He did, I'll eat crow on saying he needed a healthy scratch during the LA game. Best he's looked in a long time. He faded as the game went on, but his talent came through several times.
Other thoughts:
- Landy was just genuinely awesome all night. Some won't give him credit because he didn't put the puck home on his two great chances, but he was the #1 reason tonight, IMO, that the top line looked threatening. He was everywhere, and he was really using his size and strength well.
- Soderberg is so important...the guy just does everything well. Love to pick up Stastny in the off-season, him and Soda as the 2/3 centre's would give this team some really nice depth. Soderberg's line is consistently the second best on the Avs, they get some great zone pressure in. Nieto has really impressed me all season. No real talent, but he works hard and knows where to be.
- I think MacK's looked off for a bit. He's fumbling the puck uncharacteristically, and sometimes seems a little casual to me actually. That especially comes through to me on the powerplay when he's on the halfway, he's lost it several times now in the past couple games when he over stickhandles. I don't want to say he's almost a little arrogant with the puck, but that's sometimes how it looks to me. Hopefully he can refocus and get that edge back.
- Z was awesome in his own end all game, best Avs defender IMO. As long as he keeps his feet moving he's done an excellent job of learning how to rub the opposing forward out of the play. Girard is struggling, EJ still looks like a guy returning from injury. His timing just looks a little off to me as well.
- Really wish the Avs' forwards were a little more aggressive at challenging the points and along the wall. Vegas was able to generate a lot of chances by passing back to the blueline and then tossing it at the net or beginning a cycle. I get that it's how Bednar wants them to play, but I have to think they could be a little more aggressive. Once the other team gets the puck back to the point their D almost always have time, which immediately allows them to set up a cycle if they want to rather than 50/50 pucks along the wall.
- Also wish the Avs would just shoot more. I notice a lot of times they're cutting in from the wing and they either carry it behind the net or just stop up. Wish they'd just throw it on goal.
