for someone to speak up and they got the job done.

Undoubtedly the team getting fired up helped... To say it was only thing that changed is wrong. Roy made lineup adjustments, they shifted the breakout, pulled the furthest back defensemen more in the zone when the neutral zone was set up (along with more aggressive board play in the 3 part of the 1-3-1), and he was drawing up set plays a number of times through the night.

With hockey, the minor adjustments are harder to see, but Roy saw what LA was doing to them and adjusted. Go back and see how different the puck retrieval was between the 1st period and the rest of the game. LA had a great gameplan coming into the game, but didn't have a counterpunch.

 

[dahrougem2]

I never saw any comparisons to Kessel from MacK coming out of the draft...

I feel like people are really blowing up this lack of backchecking thing after one game, and specifically, one play. It was the end of a long shift. I think he's made tremendous strides in his entire defensive game Hell, he had an awesome backcheck just last game against the Sharks.

Last night, Iginla looked like a guy who had spent a month playing with talentless plugs and never wanted to go back.

It's been a while for me that I've noticed it. As I said, he's improved a ton defensively since entering into the league but the back-checking laziness needs to stop. I'm not asking for him to sprint 100% at all times back to the defensive zone if it isn't an odd-man rush, but instances like when he's ahead of his man, and then stops moving his feet and his man starts to beat him to the net have happened a bit too much for my liking this season. All I want to see is him continue to move his feet in those situations.

 

[Iracundia]

The adjustments made throughout the game... Roy had a big part of this win and was deeply involved to the last second (he was drawing up the defense in the final minute, not Army or Farrish).

Roy also got some praise for pulling Pickard when the Kings player knocked our net off the pegs.

 

[Freudian]

Undoubtedly the team getting fired up helped... To say it was only thing that changed is wrong. Roy made lineup adjustments, they shifted the breakout, pulled the furthest back defensemen more in the zone when the neutral zone was set up (along with more aggressive board play in the 3 part of the 1-3-1), and he was drawing up set plays a number of times through the night.

With hockey, the minor adjustments are harder to see, but Roy saw what LA was doing to them and adjusted. Go back and see how different the puck retrieval was between the 1st period and the rest of the game. LA had a great gameplan coming into the game, but didn't have a counterpunch.

Against Kings, if you aren't in the battle they will run you over. Just cycling and driving the net non-stop.

Avs were much better in puck battles and being quick on pucks in the second and third period and that's why the ice stopped being tilted. Kings taking clumsy penalties helped but a few of them were the result of Avs moving their feet.

Being flu ridden and on the second game of a back to back, Avs showed character battling their way into the game. None more so than Pickard, who was a warrior last night.

 

[Foppa2118]

I never saw any comparisons to Kessel from MacK coming out of the draft...

I feel like people are really blowing up this lack of backchecking thing after one game, and specifically, one play. It was the end of a long shift. I think he's made tremendous strides in his entire defensive game Hell, he had an awesome backcheck just last game against the Sharks.

Last night, Iginla looked like a guy who had spent a month playing with talentless plugs and never wanted to go back.

He's made strides and is solid when he puts in the effort and remains focused, but unfortunately this isn't at all just one play or one game. He's very up and down. Shift to shift, period to period, in terms of paying attention to his defensive assignments and positioning.

As mentioned though, he's still 20. He's got time to figure out how to do this consistently.

 

[henchman21]

Against Kings, if you aren't in the battle they will run you over. Just cycling and driving the net non-stop.

Avs were much better in puck battles and being quick on pucks in the second and third period and that's why the ice stopped being tilted. Kings taking clumsy penalties helped but a few of them were the result of Avs moving their feet.

Being flu ridden and on the second game of a back to back, Avs showed character battling their way into the game. None more so than Pickard, who was a warrior last night.

A big part of the puck battles is having a split second more time when retrieving the puck, and being quicker on the puck in the defensive zone had an awful lot to do with bringing the furthest defensemen back an extra 4-5'. Roy knew the team didn't have the best legs after the first and adjusted so they had more time and space on the defensive side of the puck.

LA has maybe the best timing through the neutral zone of any team in the NHL... the are just phenomenal in that area. That allows the wingers to have a full head of steam when they are forechecking so the opposing team tends to have little time and space... causing mistakes. Then they cycle teams to death after those mistakes. Roy found a way to give his players a touch more time to deal with their pressure on a night where the Avs didn't have good legs.

 

[tigervixxxen]

Undoubtedly the team getting fired up helped... To say it was only thing that changed is wrong. Roy made lineup adjustments, they shifted the breakout, pulled the furthest back defensemen more in the zone when the neutral zone was set up (along with more aggressive board play in the 3 part of the 1-3-1), and he was drawing up set plays a number of times through the night.

With hockey, the minor adjustments are harder to see, but Roy saw what LA was doing to them and adjusted. Go back and see how different the puck retrieval was between the 1st period and the rest of the game. LA had a great gameplan coming into the game, but didn't have a counterpunch.

Don't disagree, I was just saying about how Duchene alluded to "things" happening on the bench. People tend to think that means like a big fight or something.

I said if they could just get through the first they'd be better in the second I thought that late second goal might be too much to overcome.

 

[CobraAcesS]

Don't disagree, I was just saying about how Duchene alluded to "things" happening on the bench. People tend to think that means like a big fight or something.

I said if they could just get through the first they'd be better in the second vi thought that late second goal might be too much to overcome.

Yeah like maybe Duchene called Iginla 'fat' and 'slow' in the locker room, and that woke him up all the way back into his twenties lol.

 

[S E P H]

Man I loved the bounce back by Landeskog after the first. He definitely decided to take the team and lead by example for the rest. Even got first star of the game, not sure if I buy him over Pickard, but was easily Avs best forward IMO. Besides that crazy out shot first period, Avs were only out shot -5 for the next two periods (14-20). I also gotta laugh at Grigorenko's fan, man only if he did that on purpose. Totally faked out Quick on that on. Got good things to say about Iginla, Comeau, Soderberg, and Barrie as well.

And seriously what was up with NBCSN sound system? Very quiet on PXP/Analyst, but very loud on crowd and PA of Staples Arena.

What does this refer to exactly?

Pierre was talking about (though it was hard to hear him) about the positivity Avs had on the bench throughout the game. That had to be one of the top 5 worst single periods ever this season and they could have went in the slump feeling sorry for themselves blaming the flu. But they didn't, they stayed positive, too the most of their chances, tied, and rebounded in the 3rd period. Roy deserves a lot of credit for never giving up, benching some pylons, and shorting his bench when it mattered. Putting Johnson out there at the last minute saved the game with two amazing blocks. I agree with the people about how he slides down too easily and too fast, but some clutch defensive moments from him in the 3rd.

My favourite game of they year so far...these are the games you look back at and say this was the reason we made the playoffs.

And then we look at games against CBJ, Boston, Carolina twice, and Toronto twice when we get passed by the teams with games in hand.

 

[LazRNN]

I also wonder if seeing Tanguay scratched lit a bit of a fire under Iginla. He probably is aware he may not be far behind. Especially if Rantanen gets a call up, both Tanguay and Iginla are bubble players if they aren't producing. I do think he's got more to offer than Tanguay... at least he can still score.

 

[CobraAcesS]

Man I loved the bounce back by Landeskog after the first. He definitely decided to take the team and lead by example for the rest. Even got first star of the game, not sure if I buy him over Pickard, but was easily Avs best forward IMO. Besides that crazy out shot first period, Avs were only out shot -5 for the next two periods (14-20). I also gotta laugh at Grigorenko's fan, man only if he did that on purpose. Totally faked out Quick on that on. Got good things to say about Iginla, Comeau, Soderberg, and Barrie as well.

And seriously what was up with NBCSN sound system? Very quiet on PXP/Analyst, but very loud on crowd and PA of Staples Arena.


Pierre was talking about (though it was hard to hear him) about the positivity Avs had on the bench throughout the game. That had to be one of the top 5 worst single periods ever this season and they could have went in the slump feeling sorry for themselves blaming the flu. But they didn't, they stayed positive, too the most of their chances, tied, and rebounded in the 3rd period. Roy deserves a lot of credit for never giving up, benching some pylons, and shorting his bench when it mattered. Putting Johnson out there at the last minute saved the game with two amazing blocks. I agree with the people about how he slides down too easily and too fast, but some clutch defensive moments from him in the 3rd.


And then we look at games against CBJ, Boston, Carolina twice, and Toronto twice when we get passed by the teams with games in hand.

And here I thought you're post was going to be all positive lol, then I get gut punched right at the end.