Rd 1 Gm 1 @ Avalanche | 9:00 pm CT | NBCSN, 101 ESPN

[WaukeeBlues]

JR's headline today summed it up: "You can't do more than Binnington did last night. And that's a problem for the Blues."

Woof. That was about as bad as I hoped it wouldn't be.

1) Neutral zone. We're not clogging it up. MacK and top line just buzzed through there almost all night. We CANNOT get in a track meet with these guys, we're going to get killed. We have to slow the game down in general.

2) Ground and pound: We gotta get on their D. They had too much time and open looks last night to get those passes moving.

3) Puck control. Some sloppy puck play, which the Avs had some of too, but possession has to improve.

There were some good moments! Hoffman looked fantastic, Thomas and Kyrou were good, the 4th line had some good shifts.

I just can't emphasize #1 enough. Avs are going to push the pace all series. If it's as fast last night all series we're dead. We can't play at that foot speed. We have to have to have to have to find a way to make the games slow down and get ugly.

[theohall]

What I got from Game 1, Colorado is just better than the Blues. Their top players not only have skill, they have size and they used it. MacKinnon was literally shoving Blues defenseman off of him, like they were small, and it wasn't Krug he was doing that to. They aren't a team that gets rattled by an opponent playing physical and it showed when the Blues tried to do the hitting thing. It didn't work.

[WaukeeBlues]

What I got from Game 1, Colorado is just better than the Blues. Their top players not only have skill, they have size and they used it. MacKinnon was literally shoving Blues defenseman off of him, like they were small, and it wasn't Krug he was doing that to. They aren't a team that gets rattled by an opponent playing physical and it showed when the Blues tried to do the hitting thing. It didn't work.

I want to disagree with you.

I cannot.

My best thought I have for myself is this is kind've how I felt when we lost game 1 to Boston. It wasn't a particularly close game in my memory and I wondered if we even had a chance. Two very different circumstances and teams though.

[JCShutout]

My best thought I have for myself is this is kind've how I felt when we lost game 1 to Boston. It wasn't a particularly close game in my memory and I wondered if we even had a chance. Two very different circumstances and teams though.

That’s what I initially thought and cling to. I thought the blues had ZERO chance after Boston found their legs in the second half of game one. Plus if binner plays like this, anything is possible.