Why is Lindholm even on the ice 4v4? EJ had seen enough activity in his goalies crease and retaliated.

While I was disappointed that the Avs could not complete the comeback last night and get at least a point I do see the positives from this game. I will be very interested to see if they can build on those positives Monday night against Pittsburgh. It is possible that they do not and continue as they have up to this point. But as a fan I would like to see them take those positives and make a big push especially considering the large number of home games that are upcoming also realizing that will be followed by an almost equally lopsided road stretch. This might be a defining moment for this team’s development. I hope it turns out to be so.

Get ready for a long comment (as approved by AJ & AD):
– This was pretty much the ultimate young team loss: outplayed a really good team most of the night, but lost because they don’t have enough experience to know how to play defensively at 4 on 4
– I don’t mind the Bernier start. We need too good goalies to win enough games to make the playoffs, and if Bernier is going to be good, he needs to have the confidence of the team
– I said it after the last game: Tampa’s Achilles Heal is their goaltending
– I don’t think you can talk too much about missed chances in a game where the Avs scored that many goals
– AJ, plus/minus can still be meaningful within the context of one game when compared to a guy’s teammates
– Gerard played much better with the puck in this one but he still seemed kinda lost defensively
– This game would have finished 5-1 last season
– Zadorov was amazing in this game, especially after EJ got kicked out.
– Landeskog has been playing with a lack of confidence lately: scoring that first goal really changed things for him. I hope he keeps it up for a while
– Barrie sure was impressive offensively. He still sucks donkey balls defensively though
– I don’t think Nemeth was bad. Lindholm struggled for sure
– Yakupov was good, but there was one play (I don’t remember when), when his indecision cost them a scoring chance
– Never mind – apparently AJ says the puck bounced on Yak on that play
– As a listener I don’t mind the meta-discussions (“should we take a break?”). It’s not like we don’t know you’re recording a podcast and haven’t had time to plan everything in detail
– Guys, try to picture that was Jost or Compher getting pushed by Hedman, losing an edge and then lying in pain on the ice. Don’t you think you’d want Hedman thrown out of the game and maybe suspended?
– I’ve made this point in depth on a different article, so I won’t go into it here, but EJ deserved the penalty as well as the subsequent suspension
– I hate that whether a guy gets injured is even a factor in these plays. It should be whether there was a high risk of injury
– If EJ had *tried* to hurt him in that situation, it should have been a 10 game suspension, not a 2 game
– Even if Namestikov lost his edge he still would have gone *hard* into the boards
– It seems like there’s a non-call of someone fouling MacKinnon in every single game. Anyone else notice this?
– EJ definitely takes it personally when the Avs are losing. He needs to learn some Zen philosophy or something
– I can’t find the Zucker crosscheck despite extensive searching on google and twitter. Help a brother out with a link?
– Okay take the tin foil caps off for a minute guys. The replays that went against the Avs have been the correct calls. You *might* have a point about the Department of Player Safety but I’d want some actual statistical numbers on that before I was willing to talk about a conspiracy against the Avs.
– I have to wonder if Bednar sometimes does get fired up during practise or in the locker room. I have no idea. On the bench though I like that he’s the ice man. I want this young team to remain calm and even keeled and teams tend to emulate the personality of the coach
– I loved Dumb & Dumber when I was younger, but I don’t blame AJ one bit for not liking it. To each their own man. Adrian, for a Buddhist you’re really judgy 😛
– Look at the number of rookies/young players in important roles in the Avs lineup and then look at their record. They are doing very well. Anyone who says otherwise has unrealistic expectations in my opinion
– People who are complaining about Avs fans being happy about this game must be really fun at parties
– Lindholm isn’t going to fall for that again. Failure is one of the best ways to learn
– Can we all agree Yzerman is the best GM in the league?
– Sergachev could have possibly been had for Duchene if the trade was this upcoming summer and was a sign-and-trade
– I don’t think there’s anything more Canadian than getting really angry when the national team loses at hockey. I know I do it. It’s in my DNA and I can’t help it
– I’m totally on board with the BSN train, and I’ve been a part-time writer for one of your minor competitors lol
– I wish I could come to the BSN party but I live on literally the opposite side of the world. Have fun!
– Thanks for the podcast boys

I bet if what happened to Namestikov happened to an Avs player 50% chance no penalty. Remember when Landy got cross-checked in the back a few games ago? he was clearly injured on the ice and no call. It was also terrific to see the no call for the slash on Mack. Those poor “incompetent” refs, they must feel so embarrassed.