GDT: G33: Colorado Avalanche(18-14-0) @ canuckleheads(15-9-5) - Mon Dec 16 @ 8:30 PM MST

[Miri]

Kiefer Sherwood with a Hattrick.... KIEFER SHERWOOD !!!!!

We are a wildcard-team... Nothing more, nothing less. Get used to it, it will be a long regular season and, if we make it in (!!) early out in the playoffs because Bednar will run our big guns into the ground until april.

If they really have the flu, sit them, call up the Eagles and run with them... I dont give a f***. Everything is better than watching these lifeless corps skating around like headless chickens..... And talking about "headless chickens".... We need a shake-up on our coaching staff..... I am not calling for Bednar yet, but we need fresh blood asap...

I dont think there are any consequences needed to be made out of Kiefer Sherwood, of all people, randomly scoring hattrick. Let me introduce you to certain Joel Kiviranta, who scored hattrick against us for Dallas couple of years ago, in the playoffs, ending our season no less. Now having him on our ranks, we can see he is not all that, yet it still happened. And we still went and won the Cup next year.

So the only conclusion to be made out of this, even career fourth-liners can randomly have a career game, when everything goes their way. If this was against any other team, i would be happy for Sherwood, as former Av.

 

[henchman21]

Not to split hairs, but I disagree with both Kylington and Kelly. I think they both would have a regular spot on most NHL teams, albeit likely reduced in comparison to what they receive(d) currently with the Avs

Kelly was not qualified by one of the worst teams in the league. One that went out an bargain shopped their own fringe guys for depth instead of keeping him. Kylington has not looked like an NHLer unless he's next to Tanev. He would have been given a shot like he has here, but I don't think he'd be a regular outside maybe San Jose.

I dont think there are any consequences needed to be made out of Kiefer Sherwood, of all people, randomly scoring hattrick. Let me introduce you to certain Joel Kiviranta, who scored hattrick against us for Dallas couple of years ago, in the playoffs, ending our season no less. Now having him on our ranks, we can see he is not all that, yet it still happened. And we still went and won the Cup next year.

So the only conclusion to be made out of this, even career fourth-liners can randomly have a career game, when everything goes their way. If this was against any other team, i would be happy for Sherwood, as former Av.

Sherwood is a clear example of Bendar not being adaptable to his bottom 6. Sherwood is a crash and bang, cause chaos, and have a good enough shot to score goals sort of bottom 6 guy. Since leaving he's shown that he is a legit NHLer. He was highly successful in the AHL here with that style, but at the NHL level here he sucked. Just like all of the bottom 6ers of his ilk under Bednar. He neuters what makes them successful players. Duhaime and Trenin are clear examples from last deadline too.

Also kind of an interesting fact with Sherwood. In the last 2.5 seasons, he now has 28 goals. It isn't directly comparable as not all the Avs have been with the team that long... but if he had 28 here over that time, he would be 6th on the Avs. Just ahead of Colton, but also ahead of LOC. His 21 over the past 1.5 would put him even with Drouin. 10 more than Wood (and Mitts).

 

[Pokecheque]

Just finished watching that crap game this morning - glad I didn't stay up for it.

Figured I'd respond to this.

Watch it again :

Colorado Avalanche - Vancouver Canucks - Dec 16, 2024 | NHL.com

NHL Gamecenter - Colorado Avalanche vs. Vancouver Canucks, Dec 16, 2024 - summary, stats, boxscore, play by play, recap and more.

www.nhl.com

Dehaan is already on the guy with the puck in the corner. Ivan is trying to help while also positioning himself to cut off the pass to the guy behind the net and then you have Girard who starts off in the right position in front of the net but then drifts off towards the side of boards and tries to intercept the pass.

At the 0:05 mark, if Girard leaves the front of the net to skate towards the guy who has the puck leaving the slot completely open, when you look at where Ivan is when he decides to do that, it's certainly a lot to ask of Ivan to cover for him.

The de Haan/Girard pairing hasn't been together a lot (thank God) but when they are they've been on the ice for at least two goals against in the last two games. It's clear neither one of them has any idea which guy is supposed to be covering the right side so they both just kinda wander around like two headless chickens and it results in disaster every time.

 

[henchman21]

CDH needs shot to the moon. It was clear last year in Tampa that his game was gone. They did all they could to keep him off the ice the last part of the season. I'm not even sure he's a NHL quality player anymore.

 

[Avs9296]

This is because we are relying on 4th line cast offs from other teams, or guys who were not high end AHLers to fill the whole bottom 6 and pairing. Scrubs, especially effort guys, can play above their heads for a while... eventually though they can't maintain the effort or the league just catches up. Kiviranta, Ivan, Middleton, Kylington, Kelly, Wagner, etc wouldn't be regulars on most NHL teams. Yet we're seeing 5-7 of these guys every night.

Then it doesn't help when there are clear locker room issues, a guy who can't perform off the powder, natural slumps, age, etc.

You guys are being really hard on Nuke. I don't know what you guys expect from him.

Hes on a 41 goal, 62 point pace since coming back from suspension this season, all while the Avs PP has been ICE cold and playing with a Casey Mittelstadt who has his head so far up his ass right now.

Nukes the least of our problems right now.

 

[chet1926]

This is because we are relying on 4th line cast offs from other teams, or guys who were not high end AHLers to fill the whole bottom 6 and pairing. Scrubs, especially effort guys, can play above their heads for a while... eventually though they can't maintain the effort or the league just catches up. Kiviranta, Ivan, Middleton, Kylington, Kelly, Wagner, etc wouldn't be regulars on most NHL teams. Yet we're seeing 5-7 of these guys every night.

Then it doesn't help when there are clear locker room issues, a guy who can't perform off the powder, natural slumps, age, etc.

Ok, I don't disagree. But then are people going to admit this is just a mediocre team, that will fail to make the playoffs with the current roster and coding staff?

Because basically every poster around here seems to think that the team is fine and likes to make constant excuses for why they played the way they did. When the reality is mid team, mixed bag of effort, mid to bad coaching. Which is why we see some good games and others where they look like would rather be anywhere but playing hockey, like last night.

You guys are being really hard on Nuke. I don't know what you guys expect from him.

Hes on a 41 goal, 62 point pace since coming back from suspension this season, all while the Avs PP has been ICE cold and playing with a Casey Mittelstadt who has his head so far up his ass right now.

Nukes the least of our problems right now.

Nuke has been fine considering what situation he's been put in so far.

 

[Pokecheque]

Nichushkin hasn't been playing well, his underlying stats have been underwhelming to say the least and he's simply not moving with much speed or authority. If the guy who used to bulldoze his way around the ice and NEVER lost a puck battle shows up, that would be great but no, you can't just dismiss his play as a byproduct of Mittelstadt's struggles. He's been bad in his own right.

I fully expected him to have to knock off the rust so I wasn't expecting him to just come roaring out the gate, but at some point his poor play needs to be called into question.

Overall there's just too many passengers in the top six and this team overall is too reliant on one of the "Big Three" to just take the game over every night.

 

[chet1926]

Bad team that doesn't care about winning? Well if that's what you think I'm not even gonna argue. Enjoy watching games.

They sure as hell don't act like a team that cares about winning. Take the last 3 games. A mediocre Utah team skated circles around us and took us to the woodshed. A bad Nashville team out played us but our goalie bailed us with 37/39 saves. Then Vancouver skated circles around us and takes us to the woodshed.

Teams that care about winning don't get worked over 3 games in a row. Their effort has been appallingly bad this year. So many nights where they just look like they are going through the motions. It's a tough sell to say they care about winning based on the on ice product.

A perfect example of lack of effort is seen in the PP. The PP is about effort. Wanting to win the puck battles, wanting to make good crisp passes, making the smart play, executing shots, outworking the other team for rebounds. We haven't done any of this in 20ish games. Our PP is lost puck battle easy clear, bad pass easy clear, fumbled puck easy clear, harmless shot that has minimal chance then no one fighting for the rebound. It's a joke.

 

[Alienblood]

Okay this is the second post I see about this. Why in the f*** would we want the rape coach?

He wasn't the rape coach.

 

[dahrougem2]

I'm willing to write these last 2-3 games off because there is a flu bug going around. That said:

- Bednar continues to run his top guys into the ground. I don't give a f*** if your 4th line has Tye Felhaber on it, you play that line more than 5 minutes. It's doing a huge disservice to the rest of the skaters when you do not want to run four lines. We harp on it game after game after game and the psychotic coach we have continues to run our top guys into the ground. Someone from the media has to call this into question. When we played the Oilers, the Sportsnet crew made a point of mentioning how in 2022 the Avs were spreading minutes around fairly well while the Oilers were destroying McDavid/Draisaitl and the Avs went to the finals. Two years later the roles reversed, the Avs looked gassed and the Oilers went to the finals. I do not believe it's a coincidence.

- The PP is god awful, and it starts with Nathan MacKinnon. He's become way too predictable on entries and way too predictable in the zone if we do get set up. The problem is I don't see anyone skilled enough to play the half-wall except for Mittelstadt and boy oh boy this guy deserves a seat in the press box right about now not a promotion to PP1. What the Avs need is a right handed forward who can play down low so MacKinnon has someone to pass to but there's literally nobody but him. The slot option is too congested and forwards cheat to Makar - MacKinnon has nothing but weak shots on goal. Something has to change. Perhaps a setup with:

MacKinnon

Makar Colton Rantanen

Toews

could be tried. That way, Makar can be the one-timer option from the half-wall while he can go easily to MacKinnon down low as another right shot option, who can then one-touch to Colton or Rantanen backdoor. I just want SOMETHING changed rather than status quo.

 

[Alienblood]

Beaten by a team whose fans were chanting Kiefer Sherwood's name might be the most embarrassing thing I've ever seen. Relocate us to the Yukon immediately.

We'd attract more free agents there, beautiful place

 

[henchman21]

You guys are being really hard on Nuke. I don't know what you guys expect from him.

Hes on a 41 goal, 62 point pace since coming back from suspension this season, all while the Avs PP has been ICE cold and playing with a Casey Mittelstadt who has his head so far up his ass right now.

Nukes the least of our problems right now.

Nuke 5v5 xGF% is 43.7%. Not once in his entire career has he been below 49%. He's got 8 5v5 points in 16 games, not terrible... also not spectacular. The Avs need him to be the play driver, not just a guy. And right now he's actually a negative impact player 5v5. The Avs don't have the luxury of that.

Nuke is a part of the reason the PP is ice cold. He was always the guy to battle for any loose puck while winning most of those battles. Now he's just a guy out there.

Mitts is certainly in a slump right now and I don't know what has gone on here... but he's not the only reason the 2nd line is struggling (he is a part of it). Mitts as a playmaker sort needs finishers and guys who win battles on his line. If he doesn't have that, the offense will dry up and you're relying on him having a large enough impact defensively and puck control to make up for the lack of shooting. With Nuke not winning battles, the are oil and water right now.

Ok, I don't disagree. But then are people going to admit this is just a mediocre team, that will fail to make the playoffs with the current roster and coding staff?

Because basically every poster around here seems to think that the team is fine and likes to make constant excuses for why they played the way they did. When the reality is mid team, mixed bag of effort, mid to bad coaching. Which is why we see some good games and others where they look like would rather be anywhere but playing hockey, like last night.

I've been saying this team is mediocre for a while, but this team isn't missing the playoffs. They may not be a Cup contender, but they are a team nobody really wants to face in the first round because the top guys can ball out. It just won't happen for 4 rounds.

 

[Ceremony]

MacKinnon's turnover for the shorthanded goal would have seen anyone else benched for the rest of the game. Junior level bullshit.

 

[Pokecheque]

Kiviranta would be a 4th line regular on most teams, I agree the others might just see spot duty though.

Ivan’s game has fallen off a bit, he kinda ran into a similar problem a year ago.

 

[SirLoinOfCloth]

I missed the game. I need an update. Cale still shits in Quinn's breakfast cereal, right?

 

[chet1926]

MacKinnon's turnover for the shorthanded goal would have seen anyone else benched for the rest of the game. Junior level bullshit.

Oh so we're going to single out 29 for a bad play, when every player makes shitty plays pretty much every game, got it.

The team is a mess. They all need to get their shit together.

 

[henchman21]

Kiviranta would be a 4th line regular on most teams, I agree the others might just see spot duty though.

Ivan’s game has fallen off a bit, he kinda ran into a similar problem a year ago.

I don't think Kiviranta would be. He's been waived a few times here and the Avs made moves to push him out of the lineup multiple times. Along with that, he was another of the cast offs from another team.

Ivan is an effort player, if it ever wanes, his play drops pretty significantly. It was to the point last year where he got healthy scratched in the AHL down the stretch. Keeping his motor going will be crucial to his long-term ability in the NHL. He needs to find that LOC sort to try to carve out a few hundred games.

 

[RECKLESS]

I missed the game. I need an update. Cale still shits in Quinn's breakfast cereal, right?

No the Avalanche are in a sea of shit and everyone is drowning.

 

[Ceremony]

Oh so we're going to single out 29 for a bad play, when every player makes shitty plays pretty much every game, got it.

The team is a mess. They all need to get their shit together.

Pick anyone on the powerplay. He's the focal point, so yes.

 

[dahrougem2]

Oh so we're going to single out 29 for a bad play, when every player makes shitty plays pretty much every game, got it.

The team is a mess. They all need to get their shit together.

Yes, because the PP runs through him and for a really long time now he's been a huge issue on the PP. Constant turnovers, low-percentage shots getting swallowed up or missing the net entirely, poor entries.

He's IMO the biggest reason the PP has been brutal for a long time.

 

[henchman21]

MacK would probably have a Roy-like video room meltdown, but I'd put him on the bumper for 5-10 games and have Makar run the entry. Force MacK to live in the dirty area, fight for pucks, and quicken his trigger. Shake up his mind and give him different angles.

 

[The Moops]

He wasn't the rape coach.

lmao

 

[RECKLESS]

For sure the PP1 is the #1 problem right now. Goalie position is solved.
This game was lost on PP1. Literally.

Tweak that, but don't fold the f***ing franchise over a small coughing stretch HFAvs lol.

 

[Ceremony]

I called this perfectly btw, was just a bit out on the timeframe:

 

[S E P H]

CDH needs shot to the moon. It was clear last year in Tampa that his game was gone. They did all they could to keep him off the ice the last part of the season. I'm not even sure he's a NHL quality player anymore.

He is reaching Greg Zanon level of rubbish for me.