Time to start questioning Colorado?

[BlueMed]

Colorado doesn’t have good defense? Most consider it one of the best d corps in the league and they are statistically the youngest too.

It's decent, but it got exposed big time. They didn't have the ability to clear the crease and win board battles against a heavy forecheck. They also made lots of mistakes, which lead to key goals for Vegas.

 

[Machinehead]

Did you not watch the series? Girard was man-handled and exposed. Ryan Graves made lots of rookie mistakes. Their bottom pairing was absent. They need improvement.

Every team in the league tries to improve every summer. You're talking about them like they're an AHL team. They lose a pretty close series to an outstanding team.

 

[kabidjan18]

Colorado is a team that just needs a few adjustments and they'll be fine. In principle they've got a good team. They need to bolster the bottom 6 with better role players, they need to swap out some defensemen for some utility, and I think they'll be strong cup contenders. But some hard choices will take strong wills for sure.

 

[Trafalgar Sadge Law]

Those teams either had good defense and/or goaltending. Let's pretend that Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Hjalmarsson, and Oduya weren't good before.

Are we gonna pretend one of those teams didn't win a cup with Justin f***ing Schultz as their 1D?

 

[BlueMed]

Every team in the league tries to improve every summer. You're talking about them like they're an AHL team. They lose a pretty close series to an outstanding team.

I never called them an AHL team. They are a really good team but fall into that pretender status until they address those needs. Once they do, they will be a true contender. This is coming from someone who has watched St. Louis climb to a 2-0 series lead against LA and Chicago, only to lose 4 in a row. That's when everyone thought the Blues were contenders, but they were only pretenders.

 

[BlueMed]

Are we gonna pretend one of those teams didn't win a cup with Justin f***ing Schultz as their 1D?

That team was obviously the exception. When you build a team, you model it after the rule rather than the exception.

 

[Machinehead]

I never called them an AHL team. They are a really good team but fall into that pretender status until they address those needs. Once they do, they will be a true contender. This is coming from someone who has watched St. Louis climb to a 2-0 series lead against LA and Chicago, only to lose 4 in a row. That's when everyone thought the Blues were contenders, but they were only pretenders.

This is also coming from someone who watched his team lose to the Kings in 2012, the Kings in 2013 (2x Champions), the Blackhawks in 2014 (3x Champions), the Sharks in 2016 (finalist that year), and the Predators in 2017 (finalist that year).

Sometimes one team is just better. Sometimes the matchup is just bad. Every single team in the league has another team in the league they wouldn't beat in 7 games.

Labeling the Avs pretenders is beyond silly. A bounce here and a bounce there, and they advance tonight.

 

[BlueMed]

This is also coming from someone who watched his team lose to the Kings in 2012, the Kings in 2013 (2x Champions), the Blackhawks in 2014 (3x Champions), the Sharks in 2016 (finalist that year), and the Predators in 2017 (finalist that year).

Sometimes one team is just better. Sometimes the matchup is just bad. Every single team in the league has another team in the league they wouldn't beat in 7 games.

Labeling the Avs pretenders is beyond silly. A bounce here and a bounce there, and they advance tonight.

A bounce here and a bounce there? I hope they aren't telling themselves that because after game 1, the Avalanche were dominated. Did you check the score to tonight's game? 6-3.

 

[Sky04]

1st place team losing to 2nd place team is not exactly cause to blow it up

 

[Machinehead]

A bounce here and a bounce there? I hope they aren't telling themselves that because after game 1, the Avalanche were dominated. Did you check the score to tonight's game? 6-3.

Vegas won two other games by one goal.

People look at playoff series as if they're these objective and definitive measures of quality.

They're dynamic events where luck and variance are a thing. This isn't a fairy tale.

Sometimes teams just beat other teams and there isn't this great reason why.

The Avs have things to work on but every team does including the team that wins it all. Go back in time and reset the playoffs, and I absolutely would not be surprised if Colorado wins it.

There is nothing seriously wrong with that team and you need to just look at the roster or body of work if you think otherwise.

This is silly.

 

[tucker3434]

A. Vegas is really good. They've been one of the cup favorites all year.

B. We were an 8 seed 3 years ago. Just getting past 1 seed Calgary was a big upset. I don't know why people forget this. The past two years, yes, we wanted more. Really, this was the first year where there are no excuses. Even if we got past Dallas last year, we weren't beating anyone else with Hutchinson in net. Against Vegas, we had a great game 1. We kinda stole game 2. Vegas kicked our teeth in in games 3 and 4. I thought we were the better team in games 5 and 6, but not significantly (nowhere near as tilted as games 3 and 4 were in favor of Vegas). In those you leave yourself open to deflections, puck luck, and small mistakes costing you the game. Sometimes they go in your favor, sometimes not. Sucks, but it happens. Tampa got swept in round 1 two years ago.

C. Most of this president's trophy team will be back next year. Then we'll be swapping in a full year of guys like Byram and Newhook. The roster remains very dangerous. I guess we could become a SJS, but it's way too early to make that call.

 

[KaseMeOutside]

They have a young team, you dont f*** with the core, you just try to improve the complimentary parts, and not try to convince yourselves your goaltending is cup caliber when it's not

 

[Cousin Eddie]

Last year (2019-2020) was actually the first time since 2014 that the Avs were expected to make the playoffs lol

 

[BlueMed]

Vegas won two other games by one goal.

People look at playoff series as if they're these objective and definitive measures of quality.

They're dynamic events where luck and variance are a thing. This isn't a fairy tale.

Sometimes teams just beat other teams and there isn't this great reason why.

The Avs have things to work on but every team does including the team that wins it all. Go back in time and reset the playoffs, and I absolutely would not be surprised if Colorado wins it.

There is nothing seriously wrong with that team and you need to just look at the roster or body of work if you think otherwise.

This is silly.

Colorado was outclassed. That's why they lost. It wasn't because of luck or variance.

 

[Machinehead]

Colorado was outclassed. That's why they lost. It wasn't because of luck or variance.

Completely off the wall take.

 

[Scorlov]

I don't get why Sakic didn't go for Pageau last year. Would have been the most perfect fit imaginable for getting the team playoff tuned. Saad was a smart move though

Kadri with his suspension history and play is a coin flip every year and their defense isn't built to win playoff battles (need much better versions of what Nemeth/Graves bring to compliment their Mike Greens)

 

[tucker3434]

Colorado was outclassed. That's why they lost. It wasn't because of luck or variance.

Colorado had a better xGF% and shot differential in 3 of the 6. What are you even talking about?

 

[BlueMed]

Completely off the wall take.

So you're saying the teams were evenly matched? That wasn't true. Vegas was clearly the better team.

 

[golffuul]

I'd love to see Colorado take a shot at getting Seth Jones to give Makar and Toews someone to play with. I think they have the assets to make it happen. Until then, there just isn't enough depth on the roster to go for long runs.

 

[Machinehead]

Colorado had a better xGF% and shot differential in 3 of the 6. What are you even talking about?

C'mon now, does this strike you as a guy that's going to know what xGF% is or care?

I give up.

 

[pown]

Its hard to win and colorado are going to peak for the next 5-7 years, they will have a chance to win every year, wouldnt be worried about it at all

 

[Kalamazoo Wings]

Kadri needs to be bought out and shot into the sun really. Where is his place in the NHL? Total leaves his team out to dry when it matters. Games get emotionally ramped up and he turns into a spaz. A few goals from him this series and his ability to matchup defensively against top opponents could have made all the difference in round 2. Send him to Detroit or some team with no immediate playoff future so he can play good regular season hockey, clearly can't handle the postseason mentally.

 

[BlueMed]

Colorado had a better xGF% and shot differential in 3 of the 6. What are you even talking about?

Did you even watch the series? Or were you on your calculator because it's pretty obvious who the better team was after game 1.

 

[Torontonian]

I’m going to go out on a limb and say it helps when your 2C is actually playing and the coach plays Bowen Byram over Patrick Nemeth.

Let’s calm down on ‘fixing’ the Avs. Cale Makar isn’t even in his prime yet.

The Avs will be be fine. I would worry if they lose Grubauer in free agency though. They really don’t have a solid backup option.

Problem was not having Kadri, If I were the Av's if the offseason, They need to look for another 2c. Kadri is just unreliable for a cup contender team. If they have a legit 2c in the lineup they more then likely win game 5.

 

[Absolut]

No shame in losing to Vegas. Might be the best squad in the NHL right now.