Western Conference Round Robin (Blues, Avalanche, Golden Knights, Stars)
- Thread starter BrettHullsToe
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AvsMakar08
Registered User
Lemonlimey go post on Avs HF board, they are missing you.
I think the coaches are not going to approach the round robin games like ‘must win’ games. Sure, they’ll want to win. But I expect every team to make choices that are more geared to getting the roster ready for the ensuing 7 game series, even if it sacrifices their best lineup choice for the round robin.
To wit, I bet backup goalies get a start. I bet spare forwards and defenders get ice time in at least one game. For the coaching staffs, I think they’ll view this as getting guys up to speed and not get hung up on the seeding very much. As a Blues fan, I don’t expect them to win the round robin, and I think Berube won’t care very much.
To wit, I bet backup goalies get a start. I bet spare forwards and defenders get ice time in at least one game. For the coaching staffs, I think they’ll view this as getting guys up to speed and not get hung up on the seeding very much. As a Blues fan, I don’t expect them to win the round robin, and I think Berube won’t care very much.
GKG18
Expansion Fan
Lemonlimey
Registered User
Backup goalies will matter alot. i forsee rusty groin strains
Johno
Assembling a Nordic powerhouse
Khudobin and his 30GP 2.22GAA .930SV% say hello
BlueMed
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That's what every team said before we played them.
Avsboy
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Mackinnon said in a Zoom video Makar will be healthy soon
Tralfamadore
Don't Panic.
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True the Blues are essentially invincible.
Northern Avs Fan
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Avsboy
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Nate MacKinnon cares not for league rules lol
Only a few players can get away with that. Either the league or their team will silence these comments, but guys like Mackinnon, McDavid, Crosby, etc.. can flout the rules a bit
BlueMed
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Nope, just tired of this rhetoric about the Avs being an elite contender without real evidence behind it. Potential does not equal evidence. Until the Avs actually do something in the playoffs, they have everything to prove just like the Blues before their cup run.
Lemonlimey
Registered User
Avs were the last team to elimate St Louis from the playoffs, fwiw
JoeSakic13
Registered User
Duncan Keith has been an honorary Avalanche alumni ever since.
I think the Avs should be the Western Conference favorites. It doesn’t bother me if people think that, and I tend to agree with them. I hope the seeding works out so St Louis and Colorado wouldn’t meet before the WCF if they both get there. I think they were clearly the two best teams during the regular season.
Neither team has been at full strength during most of the regular season matchups this year, and I’m not putting much stock on the game 9/2 either.
There were other teams who were physical in the playoffs, such as Boston and Vegas. I think the Blues’ forward depth and ability to roll 4 lines is what allowed the Blues’ physicality to endure through 4 rounds when other teams showed signs of wilting.
Note Worthy
History Made
This one game round robin are not going to show the strength of the Blues so I wouldn't shocked in the least if the Avs win the seeding games and the Blues don't.
Our specialty last year was getting better as a series went on while our opponent got worse. The Blues should shine once the actually playoffs start and it's a 7 game series.
Our specialty last year was getting better as a series went on while our opponent got worse. The Blues should shine once the actually playoffs start and it's a 7 game series.
Tralfamadore
Don't Panic.
- Sep 25, 2011
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This is the best explanation of the Blues strength. The only team in the West that can compete with the Blues depth would be the Avs. They're structured differently though.
The timely goaltending was crucial to feeding the team’s confidence, but I would argue the shot suppression was the reason they won series 1-3. They had to use a different formula vs Boston, but in every other series the later games of the series were highlighted by long stretches where the opponent literally had zero shot attempts. In game 7 vs Dallas, people forget how badly the Blues dominated the course of play because the score was tied, but it was nearly a full period with zero shots. Winnipeg and San Jose had similar stretches. When you are trailing in an elimination game and can’t get shots on goal, the opponent is doing something right.
How did the Blues suppress shots? Great gap control with the forwards as a whole, every line, and big defenders who erased possession. Parayko was a monster in the playoffs in that regard. Those top 2 defensive pairings are large bodies with great sticks and good skating. The team structure left no room in the zone.
I’m not convinced Colorado has the answer to that, but first of all St Louis will have to replicate that intensity and buy-in. Not falling behind is the first step for a team trying to counter the Blues. I don’t think any other team in the league is as comfortable with a 1 goal lead.
I mean... They were literally one blown call away from the conference finals last year. The Blues were one goal away from being eliminated in the 2nd round last year as well.
One bounce here or there and each team could be in the reverse right now.
BlueMed
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You guys lost to San Jose, the same team we destroyed in the WCF. The score differential of our last 3 games with them was 12-2. It's absurd to say that "one bounce here or there" would have put you guys past San Jose, then St. Louis or Dallas, and then Boston. And people like to compare offense and defense and goaltending, but you guys don't have the intangibles. I'm talking about the resiliency and experience. Elite teams like Chicago and LA in years past were so difficult to beat because they not only had a complete roster (which you guys don't), but they also never stopped believing that they would win, regardless of the score. You guys don't have that just because you hope they do.
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a mangy Meowth
Ross Colton Fan
Blues fans getting pretty big in their britches after ONE cup run lol
I get it, but there's some pretty stupid stuff being proclaimed here
Plus none of these guys have played in 5 months. Everything you thought you knew about these teams could be wildly wrong.
I get it, but there's some pretty stupid stuff being proclaimed here
Plus none of these guys have played in 5 months. Everything you thought you knew about these teams could be wildly wrong.
Lt Dan
F*** your ice cream!
Indeed
Few people how hard it is to repeat or win multiple cups. When you are the champ, everyone steps their game up against you.
BlueMed
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Avs fans getting pretty big in their britches after a second round bounce from the San Jose Sharks, a team that finished 3rd lowest in the standings this season. Must be that Cale Makar guy.
a mangy Meowth
Ross Colton Fan
Lol you sound so unbelievably unintelligent spouting off like this.
Avs:
"do not have intangibles"
"have an incomplete roster"
"can't possibly have a never-say-die attitude"
Blues:
"destroyed the Sharks" in 6 games, including getting blown out in game 1. You said the sharks sucked this year anyways, so what are you bragging about having taken 6 games to beat them?
"never stop believing, no matter what"
"have resiliency and experience" that apparently no other team can attain?
God you are such a homer lol. Do you honestly believe the Avs suck or something? It's really not that bold to say they were very good this year... Maybe there's some other underlying reason for you wanting to put them down?
