OffThePost.org

Was out of the country for games 1 and 2 so I saw nothing live. Game 1 was surprising, a 7-6 barnburner that left the Jets victorious, followed by a 5-2 Avalanche win in game 2.

Georgiev shat the bed in game 1 but roared back with a very good performance in game 2. Strangely, Connor Hellebuyck has been less-than-stellar in both contests, the game-winner for the Avs coming at the hands of Zach Parise on an out-of-net gaffe by the WPG netminder.

Much to my shock and delight, the Avs are standing upon a 3-1 series lead after two very decisive victories in games 3 and 4, and what's more, they CHASED this year's presumptive Vezina winner from the last contest.

Nikolai Kovalenko made his NHL debut in the last game, which makes for the first father/son duo in Avalanche history to suit up for the same team (but not NORDS/Avs history, since obviously Paul Stastny and his old man both played in Quebec/Colorado). I thought he looked perfectly fine for a guy who had almost zero notice before playing, though his and the third line's underlying numbers were...not great. And the ice time allotted made them more like a fourth line since Yakov Trenin's line actually played more.

3-1 series lead, Avs fans well know that it ain't over by a LONG shot.

So it doesn't sound terribly optimistic that Drouin will be ready for round 2. They finally revealed that the "lower body injury" he suffered near the end of the season happened when he accidentally cut his leg with his own skate blade.

Landeskog was seen doing some more vigorous skating than what's been previously posted but I'm guessing he's still a long ways off.

Adams nominees are Brunette, Tocchet, and Bowness. That just shows you how lazy the people who decide this award are. I'm not even trying to campaign for Bednar (who by the way absolutely clowned Bones in the postseason), I just get so irritated that a first or second-year coach almost always gets the nod in these things. What, Jon Cooper isn't any good? Those Bolts teams would've just succeeded as much as they did without him? Fuck off.

Well, according to this logic, they give it to old man Bones. Been in the league forever, everyone loves him. Great guy.

He’s also likely getting fired this offseason so that makes him the perfect recipient!

Okay then, it’s the Stars.

On one hand, the Avs are well-rested and hopefully managed to heal up a bit. On the other hand, they almost always play like horseshit after any sort of extended break between games.

Better find someone who can keep Wyatt Johnston in check. If the Stars go all the way, he’s getting the Conn Smythe.

A pair of uneven efforts lead to a pair of games with different results. Avs go down 3-0 in game one only to storm back and take the first one in OT (with Miles Wood delivering the dagger), but the comeback falls short in game 2.

Avs played a really poor first period in game 1 and then were dominant as far as shot share went most of the game up until the closing minutes of the third and the opening of OT. Then things were pretty even in game 2, but the bottom dropped out in the 2nd. What's most disappointing is that the top line guys were really listless in game 2 throughout. They just kinda got frustrated with Dallas's extreme trap and didn't do much to adjust their game or fight through it.

Welp, that was a very unpleasant evening.

Avs find out not long after their morning skate on Monday that Valeri Nichushkin was forced into Stage Three of the Players Assistance Program, which means an automatic suspension of six months. Second year in a row now something like this has happened. They also had to scratch Devon Toews due to "illness" which I call bullshit on. I'm betting he started getting PCS symptoms from that cheap shot suffered from Jamie Benn in (I think) game two.

Anyway, Avs came out in game four pretty much how one would expect--completely lifeless. Outshot something like 16-2 in the first period alone. They were lucky to only be down 1-0 (on yet ANOTHER shorthanded goal no less). 5-1 final and it looked way more lopsided than that score would indicate. Now they travel to Dallas to try and stave off elimination.

So I don't see a scenario where Nichushkin is allowed in that room again. Maybe for a little bit to beef up any possible trade value but the guys in that room feel betrayed right now. Jack Johnson did very little to hide his disgust.

I don't have firsthand experience, but I know from my family's very sad and sordid history that addiction is one hell of a beast. It has played a role, both direct and indirect, in the deaths of at least three of my family members, two of whom were gone long before me, and one within the last decade. It can be so, so very easy to slip up. So, yeah, I'm a little angry at Nuke, I can't help it. But I understand that recovery is rarely a linear process. That said, I still say he's more or less done as a member of the Colorado Avalanche.

If he fucks up again, he hits Stage Four, which is suspension for a minimum of one year and he has to apply for reinstatement. If that happens he is most definitely done in the NHL.

Anyway, I feel like the Avs just look...burnt out...against a superior opponent, and now they're missing two MAJOR cogs in the machine. Both MacKinnon and Makar are just sputtering along right now, Makar especially has been terrible the last couple games. I think they're done after game five, but I'll keep watching and hoping they can stave off elimination.

If nothing else, this incident buys them a little more time with their impending cap crisis. They'll have an extra $6 million to play with until November. After that, tough decisions need to be made.

Sadly, I have been joking quite a lot about his cocaine intake relative to his playoff performance. Unfortunately it turns out to be very real.

As I was telling the old girl...the game itself tries really hard to allow players to do what they want within reason. He could have just waited until the playoffs were over and then gone Russian gone wild with blow and sex slaves in the offseason.....and then just cleaned it up for next year. I can only imagine his party level between games.

The ESPN announcers tried to act like Poor Val.....but this is Stage 3 in the middle of the playoffs once again.........I don't see anything poor Val about this in fact I feel bad for his teammates who probably knew his plane was nosediving and could do little but watch it.

While I appreciate people need help and some people have an extremely hard time overcoming themselves.....there comes a point where I have little sympathy. I don't personally know what this guy has been through or what he continues to go through but I hope he finds the help he needs before he ends up in a gutter or jail somewhere.

Besides that I find a lot in common with the Bruins and Avalanche at this point.

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No AI has been used in the making of this post

Agreed that accountability has to happen at some point--you can be empathetic to a point but in the end, addiction or not, this guy has for two years in a row now severely jeopardized his team's postseason chances due to poor off-ice choices.