GDT: Wild @ Avs | Thursday, January 30th, 7pm MT | 8 point game

[cgf]

The break can't come soon enough for EJ. He hasn't been the same since his back injury.

Yup, never thought I'd be glad he got snubbed by the Olympic team, but he really needs to rest up for the stretch run and the post season as we're gunna have to lean on that top pairing even more as the season winds down.

 

[forsbergavs32]

I know we need to be able to shut the door when we get big leads like this, but I'm pretty thankful that so far we aren't completely blowing leads like with Sacco.

 

[cgf]

Bodeleau's face after the Mcginn hit is pretty great.

I for one love bordeleau, he was throwing his body around today and laying some dudes out. Hopefully he's found that middle ground between having the refs constantly *****ing at him, and playing like a *****.

 

[Freudian]

Stastny is a bit of a tank. He's taken some massive hits without missing much time. Hopefully he's ok.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Yea, EJ and Hejda have both looked off the last couple of weeks. And it has show.

EJ is a -6 in his last 5 games, and his +/- is now down to a +7 on the season. He's also only had 1 point in his last 10 games, every since he caught fire and was at a PPG for 10 games.


The break is going to be important for him and Hejda. Both guys will need the rest.

 

[Freudian]

The 5-4 goal was comically bad. EJ with a bad pinch and MacKinnon, who covers for him, gambles on the puck on the blue line instead of just playing positional defense, gets beaten for a 2 on 1 situation.

 

[henchman21]

...we're one of the best teams in the league at holding onto a lead...

Fully aware... Said that recently after the last game. They are still figuring it out though. They hold on by the slimmest of margins. Young teams do this though. They will figure out how to play a shutdown defensive game at some point.

 

[Hans Landaskog]

Fully aware... Said that recently after the last game. They are still figuring it out though. They hold on by the slimmest of margins. Young teams do this though. They will figure out how to play a shutdown defensive game at some point.

Practice makes perfect. Unfortunately we are getting really good at keeping games close, no matter what.

 

[Pokecheque]

Yea, EJ and Hejda have both looked off the last couple of weeks. And it has show.

EJ is a -6 in his last 5 games, and his +/- is now down to a +7 on the season. He's also only had 1 point in his last 10 games, every since he caught fire and was at a PPG for 10 games.


The break is going to be important for him and Hejda. Both guys will need the rest.

Agreed. I think the break is sorely needed. They're getting overworked.

 

[member 116861]

We bend a ton but we never break.

 

[Nzap]

73 points but still 3rd in central and 5th in conference.

Crazy.

 

[rynryn]

very entertaining game you guys. I'm actually happy with the outcome given the beating we took in the second. I'd really rather the Wild face the Hawks in the first round (bold assumption obvious) but at least if we somehow managed to play the Avs we'd have a more entertaining series this time around. More competitive too. Especially enjoying your success opposed to the Oilers' abject failure, as you were both in the same lull for so long. Glad you guys could pull it off and they couldn't.

 

[raistlin76]

Another thriller from our side. After the win you can smile, but it's difficult for the fan to sit and watch such a game. But I think i's better than being Wild fan and say, "gosh we were so close".

I'm worried about Staz, if it's ankle injury- sprain it takes a lot of time to fully heal. If Staz is injured I'm sure PA is back and he will probably be on 3rd line with Talbot and Mitchell with MacK moving up to Tanguay and Landeskog.

 

[Hans Landaskog]

very entertaining game you guys. I'm actually happy with the outcome given the beating we took in the second. I'd really rather the Wild face the Hawks in the first round (bold assumption obvious) but at least if we somehow managed to play the Avs we'd have a more entertaining series this time around. More competitive too. Especially enjoying your success opposed to the Oilers' abject failure, as you were both in the same lull for so long. Glad you guys could pull it off and they couldn't.

we wouldn't see you guys in the first round. We'd have to win the division or you'd have to pull ahead of Hawks or Blues. Doubt either happens. If I had to guess. Blues take division and we play the Hawks. You'd play the Blues or Ducks.

 

[Sheet]

Tonight was the tipping point for me as a fan with regards to the continuous blown leads.


Its starting to go from funny/oh well/were young to really freaking annoying.

No matter how big of a lead, this team just stops playing offense in the 3rd period. Its ridiculous. Roy needs to fix this soon. Or else were going to start losing these games. We've been lucky so far in that the other team hasn't managed to come all the way back to win, but that luck will change soon at the rate were going.


Simply unacceptable. After 40 minutes of dominance, we crawled under a rock for the 3rd, again.





Anyway, other then that. At least we did win, and its shaping out to be a very good night for us in the standings again. Dallas lost to NJD in OT, so we gained more ground on them. PHX lost to Buffalo(lol) in regulation. San Jose lost again to CGY, and LAK is having a real tough time with PIT so far.

Looking like a near perfect night for the Avs.

We could go back to losing. I bet that's preferred.

Seriously, everyone freaks out because we get early leads and the other teams start going into panic mode and play faster then our ahl defense can handle. We have a d that's way over its head and ej and hejda are slumping. When intensity ratchets up this is going to happen until we get a real defense.

Ill take almost lost to lost every day. It's not like we're giving away free points. Last year we were 29th.

They should mail complimentary paper bags for folks when they register here. You know, for hyperventilating.

 

[Foppa2118]

Stastny is a bit of a tank. He's taken some massive hits without missing much time. Hopefully he's ok.

He's built fairly solid, but I think it's more that he's always got his head up and aware of his surroundings, and knows how to take a hit with his shoulders and roll off it.

I'd like to see a replay, but on first glance that was a weird one tonight, and it didn't look good. I couldn't even tell what happened, just looked like maybe two guys collided into each other and then into him or something, and he just got clobbered. Didn't even seem like there should be that much force because it didn't seem like he was going head on against a guy. Looked like they were going north and he was going west.

Hopefully he's ok. He's been playing the best hockey of his career lately.

 

[member 116861]

We're 7 points ahead of LA with 2 games in hand and we're 1 point behind San Jose with 2 games in hand. Almost blowing leads sucks but the bright side is that we're really close to being 5th in the league.

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

Just finished the game... Varly has to get rid of this letting in soft goals knack. Minnie were done and dusted, I was about to fast forward until he let in his stinker.

 

[Nzap]

Just finished the game... Varly has to get rid of this letting in soft goals knack. Minnie were done and dusted, I was about to fast forward until he let in his stinker.

Although I agree he should've had that, but it was a perfect shot. Just over the pad off the post and in. Can't really do it better than that.

 

[Gigantor The Goalie]

Just finished the game... Varly has to get rid of this letting in soft goals knack. Minnie were done and dusted, I was about to fast forward until he let in his stinker.

Shot was 13" high and hit the post and went in. It was a hellavu shot from Parise.

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

Although I agree he should've had that, but it was a perfect shot. Just over the pad off the post and in. Can't really do it better than that.

If it was a perfect shot why would you think Varly should've had it? From Parise's angle and distance he must save it. Also judging by his reaction he knew it.

 

[Hans Landaskog]

If it was a perfect shot why would you think Varly should've had it? From Parise's angle and distance he must save it. Also judging by his reaction he knew it.

Most important stat for a goalie is that win column. As long as he's giving the team the chance to win every game, he can let in a stinker here and there.

 

[Nzap]

If it was a perfect shot why would you think Varly should've had it? From Parise's angle and distance he must save it. Also judging by his reaction he knew it.

Well he should've had it cause it wasn't from the best angle and was quite far out.
You can still produce a perfect shot from a poor place on the ice. Doesn't remove the fact that Varly should've had it.

Perfect shot and "should've saved" aren't mutually exclusive.

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

That's a nice cliche and all but Varly needs to be better, stronger teams would've probably completed the come back.

We'll have to agree to disagree Nzap on the perfect shot/save thing.

 

[cgf]

we wouldn't see you guys in the first round. We'd have to win the division or you'd have to pull ahead of Hawks or Blues. Doubt either happens. If I had to guess. Blues take division and we play the Hawks. You'd play the Blues or Ducks.

Or we could get the other central teams together and vote the Blues off of the island. Chicago would vote with us and I'm pretty sure the Wild would be down to. And at that point it's just a question of getting Dallas, Winnipeg or Nashville to vote with our alliance.

Then all three of the teams I like from teh central, us, chicago and minnesota, can take the automatic playoff spot and Stl can **** of into the pacific bracket as I'd take literally any team from over there over the Blues.

Our one saving grace is that once the playoffs role around the Blues gunna Blues, but sooner or later they'll stop sucking in the playoffs, and with how hard we suck against them it'd probably be this seaosn.