Series Talk: WCSF: Colorado Avalanche (C3) vs Dallas Stars (C1) | Stars win 4-2

[RockLobster]

The fact that we're going to lose 4-straight and whimper out of the playoffs already sucks, but to have it happen to another team coached by Peter f***in' DeBoer is what really pisses me off.

 

[CharlesPuck]

Avs really could have used an extra day off in this series. Playing every other day has limited their practices and ability to regroup.

Also would be a good to help change the momentum Dallas currently has.

 

[GeoRox89]

The fact that we're going to lose 4-straight and whimper out of the playoffs already sucks, but to have it happen to another team coached by Peter f***in' DeBoer is what really pisses me off.

Yep. What the hell happened to that team that battled to push the series to 6 with Hamburglar and the one that got themselves to one goal away from rallying from down 3-1 with half the team dead in the bubble? I miss those guys. Nuke is a gut punch but the big boys just laying down and dying is a bigger one. Losing to a better team while giving it their all would be disappointing but just throwing in the towel after they couldn’t score in the first 40 in game 3 is a painful loser mentality

 

[Balthazar]

I said before I didn't think the Stars had any gamebreaking talent. I think I was wrong there. Wyatt Johnston sure looks like that guy.

He isn't the reason the Stars are winning though.

DeBoer knows how to beat Bednar, that's as simple as that. He knows exactly what to do to render the Avs completely ineffective. He has done it twice with 2 different lineups.

 

[avalanche_country]

Avs in 7

 

[Ceremony]

Yeah I know nothing about player evaluation and even I can Johnston is going to be irritatingly good for them for years. Hopefully Ritchie is able to make a similar impact for us soon.

 

[Pokecheque]

If anything this team just looks completely burned out. Ross Colton really stumbled down the stretch, especially after Logan O'Connor was shelved for the year. This is IIRC the very first season Nathan MacKinnon played all 82 games and I don't think it was his pursuit of the MVP and scoring title that got to him, the mere fact he had to carry a team for virtually the entire year with a gimpy Makar and a fatass good-for-nothing with a bum hip may have finally caught up to him. Even in the Jets series he didn't quite look right.

 

[Pokecheque]

He isn't the reason the Stars are winning though.

DeBoer knows how to beat Bednar, that's as simple as that. He knows exactly what to do to render the Avs completely ineffective. He has done it twice with 2 different lineups.

Possibly. I don't think it's just DeBoer. This team just doesn't handle a trap well. Certainly not when the goalie behind that trap is playing really well. Bednar is trying to get them to switch to a dump-and-chase style, and they've proven before they can do that (pretty much did that against the Blues and the Bolts) but even he's gotten frustrated with their steadfast refusal to switch. MacKinnon especially hates playing that way.

They also have no one to provide net-front presence now. Before they had Nuke and Landy, and that's really the only way you can score against a team that stacks bodies in front of the net. So many rebounds just sit there with NO ONE to pounce.

 

[Chiarelli]

IDK... Johnston looks like a future elite player. Has every tool you could really want in a high end center... and is showing every bit the development to get there. It would not shock me at all for him to turn into the next high end 2 way guy like Bergeron or Barkov. And I think Johnston has legit 40-45 goal ability in him.

I hope you're right. Seems like a great kid. Not sure about his high end talent and skill.

 

[Ararana]

The fact that we're going to lose 4-straight and whimper out of the playoffs already sucks, but to have it happen to another team coached by Peter f***in' DeBoer is what really pisses me off.

Instead of Ryan Graves handing them free OT goals, the Avs have everyone handing them every goal.

 

[JLo217]

I hope you're right. Seems like a great kid. Not sure about his high end talent and skill.

It'll be interesting to see if his playoff success carry's over into the future or if this is a flash due to the big games. Either way he's an entertaining player and fits Dallas' like a T.

I hate Benn and Deboer, but for entertainment value Dallas coming out of the west will make the finals far more enjoyable than either Canadian team and it would be an amazing conn smythe story. The older I get and watching the Avs kinda have the wheels falls off really makes me enjoy other games far more.

 

[NOTENOUGHRYJOTHINGS]

Ekholm might be injured. The Canucks third line really hammered him every chance they got. Lindholm is a very physical player despite not being a giant.

Look at how Dallas went after Toews.

To get ahead in a 7 game series you have to make it hard for the opposing defenders. Colton threw a hit or two on Tanev last game. The hit count stats for the Avs are surprisingly high. But they aren't making Dallas pay any price to get the puck.

 

[dahrougem2]

People give DeBoer WAAAYYY too much credit and take away from Jared Bednar waaayyyy too much.

Fact is this series was 2-1 prior to last night and the Avs were potentially icing their best lineup of the playoffs. Instead it ended up being the worst of the playoffs.

The three matchups with DeBoer:

2019 vs San Jose: Avs not even supposed to be there and took a Cup contender 7 games with a controversial offside goal

2021 vs Vegas: no Nazem Kadri, absolute trash defensive corps

2024 vs Dallas: no Drouin games 1-3, no Nichushkin/Toews games 4+.

What has DeBoer had to deal with? Robin Lehner shitting the bed in game 1 in 2021?

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

You can just tell the big shift frommthe events with Nuke this year versus what happened last year.


When the news broke last year, there was a lot of "Tough situation but we're all thinking of Val and hoping for the best for him" that sort of thinking.


This year is totally different. "He made his decisions" "It is what it is" or just a lot of folks with nothing to say about it at all.

It's clear the players are done with the distraction this time. When they get eliminated I guarantee there's going to be a clear directive from Mack/Landy when they tall to Sakic and CMac at end of year meetings.

 

[Avs_19]

Yeah, it's a wrap.

 

[Bill Peckerskull]

 

[Chiarelli]

Yeah, it's a wrap.

it was over before puck drop last night

 

[AegonLeConqueror]

Looks like they're all ready to just have Nuke GTFOH.

The fan in me wants him to come back 100% with no more drug problems, because at his best he's easily one of the best wingers (I would say in the league). But I don't know how many chances you can get if you think the trade off between some drugs and a deep playoff run is worth it.

 

[Bill Peckerskull]

 

[RockLobster]

You know what MIGHT have helped them not have these offensive statistics?

If Bednar actually gave a damn about line-matching and got the MacKinnon line away from the Tanev pairing. He's been very effective this postseason with shutting down elite centers. Prior to Mikko's G3 goal, he'd played something like 70+ minutes again Eichel and MacKinnon and allowed 0 goals (and even being on the ice for 3 of Dallas's in that time).

 

[JLo217]

Avs need to go watch how the Panthers forecheck. I saw a handful of good breakdowns about how F1 gets in really quick on a timed dump in to cause havoc to get F2 and F3 moving towards the net.

Too often in this series you see F1 get in there with no support to ring it around the boards to the point where a Stars player is waiting at the hash marks. If I can see this.... f***ing fix it.

 

[missionAvs]

I don't really see any conceivable way that Nuke returns to the team and faces that lockeroom with any success. This is a classic case of "fool me once, fool me twice". As @Pierce Hawthorne stated earlier, there is a marked difference in responses/attitudes from the players that saw this shit happen last year to this year. Nuke's time on this team is effectively over IMO. His contract will either be terminated or if that's not possible, he'll likely be traded for scraps since no one is going to pay top dollar for him anymore.

Such a god damned shame because a healthy Nuke really is one of the best in the business but as a fan of the Avs, he can f*** right the hell off.

 

[RECKLESS]

Just curious enough to see how this team reacts to the current state of affairs to wake up Thursday morning at 3am. It will be interesting to see, but the cheerful side of it all has just died.

 

[JLo217]

I don't really see any conceivable way that Nuke returns to the team and faces that lockeroom with any success. This is a classic case of "fool me once, fool me twice". As @Pierce Hawthorne stated earlier, there is a marked difference in responses/attitudes from the players that saw this shit happen last year to this year. Nuke's time on this team is effectively over IMO. His contract will either be terminated or if that's not possible, he'll likely be traded for scraps since no one is going to pay top dollar for him anymore.

Such a god damned shame because a healthy Nuke really is one of the best in the business but as a fan of the Avs, he can f*** right the hell off.

Think Coyotes 2.0 will come soon enough to dump him while they try to bring hockey back to that market with the same plan as before lol?

 

[Bender]

Even though George hasn't really been the problem - personally, I would start Annunen next game. I mean, what have you got to lose ? If you start Game #5 on the road the same way you started Game #4 at home, you're going to lose again anyhow.

They got some tough news yesterday but they had the whole day to get their heads wrapped around it and just say 'oh well, it's adversity but we'll battle through it'. There was none of that - there was A TON of 'let's feel sorry for ourselves and play like shit until they score' and leave Georgiev out to dry.

Then when the score is 3-0 then we'll start trying a little harder - WTF is this ?? Bednar has GOT to AT LEAST TRY to change it up and get the players going. That means 27-29-62 and for cryin' out loud put rantanen with Mitts. He hasn't even entertained the thought of doing that even for a full period even though MacKinnon and Rantanen aren't clicking at all right now. Plays are dying on each other's sticks and it's obvious TO EVERYONE.

The Avs are making this playoff series extremely easy for dallas. I guess that's what a headshot to one of your opponent's best players buys you... as long as you're a certain someone that ALWAYS gets away with it. I 'joked' FOR YEARS that all of the refs of the NHL were annually invited to jamie benn's summer BBQ special with all the drugs and hookers they can handle and that's why he gets such preferential treatment....nothing in this playoffs is disproving otherwise. f***ing disgraceful.

I noticed that the dallas stars 'playoff catch-phrase' is "We Deserve It" - as long as IT = soulcrushing defeat then I agree because you certainly don't deserve to win and that starts with your piece of shit captain.