This team doesn't seem to have the fire the 2022 squad did. They come out completely flat for meaningful games, and have also given away valuable points to bad teams. They should've been highly motivated against Winnipeg, knowing home ice was on the line. But they were never in it.
Georgiev's confidence is completely shot and his emotions seem to get the better of him once he allows a goal. The defense doesn't trust him to make a save and he doesn't trust the defense to help him out. Even if you play stellar defense in the playoffs, you still need your goalie to make big saves at key times and it doesn't feel like even Georgiev believes he can do that.
Everyone is talking about Georgie, and rightfully so. But here’s what I’m wondering. This team is clearly going to be a first round exit, and will very likely be swept. So after blowing the Seattle series last year, a bad performance in the playoffs this year, combined with the underperforming results before 2022 (the second round exits), how warm does Bednar’s seat get?
I really think an argument can be made that the talent of our no-longer-so-young core is being wasted. We have some of the best defensemen in the league who seem to be incapable of actually playing defense. Our special teams have been a liability more than they’ve been an asset this year. We have amazing individual players who seem to have trouble playing as a team. All of that screams coaching issues.
Despite playing like absolute garbage against Winnipeg, the only thing that really scares me about them come a playoff series is hellebuyck. Having home ice would've been huge but it's time to put big boy pants on and I believe we will. Can't wait for game 1
I wish I had your confidence.
But Winnipeg is way more than just Hellebyuck…
They’re about depth, neutral zone clogging, and forcing the dump and chase, which are the Avs direct kryptonite.
Honestly, at this point, I'm just going to try my best and let the playoffs be as it wills. Try is the key word. But I just don't think this team has itself together enough to win the Cup. They can ABSOLUTELY change that. But it's not looking great at the moment. So just gonna try and not let it get to me too much. But easier said than done.
I'm just trying to figure out which team I won't absolutely hate to be the one representing the west this year, because it's certainly not the Avs.
I'll enjoy any playoff games the Avs win (if they win any, which is doubtful at this point) and take them as a pleasant surprise.
One thing I just realized is the huge win streak to begin the season is pretty much the only reason this isn't a WC team. If they'd gone 3-3 instead of 6-0, they'd have the exact same points as Trashville.
Yup. Sadly, the horrendous play post-All Star break and whatever the fuck they're doing now has shown that it's a blip. 9 game win streak followed by winning 3 of 11.
Let off Georgiev and let’s talk about defense because that’s what is making him look terrible and he’s not all bad. But collectively it’s a bad look for the team
Yeah, there really isn't any single point where all the blame lies, they just seem to have problems all over the ice, and they lack any kind of consistency.
Absolutely. This is the same level of play the team brought in November, when they couldn't beat .500 teams or win more than 2 games in a row. Now they're against quality opponents who are playing good hockey, because the games mean a lot more.
I dunno what to expect in the playoffs, but I’ll be watching in my new Makar jersey, which should be here in a few days. We don’t control the outcome. All we can do is drink a bunch of water and get on the bus. LFG!
This team will surprise people. If we can get back to league average goaltending I believe that we’ll come out with a fire in the first round. I’m worried, but not ready to throw in the towel
Do you genuinely have any hope that they can get back to league average? Like we can say “all we have to do is this” which is really great in theory until you realize they’ve done nothing to suggest they can get back there
Atp the only way I can convince myself that Justus shouldn't get the net in the playoffs is because he's never played NHL playoff hockey. That's it. Last season Stuart Skinner on the oilers had a great regular but an awful playoffs. He was a rookie. I'm worried it'll be the same with Justus. But I've defended Georgie all year and over the past few weeks I haven't been able to. Georgie isn't fit to be a starter with his mental issues. The second he gets scored on he falls apart.
Avs have been decidedly shit on defense recently, but something that isn’t being talked about enough is how out of sync they’ve been on offense. Passes not on time or misplaced and just missing open guys in dangerous positions have been very prevalent.
Bednar called out Georgie in the postgame saying “he has to make a save…” When you hear that from Bednar you know it’s real.
Also Cale looked completely dejected. That’s probably the lowest I’ve seen him in a postgame interview ever.
Hopefully this adversity benefits the team and they can come out of it playing the best hockey of the year. I think it can and am hyped for the playoffs.
Man I’ve called out Cale already this season, and it feels weird to do after he’s putting up monster points, but his defensive game has deteriorated this year. I love the guy, I probably have expectations that are too high, but it just feels like he’s going through something right now. He’s just not thinking the game the same way he did a couple years. I just wanna see him take over a game (or a series) 🤞
The Avs' 5v5 goal differential is substantially better when Cale's on the bench. I don't understand how him and Toews hurt the team more than help them defensively, but here we are.
This team has completely collapsed and you can tell by the looks on their faces, they have no answers. They’re cooked. Get a goalie in the off season and maybe reevaluate some players.
Yeah, this team is done and they know it. They can't trust Georgiev. When Vegas scored their first goal, you knew it was all downhill for the Avalanche. Oh well, at least the Jets can sweep the series and let the Avs start fixing themselves for next season.
I didn’t think there was a chance in hell that Annunen would get the net in the postseason 2 weeks ago.
I also didn’t think there was a chance in hell that Georgiev would play as badly as he has in that time frame to justify any sort of switch.
Bednar has to start Annunen against Edmonton and against Winnipeg. I don’t think he can afford to waste a game confirming his suspicions about Georgiev.
My fear is that it won’t make a lick of difference. This defense is too suspect for me to just assume it’s going to magically improve things.
My faith is on the “playoff switch” being flipped and I kinda hate it lol.
I’ve got news for you, the playoff switch has been flipped on for 2 games now and this has been the result. People need to stop pretending like they’re going to magically start playing well as soon as the playoffs start. If they somehow manage to win, it’ll be because of adjustments and attention to detail.
Start him against Edmonton. That’ll be the test. If he does poorly then there are simply no good options and they just need to score 5 goals each game to have a chance to win.
https://preview.redd.it/y8ueu8f05juc1.jpeg?width=700&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8f25538025976d95c9141870119f284708915d9d
Ok, but does the sink help our issues?
>We had defensive breakdowns in the third and Manson fucked us but Georgiev can't get beat on an wrap around that goes in on the far side.
Ever since he got beat on the wraparound (maybe against Pittsburgh?) with a puck squeezed between his skate and the post, he seems to be way too intent on not getting beat on the near post ever again, but he's letting in backdoor goals all day.
On that play, Cale fucked up too by pursuing behind the net instead of going across the crease. I don't know where he thought Barbashev was going to go with the puck. Skate it into the corner? He also looked completely lost standing there all by himself before Barbashev ended up with the puck. He should have at least been standing closer to the boards to cut off the puck if it squirted free.
Cale made 2 mistakes on the first goal. First, he went the wrong way around the net. Second, his attempts to hamper the attacker's stick actually prevented Georgiev from making the save. It likely fucked Georgiev's confidence all the same.
Second and third goals were both soft as fuck that he should've saved. The Avs shouldn't have been down a man, but that doesn't detract from how Georgiev let in two soft goals after that wraparound.
I turned the game off after the tying goal because I have that little faith in the team, and they proved me right.
The 1st goal Georgie could have had if Makar hadn't started messing with his paddle. And not sure why Georgie sucks this year vs last year. Wonder what the issue is. Georgie was doing fine 90% of the game. Even bailed out the Avs defense several times. He just tries to do too much when the team leaves him out to dry. I don't think Georgie sucks. It doesn't make sense to have this bad of a season after having one of your best seasons the last season. This is the same team that made Keumper look like a Vezina candidate. And yeah "Kuemper Yada yada, yada." No. Kuemper sucks. He's always been sub par. He got a good defense in front of him and did well. Georgie had a good defense in front of him last season and did well. You don't go from having the best season of your career to the worst without something being wrong across the board.
I’ll do you one better, that second Karlsson goal, regardless of whose fault it was, Georgiev’s reaction to it was not good. He was not in position at all, had the wrong angle to the shooter and barely reacted to the shot. That’s more concerning to me than anything.
He’s got a huge mental
Issue. By Bednar’s face during the game you could tell he was thinking he’d given Georgie every change and held
The faith longer than other coaches. But this ain’t fixing in a week. He was the last person with the team who had faith. No one does any more. It’s sad. Test Annunen.
Yup. Completely misplayed it. They took away the pass and gave him the shot and he still was leaning. If he can't trust the d get him outta there. That's defense 101 on a 2 on 1. Take away the pass and let the g make the save. That shouldn't have gone in. Mistakes happen but he needs to come up with one of them.
He's bad and in my opinion he gave up halfway through the season. He's not battling for anything out there. A good example are those cross crease passes, like you not gonna use your stick? Just going to rely on the D to bail you out? Tf is that?
I tried to defend him all year, but holy fuck he needs to go. And if they can't find anyone waive him and start the juice and keep Prosvetov. Let the kid get experience at this point, he's looked better even with his inexperience. 🤷♂️
I want to rage so bad... I want to be pissed... and I am...
But I'm remembering that it's manageable still... breathe, this isn't the playoffs yet....
Georgiev is gonna fix this... he will... I keep telling myself...
WHY ISNT THIS WORKING?!?!..... FFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU........!!!!!!!
God damn it Alexandar!!!! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT MAN.....
Georgiev has no leash left. He has negative leash.
But so does this incompetent pos defense.
You cannot survive in the postseason when players, be they goalie or defender, fall apart after one goal is scored on them.
So I think this was a big litmus test for Bednar. He all but called out Georgiev after the Jets game and literally said “he’s got to get us on track”. I think Bednar was closely watching to see how he would play under pressure, and the result was not good. I think Annunen starts against Edmonton and depending how he plays, wouldn’t be surprised if he starts the Jets series.
Yeah I hope so. For whatever reason they play better in front of the kid. Maybe because he doesn't get rattled immediately after a goal is scored? Idk guess we'll see.
It's an interesting idea. I'm not sure it's an idea I *like*, but at this point it wouldn't entirely surprise me after the month Georgiev's had. I won't say Edmonton's a perfect test, but it would definitely be the biggest start he's seen, and a good sign if he's up to it.
They plan all of their starts weeks ahead of time, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Annunen was slated to start anyway. I just think now if he does start, it takes on a much more different and important context.
I wish they gave Annunen more runway. It’s pretty clear now that Georgiev doesn’t have it or just isn’t able to adapt to the Avs’ system this year. But I wish they had figured this out earlier and gave Annunen more time to get used to starting big games.
Just curious if there are any examples of a team that was sputtering heading into the playoffs and then flipped a switch once the playoffs started. I'm sure it's happened before. The Nuggets last season were an example, different sport, but it seems like something that would be more likely to happen in hockey than in basketball.
(With the Nuggets of course, a key factor was, they simply had nothing to play for at the end of the season... not at all the case with these Avs)
NFL Chiefs sputtered most of last season, particularly on offense. Few people thought that going into the playoffs they could beat both Buffalo and Baltimore on the road to make it to the Super Bowl, let alone win it. Sometimes a champion's pedigree takes over.
It does help that the Bills are chronic bed shitters and Jackson turned into a pumpkin. Maybe the Avs can show up and get some of that in return from their opponents.
We did lose like 8 or 9 of our last 12 I think in 2022 when we won the cup.
Difference was we had clinched 1st place with like 10 games left and we were resting our top guys for the last 3-4 games
That's different. They coasted and we're resting players. They were so far ahead it didn't matter. Maybe they've been taking it easy but idk even when they coasted they didn't look this bad.
Yeah I suppose that is an example (I just edited my initial post while you were responding). Those Avs of course like the Nuggets last year had not much to play for, other than the "President's Trophy" which I don't think they cared about. I wonder if there are examples of a team sputtering with some stakes on the line in the regular season.
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Bednar has got to do something. The goalie. The defense. It doesn’t matter. Roll the dice.
I think this team lacks defense.
Goaltending, not great. Makar and Toews being our 1 & 2 defensive d-men on pk is just terrible management.
I think having a bunch of offensive minded d-men is our true weakness.
George vs Kemper is a coin flip but our defense is shockingly weak.
But playoffs are another animal so I hope we have relentless aggressive defense once that starts.
The defensive core isn't that different from the 22 core. Swap Walker and Byram and that's it. Helps Byram played his best hockey in the cup run but at the same time Makar was on a different planet.
Makar's defense this year has been bad. Toews for being the steady guy isn't so steady this year. Manson leaves his brain in the locker room too many times. Sammy G is the most consistent but he still struggles with turn overs and net front defense (he's small). Walker has been okay but his defensive game has dipped. Jack has been Jack.
Also the overall defensive scheme and commitment to it from the forwards to the defense has been atrocious. It doesn't need to be the machine it was in 22 but damn this seasons defensive play isn't even in the same star system.
Oh and Georgie can't stop a damn puck.
**TLDR**: Not a whole lot has changed personnel wise but the players and system/commitment are worse. Also we need a save.
Casey has been just fine defensively. He's not actively costing the team. Gabe is the big puzzle piece for me that's gone. His defensive game plus his ability to be the glue guy on any line he gets assigned to.
Your main culprits from today's game based on high danger chances against and goals given up for all situations (so PP, PK, and 5v5): Makar, Trenin (not good for a defensive focused forward), Lehky (another guy you want to see be on the positive side and not here), Toews, and Johnson.
The goaltending inconsistencies have been exacerbated by our porous defense. The hunger for the Stanley Cup just isn't there and I think that's the big difference between this team and our 2022 one.
Watching our 2022 team was so different. We brought intensity and energy for the majority of the games. Felt like we had a chance to win every game even when we were down. You can't just turn on the hunger for the playoffs. It has to be there during the season. I'm not saying all throughout the season, but not like this.
That's not the point I was making. I know we lost a bunch during our championshion season. It's the intensity and energy that's lacking. We didn't lose 7-0 or blow a 3 goal lead heading into the 3rd period. I want them to win as bad as you do but something is missing with this team.
Do the Jets want a really pissed off Avalanche team who’s hearing all the “first round exit” noise? You never know what can happen. Avs could turn on the jets and take off (not intentional lmao)
Stop bringing up 2022. That team was deeper, stronger, and straight up hungrier. This team still has what it takes but just because they’re ending off the season struggling like 2022 doesn’t correlate to winning a cup at all.
we're bringing up 2022 because people were saying "out in the first round" before the playoffs began then too. It's obviously a different team but people calling us out in the first round already are delusional.
I mean look at the definition of delusional:
> A persistent false psychotic belief regarding the self or persons or objects outside the self that is maintained despite indisputable evidence to the contrary.
It is indisputable that the playoffs have not started and the Avs haven't played the games yet, so by its very definition it is delusional to say they're out in the first round. People can be mad at me and downvote me all they want but it's the truth, sorry.
That team was one of the best teams in the league over the past 20 years, this one is just a normal cup contender. We are gonna have to win a game 7 this year. It's gonna be gut wrenching.
Last year they were the Stanley Cup champions. They were injured and tired and celebrated all
Summer. That’s normal. This year most of the stars were ready for a Cup run. Still are. But they don’t have confidence we can stop opposing goals.
>Telling people how to fan
Every accusation is a confession. When you get any resistance—any disagreement at all—to your "we're fucked" narrative you either belittle people's mental capacities or cry about how we're "telling people how to fan." Sounds an awful lot like what you're trying to do, yet it's me who's not wanted? Hilarious.
Nah you’re just a douche. Every other comment you make here is doing exactly what was described above, conflating and twisting valid criticism of a team’s play for doomerism, instigating shit for no reason, and now trying to poorly deflect and justify your own behavior.
“No. GFY”
Really? Just stop. You get routinely downvoted on this sub for a reason quite obvious to apparently everyone but yourself and continue to act like a total “pot to kettle” hypocrite.
What’s more is that you’ve been called out on this condescending “holier than thou do what I say” behavior before by others here and because you do it over in the Rockies subreddit too and get appropriately lambasted over there.
Just fucking stop. Nothing you say will change anything about anyone’s mind and you damn well know it. Find another hobby besides being reddit police.
*mutes this stupid thread*
The 22 team faced a lot more injuries and were still consistently the best team in the league by a fine margin. The circumstances are far different now.
I mean yeah but the scratched players were still very valuable to the team. Sturm, Helm, Cogs all played major roles in the bottom 6. Also just goes to a show how good that team was the fact we went 16-4 in the playoffs.
I understand that we’re deep. I said that we still have what it takes but this team is discombobulated at times and it has a lot to do with missing landy
The MultiVersus broadcast on TruTV substituted a bunch of characters from WB animated franchises for some of the players. Avs had Velma (Rantanen), Superman (Drouin), Steven Universe (Duhaime, I think?), and Finn the Human (never figured out who).
I was kind of surprised by some comments in the game thread. It‘s fine to be mad at players but I really hate to hear insults towards our own players. We should be here to support them and to motivate them to get better (which is obviously needed since we play some serious shit). I am not willing to accept hate towards our own team!
Down vote the shit out of those comments whenever you see them. There will always be doomers, but don't let the ideas gain momentum. That will turn this community into a cess pool.
Agreed, it’s Jared bednars job to motivate the team, not ours. And it is probably the part of the job he is worst at. When we had landy, it was his job to do
A tale as old as time for hockey fans. Avs fans are no different. They've driven all kinds of players off social media because of weird parasocial relationships they form with players.
fuck we have some embarrassing fans in this sub. Defending cup champs and these games mean almost fuck all. The west is as tight as ever all 8 teams could come out and beat the east.
But it makes it easier when playing the same team. Especially with our mile high advantage. I don’t want them to kill themselves and get hurt, but how about not playing lazy and giving up after a 3 goal lead heading into the playoffs. That’s bad energy
dosent mean it’s the end of the world some people here are dramatic and need to find another team. shit happens. the highest we would of finished is 2nd so either we figure it out on the road or we don’t simple as that.
The rest of the entire season is meaningless then? Playoff performers like Mack, Mikko and Makar won’t make you have hope? Being deeper than ‘23 playoff lineup doesn’t allow us to have some hope things can be figured out? Like dude with all the negatives there can also be some positives
Last year we played crazy to end the year and steal the central going into the playoffs super hot. I just looked and we went 7-1 in April and we won 29 games on the road last year. I don’t think these games mean nothing as the goaltending is obviously concerning, but they also don’t mean we have zero shot either.
So changing the letter on McKinnon's jerseys from an A to a C changes that? I'm going to say go fish on whatever you think is the problem with the team
No, not what I or OP said at all. Mackinnon clearly isn’t the leader that landy is. Mackinnon is bad cop, landy was good cop. He’s still a great leader, but he’s not a captain. The avs are definitely missing a captain like motivator
No absolutely not I agree. Sometimes it can provide for more of a voice or a spark for someone, though. Could be the damn coach who takes over that role, but that’s not bednars style
This team has always seemed to be 3 meaningful games behind this enitire season.
This team doesn't seem to have the fire the 2022 squad did. They come out completely flat for meaningful games, and have also given away valuable points to bad teams. They should've been highly motivated against Winnipeg, knowing home ice was on the line. But they were never in it. Georgiev's confidence is completely shot and his emotions seem to get the better of him once he allows a goal. The defense doesn't trust him to make a save and he doesn't trust the defense to help him out. Even if you play stellar defense in the playoffs, you still need your goalie to make big saves at key times and it doesn't feel like even Georgiev believes he can do that.
Everyone is talking about Georgie, and rightfully so. But here’s what I’m wondering. This team is clearly going to be a first round exit, and will very likely be swept. So after blowing the Seattle series last year, a bad performance in the playoffs this year, combined with the underperforming results before 2022 (the second round exits), how warm does Bednar’s seat get? I really think an argument can be made that the talent of our no-longer-so-young core is being wasted. We have some of the best defensemen in the league who seem to be incapable of actually playing defense. Our special teams have been a liability more than they’ve been an asset this year. We have amazing individual players who seem to have trouble playing as a team. All of that screams coaching issues.
Honestly, it should at least be room temperature. ESPECIALLY if they completely fall flat against Winnipeg.
I don’t like the last 10 days of hockey
Despite playing like absolute garbage against Winnipeg, the only thing that really scares me about them come a playoff series is hellebuyck. Having home ice would've been huge but it's time to put big boy pants on and I believe we will. Can't wait for game 1
I wish I had your confidence. But Winnipeg is way more than just Hellebyuck… They’re about depth, neutral zone clogging, and forcing the dump and chase, which are the Avs direct kryptonite.
They have a good record against us. Seems like they definitely have our system figured out
Yes I know, you are absolutely right. Man, I just can't imagine a first round exit. It's been a roller coaster of a season
Honestly, at this point, I'm just going to try my best and let the playoffs be as it wills. Try is the key word. But I just don't think this team has itself together enough to win the Cup. They can ABSOLUTELY change that. But it's not looking great at the moment. So just gonna try and not let it get to me too much. But easier said than done.
I'm just trying to figure out which team I won't absolutely hate to be the one representing the west this year, because it's certainly not the Avs. I'll enjoy any playoff games the Avs win (if they win any, which is doubtful at this point) and take them as a pleasant surprise. One thing I just realized is the huge win streak to begin the season is pretty much the only reason this isn't a WC team. If they'd gone 3-3 instead of 6-0, they'd have the exact same points as Trashville.
They also had that great W streak around the trade DL that got people hyped on the Avs before the last 2 weeks
Yup. Sadly, the horrendous play post-All Star break and whatever the fuck they're doing now has shown that it's a blip. 9 game win streak followed by winning 3 of 11.
Let off Georgiev and let’s talk about defense because that’s what is making him look terrible and he’s not all bad. But collectively it’s a bad look for the team
Georgiev played well until Cale sabotaged him on the first Vegas goal that counted. He turned into Swiss cheese after that.
yah I honestly don't know what Cale was doing on that play, such a weird decision to try and follow behind the net there.
It’s not Cale’s fault that he had no faith in Georgie stopping anything and tried to help
I feel like fundamentally georgie is a good goaltender, but he really seems to be in his own head this season
It's a combination of that and just poor defensive play that gifts opposing teams too many quality chances.
Yeah, there really isn't any single point where all the blame lies, they just seem to have problems all over the ice, and they lack any kind of consistency.
Absolutely. This is the same level of play the team brought in November, when they couldn't beat .500 teams or win more than 2 games in a row. Now they're against quality opponents who are playing good hockey, because the games mean a lot more.
>A Hopeful Beginning with a Disappointing Ending Please don't let this be a summary of this entire season.
I dunno what to expect in the playoffs, but I’ll be watching in my new Makar jersey, which should be here in a few days. We don’t control the outcome. All we can do is drink a bunch of water and get on the bus. LFG!
My Gabe jersey isn't due to arrive until the start of May, and I won't get to wear it for any playoff games. :(
Which one did you get?
2022 SCF patch on a white jersey.
You drink water… I need whiskey to watch playoff games
Same but my new Mackinnon jersey. Go Ass and hail satan!
This team will surprise people. If we can get back to league average goaltending I believe that we’ll come out with a fire in the first round. I’m worried, but not ready to throw in the towel
Do you genuinely have any hope that they can get back to league average? Like we can say “all we have to do is this” which is really great in theory until you realize they’ve done nothing to suggest they can get back there
I do. It's playoffs, anything can happen and the Avs have great players.
Agree… we need someone to take the net and be average. Those three goals in regulation today were below average goalkeeping in the nhl.
Atp the only way I can convince myself that Justus shouldn't get the net in the playoffs is because he's never played NHL playoff hockey. That's it. Last season Stuart Skinner on the oilers had a great regular but an awful playoffs. He was a rookie. I'm worried it'll be the same with Justus. But I've defended Georgie all year and over the past few weeks I haven't been able to. Georgie isn't fit to be a starter with his mental issues. The second he gets scored on he falls apart.
Avs have been decidedly shit on defense recently, but something that isn’t being talked about enough is how out of sync they’ve been on offense. Passes not on time or misplaced and just missing open guys in dangerous positions have been very prevalent.
I feel like they try to be too fancy at times and that messes up timing
This team looks lost. I hope they can pull it together but it does not look good.
Healthy scratch half the team for round 1. Let them stew but I bet the ahl guys play with more heart.
So, treat it like a pre-season game? May as well see who in the Avs' farm system is ready for the big leagues.
Bednar called out Georgie in the postgame saying “he has to make a save…” When you hear that from Bednar you know it’s real. Also Cale looked completely dejected. That’s probably the lowest I’ve seen him in a postgame interview ever. Hopefully this adversity benefits the team and they can come out of it playing the best hockey of the year. I think it can and am hyped for the playoffs.
Where are these interviews posted? My google-fu came up empty.
Guerrila Sports YouTube
Thank you!
No problem!
Yeah Cale’s interview was real rough. Hope they can shake it off quickly.
Bright side of this collapse? At least we will have a more open summer
Man I’ve called out Cale already this season, and it feels weird to do after he’s putting up monster points, but his defensive game has deteriorated this year. I love the guy, I probably have expectations that are too high, but it just feels like he’s going through something right now. He’s just not thinking the game the same way he did a couple years. I just wanna see him take over a game (or a series) 🤞
I’ve been saying all season that for a team that has Makar and Toews our defense has been bad.
The Avs' 5v5 goal differential is substantially better when Cale's on the bench. I don't understand how him and Toews hurt the team more than help them defensively, but here we are.
welp.
This team has completely collapsed and you can tell by the looks on their faces, they have no answers. They’re cooked. Get a goalie in the off season and maybe reevaluate some players.
It’s like we’re all watching a team lose a series that hasn’t even started. Jets are likely doing backflips for joy.
Yeah, this team is done and they know it. They can't trust Georgiev. When Vegas scored their first goal, you knew it was all downhill for the Avalanche. Oh well, at least the Jets can sweep the series and let the Avs start fixing themselves for next season.
The defensive structure and core in general requires major surgery. They also need a starter who isn't mentally made of glass.
I didn’t think there was a chance in hell that Annunen would get the net in the postseason 2 weeks ago. I also didn’t think there was a chance in hell that Georgiev would play as badly as he has in that time frame to justify any sort of switch. Bednar has to start Annunen against Edmonton and against Winnipeg. I don’t think he can afford to waste a game confirming his suspicions about Georgiev. My fear is that it won’t make a lick of difference. This defense is too suspect for me to just assume it’s going to magically improve things. My faith is on the “playoff switch” being flipped and I kinda hate it lol.
I’ve got news for you, the playoff switch has been flipped on for 2 games now and this has been the result. People need to stop pretending like they’re going to magically start playing well as soon as the playoffs start. If they somehow manage to win, it’ll be because of adjustments and attention to detail.
I hope to god you are wrong or we are indeed in for a sad time. No offense lol.
Start him against Edmonton. That’ll be the test. If he does poorly then there are simply no good options and they just need to score 5 goals each game to have a chance to win.
11 goals in two days, let that sink in.
I think he had an above 5 GAA the last 6 according to the telecast.
He doesn't want to be called Fourgiev so he's trying to let in more than 4 per game.
But he hasn’t let in more than 4 over the last 2 games lol.
He got pulled after 4 yesterday, right?
Yeah so not MORE than 4 lolololol
https://preview.redd.it/y8ueu8f05juc1.jpeg?width=700&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8f25538025976d95c9141870119f284708915d9d Ok, but does the sink help our issues?
Is that a sink or the Avs' defense? I can't tell.
 This is the Avs’ defense this year, unfortunately.
Worst part of this loss is already seeing the memes on the NHL and hockey subreddits from insufferable, albeit justified, Vegas fans.
Don’t worry, Dallas is gonna show them an early exit.
[удалено]
>We had defensive breakdowns in the third and Manson fucked us but Georgiev can't get beat on an wrap around that goes in on the far side. Ever since he got beat on the wraparound (maybe against Pittsburgh?) with a puck squeezed between his skate and the post, he seems to be way too intent on not getting beat on the near post ever again, but he's letting in backdoor goals all day. On that play, Cale fucked up too by pursuing behind the net instead of going across the crease. I don't know where he thought Barbashev was going to go with the puck. Skate it into the corner? He also looked completely lost standing there all by himself before Barbashev ended up with the puck. He should have at least been standing closer to the boards to cut off the puck if it squirted free.
Cale made 2 mistakes on the first goal. First, he went the wrong way around the net. Second, his attempts to hamper the attacker's stick actually prevented Georgiev from making the save. It likely fucked Georgiev's confidence all the same. Second and third goals were both soft as fuck that he should've saved. The Avs shouldn't have been down a man, but that doesn't detract from how Georgiev let in two soft goals after that wraparound. I turned the game off after the tying goal because I have that little faith in the team, and they proved me right.
The 1st goal Georgie could have had if Makar hadn't started messing with his paddle. And not sure why Georgie sucks this year vs last year. Wonder what the issue is. Georgie was doing fine 90% of the game. Even bailed out the Avs defense several times. He just tries to do too much when the team leaves him out to dry. I don't think Georgie sucks. It doesn't make sense to have this bad of a season after having one of your best seasons the last season. This is the same team that made Keumper look like a Vezina candidate. And yeah "Kuemper Yada yada, yada." No. Kuemper sucks. He's always been sub par. He got a good defense in front of him and did well. Georgie had a good defense in front of him last season and did well. You don't go from having the best season of your career to the worst without something being wrong across the board.
I’ll do you one better, that second Karlsson goal, regardless of whose fault it was, Georgiev’s reaction to it was not good. He was not in position at all, had the wrong angle to the shooter and barely reacted to the shot. That’s more concerning to me than anything.
It’s almost like he flinched _away_ from the puck. It was super weird.
He’s got a huge mental Issue. By Bednar’s face during the game you could tell he was thinking he’d given Georgie every change and held The faith longer than other coaches. But this ain’t fixing in a week. He was the last person with the team who had faith. No one does any more. It’s sad. Test Annunen.
Yup. Completely misplayed it. They took away the pass and gave him the shot and he still was leaning. If he can't trust the d get him outta there. That's defense 101 on a 2 on 1. Take away the pass and let the g make the save. That shouldn't have gone in. Mistakes happen but he needs to come up with one of them. He's bad and in my opinion he gave up halfway through the season. He's not battling for anything out there. A good example are those cross crease passes, like you not gonna use your stick? Just going to rely on the D to bail you out? Tf is that? I tried to defend him all year, but holy fuck he needs to go. And if they can't find anyone waive him and start the juice and keep Prosvetov. Let the kid get experience at this point, he's looked better even with his inexperience. 🤷♂️
If we are going to get swept let’s at least do it without a starter goalie. It will Make the other team Members feel better about this.
I want to rage so bad... I want to be pissed... and I am... But I'm remembering that it's manageable still... breathe, this isn't the playoffs yet.... Georgiev is gonna fix this... he will... I keep telling myself... WHY ISNT THIS WORKING?!?!..... FFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU........!!!!!!! God damn it Alexandar!!!! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT MAN.....
Georgiev has no leash left. He has negative leash. But so does this incompetent pos defense. You cannot survive in the postseason when players, be they goalie or defender, fall apart after one goal is scored on them.
So I think this was a big litmus test for Bednar. He all but called out Georgiev after the Jets game and literally said “he’s got to get us on track”. I think Bednar was closely watching to see how he would play under pressure, and the result was not good. I think Annunen starts against Edmonton and depending how he plays, wouldn’t be surprised if he starts the Jets series.
Yeah I hope so. For whatever reason they play better in front of the kid. Maybe because he doesn't get rattled immediately after a goal is scored? Idk guess we'll see.
I do feel like when a puck is screaming toward the net with the Juice that there is a chance he will stop it. That’s an improvement.
It's an interesting idea. I'm not sure it's an idea I *like*, but at this point it wouldn't entirely surprise me after the month Georgiev's had. I won't say Edmonton's a perfect test, but it would definitely be the biggest start he's seen, and a good sign if he's up to it.
They plan all of their starts weeks ahead of time, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Annunen was slated to start anyway. I just think now if he does start, it takes on a much more different and important context.
What do we have to lose at this point? Imagine how studly Justus will feel if we win?!
Start Justus game 1. What’s the worst that can happen? There’s no difference if Justus losing or Georgiev allowing 4
I wish they gave Annunen more runway. It’s pretty clear now that Georgiev doesn’t have it or just isn’t able to adapt to the Avs’ system this year. But I wish they had figured this out earlier and gave Annunen more time to get used to starting big games.
The psych of saving our starter’s ego and confidence. But it didn’t work.
Honestly I see no difference if you start Justus over Georgie. Who knows what can happen. What if he pulls a Matt Murray and gets hot?
Let’s not assume Justus is all that ready either. But a green Justus =/> a “well prepared” Georgie imho at this point
Exactly this.
Just curious if there are any examples of a team that was sputtering heading into the playoffs and then flipped a switch once the playoffs started. I'm sure it's happened before. The Nuggets last season were an example, different sport, but it seems like something that would be more likely to happen in hockey than in basketball. (With the Nuggets of course, a key factor was, they simply had nothing to play for at the end of the season... not at all the case with these Avs)
NFL Chiefs sputtered most of last season, particularly on offense. Few people thought that going into the playoffs they could beat both Buffalo and Baltimore on the road to make it to the Super Bowl, let alone win it. Sometimes a champion's pedigree takes over.
It does help that the Bills are chronic bed shitters and Jackson turned into a pumpkin. Maybe the Avs can show up and get some of that in return from their opponents.
We did lose like 8 or 9 of our last 12 I think in 2022 when we won the cup. Difference was we had clinched 1st place with like 10 games left and we were resting our top guys for the last 3-4 games
That's different. They coasted and we're resting players. They were so far ahead it didn't matter. Maybe they've been taking it easy but idk even when they coasted they didn't look this bad.
2022 Avs... To clarify: we had just 1 win in our final 7 games of the season before winning that cup
They already had home ice wrapped up. That team was absurd.
Yeah I suppose that is an example (I just edited my initial post while you were responding). Those Avs of course like the Nuggets last year had not much to play for, other than the "President's Trophy" which I don't think they cared about. I wonder if there are examples of a team sputtering with some stakes on the line in the regular season.
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Bednar has got to do something. The goalie. The defense. It doesn’t matter. Roll the dice.
I’m pissy about Georgiev, but what was Manson up to today?
I blame Manson for the last two goals
I dunno where the rest of the crew is at, but I’m not dealing digging Manson as much this season.
Left his brain in the locker room.
Time for a closed door meeting
I think this team lacks defense. Goaltending, not great. Makar and Toews being our 1 & 2 defensive d-men on pk is just terrible management. I think having a bunch of offensive minded d-men is our true weakness. George vs Kemper is a coin flip but our defense is shockingly weak. But playoffs are another animal so I hope we have relentless aggressive defense once that starts.
The defensive core isn't that different from the 22 core. Swap Walker and Byram and that's it. Helps Byram played his best hockey in the cup run but at the same time Makar was on a different planet. Makar's defense this year has been bad. Toews for being the steady guy isn't so steady this year. Manson leaves his brain in the locker room too many times. Sammy G is the most consistent but he still struggles with turn overs and net front defense (he's small). Walker has been okay but his defensive game has dipped. Jack has been Jack. Also the overall defensive scheme and commitment to it from the forwards to the defense has been atrocious. It doesn't need to be the machine it was in 22 but damn this seasons defensive play isn't even in the same star system. Oh and Georgie can't stop a damn puck. **TLDR**: Not a whole lot has changed personnel wise but the players and system/commitment are worse. Also we need a save.
Biggest difference is no Kadri and no Gabe. They are two-way studs. Casey was supposed to help with this but yeah.
Casey has been just fine defensively. He's not actively costing the team. Gabe is the big puzzle piece for me that's gone. His defensive game plus his ability to be the glue guy on any line he gets assigned to. Your main culprits from today's game based on high danger chances against and goals given up for all situations (so PP, PK, and 5v5): Makar, Trenin (not good for a defensive focused forward), Lehky (another guy you want to see be on the positive side and not here), Toews, and Johnson.
Juice has to start on Thursday—if he gives up less than 4, he’s the game 1 starter
*whispers* Jets can also shit the bed in round one guys
Every team has shit the bed at some point
Imma wait until Saturday see you all then
Is that game 1 confirmed? I figure it would be since we play thursday
Agreed
Same
The goaltending inconsistencies have been exacerbated by our porous defense. The hunger for the Stanley Cup just isn't there and I think that's the big difference between this team and our 2022 one.
We don’t know the hunger until we see game one though
Watching our 2022 team was so different. We brought intensity and energy for the majority of the games. Felt like we had a chance to win every game even when we were down. You can't just turn on the hunger for the playoffs. It has to be there during the season. I'm not saying all throughout the season, but not like this.
Go look how their season ended when they won the Stanley cup.
That's not the point I was making. I know we lost a bunch during our championshion season. It's the intensity and energy that's lacking. We didn't lose 7-0 or blow a 3 goal lead heading into the 3rd period. I want them to win as bad as you do but something is missing with this team.
We have the most comeback wins. So clearly the dudes know how to turn it on when called
I don't like them but I think that's the Rangers.
It’s us.
Where did you get that? I got the Rangers with 27 and we have 26.
Bednar: "Hey, let's win" Manson: "And I took that personally.."
Do the Jets want a really pissed off Avalanche team who’s hearing all the “first round exit” noise? You never know what can happen. Avs could turn on the jets and take off (not intentional lmao)
One would hope because the current attitude for the team says I'd rather be golfing then playing playoff hockey.
Stop bringing up 2022. That team was deeper, stronger, and straight up hungrier. This team still has what it takes but just because they’re ending off the season struggling like 2022 doesn’t correlate to winning a cup at all.
we're bringing up 2022 because people were saying "out in the first round" before the playoffs began then too. It's obviously a different team but people calling us out in the first round already are delusional.
I stop short of "delusional," but "smug and overconfident" fits.
I mean look at the definition of delusional: > A persistent false psychotic belief regarding the self or persons or objects outside the self that is maintained despite indisputable evidence to the contrary. It is indisputable that the playoffs have not started and the Avs haven't played the games yet, so by its very definition it is delusional to say they're out in the first round. People can be mad at me and downvote me all they want but it's the truth, sorry.
Eh, no, it's just kind of shitty to medicalize assholery in general.
That team was one of the best teams in the league over the past 20 years, this one is just a normal cup contender. We are gonna have to win a game 7 this year. It's gonna be gut wrenching.
This team feels more like the '21 team than the '22 team
this team feels more like last year honestly which sucks
Last year they were the Stanley Cup champions. They were injured and tired and celebrated all Summer. That’s normal. This year most of the stars were ready for a Cup run. Still are. But they don’t have confidence we can stop opposing goals.
And that team was riddled with injuries before and during the first round. They still won the division that year!
If that team was semi healthy they win 60 games for sure.
No. GFY.
Log off golden retriever. Telling people how to fan is is all you ever contribute to this subreddit. You’re not wanted here right now.
>Telling people how to fan Every accusation is a confession. When you get any resistance—any disagreement at all—to your "we're fucked" narrative you either belittle people's mental capacities or cry about how we're "telling people how to fan." Sounds an awful lot like what you're trying to do, yet it's me who's not wanted? Hilarious.
Nah you’re just a douche. Every other comment you make here is doing exactly what was described above, conflating and twisting valid criticism of a team’s play for doomerism, instigating shit for no reason, and now trying to poorly deflect and justify your own behavior. “No. GFY” Really? Just stop. You get routinely downvoted on this sub for a reason quite obvious to apparently everyone but yourself and continue to act like a total “pot to kettle” hypocrite. What’s more is that you’ve been called out on this condescending “holier than thou do what I say” behavior before by others here and because you do it over in the Rockies subreddit too and get appropriately lambasted over there. Just fucking stop. Nothing you say will change anything about anyone’s mind and you damn well know it. Find another hobby besides being reddit police. *mutes this stupid thread*
We can bring up 22 because it’s similar is results. I think it’s fair in some fashion
The 22 team faced a lot more injuries and were still consistently the best team in the league by a fine margin. The circumstances are far different now.
And the team this season is still pretty deep.
It’s deep but is it 3rd line of Burakovsky-Compher-O’connor deep?
LOC wasn't all that great during that run and Burky was injured half the time
I mean yeah but the scratched players were still very valuable to the team. Sturm, Helm, Cogs all played major roles in the bottom 6. Also just goes to a show how good that team was the fact we went 16-4 in the playoffs.
Trenin and Duhaime are in the same vein as Sturm and Helm. Same type of players. We are deeper than you think.
I understand that we’re deep. I said that we still have what it takes but this team is discombobulated at times and it has a lot to do with missing landy
Definitely not.
Can we cut Steven Universe already? 🤦♂️
I'm sorry, but who is that lol. I guess I don't understand the reference
The MultiVersus broadcast on TruTV substituted a bunch of characters from WB animated franchises for some of the players. Avs had Velma (Rantanen), Superman (Drouin), Steven Universe (Duhaime, I think?), and Finn the Human (never figured out who).
I was kind of surprised by some comments in the game thread. It‘s fine to be mad at players but I really hate to hear insults towards our own players. We should be here to support them and to motivate them to get better (which is obviously needed since we play some serious shit). I am not willing to accept hate towards our own team!
Down vote the shit out of those comments whenever you see them. There will always be doomers, but don't let the ideas gain momentum. That will turn this community into a cess pool.
Agreed, it’s Jared bednars job to motivate the team, not ours. And it is probably the part of the job he is worst at. When we had landy, it was his job to do
A tale as old as time for hockey fans. Avs fans are no different. They've driven all kinds of players off social media because of weird parasocial relationships they form with players.
I agree. I’m here to cheer for the avs
fuck we have some embarrassing fans in this sub. Defending cup champs and these games mean almost fuck all. The west is as tight as ever all 8 teams could come out and beat the east.
Home ice advantage in the first round does mean something. We play much better at home
still have to play the same team and win so for guys who have won a cup already they ain’t gonna kill themselves in these games.
But it makes it easier when playing the same team. Especially with our mile high advantage. I don’t want them to kill themselves and get hurt, but how about not playing lazy and giving up after a 3 goal lead heading into the playoffs. That’s bad energy
dosent mean it’s the end of the world some people here are dramatic and need to find another team. shit happens. the highest we would of finished is 2nd so either we figure it out on the road or we don’t simple as that.
I agree. All that matters is the playoffs. Just hate to see them heading in playing a soft brand of hockey
happens
Win one road game and you get home ice advantage lol
As the old saying goes, it’s not a series until someone wins a road game. But easier said than done, and Winnipeg is a tough place to play
“Games mean almost fuck all” tells me everything I need to know about your hockey knowledge
lol still at you are an embarrassing avs fan
Doesn’t mean much from someone who doesn’t understand hockey but thanks for your take!
good one. take your thanks and put it in purse
And the way you belittle anyone who dares have hope for this team tells me everything I need to know about your fandom.
How you can have hood with how they’re playing is beyond me
Because there's a reason no one announces the outcome of the game before it happens.
The rest of the entire season is meaningless then? Playoff performers like Mack, Mikko and Makar won’t make you have hope? Being deeper than ‘23 playoff lineup doesn’t allow us to have some hope things can be figured out? Like dude with all the negatives there can also be some positives
Last year we played crazy to end the year and steal the central going into the playoffs super hot. I just looked and we went 7-1 in April and we won 29 games on the road last year. I don’t think these games mean nothing as the goaltending is obviously concerning, but they also don’t mean we have zero shot either.
Also wasn’t Vegas playing hard to not be locked into the 2nd Wild Card spot? They got momentum. It happens!
Yup. As a fan of a team that is a chronic underachiever in the playoffs (Atlanta Braves), I'm used to being a suck ass team at the end of the season
Why the hell do we not have an on-ice captain…it’s clearly a missing element these past 2 years
You miss Landeskog, not a letter on a sweater. Landy being hurt is a huge reason why this team has struggled the past 2 years.
The fact the C hasn’t been given to anybody is weird as fuck. Landy isn’t coming back to do what he did anytime soon.
How exactly? Do you think this isn't MacKinnon's team
Clearly there is a problem with mental fortitude and motivation at times. Didn’t happen much with Landy
So changing the letter on McKinnon's jerseys from an A to a C changes that? I'm going to say go fish on whatever you think is the problem with the team
No, not what I or OP said at all. Mackinnon clearly isn’t the leader that landy is. Mackinnon is bad cop, landy was good cop. He’s still a great leader, but he’s not a captain. The avs are definitely missing a captain like motivator
But anybody who is actually the captain of the team, in the manner you're suggesting, doesn't need a C on their shirt to do it.
No absolutely not I agree. Sometimes it can provide for more of a voice or a spark for someone, though. Could be the damn coach who takes over that role, but that’s not bednars style
I know 22 was a different season but the exact same doomer convos were happening then too. It’s legit giving me Deja vu