Pre-Game Talk: Week of Nate? (MTL, @WPG, EDM)

[Freudian]

 

[Goulet17]

 

[Balthazar]

Want a reality check? When do you guys think was the last time that the AVS were the best team on the ice? I think it might be vs Dallas 16 games ago.

Here's the last games:

WPG - no
MTL - no
BUF - no
CAR - no
STL - no
SJ - no
WPG - no
EDM - maybe? I don't remember that game well for some reason
VAN - no
STL - no
MTL - no
TOR - no
NYR - no
SJ - no
ANA - no
DAL - yes

AVS have stopped playing well a long, long time ago way before Mack's injury.

 

[cgf]

We were the better team against Anaheim, the Rangers, Vancouver(?), Buffalo, and the second Habs game. Don’t remember the Vancouver game and am too lazy to look it up now; but the Carolina game was also an evenly fought battle where we lost, but we were not outplayed.

PS when did I end up the board optimist?

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Want a reality check? When do you guys think was the last time that the AVS were the best team on the ice? I think it might be vs Dallas 16 games ago.

Here's the last games:

WPG - no
MTL - no
BUF - no
CAR - no
STL - no
SJ - no
WPG - no
EDM - maybe? I don't remember that game well for some reason
VAN - no
STL - no
MTL - no
TOR - no
NYR - no
SJ - no
ANA - no
DAL - yes

AVS have stopped playing well a long, long time ago way before Mack's injury.

LOL you're out to lunch on that one. As per usual. Not sure why you feel the need to shit on the Avs every post these days with false information but you do.

We were the better team outright in 7/16 of those games. DAL, ANA, NYR, STL(The first time), VAN, EDM, and MTL(The second time).

Also, in the TOR, CAR, and BUF games they were all very even.


It's almost as if, unless we completely dominate a team from start to finish, then we play a bad game in your eyes. That's just not true at all.

 

[a mangy Meowth]

Want a reality check? When do you guys think was the last time that the AVS were the best team on the ice? I think it might be vs Dallas 16 games ago.

Here's the last games:

WPG - no
MTL - no
BUF - no
CAR - no
STL - no
SJ - no
WPG - no
EDM - maybe? I don't remember that game well for some reason
VAN - no
STL - no
MTL - no
TOR - no
NYR - no
SJ - no
ANA - no
DAL - yes

AVS have stopped playing well a long, long time ago way before Mack's injury.

I mean this is just categorically false. We were definitely the better team against MTL the second time, BUF, and EDM. And I thought we were even with CAR, TOR, and ANA. Not much of a reality check.

 

[Freudian]

Avs PP has been dead for the last 12-13 games. That contributes to the feeling that they don't create a lot of scoring chances.

 

[Balthazar]

LOL you're out to lunch on that one. As per usual. Not sure why you feel the need to **** on the Avs every post these days with false information but you do.

We were the better team outright in 7/16 of those games. DAL, ANA, NYR, STL(The first time), VAN, EDM, and MTL(The second time).

Also, in the TOR, CAR, and BUF games they were all very even.


It's almost as if, unless we completely dominate a team from start to finish, then we play a bad game in your eyes. That's just not true at all.

Its ok to disagree without acting like an absolute jackass.

 

[Balthazar]

Avs PP has been dead for the last 12-13 games. That contributes to the feeling that they don't create a lot of scoring chances.

That and generally when you get outshot and outcorsied you're getting outplayed. Not always, but the vast majority of the time. Its easy to be biaised when you watch the game as a fan.

 

[cgf]

Its ok to disagree without acting like an absolute jackass.

It's also ok for the sky not to be falling every day.

 

[Goulet17]

Avs PP has been dead for the last 12-13 games. That contributes to the feeling that they don't create a lot of scoring chances.

The Avs PP seems to have an identity crisis w/o MacKinnon. It seems like they plugged in Compher into MacKinnon's role for a number of opportunities and I am not sure that was/is the best plan.

 

[Avs_19]

The Avs PP seems to have an identity crisis w/o MacKinnon. It seems like they plugged in Compher into MacKinnon's role for a number of opportunities and I am not sure that was/is the best plan.

I mentioned that last night as well. For the most part they just decided to slide Compher into that role and do everything the same. You can't overhaul the whole system but it's surprising to see them not make any real adjustments, at least that I saw, to try and make up for not having their best player.

I also think they need to have the Barrie/Girard conversation. Barrie might not like it but they should really consider putting him on the second PP unit.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Its ok to disagree without acting like an absolute jackass.

I wouldn't have to be a jackass if it weren't for the fact you go on with this crap every single game when it's not true.


Like I said, unless we outright dominate the game you seem to think we get outplayed. It's not true at all. And you dont even watch the games half the time you just look at the shots and make your decision solely on those stats.

 

[hooverdam]

I mentioned that last night as well. For the most part they just decided to slide Compher into that role and do everything the same. You can't overhaul the whole system but it's surprising to see them not make any real adjustments, at least that I saw, to try and make up for not having their best player.

I also think they need to have the Barrie/Girard conversation. Barrie might not like it but they should really consider putting him on the second PP unit.

They had Barrie on the second unit for several games when he came back. Girard was on the first unit. The PP went ice cold, so they switched it up and put Barrie back on the top unit.

It’s tough to point to Barrie or Girard as a reason the PP sucks. Barrie was getting a lot of shots through last night; Girard is good at keeps. They have some of the same deficiencies: losing puck battles and struggling to get back in time when the play is going the other way. It’s just easy to point to one of them as the problem when the whole thing has gone cold and was cold no matter which unit Girard or Barrie were on.

You know when the top unit went cold? When MacKinnon got injured.

 

[Avs_19]

They had Barrie on the second unit for several games when he came back. Girard was on the first unit. The PP went ice cold, so they switched it up and put Barrie back on the top unit.

It’s tough to point to Barrie or Girard as a reason the PP sucks. Barrie was getting a lot of shots through last night; Girard is good at keeps. They have some of the same deficiencies: losing puck battles and struggling to get back in time when the play is going the other way. It’s just easy to point to one of them as the problem when the whole thing has gone cold and was cold no matter which unit Girard or Barrie were on.

You know when the top unit went cold? When MacKinnon got injured.

Exactly. So I don't blame Girard or Barrie for that. I like Girard's movement with and without the puck on the PP and I think he's a better passer than Barrie.

 

[dahrougem2]

Barrie's offensive abilities have always been better 5v5 than on the PP, so him moving to the 2nd unit really shouldn't be too much of an issue. I hope the coaching staff looks at changing that up.

 

[Avs_19]

Good news is MacKinnon's back tomorrow.

Bad news is they recalled Hammond because Bernier is out with a head injury. It was clear he wasn't right as soon as he got hit. Concussion spotters need to do a better job of concussion spotting.

 

[Balthazar]

 

[Raucherhusten]

 

[Raucherhusten]

Good news is MacKinnon's back tomorrow.

Bad news is they recalled Hammond because Bernier is out with a head injury. It was clear he wasn't right as soon as he got hit. Concussion spotters need to do a better job of concussion spotting.

Good news is that we don't have any back2backs anytime soon. Let's just hope Varlys groin is up for the task.

 

[Balthazar]

Good news is that we don't have any back2backs anytime soon. Let's just hope Varlys groin is up for the task.

It's Varly's turn to go on a 10-game win streak while Bernier is injured

 

[The Pwnerer]

I'm ready for the storybook finish and Mack leading us to the playoffs. Lets go!

 

[forsbergavs32]

I'm ready for the storybook finish and Mack leading us to the playoffs. Lets go!

It's very possible if Mack can come back on fire and if Varly can play like he did against montreal. Also wondering what the lines will look like now.

Lando-Mack-Rantanen
Nieto-Soda-Comeau
Jost-Kerfoot-Compher
Greer-Toni-Wilson

 

[Pokecheque]

I don't think the Avs have been railroaded ever since MacKinnon has been out, I think it needs to be broken down better than that. Like Buffalo, for instance, they pretty much had their way with the Sabres, near as I recall, until the 3rd. Then they rebooted in Safe Mode and it nearly went awry. They also did very well in the Edmonton game until the same thing happened.

Conversely, even during the 10-game winning streak the Avs would sometimes put together 2 periods (sometimes even just 1) of good hockey and then get shot-clocked into oblivion.

But yes, this team is hurting on a variety of levels, getting MacK back is a big deal, but I'm really hoping Sven and Barbs are not gonna end the season on IR.

 

[ASmileyFace]

PS when did I end up the board optimist?

When Sea Eagles started posting less someone had to take over. (Miss you Eagles if you're reading this)

In MacK's absence we went 4-4 no? I remember thinking when he got injured that going .500 without him would be okay. Somehow we are still in the thick of it. If Varly keeps his form we could be primed for a decent run again.