Pre-Game Talk: Week to give thanks (Dal, @Min, Cgy)

[dahrougem2]

There's an easy way to tank....trade your goalie. Varly has what, two years left? Move him, he's not likely our goalie of the future anyways. Or just wait for an injury tbh because that's more likely knowing him lol. We're probably a 75-85 point team with Varly, we go to a 60-70 point team without him which should be enough to be in the bottom three or four in the lottery and that's all I ask for this year. Don't have to finish last but at least be high enough to still have a chance of winning or getting a high pick if other teams win it.

I also think player development via one first round playoff exit is vastly overrated. Besides, the way we're headed right now, we probably aren't making the playoffs and we aren't finishing at the bottom either, we're in that dreaded 8-14th last zone.

What an awful plan.

If the season ended today, the Avs would have the 11th pick (obviously without winning the lottery). If they had lost the Wings game instead of coming back, they’d be in line to pick 6th. To say the Avs are out of the top 5 woods is way too premature. Especially with the teams in the 16-23 point range right now.

True, but one more win could also vault their pick into 19th overall. So much parity this year that the Avs have a reasonable chance at competing for a wildcard spot if Varly holds up all year.

 

[Avs_19]

Bednar says Lindholm has been cleared for practice and could be back in a week or so if all goes well. Nemeth still hasn't started skating so nothing new on him.

 

[Raucherhusten]

Bednar says Lindholm has been cleared for practice and could be back in a week or so if all goes well. Nemeth still hasn't starting skating so nothing new on him.

There is not even something "old" when it comes to Nemeth, He just disappeared just before the Sweden trip and has never been seen again. But good to see Lindholm getting healthy. No idea how he fitts in the lineup atm though ...

 

[dahrougem2]

There is not even something "old" when it comes to Nemeth, He just disappeared just before the Sweden trip and has never been seen again. But good to see Lindholm getting healthy. No idea how he fitts in the lineup atm though ...

Simple. He takes Barberio out.

 

[McMetal]

Simple. He takes Barberio out.

Barbie didn't play much when the Avs were chasing a comeback, and his offense is one of his selling points. He must have done something that upset Bednar. I guess maybe the wheel-o-doghouse landed on somebody that deserved it finally.

 

[Pokecheque]

Simple. He takes Barberio out.

How? Poison ring? A crowbar?

 

[UncleRisto]

He must have done something that upset Bednar.

I can't see how that could have happened, it's not like Barberio has been awful for weeks. Oh no wait, yes it is.

 

[Raucherhusten]

Isn't it just great that we have at least ONE whipping boy left now that Sodar and even Comeau are playing good hockey? PLS Bednar never scratch Barbs - we need something to complain about and someone, who we can all agree on, sucks!!!!

 

[McMetal]

Isn't it just great that we have at least ONE whipping boy left now that Sodar and even Comeau are playing good hockey? PLS Bednar never scratch Barbs - we need something to complain about and someone, who we can all agree about, sucks!!!!

Well, every other week we have Yak as a whipping boy, I guess that's something. Sometimes he opens his mouth though and then everybody forgets about his play and loves him.

 

[UncleRisto]

Well, every other week we have Yak as a whipping boy, I guess that's something. Sometimes he opens his mouth though and then everybody forgets about his play and loves him.

He scores a goal every now and then when we rag on him. He must feed on it!

 

[Tommy Shelby]

Bednar's ranking for the D:

EJ
Barrie
Girard
Nemeth
Lindholm
Barbeiro
Zadorov
Bigras
Mironov

So even with a healthy roster, he'll still stick Bigras and Zadorov in the nacho box. Unless Sakic tells him to play the kids

 

[Vaslof]

Barbie didn't play much when the Avs were chasing a comeback, and his offense is one of his selling points. He must have done something that upset Bednar. I guess maybe the wheel-o-doghouse landed on somebody that deserved it finally.

Oh, you think Zadorov, Bigras or Mironov have been good all this time?

 

[Foppberg]

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

What a stupid division the Central is. 4 teams tied with 23 points right now. 23 points would put us ahead of at least 2 teams in every other division but nope, not the Central. All the Central teams except us decided they wanted to be Playoff Contenders this year and the Avs have since said f*** it, might as well join in on that party.

 

[Balthazar]

For more than a decade, the status of that group at Thanksgiving has been a significant indicator of who gets to keep playing beyond mid-April. Since the salary-cap era began in 2005-06, 78.4 per cent of teams in playoff position by the fourth Thursday in November have made it. It's so notable that it is considered the NHL's unofficial Thanksgiving rule.

And of course we're tied for the last wild card spot in the west but still outside the bubble.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Have to wonder if this year isn't a year where that rule proves to be incorrect though. Especially when you look at the teams currently in the playoffs out West, and the teams outside looking in.

Vancouver and Vegas especially are massive surprises to be where they are right now. Vegas is 1st place in the Pacific after almost 30% of the season. Like WTF.


4/8 of the teams that made playoffs last season are on the outside looking in right now in the West. Hell it's the exact same thing in the East for that matter as well with 4 teams outside looking in that were in last year.

 

[Pokecheque]

Plenty of bubble teams this year. Good to see the season isn’t over by December at least.

I think Anaheim will make a push if they can reach a semblance of full strength. Right now that ain’t looking good though.

 

[Balthazar]

Vegas is 1st place in the Pacific after almost 30% of the season. Like WTF..

They have a top 5 coach in the game IMO.

 

[Pokecheque]

They have a top 5 coach in the game IMO.

And they were handed some pretty good players. I figured the cap would yield them some decent talents but this is ridiculous. Also didn’t factor an embittered Dale Tallon gifting them two legit scoring line wingers.

What’s blowing my mind though is the goaltending. They’re winning seemingly no matter who is back there.

 

[Rumplesnipeskin]

For more than a decade, the status of that group at Thanksgiving has been a significant indicator of who gets to keep playing beyond mid-April. Since the salary-cap era began in 2005-06, 78.4 per cent of teams in playoff position by the fourth Thursday in November have made it. It's so notable that it is considered the NHL's unofficial Thanksgiving rule.

And of course we're tied for the last wild card spot in the west but still outside the bubble.

The interesting statistic on this would be retroactively applying the current playoff rules and saying what teams in a wildcard spot made the playoffs. The stats are skewed by the teams that are basically locks for the playoffs. The 5-8 spots are really where the musical chairs occurs.

A perfect example of how statistics can be used to mislead by an over generalization

 

[Balthazar]

The interesting statistic on this would be retroactively applying the current playoff rules and saying what teams in a wildcard spot made the playoffs. The stats are skewed by the teams that are basically locks for the playoffs. The 5-8 spots are really where the musical chairs occurs.

A perfect example of how statistics can be used to mislead by an over generalization

A part of this statistic is also to know which teams are "playoff locks" so I'm not sure why you see a problem here. It's not like we knew them before the season started.

 

[Rumplesnipeskin]

A part of this statistic is also to know which teams are "playoff locks" so I'm not sure why you see a problem here. It's not like we knew them before the season started.

I think we actually agree on this - 5-8 was me generalizing, but if you took teams in playoff position at thanksgiving that weren’t “locks” for the playoffs, I believe that is the more telling statistic. 75%+ includes the locks and therefore skews the statistic

 

[McMetal]

The other factor at play is games played. We're currently a game behind every single other Central team and tied for fewest games played overall in the league. That's why I'm a little skeptical of looking at things like draft position and playoffs this early.

 

[forsbergavs32]

The other factor at play is games played. We're currently a game behind every single other Central team and tied for fewest games played overall in the league. That's why I'm a little skeptical of looking at things like draft position and playoffs this early.

Especially with how much parity there is in the league now. Most teams are within a couple points of each other

 

[Tweaky]

The Western Conference currently has 8 teams with 8 regulation losses. Over half the West is effectively tied in that respect...spots 5-12 inclusive. And all but VAN have at least one game in hand on LAK (in 5th).

A separation of just 4 points is all that stands between 4th and 13th in the West.

And compared to my own expectations, there are 3-4 teams in the playoffs right now that I would not have predicted, and 4-5 teams out that kind of surprise me. The East has a few surprises as well. I like it. Though I do think VGK will crash soon unless MAF comes back hot.