4EVRLEAFAN
Active member
Vegas is not going to be denied
WCF: Vegas Golden Knights vs. Colorado Avalanche
- Thread starter CarltonTheBear
- Start date
Guru Tugginmypuddah
Well-known member
MacKinnon didn't even know where he was.
He did come back and and left around 16? min mark of the 2nd.
He then played a bit in the 3rd and the latter part of the third but was clearly not 100%.
Makar played 27 mins.
I'm not sure it matters because it seems very unlikely that they can win 4 straight against this Vegas team.
Only one team in NHL history has lost the first two at home and then the third game and come back to win the series.
I suppose Colorado has more talent than many that tried ... Anything is possible in sports but the odds seem very slim.
I do not think this is a fluke or pure luck. From the 17 minute mark of the 3rd until a couple of minutes to go, Colorado didn't get a shot on goal. The whole series, Colorado has had almost no chances off a rush. Vegas is a big, strong, skilled and disciplined team playing very well in both ends of the ice.
Stone has been a Selke finalist twice. Marner once. Eichel was 5th in Selke voting last year. Karlsson has the best playoff +/- over the last 10 years in the league. They have four top/very good defensive forwards in their top 6. I'm trying to recall when I've seen that before. (probably have but not too often). They've held Colorado to 2.00 GAA. I think they have to be the favorite to win it all. Vegas were the favorites before this game:
Colorado coach and Cup winner Jared Bednar
Before last night's game, below shows how the odds flipped on the Avs after losing the games:
Golden Knights vs Avalanche Series Odds
Updated Golden Knights vs. Avalanche Series Odds: Can Colorado Come Back from 0-2?
Golden Knights vs Avalanche updated series odds after Vegas steals two in Denver. See Colorado's chances of coming back and Game 3 odds.
www.sportsbettingdime.com
Open:
Colorado Avalanche -280
Vegas Golden Knights +225
After Avs lose 2 games:
Colorado Avalanche +195
Vegas Golden Knights -240
After Avs lose 3rd game:
Colorado Avalanche +700
Vegas Golden Knights -1100
It is obviously much worse for Colorado now after losing game 3.
It is clear evidence of how important those first three games are.
Colorado has to win all of the next 4 games to win the series (1.000 hockey)
Apparently, that has happened only once in NHL history after the home team lost the first two and then a third. About ~5% to 7.7% chance.
Vegas has to win 1 of the next 4 games to win the series (.250 hockey) About ~92.3%-95% chance.
If Vegas wins the next one at home, there will be no games 5-7. I guess some Leafs fans might then find some solace in that Marner didn't produce in games 5-7 (because he produced in games 1-4)?
How many Colorado players would tell you their lack of points didn't matter in games 1-3 - like some Leafs fans have dismissed Marner's playoff efforts in Leafs games 1-4? I bet not a single one would remotely hint at such a thing. Colorado is in a bad hole in part because they didn't score enough in games 1-3 (only 2 goals per game vs Vegas 4 goals per game (3 empty netters)).
As coach Bednar says, every game is important if a team wants to win. They all matter. This series is a great example of that. They're all tough. Every point is hard earned. Four wins are needed. The league rules simply don't care if it is the first four or last four or something in between.
Joe S.
Moderator
I mean sure but as far as I can recall this has never happened.
It hasn't. Kessel may have come the closest to doing that.
I thought of him as a good, skilled player but not as "one of their best players in franchise history" unless there were a larger number of "best players in franchise history"
MacKinnon is playing tonight
Mackenzie Blackwood takes over for Scott Wedgewood
Nichuskin is a game-time decision
per Bednar
www.sportsnet.ca
#5 Vegas dman Jeremy Lauzon is still out according to reports.
Marner played 23:59 of the 60 minutes last game to lead his entire Vegas team in ice time
Tortorella continues the streak of Cup winning coaches giving Marner a lot of ice time in the playoffs
Marner leads the Vegas forwards in ice time against the Avs by nearly 2 mins/game
Berube gave him 1.5 mins/game more than any Leafs forward in 2025
It really messes up the Toronto media narrative that Marner is no good in the playoffs unless the media knows better than the Cup winning coaches ...
Mackenzie Blackwood takes over for Scott Wedgewood
Nichuskin is a game-time decision
per Bednar
Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon in for Game 4 against Golden Knights
#5 Vegas dman Jeremy Lauzon is still out according to reports.
Marner played 23:59 of the 60 minutes last game to lead his entire Vegas team in ice time
Tortorella continues the streak of Cup winning coaches giving Marner a lot of ice time in the playoffs
Marner leads the Vegas forwards in ice time against the Avs by nearly 2 mins/game
Berube gave him 1.5 mins/game more than any Leafs forward in 2025
It really messes up the Toronto media narrative that Marner is no good in the playoffs unless the media knows better than the Cup winning coaches ...
dappleganger
Well-known member
Can't say I was a big fan of Phil's but that debate was probably the tightest I can ever recall.
Phil had a very good, legitimate case. Crosby's two way play was a fair counter argument.
4EVRLEAFAN
Active member
Don't think this was in anyones play book, just wow,.
Is everyone ignoring Carter Hart's .924? If he played anywhere like he did during the season this team is out already.
Also kinda funny that everyone is acting like Marner was a bad player or that it isn't a team sport. If Matthews leaves would anyone be surprised if he led the playoffs in goals? The collection of guys didn't work for us. It's like acting like your ex girlfriend was the worst person in the world. Doesn't mean it can't work with someone else but it didn't work for you. Both things can be true.
Also kinda funny that everyone is acting like Marner was a bad player or that it isn't a team sport. If Matthews leaves would anyone be surprised if he led the playoffs in goals? The collection of guys didn't work for us. It's like acting like your ex girlfriend was the worst person in the world. Doesn't mean it can't work with someone else but it didn't work for you. Both things can be true.
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4EVRLEAFAN
Active member
dappleganger
Well-known member
By Mitch's own words, he had trouble dealing with the pressure of playoff hockey in Toronto. I wish someone in the Maple Leafs front office would have noticed it too.
Joe S.
Moderator
I think we just want to ignore Hart period.
What seemed to bother him wasn't so much the stuff on the ice. Obviously, nobody likes losing. But what really bothered him was trashing his cottage and house. Having to hire security and have police around to protect his family. Fans went too far. And management didn't get his back. Pierre McGuire feels they ran him out of town.
Tortorella isn't the first coach to talk about how confident Marner is in his abilities. Tortorella reciprocated as Marner got 1.5 mins more/game against the Avs than any other forward. Coach Cooper who had him for the 2017 World Championships, Four Nations & 2026 Olympics rewarded Marner with a bunch of ice time. He led team Canada in scoring for the Hlinka-Gretzky Gold and the U20 (didn't medal). He led London Knights in two playoff seasons. He put up the 2nd highest amount of points in Memorial Cup history. He led the Leafs in playoff scoring and +/-. He's doing the same in Vegas. He's confident because he has produced everywhere he's gone. His coaches are confident because they continue to give him a bunch of ice time - more than most forwards.
He's probably living in a secure gated community in Vegas so his family won't have to worry about that crap any more.