GDT: Game 79 - Avs @ Ducks - Duck Theathon - 6:30PM

[niwotsblessing]

Yeah, some bad luck and mistakes on his part have led to some goals against. It’s just weird though. Take the LA game—the Eller line and MacDermid-Hunt pairing gets stuck in the d-zone for what feels like an hour and somehow the puck stays out of the net. Very next shift the top line and top pairing roll out and boom, the Kings score.

Eller's line is better at defending the D-zone than the top line.

What I have seen in the highlights is Girard has been spinning in the D-zone a bit too much.

 

[missionAvs]

Not gonna lie. I turned the game off when we went down 4-2 and was very pissed off. Am pleasantly surprised that we ended up coming back and winning. The game against the Oilers is going to be an interesting one IMO. If we go into it with last night's roster (likely), I have a feeling we'll see a McDrai stat pad night. Anyways onto the next one. We control our fate with regards to the division W.

 

[Gatorbait19]

When do we start acknowledging that Nate and Mikko might actually be better than Sakic and Forsberg?

Only way that could happen is if/when Nate and Mikko surpass Joe and Foppa in Cups. Not even tie, but surpass.

 

[chet1926]

Probably. The Oilers have been firing on all cylinders for a long time now and their offense looks unstoppable. Plus we are missing a f*** ton of guys again.

I do have my sights set on the Conference crown but that seems far fetched. Avs would have to win out and hope Seattle takes 1 of 2 against Vegas.

It would be cool to be the best in the West but at this point, I just want 1st in the division. Then we avoid Dallas and Minnesota and they beat up on each other.

As for the game against Edmonton, I think we'll win. Even with the copious amounts of injuries. We tend to bring the A game when we play them, no matter who is in the lineup.

 

[chet1926]

Not gonna lie. I turned the game off when we went down 4-2 and was very pissed off. Am pleasantly surprised that we ended up coming back and winning. The game against the Oilers is going to be an interesting one IMO. If we go into it with last night's roster (likely), I have a feeling we'll see a McDrai stat pad night. Anyways onto the next one. We control our fate with regards to the division W.

Unfortunately I doubt we see anyone back by Tuesday. Maybe Byram , as he was just sick.

Doubt we'll see Makar, Manson, Lehk, Helm in the regular season. Lehk and Manson sound probably ok for playoffs. Makar who knows, his latest injury is a real head scratcher. Helm is probably done for, can't play more than 3 games without going out again. And I'd just be prepared to not see Landy at all this season including playoffs. It's not happening.

 

[AvBuff]

Such a weird time of the year - where Bednar is constructing his line-up based on marginal returns using a cost-benefit analysis :

"Are these final games important? Yup. Are they as important as the playoffs? Nope. Can Byram, Makar, Manson, and Lehky play right now if needed? Sure. Can we beat SJS, LA and the Ducks without them? Probably. Maybe. Will we look good doing it? Nah. But if even if we don't, are wins this time of year as important as being as healthy as possible by April 17? Nope."

So we get games like LA and Anaheim. They're kind of important but . . . well, the Avs are the Stanley Cup Champions, they ran the injury gauntlet, the finish line is in sight and psychologically they know the real games start in a week.

 

[Pokecheque]

Eller's line is better at defending the D-zone than the top line.

What I have seen in the highlights is Girard has been spinning in the D-zone a bit too much.

Not that shift they weren’t. Eller’s line was damn lucky, especially with you-know-who on defense. Georgiev bailed them out big-time.

Sammy has been caught a little flat-footed here and there, but there’s also shit happening around him that isn’t helping.

 

[Avs_19]

Toews is three points away from another 50 point season. Plus/minus is mostly garbage but he's also +38 while the next closest defenseman is +16, which is pretty insane. Only behind Makar in xGF% as well.

BTW, small sample size but Meyers is fourth in xGF% (he just can't score!) and he's winning 52% of his (limited) faceoffs. He's also a puck hound and I like his skating and ability to close the gap quickly. You see it so often where it looks like the opposing player has some space and then Meyers is on them in an instant. Avs have something there so hopefully the offense comes along and he can stick.

 

[RoyIsALegend]

BTW, small sample size but Meyers is fourth in xGF% (he just can't score!) and he's winning 52% of his (limited) faceoffs. He's also a puck hound and I like his skating and ability to close the gap quickly. You see it so often where it looks like the opposing player has some space and then Meyers is on them in an instant. Avs have something there so hopefully the offense comes along and he can stick.

I think he's a 4th liner and nothing more, but that doesn't mean he can't provide value. The puck pursuit, strong edge work on the forecheck, relentlessly closing lanes and gaps... that's all good stuff for a 4C. I think him and LOC together form 2/3rds of a very good 4th line. Those two just have absolutely no finish.

 

[RampoSanta]

It would be cool to be the best in the West but at this point, I just want 1st in the division. Then we avoid Dallas and Minnesota and they beat up on each other.

As for the game against Edmonton, I think we'll win. Even with the copious amounts of injuries. We tend to bring the A game when we play them, no matter who is in the lineup.

I used to be thinking this way... but I think 1st could net LAK and I am not sure I like that matchup either, even with a full lineup.

 

[dahrougem2]

I used to be thinking this way... but I think 1st could net LAK and I am not sure I like that matchup either, even with a full lineup.

It is Korpisalo or Copley in goal. The Avs win that series every single time lol.

 

[John Mandalorian]

Such a weird time of the year - where Bednar is constructing his line-up based on marginal returns using a cost-benefit analysis :

"Are these final games important? Yup. Are they as important as the playoffs? Nope. Can Byram, Makar, Manson, and Lehky play right now if needed? Sure. Can we beat SJS, LA and the Ducks without them? Probably. Maybe. Will we look good doing it? Nah. But if even if we don't, are wins this time of year as important as being as healthy as possible by April 17? Nope."

So we get games like LA and Anaheim. They're kind of important but . . . well, the Avs are the Stanley Cup Champions, they ran the injury gauntlet, the finish in line is in sight and psychologically they know the real games start in a week.

 

[Pokecheque]

Strome fined $5,000 for actions in Ducks game | NHL.com

Forward penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct against Avalanche

www.nhl.com

What did he do? Was that him throwing an absolute FIT in OT on the bench when Vatrano got called?

 

[SirLoinOfCloth]

Strome fined $5,000 for actions in Ducks game | NHL.com

Forward penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct against Avalanche

www.nhl.com

What did he do? Was that him throwing an absolute FIT in OT on the bench when Vatrano got called?

He threw a water bottle onto the ice from the bench after Nate's OT winner.

 

[Raucherhusten]

He threw a water bottle onto the ice from the bench after Nate's OT winner.

Only in the NHL you get the same fine for throwing a bottle on the ice and for an illegal check to the head - which in some cases lead to serious injuries. A shitshow i tell ya ...

 

[wayninja]

Strome fined $5,000 for actions in Ducks game | NHL.com

Forward penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct against Avalanche

www.nhl.com

What did he do? Was that him throwing an absolute FIT in OT on the bench when Vatrano got called?

 

[Pokecheque]

He threw a water bottle onto the ice from the bench after Nate's OT winner.

My favorite part was Nathan Beaulieu slashing the living f*** outta JTC in front of the net in that final minute since he knew another penalty wouldn't make a difference (or that he knew he wouldn't get called), sliding to try and block MacKinnon's one-timer and then crumpling to the ice after it went in.

Hahahahaha

 

[Avs_19]

I think he's a 4th liner and nothing more, but that doesn't mean he can't provide value. The puck pursuit, strong edge work on the forecheck, relentlessly closing lanes and gaps... that's all good stuff for a 4C. I think him and LOC together form 2/3rds of a very good 4th line. Those two just have absolutely no finish.

Agreed. If he can even be a center version of Nieto, that's a win. He has a ways to go to even hit that level of offense though.

 

[Turbonium]

Only way that could happen is if/when Nate and Mikko surpass Joe and Foppa in Cups. Not even tie, but surpass.

Not sure why this is the benchmark for how good players are. Clowns like Pat Maroon have 3 cups.

 

[Avs_19]

I'm very surprised it wasn't Zegras' punk ass who threw the water bottle.

 

[S E P H]

I didn't really watch the game, but Francouz looked really bad. I get that it's his first game back and that we all love him on here including myself, but I think we should move on in the offseason IMO. We could get a top-90 pick for him from a team desperate for goaltending (there are a bunch).

 

[John Mandalorian]

I didn't really watch the game, but Francouz looked really bad. I get that it's his first game back and that we all love him on here including myself, but I think we should move on in the offseason IMO. We could get a top-90 pick for him from a team desperate for goaltending (there are a bunch).

Of Vatrano's 22 goals this year, at least 5 are against Francouz.

 

[willy702]

I didn't really watch the game, but Francouz looked really bad. I get that it's his first game back and that we all love him on here including myself, but I think we should move on in the offseason IMO. We could get a top-90 pick for him from a team desperate for goaltending (there are a bunch).

A lot of that was on the Avs playing pretty poorly against a bad team. Maybe the screened shot he should have had but that's not an easy one to stop, nor is a clean breakaway given up because of utter stupidity by the Moose. Wasn't great, wasn't horrible, but it was his first game in awhile so still getting 2 points they can live with it.

 

[JLo217]

I'm floored they actually called the game properly the rest of the stretch. I think right before the PP where the the Avs made it 4-3 I was wondering if they were putting the whistles away. There was probably 5-6 calls that could've been made leading up to that and they were obvious.

I'm not sure why Ducks players/fans and Oilers fans are mad. They took penalties and for once they called it correctly. Avalanche won that game because the Ducks kept taking penalties after just being allowed to float by for half a period w/o getting called.

 

[AllAboutAvs]

Yeah those calls on the Ducks were all legit. Vatrano was very dump on his interference penalty. That was an easy call to make by the refs. I don't think they would have called it if he had just kept skating while standing in ERod's way. With that said I would have not been upset if they had called one on ERod for embellishment.