When Val is out there’s really no net front presence. If Landy comes back and even plays 5ish minutes 5v5 and just stands in front of the net on the PP it feels like that would be huge

Great read, AJ. So many storylines are true right now. I’ll add another: The Avs (led by MacKinnon), are stuck in regular season grind mode and it shows. They have shown an ability to turn it on when it really matters and their energy/emotion/focus is ramped up (see: Buffalo comeback). In the playoffs, that intensity and focus is just there, so I’m optimistic that this team will still be dangerous when it matters (provided they stay relatively healthy). They are a deeper team this year (when healthy) and have way better goaltending, so the issues of the last two years should be addressed in part. But for now, in the regular season, they’re struggling to apply focus and energy for 60 minutes, sometimes Moosily drifting. Last night they had effort, but they still lack in the small stuff (passes not on target, whiffing wristers that turn into breakaways, bad turnovers, putting pucks over glass), which says to me their focus is off.