Pre-Game Talk: Training Camp/Exhibition game talk Part II(camp 7/13, exhibition games 7/28-7/30)

[Foppa2118]

This is something the Avs should definitely look into trying on their power play. Particularly with MacKinnon and maybe Makar as well.

Look how McDavid goes outside the zone to pick up speed before getting the shot off.

Yeah I don't think teams use that play enough.

You can see McDavid doesn't have to go that far outside the blueline, or stay there long. Just a few feet outside the blueline and that's enough for him to kind of disappear from the PKers peripheral vision and cause them to shift their focus to the puck carrier. Then with his speed he can jump back into the play before they pick him up.

I'd like them to try this with Makar on either side over MacKinnon though. I think Makar could execute it a little better especially passing plays, and I like keeping that one timer option open for Nate.

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

Yeah I don't think teams use that play enough.

You can see McDavid doesn't have to go that far outside the blueline, or stay there long. Just a few feet outside the blueline and that's enough for him to kind of disappear from the PKers peripheral vision and cause them to shift their focus to the puck carrier. Then with his speed he can jump back into the play before they pick him up.

I'd like them to try this with Makar on either side over MacKinnon though. I think Makar could execute it a little better especially passing plays, and I like keeping that one timer option open for Nate.

Makar would be good at it for sure, but it’s tailor made for MacKinnon. He scores a ton of goals like that at even strength. But, yeah with Makar doing it, he could either take the shot or go cross-ice to MacK/Rants.

 

[Foppa2118]

Makar would be good at it for sure, but it’s tailor made for MacKinnon. He scores a ton of goals like that at even strength. But, yeah with Makar doing it, he could either take the shots or go cross-ice to MacK/Rants.

I think Nate might be better suited to trying it on the right side but if they give him enough space he can have success on the left too.

I think Makar is a little better at cutting into the middle on his off side, and he setups up at both the top of the point and the right point to give him the option to work the play on both sides. Nate's almost always setup on the left side and left point, so they'd have to change the setup a bit.

With Makar though they could just keep the same setup, and add another option to it so they catch teams off guard.

Nate's got the kind of shot where he could beat a goaltender from the top of the circle like McDavid did though too. So really both guys could utilize the play. Cale potentially more of a passer on the play, and Nate more of a shooter, but also with that backdoor tap in play they work with Mikko and Landy.

Similar to the backdoor tap in play from Nate on the left side, I'd also like to see Cale look for MacKinnon in the circle for the one timer. Ordinarily the PK is very focused on shutting down Nate's one timer, but if Cale jumps into the zone with speed he's gonna get everyone to forget about Nate, and if he's got enough speed he could find a passing lane through the box.

 

[The Kingslayer]

Yeah, I think that was the main reason. The Avs weren't the only team to believe in taking the forward over the defenseman at the top of the draft back then.

The only head scratcher was Tampa taking Drouin over Jones, but that could easily just be chalked up to a poor decision, or a scout/team falling in love with a player. Happens every year multiple times.

Hedman and Jones together would be unfair.

 

[The Kingslayer]

This is something the Avs should definitely look into trying on their power play. Particularly with MacKinnon and maybe Makar as well.

Look how McDavid goes outside the zone to pick up speed before getting the shot off.

The Avs PP could try alot of things. Anything is better than what they are doing right now.

 

[Lemonlimey]

The Avs PP could try alot of things. Anything is better than what they are doing right now.

it must work really well in practice because they keep trying

 

[Foppa2118]

The Avs PP could try alot of things. Anything is better than what they are doing right now.

it must work really well in practice because they keep trying

I still maintain it's their execution that's failing them on the PP, and also just not having enough of a shooting mentality.

I really like their setups and zone entries, and they have plays where they switch MacKinnon and Makar or MacKinnon and Mikko and then run the same play to throw off the PK.

They have all the skill in the world to be effective they just don't put the puck in the net as often as they should.

 

[S3rkie]

wrong thread

 

[The Kingslayer]

I still maintain it's their execution that's failing them on the PP, and also just not having enough of a shooting mentality.

I really like their setups and zone entries, and they have plays where they switch MacKinnon and Makar or MacKinnon and Mikko and then run the same play to throw off the PK.

They have all the skill in the world to be effective they just don't put the puck in the net as often as they should.

Passing is the biggest issue I see with our PP. Slow, telegraphed and almost never in the wheel house for a shot. I also notice that a bunch of them try to protect the puck rather than moving it fast and more often than not they lose the puck. Landeskog, Rantanen and Mackinnon are notorious for this.

 

[GirardSpinorama]

Our PP is too focused on getting a perfect cross ice pass and one timer; when all we need is to create room for any of our shooters (particularly mack and makar).

 

[CobraAcesS]

Passing is the biggest issue I see with our PP. Slow, telegraphed and almost never in the wheel house for a shot. I also notice that a bunch of them try to protect the puck rather than moving it fast and more often than not they lose the puck. Landeskog, Rantanen and Mackinnon are notorious for this.

Yeah, 90% of the problem is this. Everyone thinks they are the quarterback.

 

[Lemonlimey]

Since the PP really runs through Mikko his missing 40 games left us with a fruitless backup plan

 

[Foppa Frossa]

Is head-to-head during round robin used as a tiebreaker at all or would STL get the tiebreaker for regular season points if they tie the Avs record?

 

[GeniusSuperior]

Regular season is the only tiebreaker

 

[McMetal]

Is head-to-head during round robin used as a tiebreaker at all or would STL get the tiebreaker for regular season points if they tie the Avs record?

Can't find a source, but I'm pretty sure regular season record breaks all ties. So we'll need to finish ahead of them outright.

 

[Balthazar]

edit: Wrong thread

 

[klozge]

Can't find a source, but I'm pretty sure regular season record breaks all ties. So we'll need to finish ahead of them outright.

*Regular season points percentage will be the sole tiebreaker in the round robin.
NHL Stanley Cup Qualifiers

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

The PP looked stupidly good when they played with desperation at the end of the Blues game. The problem they have is they dont have enough of that shoot and retrieve mentality normally. Too much fancy stuff and not enough of the basics.

 

[The Abusement Park]

The PP looked stupidly good when they played with desperation at the end of the Blues game. The problem they have is they dont have enough of that shoot and retrieve mentality normally. Too much fancy stuff and not enough of the basics.

Yeah that’s the most frustrating thing about the PP. It’s clearly good when they are focused and not setting up the “perfect play”, but for some reason they always try and set up the perfect play 95% of the time.

 

[Richard88]

Yeah that’s the most frustrating thing about the PP. It’s clearly good when they are focused and not setting up the “perfect play”, but for some reason they always try and set up the perfect play 95% of the time.

The problem is that Mackinnon, Makar, and Rantanen play way to static on the PP, always just looking for the simple pass and one-timer. Once they start moving their legs and moving the puck in more dynamic patterns they start to open up shooting lanes and that's where they get success.

 

[henchman21]

A power play problem I don't see brought up a lot is MacKinnon's shot radius. For a player with as good of shot as he has, his radius of where his one timer is effective is very small and he's very picky. If he could even shoot another 10% of those passes from Makar or Rantanen, our PP would be a lot better. For years people blamed Barrie's poor passing... and now it is Makar's telegraphing or poor passing. I don't really think either are the case. I think MacKinnon's too picky and needs to improve his one timer. Not having to force that pass time and time again and instead playing off of his shot and the rebounds to create ciaos would improve the PP.

 

[AvsCOL]

A power play problem I don't see brought up a lot is MacKinnon's shot radius. For a player with as good of shot as he has, his radius of where his one timer is effective is very small and he's very picky. If he could even shoot another 10% of those passes from Makar or Rantanen, our PP would be a lot better. For years people blamed Barrie's poor passing... and now it is Makar's telegraphing or poor passing. I don't really think either are the case. I think MacKinnon's too picky and needs to improve his one timer. Not having to force that pass time and time again and instead playing off of his shot and the rebounds to create ciaos would improve the PP.

I think the bigger issue is Rantanen not shooting. He might have the best shot on the team, and for some reason he doesn’t like to use it. Having both guys shooting more would do wonders I think.

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

The PP looked stupidly good when they played with desperation at the end of the Blues game. The problem they have is they dont have enough of that shoot and retrieve mentality normally. Too much fancy stuff and not enough of the basics.

That’s what makes me think it’s legit an urgency thing. They have to take a more do, or die mentality to the power play. Because that last one against the Blues was a thing of beauty.

 

[shadow1]

I thought the problem with the PP last game was two things: Burakovsky being awful in the slot, and Rantanen passing up lots of shooting opportunities.

Fortunately the former was resolved by game's end, with Kadri replacing Burakovsky and scoring the (PP) game winning goal.

 

[Pokecheque]

Yeah, Burakovsky, for all his talent, is not a great power play guy. Quick as his hands are he tends to take way too long to set the puck up for a shot or pass.

I get that Bednar wanted a little more balance, but it was a mistake to bump Kadri down to the 2nd unit.