Avalanche alumni game makes stump the stiffs

Our very own Adam Mares penned a piece for Fansided noting how nostalgia can often ruin the product in front of you but the Colorado Avalanche have paid it no mind. Doubling down on the gimmicks this week, the Avs are putting on an alumni game tonight between themselves and the Red Wings in front of the weekend’s outdoor game between the curent day Avalanche and Red Wings. Hey, if you’re going to go through the trouble to make an outdoor rink you’re gonna get your money’s worth out of it.

The game’s obvious intent is to, for one night at least, bring back the glory days of hockey’s fiercest rivalry in the late 90s. No doubtt that Avalanche team captured the interest of a championship starved city by immeditaely paying dividends with their Stanley Cup victory in their first season in Colorado. However, as far as tonight goes, I am always skeptical of the product you’ll get from an athletic event featuring a bunch of guys who are close to getting their AARP cards than they are to their playing prime but that doesn’t mean I won’t use it as the specialty pick in StS.

In the normal basketball picks realm we’ve got our Denver Nuggets on the docket tonight along with a trifecta of Eastern Conferene showdowns. For our combatants, the Stiffs staff is represented by none other than Kayla Osby, which should all but assure us a victory this week. The Stiffs commenters are represented by a man who has no qualms with putting StS before work, AllDayMudiay. Finally, for the slumping Denver Nuggets Subreddit we have yet another member of their Australian contingent in /u/A_Perfect_Scene. Pick time!

Kayla Osby (@nuggetchica): I have to pick the Nuggets against the Mavericks, because it’s better to be wrong about them winning than be wrong about them losing. The Mavs have lost six of eight and hopefully they’ll continue their downward spiral against the Nuggs. I’ll pick the Hawks over the injury-riddled Bulls. With Derrick Rose questionable for the game, and Jimmy Butler still out with an injury, I think the Hawks are a safer bet. I’ll pick the Pacers over the Hornets, even though the Hornets have been playing pretty well lately. Paul George had a great second half against the Knicks on Wednesday night, so that may carry over into this game. Raptors vs. Cavs is a great matchup, and I’ll pick the Raptors to get the win. They’ve won nine in a row at home and will definitely be excited to face the only team with a better record than them in the East. I don’t know much about hockey at all but I do know who Joe Sakic is and I know he was really good so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and pick the over.

AllDayMudiay: Nuggets at Mavericks – Mavericks in a close one. Mavs are aware of the improving Nuggets and will not take them lightly. Young Nugs are young so not sure what we’ll see from them. Might be too high off their big win against the Clippers still. If good Nuggets show up they can definitely beat them but I don’t think they will. Also, J.J. Barea is a Nugget killer. Bulls at Hawks- Hawks. No Jimmy Butler for the Bulls is gonna make it tough for em. Hornets at Pacers – Pacers. Pacers are a very solid team Hornets seem really up and down. Too inconsistent for me. Cavs at Raptors- Cavs. Cavs seem to get up for big games much like the Nuggets. Over under 1.5 goals for Joe Sakic? Over cause its Joe Sakic.

/u/A_Perfect_Scene: Nuggets @ Mavericks: We're normally good for one upset every 4-5 games, and since we just beat the Clips, I think that we are gonna fall into the trap of underestimating Dallas. Bulls @ Hawks: Tough call. I'm gonna go with Hawks. Even with Derrick Rose coming into a renaissance year, without Butler, I'm expecting Chicago's offense to break before Atlanta's defense folds. Hornets @ Pacers: I'm picking the home team. Both have a very comparable record in terms of win shares and L10. Even though Charlotte blew out Indiana last meeting, I can't see lightning striking twice. Cavaliers @ Toronto: Honestly. I want the Raps to win. They've split the season series so far, but the first was close (Raps by 4) and the last encounter wasn't. With that in mind, I feel like Cavs aren't going 1-2 in the last 3 games. Over/Under: 1.5 goals for Joe Sakic in Avalanche vs Red Could easily go either way. I reckon he's got it in him, so I'm picking the over.

And there you have it! So once again the Commenters and /r/DenverNuggets will remain in a tie regardless of tonight's outcome but the Stiffs staff is gambling on the good guys (for shame commenters and redditors). As always, if you'd like to participate get with Russ Hamilton (@rscotham) on the commenter side and Alec Gwin (/u/IdRatherBeLurking) on the Reddit side.

If you're keeping score:

Stiffs staff: 41-44

Stiffs commenters: 46-39

Nuggets subreddit: 46-39