Yea we don't have to hit them but we do have to be able to absorb those hits and keep playing our game. Girard in particular needs to find a way to not get thrown off his game when the entire Vegas team is targeting him physically. When he's too afraid to get hurt he turns into playoff Johnny Gaudreau. We rely on him too much for that.
I don't think G is totally healthy, but Vegas will target him first and foremost as he is the 'easiest' to rattle and he's arguably the most important defender for the Avs. Vegas is gonna really play him and Makar physical hoping they wilt.
This. Never get away from your identity. I still kinda wish we had acquired a Miles Wood or something at the deadline. An Avs style player who also plays heavy but we didn’t so let’s just keep rolling as we have against every team we’ve played this year.
As long as the Avs don’t change their game I like where we sit.
This is a bit of a hyperbolic statement, but the outcome of the Vegas/Avs series is going to set the path for a lot of teams. Avs have taken the mobility/puck movement/speed speed speed style of game to 11 to a place where teams haven't gone before with it (especially on the backend). A number of old school hockey guys think they have gone too far, and if Vegas wins, their confirmation bias will set in. Teams will start to look to bulk up and get aggressive against these types of teams. If the Avs win, you'll see more and more teams skew like the Avs. Going to be really interesting to watch this fallout.
All that said, Avs just have to play their game and let the chips fall. On paper the Avs should have the advantage if G and Makar can play like they are capable of. Do that and eventually they'll play Tampa for whomever is going to end up winning the Cup.
This fella is really impressing me. From not playing hockey in about a year and a half at a crucial development age, leading to a discussion about his career being in jeopardy or over, to him slowly, but surely, building his NHL game stone by stone and now playing his best hockey in the playoffs. So happy for him!
Timmins' game has always been about his decision making and how that held up. There was seemingly a click in his last stint in Loveland. If that stays up, he's well on his path to a very long NHL career.
