GDT: Game 81: Sharks vs Avalanche, The Sharknado Sequel | 8:30 PM MT | April 5, 2018

[a mangy Meowth]

She's still doing something with Altitude, isn't she? Is it radio?
"We feel like you're more of a... radio voice."

Something Nuggets related I think - but I have no clue, I try to keep her out of sight out of mind

 

[the_fan]

An oddly familiar feeling. Was it 14/15 or 15/16 when the avs had a suck-fest with the wild for the last playoff spot down the stretch?

Must of been 15/16 when they finished 9th in the conference

 

[The Kingslayer]

I don't get why Barrie is safe in some situations when Girard is out playing him.

Same. Should go with the hot hand if you are serious about winning games. Bednar needs to recognize these things. Barrie was awful all night yet was used in key situations. I get that Barrie is his defacto #1 but its not a hill he should want to die on when we need wins to get in. Girard was good all night and Barrie struggled mightily to make a pass and was a big reason why goals 3 and 4 happened.

 

[dahrougem2]

Doesn't help that Barrie played over 28 minutes last night. I get wanting to ride your top guys but that's a very high amount for a road game that didn't go to overtime.

 

[LieutenantDangle]

Must of been 15/16 when they finished 9th in the conference

It was seriously a battle of who could suck the most down the stretch

 

[the_fan]

It was seriously a battle of who could suck the most down the stretch

Yeah, this year Avs and Blues are truly tanking into the playoffs. I give the little edge to the Avs though. They've been losing to really good teams who still had tons to play for, like the Flyers, Ducks, Kings and Sharks, where the Blues have lost to teams like the Yotes and Hawks.

 

[McMetal]

An oddly familiar feeling. Was it 14/15 or 15/16 when the avs had a suck-fest with the wild for the last playoff spot down the stretch?

15/16. MacK and Duchene got hurt and left us with Grigo and Soderberg as our top 2 centers. Nobody is winning games with that kind of center depth.

 

[the_fan]

15/16. MacK and Duchene got hurt and left us with Grigo and Soderberg as our top 2 centers. Nobody is winning games with that kind of center depth.

This year more of the same where 2 most important players EJ and Varly got injured at the most important time of the year. Avs must be the unluckiest team in the NHL when it comes to key injuries at key times

 

[Pokecheque]

Ugh, what an awful game. No flow whatsoever.

I knew things were gonna go bad on the shift that ended with a Sharks goal when Patrik Nemeth tried to make a pass to Gabriel Bourque right at the blue line. It ended the way you'd expect, a weak turnover and extended time in the Avs zone.

On one hand, the fact that they're even at this point where Game 82 still matters is still a testament to how far they've come. But one can't help but be more than a little frustrated that it's only come down to this because the team has chosen the worst possible time to be playing their worst hockey.

I really wouldn't mind the Avs perhaps moving on from Colin Wilson this offseason. I guess it's not his fault he's been injured or sick at various times this entire season but last night he wasn't even a capable 4th liner. I'd much rather see Toninato in there at this point.

Anyway, super-frustrating to see this low after witnessing the high of the 10-game win streak earlier this year...but I'm telling myself that the season was a success regardless. But there are major flaws on this roster and in the system that must be addressed in the offseason. Against physical, defensive-minded teams able to get sticks in lanes and block shots, the Avs just look plain helpless. Luckily, earlier in the season, they caught the Sharks snoozing a bit and on one night, took advantage of a bad performance by Martin Jones. He wasn't amazing last night, but he didn't really have to be.

 

[lonelybadger]

At least no one got hurt?

 

[McMetal]

I think just in general as teams tighten up defensively down the stretch the Avs have struggled to find an answer to get open ice again the way they did in January. It's not just MacKinnon that's getting swarmed now, nobody is getting space to do anything now and that's not going to get any better if we do get into the playoffs.

 

[CobraAcesS]

I think just in general as teams tighten up defensively down the stretch the Avs have struggled to find an answer to get open ice again the way they did in January. It's not just MacKinnon that's getting swarmed now, nobody is getting space to do anything now and that's not going to get any better if we do get into the playoffs.

Yeah, there isn't one single issue to point at. Mikko, the D injured/quality, oft injured goalies, inexperience on the roster and behind the bench.

 

[Raucherhusten]

At least no one got hurt?

Actually i think Nemeth blocked a shot with his arm and missed the last 10 min or so. Barberio came back yesterday so by rule somebody else "had" to go down.

 

[Thepoolmaster]

Luckily Blues aren't playing good hockey either. I believe they lost 4 or 5 in a row or something. Saturday will be the battle of the suckage. Who ever sucks the least will advance to the playoffs.

They've been sucking worse than the AVS though. AVS last 10 games have been against
Detroit, chicago x2, LA x2, VGK x2, flyers, ducks and sharks

The blues
NYR, CHI x3 (including tonight), VAN, ARI, BOS, CBJ, VGK, SJ, WSH

Their schedule has been way easier than the AVS. And they only have two more wins. The AVS in their last 10 have won the games they should against the non playoff teams and took one against vegas and couldn't find wins in the tough games against playoff teams that have been there before. Which they needed to

The blues on the other hand have 6 wins in their last ten but have since lost 4 in a row including losses to Chicago and Arizona .

Since starting their losing skids the AVS have
The AVS while losing tough games has been rough they've at least looked decent and the teams have been good.

The blues four game losing streak is way more concerning considering the level of competition in that time frame and that they look worse than the avs

 

[The Kingslayer]

Not sure if it was mentioned but Barberio had a solid game for a guy who hasn't played since Montreal

 

[Pokecheque]

Still mulling whether or not opting for Warsofsky over Alt was the right move, even though he didn't play poorly and helped score that late goal. I still think an Alt-Barberio pairing would've made more sense and perhaps had allowed Bednar to not have to overplay both Girard and Barrie, who were just plain tired in the final minutes.