GDT: GAME IV - 10/11/18 5pm Colorado @ Buffalo: The Rasmussance

[SaltySkywalker]

Man that was a fun game. I really like this team.

Let's hope they follow it up with a home win against Calgary since I'll be at the game! Excited to see Gaudreau in person also. But not too excited...

 

[forsbergavs32]

Hello all,
I’m a long time lurker and I occasionally pop in from time to time. Just want to say thanks for having such a great community and awesome posts.

I think we need a bit of a reality check. That was not an excellent win last night. We are not a top team. We’re good and getting better, don’t get me wrong, but we have along way to go before we are a top team.

Last night was an example of the statistics lying to you.

- Our PP was 2/4... but in reality, our PP looked pretty bad. We struggled really badly with zone entries, and were constantly chasing the puck back down the ice. The Jost goal was pretty good, but the Wilson goal was a lucky bounce, it landed right on his stick...

- Our P.K. was 7/7 but In reality it was pretty bad. Buf truly lacks any finishing instinct but they had our P.K. twisted in knots most of the time. With excellent passing and easy zone entries their pps were almost constant pressure. If not for BUF sucking and Varly being really good, it could have been a different game. Also 7 PPs??? That’s too much.

Honestly BUF had the better special teams, they just lack finishers.

Mackinnons first goal came right after BUF scored, after they had worked so hard and for so long in our zone and they finally got one. They had actually won the puck battle in their own end, against Rantanen, and were exiting the zone when the puck got tangled up in the refs skates. He unknowingly kicked it right back to Rantanen who was already set up for a 2 on 1 with Mack. Pass. Shot. Goal.

That goal broke BUF’s back. They worked so hard to get one, and then the ref just kicks a freebie over to Mack and Rants.

After that goal Buf was dead in the water.

So it’s nice to see some secondary scoring and we did score some nice goals, Girard IS a young hockey god and we will be a very good team in the near future, but this game was an example of some good puck luck and beating a bad team.

Not a great win, and we are not YET a great team. Lots of things to work out.

Thanks, said my piece. Love ya. Go avs, peace out

I can agree up until the PK. The PK is doing exactly what they did last year, keeping shots to the outside and once the puck is out of the zone they make it very hard to get set up.

 

[ASmileyFace]

I just did a quick read of the Buffalo GDT. It was like reading any of our GDTs from 2-3 years ago. Almost exactly the same, just bashing different players

 

[Foppberg]

I just did a quick read of the Buffalo GDT. It was like reading any of our GDTs from 2-3 years ago. Almost exactly the same, just bashing different players

Yeah, a lot of it is bashing our announcers for defending the Z hit, but I don't really blame them. Hit on a small talented rookie, while your team is a tire fire? Yeah I'd be mad at everything too.

 

[ASmileyFace]

I was at a bar so I couldn't hear the announcers but defending that hit seems like a weird hill to die on. I would be pissed if that happened to any of our young guys

 

[The Kingslayer]

I think people need to start giving Mikko some props for being a damn good player and not a by product of the Mackinnon stimulus package.

 

[Avs_19]

Kamenev was up and down but didn't really stand out for the most part, which isn't surprising for his first game. He had a nice set up for a scoring chance in the first and I also recall a good back check in the third period. Like Dries before him though, he can't take a bad OZ penalty because he has a much shorter leash than the regulars.

 

[Avsboy]

Kamenev was up and down but didn't really stand out for the most part, which isn't surprising for his first game. He had a nice set up for a scoring chance in the first and I also recall a good back check in the third period. Like Dries before him though, he can't take a bad OZ penalty because he has a much shorter leash than the regulars.

Kamenev played well, lots of poise and made good puck decisions. The penalty he took was iffy, Buffalo player just kinda fell and Kamenev was called for interference. He was just standing there.

 

[The Abusement Park]

I think people need to start giving Mikko some props for being a damn good player and not a by product of the Mackinnon stimulus package.

But the fancy stats say he’s a garbage player away from Mack

 

[The Kingslayer]

But the fancy stats say he’s a garbage player away from Mack

damn those stats my eyes don't lie. I see phat booty mikko blossoming into a superstar

 

[Ceremony]

A lot of MacKinnon's success comes from Duchene being traded. How many peoples still miss Duchene?

I'd give Ottawa their pick back to swap the players

 

[LieutenantDangle]

I think people need to start giving Mikko some props for being a damn good player and not a by product of the Mackinnon stimulus package.

The Panarin treatment. People will learn in time what we already know

 

[Ceremony]

So! Phil Housley sure is a dreadful coach, isn't he?

 

[Pokecheque]

So! Phil Housley sure is a dreadful coach, isn't he?

Yeah...I was hoping to see something better with a revamped and (supposedly) younger and faster lineup but, nope. They still look just as discombobulated as before. Some guys are just better at being assistants I guess.

 

[Ceremony]

Yeah...I was hoping to see something better with a revamped and (supposedly) younger and faster lineup but, nope. They still look just as discombobulated as before. Some guys are just better at being assistants I guess.

Their powerplay almost looked threatening, largely clueless the rest of the time.

 

[TruePowerSlave]

I think people need to start giving Mikko some props for being a damn good player and not a by product of the Mackinnon stimulus package.

Oh absolutely. Rantanen is a damn good player with or without Mackinnon. He is already better than a bunch of big name players that get way more attention and would be the best forward/player on a bunch of teams.

 

[The Abusement Park]

damn those stats my eyes don't lie. I see phat booty mikko blossoming into a superstar

I hope the rest of league continues to underrate him and consider him a product of Mack. Would be great for the team going forward.

 

[The Mars Volchenkov]

Kamenev made a great feed to Calvert in the slot on his second shift, which Calvert (predictably) missed. The penalty fest in the final two periods threw everything off with lines and any sort of momentum.

 

[5280]

I'd give Ottawa their pick back to swap the players

Nevermind, that one went over my head.

 

[Ceremony]

While I'm here

Looking forward to Kamenev's 6:49, -1, 4 PIM stat line

7:02, only 2PIM and an even +/-

He's exceeding expectations already

 

[klozge]

I’d like to believe that, but sometimes it’s simply not true.

I’ll take a hard-nosed grind it out well-played 3-2 win over Nashville, any day before I take a sloppy, lucky bounce 6-1 win over Buffalo

There was nothing lucky about this win. Avs simply dialled it back after the first period because they had realized the Sabres couldn't harm them. Sabres have huge problems to overcome this season.

 

[AvsWraith]

Thought Kam looked a lot better than last season. Didn't look as slow as last time.

 

[Bender]

So! Phil Housley sure is a dreadful coach, isn't he?

Yep. At one point in the first period, he had Evan Rodrigues on the first PP unit instead of Dahlin who is easily their best puck mover. Guy is clueless. I don't care if Rasmus is just getting acclimated to the NHL, on the PP you put him back there because it's your best shot at scoring a goal. No this Rodrigues nonsense.

About the game - my favourite moment of that game was in the late 2nd/early 3rd period when Sammy G hit Rantanen with a pass in the high slot in the offensive zone and it was such a fantastic play that Rants wasn't expecting the pass and to be so wide-open. It caught him by surprise and made him lose his balance a bit. The vision it took for Sammy G to even make that pass is upper-level stuff and I just love seeing that. Barring injury, Girard is putting up 40+ points this season.

If I was that ref that called that penalty on Kerfoot, where upon video review on the scoreboard it clearly showed that d-bag beaulieu taking a massive dive - I would have given beaulieu a 2 minute minor his very next shift for a phantom slash and then I would have given him an extra 2 for unsportsmanlike whether he debated it or not. That was atrocious and he deserves to be fined.

 

[FreshFitted67]

There was nothing lucky about this win. Avs simply dialled it back after the first period because they had realized the Sabres couldn't harm them. Sabres have huge problems to overcome this season.

Agreed. There was nothing lucky about this win. And the sabres do have major issues to overcome. I just think the avs got a little lucky on a couple of the goals, and were outplayed for stretches by an inferior team, therefore I don’t think this was a great win. That’s all.

I think the avs should have and would have won this game regardless of the puck luck, but based on the actual play that took place I think it could very easily have been a much closer game, and I don’t think anybody should be over-the-moon thrilled with our performance.

 

[FreshFitted67]

It’s still a good win. And a good win to build on. This team is going to be great. But it’s a stretch to say we’re a top team based on that game.