everyone here will be thrilled to know the Avs stand a chance tonight because I won't be screwing things up. I was at an Aeros game during Game 1, and all season long, the Avs have lost every game they played while I attended an Aeros one. They were eliminated last night, so at least the Avs stand a chance. On that note, I'll be missing the thread today because of unfortunate circumstances known as my favorite day of the year, NFL Draft Day 1.

Nobody is.

Way to call an even game! Floppola Lemieuxs Foote into the boards and no call. Not like the Avs would have scored on the PP anyway.

what a joke... no call on that hit from behind that creamed Foote?  

not that it matters, so far the Avs are listless and getting out worked.   The old Hedjuk that looks like he couldn't care less, is back.    Hlinka's got a little passion, as do some of the grinders.   Sakic looks slow, Stastny is tentative, and there just isn't any sign of cohesiveness.

I'll give the Wings credit, they use their sticks better than anyone else around;  it's right on the edge of legality, but they're allowed to do it, and they do it better than anyone else out there.   And they play better positional hockey than any team in the league.

I still hate them :)

yeah, but even in that interview, Smyth sounded bored, he was sitting there making an obvious effort of finding cliche's to say.

damn Franzen is a monster,  he's killin us

OK, let's try something new here. We need a goal girl, and sometimes you have to ugly your way out of a slump, so here's a pic of A2Y's wife. Hopefully this will get things going.

The Wings could get 80pts a year out of Arnason, and they could get Sauer to be a shutdown DMan.

Aggravates me to no end that they get so much out of a bunch of AHL losers.

Why is this idiot still getting ice time?

Man, I don't know what to say. Ticky-tack BS calls against us, no calls against the opposition.

This is aggravating. We're the better team by far, and we're GIVING the games away to these shitbags. It's disgusting. I am gonna go watch the Draft and try to stay away. Good luck.

classy crosscheck to the back of Datsyuk.   This is a disgusting display.    Not any different than the hit on Foote however.

Broncos picked OT Ryan Clady out of Boise State. Great player, great fit.

Detroit is Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Lidstrom, Rafalski and now Franzen. That's it. This isn't a deep team. It's not an overpoweringly talented team. Their level of talent isn't even comparable to that of Colorado.

That is absolutely ridiculous.  Not a deep team?  Not as talented as Colorado?  I guess you didn't notice their fourth line controlling the puck in your zone.  You're also forgetting about Draper (3 Stanleys), Filpulla scoring goals, Stuart, Holmstrom (3 Stanleys), Drake, having two #1 goalies (Osgood 3 Stanleys), etc.

Detroit is an extremely deep team.  Heck, even the guys sitting out are as good or better than your fourth line and probably third line...Maltby, Meech, Downey, Kopecky, Ericsson,  etc.

The Wings rolled four lines.  You seem to forget that, and that Franzen isn't out there alone.  I know you want to make excuses, but at some point reality needs to set in.  There's a reason the Wings are #1 in point differential and shot differential, and won the President's Trophy.

Draper and Drake are completely useless. Stuart is okay, he's essentially another Sauer at this stage in his career. Holmstrom is a one-dimensional third line forward who is useful on the PP because of his ability to screen the goalie and score (valuable) garbage goals. He's a liability defensively, and contrary to popular belief, he's not a very physical player. Filppula is a dime-a-dozen 3rd liner. Detroit doesn't have a #1 goalie, much less two of them.

Stanley Cups won is not a valid measure of a player's talent. Craig Simpson has as many Cups as Datsyuk and Zetterberg combined. By your argument, he's better than both of them. And if you're going to talk about Cups, Osgood has ONE Cup, not three. He was Vernon's backup in 96-97 and was playing for the Islanders when the Wings won their 3rd Cup in recent history.

Detroit didn't roll four lines today any more than Colorado did. Actually, if you look at the ice time numbers from today, Detroit played their first and second lines a lot more heavily than Colorado played theirs.

Detroit is not a deep team. They have two (three if you count Franzen) offensively gifted forwards, two really good defensemen, a really good coach, and they play very good defense as a team. They have a reputation and an intimidating mystique.

Nobody is making excuses. Colorado lost because Colorado's got a couple holes. It's frustrating to have more talent and lose because of things that shouldn't be a problem. It's probably even more frustrating to lose to a team that has the exact opposite strengths and weaknesses that you have. But oh well. I didn't expect the Avs to make the second round when the playoffs began. Missing the playoffs probably would have been better long-term, but there's nothing we can do about that now.

If Colorado starts playing like they did in the first round, the Wings are in serious trouble. But this team is playing like they did at the midpoint of the regular season, and that's not a good thing if you're an Avs fan.

Draper and Drake are completely useless.

LMFAO

he is a penalty killing specialist and great at it.  he's got speed, experience, and can chip in with a timely goal here and there.  oh, and coughSelkecough

Drake is a role player who brings experience and leadership.  neither is useless.

Holmstrom is a one-dimensional third line forward...contrary to popular belief, he's not a very physical player.

LOL

you have no idea what you're talking about, so I'm not even going to bother saying anything other than this...

you Dive fans need to learn that the word depth doesn't mean you have three lines and two defensive pairings of Datsyuks, Zetterbergs, Sakics, Lidstroms, and Footes.  it's about having four lines you can trust, that are unique in their play and who they can handle, and who contribute on the score sheet.  that is an exact description of the Wings.

Detroit doesn't have a #1 goalie, much less two of them.

LOL

Osgood 27-9-4 2.09/.914
Hasek 27-10-3 2.14/.902

Stanley Cups won is not a valid measure of a player's talent.

depth is about more than pure talent.  it's about role players, experience, leadership, reliability.

Craig Simpson has as many Cups as Datsyuk and Zetterberg combined. By your argument, he's better than both of them.

show me where I made the argument that Cups = talent.

And if you're going to talk about Cups, Osgood has ONE Cup, not three.

actually, he has two.  he won one behind Vernon in 97 and one himself in 98.

Detroit didn't roll four lines today any more than Colorado did. Actually, if you look at the ice time numbers from today, Detroit played their first and second lines a lot more heavily than Colorado played theirs.

rolling isn't about ice time, it's about impact.  again I point you to Detroit's fourth line controlling the puck in your zone.

If Colorado starts playing like they did in the first round, the Wings are in serious trouble.

LOL

But this team is playing like they did at the midpoint of the regular season, and that's not a good thing if you're an Avs fan.

what you have to realize is that the Wings are doing what they have done all year - impose their will on teams.  it's not about the Avs not being able to do it, not having the energy or determination...it's about the Wings being so good they won't let them.  the only period so far where they let them was the second in game 1.

keep in mind the Wings were 3-11 in February.  yes, that's right - they only won 3 games in February (one was a 4 goal shutout of the Avs).  and they still won the President's Trophy.

How do you feel about him?

he's a great player, worthy of a truckload of respect.  a great captain and leader.

however, next time you're comparing the Avs top forwards to the Wings top forwards, remember Zetterberg turning Sakic inside-out...and that Zetterberg is a Selke nominee (and will probably win it) this year.

comparing talent for talent in the top forwards, the Wings have TWO Selke nominees.  Datsyuk led the league in takeaways by a TON.  how anyone can say any of the Avs forwards are better than those two is beyond me.

I guess the bottom line is this...the Avs, as a collection of talent, are far far better than the Wings and probably every other team in the NHL. I can't think of a single team with such a deep, talented roster.

The Wings, as a team, are far better than the Avalanche. Over the past thirteen years or so, the Wings have been probably the best team in the league. There have been times where they were the best team AND the best collection of talent, but this isn't one of them.

Talent and results are not one and the same. See the New York Rangers c1996-2007 for a very good example. Would I rather have results than talent? Short term, yes. Are the Wings more talented than the Avs? Not by a longshot. Are the Wings a better team than the Avs? Sure looks like it. Are the Wings going to beat the Avs this year? Most likely. Do the fans of either team have anything to do with it? Not at all.

the Avs, as a collection of talent, are far far better than the Wings and probably every other team in the NHL.

LMFAO

take off the snow-colored glasses.

and btw, "I could refute every one of your points but I won't because you're just a troll" is equivalent to "wow, you're right, I can't refute anything you said."

thank you and have a nice night.