GDT: Game #9 - Avs @ Penguins 5:30PM MST | TSN2, RDS2, NBCSN

[Colorado Avalanche]

Oh man, being a Canucks fan I know how painful it was to watch Shane O'Brien patrol the blue line, night in night out for the Canucks! God damn!

Francois Allaire seems to have changed Varlamov and Giguere. Two goalies who you never would have associated with the words "Top 5 Goalie" but they are certainly both playing like it!

Erik Johnson needed to badly rebound to his rookie form. Glad it sounds like he's steadily making it back there! The ice time certainly won't hurt either

Hmmpp. Giguere was one of the best goaltenders in his prime(i'd say he was the best goaltender 2002-03 especially in playoffs), Varlamov will be top-5 goaltender. (Yes I said it.)

 

[Nathan MacKinnon]

Hmmpp. Giguere was one of the best goaltenders in his prime(i'd say he was the best goaltender 2002-03), Varlamov will be top-5 goaltender. (Yes I said it.)

Yes my bad, I know Giguere was a top 5 goalie in his prime, especially that year he won a cup with Anaheim, however I meant in the last 3-4 years where Giguere has been the backup, washed up and just not the same as his pre-2007 career

And heck man, with the way Varlamov has been playing - He could be a top 5 goalie in the future!

 

[Avsboy]

Erik Johnson needed to badly rebound to his rookie form. Glad it sounds like he's steadily making it back there! The ice time certainly won't hurt either

Offensively he may never return but defensively he is a beast. Last year we gave Matt Hunwick top pairing minutes.

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Yes my bad, I know Giguere was a top 5 goalie in his prime, especially that year he won a cup with Anaheim, however I meant in the last 3-4 years where Giguere has been the backup, washed up and just not the same as his pre-2007 career

And heck man, with the way Varlamov has been playing - He could be a top 5 goalie in the future!

Personally I think Giguere is one of the best backups in NHL along with Vokoun. He's been great veteran leader for our team and right now he's just playing amazing. he's had two good years with Avalanche and It looks like his good play keeps just going.

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Offensively he may never return but defensively he is a beast. Last year we gave Matt Hunwick top pairing minutes.

To be honest, 48 games of sacconess and Hunwick is worth MacKinnon and Bigras. (Yeah It was awful, but we won big prize!)

 

[falconski]

So what people are saying is that his defensive game is not the greatest and could use some improvement, which is likely limiting his time in the offensive zone because of this lack of defense and prevent him from getting a top six role at the moment?

Also, I have another question. Looking at the Avs defensive core and goalie I would not have expected them to be leading the league in goals against per game, 9 games in. What do you think was so different from last season? Clearly it isn't because of MacKinnon, as you guys seem to tell me that his defensive game needs improvement. They didn't make any changes in net or on defense.

Is it Patrick Roy?

a) we have a system now

b) we lost O'Byrne, O'Brien, Zanon, and Hunwick (well, Hunwick's playing for our AHL team) and replaced them with Guenin, Wilson, and Sarich, which doesn't seem like much but basically we replaced people playing well above their role to third pairing guys who don't try to get out of their lane

c) EJ-Hejda was finally attempted again and they've been great together

d) full time goalie coach, goalies have been playing much more positionally sound and rebounds are actually being directed at our D-men

 

[Crisp Breakout]

So what people are saying is that his defensive game is not the greatest and could use some improvement, which is likely limiting his time in the offensive zone because of this lack of defense and prevent him from getting a top six role at the moment?

Also, I have another question. Looking at the Avs defensive core and goalie I would not have expected them to be leading the league in goals against per game, 9 games in. What do you think was so different from last season? Clearly it isn't because of MacKinnon, as you guys seem to tell me that his defensive game needs improvement. They didn't make any changes in net or on defense.

Is it Patrick Roy?

It's not just his defensive game that needs work. It's everything without the puck. Watch him closely and you'll see he's about half a second late reacting. Often times he'll make some sweeping turn that gets him 5 strides behind where he otherwise would have been backchecking. He doesn't support well enough on the breakout and doesn't close on the puck fast enough along the boards.

The good news? It's all, every bit of it, about anticipating the game. That's going to come in time, no doubt.

 

[IceRat]

late to the thread as I just got done watching the broadcast
that may have been the single most frustrating regular season game I have ever watched
and I don't know if I should have been more frustrated or Penguins fans should have been

Giggy was out of his mind good but I can't help but feel this is Craig Anderson season 1 with us all over again with all the shots against

one thing I do know is that Bortuzzo clown is a rag doll and should be fined for his springboard antics

 

[NothingLikeAnEJ]

late to the thread as I just got done watching the broadcast
that may have been the single most frustrating regular season game I have ever watched
and I don't know if I should have been more frustrated or Penguins fans should have been

Giggy was out of his mind good but I can't help but feel this is Craig Anderson season 1 with us all over again with all the shots against

one thing I do know is that Bortuzzo clown is a rag doll and should be fined for his springboard antics

This isn't even close to Craig Anderson season 1 IMO. The only games where we've been outplayed in is this one plus maybe the game against Dallas. The rest have been pretty even or we've been the better team.

 

[IceRat]

This isn't even close to Craig Anderson season 1 IMO. The only games where we've been outplayed in is this one plus maybe the game against Dallas. The rest have been pretty even or we've been the better team.

I talking about shots against and the goaltender needing to bail us out every night and be the #1 star

 

[agentblack]

Does anyone else go bonkers when the Avs fail to clear the puck? Nothing drives me more nuts.

Man, you could probably hear me grumbling outside. HATE IT!

 

[Avsboy]

This isn't even close to Craig Anderson season 1 IMO. The only games where we've been outplayed in is this one plus maybe the game against Dallas. The rest have been pretty even or we've been the better team.

This is how I see it.

We deserved to win with:
Anaheim
Nashville
Toronto
Detroit
Buffalo (I guess)

We deserved to lose with:
Boston
Dallas
Pittsburgh

The Washington game....not sure.

 

[IceRat]

oh yeah, and our Malkin was better

 

[forsbergavs32]

Offense looked horrible tonight (though Pitt seemed to cut off any lanes available, but still) Defense looked great (Especially Hejda and Guenin) and of course Giggy was a god.

It's still very early and there are gonna be slumps, but I'm beginning to drink the Roy kool-aid. He's got a good system in place and he adapts it as necessary. I think we'll end up 6-8 seed and can possible make it to the 2nd round.

 

[Avsboy]

I think we'll end up 6-8 seed and can possible make it to the 2nd round.

I was wondering during tonight's game about the playoff implications. If we make the playoffs against a top seeded team (one as good as Pittsburgh), will play at today's level be good enough to get us far in the playoffs?

I don't think so. We need to improve.

 

[agentblack]

yeah offensive troubles aside, you have to admire PIT's defensive game--
outstanding. Way more impressed with that than their offense

 

[zxcvnm]

yeah offensive troubles aside, you have to admire PIT's defensive game--
outstanding. Way more impressed with that than their offense

We played so much defensively that by the time we won the puck, we were tired and played with it like a game of hot potato. Their stellar defense was a direct product of their offense.

 

[forsbergavs32]

I was wondering during tonight's game about the playoff implications. If we make the playoffs against a top seeded team (one as good as Pittsburgh), will play at today's level be good enough to get us far in the playoffs?

I don't think so. We need to improve.

Obviously. Never said this is a top team in the league, but they've already improved from last year. There's going to be bad streaks where the offense, defense and goaltending suck, but I don't see any long term losing streaks happen like with Sacco because Roy knows how to adjust and fire up the team.

 

[Bender]

I thought there were 3 penalties that were absolute jokes:

1) the too many men penalty - they showed the replay and every team in the league changes like that
2) the Landeskog call were he stopped the guy from shooting was a blown call. Any of their guys do that to our team and it's a non-call 100% of the time.
3) the EJ boarding call - you could see the player feel Johnson bearing down on him and let up any and all resistance and go flying (the refs had to call it but wtf is EJ supposed to do? Let up in case he lays the body on a guy that weighs 150lbs?)

Pretty sad to see the Penguins diving, I'm glad the refs called the obvious Jokinen one at the end.

Overall, Giggy won us that game and I thought Nate Guenin had a great game as well especially in the first 2 periods. That was his best game of the year.

 

[billybobjoe2112]

To be honest, 48 games of sacconess and Hunwick is worth MacKinnon and Bigras. (Yeah It was awful, but we won big prize!)

Thank god that was 48 games and not 82.

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Thank god that was 48 games and not 82.

Exactly. No way I would last 82 games.

 

[GeniusSuperior]

Opponents records of teams we have beaten: 37-29-2 (provided I counted right)

Take out Buffalo and that makes it 36-21-1. Pretty impressive if you ask me.

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Opponents records of teams we have beaten: 37-29-2 (provided I counted right)

Take out Buffalo and that makes it 36-21-1. Pretty impressive if you ask me.

Not to mention tough away games as well, Toronto, Washington, Boston and Pittsburgh. All playoff teams last season. Very impressive. Anaheim has won every game since losing 6-1 vs us. What a start.

 

[22FUTON9]

I think its time to put PAP back to the first line. Downies been good but PAP I would think will make that line even better.

 

[21]

How do these Landy shots go in?

Please explain why you dislike the Captain of Colorado Avalanche so much.

Countless number of negative posts about Landeskog every season, it's increadibly annoying.

He wasn't even a first pick, now you got MacKinnon, what's the problem?