Morning Flurries: The Avs must remain determined but can’t be stubborn

It’s a complicated game but Colorado abandoned what’s worked for them in crucial game five.

This morning’s coffee has a bitter taste, as the Dallas Stars led the Colorado Avalanche for 59:51 of the most critical game five of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Did the Avalanche fall victim to some poor puck luck? Without a doubt. Did they still abandon what worked so well in game four? Most definitely.

Every Avs fan and media pundit showered the Avalanche with compliments following game four, and one of the major themes was how many shots they were able to put up. They put every possible look on the net, and wouldn’t you know it, that approach opened Dallas up a bit and allowed the Avalanche to solve Oettinger. The Avs won and handedly in what was their best performance in a long time (including the regular season), and it was mainly in part to their willingness to put the puck in the hard areas.

Fast forward just 48 hours, and the Avalanche reverted to peeling away from good looks and holding the puck while searching for the perfect passing play. It’s downright unfathomable to me that this even has to be said, but Colorado MUST remember that peeling up instead of driving the net DOES NOT WORK and that it plays right into what Dallas is trying to do. Sure that might limit some chances to grade C or permiter chances but it’s not the first chance that I think will go in, it’s the second and third and if you can’t get to the dangerous areas with the puck, you have to put the puck in said dangerous area and FIND IT!

I have some key culprits here, and I’ll start with Devon Toews. Please start sending more Toewser lasers to the general facility of the net. Waiting for a cross-ice to you D partner is so predictable at this point that it’s hurting Cale’s ability to affect the game. Toews has to be viewed as a shooting threat, or else Dallas will continue to lean toward Makar’s side and take away his vantage. As is, Dallas doesn’t have to honor Toews as a scoring threat, and that’s an issue.

Nathan MacKinnon has five goals in five playoff games and has been a great performer. All I’m about to say is that it could be even more dominant if he uses his speed to crash the net rather than collapsing the defense and looking for a drop pass; it would be most beneficial to his club’s success. I understand that it’s not as simple as it sounds, but it also is when you are as fast and elusive as MacKinnon. I don’t even care if crashing the net doesn’t lead to a MacKinnon goal. I repeat that this is about getting the puck into dangerous areas.

To keep trying the globetrotter approach is to be so stubborn that you are willing to drop a series rather than score the hard way. I put it plainly in my adjustments article: this series will go to the team that is most willing to earn its success.

Lastly, you can’t play into the flop-fest that Dallas is imploring. Watching the Stars embellish any chance they get has frustrated me to the tune of trying to get a sleeping bag back into its pack, but the Avalanche can’t follow my lead. Best to accept the fact that when Dallas starts to lose momentum, they are going to hit the deck any chance they get. The hockey gods will catch up with that, but Colorado will summon the lord of hockey faster if they stick to playing hockey the right way.

The Avalanche must remain determined to play with integrity, even when Dallas doesn’t. Don’t be stubborn and keep hammering away at what doesn’t work. If you do, you will have to make a Saturday tee-time just like me.