DarthEbriate

It's not always who you play, it's when you play them. The Avalanche haven't scored more than 3 goals in a game since being in Buffalo (when they had MacKinnon and Manson also in the lineup). Pressure Rantanen and Makar, stay on the attack, and go get a win.

I caught a tiny bit of the 1st while prepping dinner... the Sabres weren't skating, had no active sticks defensively, the Kings clogged up every lane... the script was flipped in the 3rd and the goal onslaught was on.

I was just thinking... the Sabres are going to have to score 3 in a hurry to keep that whole "always scoring 3 to win" thing going. And that didn't take long.

Stupid TNT. The channel and its complete unaffiliation with any of my streaming options, and not the player, obviously. CLB forwards: Our netminders can’t repel firepower of that magnitude. CLB coach: Their UPL will have his shield down, we’ve got to give you more time. <scene cuts to another Tagerblast>

and also @Curt I'll take you back to 2016-17. This is the year after the Eichel/Reinhart's rookie season of 81 points. Why this 78-point season? This is GM Murrray's preferred roster and has some "we're on the way up" vibes like we had coming into this season after finishing last year strong and adding some top-end kids (Power, Quinn). Likewise, the 2016-17 squad had come off a positive rookie season for Eichel. They'd just landed the big UFA in Okposo, they'd dealt smallish Pysyk for gritty vet Kulikov and locked up Risto long-term. Moulson hadn't fallen off the X-wing yet. The only meaningful losses were the backup goalie (Johnson, replaced by Anders Nilsson) and a retired Legwand (replaced by Derek Grant). Then --- right before opening day Eichel got a high ankle sprain. The injuries never really let up. I'm cobbling together their forward lineup from 12/5/2016 lineup v. Washington with Ennis re-inserted to the top line (instead of William Carrier) where Ennis would play when he returned from injury a month later and their 10/16/2016 defense against Edmonton (Gorges negates McDavid) where all the top-6 D skated together (instead of the other Justin Falk or Burgdoerfer, etc.). Ennis (inj) - R.O'Reilly - Okposo Kane - Eichel - Reinhart Foligno - Larsson - Gionta Moulson - Grant - Girgensons SCR: Carrier; INJ: Deslauriers, Fasching (D-Lo would be in first over call-ups Fasching or Carrier) Gorges - Ristolainen McCabe - Bogosian Kulikov - Franson SCR: Nelson Lehner Nilsson

The pass for a primary assist is not always there. Sometimes it's a shot, sometimes it's a dump to get a change, sometimes it's just a pass to space in the corner. He really could use some heavy minutes. Which he'll get if he sticks with Girgs and Okposo.

Ok. Ras is back. You can't shoot that. Where is VO when we need him?

Dahlin not out there.... Joker double-shifted with Muel and now Power.

This is why we score 5+ every game. It'll be OK. This is why we score 5+ every game. It'll be OK.

Quinner, Quinner, womp rat dinner! (bulls eye!)

Everytime the kids line is on the ice it's a couple good chances.

Remember the Alamo Death Star! Do not go into said Mode.

Tuch is a nice guy. He could've ridden and driven that guy right into the glass dasher. He didn't.

SJ announcers made a great statement at the end of the period. Because of the COVID protocols (similar to our broadcast team), they'd not been traveling for a couple seasons. The last time they saw Dahlin in person was a home and home in October 2019. They're amazed.

How about with, VO, Mitts, and Jost as their forwards and UPL as the goalie?

The pass from Cozens that got out of the offensive zone... it was just a decoy! Krebs and Jost have fully switched lines now.

Let Mitts, VO, or Krebs do it. They're the 4th line.

The SJ broadcast mentioned it. They've asked around, all the former-player broadcasters and such ... none of them understand it. Maybe just that hitting is becoming a forgotten art, and planned fights are gone, so this is the only way to try to start one.

More of a Zhitnik cross-ice slide. Though Zhitnik would've made it a full-on hip check.

Dahlin takes away space, all the way away the space. Lovely. (But I'd better not come back from commercial to find the Sharks with a PP after the whistles.)

And battled all the way past the whistle against a 6'2" 210# Gadjovich at the net front.

Skinner will learn patience.

And that is what a weak glove hand looks like.

VO has to hack that out of the zone, not try to deflect it out of the zone.

Skinner is going to get one of these to go in.