Pre-Game Talk: Week of the Extinct Condor (Pit, @LA, @Ari)

[Cousin Eddie]

I keep seeing people complain about the referees or say that bednar needs to yell at the refs more often in order to gain calls (not in this thread but I read this often here), I would assume people here would be surprised to know that the avs are #1 in power play opportunities league wide (with games in hand on many teams). I actually think bednars calming attitude helps the team get calls, I know if I was a referee I would be more lenient on a guy that never loses his cool with me. If anything we get too many calls, this isn’t a strong possession team that always has the puck so as to create situations where the opposing team takes penalties. There’s some fast players that should generate power plays but not at this level. It seems like almost every game the avs have more power plays than penalties. To add to this the only overturned goals that I think were unwarranted was the Nieto interference and the offside the league apologized for. Reading comments about the league out to get the avs is crazy to me, we’ve been getting very favourable reffing so far.

this post is 100% accurate. That won't stop people from thinking the world is out to get them.

Unfortunately even our media has become hot head homers when it comes to speaking about this topic.

I will say one thing but it's just my opinion. I don't care how many penalties are called for or against. That should never affect the next call. If you have a team that's fast and draw penalties you shouldn't spend the game feeling anxious about a potential makeup call. Call it like you see it. Penalties are penalties regardless of the time of the game or what happened earlier.

 

[Foppa2118]

It's not that we don't get calls, it's that the really critical ones, like calling back the tying goal against STL, never go our way. When it's borderline, or it really counts the refs will literally forget the rules to screw us over. I would give up 10 power plays to have that one linesman ****up against the Blues back. The same exact rule being used against us later (correctly) is just salt in the wound.

Exactly. It's the border line calls that never seem to go their way, and the penalties at key moments. The refs always find a way to even up penalties at the end of a game, so just looking at total penalties called can be misleading.

 

[Foppa2118]

Not scoring on any of the first three powerplays was (imo) more impactful that the blatant non-call on mack.

There's so many variables that go into a game like that. What if mack scored that goal and then the entire team gave up, or came out flat-footed? What if it pissed Budaj off and he shut the door the rest of the way?

That game wasn't the refs fault. I feel like we've been getting a ton of calls, both implicit and somewhat borderline this year - especially early as we come out with speed (sometimes to our detriment, in that it throws off engagement/flow early on).

Sucks, but a lot of stuff sucked in that second period last night.

Have to disagree with that line of reasoning. There's always hypothetical butterfly effect scenarios, but since they're so hypothetical, you can't treat them as either positive or negative. There's too much unknown.

What is known is that the puck was sitting in the crease behind the goalie, MacKinnon was about to tap it in, and Hedman slashed his stick out of his hand, and cleared the puck.

The Avs lack of killer instinct on the PP definitely hurt them, but their current percentage of scoring on a power play is 18.04%. Nathan MacKinnon is about 99.99999999999% at poking in a puck sitting six inches from the goal line.

 

[Vaslof]

this post is 100% accurate. That won't stop people from thinking the world is out to get them.

Unfortunately even our media has become hot head homers when it comes to speaking about this topic.

I will say one thing but it's just my opinion. I don't care how many penalties are called for or against. That should never affect the next call. If you have a team that's fast and draw penalties you shouldn't spend the game feeling anxious about a potential makeup call. Call it like you see it. Penalties are penalties regardless of the time of the game or what happened earlier.

I feel like I've been watching completely different games lol. Well at least there's someone who thinks the refs are doing a good job.

 

[LarryFisherman]

Have to disagree with that line of reasoning. There's always hypothetical butterfly effect scenarios, but since they're so hypothetical, you can't treat them as either positive or negative. There's too much unknown.

What is known is that the puck was sitting in the crease behind the goalie, MacKinnon was about to tap it in, and Hedman slashed his stick out of his hand, and cleared the puck.

The Avs lack of killer instinct on the PP definitely hurt them, but their current percentage of scoring on a power play is 18.04%. Nathan MacKinnon is about 99.99999999999% at poking in a puck sitting six inches from the goal line.

Obviously the play should have been a penalty or a goal if the guy wasn't so aggressive.

Still, I think blowing 3 goals four on four is more to blame for the loss after EJ's brain melted and he made that stupid ass play in the second. That's what I'm concerned about. The one obviously bad and blatant call blows, but we shouldn't have been in a situation where the one mistake cost us anything. That make sense?

real talk I took a sleeping pill and basically have no idea what words mean. I'll revisit this in the morning

 

[Balthazar]

edit

 

[Foppa2118]

Obviously the play should have been a penalty or a goal if the guy wasn't so aggressive.

Still, I think blowing 3 goals four on four is more to blame for the loss after EJ's brain melted and he made that stupid ass play in the second. That's what I'm concerned about. The one obviously bad and blatant call blows, but we shouldn't have been in a situation where the one mistake cost us anything. That make sense?

real talk I took a sleeping pill and basically have no idea what words mean. I'll revisit this in the morning

Definitely. I think their 4 on 4 coverage was the main reason they lost, and I'm glad Bednar keyed in on it after the game. He also took partial ownership for the problem, saying they're all in this together, and he hasn't had them practice it much lately, which was nice to hear. He didn't have to do that.

I think you're still coherent enough for that all to make sense, haha.

 

[dahrougem2]

I may be in the minority but I think him getting 5 and a game was enough punishment. There was no need to further suspend him.

 

[forsbergavs32]

Any word on if Kerfoot is in?

 

[Foppberg]

Any word on if Kerfoot is in?

Yep!

 

[agentblack]

Any word on if Kerfoot is in?

Sounds like it. He's apparently playing with Jost and Yak (which sounds like a radio show)

 

[Balthazar]

Any word on if Kerfoot is in?

 

[arun]

EJ went 50 shades of stupid on that one. I'm honestly surprised it was only 2 games. It was dirty.

How many games did McQuaid get for his similar situation with Jost?

 

[Pokecheque]

I like that 4th line, hope it gets a lot of shifts.

 

[henchman21]

I think the EJ suspension was fair... this coming from a person who normally disagrees with these suspensions.

 

[Pokecheque]

I'm okay with it too. Yes, I get other players have done similar things and gotten less (or no) punishment, but this is fair.

 

[LarryFisherman]

How many games did McQuaid get for his similar situation with Jost?

I don't know, I'm not a hockey historian. I could google, but that's really besides the point - which is that it was a RE-TAR-DED play by the the bird.

 

[Ivan13]

How many games did McQuaid get for his similar situation with Jost?

Who cares? EJ still acted like a dumbass.

 

[Murzu]

There should be consistensy with these suspensions. EJ did a stupid thing but I want to see consistent job done when handing out suspensions.

 

[McMetal]

When was the last time a player was suspended for any length of time for a hit made against an Avs player? Even Tom Wilson's headhunting shot against Z a couple years back didn't even warrant a hearing apparently.

 

[CoachBadkitten]

Earlier this year Austin Watson got suspended for the hit on Toninato

 

[arun]

There should be consistensy with these suspensions. EJ did a stupid thing but I want to see consistent job done when handing out suspensions.

This is exactly why i asked how many games McQuaid got.
I never said EJ shouldn’t get suspended. I implied that the league is inconsistent with the suspensions for similar situations.

 

[falconski]

When was the last time a player was suspended for any length of time for a hit made against an Avs player? Even Tom Wilson's headhunting shot against Z a couple years back didn't even warrant a hearing apparently.

Austin Watson on Tonanito

Before that was Drew Stafford high sticking Holden (which I honestly don't remember)

 

[expatriatedtexan]

We would all like to see more consistency from the DoPS. That being said, if "our" top players would stop being morons we wouldn't be having this conversation in the first place.

 

[Freudian]

Avs have only played 10 games against Central Division teams this far. Will be a lot of hard games in the second half.