NHL (2021-2022) v. Congrats Avs. Jack Johnson is a Stanley Cup Champion.

[LudwigVan]

Agreed. Mike Smith is their guy, for better or worse.

[TheCountOfNYC]

So are Colorado’s and Edmonton’s goalies really bad or are their offenses really good?

[jingle.boy]

So are Colorado’s and Edmonton’s goalies really bad or are their offenses really good?

Yes.

I'd bet next week's paycheque that Smith starts tomorrow night.

That was an entertaining as hell game.  On top of "a distinct kicking motion", I can now add "puck possession" to the list of things that I clearly don't know what it is.  While I understand the ruling, I still think it's bullshit.  One of two things are going to happen next (or the following year).  First, elite players are going to start practicing today how to carry the puck over the blue line without touching it for a couple of feet.  Second, the league may redefine what constitutes "possession".  I never thought that "possession" had to mean "puck touching stick".

Also, jingle.son made a great observation.... what the hell were each of Carolina and Colorado thinking heading in to this season - "Oh for sure, one half of the 2020/21 Arizona Coyotes tandem will be able to see us thru the playoffs". 

[Nick]

I only got to really watch the third period, but man, another crazy Western conference series seems to be coming our way. Honestly I'll take either West team over any East team at this point, so the struggle for me is wanting that Avs/Oil series to go to 7 on one hand and wanting the winning team to be healthy and well rested on the other.

[SchecterShredder]

So are Colorado’s and Edmonton’s goalies really bad or are their offenses really good?

Little from column A and a little from column B

[gmillerdrake]

Rangers looking good. Definitely taking advantage of the long break vs only playing a day ago.

[TheCountOfNYC]

What the fuck is actually happening right now?

[Anguyen92]

What the fuck is actually happening right now?

Your team has scored 6 goals on a goalie who only allowed three in a sweep in the previous round.

[TheCountOfNYC]

What the fuck is actually happening right now?

Your team has scored 6 goals on a goalie who only allowed three in a sweep in the previous round.

But the Rangers haven’t played a real goalie in the playoffs yet.

[jingle.boy]

The week+ break sure did cool off Tampa.

[TAC]

Yeah, which made G1 a Must Win for the Rangers.

[TheCountOfNYC]

That was more than a victory. That was a statement.

[jingle.boy]

That was more than a victory. That was a statement.

That’s what the Leafs thought with Game 1 as well.

[crazy climber dude]

If the Avs had a good goalie, these games wouldn't be close, but they don't.

Kuemper was a top 5 goaltender in the NHL during the regular season. So he's either choking from the pressure and the improved teams as the rounds continue....or his eye is really bothering him. So....let's review, shall we?


General Discussion / Re: NHL (2021-2022) v. 1st Round Playoffs (Golden Knights not allowed this year)
« on: May 08, 2022, 09:42:49 AM »

With the exception of Colorado, I felt any of the other #1 Seeds could be vulnerable.

Well, they might be up 3-0....and it seems like they are playing with a different mindset/confidence from the last couple of years. But..

- Kuemper's eye injury not supposed to be "serious", but he's questionable for Game 4. And even moving forward, it's difficult to know how it might affect him in the coming games.

- Francouz is a very credible backup, but initially you could see Nashville gaining more confidence when they tied it up at 2-2 in Game 3....the first goal against Francouz. Granted, Ingram looked human after a stellar 49 save showing in Game 2. But the goaltending musical chairs is not typically a good thing for any team in the playoffs.

- Even with Kuemper unaffected by the injury, the competition gets tougher in each round....and he has to prove he's ready for THAT as well.

So check this short video out.....

https://youtu.be/XjX1PEnwSYw

So yeah, I made that potential prognostication on May 8th not as an excuse....rather a possiblility that has now come into play. Goaltenders don't pull themselves out unless there's a real issue.....they are like the MLB pitcher who thinks he can throw that next strike when the manager is ready to yank him.

If you watched him closely, he wasn't reacting AT ALL to the cross ice pucks that the Oilers kept scoring on. Granted, they were great passes, but he's usually SOLID between the pipes....so something must be going on between his!

 But just for the sake of argument....let's say Kuemper is FAKING his eye injury because he looked bad (really?)....and he's playing his best. Other than the Blues Game 5 (meltdown by entire Avs team and yes, St. Louis fans....a very spirited comeback by the never say die Blues team!)...and the extremely high powered offense of the Edmonton Oilers...he hasn't been bad at all in the playoffs so far. He's obviously not on the same level as Shesterkin or Vasilevkiy...but his stats during the season were indeed #5 ranked. Do you think the Avs would have bailed on Philip Grubauer (who was 30-9 with a 1.93 GAA in 2020) if they didn't think Kuemper was the guy?

Ultimately, though.....no excuses. Avs will have to keep trying to outscore the Oilers against their porous defense....or Francouz is going to have to absolutely stand on his head for 3 periods. Which one of those two things you going to bet on?

[jingle.boy]

No way did the thought ever cross my mind that he pulled himself by faking an injury - no idea how anyone could ever think that of any NHL player - this isn't the NBA or Premier League, ffs. 

I just can't grasp how he played 6 games against the Blues, but then something happened mid-game with the Oil that brought this about.  I'm not questioning/challenging it... I just don't get it.

And no, he's not a Top 5 goalie in the league.  If anything was learned from Grubauer's departure, it's that this team that plays in front of whoever is between the pipes has a lot to do with the performance of said goalie.  It just doesn't pass the sniff test to say Kuemper's a Top 5 goalie.

[Anguyen92]

Mark my words, I'm thinking Mike Smith is going to have a good game today and not just a game where the Oilers are going to outscore their issues, but I think he's going to pull through for them today.

[KevShmev]

Maybe the Blues defense is better than some thought.

In six playoff games, the Avs scored 22 goals against the Blues.

In five playoff games against other teams, the Avs have scored 29 goals.

 

I am setting the over/under again tonight at 6 1/2...for number of goals the Avs score.

[Anguyen92]

Well, at least, I know the Kings' defense (Doughty-less and warts and all) actually did decent enough against the Oilers to get three wins (and a shutout for Quick).  Flames couldn't get more than one win against the Oilers and that's a team, on paper, that has everything better than the Kings in all aspects this year, or so I was informed.  Hockey is weird like that.

[crazy climber dude]

No way did the thought ever cross my mind that he pulled himself by faking an injury - no idea how anyone could ever think that of any NHL player - this isn't the NBA or Premier League, ffs. 

I just can't grasp how he played 6 games against the Blues, but then something happened mid-game with the Oil that brought this about.  I'm not questioning/challenging it... I just don't get it.

And no, he's not a Top 5 goalie in the league.  If anything was learned from Grubauer's departure, it's that this team that plays in front of whoever is between the pipes has a lot to do with the performance of said goalie.  It just doesn't pass the sniff test to say Kuemper's a Top 5 goalie.

If you get poked in the eye with a stick....and it makes your eye swell shut....that can be pretty traumatic to whatever body part is damaged. Eyes in particular....they're pretty sensitive. But I think he has had moments of this bothering him since it happened. And who knows to what extent and when that may occur. I don't understand it either, but I respect that it could be happening. I think we look it as he took himself out because he was getting lit up. Yes....but I do think his eye was probably fucked too.

Agree he doesn't stand out that way....but mostly because the lion's share of his NATIONAL exposure (with the Avs, not the Wild) has been NOW...where he isn't playing quite as well. That skews your impression. If you watched every Avs game this year, believe it or not....he carried the team at times.

 And I'm not going by smell/eye test....I'm going by stats. Here you go....you have to change the right hand box from playoffs to regular season....and then click. He's #5. I realize each site is using different criteria, but this one shows his value.

https://moneypuck.com/goalies.htm

[Anguyen92]

So the Avs played the Oilers defensively for at least one game better than the Flames did in Oilers/Flames.  Funny how that works out.

[TAC]

There is no way Mike Sieve can start in any more games this series.

[jingle.boy]

There is no way Mike Sieve can start in any more games this series.

He had a stellar 1st period.  Lots of top-shelf saves.  It's hard to fault him on the 1st goal (deflection; Nurse turnover).  2nd one was a perfect shot.  3rd - same, on an odd-man break.  Didn't see the 4th.  Doesn't matter how many stops he made last night, if you don't score any, you don't win.

Wouldn't surprise me to see him back in the pipes, or to see Koskinen.  Saturday is absolutely a must-win.

[SchecterShredder]

There is no way Mike Sieve can start in any more games this series.

He had a stellar 1st period.  Lots of top-shelf saves.  It's hard to fault him on the 1st goal (deflection; Nurse turnover).  2nd one was a perfect shot.  3rd - same, on an odd-man break.  Didn't see the 4th.  Doesn't matter how many stops he made last night, if you don't score any, you don't win.

Wouldn't surprise me to see him back in the pipes, or to see Koskinen.  Saturday is absolutely a must-win.

He'll be starting game 3 for sure. At this point they're all in on Smith.

And I think these next 2 are essentially must win. I don't think they can take 3 straight against the Avs. As the old saying goes about 7 game playoffs "it's not a series until someone loses at home". Hopefully that's not tomorrow night

[TAC]

There is no way Mike Sieve can start in any more games this series.

He had a stellar 1st period.  Lots of top-shelf saves.  It's hard to fault him on the 1st goal (deflection; Nurse turnover).  2nd one was a perfect shot.  3rd - same, on an odd-man break.  Didn't see the 4th.  Doesn't matter how many stops he made last night, if you don't score any, you don't win.

Wouldn't surprise me to see him back in the pipes, or to see Koskinen.  Saturday is absolutely a must-win.

I didn't see any of the game, just the score. I was ...watching something else.

[pg1067]

Back in 2012, the Coyotes won their first couple series BECAUSE OF Smith.  This year, the Oilers won their first two series in spite of Smith, and there's no way they're talking 4 of 5 from Colorado.

I didn't see any of the game, just the score. I was ...watching something else.

For a while, I was switching between the Celtics, the COL/EDM game and the Dodgers game.  Fortunately, by the time I turned everything on, the hockey game was pretty well in hand, so I spent most of my time on the other two games.

[jingle.boy]

Back in 2012, the Coyotes won their first couple series BECAUSE OF Smith.  This year, the Oilers won their first two series in spite of Smith, and there's no way they're talking 4 of 5 from Colorado.

Hard to argue that, really.  And that's not a recipe for a Stanley Cup Champ.  The goaltending concerns that everyone had for the Oil back in October are coming home to roost.  I'm not sure a team can win 16 games this time of year without a goalie stealing 1 or a few games.  I don't think Smith has done that yet, and he's certainly put them in positions of having to climb out of holes.

[TAC]

But Mike Smith blows. How could anyone go into a season with him as their #1?

[TheCountOfNYC]

Those Rangers kids are gonna be a force in the league for a long time.

[Anguyen92]

Back in 2012, the Coyotes won their first couple series BECAUSE OF Smith.  This year, the Oilers won their first two series in spite of Smith, and there's no way they're talking 4 of 5 from Colorado.

Hard to argue that, really.  And that's not a recipe for a Stanley Cup Champ.  The goaltending concerns that everyone had for the Oil back in October are coming home to roost.  I'm not sure a team can win 16 games this time of year without a goalie stealing 1 or a few games.  I don't think Smith has done that yet, and he's certainly put them in positions of having to climb out of holes.

I mean he did ok against the Kings in Game 7 (not that he needed to try hard since they weren't generating dangerous chances) and he almost got a shutout in Game 3 against the Flames (the one where Lucic run into him, left for a few minutes, and then came back and let the only goal in to break the shutout).

That stated, I can't see how he can steal a few games against this Avs roster that has a lot of offensive firepower.  I mean sorta want to believe, but we are beyond the point where believing Smith can do well is being delusional.

[TAC]

Marchand out until after Thanksgiving.
McAvoy out until December.
Bergeron likely to retire.


How's that 2023 Draft Class?

[Anguyen92]

Marchand out until after Thanksgiving.
McAvoy out until December.
Bergeron likely to retire.


How's that 2023 Draft Class?

I hear really great things at the guy most likely to go #1, Connor Bedard.  So much that I think some middling teams think it's probably best not to push so hard next season and maybe get a good shot at winning the draft lottery to get this guy.

[TAC]

Marchand out until after Thanksgiving.
McAvoy out until December.
Bergeron likely to retire.


How's that 2023 Draft Class?

I hear really great things at the guy most likely to go #1, Connor Bedard.  So much that I think some middling teams think it's probably best not to push so hard next season and maybe get a good shot at winning the draft lottery to get this guy.

Hear that, Bruins!

[Anguyen92]

I mean if I'm a GM that's thinking of trading their 2023 1st round pick for whatever, I definitely would want that pick top 10 protected just in case something unanticipated happens.

[TheCountOfNYC]

I just…can’t believe what is happening.

[jammindude]

I just…can’t believe what is happening.

Let’s see how the Tampa games go before anyone starts panicking.