GDT: R2G2 - Aves @ Stares - 7:30 MT - 🐝 there or 🐝 🔳

[ABasin]

The top Stars player is within the range for the bench and isn't involved in the play.

The Avs' player going off is too far from the bench. Trenin (?) is defending a Stars player, that's involved.

It's quite clear the Avs player closest to the boards is not engaging anyone (there's an Avs player right next to the #2 in that picture, and an Avs player to the left of him - that latter guy). He's facing the bench, clearly skating towards it. Heck, he even has one hand off of his stick, hanging at his side.

The only differences I see, are that the Stars player is ~3 feet from the boards, where the Avs player is ~5 feet away. And that the Stars' bench door is open, whereas the Avs' bench door is not.

Now, the fact that they managed it twice (in addition to two DoG penalties) makes this issue not a terribly big one. But it's still a pretty iffy call for any hockey game, let alone a playoff game.

Well whoever it was, I felt it was pretty ticky-tacky & that the Avs player wasn’t like THAT much farther away from the bench than the Stars player was from his.

3 foot difference between the two, at most. Both were clearly leaving the ice. Borderline call in any game, not worthy in a NHL playoff game.

Maybe right before that picture was taken, the puck was played by the Avs guy leaving the ice or something...

 

[expatriatedtexan]

I wonder if the Avs practiced line changes and clearing the puck without throwing it over the glass today.

 

[AvStock]

MacKinnon looks to me like a guy sulking because his best friend got hurt right before playoffs.

It's insane how bad he looks 5v5.

Sulking because he didn’t win the Art Ross

 

[Ceremony]

I don't think the Benn hit itself was dirty, and Toews being bumped into the other guy would have made it even worse, but it's no surprise that Benn went in full speed on a guy behind the net looking down at the puck. A shame Manson didn't launch him into the stands, though you can't fault him for trying.

Elsewhere, it'd be nice if the first line showed up and we never have a meltdown like that second period ever again.

 

[missionAvs]

MacKinnon looks to me like a guy sulking because his best friend got hurt right before playoffs.

It's insane how bad he looks 5v5.

29 looks awful. Such a guy punch to have your depth show up and have the top line coast through such an important game. IMO Stars have all the momentum hearing back to Denver for game 3. I think the 1st period of that game will be very telling to where the rest of the series is headed.

 

[ABasin]

Agree that MacKinnon didn’t look great last night, but it’s one game. No one plays 100% great games over the course of a season. Or even over the course of a playoff run. Some overreaction in here this morning….

 

[henchman21]

It's quite clear the Avs player closest to the boards is not engaging anyone (there's an Avs player right next to the #2 in that picture, and an Avs player to the left of him - that latter guy). He's facing the bench, clearly skating towards it. Heck, he even has one hand off of his stick, hanging at his side.

The only differences I see, are that the Stars player is ~3 feet from the boards, where the Avs player is ~5 feet away. And that the Stars' bench door is open, whereas the Avs' bench door is not.

Now, the fact that they managed it twice (in addition to two DoG penalties) makes this issue not a terribly big one. But it's still a pretty iffy call for any hockey game, let alone a playoff game.


3 foot difference between the two, at most. Both were clearly leaving the ice. Borderline call in any game, not worthy in a NHL playoff game.

Maybe right before that picture was taken, the puck was played by the Avs guy leaving the ice or something...

The guy by 4 is in the play and it doesn't matter how close he is to the bench. The Avs going off around 2 is ~10+ feet away from the Avs bench. It is a pretty clear too many men on the Avs.

 

[Bill Peckerskull]

I don't think the Benn hit itself was dirty, and Toews being bumped into the other guy would have made it even worse, but it's no surprise that Benn went in full speed on a guy behind the net looking down at the puck. A shame Manson didn't launch him into the stands, though you can't fault him for trying.

Elsewhere, it'd be nice if the first line showed up and we never have a meltdown like that second period ever again.

IMO, It was predatory and intended to be high and to inflict harm. While he tucks his shoulder, he takes five strides with intent, raises up before the hit, and eventually leaves the ice right after making contact. He also throws his elbow up and out right after contact. He could have made the hit without doing any of that, but intentionally went high. It's Dirty AF, and he seemingly does this at least once every year in the playoffs and gets away with it. Trouba tries to do this every game.

The argument that it's "clean" because he barely makes contact with the shoulder before hitting him in the head is crap, IMO. The league says they are serious about head trauma and want headshots out of the league, but lets these kinds of hits go over, and over, and over. Had that been a hit in the NFL it's a 15-yard penalty for a hit to a defenseless player, and reviewed for potential ejection. In College Football, that's 15 yards for targeting and an ejection. In the NBA, that's a flagrant 2, an ejection, a fine, and likely a suspension. In the NHL... good hit. Clean cause he grazed his shoulder first... unless you're Nazem Kadri, then it's 5, 10, and a game, and a 10-game suspension.

 

[Ceremony]

IMO, It was predatory and intended to be high and to inflict harm. While he tucks his shoulder, he takes five strides with intent, raises up before the hit, and eventually leaves the ice right after making contact. He also throws his elbow up and out right after contact. He could have made the hit without doing any of that, but intentionally went high. It's Dirty AF, and he seemingly does this at least once every year in the playoffs and gets away with it. Trouba tries to do this every game.

The argument that it's "clean" because he barely makes contact with the shoulder before hitting him in the head is crap, IMO. The league says they are serious about head trauma and want headshots out of the league, but lets these kinds of hits go over, and over, and over. Had that been a hit in the NFL it's a 15-yard penalty for a hit to a defenseless player, and reviewed for potential ejection. In College Football, that's 15 yards for targeting and an ejection. In the NBA, that's a flagrant 2, an ejection, a fine, and likely a suspension. In the NHL... good hit. Clean cause he grazed his shoulder first... unless you're Nazem Kadri, then it's 5, 10, and a game, and a 10-game suspension.

Oh the hit itself was fine, just literally all of the circumstances around it was someone with a track record of being a piece of shit doing something a piece of shit is likely to do. I'm honestly amazed he's been in the league as long as he has and nobody's taken a proper run at him.

 

[henchman21]

The league is not serious about headshots... that should be abundantly clear. Checking the head is not illegal in the NHL. To be illegal it has to be an avoidable hit and the primary point of contact. There is merit in debating whether that is correct or not, but the hit was legal.

 

[ABasin]

The guy by 4 is in the play and it doesn't matter how close he is to the bench. The Avs going off around 2 is ~10+ feet away from the Avs bench. It is a pretty clear too many men on the Avs.

I don't agree with the 10+ feet thing, but this sort of play happens multiple times every single game. Inappropriate call in a playoff game.

We don't have to continue this anymore. Avs didn't deserve the game in any case.

 

[GeoRox89]

Wish the league would pick a lane. Either they care about player safety and showcasing skill to attract new viewers and work to get predatory hits out of the game or go back to full Scott Steven’s era violence to attract eyeballs that way. This in between thing is irritating

I’d greatly prefer if they started going the IIHF route and taking head contact out of the game. Would love to see predatory hits phased out as well. Hit the man to wear him down and separate him from the puck not to make predatory plays within the rules trying to put the guy on IR

I’m sure lots of people think the league is too soft now which is totally fair not everyone has to agree. It would just be nice if the league stopped trying to play the in between game. Either go full violence or work to protect the players like other leagues. This in between thing just gets two sets of people riled up every time this happens

 

[MacKaRant]

I don't agree with the 10+ feet thing, but this sort of play happens multiple times every single game. Inappropriate call in a playoff game.

We don't have to continue this anymore. Avs didn't deserve the game in any case.

Sorry, was this the first one or second one? For the first one at least, TNT had an angle that showed 6 Avs skaters fully participating in the play for several seconds, it wasn't just a "guy jumped on too early" situation.

Also, screw Jon Cooper. Him trying to work the refs two years ago is still following us today.

 

[SirLoinOfCloth]

Last night was karma for Kadri's Too Many Men shirt at the parade.

 

[Pokecheque]

Last night was karma for Kadri's Too Many Men shirt at the parade.

I donned my Too Many Men shirt after the first period of game 1 when they proceeded to make a comeback, so my friends said I had to wear it for game 2 as well. Well, it's in the laundry now.

 

[SirLoinOfCloth]

I donned my Too Many Men shirt after the first period of game 1 when they proceeded to make a comeback, so my friends said I had to wear it for game 2 as well. Well, it's in the laundry now.

It should be in the incinerator.

 

[henchman21]

I donned my Too Many Men shirt after the first period of game 1 when they proceeded to make a comeback, so my friends said I had to wear it for game 2 as well. Well, it's in the laundry now.

 

[Pokecheque]

It should be in the incinerator.

Hey now, it worked the first time!!!!

 

[SB]

IMO, It was predatory and intended to be high and to inflict harm. While he tucks his shoulder, he takes five strides with intent, raises up before the hit, and eventually leaves the ice right after making contact. He also throws his elbow up and out right after contact. He could have made the hit without doing any of that, but intentionally went high. It's Dirty AF, and he seemingly does this at least once every year in the playoffs and gets away with it. Trouba tries to do this every game.

The argument that it's "clean" because he barely makes contact with the shoulder before hitting him in the head is crap, IMO. The league says they are serious about head trauma and want headshots out of the league, but lets these kinds of hits go over, and over, and over. Had that been a hit in the NFL it's a 15-yard penalty for a hit to a defenseless player, and reviewed for potential ejection. In College Football, that's 15 yards for targeting and an ejection. In the NBA, that's a flagrant 2, an ejection, a fine, and likely a suspension. In the NHL... good hit. Clean cause he grazed his shoulder first... unless you're Nazem Kadri, then it's 5, 10, and a game, and a 10-game suspension.

This is where I am.

 

[Pokecheque]

Last time the Stars and Avalanche faced off in the playoffs that POS Benn injured EJ in the Bubble as well and like last night, he got away with it. What infuriated me about that was that EJ, who had been resting up until the playoffs because of an injury IIRC, was rested up and the healthiest he had been in YEARS, and played some of the best hockey he's ever played in an Avs uniform up until then.

It was a dirty hit by any sensible standard, but since the NHL has this idiotic rule that you can absolutely decapitate someone so long as you brush by their chest or shoulder first, then it's totally clean.

 

[the_fan]

I’m glad Manson at least went at Benn couple of times in the 3rd period and almost put his ass into his own bench

 

[Pokecheque]

I’m glad Manson at least went at Benn couple of times in the 3rd period and almost put his ass into his own bench

I would've preferred he held onto his own hockey stick a little better and also not launched the puck over the glass unforced.

 

[Balthazar]

I would've preferred he held onto his own hockey stick a little better and also not launched the puck over the glass unforced.

Still better than Walker

 

[the_fan]

I would've preferred he held onto his own hockey stick a little better and also not launched the puck over the glass unforced.

I’m just pointing out that hit on Toews by Benn didn’t go unnoticed that’s all. Often Avs look the other way and do nothing when someone takes a big hit like that.

 

[EscapedGoat]

Agree that MacKinnon didn’t look great last night, but it’s one game. No one plays 100% great games over the course of a season. Or even over the course of a playoff run. Some overreaction in here this morning….

Except it hasn't been just one game. He hasn't look good all playoffs except for stretches here and there. So it's not an overreaction to start being worried about him. If he doesn't figure it out, the Avs are going to have a hard time making it out of this round.