GDT: G47: Stars @ Avs - 1/18/2025 @ 2:00 PM MST - Takin’ Big D on a Saturday Afternoon

[the_fan]

I don’t know, Colton right now is so bad defensively I can’t even think of where to put him where he’s not such a huge Kia I pity, but Kelly at 3C is simply not working at all. And that’s not a diss on Kelly. Dude is doing his best but he’s a career 4th liner (and IIRC usually a winger) having to carry a huge defensive load as the third best center on the team.

I guess put it this way—is Parker Kelly really the third-best center on the team? If so then the Avs need to make a trade. Now.

FTR I don’t think he is.

I agree, Kelly should be a 4C and Bednar needs to try Parssinen at 3C, if that doesn’t work, we need to trade for a center

 

[RoyIsALegend]

I agree, Kelly should be a 4C and Bednar needs to try Parssinen at 3C, if that doesn’t work, we need to trade for a center

Ever since Parssinen laid the body to setup Toews for the winning goal against Florida and then scored a beauty goal against Chicago, Bednar has reduced his minutes back to 6-9 minutes per game.

As @dahrougem2 said, Bednar must be seeing something during Parssinen’s shifts that he really doesn’t like.

 

[the_fan]

Ever since Parssinen laid the body to setup Toews for the winning goal against Florida and then scored a beauty goal against Chicago, Bednar has reduced his minutes back to 6-9 minutes per game.

As @dahrougem2 said, Bednar must be seeing something during Parssinen’s shifts that he really doesn’t like.

Or maybe Bednar is just too in love with that Kivi-Kelly-LOC line. He keeps bragging about that line. When or if everyone comes back including Landy, that can be our 4th line and we can ice a Landy-Colton-Wood/Parssinen 3rd line. I think someone might get traded. I’m thinking Wood maybe the one that gets dealt

 

[Pokecheque]

I don’t think Parssinen is the answer either.

I didn’t agree with @Balthazar earlier but I think if they signed Colton to be the 3C then he needs to be the 3C. He’s gone ice cold since returning from injury and doesn’t belong in the top six. Now that LOC appears to be back in form they can reunite those two and see if there’s a fit.

I don’t really know who they put at LW in Colton’s place but they gotta do something different.

Or maybe Bednar is just too in love with that Kivi-Kelly-LOC line. He keeps bragging about that line. When or if everyone comes back including Landy, that can be our 4th line and we can ice a Landy-Colton-Wood/Parssinen 3rd line. I think someone might get traded. I’m thinking Wood maybe the one that gets dealt

Kiviranta is looking overwhelmed too. He’s yet another 4th line guy who is being asked to do too much. But there’s not much they can do there.

 

[RoyIsALegend]

I don’t think Parssinen is the answer either.

So we used a 3rd round pick in a contending year for nothing? I’m not saying you’re wrong, but that sucks.

A 3rd round pick could at least get a veteran 4th liner that Bednar would trust and actually use.

 

[the_fan]

Kiviranta is looking overwhelmed too. He’s yet another 4th line guy who is being asked to do too much. But there’s not much they can do there.

Yeah, and again that’s because of injuries. I mean if we had a fully healthy lineup including Landy, that Kivi-Kelly-LOC line could have been the 4th line

 

[Bender]

2C or not 2C - that is the question

 

[Pokecheque]

So we used a 3rd round pick in a contending year for nothing? I’m not saying you’re wrong, but that sucks.

A 3rd round pick could at least get a veteran 4th liner that Bednar would trust and actually use.

I dunno, I feel like they took him on as more of a long-term project. I didn’t get my hopes up too much for him—after all he was buried in Nashville of all places.

I’ll say that Kelly has good wheels, works hard, has decent hockey IQ, and is willing to get in the way of any shot, he just possesses no skill whatsoever. I think Bednar got too enamored with him after that one sequence where he blocked all those shots (and at the same time soured on Annunen for eventually letting in the goal ).

So anyway, yeah, I don’t quite know what to make of management’s decisions of late.

 

[wayninja]

2C or not 2C - that is the question

Whether tis nobler on the line to suffer the stings and lasers of outrageous forehands...

 

[the_fan]

2C or not 2C - that is the question

Remains to be seen. Mitts was good today, but he needs to keep it up

 

[dahrougem2]

When Nichushkin returns what the bottom six SHOULD be IMO is

Colton - Parssinen - O'Connor
Kiviranta - Kelly - Ivan

What it likely will be is

Kiviranta - Kelly - O'Connor
Parssinen - Colton - Ivan

Bednar loves him some Parker Kelly and Joel Kiviranta.

 

[the_fan]

When Nichushkin returns what the bottom six SHOULD be IMO is

Colton - Parssinen - O'Connor
Kiviranta - Kelly - Ivan

What it likely will be is

Kiviranta - Kelly - O'Connor
Parssinen - Colton - Ivan

Bednar loves him some Parker Kelly and Joel Kiviranta.

4 mill 4C

At least we can set a record. Has there ever been a more expensive 4C?

 

[RoyIsALegend]

4 mill 4C

At least we can set a record. Has there ever been a more expensive 4C?

Yeah, Casey Mittelstadt last game.

 

[the_fan]

Yeah, Casey Mittelstadt last game.

That was just for a game or so. I was thinking we gonna put Colton at 4C permanently which should never happen

 

[RECKLESS]

Remains 2 be Cn. Mitts was good today, but he needs to keep it up

fixed

 

[nonamejay]

Nate has to drive his line harder. Him, Rantanen and Colton were average at best today. I thought Kiviranta had a better game, than some of the advanced stuff implies and Middleton was also great too. Wedgie had a strong second period, but seemed a bit rusty overall as the pucks had some odd bounces after he touched them.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

It dawned on me today that Ivan has a lot of similarities to a young LOC. He's showing some really good defensive tendency and skill but is suffering real consistency issues. LOC's first season was spent mostly with the Monsters. The next season he played a bit more than a dozen games for the Avs. Then he made it full time in his third.

LOC had a pretty tremendous mentor in Matt Calvert on the Avs as he was breaking in. I feel good because sometime while I wasn't watching Logan O'Connor become his own finished version of Matt Calvert and is damn good role model and mentor for Ivan.

Only other big thought was that the minute I saw Cale go down I figured the hockey gods had a sick sense of humor and were demanding his AAV to be used to clear the space for Landy's return. Fitting considering who hurt Landy.

Fun game to watch. Seemed like the players were having a good time too. I said a couple of nights ago that JD-Mitts-Lehky was the best thing that could happen to Mitts. He appears to be a cerebral player. The highest IQ forward we have is JD... and Lehky isn't that far behind. And the last little spell JD has been handling the puck more and more and making great passes. I figured he could help Mitts by taking some responsibilty off of him the way Gabe did for MacK. Biggest thing to me was seeing Mitts smiling on the ice again. Been a while since it looked like he was having fun playing a game.

[edit...Watching the post game and Manson is an absolute beauty. Has to be the best interview on the team. Loved the vodka comment and then when accused of making a 200' rush said something about having to immediately change 'cause he was gassed.]

 

[Miri]

Well, that was kind of a weird game. But I’m perfectly okay with it.

Wedgewood was really good and yet, I think the three goals he gave up were bad, and all three were scored in almost the same exact area of the ice. First one could be argued was just a really good shot by Duchene but I still don’t like how he was cheating toward the middle.

Anyway, the second line was great, Mitts best game of the year by a mile. A healthy Drouin IMO is way more beneficial to the Avs than a healthy (and sober) Nichushkin.

Top line on the other hand was far less good. Defensively I thought they were a mess and I’ll have to look at the stats but I’m pretty sure Colton was the worst defensive player on the ice today.

Didn’t love how Manson started the game at all but he rounded out fine. I swear he missed a shift after that awful penalty the Stars immediately scored on, but maybe it was just a rotation thing.

And of course it wouldn’t have mattered if they had scored on it but Middleton just HAD to have just one truly horrid turnover, did it in the dying seconds of the game. Otherwise, I thought he and de Haan were actually okay.

I dont think that the goals Wedgie given were bad. First, snipe going between his head and post, what is he going to do about that? Second, deflection off Toews. Third, f***ing Robertson somehow finding the only tiny spot the puck could possibly go through. If he tried 10 times in a row after that, doubt he could repeat it more than twice. Same goes for those other 2 goals, lucky low-percentage occurences. Typical Dallas, even when they are shit, somehow end up scoring at least 3 against us. f*** them.

Anyway, good game and for the most part good performance. Ofc MacK/Rantanen were quiet this game, but thats the neat part - we still scored 6! Especially thanks to second line - was this the first time Bednar tried that combo? Or did it just only now randomly click? Mittelstadt finally coming back to life - please oh please let this be new found chemistry and not just random one-off thing! If yes, between them and MacK-Rantanen-Nichuskin we should have finally the top six we deserve.

Powerplay sucked as usual, but thats nothing new. The player in possesion of the puck always having Dallas player next to him and no surprising pass or anything there happening to actually make up space for extra shooter - just hoping MacK/Makar hit it from blueline. Utter shite and whoever is in charge of that needs long hard look in the mirror.

Lol at DeHaan being clumsy and falling down to the ice on his own on that one occasion. It was comical.

EDIT: also, f*** Dallas.

 

[Raucherhusten]

I will watch, but i will NOT like it.

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

2nd line domination today.

View attachment 963264

This is very good sign. Finally.

Imagine first and second line firing well? We'd be good.

 

[niwotsblessing]

f*** Dallas.

^^^ This. Always, this.

Fornicate the stars.

 

[VikingAv]

It dawned on me today that Ivan has a lot of similarities to a young LOC. He's showing some really good defensive tendency and skill but is suffering real consistency issues. LOC's first season was spent mostly with the Monsters. The next season he played a bit more than a dozen games for the Avs. Then he made it full time in his third.

LOC had a pretty tremendous mentor in Matt Calvert on the Avs as he was breaking in. I feel good because sometime while I wasn't watching Logan O'Connor become his own finished version of Matt Calvert and is damn good role model and mentor for Ivan.

Are you gonna have another meltdown when Ivan² is traded for another Duhaime or Walker?

 

[Balthazar]

I didn’t agree with @Balthazar earlier but I think if they signed Colton to be the 3C then he needs to be the 3C.

The narrative that he's so good at wing that he can't go back at center needs to die. He isn't that good at center and he isn't that good at wing either. The thing is, we have tons of wingers and very few centers and he's making center money. It's an easy decision: center or CMac asks him to waive his NMC.

His damn NMC kicked in last July. We should have traded him earlier last summer when they were rumors that he was on the block.

 

[Ceremony]

First early game of the season and I miss it because I'm out. And we actually win. Great.

Feels like we conceded more goals than we should have but those two powerplay goals that found holes you couldn't really see don't count.

 

[ABasin]

What it likely will be is

Kiviranta - Kelly - O'Connor
Parssinen - Colton - Ivan

4 mill 4C

At least we can set a record. Has there ever been a more expensive 4C?

In that case, I think the Avs are just rolling with a Bottom 6, no real 3rd/4th distinction. Which I think would be fine, just looking at the remainder of this year.

Also, it assumes the Avs will have no more injuries at forward, which obviously is a poor assumption.

I dunno, I feel like they took him on as more of a long-term project. I didn’t get my hopes up too much for him—after all he was buried in Nashville of all places.

I’ll say that Kelly has good wheels, works hard, has decent hockey IQ, and is willing to get in the way of any shot, he just possesses no skill whatsoever. I think Bednar got too enamored with him after that one sequence where he blocked all those shots (and at the same time soured on Annunen for eventually letting in the goal ).

So anyway, yeah, I don’t quite know what to make of management’s decisions of late.

Yeah, I've been saying something similar all season. I like the way Kelly plays hockey. Dude just has Cody McLeod hands.