GDT: Honda Presents Honda West Division @ Honda Center: Honda Avs @ Honda Ducks | 8 PM MT

[missionAvs]

Pretty sexy advanced stats for Toews/Makar last night.

Towes had a 70CF and 21 relative.

Makar was on the ice for 28 chances for and 6 against. 82 CF and 43 relative.

Pateryn/Graves were -35 and -42 relative to their teammates.

Yeah but if it was golf, those scores for Pateryn and Graves would be generational.

 

[Balthazar]

I noticed that Graves can't be the best dman on his pairing. When he's with Girard or Makar he's fine. When he's with Pateryn or Cole he's really bad.

I'm not convinced that Seattle will take him now.

 

[Miri]

Yes, all within division until "conference" finals.

Thanks. Thats too bad. I want some East games :-(

 

[Metallo]

I noticed that Graves can't be the best dman on his pairing. When he's with Girard or Makar he's fine. When he's with Pateryn or Cole he's really bad.

I'm not convinced that Seattle will take him now.

Graves play is concerning. We need to have a good 6D and not a liability.

With EJ our top5 is great.

Not sold on Graves, Pateryn or Timmins as 6D.

 

[Hornstar]

Couldn’t comment last night, but Graves made me throw my remote twice.

He’s brain dead.

Simple, easy plays are there.

Retrieve the puck in your zone and fire it around the boards. Nope. Try to reverse it into traffic.

Stay in front of the net when the puck is in the opposite corner. Nope. Puck watch and drift away from the slot, leaving wide open one-timers on goal.

The opponent is clearly winning that puck, retreat and give up their blue line. Nope. Stand still like a f***ing pylon and wave your stick at the guy before giving up a clear odd-man break.

Every decision he makes is baffling.

What a stupid hockey player.

not sure how people can defend graves. He is lazy af. If Seattle takes him I will shit. Timmons May not be Adam Foote but he sure out plays graves.

 

[Harbor Freight]

I think during regular season you should give chances to a lot of players and nail the lineup later in the season.

I can guarantee this team will suffer some injuries and it would be smart to be prepared for those and not have totally cold players. I like the rotation they have done so far.

Agreed.

 

[Matt Roberts]

Graves play is concerning. We need to have a good 6D and not a liability.

With EJ our top5 is great.

Not sold on Graves, Pateryn or Timmins as 6D.

If the concern is choosing between Graves, Timmins and Pateryn for 6D, we're in pretty good shape. Once EJ comes back and the pairings take shape, everyone will look better. They replaced half of their defensive core this year, with an abbreviated camp, no pre-season, EJ and Byram forced to miss time due to COVID protocols and Pateryn joining the team this week. It shouldn't be a surprise that the bottom pairing is struggling to find its footing.

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

Avs Depth:

Kadri: 5 games: 2 points
Compher: 5 games: 1 point
Saad: 5 games: 1 point
Calvert: 5 games: 1 point
Nichushkin: 5 games: 0 points
Bellemare: 5 games: 0 points
Jost: 5 games: 0 points

Good thing the top players are contributing, because this is ugly from the depth.

 

[ASmileyFace]

Avs Depth:

Kadri: 5 games: 2 points
Compher: 5 games: 1 point
Saad: 5 games: 1 point
Calvert: 5 games: 1 point
Nichushkin: 5 games: 0 points
Bellemare: 5 games: 0 points
Jost: 5 games: 0 points

Good thing the top players are contributing, because this is ugly from the depth.

That kinda says it all about our early season struggles. Only depth player pulling his weight is Burky and he's injured. At least two or three of those guys better get going soon.

Also last night's game was straight up entertaining. Stressful as f***, but entertaining. We know this team can be better, but what a battle that game was. Gibson and Gru put on a show. Glad we got two points out of it, but as someone who didn't read a post here all night and just watched with some buddies... we were thoroughly entertained.

 

[Balthazar]

Avs Depth:

Kadri: 5 games: 2 points
Compher: 5 games: 1 point
Saad: 5 games: 1 point
Calvert: 5 games: 1 point
Nichushkin: 5 games: 0 points
Bellemare: 5 games: 0 points
Jost: 5 games: 0 points

Good thing the top players are contributing, because this is ugly from the depth.

The worst part is those are 7 players from our bottom 9. One is injured (Bura) so only Donskoi is left. He as 3 pts in 5 games.

So our bottom 9 production is Donkey, Bura and your list.

 

[The Pwnerer]

Can we keep Zadorov and trade Graves instead? Graves really has to change his game up and tidy his defensive game. Z would've been perfect as a 6th D.

 

[AvsMakar08]

Avs Depth:

Kadri: 5 games: 2 points
Compher: 5 games: 1 point
Saad: 5 games: 1 point
Calvert: 5 games: 1 point
Nichushkin: 5 games: 0 points
Bellemare: 5 games: 0 points
Jost: 5 games: 0 points

Good thing the top players are contributing, because this is ugly from the depth.

If it was not for those 4th line blocks, Jost should have at last a few points by now.

 

[AvsMakar08]

Can we keep Zadorov and trade Graves instead? Graves really has to change his game up and tidy his defensive game. Z would've been perfect as a 6th D.

Seattle would probably take Z in the expansion draft.

 

[Miri]

Avs Depth:

Kadri: 5 games: 2 points
Compher: 5 games: 1 point
Saad: 5 games: 1 point
Calvert: 5 games: 1 point
Nichushkin: 5 games: 0 points
Bellemare: 5 games: 0 points
Jost: 5 games: 0 points

Good thing the top players are contributing, because this is ugly from the depth.

Someone should inform them season already started.

 

[henchman21]

Can we keep Zadorov and trade Graves instead? Graves really has to change his game up and tidy his defensive game. Z would've been perfect as a 6th D.

Both will end up costing too much long term... but Zs mental mistakes make him not a good fit. Graves certainly has his issues, but he’s more predictable than Z was.

 

[Matt Roberts]

Both will end up costing too much long term... but Zs mental mistakes make him not a good fit. Graves certainly has his issues, but he’s more predictable than Z was.

And he's much more likely to accept that 6D role, which Z was never going to be happy with.

 

[nightonthesun]

The pearl-clutching that went on in this GDT is unreal. How do you guys get through an average day without having multiple heart attacks??

I'm right there with everyone on Graves/Pateryn though, especially the latter. profoundly useless

 

[UncleRisto]

The pearl-clutching that went on in this GDT is unreal. How do you guys get through an average day without having multiple heart attacks??

I'm right there with everyone on Graves/Pateryn though, especially the latter. profoundly useless

All good unless someone changes into blue pants.

 

[Richard88]

Big reason Avs sucked today was the D wasn't playing well on top of the lack of depth. Personally I think it was mostly the Graves-Pateryn pairing and the team missing Timmins' quiet effectiveness.

I don't understand why a team that has Makar, Girard, Byram, and Toews would EVER have Dmen like Pateryn and Graves paired together, other than on the PK.

 

[kchan9]

It was Graves who pinched and caused then 2 on 1 for the ducks tying goal.

 

[tigervixxxen]

Avs Depth:

Kadri: 5 games: 2 points
Compher: 5 games: 1 point
Saad: 5 games: 1 point
Calvert: 5 games: 1 point
Nichushkin: 5 games: 0 points
Bellemare: 5 games: 0 points
Jost: 5 games: 0 points

Good thing the top players are contributing, because this is ugly from the depth.

Not only this but Saad has been on the ice for 8 even strength goals against, Kadri 6.

 

[tigervixxxen]

The worst part is those are 7 players from our bottom 9. One is injured (Bura) so only Donskoi is left. He as 3 pts in 5 games.

So our bottom 9 production is Donkey, Bura and your list.

I’m pretty sure their production is all from PP2 as well, one Donskoi goal was a second after it expired.

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

Not only this but Saad has been on the ice for 8 even strength goals against, Kadri 6.

Yeah, the second line has been as bad defensively as it’s been offensively. A truly awful start for them.

 

[Richard88]

I just want to express my frustration at how Bednar sends our guys out to start OT.

In OT, possession is everything, and winning the opening faceoff is huge.

That being the case, why start Mackinnon, who sucks at faceoffs? What inevitably always happens is what we saw last night: Mackinnon loses the faceoff, then has to skate around for a minute trying to get the puck back, before going off on a line change without having touched the puck. It's just dumb.

Get your best faceoff guy out there - either Bellemare or Landeskog, and win that faceoff. Once you have won the faceoff and have possession then Bellemare would go straight to the bench and Mackinnon comes on, without having wasted a minute of energy skating around chasing pucks.

We got lucky that Anaheim didn't do much with their possession in OT but they really could have punished us in the 2 minutes they had the puck.

That said, kudos to Bednar for going 2D + 1F in OT. I like that a lot as it gives us a more solid platform defensively to not get carved open as easily, and we do have a group of Dmen who all deserve to be out there in OT so might as well use them.

Going forward I would roll these forwards and D pairs every time we go to OT:

Mackinnon (/Bellemare for opening faceoff)
Landeskog
Rantanen
Burakovsky

Toews -- Makar
Girard -- Byram

 

[Richard88]

That kinda says it all about our early season struggles. Only depth player pulling his weight is Burky and he's injured. At least two or three of those guys better get going soon.

Also last night's game was straight up entertaining. Stressful as f***, but entertaining. We know this team can be better, but what a battle that game was. Gibson and Gru put on a show. Glad we got two points out of it, but as someone who didn't read a post here all night and just watched with some buddies... we were thoroughly entertained.

I thought the 3rd period was thrilling hockey to watch. Our top two D pairs and 1st line just took over that game, but Anaheim still had a threat with Grubauer making several great saves.