Pre-Game Talk: Next Two Weeks filled with Divisional Opponents

[S E P H]

I like the idea for one week pre-game talk, but I had to include two weeks due to the amount of insanely important divisional games. If there is a spot in the season to play the best hockey we can (to get back into the playoff picture), it is here.

Dec 1st: Home to Montreal Canadiens (2nd in Atlantic) [7pm MT | 2am GMT]
Dec 4th: Away to Calgary Flames (3rd in Pacific) [7pm MT | 2am GMT]
Dec 5th: Away to Winnipeg Jets (2nd WC Spot) [6pm MT | 1am GMT]
Dec 9th: Home to Nashville Predators (1st in Central) [7pm MT | 2am GMT]
Dec 11th: Home to Winnipeg Jets (2nd WC Spot) [7pm MT | 2am GMT]
Dec 13th: Home to St. Louis Blues (2nd in Central) [8pm MT | 3am GMT]

​

Click to read more...

 

[PAZ]

All these games are very winnable. Just depends on what Avs team shows up.

 

[BoxOfChocolates]

4-1-1

 

[tigervixxxen]

Every game vs Winnipeg goes to OT so that will help. 8 points would be good. Baby steps.

 

[member 116861]

Guaranteed 6-0. We're facing a ton of overrated, overachieving teams and the St.Louis ****ing Blues.

 

[Avs71]

Beating the Flames and Jets (×2) would be huge. Avs won't catch the Blues so if they lose to them it's not a big deal.

Hopefully the team just keeps taking it one game at a time. Winning another 5/7 would be great.

 

[Avsboy]

8 points, no more than winning 2 in a row.

 

[CobraAcesS]

The problem is that this team does not seem to get up for games against weaker opponents.

Who knows if Calgary's current ranking will help with that... I'm not banking on the Winnipeg games or the game against STL.

We're also pretty damn injured right now as well, so Montreal is a coin toss weighted in Montreal's favor considering how they've played this season.

Edit : And Nashville is 8-2 in their last 10...

I could just as easily see them going 2-4, as 4-2 in that stretch.

 

[The Mars Volchenkov]

The problem is that this team does not seem to get up for games against weaker opponents.

Who knows if Calgary's current ranking will help with that... I'm not banking on the Winnipeg games or the game against STL.

We're also pretty damn injured right now as well, so Montreal is a coin toss weighted in Montreal's favor considering how they've played this season.

The same people that say this are the same people complaining about them beating weaker opponents the last three weeks. Which is it?

 

[CobraAcesS]

The same people that say this are the same people complaining about them beating weaker opponents the last three weeks. Which is it?

They barely beat those teams, and had to have miraculous come backs in the third period against two teams right near us in the standings.

Dallas was coming off of a back to back as well.

All I'm saying is that I can argue it either way at this point.

---

They also looked very good against Dallas, and that was a convincing win, as well as the team playing well but losing against Chicago.

The team also has out shot their opponents and held their opponents to less shots in a majority of the last 7 games.

---

See how that works? I'm saying it's a coin toss... And I can't say this next stretch is 'filled with teams they should beat' either. Maybe last year we could say that, not this year.

Edit : The point is that we're in some murky waters...

Is the last 5 or so games a better indication of what this team is? Are we really better than our record thus far? Will the injuries start to effect us in the win column soon? Will the team keep up the effort level they have risen to recently?

There are far more questions and speculations than answers, and at this point they haven't proven either side of the argument to have more weight than the other IMO.

Also I think you need to stop targeting me with those comments (or at least stop wording it as if you're lumping me in with the negative only people), you know I have a little more dynamic view of the team. Even if it's been seemingly glass half empty lately. I'm just not ready to jump on the optimism band wagon yet, as I've been burned by that as of late.

 

[landy92mack29]

think 8 points

 

[Freudian]

Even with the injuries, it's easier to be optimistic.

We have one scoring line clicking and there are promising baby steps on the other.

The defensive structure works better than the previous one.

The players have upped their compete/battle level/whatever cliche you want to use. They are first to the puck and they're winning more puck battles. When they work like this, it's easier to keep possession.

The PP is still a headache, but perhaps the 5 on 3 goal and Duchene snipe get them going in the future. It'll be needed.

Varlamov is getting healthy and hopefully stays that way.

 

[CobraAcesS]

Even with the injuries, it's easier to be optimistic.

We have one scoring line clicking and there are promising baby steps on the other.

The defensive structure works better than the previous one.

The players have upped their compete/battle level/whatever cliche you want to use. They are first to the puck and they're winning more puck battles. When they work like this, it's easier to keep possession.

The PP is still a headache, but perhaps the 5 on 3 goal and Duchene snipe get them going in the future. It'll be needed.

Varlamov is getting healthy and hopefully stays that way.

We lost two centers in the last game... So lets make a list..

+s

+ Team reacting positively to the change in the system, allowing less shots against
+ Landy/Mack/Iggy clicking
+ Team compete level has increased
+ Landeskog playing better
+ Recent power play goals
+ Won 5 of the last 7

-s

- Injuries to the team over all
- We just lost two more, and they both take key face-offs
- Varly will not be back until Calgary, and we don't know how he'll play
- All of the teams we're playing are higher than us in the standings
- O'Reilly is still floundering
- The team has only won twice in a row once this season (Inconsistency)
- The power play has been bad all season, and the recent goals were largely from individual efforts.

-----

I'm sure we can come up with more

 

[member 116861]

I don't know if I'd put O'Reilly as a minus. He made some nice defensive plays last game against Dallas and was a beast against Chicago.

 

[CobraAcesS]

I don't know if I'd put O'Reilly as a minus. He made some nice defensive plays last game against Dallas and was a beast against Chicago.

I almost didn't, but he still is not contributing to the offense for that line. Which also means that we're relying on a single line, a power play that's been bad, and a mangled bottom six to give us the secondary scoring needed to support that one line that's clicking.

Hes not being paid 6M to be just a shut down winger, so hes a negative for me right now. I almost put Duchene as a negative but two points in the last game held him off the list for me.

Edit... Here are a couple more lol.

+s

+ Team reacting positively to the change in the system, allowing less shots against
+ Landy/Mack/Iggy clicking
+ Team compete level has increased
+ Landeskog playing better
+ Recent power play goals
+ Won 5 of the last 7
+ Guenin not being as much of a liability in the last couple games

-s

- Injuries to the team over all
- We just lost two more, and they both take key face-offs
- Varly will not be back until Calgary, and we don't know how he'll play
- All of the teams we're playing are higher than us in the standings
- O'Reilly is still floundering
- The team has only won twice in a row once this season (Inconsistency)
- The power play has been bad all season, and the recent goals were largely from individual efforts.
- Holden has been extremely bad lately

Neither of them seem to be able to play well at the same time, either that or one just sucks more than the other so the other gets less criticism... I'm not sure which is the truth tbh.

 

[tigervixxxen]

I think we can all think of pluses and minuses depending on how optimistic or pessimistic we are. I just don't like discounting or qualifying wins, a win is a win. Dallas was tired but what about when we were tired? We've played poor teams but what about the teams at the top of their division? Or we had to come from behind or we won by 1 or won in OT. We can comb through everyone's schedule and do that.

 

[CobraAcesS]

I think we can all think of pluses and minuses depending on how optimistic or pessimistic we are. I just don't like discounting or qualifying wins, a win is a win. Dallas was tired but what about when we were tired? We've played poor teams but what about the teams at the top of their division? Or we had to come from behind or we won by 1 or won in OT. We can comb through everyone's schedule and do that.

I agree, I wouldn't say I'm discounting wins though. Bringing up their inconsistency inside of a game or a few games against bad teams goes towards the idea that I'm still not ready to say things like 'This stretch has a lot of should win games'.

If I was going to discount wins, I'd have to discount all of those OT/SO losses we have as well. (5 loser points)

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

I see us going 4-1-1. Wins against MTL, CGY, WPG, NSH. A regulation loss to Winnipeg(The first game), and a Shootout loss to STL.

 

[cgf]

Big two weeks. Since the islanders debacle we've gotten our best players into the season. Now we just need to get healthy enough to keep up the good play and claw back into the race.

 

[JoemAvs]

Make or break.

5 games against Western Conference opponents. 4 divisional games.

If we are still 5 points out after those 6 games, we probably can stick a fork into our playoff hopes.

 

[Cousin Eddie]

All these games are very winnable. Just depends on what Avs team shows up.

Unfortunately that team is the Lake Erie Monsters. I'm excited for the kids to play and get their shot. They've earned it, but at the same time it's tough to expect a string of wins with so many injuries. I know the kids will come out flying, but let's hope that fire lasts for the next week or so because we're really going to need them.

 

[Foppa Frossa]

I'd like to get more points than players on the IR.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

So what are our lines even projected to be for tonight?

ROR - Duchene - Tanguay
Landy - Mack - Iggy
Talbot - Sgarbossa - Briere
McCleod - Smith - Vincour


Is that what were most likely to see? Sgarbossa and Smith are both listed as C's, I'm guessing they're replacing Mitchell and Cliche as the 3C and 4C's. Should be fun to watch those two play tonight, a little offensive punch from them will be nice to watch.

 

[Hesher]

4-2 at best.

They aren't winning in Winnipeg on a back-to-back and you know Stastny will have a 3+ point night against his former team.

 

[Former Ladder]

Sgar and Smith recalled in case it wasn't mentioned.