GDT: Game 40: Sideways Toilet Seats at Avalanche January 4, 2025 5:00pm MT

[Spilot23]

Forgot to add that Mittelstadt needs to be better somehow his line was dominant when Parise was there. Was Parise the one that made that line dominant? He’s trying to slow down the play way too much and it seems like everyone knows how he plays and keeps giving the puck away.

 

[littletonhockeycoach]

This was a one of those games where undeservingly "good teams playing badly find a way to win" would apply.

Except the Avs didn't deserve to win and amazingly, didn't notch the victory.

The effort and intensity wasn't there. They deserved to lose. Blackwood being about the only exception.

 

[the_fan]

Avs needed this one.

Next 7 of 9 games are tough: vs FLA, 2 vs Minny, 2 vs Winny, Oilers, and Stars

Hopefully Avs will actually show up against tough opponents. They probably underestimated Montreal thinking it would be an easy win specially when they played yesterday and were the tired team

 

[Pokecheque]

This. I'm more than ready to move on from the Parker Kelly experiment.

Put Colton back where he belongs and move LOC up until Nuke comes back.

I think we've got as much as we could from Kelly and Malinski. They could do the job for a while but we shouldn't have assumed that they were now full time NHLers.

I have no issue with him on the fourth line. He wins faceoffs, he’s reasonably good on the penalty kill, it’s just his total and complete inability to generate ANY offense that should ban him from anything higher.

 

[Bender]

Parker Kelly losing the puck is a nothing play if Makar doesn't join the rush like a mad man and leaves Toews on a 2vs1. Makar was f***ing flat tonight.

To be fair, Makar joins the rush on that play to put them away. Kelly seems to think he's got moves out there believing his own hype and makes an idiotic dangle. All he has to do is enter the zone, slow up a bit and make a 5 foot pass to Makar which is a play ANY NHLer should be able to do.

It's easy to say - Makar shouldn't join the rush after the fact because they went the other way and scored but Kelly turned it over needlessly.

Kelly is a 4th liner - nothing more - and he's played pretty well overall this season considering he's played on the 3rd line more than anywhere else because we never have a goddam f***ing healthy lineup!!

 

[BobRossColton]

I'm just ready for a healthy line up..

 

[John Mandalorian]

To be fair, Makar joins the rush on that play to put them away. Kelly seems to think he's got moves out there believing his own hype and makes an idiotic dangle. All he has to do is enter the zone, slow up a bit and make a 5 foot pass to Makar which is a play ANY NHLer should be able to do.

It's easy to say - Makar shouldn't join the rush after the fact because they went the other way and scored but Kelly turned it over needlessly.

Kelly is a 4th liner - nothing more - and he's played pretty well overall this season considering he's played on the 3rd line more than anywhere else because we never have a goddam f***ing healthy lineup!!

Parker Kelly is the Ryan Graves of the bottom 6.

 

[SB]

Hopefully Avs will actually show up against tough opponents. They probably underestimated Montreal thinking it would be an easy win specially when they played yesterday and were the tired team

And they were all over them in the first period, scored a goal, and then ... kinda quit.

 

[Avs9296]

If Mittelstadt didn't suck f***ing shit right now, Kelly wouldn't have to be played so much. The third line were taking some shifts from the 2nd line in the 3rd period because Casey was asstastic again.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

Really thinking it's absolutely necessary that Bednar is forced to have at least one new assistant... and whoever they hire for the spot needs to have shown a real talent for special teams.

We've got to do something different. The guys look absolutely bored playing Avs hockey.

 

[the_fan]

The shitty part is, if Avs want to catch up and maybe win the division which they’re not too far behind, and the Jets actually lost tonight in regulation, they have to get 2 points in games like this. There is no reason not to show up for tonight’s game. Now Dallas jumped ahead of us and they still have games in hand. Avs probably don’t care about where they finish as long as they make the playoffs. Actually that’s what Toews said after yesterday’s win

 

[Balthazar]

If Mittelstadt didn't suck f***ing shit right now, Kelly wouldn't have to be played so much.

Is there still a path for him to get out of this? You can't get this cold for half a season can you?

 

[Metallo]

To be fair, Makar joins the rush on that play to put them away. Kelly seems to think he's got moves out there believing his own hype and makes an idiotic dangle. All he has to do is enter the zone, slow up a bit and make a 5 foot pass to Makar which is a play ANY NHLer should be able to do.

It's easy to say - Makar shouldn't join the rush after the fact because they went the other way and scored but Kelly turned it over needlessly.

Kelly is a 4th liner - nothing more - and he's played pretty well overall this season considering he's played on the 3rd line more than anywhere else because we never have a goddam f***ing healthy lineup!!

Makar's got to be aware that it's sucky Kelly who has the puck, that we are up by one and there is only a few minutes left.

Your best players have to be your best players. That is hard but that's the NHL.

 

[BobRossColton]

Healthy scratch mitts?

 

[Metallo]

Really thinking it's absolutely necessary that Bednar is forced to have at least one new assistant... and whoever they hire for the spot needs to have shown a real talent for special teams.

We've got to do something different. The guys look absolutely bored playing Avs hockey.

That move is long overdue. Bennett should have been canned summer 2023 after the SEA debacle. At the very least to send a message to the team that this was not an acceptable result.

 

[The Shermanator]

Holy shit we really lost?

 

[Pokecheque]

I'm just ready for a healthy line up..

You’ll be waiting forever.

Holy shit we really lost?

First OT/SO loss of the season!

 

[BobRossColton]

You’ll be waiting forever.

I guess I'm just so burnt out on a never consistent line up, blendnar style

 

[expatriatedtexan]

That move is long overdue. Bennett should have been canned summer 2023 after the SEA debacle. At the very least to send a message to the team that this was not an acceptable result.

PL would make shakeup trades and moves. He also told his teams that losing had consequences and demanded deeper runs than one and dones. I understand CMac's been extremely handcuffed via the salary cap, Nuke's love of fresh powder, and Landy's injury... but that doesn't stop him from making any changes in the coaching realm.

It's almost like everyone in the Organization is like Bednar. There's not a problem here...just skate harder.

I am NOT a tactician by any means...but I do have a question on our PP. Why not have both MacKinnona AND Makar stay down low for the drop pass? The two of them coming up together with speed would have to cause the defenders stacked on the blueline to adjust positions and they should be able to exploit a weakness when that happens or they can dump and continue in with the speed advantage Nate and Cale have already developed and they should actually reach the puck first with numbers.

 

[SirLoinOfCloth]

Too much weight gets put into individual shitshow games like this. Crap game. Move along.

 

[Tralfamadore]

Is there still a path for him to get out of this? You can't get this cold for half a season can you?

Or he's just not cold.

 

[Pokecheque]

Forgot to add that Mittelstadt needs to be better somehow his line was dominant when Parise was there. Was Parise the one that made that line dominant? He’s trying to slow down the play way too much and it seems like everyone knows how he plays and keeps giving the puck away.

No, it definitely wasn’t Parise. Mittelstadt actually started out this season pretty well but for some reason from around mid-November until now has seen his game go in the tank.

I still think he’s overthinking and overcompensating instead of making the smart play. It’d be nice to just demote him again but of course, injuries.

At this point, why not get Drouin at center?

 

[Bender]

Makar's got to be aware that it's sucky Kelly who has the puck, that we are up by one and there is only a few minutes left.

Your best players have to be your best players. That is hard but that's the NHL.

There was 7 mins+ left and personally, I don't blame Makar for going up ice. You're taught at a young age that as a forward if you see your D jump up, you have to be prepared to hang back. That was going to be a sweet outmanned rush and it's not like Kelly has shown through 39 games so far that he's much of a dangler at all.

So on top of that stupid dangle, LOC should have hung back after seeing Makar 'get on his horse' and actually lap him up the ice. At that point, he's responsible to cover for Makar since Kelly and Kiviranta are attacking. A lot of miscues on that play.

That move is long overdue. Bennett should have been canned summer 2023 after the SEA debacle. At the very least to send a message to the team that this was not an acceptable result.

Could not agree more. The Avs should be Top-5 on the Powerplay every single year with the talent they can throw out there.

To be 11th midway through the year is not good enough. It's costing us points in the standings. Our entries are easily predictable but they never seem to change anything up.

The bLose were thrilled when they finally got rid of that guy and it's easy to see why.

 

[JoeSakic13]

@Metallo

 

[Puckstop40]

Trade Mitts back for Byram?