GDT: Game 73: Avs@Oilers| Sunday, 20 Mar, 19:30 MT | Monday, 21 Mar 08:30 BKK | Rantanen!!

[Jayevs]

We did what was required. Hell of a job guys.


At the end of the day we still control our own fate right now. If we can maintain this 1 point advantage over the Wild and then beat them on Saturday, we'll have ourselves a nice 3 point cushion with only 7 games to go and only 6 for the Wild remaining.



Also, all though its still a longshot. NSH now sits just 5 ahead of us as well and we still play them once. Another loss or two from them and all of a sudden they creep back into the picture a little bit.

Pretty confident we have 2 games against Nashville. Could be within a point of them in a sense.

 

[S E P H]

Man, that game was like a library. And how the hell does Haynes have a job? I don't hate the guy as a person, he seems like a nice dude, but the guy is just so bad at his job. Not only is he blinded about the situation going on, his ability to just kill games is beautiful.

Solid win, but I think Avs should have been more dangerous. Every Oilers player just showed up to show up, saw like zero effort except for Draisaitl (and Nruse). And gotta give a huge laugh to the Oiler fans who think Eberle will go for something decent in a package.

Awesome games by Landeskog, Johnson, Soderberg, and Barrie. Iginla, Malkin, and Bigras also had satisfying displays tonight. Any reason why the defencive pairing were mixed up tonight?

Didn't think Rantanen was good, he looked really nervous for some reason. Bobbled pucks that probably should have not been lost, but whatever. Also I am a Comeau fan, but I absolutely despised his game tonight. Didn't like Holden's, Beauchemin, or Grigorenko's game neither. That last goal on Pickard as well was pretty awful to let in, he was kind of all over the place tonight. Good win considering the circumstances, but I think Avs could have shown more from the other lines tonight besides Carl's (which was a cycling machine) IMO. Onto the next one!

E:Martinsen sucked tonight as well.

 

[CobraAcesS]

He played like 8 minutes with Skille/McLeod and had zero powerplay time. He had a few mistakes but you couldn't expect to see what people have been seeing down in the AHL in that kinda situation. Until he's put with capable linemates and gets some PP time I don't really expect to see much. Best case is his first 7 games where he didn't make enough mistakes to be noticed unlike tonight.

You should still see him handle the puck much better than he did, and better decisions when he did have it. He lost a lot of 50/50 battles as well reaching instead of keeping his feet moving.

I know enough to evaluate his game for what little he did play.

He's also not just going to get handed prime minutes either.

 

[Muffin]

A couple of Oilers fans on their board saying we're just going to get stomped in the first round of the playoffs if we make it. It's probably true but it's funny coming from fans of a team that haven't seen playoff hockey in a decade lol.

They're in denial. Powerplays were 1 for 2 for the Avs(Really 2 for 2) and 0 for 4 for the Oils "OMG REFS COST US THE GAME"

 

[Foppa2118]

Excluding these last 5 minutes, I thought he was fine

He was fighting the puck most of the night.

 

[cgf]

Wouldn't that be funny if after all of this is was Nashville that ended up missing.

Well that was my guess at the deadline...

 

[henchman21]

Didn't think Rantanen was good, he looked really nervous for some reason. Bobbled pucks that probably should have not been lost, but whatever.

Agree... looked nervous and weak on his board play. His game will come, but it was a good thing he was on the 4th line tonight.

 

[Kschey]

You should still see him handle the puck much better than he did, and better decisions when he did have it. He lost a lot of 50/50 battles as well reaching instead of keeping his feet moving.

I know enough to evaluate his game for what little he did play.

He's also not just going to get handed prime minutes either.

Come on, that was his first game back, and his sixth NHL game overall. Give him more than 8 minutes to settle in before "evaluating his game".

 

[Skip2myBordyloo]

We don't play till Thursday, blessing in disguise for Duchene.

Hopefully the MRI looks good for Mackinnon.

 

[GirardSpinorama]

Landeskog beasting tonight, good to see him respond to his suspension with the type of game that we expect to see from him on a nightly basis. Comeau was also pretty good, had some hiccups but was solid where we needed him. Entire PP and PK were great.

 

[cgf]

Come on, that was his first game back, and his sixth NHL game overall. Give him more than 8 minutes to settle in before "evaluating his game".

Don't be silly. He knows enough to evaluate Rintintin's game with any sample-size!

 

[The Kingslayer]

We don't play till Thursday, blessing in disguise for Duchene.

Hopefully the MRI looks good for Mackinnon.

Cant recall the last time we got good news on an injury. A part of me thinks Mackinnon is going to announce his retirement on Monday after the news haha.

 

[CobraAcesS]

Come on, that was his first game back, and his sixth NHL game overall. Give him more than 8 minutes to settle in before "evaluating his game".

LOL, at people getting defensive over this.

There is no way I'm going ignore how he played, especially because everyone is penciling him into the top six next year. We're only 9 regular season games until either the end of this season or the playoffs.

I'm also not making any definitive statements about anything outside of how he performed in the 8 minutes he played either.

Don't be silly. He knows enough to evaluate Rintintin's game with any sample-size!

Seriously? I expect you of all people to understand calling what you see instead of trolling me.

 

[The Mars Volchenkov]

Another 5:45 for Bodnarchuk, and a bit lost on the first Edmonton goal. So is Roy done with him now or is he going to just let him do this against playoff teams before he realizes he should look to Zadorov? Good team will expose you when you're only using 1/2 a third pairing.

 

[Puckstop40]

Boedker really fits in well here. He stepped up tonight and Landy did as well. I really hope we can get him signed this offseason.

 

[henchman21]

Another 5:45 for Bodnarchuk, and a bit lost on the first Edmonton goal. So is Roy done with him now or is he going to just let him do this against playoff teams before he realizes he should look to Zadorov? Good team will expose you when you're only using 1/2 a third pairing.

I understand your point here, and think Roy needs to find somebody to trust with Bigras (Zadorov wouldn't earn that trust)... Chicago won a cup with only a top 4.

 

[The Mars Volchenkov]

I understand your point here, and think Roy needs to find somebody to trust with Bigras (Zadorov wouldn't earn that trust)... Chicago won a cup with only a top 4.

If we had Keith, Hjalmarsson, and Seabrook running the top 3, I'd be fine with it, but we don't have that. The situations are not comparable at all. I mean, Redmond gives up a big goal against, and he gets benched. Same with Bodnarchuk tonight. It's clear he doesn't trust these guys, so I'm wondering what it would take for him to make a move. I'd rather it not be after a mistake in a big game against a good team.

 

[RockLobster]

There's no harm in saying that Rantanen didn't have the best of games tonight, as long as it's looked at in context--he hasn't played in the NHL since the beginning of the year, he was playing on the 4th line, and he didn't play very much.

Now, looking at how he did play, yeah, it was probably a game that even he'd be the first to say wasn't his best, but that doesn't mean there's cause for concern. All it means is that easing him back into the NHL via the 4th line may be the right course for the moment.

Let's see how he does with the practice this week, and how he performs on Wednesday.

 

[CobraAcesS]

Another 5:45 for Bodnarchuk, and a bit lost on the first Edmonton goal. So is Roy done with him now or is he going to just let him do this against playoff teams before he realizes he should look to Zadorov? Good team will expose you when you're only using 1/2 a third pairing.

I did see Bigras out with EJ, and some mixed pairings. I wonder if the goal was to give the other five more playing time, but also see how Bigras would handle some shifts with EJ.

You'd have to think Roy is about at his wits end with the Redmonds and Bodychucks.

There's no harm in saying that Rantanen didn't have the best of games tonight, as long as it's looked at in context--he hasn't played in the NHL since the beginning of the year, he was playing on the 4th line, and he didn't play very much.

Now, looking at how he did play, yeah, it was probably a game that even he'd be the first to say wasn't his best, but that doesn't mean there's cause for concern. All it means is that easing him back into the NHL via the 4th line may be the right course for the moment.

Let's see how he does with the practice this week, and how he performs on Wednesday.

Of course, the only real concern I've always had was the expectations being to high for him out of camp next year. Which is why I wanted him to have more in the like of 20 games up here instead of 9 (if he gets that).

Everything I said was strictly regarding what he did tonight. No one needs to defend his skill level and his potential.

I think seeing him play so nervous reminds of that sentiment very much. Where I wish he'd already had some more time to ease into things and relax.

 

[Freudian]

I don't think Martinsen belongs in the NHL, despite having scored a couple of big goals. But I don't have a problem with the way he's playing. He's trying to make a difference with the tools he has.

You don't ask a poodle to solve Rubik's Cube, you know.

 

[tigervixxxen]

Personally I saw the parts of Rantanen's game that carried over, like how he came out of the box and took the puck around the net or how he was behind the net and passed to the front, even while getting tripped so McLeod drew that penalty. I know some folks are skeptical that's he's just AHL good, that it's the land of broken dreams and success there can't translate. This is why I wish he had more time, 3 games goes by pretty quick before having to make a decision and plus there is validity in determining what he can be counted on to do at the NHL level next year. I agree a few days of practice will help, although I'm not sure he's ever going to look amazing in a limited role. For being a "new" center at least he did 50/50 in the circle.

Chuck didn't see the ice after the goal. Yeah it's a concern that Roy has exactly 5 D that he's comfortable playing. I just don't know that they'll make a move.

 

[henchman21]

If we had Keith, Hjalmarsson, and Seabrook running the top 3, I'd be fine with it, but we don't have that. The situations are not comparable at all.

I'm not saying they are... you said that good teams will expose not using half the 3rd pairing. That isn't totally true, it just means the top 4 has to play well. Teams can win running 5 defensemen, and as we saw, if you are good enough, you don't even need 5 good ones.

 

[cgf]

If we had Keith, Hjalmarsson, and Seabrook running the top 3, I'd be fine with it, but we don't have that. The situations are not comparable at all. I mean, Redmond gives up a big goal against, and he gets benched. Same with Bodnarchuk tonight. It's clear he doesn't trust these guys, so I'm wondering what it would take for him to make a move. I'd rather it not be after a mistake in a big game against a good team.

For what it's worth Bigras and Holden are both better than anyone who played on the hawks third pairing last season...and frankly not that far off from Oduya.

 

[The Mars Volchenkov]

I did see Bigras out with EJ, and some mixed pairings. I wonder if the goal was to give the other five more playing time, but also see how Bigras would handle some shifts with EJ.

You'd have to think Roy is about at his wits end with the Redmonds and Bodychucks.

Bigras has seen shifts here and there with EJ and Barrie lately. When you only run 5 D, you have to find a way to get him out there, and he looks fine in those spots. I just don't like that they go into games knowing that that 6th D is going to get benched, and that he has to find Bigras his spots.

For what it's worth Bigras and Holden are both better than anyone who played on the hawks third pairing last season...and frankly not that far off from Oduya.

Quite frankly, I think Holden has been junk for a while now, but part of it isn't really his fault, as he held on as well as he could with the heavy minutes he was given.

EJ playing the way he has the last week or two covers up a lot of the problems.

 

[AvalancheFan19]

Good game tonight, I thought we forechecked hard in the first and second. Landeskog in particular was skating hard as was Sodaberg. EJ has a great game as well. Put me down for resigning Boedker, I like him a lot too. A successful Western Canada trip, unreal!

With Rantanen, of course it isn't a cause for concern in the slightest. He's been over a PPG in the AHL as an 18/19 year old. However, in his limited role and ice time tonight he looked sloppy. Just calling it how it is.

Happy to have a couple days off with our current circumstances. Hopefully some good news is on the way.