Well that’s a wrap on the season for my beloved Avalanche. Definitely not the way I was hoping things would end. I felt sick watching the series slip away the past few games. This is the third year in a row their season has ended in the second round. I can’t imagine how Capital’s fans felt all those years until they finally won in 2018, or how moronic Leaf’s fans feel each year. It is painful right now, but time heals all wounds or some bullshit like that.
Embed from Getty ImagesWhat went wrong
After game 1, pretty much everything. Had the Avs not been gift wrapped a power play in overtime in game 2, this series could have very easily ended in 5. Philipp Grubauer stole that game for them. It was all downhill after that.
Defensive zone
After the game 1 blow out, Vegas completely turned the series around with their aggressive forecheck. The Colorado defenders seemed confused and panicked in their own zone the majority of the time. They could not handle the physical play of the large, speedy Vegas forwards. They were losing battles left and right. Rarely when they did have time and space to make a play, did they choose the safe route. There was simply too many passes through the middle of the ice, instead of off the glass and out. This lead to several turnovers and goals for the Golden Knights. It felt like they didn’t win a single battle at their own blue line in the final 5 games of the series.
Goaltending
I don’t want to shit on Grubauer too much. He played exceptionally well in both games 2 and 3. After that he was pretty so so. Particularly in game 6. It would have been nice if he mixed in a couple saves last night. At one point he had given up 5 goals on 18 shots. That’s simply not good enough in an elimination game. Quite frankly, that’s dog shit.
Little things
It felt like Colorado lost every face off in this series. Not bearing down and winning draws continuously hurt them. They are a puck possession type team, and too often they found themselves chasing off the draw.
Making adjustments either too late or not at all was also a factor. Game 5 in particular chapped my ass. They had the defence joining the rush which helped them build a 2-0 lead. I have no issue with that. My problem is they did not stop this in the 3rd period which lead directly to Vegas tying the game. That is on coach Bednar. There was zero need for them to be joining the play. Especially after the first Vegas goal. Reign your guys in a bit. That was a must win game.
Offence
The big boys simply didn’t perform in games 3, 4, and 5. Mack, Makar, Rantanen, and Landeskog went quiet for too long. That is just a fact. Hats off to the Vegas game plan. They did a great job of shutting these guys down.
What’s next
Both Grubauer and Landeskog are free agents. I assume Landy will be brought back. Grubauer I am not so sure. He had a great regular season, but was very hot and cold in the playoffs. He is likely looking to cash in after his Vezina calibre season, but I am not sure Colorado will want to pay him that much. If he walks they are back to square one between the pipes.
Hopefully Joe Sakic addresses the need for grittier defencemen who can make good first passes. It was evident pretty quickly that the backend could not keep up with physical play of the Vegas forwards. Chances are they meet up again next year in the playoffs. If changes are not made there is no reason to expect a different result.
At the end of the day I am not mad, just disappointed. I really thought the Avalanche would make it to the finals. Turns out I’m an idiot. The better team won unfortunately. I hope Carey Price can continue his dominance and shut down the Golden Knights. Particularly Jonathan Marchessault. What a loser.