Anatomy of a Goal: COL vs. EDM - Goal 1
by Mike @ MHH on Feb 1, 2012 11:00 AM MST
in Avalanche Game Notes
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PrintI thought we'd take a look at the first goal against last night, because there has been some discussion and debate on culpability or cause. So without further comment or opinion, I offer the following:
The play starts after a little bit of possession by the Oilers' line of Jordan Eberle (14), Phillipe Cornet (51), and Sam Gagner (89). The defensive pair for Edmonton on this shift is Theo Peckham (24) and Shanahan Valentine Recipient Andy Sutton (25). The Avs have the refurbished Paul Stastny line out (Peter Mueller and T.J. Galiardi on the wings) with a defensive pair of Ryan Wilson and Shane O`Brien. At this point in the shift, the puck is low in the corner on Eberle's twig as he curls up the wall. Note that Stastny is positionally responsible for fellow centerman Gagner at this point, Wilson is moving to take away Eberle's slot pass to Cornet, and SOB and Mueller are forcing Eberle up the boards toward the neutral zone.
Eberle has darted to the high slot and throws a backhand back into the corner he just vacated in order to maintain possession. SOB had followed him a bit and now has curled back, effectively switching sides with Wilson who has followed Cornet to the near boards. One thing to note that I didn't get with a screen grab is that SOB and Mueller effectively pinched Eberle as he came into the slot, but both stick-checked him and nobody took the body. Eberle maintained possession and effectively reset the offensive zone.
Eberle's flip pass has made it to the boards and Cornet chipped it to Gagner. Wilson is in the process of finishing Cornet into the boards. Mueller has curled back after Eberle's dump to reengage the play on the near boards. SOB is net-front as Gagner surveys the play. The stick just entering the screen on the right is Eberle's as he's curled back from the blue line and is now driving the lane left unoccupied by Mueller and Galiardi. Stastny is still in a decent position for containing Gagner out of the corner.
Gagner has just completed his pass to Eberle as he drives the net. SOB has taken the angle and is forcing him wide while Galiardi is in a good position to prevent the drop pass but is already too late to be effective on anything else that Eberle does unless he wraps the puck around the net. Mueller has realized he's too deep and has reversed direction to try and find the high threat which has already gotten by him. Wilson is still introducing Cornet to the NHL and has gotten a little tied up.
Eberle is effectively cut off from the front of the net by SOB and Gali has continued to drift lower anticipating the play switching sides. SoS and Gagner are mano y mano in the corner. Mueller has the best seat in the house.
Eberle has driven toward the back of the net, SOB buys it and Semyon Varlamov has started laying down his left pad for a push across the crease to take away the wrap attempt. Gali has drifted lower, also anticipating the wrap. SoS and Wilson have their guys accounted for and Mueller is still in a zone position. At this point it's still a hat on a hat as everybody is accounted for below the circles. Eberle is right at the beginning of his cut-back.
Eberle has finished his cut-back and started his near-side stuff, Varly has flashed the right leg and stopped the puck with the tip of his skate. SoS read the play and has driven STRAIGHT toward the net while maintaining position on Gagner. Mueller is a little late to the party and seems unsure of what to do. O'Brien has realized his mistake and tries to switch direction, inadvertently tying up Varlamov's right arm as he tries to stretch back across the crease.
Eberle's second whack proves to be enough as Stastny is too preoccupied by Gagner's presence to take Eberle out of the play or get a clearing stick on the puck. Mueller still hasn't done much at this point. O'Brien and Varly are fully entangled at this point.
Post goal you can see how badly SOB and Varly got tangled as he's still tied up on the far side of the net and Stastny has knocked the net off with a push from Gagner. Wilson and Mueller finish their drive-by's as the Oilers celebrate in the corner.
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K so now I’m seeing 2 possible explanations that could even both be true.
Explanation the First: Varlamov got faked out of his pants, overcommitted and couldn’t make it back in time.
Explanation the Second: O’Brien got faked out of his pants and should really have been whistled for goaltender interference, calling the goal back.
Explanations Combined: Varly overcommits, then can’t make it back with any strength because the Shane Train is all up on him.
At exactly what point do you start to realize that life without knowledge is death in disguise?
sounds fair
Cap Floor Team = Cap Floor Results
by Cole D Hamilton on Feb 1, 2012 11:33 AM MST up reply actions
Or we can go with the correct explanation which is:
1. Eberle is a very talented scorer and the move he made behind the net only a few players in the league can make. Stop rapidly change direction and make wrap. It was a pretty solid move that no one anticipated.
2. Varly got faked, but so did everyone else. But still Varly was able to make the initial save (something Giggy wouldn’t have been able to do as he isn’t agile enough)
Now the key to the play:
3. After the initial save Varly had the post covered UNTIL O’Brien crushes him thus forcing him to move his leg off the post leaving a nice opening for Eberle to finish off his slick move.
Result: O’Brien is at fault for A. getting faked out of his jock strap initially by Eberle and B. then running over our goalie allowing Eberle to get the puck home.
by jetblack427 on Feb 1, 2012 11:45 AM MST up reply actions 2 recs
Sorry, Your Condescension, but I don’t see Varlamov having enough strength in that right pad to hold the line with Eberle jabbing the puck more.
At exactly what point do you start to realize that life without knowledge is death in disguise?
Disagree. If he’s doing it right, it’s pretty fucking easy. I don’t call it the Right Leg of Doom for nothing.
If we don't get our sauce, we ain't watching the game!
by Mike @ MHH on Feb 1, 2012 12:12 PM MST up reply actions 1 recs
I am going to speculate (because its so much fun!) that jiggy would not have left that post so quickly.
by spokane-avs-fan on Feb 1, 2012 11:51 AM MST up reply actions
Continuing the speculation…
You may be right, but he still would have been moving away from the post when it was wrapped, IMO.
If we don't get our sauce, we ain't watching the game!
I still say turn without leaving the post, see that he’s not coming around, and hold the right post tight with the skate. It could happen.
by spokane-avs-fan on Feb 1, 2012 3:32 PM MST up reply actions
It’s possible Eberle would not have tried reversing if the goalie doesn’t leave the right post early.
For sure. With Jiggy in the net he might have went with the wrap since JS is a little slower side to side. Not that any of this matters since he wasnt in the net but that was the comment above.
by spokane-avs-fan on Feb 1, 2012 6:29 PM MST up reply actions
I will speculate further that it’s because Jiggy is laterally slooooooooooooow
At exactly what point do you start to realize that life without knowledge is death in disguise?
I agree. Thats why i say he would have still been on the right post.
by spokane-avs-fan on Feb 1, 2012 4:33 PM MST up reply actions
Why are you assuming Giguere wouldn’t have made the initial save? It’s possible he would have read the play better and wouldn’t cheat to the other post like Varlamov did.
Mike this is excellent, thanks for making it. i’d love to see more of these! Well, no I wouldnt, cuz that would mean we’re still letting in shitty goals. Ugh
Cap Floor Team = Cap Floor Results
by Cole D Hamilton on Feb 1, 2012 11:34 AM MST reply actions
How about doing them on goals we score?
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by Cheryl Bradley on Feb 1, 2012 12:48 PM MST up reply actions
Less workload for the staff.
We see a wonderful sun-soaked city nestled at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. Enos sees nickels and dimes.
by Bob in Boulder on Feb 1, 2012 12:56 PM MST up reply actions
I’ll do a goal for from the Wild game, how about that?
If we don't get our sauce, we ain't watching the game!
For the love of Roy I hope you have one to do.
We see a wonderful sun-soaked city nestled at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. Enos sees nickels and dimes.
by Bob in Boulder on Feb 1, 2012 1:05 PM MST up reply actions
URDABEST!
Duchene may be the face of this franchise, but O’Reilly is the heart. - Guitarpick8120
Mile High Hockey - Asst. Editor
The Hockey Writers - Avalanche Correspondent
by Cheryl Bradley on Feb 1, 2012 1:53 PM MST up reply actions
Urdabest
Sounds like a name from LOTR.
THE COLORADO AVALANCHE HAVE WON THE STANLEY CUP. RAYMOND BOURQUE: A DREAM COME TRUE!
Thanks for doing this Mike. Often at real time it seems that everyone is just skating around hoping for a lucky bounce, to someone who is not very hockey-savvy. It’s cool to see how plays work out and players’ defensive assignments
THE COLORADO AVALANCHE HAVE WON THE STANLEY CUP. RAYMOND BOURQUE: A DREAM COME TRUE!
O’Brien gets burned with Eberle’s speed to the post seems to be the biggest sin. He doesn’t chase him around the net which is the right move but like Varley he’s commited to taking away the wrap around. Eberle throws on the breaks to make a great move. It’s the NHL, not many games result in a shutout. O’Brien got an ES shift against a line with superior speed (and skill). A D man with better anticipation or footspeed may have been able to push Eberle a bit wider on that rush and it turns in to a totally different play.
I'll keep this brief.
What I don’t get is basically you had everyone playing the wrap (Varly, SOB and Gali) but no one playing the cutback.
With Gali already in better position to play the wrap or possibly even force him to the corner why SOB doesn’t either follow Eberle to force him into Gali or push back some more into a zone like Mueller just doesn’t make sense. I haven’t played a minute of hockey and I don’t know a lot about defensive scheme’s but there was a lot of breakdown on this play IMO. Stuff that you hear Jiggy yelling to his Dmen about and you don’t hear Varly doing. This is really what I think the biggest difference and possibly the cause of some of the goal differential. The question is though is it the language barrier, is it just not his style to direct the D (VT was he vocal with the caps), is it because he is young and he either perceives no one will listen to him or no one actually will listen to him. If the last there is some serious issues that need to be addressed with the team and or Varly.
In every sport I have played communication is key and if one of you most important players in the game isn’t or can’t communicate there is some issues.
Our Universe is so Humongous Big - Illya Bryzgalov
Don't worry be happy right now - Illya Bryzgalov
by Freakoffaleash on Feb 1, 2012 12:54 PM MST up reply actions
I don’t recall Varly ever being very talkative with the D, especially when he first came up and his English was lacking. Then again Neuvy doesn’t seem to be very vocal either, so maybe it wasn’t an issue with the Caps to switch back and forth between them because they were the same way, unlikely Jiggy and Varly. I asked another Caps fan who agreed they weren’t vocal. I think it’s just not his style right now as a young goalie.
As a defenseman, chasing a guy around your net (especially when you’re behind them and not just containing them against the boards) is a Cardinal sin. Galiardi doesn’t have that post covered because he’s a winger. He’s already cheating down in to the zone because things are getting a little loose. If he commits to covering that post then it’s the 2nd Cardinal sin of defense which is a 2 v 1. His job is to cover the point that you can’t see at the blue line. He can cheat like he is and try to get a stick in there but if he commits that far down low then the D man up top is open to an obnoxious degree. The offside winger Mueller would race over to cover that point and then his own point would be open for a shot and someone would have to race over to cover that guy. Basically you get the running around syndrom. You’ve got to trust your teammate to play their zone and cheat out of your own assignments responsibly.
I'll keep this brief.
What Cardinal Sin is it to get tangled with your goal ( I seem to recall 3 or 4 times this year Varly getting tangled with a D man)
And see this is where the communication comes in and basically everyone rotates responsibilities. Mueller easily slides over to fill Gali’s responsibility SOB backs off Slightly able to cover the cut back but still covering the pass to the pointman. No one gets tangled with Varly and lets him do what he does best make athletic saves. And everyone still is covered. If your playing Zone like is insinuated here you have to rotate your responsibilities that’s how zone works. I understand down low is technically out of Gali’s zone but if you don’t have some one following behind net you basically doing one of 2 things breaking Eberle free or you tangling up your own Goaltender when coming across the crease. Maybe its too hard to recognize and adjust to in game situation but seems ideal to me.
Our Universe is so Humongous Big - Illya Bryzgalov
Don't worry be happy right now - Illya Bryzgalov
by Freakoffaleash on Feb 2, 2012 8:56 AM MST up reply actions
Mueller wouldn’t be able to slide over in time to pick up Gali’s point man. You have to remember a pass takes much less time than skating to an area does. You would be looking at an one time bomb from the point with Varly out of position.
You never chase someone around behind the net when you play D. You stay in front of the net and shadow him. You also should not get in your goltender’s way either. Think of it like in basketball, why would you chase someone from behind like when a screen is set. You work your way over the top of the screen, not chase from behind.
My brother and I used to say that drowning in beer was like heaven, eh. Now he's not here and I got two soakers, this isn't heaven, this sucks.
It sounds like
SOB’s only real sin from a positional/responsibility side of the equation is that he gets way too far into Varly’s crease.
If we don't get our sauce, we ain't watching the game!
This is awesome Mike. Thanks very much.
Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward. - Kv
by MalachiConstant on Feb 1, 2012 11:41 AM MST reply actions
Well done young Michael. Well done.
You’ve earned your sauce today.
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by Hopfenkopf on Feb 1, 2012 11:52 AM MST reply actions 1 recs
This is very interesting, thanks for posting. On the replay I could see that Varly made the first save and then moved his leg some off the post, but I didn’t know why. It’s clear that Shane O’Brien is the why. I don’t see how Dater can fault Varly for the goal the way he did in his blog post.
I agree that this one wasn’t all Varly’s fault however in Dater’s defense this is a pretty average game for Varlamov. 3 GA and an 88% Save Percentage. Compare that to his season average of a 3.00 GAA and .898 SV% and that’s where the issue lies. I like him and think he has promise but so far this year that was a pretty average showing from Varly.
I think the real back breaker was the Taylor Hall goal. That rebound just can’t happen and there was terrible coverage on the backcheck
by Do Not Feed the Octopus on Feb 1, 2012 12:55 PM MST up reply actions
Random thoughts after doing this..
Maybe somebody who knows more about systems and d-zone coverage can explain to me what Mueller is doing on this play?
SOB, why you no hit Eberle? You had two shots at it and declined both.
Could Varly’s anticipation of the wrap have forced Eberle into the cutback?
If Mueller had supported SoS on the play, could SoS have taken Eberle out of it once he made his cut?
If we don't get our sauce, we ain't watching the game!
My thoughts
Not sure why SOB didn’t hit Eberle. Probably because he couldn’t catch him.
Varly’s anticipation definitely did have an effect on the Eberle cutback. Other teams know he can be overly aggressive and they take advantage of it.
On this play Mueller’s main responsibility is helping out in the slot and covering the defenseman. In this regard he is in good position. If Mueller pinches down on this play, Eberle could have thrown it to the D for a wide open shot from about the hash marks. You can see that Mueller does crash low late but that is more to defend the guy crashing from the corner.
by Do Not Feed the Octopus on Feb 1, 2012 1:00 PM MST up reply actions
My primary beef with SOB was the non-hit when Eberle carried the puck high. I also think he could have taken the body as Eberle drove the net and let Gali and Varly worry about the play if it switched sides.
If we don't get our sauce, we ain't watching the game!
With still photos it sure looks like OB could lay out Eberle. But then again, Eberle is flying down the slot and if OB makes a move to hit him, Eberle is just as likely to dance around the open ice hit and get an uncontested shot on goal. Quincey attempted this earlier in the game, got undressed and the post made the save.
I'll keep this brief.
I agree, I was saying why didn’t he hit him earlier in the shift when Eberle carried toward the blue line. He skated right between Mueller and SOB and both stick checked him.
Upon another look, SOB is turning/coasting too slow to make the hit I’m talking about and Mueller (who has a much better angle/chance) just well… isn’t gonna make that play.
So forget I said anything.
If we don't get our sauce, we ain't watching the game!
As Dario said Mueller’s job is to cover the guy on the point and prevent a pass and one timer from the point. The only time he should crash down is to stop an extra offensive player from cutting to the net wide open. As a defenseman I normall do not want wings down by the crease for two reasons:
1. It just creates more bodies and more sticks swinging at loose pucks and adds to the confusion and chaos during scrums around the crease typically making the cluster fuck worse.
2. When I do gain possesion of the puck out of a pile my first look is find an open player up ice to pass the puck to so we can clear the zone (possibly even starting a rush up the ice). If the wings are done by the crease then I am stuck with no one to pass to and usually no room to skate as I have a couple of guys in arm reach. This usually then results in hard dump up the ice and an icing call or worst case a bad clear and a shot from the point.
My brother and I used to say that drowning in beer was like heaven, eh. Now he's not here and I got two soakers, this isn't heaven, this sucks.
mmmm, primary beef…
I miss Wilson’s hips
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by CrankyPete on Feb 2, 2012 12:05 AM MST via mobile up reply actions
Mueller is in the right spot for a winger, he’s cover the defenseman at the point (24 it looks like). Wilson gets tied up on the boards and is out of position. But you’ll notice that the Avs are never outnumbered in their own end. If anyone was supposed to get back and over that post it’s supposed to be Wilson. Mueller could fully commit and crash down to that corner but no one is going to cover the point. OB let’s a guy get lose with this partner stuck high in the zone and things just unravel from there.
I'll keep this brief.
Mueller is covering the outlet to the point like you said, but when the play goes that deep he should have been to the outside making contact so Wilson can slide down and cover the crease especially since O’brien was on the man behind the net. That way if Eberle changes directions (like he did) O’brien does not have to run over the net minder to keep the man with the puck behind the net. With the puck behind the net and the other teams forwards so deep, unless one of your D pairing is fighting with the puck carrier they should be glued to the posts. Mueller should have been on that post since Wilson was engaged and Gali was what appeared to be covering the point outlet and the dead space between the circles. Stastny was in the right spot eventually to cover the post but was there to cover Gagner (who pushed him into Varly also). I’m gonna say Mueller should have been more integral in stopping this goal. But I also wonder if he is avoiding the contact areas like the crease because he was told to or because he doesn’t want another extended vacation.
by I am not food on Feb 1, 2012 7:52 PM MST up reply actions
Nope. You want me to ask his opinion at the next practice?
If we don't get our sauce, we ain't watching the game!
Sure. Ask him if he thinks Wilson unnecessarily took himself out of the play by going for the hit.
by DiD on Feb 1, 2012 1:14 PM MST up reply actions
OK. Assuming he isn’t in a stick-breaking fit tonight (like last week), I’ll pick his brain.
If we don't get our sauce, we ain't watching the game!
Is that THE Mike McEwen who at one time played for the Colorado Rockies? How do you know him?
We see a wonderful sun-soaked city nestled at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. Enos sees nickels and dimes.
by Bob in Boulder on Feb 1, 2012 1:22 PM MST up reply actions
Same guy. Mike works with him coaching kids, or something like that.
I reminded Mike of Mike McEwen’s run-in with Don Cherry, but he didn’t seem amused.
I think Ray Miron also settled into the OKC area later in life. OKC: Where mediocre ex-Rockies thrive!
by DiD on Feb 1, 2012 1:25 PM MST up reply actions
Ray Miron ran the revamped CHL out of the OKC, I believe. At least the championship trophy is named after him…
If we don't get our sauce, we ain't watching the game!
Yeah, and I think he’s got a son who’s active in hockey. You’re much too young to know what a terrible NHL general manager he was. Here’s a story about him in the Post, if anyone’s interested. Like water seeks its own level, Miron sought his, eventually making a career in a scrubby minor league (the CHL, as Mike mentioned).
At least he wasn’t the fucking idiot who traded Lanny McDonald for his own brother. That was Billy MacMillan, who dealt McDonald (and a 4th-round pick who became Mikko Makela) to Calgary for Don Lever (career minus 240) and Bob MacMillan, the GM’s brother. Lever, out of the league by 1987, and MacMillan, out of the league by 1985, combined to score 138 goals after the trade. Mikko Makela scored 118 goals in 423 games, while Lanny McDonald won the Cup with Calgary in 1989 and scored 215 goals after leaving the Rockies.
by DiD on Feb 1, 2012 8:01 PM MST up reply actions
This is very interesting Mike. I don’t care what DDC says, you are OK. I would like to suggest that you also send this to the Av front office. Since they don’t invest in a full-time goalie coach, my guess is that they also don’t have this queued up on their Sony Betamax.
We see a wonderful sun-soaked city nestled at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. Enos sees nickels and dimes.
Mr Wilson?
Where was wilson on that one. He is almost at the blue line for christ sakes!!!! By the way i’m new here and my passion is the avs! I had to make a new e-mail account just to get on here.
Welcome!
I’m a huge Wilson fan but agree with you here. Mueller should have been the one covering the space he Wilson was covering, then Wilson could have been the one to knock Eberle into oblivion when he pulled the comeback move. This team needs to start knocking more opponents into oblivion.
We see a wonderful sun-soaked city nestled at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. Enos sees nickels and dimes.
by Bob in Boulder on Feb 1, 2012 12:47 PM MST up reply actions
Notice on the screenshots how Wilson had taken his man into the boards on the near side immediately prior to the goal. The Avs were in basic man-on-man coverage with the wingers sluffing in from the points to help out in the slot. Bottom line on this one is O’Brien got beat from behind the net and Varly could not hold the post. It would have been nice for O’Brien to knock Eberle off balance a little bit however.
by Do Not Feed the Octopus on Feb 1, 2012 12:50 PM MST up reply actions
Interesting. But is man-on-man coverage very common in hockey? Seems like it would be more fundamentally sound to play your area of responsibility, and less uncontested goals due to slick moves would occur.
We see a wonderful sun-soaked city nestled at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. Enos sees nickels and dimes.
by Bob in Boulder on Feb 1, 2012 12:56 PM MST up reply actions
Centers typically cover the other centers and support the D below the circles. Wings are responsible for their half of the ice above the centers.
Still not sure why anybody is mad at Wilson here. He followed his guy, rotated once SOB switched sides and tried to snuff at the scoring chance by taking his guy out of the play.
Gali is floating on the weakside of the play and Mueller is merely occupying space on this one.
If we don't get our sauce, we ain't watching the game!
So is it OK for Wilson to stay on that guy even if it takes him that far out of position? And if it does take him that far out, maybe it was Mueller’s responsibility to cover the area that SOB vacated?
We see a wonderful sun-soaked city nestled at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. Enos sees nickels and dimes.
by Bob in Boulder on Feb 1, 2012 1:07 PM MST up reply actions
He’s still low in the zone (his area after the rotation), he was hitting the guy with the puck (at the time) but got tangled up and didn’t get back to his feet to help take away the passing or skating lane that Eberle found.
I wonder if Mueller “lost” Eberle a little after he went out to the blueline. Pete may have zoned in on the puck a little. He didn’t react to Eberle’s presence at all.
If we don't get our sauce, we ain't watching the game!
I think a lot of teams play more of zone defense. I know this has come up with the Caps because the new coach switched from zone to man to man and suddenly John Carlson looks like shit and Jeff Schultz apparently can’t be trusted, when he was alright under the zone scheme. The new system does require better skating D. I recall reading some articles saying man to man d scheme wasn’t common in NHL. Maybe I can dig some stuff up on this since a few of the Caps beat writers covered it.
Here’s an article on man-to-man scheme versus zone defense. I was trying to post some excerpts, but really the entire article is good, so if you are interested in this topic, follow the link.
I watched it again, I think the reason he was almost at the blueline (which is an exaggeration) is because he thought the puck was going to leave the zone. Simple as that.
Welcome here, and congratulations for spelling your username correctly.
by DiD on Feb 1, 2012 1:18 PM MST up reply actions
I really don’ see Eberle as Mueller’s primary responsibility. His man is primarily the point man in this type of coverage. I think Mueller pinched down enough to help guard the low slot but it’s not his responsibility to take away a wrap around attempt. that’s on the D
by Do Not Feed the Octopus on Feb 1, 2012 1:12 PM MST reply actions
I agree 100%. SOB should have stayed on the left side and Gali had the other side covered. What I don’t like is that Stastny didn’t knock Eberle on his ass, instead he tried to play the stick where the puck was.
I'm not questioning your powers of observation; I'm merely remarking upon the paradox of asking a masked man who he is.
I think SoS was trying to box out Gagner at the same time (which he did). It was a pick your poison. He takes out Eberle, Gagner is standing there to bang in the puck. You box out Gagner and hope you can poke the puck wide before Eberle gets a second whack.
6 of one, half dozen of the other…
If we don't get our sauce, we ain't watching the game!
yeah, didn’t think of that, great point. There was really no winning outside of an outstanding play from Stastny.
I'm not questioning your powers of observation; I'm merely remarking upon the paradox of asking a masked man who he is.
Yeah, it’s pretty tough for Stastny and his giant ass to out-muscle all 170 pounds of 22-year-old Sam Gagner.
by DiD on Feb 1, 2012 8:05 PM MST up reply actions
D-men need to play D. There’s the odd time where the pinch helps out for sure; EJ is doing this well lately, but on a young team why confuse things more by over counting on your forwards to play both ways. Maybe thats why we are constantly cought pinching then the other team comes down and scores. Brings me back to the JML days.
that would be genius Sacco’s fault. How do you think Ryan got TWO breakaways? We have 3 d-men with exactly 1 goal so why are they jumping up? makes no sense to me. That goal BTW was stas’s fault, why didn’t he KO eberle. that’s not on varly imo
by the cool breeze on Feb 1, 2012 2:06 PM MST up reply actions
I wasn’t trolling you, I thought you were being funny.
by the cool breeze on Feb 1, 2012 2:18 PM MST up reply actions
I love how people forget that it’s the center’s job to cover the point when a D-man pinches. Yes, some breakaways are a result of a badly timed pinch, but some are a result of a centerman losing his assignment in a pinching situation.
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Mile High Hockey - Asst. Editor
The Hockey Writers - Avalanche Correspondent
by Cheryl Bradley on Feb 1, 2012 2:31 PM MST up reply actions
It completely does, You have to trust your team but be smart at the same time. I get that you have to pinch more when your down and the game is ending but dumb pinches don’t help at all! Great we have such offensive d-men?Is that why we can hardly ever score, points and wins are results and I see none. Need an old balls dman back there to help these kids.
Great job Mike I like your break down. I think you can argue what ifs all day long with this, but in the end it comes down to there was a breakdown and Eberle made a great play to take advantage of it.
My brother and I used to say that drowning in beer was like heaven, eh. Now he's not here and I got two soakers, this isn't heaven, this sucks.
And now I can close the comments. I hope everybody learned something today.
If we don't get our sauce, we ain't watching the game!
That you can close the comments?
We see a wonderful sun-soaked city nestled at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. Enos sees nickels and dimes.
by Bob in Boulder on Feb 2, 2012 2:10 PM MST up reply actions
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