Wow, had Binnington been 100% we'd be talking about the Blues right now. Thanks Kadri!
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If we sweep or only lose one to TB then you guys could make a case for 2nd best team in the league.

Then they could skate around the Enterprise Center with a homemade 2nd Place trophy.
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HERE WE GO AVS FANS, THE DAY IS HERE!! Who else is already drunk?!?

Just kidding, haven't started yet. Took a little break from the markets during the midday lull and flipped on NHL Network just in time to see a replay of Avs/Oilers game 4. You could see the writing on the wall as soon as Edmonton fans inexplicably started doing The Wave when they led 4-2 about midway through the 3rd. I know America's Hat is a little backwards, but The Wave? Seriously?!? Did they think it was 1987 and Wayne Gretzky still played for them? I know they ended up tying it at the end of regulation and sending it to O/T, but that game was over the second they embarrassingly thought it would be fresh to bust out The Wave.

NOW LET'S GO GET A CUP!
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Actually just saw that was replaying last night and set it to record... really wish I had done that originally, it was a long week! Seems like they've been on break far more than playing hockey, but that's also a good thing this time of year.

I'm surprised I didn't see more people mocking the wave that night. I mean, I'm not one to judge what fans want to do for fun during a game.... but that was either "lovable loser" Cubs territory where they really don't care what's happening on the ice (seems doubtful in Canada) or highly naive with so much time left and Mike freakin' Smith. You may very well not be seeing your team live again even if they win, so yeah party it up... but damn, that really aged like milk.

Really excited for this series to start... there's no bigger test, especially when Point is back (iffy tonight, probable for game 2). They know how to shut it down when they have the lead and they're pretty damn clutch when they don't.

And can't wait to see Angry MacKinnon again, he's REALLY turned it on at times and you can tell he took his comments to heart last postseason (haven't won shit).

I opened a bottle of Distillery 291 bourbon (Colorado Springs) for game 4 OT last week and plan on enjoying just a little tonight.
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Oh piss off and give Elway another standing ovation
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Lighten up, Francis. It was a joke


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Just ignore him, literally everyone else does.

The funny thing is that PAChiefs guy made some low effort comments during the Preds and Blues series IIRC and could have been PGM Jr, but after his 2 or 3 posts were widely ignored, he just went away as there was clearly zero ROI.

This guy OTOH has been showing up for years with the hilarious "CONSUMIING CP SOULS" thing and is pretty easily the most ineffective and most ignored troll in the history of this site.

It's the equivalent of a little yappy dog I walk by every morning that I can't even hear with my ear buds in.... trying so hard for attention and then actually thinks it wins because I just leave, while I barely even notice its existence.
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Thanks, doesn’t bother me a bit. Can’t troll others in jest and not expect return fire. Makes it more fun. Learned that from Chiefs-haters the last few years.

At the end of the day, they’re just games. Entertainment. Like Chiefs Planet. Some people take things that don’t really matter waaay too seriously. I may be really into games when I’m watching, and the anticipation for this series is giving me butterflies, but it doesn’t impact my life or mood for more than 10 minutes after it ends. Except for championships, those are cool.

Avs have got their work cut out for them against TB though. Finals experience, a lock-down D, and the best goalie in the league over the last few years is a huge hurdle. Just glad I don’t have a no-drinking-on-Wednesday-late-afternoons policy.

Avs in 7 :-) :-)
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Heh, yeah... just like I envision punting that yappy little dog, it's fun to return serve and laugh sometimes.

Yeah, I'm far better at letting losses go immediately, outside of the refs giving the Bucs the SB a couple years ago (on top of the Chiefs' own issues)... 20 years ago I'd lose sleep over that shit, but now it's "you idiots..." and move on. If I had to do it again, I'd still go to the Avalanche/Blues game 5 and the Chiefs/Bengals 10 times out of 10 despite the outcome.

There's a lot to be optimistic about...
...Avalanche have been crazy consistent, they were really only out of sorts in game 2 vs the Blues, were dominated for the 3rd period of game 5, and of course got away from playing defense in a couple wins against the Oilers.
...MacKinnon has been insane, and of course Makar... everyone is locked in.
...They have played really well after long breaks the past couple postseasons and TB hasn't exactly done the same.
...people are saying TB is at their best in 3 years, but they haven't been a model of consistency. Getting the lead first is always important in hockey, but I think TB plays a LOT better with the lead, so jump on them early.
...TB didn't have a GREAT offense this year in terms of scoring depth, but of course their top lines are elite.

But of course...
....lots of backup goalies and Mike Smith
...Point is back tonight or Saturday and I won't believe Kadri or Cogliano will be back until they're on the bench.
...TB is of course far and away the best playoff team in the league at getting a lead and shutting it down.
...I'll pretty much always lean towards goaltending and defense in the playoffs... can Kuemper steal a 2-1 game? Can the Avalanche put up 40+ shots and really make Vasy work for it while not sacrificing odd man rushes against their top lines?



And then you throw all that out the window and play the random and fickle game of hockey. :-)
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Go Ass. Hail satan. :-)
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Watched the 3rd period and OT of game 4 Oilers.

I've been waiting over a year for this match up, thought there was a decent chance of it happening last year outside of having to play Vegas in the 2nd round. :-)


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It's like a typical game 1 with choppy play, icings, lots of whistles.... yet it's on steroids. So much speed on the ice, yet everyone is everywhere so there isn't much space.

This series is going to be amazing.
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TB might be a little shaky in game 1s... check.
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Looking good! Like that they weren't overwhelmed by the moment, came out and just played their game, and except for a soft one they dominated that 1st. Cooper is a great coach and I'm sure they'll make adjustments. TB is a great team - but so are the Avs. Going to be an epic finals.


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Kuemper has odd positioning mistakes... why are you halfway out of the crease there?!

This is fucking fantastic. So much speed, yet so little room out there (a little more in-zone setup this period so far).

TB will definitely want to clog the neutral zone. They were really good at closing in and not giving up much space or time when the Avalanche were in their offensive zone, but gave up the blue line far too easily.... I was surprised by that.

Saw some complaining about the tripping on Makar, but Cirelli just swung around and swung his stick into Makar's legs... even if Makar could have skated out of it (no idea if he could have), it was clearly a careless play.
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