I love seeing Zadorov-Barrie on the ice, and then Girard-Makar jump over the boards. This must be how fans of teams with two top 6 lines feel. Just constant excitement on the ice.
Thought Zadorov was seriously good. He is the only defencemen the Avs have right now who is big enough to handle the large Sharks, but also be able to take a pass from his D partner and then move the puck up to the forwards. You can see he has a lot of confidence in himself right now. Listening to national broadcasts every night, I think this playoffs is a bit of a coming out party for him. His size, aggression, and demeanour make him very noticeable in the playoffs.
EJ played what now looks like should be his perfect game, and it’s probably because the Avs were leading. He was just getting rid of pucks quickly, and not trying to force plays which is usually his biggest issue. His body and play may be deteriorating but his willingness to block a shot at all costs seems to never wilt. Absolutely key in the dying moments of a game.
Girard-Makar are just silly. Sure, they get abused defensively but holy smokes. When this pairing is 23 years old, these guys will never even have to play defence. I don’t think the Avs are anywhere close to being tied with the Sharks without Makar.
Nieto, Calvert, and Bourque all brought a ton of energy. Bourque huge hits, Calvert always getting pucks into the zone, and Nieto’s speed wearing out the Sharks. Some great shifts by the 4th line too.
I hope Jost can grow the confidence he is showing in the playoffs into a consistent top-9, maybe even top-6 role next season.
Poor Soderberg. The guy is just lost right now. Didn’t think Compher did much either, but it’s hard to bag on anyway after a huge win.
Two things though, does Brassard ever hit the net with his shot? And can we get a count on how many times Kerfoot looked in disbelief he didn’t score? Every shot he takes he throws his head back wondering how he didn’t score. And the answer is because his shot is probably Junior A level. He gets to the right spots around the net constantly, but he has to have one of the worst shots a top-6 forward in the NHL has ever had.