Makar rises to the occasion as the Avalanche handle Chicago Blackhawks | DNVR Avalanche Postgame

0:00Welcome in the NBR Avalanche post game show live from the Toyota Lounge powered by your from range so that the dealerships and presented by bet three six five we are in that winners lounge again as the Pete the Chicago Black Hawk's three to one and again that maybe was harder than it had to be but how many times have I said that this year about the Colorado Avalanche J Mike they like to play with their food a little bit made it a little bit tougher on themselves than they needed to the penalties will get into it it's a little bit frustrating but two and one out of the break you're able to really honestly probably do more than expected given the circumstances so I think you should feel pretty good all things considered yes at at the end of the day a winners win as a win I don't care if it's greasy dirty ugly I don't care if it's dominant and I don't care if it's anything in between especially this time a year

1:00everyone's watching the standings everyone's trying to chase each other Minnesota drop the two points they took from you the other day you get them back you feel pretty good about that from Colorado side of things like J Mike said I think there's a fair amount of negatives to actually talk about in this game but the abs one and for large portions of it were definitively the better team so even when we do talk about the negatives understand I'm pretty positive about this hockey game don't don't let the worst of your inner thoughts get the best of you that's my take away from this game sometimes you've got to be able to compartmentalize right you've got to be able to separate the crazy from the rational and that's hard as a fan I get it I I suffer with that like the best of them but honestly all things considered I'm really excited to talk about this performance should be a fun one let's kick it off with the 60 second run down first period

2:02abs dominated at five on five but had nothing to show for it took some penalties they probably shouldn't have counterpart burns them on one of them is one nothing Chicago from there second period was honestly 70% of it was a nothing burger just not a ton happened for the majority of the period but the abs finally break through at the end of a thing technically not in the power play but just after it expires its calma car to get it tied one one with eight second left in the period and then the abs go out and prove they're the better team in the third Gavin Brindley the man to break the tie off of a rebound a nice little finish that would be your game winner the abs again to make life hard they have to kill a couple more penalties of their own creation in the third but they do that and calma cars also credited with the empty netter that gets you your three one final 50 seconds pretty easy on that front but a lot of detail that I skipped over there Jay Mike 5v5 tonight is a weird one because as I mentioned abs clearly the better team at 5v5

3:08but you spent long stretches of this game where yes you're dominating possession yes you're in control of the play but how much danger were the abs actually generating is was the mindset a little bit to I don't think passive is the right word but not getting to the right areas well I mean they were too passive in a couple of instances that that chance for a shorty literally passive yeah but it was a weird one I'm with you it was one of those where if you were following the stats and the stats only it kind of indicates a dominant performance from the abs they were significantly better I feel like than Chicago but I'm with you I don't know how how much they really tested the the goal tender they they put a lot of shots on nets but it just I don't know it was a weird one I'm not sure if the killer instinct was necessarily there for the entirety of the game I would agree I'd the abs are such a good team especially when they're

4:12playing a team like the black hawks who are pretty bad 5v5 that they can get away with maybe not doing all of the details and still being the better team at 5v5 right and and ultimately we do see the game winning goal comes off of the details and being in the right positions and extending possessions so they got there eventually but I just don't know that you can settle for particularly how often a shot comes from outside from Colorado with no one in front to be in rebound position if you are you're taking a low percentage shot that a normal low percentage shot with traffic in front you're saying hey the actual shot might be low percentage but what happens afterward a low percentage shot with no one in front is at best you're hoping for an offensive zone face off yeah and the ironic thing is the go ahead goal

5:14that Brindley scored it is a product of when you finally have some traffic up front yep yep then it's not a bad scenario so I don't know if the mindset is wrong necessarily but the execution has certainly been off and I just think you need more more efforts all together from everybody when they've got possession the way that they do because there were long stretches where the abs were really just playing keep away yeah somebody go you know getting front create traffic maybe you draw a penalty maybe you get a rebound like you did on the Brindley goal it can't be you know like golden state warriors basketball where you've got five out from the perimeter and there's nobody there to get a rebound you know it kind of feels like they have that mentality at times they want to get the cue goal and we need more of the the griddy goals I mean if goals counted for two from out there maybe you could pull off the the golden state warrior style but that doesn't happen in hockey so yeah you have to get to the dirty areas apparently not the paint the way the NHL has been calling

6:15goalie interference lately but I don't know what it is I was watching Pittsburgh yeah made up straight made up that that goalie interference know that in this game though I let's work from the top to the bottom of the line up here Nathan McKinnon is interesting I think there are a lot of this game where you're starting to become frustrated with me Nathan McKinnon slowing play down at times questionable decision making like to be fair I think there are portions of this game where every single as was struggling with their puck management so I don't know that I blame him specifically too much for that and you you have all this frustrating build frustration building with him but then also the game tying goal is a disgustingly good pass from him to set up kale maca you know what I really liked about that instance was it was directly after

7:16late in that power play he had a high danger opportunity shoot in the puck yeah and I don't remember if you just miss the net altogether yeah and you could see him you know he almost kind of threw a you know through the head back shot but then he locked right back in immediately they keep the puck in the zone and he delivers just a gorgeous feed and credit kale for finishing but I mean it was it was a huge moment for him because those are the things that at times get frustrating about him is less the less so the failure to execute on the shot certainly you'd like him to put it more on that there but it's like the instances where he then you know kind of sandbags for 15-20 seconds because he's in his fields and instead we saw him you know shake it off more or less and deliver a really key moment so just from a leadership standpoint that was huge and you need to see that now hopefully you see him looking a little bit more like the the Mac we know but that feels kind of cheap of you say that considering

8:20the points he's put up these last two games well and look that's a little bit of the deal with Nathan McKinnon right you live with some of the frustrating stuff because realistically once a game or more he's gonna pull a play like that out of the bag for you and ends up being a huge difference maker even if you are hey you'd like a better thing here from Nathan McKinnon you'd like him to never do whatever he did in front of his own net there ever again but he also created the game time goal so you have to go back and forth with that I think it's a good quote that Big E always used to make as people get frustrated with the turnovers from Nathan McKinnon at times which yeah I would like him to clean some of those up but also he has a lot of turnovers because he has the puck a lot more than everybody else that's part of the deal it's a very valid point and for all the faults you know for the times where he maybe gets a little too cute with the puck and tries to do too much I think

9:23the playmaking for others has probably been the best element of his game so he's creating good opportunities for everyone else yep would like the abs to finish a few more of them for sure I think there's no doubt about that's across the board right now man yeah yeah you shot totals are nuts when you look at the lack of goals here it is and this game didn't get quite to the extreme that the Minnesota game did but it's still a team that is machining out shots on goal at a rate where the puck needs to go in more and again they got there eventually I don't need to be a stickler about that one specifically but Colorado is too good of a team is too skilled of a team to not score more efficiently part of that is absolutely special teams which again we'll get into but these are not terrible shooters the abs don't maybe have a true ultra high-end shooter since

10:25ranting and left but martyne anxious is a pretty darn good shooter mac he has always been a volume shooter but is a good shooter gave land escog quietly for a lot of his career has been a very good shooter and his shooting has been awful out of the Olympic break even guys like nishushkin uh Nelson has quieted a bit on his goal scoring ability the abs are better shooters than this I to me that's maybe just ebb and flow of a hockey season but I don't know is there more to it j-Mike I think it's probably just a lot of averages I think the numbers will leave it out to where these guys are supposed to be realistically but I will say kind of going back to what we were talking about earlier and just kind of the the general lack of creating traffic and some of that kind of stuff the abs have good shooters and I almost wonder if that's a detriment to the mentality at times like obviously you would take that skill this isn't me saying you don't want them to be good shooters but it becomes easy to kind of play patient hockey if you will and you're willing to take some of

11:34these shots because it's like yes you have the ability but how frequently are you really going to cash that in and I just think at times like you just got to lean more into that you know we're not going to get this perfect rister from the blue line but let's go you know muck it up and see if we can just kind of plate dirty not dirty but you know do the dirty work it's what we talked about in the pregame a little bit this was more about the penalties but you got to be able to read the game that you're in right yes the abs were 30 minutes into this game pucks not going in off of those perfect plays you need to be able to read and adjust to maybe make the dirty play and you know what they did eventually get there credit to them for finding that in the third period but maybe read the game at minute 15 instead of minute 45 would be nice I will say to with how good this team is in the third period especially there's probably a calmness that largely is beneficial and as a product of their success but also at times can be like you're a

12:38little too cool calm and collected like let's let's raise the urgency a little bit here yeah I there were times in this game where I would definitely like to have seen the as raise the urgency but also if you're back pocket trip because being the best third period team in hockey that's a pretty good back pocket trick to have I mean the number of losses the abs have when tied or leading in the third period you can count on one hand this year so pretty darn good they're good when it matters and I mean that's that's why these teams in the position that they're in they are still very very good even if you have frustrations with the team and we're gonna have to talk about special teams again so I'm gonna be frustrated that's for sure but those frustrations come in the context of they're supposed to be the best team in the league and they are so that bar is very high well and also if all we did was say how great they are all the time this show wouldn't be we got a lot of shows here that's true the next couple of months guys we got to get into the weeds

13:43a little bit yes this team's incredible but there it's just the little things night to night and that's what's gonna that's what's gonna make it interesting here down the stretch with just having to play so many games is can you lock in because we know you're highly skilled we know you're driven like I don't think there's ever a question of this team's motivation at least for more than like a night or two you know everybody's gonna have an off night but can you can you win the mental battle which is really what this next month is going to be you know the ass versus the abs it's been a conversation at multiple points this year they can get out of their own way they're gonna win a lot this one not the turbo dunk I was hoping for but it's still a w we need to take our first break of the show so let's shout out a few of our sponsors including the fantastic folks over at wait for it game time go get yourself tickets to the Colorado avalanche or rather they're going on the road which a lot of you are not from Colorado even when

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15:49terms apply download the game time app tap ticket go today shout out the homies at game time they're innovative they're always changing the game so are our friends at Taco Bell they're at it again they just they do not miss the crazy scientists over there at T Bell either back at it and you're going to have to try it it's the chicken bacon reach a loop as which that's going to be the only thing I'm going to be able to think about for the rest of the show so thank you to Taco Bell for that get yourself full street size cheddar chalupa shells filled with slow roast chicken flavorful bacon freshly prepared pico to gallop pico to gallop I shredded cheese and avocado avocado having trouble with that one don't forget to add one of the new items from the Taco Bell Lux value menu with 10 items for $3 or under the Lux value menu I talk about the liver is bold irresistible flavor and crave for the items at an unbelievable price nobody delivers every day value and supports your hometown teams like Taco Bell live moss at Taco Bell look it's hard to

16:53pronounce the words right when you're salivating over the Taco Bell food all right I get it I understand well I tried to make it on one and then I accidentally mispronounced the next one so that's your plan with fire you know you try and be funny that's what you get second period of the dnvr avalanche podcast we have the three stars of the game star number three I went with McKenzie blackwood on this one not because he was particularly tested in this game but you look at a game where you give up a power play goal early and then you lock it down you give up nothing else and that is physically not that difficult in the game that he had to play but mentally when you're working your way through a game you give up an early one and then you're halfway through the game and you've given up or rather you've faced a total of six shots you have to find ways to keep yourself engaged and blackwood did that job tonight he didn't give up that next goal that maybe we could have made the as more vulnerable yeah I think you could say and back to back starts he

17:55really isn't responsible for a goal out pretty much yeah I mean it's you can get takey tacky and go back and forth on it but he's been really locked in and I feel like he's seeing the puck well now you could see from his positioning you know he's getting out and he's he's just very confident in his game and it's been huge and I think that's got to be really tough as a good goal tender when you have faced six shots and then you know Chicago did kind of turn it on a little bit once the abs tied it and he had step up and make two or three keys there yep that's clutch and he's just been so steady which is what you need out of him hard to be mad at him it's not I'm not going to pretend like he's played perfect there are a couple of shots that beat him that ended up hitting the post tonight but a post does not a shot on goal fairs yeah I there's a balance there some of it maybe a bit lucky some of it Chicago didn't execute well enough so blackwood stopping what he had to go off his back the other night that's true yeah for a little bit of luck out of

19:00view fair enough for sure star number two Gavin Brinley gets the game winning goal we talked about of being a dirty greasy play the type of goal that the abs have needed more of and needed more out of someone like a Gavin Brinley it's it's interesting because there's an argument that Gavin Brinley is playing for his job right now the abs are gonna do some stuff at the deadline it's gonna shuffle the roster not that I think he's been bad after the break I actually have quite liked his game in both the first two games but production like this has to be there for him he'd been quiet from a point production standpoint so this was this was big and you know like going back to the pregame conversation of who can kind of step up for you and some of these games while some of these guys coming back from the Olympic break are trying to get their feet back underneath them and for him to come up with that that goal and that setting that's huge and that's how you

20:03know continue to to earn playing time on a team that has this much depth and I don't think he needs to like fear for his standing I think there are a couple of other guys who are probably more more likely to be moved but yeah you never know I mean the thing is he was so solid early on in the year it's it's probably elevated his value so it's it's an interesting conversation it's it's a balance too right you you look at a night like tonight yes Nathan McKinnon gives you a two-point night Kel McCarr gives you a multi-gold night who we'll talk about him in a minute you need to get it a little bit from everywhere all right you got some nice goals from your defense you need a forward to step up and score not gonna be every night but some night you need those depth guys to step up and be the guy that gets a big goal for you and I think especially on a night where you look at the way the game was playing out the the inability to find the the perfect goal you know what sometimes the depth guys need to be the guy

21:06that say not follow me not a leadership thing but look at where I'm going I went to the front of the net this is how you solve this problem there's almost like a fearlessness that can come with being in his position of where you're not expected to be the highlight guy yeah I've just I'm gonna go in here and see if I can muck some stuff up and I might you know create something out of nothing and that's exactly what he did I I will say great recognition from him as well a horrible defense net front from Ardom Levchenov for Chicago on that play may not have mattered if Brindley didn't recognize his defender was on the ice he takes his time collects the puck pulls it back and roofs it instead of panicking and slapping it into the battle has either yeah that I think that's part of the reason why so many people are so excited about Gavin Brindley he's not just that bottom six grinder that works it out he's got enough skill on top to finish a play like that

22:09his his IQ and his athleticism pop like he's not the biggest guy in the world but the intangibles are there the efforts going to be their night tonight and he's been pretty opportunistic to his credit too when he's been in that position where he has an opportunity you know you got an open net there after you you hold the puck for a second he he capitalized and that's what you need more of you know like especially if some of the other guys they're maybe in their head or it's just not their a game why not be the hero yep he's he's got a little bit more in the bag that's all I'm saying there star number one it's going to kill McCarr do I think kill McCarr had the greatest game ever no but with 39 minutes into a game you're about to be over four on the power play you need someone to step up and you need someone to get the job done and the people you look to are the guys like kale McCarr yes it's a great pass from Nathan McKinnon I don't even think it's that great of a shot from kale McCarr to be honest I think he doesn't get a ton on it but it goes on net and it goes in

23:13it's the exact play we've been begging kale McCarr to make for months nice to see it go in sometimes even if you don't get your best shot off if you don't over think it if you're in the right position and you get a perfect feed the way you are you you're already set up for success just don't don't yeah you'd like him to get a little bit more on it but I mean sometimes that's that's that's kind of the perfect example of why you've got to simplify things at times right like don't get in your head like you like the abs down the the shorthanded opportunity you're trying to make that extra cute pat just freaking shoot the puck sometimes man and good things are gonna happen yep and this is a reality of the way the abs are built the abs are an incredibly skilled team I think you can make an argument that they have one of the best top six forward cores in the NHL but the way they play hop hockey systemically and with the talent that they have they rely on their defense to be

24:14productive it has to be part of the offensive conversation for them for them to be successful as a team this goes beyond kale McCarr but McCarr is absolutely the leader of that conversation and when he is producing points yes that's good probably good enough but when he is scoring goals that's what makes the abs defense truly exceptional it just completely changes the geometry on the ice and like everything opens up when you have to truly respect kale's shot and he kind of just feels like a guy who needed to see the the puck find the back of the net a couple of times so I'm maybe I'm trying to will it into existence maybe this is me you know being a homer but kind of feels like this is the type of game that could you know get him going again I hope so I we know just how lethal kale McCarr can be and if the abs get that version which hey if he's saving it for the playoffs I'm I am open to that idea but that version of kale McCarr

25:21I don't want to say it makes the abs unstoppable but boy does it make them scary I think he's the best all around player in the world when he plays to his peak capability so it's it's just encouraging to see that and you need you need it like he said I mean especially when you're not getting the the type of goal production you would like from you know valentichuskin and Nelson's cooled off a little bit and no land he hasn't scored a ton you know it's just it makes this team so overwhelming when you start getting production from him and then when I mean when you start getting the type of play that out of Manson of late two who's also been producing a ton of points it just makes you that much more overwhelming yep they they can get it from everywhere it's just about finding that tick more consistency with the actual finishing those are the three stars I also wanted to get to the xfinity x factor and this conversation includes this game but also spreads out over the last handful of games and I'm giving basically the avalanches

26:21five on five defense the xfinity x factor when you look at the three games back from the break the Colorado avalanche have given up two goals at five v five one to Utah and one to Minnesota all of the rest of them have either come on the power play or six v five situations now again we'll get into how they've given far too many of those power play situations up but at five on five the abs are averaging giving up less than a goal again I think when you factor in the schedule and the fact that you got three and four out of the break it's just been it's been impressive to see the way they're getting to the puck I just feel like they haven't had a ton of instances where guys are chasing or they're at a position I mean it's hockey bad bounces are gonna happen you're gonna get odd man rushes here and there but they've played pretty disciplined and especially tonight I felt like they were just they were in your face you know it's like when you're trying

27:23to play sports against your dad growing up or something and you know block the shot like they're just right there in your grill and it's been huge and I mean you've got a credit kula right for how well he's been able to it helps it helps he has definitely elevated the defensive side of the game and again the abs are imperfect so I'm not going to say that every play they're making the perfect defensive option you still see them at times struggle to get pucks out that maybe it should be a little bit cleaner but when you are giving up that little one gold tenders deserve some credit there too but two the abs seem to be a lot more comfortable I don't know if playing with the edge is the right word but you're seeing Manson much more consistently start laying hits down he had a whole highlight package of them coming from this game you're seeing the ability to I mean Devon tapes one multiple puck battles behind the other teams goal line in this game they're the abs defense has found a little bit of maybe freedom is not the right word but it feels like

28:27there's a little bit less pressure on them they're not feeling like they're gripping the sticks and having to play perfectly and it's allowed them to to play hockey the way they want to I think part of it is the success you add in the neutral zone tonight just the fact that you know you're not getting put in an opportune positions repeatedly but I also just kind of what you said it feels to me like they're playing maybe with a a sense of freedom or just like they're not they're not thinking and reacting they're trusting their instincts and their instincts are correct it just feels like they're making the right reads and going and said you know like oh Bill hesitate just a second like now you're out of position I've just been really impressed with these six guys and I think if you can keep keep everybody healthy you feel really good about the state of the defense going into the most important stretch of the regular season I certainly feel good about it at least at five on five believe it at that that was the Xfinity X factor

29:30Xfinity imagine that and we do need to take our second break of the show here so let's shout out a few more of our sponsors while we are at it including the official vehicle of DNVR which is Toyota they've got a vehicle for everyone your jocks Manson I mean you probably drive a truck right your hall and stuff you're doing the hard work you're someone like Gavin Brindley I mean I don't know he can take a beating too I struggle to place Gavin Brindley in a car I feel like he should be a tiny little zippy car but then also it's like a a Corolla from 1999 that can just beat up and crash into anything that maybe not the best choice of comparison there but whatever you're looking for Toyota has trucks SUVs sedans and more including the Tocoma and Land Cruiser with 17 different models that have all wheeler four wheel drive available so you can be secure on the roads or go off-roading if that's your thing they also have 16 different hybrid vehicles to choose from like hybrid trucks the Tundra I Force Max and they can take you anywhere

30:31you need to go visit your front range Toyota stores at a location near you including auto nation Toyota Rapon Centennial Corp and Toyota Boulder Group Toyota Littleton Mountain States Southern Denver Steven Toyota Easton Aurora and Stevenson Toyota West in Lakewood again Toyota not just the official vehicle DNVR but the official vehicle of the Colorado Abilance Toyota let's go places I also want to talk to you about the Xfinity at five-year price guarantee you know what if you could have reliable and intelligent Wi-Fi and what if you could keep it at the same price for five years well you can with the Xfinity five-year price guarantee imagine Wi-Fi that makes everything in your home work together that finds and fixes problems before you even notice them like super intelligent Wi-Fi with a sixth sense let's you stream the game even when the whole family's online all your devices working in perfect harmony for five whole years here's the best part you all know annual contracts no hidden fees and Xfinity's best equipment comes included take it from me a lock and change in five years championships are one records are broken dreams grow bigger but your

31:35Wi-Fi it should stay reliable and the price should stay put lock in your price and unlock the possibilities with Xfinity learn more at xfinity.com xfinity imagine that select plans only restrictions to apply third period of the vnvr avalanche podcast I am presently doing everything I can to avoid talking about the special teams of this game so instead let's hear Jared Bednar talk about the special teams of this game and the rest of the game too here's audio from coach all right we'll start off with Colleen. Coach obviously penalties initially last game some families this game what can you just say about the overall effort for the team and I like their game tonight again like the work ethic the competitiveness and I think out of the first three games like that's the tightest we've been defensively you know suppressing shots just like our I thought our intentions were we're good and our commitment to defend and our conscious to defend

32:39was good tonight and so you know I've liked what we created in Utah against many again tonight but I didn't love like I just think we gave up too many scoring chances in those first two games that we left in the chance and tonight we were better and you know penalty kill we give up one but it was really good after that and and I like their power play tonight I think they're that that was a really good sort of first step coming out of the break on how we'd like to get in a tag mode and they get us a big power play goal even though just Ed just Ed did it was it was a huge goal for us. Jesse. Coach you look up there one point in the second period and I think the shots are like 18 to 4 or something like that same with Sam with the chatter of the best state super positive just how do you keep the team from getting frustrated when you guys are you know getting getting pucks in the net they're just not going. I don't find that our team gets frustrated when the flow of the game or the rhythm of the game is in our favor like they don't

33:40worry too much about like the score that it's one nothing you know they're they get frustrated a little bit like if they get an opportunity in miss the net or against block or they're going to make the save but I think those are just like momentary you know things I don't think they're carrying it with them throughout the course of the game when we were playing the way we're playing especially in the second period I thought we got caught even more. I think it's just easier to just like everyone just like just stay with it it's going to come it's about our time kind of thing. Ryan Bolton. Have you noticed with Mackenzie that maybe it takes a little bit for him to really get his time back filled the rhythm and how have you felt about you know this little stretch for him post break. Well yeah I think he's played two really good games for us post break so you know our goals and our intentions are to get him going a little bit more because he hasn't played a lot of hockey and there's you know the season is going to start ticking down here on games that I want to be sharp and so we'll rest him when we need to rest him we'll kind of pick games in the

34:46schedule for wedge if Blackwood can keep playing the way he just played the last two games and we're going to lean on him a little bit more just because he's had a late season to this point but I think that's with any player if you're not consistently feeling healthy and you're not in in the lineup all the time it does take a little bit to find your rhythm coming out of injuries and you know just to gain the confidence you need to be able to play well. Evan and Aaron. I think at 16 penalties in three games what do you contribute to that and is it easily fixable on your Oh yeah yeah I think it's easily fixable like we like the many games we took a lot of dumb penalties you know maybe get your stick up around the guy's head you're going to hold with it we took a couple undisciplined penalties where I don't think we need to engage in some stuff. Tonight was I mean there's some things that are sometimes they make a play and we

35:49took penalties because we got beat one on one and we get reach and right like Taser got stripped and it's a reactionary play you know we don't see that happen very often but they kind of slip by us of a couple plays and we take penalties and sometimes those are good ones to take sometimes they're not but I think it's easily fixable no question like I'm not going to worry about our discipline because of one game the many game or two back-to-back games I just I think we've been a discipline team to this point in the year and I think we've continued to be and just something we'll bring to their attention and try to crack. Eric, Kel McCarrer admitted that there are some frustrations with the power play. How do you coach a group through back? We just did it tonight. Grab them all we grabbed them all before the game got really specific on what we want to try and do got really specific on what the opposition was going to do and talk to about some reasons why I don't think it's been you know working just like some positioning

36:49details to fine line between being good and bad right and execution is part of it decision-making is part of it but also positioning and putting teams in tough spots if you know exactly the way they're going to kill something right so we got them all together before the game again and we've done it in the past too we do it all the time but you know bring them together get super specific on what we want to see and I thought they did a really nice job of we still made some plays or we turned the puck over we you know lost a few battles that they sent the link through the ice we we mis-executed on some but it was it was very intentional the way they played the power play tonight and they got us a huge goal you know and it took two minutes and four seconds to get it we'll try to we'll try to shrink that time down to about 30 seconds or whatever but we were we were we were challenging about the net you know and there's there's different options and things that we can expand on but we want to get really good at sort of the

37:51basics right now and we're starting fresh and you know that's two power play goals and three games and we'll take that as a starting point and we'll move on from there last two Ryan and Megan my chance you praise Gavin Brinley's work ethic tonight and said he's been coming early to practice yeah yeah getting an extra word and he gets that going at the most night what can you say about the spark that Brinley provides you this game yeah big goal big goal and I was so happy to see him because like those guys like we get in tight games and like Bardockov loses some ice time here and that it's not even from you know something that I'm not seeing from those guys it's just I rely heavily on you know we had three veteran lines going and then we got the line with Kells and the kids tonight and sometimes jury with the kids and I'm trying to keep involved but I liked what they've been doing in their spot duty prior to that and I wanted to get him out there another couple times and I mean it's it it was a great shift again and and he gets rewarded by

38:55doing the right things Bardockov I great boys with multiple times in that shift and then Brinley gets out there and and finds loose pop net front and I love the boys to pull it past the goal and put it in the net so I think they have that ability I think they're growing their game and on a night like tonight that was I mean it was a huge goal for us so give him kudos finished with Megan yeah like I think there's a there's a balance there where you're still playing to win and and be a difference maker without trying to do too much right and turn in the puck over and having to go the other way but I think both those guys Bardy and Brins have

39:56done and like this is not easy for a young player that's used to playing a lot a challenge oftentimes especially in the first half of the year it's something that they have to grow through is is keeping their focus staying ready you know their name gets called a lot and then they don't go I put other people out and then that that kind of can be deflated but you gotta stay ready for when the when your name is called and I think both those players have done a better job as a year has gone on of making the most of their ice time even with big gaps in between their shifts but I think Brins is a guy that like both those guys they want to make a difference and they want more ice time and so it's a good start like he gets out there tonight he makes it makes both guys make a big impact in the game by getting that goal so I'll start out next game trying to play him a little bit more and keep him into the game a little bit longer. From Bednar in the arena to our reporter in the arena it is the courtesy call with Bayley Curtis

40:58live on the Xfinity mobile call in line Bayley I said earlier on the show a win as a win as a win is that true or do the avs need to find better ways to get things done. I think you take them where you can get them at that point especially considering I guess where the team is at coming out of the break um you've got a really tough schedule coming up here you just finished a three and four and you're about to go to on to another three and four um it's you take it where classic ball arena connection love it and you're back so you you're trying to do whatever you can to survive um just as I am on this Wi-Fi apparently they do you know I know a guy we can we can hook him up but no it's it's definitely

42:00I think just kind of a mode of survival at that point you're at this point there there's potential talks about canceling practice tomorrow just to kind of regain some legs and as much as you can do that as possible you take the wins where you can get them absolutely we talked about this a little bit earlier but you've put a lot of shots on net these last two games we're not necessarily sure if a ton of them were all that dangerous what are your thoughts on just the offensive mentality right now honestly I I'm taking it as a every little step count it's kind of process right now because you look at the before the break and they were struggling to put 20 shots on that let alone 40 or whatever it might be so I'm kind of at the point of like if they can take that next step that next step is that finishing and being able to put some of those high quality shots and you

43:03saw some of them today but I'd like to see that come from you know all the way down the lineup um so it's it's a baby step type process that's that's where I'm kind of back for me that again you've got guys that are tired you've got guys that are still kind of recovering from break you've got guys are maybe trying to still get back into you know regular season mode um so that I think will take time but I think the mindset's in the right spot for sure it you talk about the finishing and I think definitely a fair issue for most of the team but how good does it feel to see one go in for kale oh gosh to see him kind of ride you know his his success in the Olympics and see that carry over into the regular season is so special I think not not just for us to be able to watch but I think for him and you know some of his confidence I think sometimes it can get played down just a little bit just how much confidence plays into you know for guys like

44:08camo car for guys like Nathan McKinnon like we we know maybe that's huge for a martin netches who isn't quite on that tier um or maybe for guys like Gavin Brinley or um you know some of those other guys but it truly means the world when you know you're touted as one of the best players in the world and you see the results because of it um so I mean goals like that are always huge when you can do it twice I mean take it where you can get it right absolutely to the credit of the pk they killed the majority of them off but another game where you run up the penalty minutes a little bit is there a discipline conversation to be had or is this just a product of the schedule and and kind of maybe an inevitability given the the situation that you're in I think it could be a little bit of both right because yes there is

45:08that tired surviving factor but it is a problem and as Ben Bernard mentioned it can be an easy fix right so um it comes down to simplifying things and trying to get the rest where you can get it really going to be the biggest help um I think for me that's I mean that's the easy answer right obviously it's it's a lot easier to say it then go out and do it um especially for guys like the bond taves and it really the bug would maybe have a worse go of it recently on that account but yeah just and you get the rest where you can get it and you know take the opportunities that you can to get get right like it's it's an easy conversation and kind of simplifying and making sure you're putting two and two together in that regard Ben Bernard again said he liked the power play today which look if I'm being truly honest that kill McCargole really comes off in

46:08an extended shift from the power play it's not going to count as a power play goal but it's the power play that sets up that play with that being said the abs are sitting at the bottom of the NHL no matter how you want to chop it when it comes to their power play ability at what point does the dissonance between the fan base and a head coach saying he liked the power play when they go over four come to a head I thought his comment about it being a fine line between good and bad was very very interesting it's because of that you know exact mindset of like there's coach obviously looks at a lot more than maybe the average fan does right and you know seeing a lot of those nuances like that that's quite literally his job and so him saying that he liked the power play can be a much different answer than maybe you or me or the average fan or whatever it might be

47:12and that's where I'm maybe trying to play devil's advocate here a little bit it's hard it's really difficult when those results aren't coming I but I do see a little bit of where he's coming from especially in a night like tonight where you you know you move some things around and you know maybe you're getting like even he mentioned it like that's a power play like four seconds after it ends that's all but a power play goal yeah um it where it's just not where it matters and so I do kind of understand the fine line comment but I do think to get closer to that fine line means you have to find some of that consistency in it and that is the part that the ads are struggling right with right now if I were to sit there and call like grade today's power play it's not something I love but it's not something I made it and once you can get to to more of those gains

48:15where that continues to trend upward I think you're you're on the right track to finally get good part of this line did kind of seem like Nate was given Marty a little bit more space to work with it did yeah no I and that's what makes me kind of interested in the whole you know that's max spot kind of line because you see that implemented a lot in today's game and you know Nathan McKinnon is a complete other you know conversation in this game but I really do appreciate the respect that he gave to Martin netches and at least trying it out because you saw him again have a lot of success in that area during the Olympics and that's part of what I kind of liked about today's power play too is like you see some dangerous chances come from that spot where Martin just is and Nathan McKinnon's it like you're spreading out that penalty kill

49:16Nathan McKinnon's able to do a little bit more behind the net and then proximity and I think that's if you can get a little bit more danger there and you've got that space to move and they're they've been able to read off each other so well this season if you can find that dynamic I mean I'm not opposed to splitting them up on the power play but if they're going to work like that I mean that's all the respect in the world last one for me Gavin Brindley finally back on the board with a goal how important is it not just for him but for the abs to get that production from their depth like him depth scoring always prevails that is my answer to that question is much depth scoring as you can get better and Gavin Brindley being able to kind of find that edge again I think is huge for the depth conversation on this team especially when you're talking about you know bolstering the bottom six you're still looking to find one more piece before March 6th and if you're able to pair a third or fourth blind center whatever you

50:22go out and get with the Gavin Brindley who's finally found his gear again I mean who wasn't terrified of that bottom six at that point it's that that's kind of what it comes down to for me huge confidence boost for Gavin Brindley who I mean he kind of mentioned he's kind of been a little office groups since he got injured against the Rangers and being able to kind of find that again not not just a goal in general but a game winning goal and that being so huge for the abs to I think it's the sky's the limit for that game and what better way to achieve that than with the abs I don't think you've played in a game since coming back from the break but you're two in one even having four guys who played in that gold medal game even having played three games in four days in a back-to-back just big picture sense how key was it for the abs to take care of business here especially given you did drop one against Minnesota it's not the end

51:23of the world but felt like quietly kind of a big game before you go out on the road no absolutely and being able to say that you've gone through a three and four with a two one and a record I mean that's you're on the positive side of the record which is all you can really ask for especially coming out of the break and guys are in completely different spots as far as maybe conditioning or different situations and being able to do that at home before you go on another kind of ruling stretch of games it's all it always helps with momentum absolutely not to get anyone's hopes up but Dallas is losing to Nashville 2-1 at the second intermission so abs might be able to pick up a couple of points there Bailey any final thoughts on this one before we let you go yeah big win at home

52:26all right I guess the the ballerina wife I said that's the end of that one Bailey thank you for calling it this has been the courtesy call presented by Xfinity mobile calling line make sure you're going to follow and Bailey on Twitter Bailey Curtis with two wise and Bailey great stuff from her every game on there for us as we move into the final period of the DNVR I have a lunch podcast I did want to touch on the discipline a little bit more because your best penalty kill is the one that you don't go on in the first place yeah when you put yourself in that situation you rely on your penalty kill to kill it and I can forgive some of the penalties in the early parts of this game you're feeling out the game whatever some tough penalties come in a third period at one point was tied one one you take a penalty early that puts yourself in a dangerous spot and then after you had acquired your two one lead you take another penalty later that one maybe the problem is more Nathan McKinnon played defense landing may have felt like you had to

53:29take a penalty in that situation but lack of discipline in those areas is scary because you get away with that against a team like Chicago do you think the abs get away with that against a team like Dallas probably not and what's frustrating too is it's been a lot of just kind of instances of players not being focused enough like stick discipline and stuff like that and then a couple of them have been takey tacky but you're getting called for hooks and slashes left and right it just no need it'd be one thing if you were like in a really physical game and you got a couple of borderline penalties because guys are like going too far and stuff like that but just like the the takey tacky stuff like that that that can be killer and especially in a tight game yeah it you are the best five on five team in the NHL buy like a lot it's even more compounding when you take yourself out of

54:30that situation when you're the avalanche and yeah I didn't really have a big problem with their penalty kill today I didn't love it on the first goal just given up an odd man rush on a penalty kill yeah feels bad so I'm not going to be too much of a stickler on that side of it but you've taken what was it five tonight technically six but the one was like half of one uh for penalty killing that you had to do that's three games in a row where you've taken five six penalties yeah is there some out of your control for sure but there's also plenty in your control to cut that number down and it's just especially frustrating when you think about how good this team is five on five like if you just don't beat yourself in that regard you're basically going to win 75 80% of the time like at least so it's just one of those don't beat yourself you're too good and you're too talented and too deep for this type of consistent struggles with discipline

55:36you said that in the pregame too right not every game sometimes teams beat you but so many matchups this year for the abs have come down to don't beat yourself when the abs play to their ability look teams can still take games off of them but I don't think there's any team that would beat the abs in a seven game series if they play their best 100% and I mean just how frustrating would it have been have you you know if you're looking up and you're down to one a couple minutes into the third and you're out shooting them by 20 something shots again and it just comes down to taking too many penalties like that's the type of stuff that that just absolutely kills momentum and that is how you you know you want to put yourself in a position where you're given up ground it's beating yourself in games where you are otherwise really impressive and I think for the most part you played a pretty good game here tonight it wasn't perfect it's not the A game that we're still hoping to see from this team but I think it was probably my favorite performance of the three

56:38best far I would agree best despite maybe the lack of finishing at times I would say the best wire to wire game so the fair shout there a good shout from the Toyota chat as well from Randy when you have two too many men penalties in three games that's just pay attention boys not that hard to get on and off the ice correctly um can't blame the reps for those yep I mean you can but that's even too much blaming the rest for me you got to draw a line somewhere uh look I think Bailey put it well the schedule is hard it is going to be grueling you're gonna have to push through some nights they're gonna be hard ways to win some nights they're gonna be easier ways to win tonight was a hard way to win and you won does your power planning to be better yes do you need to be more disciplined yes but you got the job done at the end of the day you can hang

57:43your hat on that and you can go play the next one and I think the most encouraging thing now as you played nine periods of hockey outside of the break and by far you've been the better team five on five for the vast majority of those stretches so you look good it's just little things that you've got to refine here and there you've got to finish a little better you've got to stop you know putting yourself in a bad spot by taking unnecessary penalties if you do that and knock on wood praise Jesus if you can get the power play to show any life with some consistency then you're gonna go win a Stanley Cup so I know it's a thing that's gonna continue to be frustrating for the fans and till they figure it out I don't know if they're gonna figure it out we're really far into the season and it's still an issue so we'll see but you're in a really good spot for the most part I'll end the show with one little nugget for the doomer's while I am very happy with the abs being two and one in these three games and the quality of play that they've gotten

58:46I made a tweet about this it's actually gotten worse because that was not at the end of this game since January 1st the abs net power play is operating at 1.8 percent the next closest is Philadelphia is at seven and a half genuinely impossibly bad it cannot you could accidentally put together about better power play across what is 19 games like I understand the abs are bad and the power play and they need to play better but to get to a number that low there is also some things breaking against them it's the universe hates the abs power play right now it's the statistical anomaly in some sense like yep you should be able to bullshit your way into like four or five percent you like one out of 20 it's it's just a it's borderline unbelievable that a number like that can even exist

59:54we do have one super chat to get here from Benny Benito who says yay for the win thanks for the pod Ruto and J Mike PS rumor has it that the puck Brent burns blasted to Mars and Minnesota game still hasn't made it back down to earth yet yeah one that one was up there it uh I don't want to see that puck ever again though I hope it burns up in the atmosphere if it made it uh that high up there uh J Mike any final thoughts since we are off tomorrow get some rest while you can get your legs underneath the next two weeks are huge you can basically wrap up the division so if you do what you're supposed to over these next two weeks you're you're sitting pretty going into the postseason back to work not tomorrow but Monday for the abs is their skipping practice too so the next time you see us it will be pregame for the game on Monday we appreciate y'all this has been the DNVR avalanche podcast presented by bet 365