Datsyerberger

You know, one thing worth considering here is that a solid work ethic and consistency are part of Datsyuk's play, and.. it's not part of Fedorov's. Assuming for purposes of discussion that Fedorov's attitude is going to be good is unfair to Pavel, because it negates one of his advantages. So, in a revision to my point of view, I think Fedorov is the better play overall, in his prime, while on his game... but I'd take Datsyuk.

I watched every game of the playoffs that didn't have a conflicting schedule with another game (having to pick and choose sucks, too). That said, Feds still looked pretty good, though he's definitely lost a step. Saw a lot of him during the regular season, too. Hockey accounts for most of my TV time. As far as prime goes, as I said, I think that Dats is actually really close talent-wise.. but Feds also had the perfect body and physicality for hockey to go with it, and his prime was absolutely nuts.

Well, Lidstrom. I still think he's far-and-away the best d-man in the league. Noone comes close to doing what he does. But then again, he's Norris Nick, the stuff of legends. Fedorov, on a good attitude day, in his prime, is probably one of the most talented + most physically gifted (for hockey) players of all time. Top 20, if not higher. That said, I think Datsyuk is really really close in the talent department. Can you imagine Datsyuk with Fedorov's body? It's important to keep the significant size advantage in mind when comparing them. The other thing with Datsyuk is I think his vision is underrated, even though it's celebrated. Imo, he's got more than anyone in the league right now.. more than Crosby, more than Malkin, more than Jumbo Joe. The problem with Datsyuk is that he's almost TOO crafty.. I believe he thinks 2 or 3 steps ahead of everyone else on the ice, and that includes his own teammates (I remember Hossa making a comment about that and his wild unpredictability). I think Datsyuk will age better than Fedorov, though, not just because of a better attitude, but because Fedorov relied more on his skating as a part of his style of play. He absolutely confounds people from a standstill, or a near standstill. As long as Dats keeps his stickhandling, a sharp mind and most of his reflexes, I expect him to age like Lidstrom (he has the same knack for avoiding injury).

The Wizard.

You have decided that thegreat66 is not even worth the effort of an ignore click Grab another beer Celebrate dominance

Illegal elbows and goon crosschecks? Does Lidstrom even touch other players? Yea, I think I see the source of the hate: Nick Lidstrom has more talent in his left buttock on a tuesday than that guy has in his entire life.

"Rah-mah-ni! Rah-mah-ni! Rah-mah-ni!" or "Trust mine eye! Trust mine eye! Trust mine eye!'

Holy cow, 2+ year thread necro.

So, was Crosby's limp to the bench fake, or did he injure himself on his own dive?

As a human being, I should be hoping Crosby isn't hurt bad or anything. ... I'm a terrible human being.

If he does indeed want to stick around, he'd better turn into the Wings hero of this series real quick-like.

I think it's rather obvious that the refs are going very easy on the rough play. This isn't a bad thing.. if you take advantage of it. Whether it's Bylsma or the players on the Pens roster, they certainly have. The Wings, on the other hand, just.. aren't. They need to start cracking heads a bit, shoving down guys in front of the net, landing hits even if they're a little late, bumping guys in the slot. Seriously, have you seen any penalties called on a late hit or interference in the slot this series? The Wings need to take advantage of this instead of being the victim.

I have to admit, that's pretty amusing.

The answer to this question depends on whether he's on the ice or not.

Damn Hossa has been frustrating to watch.. he's had everything except finish.

Can someone please tell the Wings what that thar puck thing is and how to use the stick to do good things with it?

I'd say our special teams can rot, but they already are.

I know you shouldn't shoot the messenger, but I now have temporary hate for Dreger.

I haaaate liiiiiiife.

Thought for a moment that was some odd nickname for Sakic.

Crosby or Gonchar. Probably Gonchar. You remember their record in the season before him? Crosby and Malkin have serious skills, but you've gotta have a slick puck moving d-man on the back end for those sorts of players as well.. Gonch quite frankly is one of the best. As a vet, he's also the stabilizing presence.. he's the anchor for that team.

It's obvious to me, at least, that Zetterberg is doing a good job making sure that Crosby has both limited opportunity to finish on his chances and limited ability to use his linemates. Crosby is pretty competent defensively--the whole line is, actually--but our big bangers (Cleary and Franzen at the moment) seem to be doing well enough at just causing chaos and stuffing pucks into the net. However, I'd employ a different strategy against Malkin's line. It's clear by his takeaway totals that a lot of his presence comes from stickwork and craftiness. However, his giveaway totals are some of the highest in the league, and he's only +3 in the playoffs despite having 18 ES points on the 2nd most winning team. He can be a bit of a floater, and often jumps the gun out of the zone as well.. and isn't the most physically present player. Datsyuk, provided he's 90% or better, is by far the best center to match up against Malkin. Datsyuk can not only neutralize Malkin's stick ability, but also, in my opinion, outmatch him physically, despite the height difference (consider that Datsyuk is the same weight as Malkin with 4 less inches in height). Furthermore, Datsyuk is our leader in FO%, and that's one of Malkin's weaknesses. Datsyuk plays the body (when he doesn't have the puck magnetized to his stick) and blocks shots, Malkin.. doesn't so much. Not only that, but Datsyuk is the most likely to player to make something out of Malkin's giveaways. Finally, Malkin isn't the best player at avoiding penalties.. Datsyuk is the exact opposite and rather good at drawing stick infractions as well. Datsyuk's strengths seem to directly correspond to Malkin's weaknesses in almost every way possible. So then, what does the 2nd line do? If Datsyuk is an effective counter to Malkin, the most logical thing to do would simply be to outgun his defensively questionable line. This makes Hossa an obvious choice, not only because of his big offensive talent, but because he's a strong backchecker that can make Malkin further pay for mistakes. On the other wing, I'd put Hudler.. Hudler and Hossa seem to have very solid chemistry, Hudler has a surprising willingness to go to the net, and a good pass-shoot selection. Furthermore, this gets Hudler away from the Gill pairing. If he has the ability to drive to the net against Malkin's physically unspectacular line, he might well make something of it. Third line, Sammy, Flip, and Homer. One of Sammy's logo shots just might go in if it hits Homer first. Flip is very valuable as a centerman, and produced on the 3rd line previous series. Homer's presence draws Clutch-and-Grab Gill away from our top 2 lines, and Flip has wheels enough to potentially just breeze past him on a bad turnover.. as does Sammy, who gets a surprising number of breakaways. Helm - Draper - Maltby on the 4th line. Helm provides needed energy to the line with the two vets, which is why I didn't stick him on the 3rd and Sammy or Homer on the 4th. Franzen - Z - Cleary Happy - Dats - Hossa Homer - Flip - Sammy Helm - Draper - Maltby

Actually, you forget Chris Simon.. the Pens can play suspended players, amirite?

CBC stream, tally ho

Aren't these the same cats that said the salary cap is going up like 10m or something ridiculous the other day?