Rick Sadowski: No defense for Avs in sloppy loss to Predators

so it has begun finally

so it has begun finally
- Mapleleafs_91

U should trade them Liles...

God that Duchene goal was so sick last night

Duchene looked great offensively all night, but man did the defense suck all together. Andre Benoit couldn't make a breakout pass to save his life.

did not think you guys could go 81-1.

This is how I THOUGHT the Avs would have looked all year....let's hope it was just an off night.

1 - Seems like Duchene and Landeskog are just taking turns from game to game...I can't wait to see a night where both lines are putting the puck in the net.

2 - Wilson is just the dead weight on this group of D-Men. I'd like to see them change his game day attire from hockey equipment to a suit and tie.

3 - MEH...you can't win em all! I'm more interested in seeing how they bounce back after these games.

Duchene looked great offensively all night, but man did the defense suck all together. Andre Benoit couldn't make a breakout pass to save his life.
- AvsFanYeaa

Well it's not like we didn't know the Avs weakness was their defensemen.

This beind said, Nashville is the kind of team that will make you pay for every mistake you make and will press hard on the forecheck.

I'm not worried about this showing by the Avs, especially with Duchene, Landeskog and Stastny playing so well.

This is how I THOUGHT the Avs would have looked all year....let's hope it was just an off night.

1 - Seems like Duchene and Landeskog are just taking turns from game to game...I can't wait to see a night where both lines are putting the puck in the net.

2 - Wilson is just the dead weight on this group of D-Men. I'd like to see them change his game day attire from hockey equipment to a suit and tie.

3 - MEH...you can't win em all! I'm more interested in seeing how they bounce back after these games.
- Fols19

This....plus the guy just cant stay healthy. Hes an ok Dman as a bottome pairing but I think he might need a change of scene to get going again.

Couple of things I noticed that haven't been brought up. Missing Tanguay is gonna sting a bit more than maybe some of us anticipated. MacKinnon looked pretty rough on that line for much of the night especially defensively but that's to be expected from an 18 year with 14 games under his belt expected to play top minutes.

That being said, the third line looked AWFUL especially early on. Mitchell doesn't pass and McGinn wasn't very good either other than the goal he was involved in with Stastny. That hit on Jones was just another example of our needing to tighten up the discipline. I understand being physical against the other team's big players but that was a dirty hit and he was lucky he didn't get 5 not to mention a call from Shanahan.

As for the D, yeah they looked, bad all night in pretty much every aspect of the game. Of course we played most of the 3rd period with 4 D as Wilson got hurt and Johnson got a 10 minute misconduct for IMO a ridiculous rule about accidentally losing his stick (or giving it to a fan, I didn't see it) into the stands. 10 minutes?! Come on.

Thought Varly looked shaky but even the forwards were sloppy in front of him never mind the D so hopefully we take this one on the chin and learn from it. No as has been pointed out we weren't going 81-1 and with Tangs out for a bit we may hit a rough patch. Still gotta love the fight we showed coming back down 1-0, 2-1 and 4-2. Matt Duchene is having an absolute monster year and his breakaway goal was a thing of beauty. Let's hope Patty get's 'em ready for friday!

Can't argue with that last point. For the past few years, when a team went up by 2 goals you might as well have turned it off. This year you almost expect them to make a comeback. Just short last night but when Landeskog stole that puck and clanked it off the bar....I think I would have lost it.

I see a lot of early years Duchene in Mackinnon. The flash and speed is there but some of these drop passes and passes off the boards...guys don't fall for that crap in the NHL. Few too many times a game the rush ends because of a silly pass that he's making. It took Duchene a couple years to learn how to use his speed...Nate won't be far behind.

That game was so bad and so sloppy defensively, it was painful. However our offense was one of the best showings I have ever seen. I can't remember the last time I saw the avs come out down a few goals and made if feel as if they were saying "Just try and stop us from scoring". Chances galore. Its a shame though as you wont win many games giving up 5 goals.

Playing with 5 dmen for most of the game and 4 for half of the 3rd probably didnt help much either.

Can't argue with that last point. For the past few years, when a team went up by 2 goals you might as well have turned it off. This year you almost expect them to make a comeback. Just short last night but when Landeskog stole that puck and clanked it off the bar....I think I would have lost it.

I see a lot of early years Duchene in Mackinnon. The flash and speed is there but some of these drop passes and passes off the boards...guys don't fall for that crap in the NHL. Few too many times a game the rush ends because of a silly pass that he's making. It took Duchene a couple years to learn how to use his speed...Nate won't be far behind.
- Fols19

Totally agree with that. The scary part is I think MacKinnon has a higher ceiling than Duchene but it will take time for him to adjust. Hopefully working with a superior coaching staff and having guys like Duchene around him will speed that process up.