RedLightGoesOn

The one thing that really annoys me about the Toews talk, is everyone talking about "hard minutes" and "great defensive plays" Sure. But this is a Canadian golden boy, who gets talked about like he ALWAYS rises to the occasion when the pressures on. Oh yeah? That's why he was pretty much the 4th line center for the Hawks last night.
I did some digging into Toews splits from 2010, when according to the "brilliant" minds in the hockey world, he became a big game player. Well I describe big games as Stanley Cup Final games. So, including the 3 he's already played in this year and the 6 in 2010, lets see what we get.
2010: 6gp 0 Even Strength Goals, 1 Even Strength Assists. 0 PP or SH goals, 2 PP assists. 18 shots, and had an average TOI of 21:24. 2013: 3gp 0 Even Strength Goals, 0 Even Strength Assists. 0 PP or SH goals, 0 PP or SH assists. 12 shots and has an average of 27:02. Big game player? Not a chance. Datsyuk played hard minutes for years but was called a playoff choker for years because he didn't put up the numbers, and because he was Russian. Toews because of his passport gets a free pass. It's crap, and the hockey media should be ashamed. Call this guy "The Tent" when it comes to important games, because all he does is fold up and crumble.

The Sharks somehow end up as a train wreck one way or another in the playoffs. The diving, the invisibility of star players, etc. The Sharks have a few good players, but that's about it. Jumbo Joe and Marleau are definitely on the decline. The Sharks are the team that can't win a Cup but will make sure the opponent that beats them goes on to lose the next round. Congrats, you are good enough to take a toll on a team but aren't good enough to win. Everything else about that organization is going to have to change if they really want to win a Cup. McLellan is definitely not helping things change around there, especially when he had to tell the refs to stop calling his players out for diving. Maybe he cannot make the changes he wants to yet because of current players or politics. You figure he would try emulate Babs after working in Detroit.
Bylsma being extended is shocking. You figure he would have been the fall guy for all the playoff blunders that have plagued the Penguins since 2009. You might say who is going to replace Bylsma, but the truth is it looks like anyone could do that. Maybe Bylsma is on a short leash as the head coach. There is definitely a strong sense of arrogance that the Penguins have had, and I think that is a terrible attitude to take into a playoffs series. During the Islanders series he let his team run loose and play like crap. If Nabokov were a better goaltender the Pens would have been beat by the Islanders. His players decided that they were going to play when they wanted to. The success against the Senators is nothing new, and I thoroughly expected Pens to beat the Senators in the fashion that they did. It is clear to me that Bylsma is struggling to coach that team, given by the performance of his team and his inability to make adjustments.

I don't understand Doug Wilson. He hasn't changed anything in, what, 5-6 years? They haven't won and they haven't really even come close. I don't consider getting to the Conference Finals two years in a row with a 1-8 record being close. I remember when there were supposed to be big changes when they were eliminated from the Ducks in '09 in the first round. They aren't going anywhere.
With the Pens, they have had better teams since '09 and they haven't really threatened. Granted, I think the only team in the East that could have beaten them last year was the Flyers and this year was the Bruins, but Bylsma's inability to adjust in a 7 game series is very telling. He is Erik Spoelstra of the Heat without the results...

The Hawks just beat LA in LA for the first time in the playoffs... without Keith. They are looking pretty solid. Now how about the role reversal where Chicago loses 3 straight?

The Hawks just beat LA in LA for the first time in the playoffs... without Keith. They are looking pretty solid. Now how about the role reversal where Chicago loses 3 straight?

The Penguins are going to lose this series because the first 2 games they decided to be full of themselves.... I feel like the Pens have/had a lot of arrogance going into this series and let it get to their head. That's probably the best explanation of why they blew the first two games in such an awful fashion. They were busy trying to plaster guys into the 3rd row with hits, complaining to the refs at every chance possible, frustrated that they couldn't effortlessly play their game... Also Boston happens to be a very good team which is something the Penguins completely ignored or didn't respect.
For all the Pens fans that ***** about the so called Jagr "hook" that led to the GWG, they should take these factors into account:
1. Whining about everything that Boston does to you while doing basically the same stuff to them probably pisses off the refs. Can Crosby go in between two whistles without talking to them? The refs are going to let things play out, and I am sure there are calls they know they could make but won't because it isn't as black and white. Crying about it doesn't endear the anyone to the refs. This goes for any team.
2. You are in double OT, in the conference finals.... guys are dead tired, worn out, injured, etc. You go to a scrum against the boards to get the puck and you see something that might be a hook, but then realize this is double OT playoff hockey in June. Malkin got away with a hook as well and did the "chicken wing" with his arm to tie up Jagr's stick. It wasn't a clear cut hook, so the refs decided to let them play.
3. There were several noncalls that happened in both OT periods, but being the nature of the situation the refs want them to play.
4. Malkin is bad at hanging on to the puck. I remember a few games ago NBC did a short clip of footage that showed Malkin's lapses in his ability to hang on to the puck. Jagr might be 40 and a shell of his former self, but you wouldn't know that based on his OT play. He was so hungry out there and you could really see his talent show. Malkin was probably exhausted and definitely mentally frustrated.

Gotta say I feel sorry for the people that think a low scoring game is boring. I was on the edge of my seat throughout the whole game. I have to give Crosby kudos for his hustle when he had his lid removed. He almost ended the game all by himself.
Best non-Wings game I've seen in a long time.

Boston is like a walking zombie, terrorizing the NHL right now.
Down two goals with a minute and a half left against the Leafs, they shouldn't even be alive right now.

Bruins are decimating the Pens, someone should call FEMA. Yet NBC seems to keep talking up the Pens, despite looking like a group of high schoolers against a bunch of men.

Bruins are decimating the Pens, someone should call FEMA. Yet NBC seems to keep talking up the Pens, despite looking like a group of high schoolers against a bunch of men.

Bruins are decimating the Pens, someone should call FEMA. Yet NBC seems to keep talking up the Pens, despite looking like a group of high schoolers against a bunch of men.

Pascal Dupuis - Sidney Crosby = average second/third liner at best
How can you guys be so blinded by stats that you cant see that he isn't even very good?
This article pretty much sums up my feelings about pascal dupuis and his potential
http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/51699-Value-of-Pascal-Dupuis.html

Franzen's point production is only helped by the fact that he can have multi goal/point games in streaks. Sure. He does his job just frequently enough to maintain decent averages but when you look beyond the numbers he is useless. His playoff production is a joke, and that's what also matters. In general Franzen just sits around and shoots the puck, this might have worked for Brett Hull in his later years (especially in Detroit) but things are way different and we can't sign superstars to all 4 lines anymore.
Franzen's average point production is good, and we would be hard pressed to find that kind of production for an affordable price. Finding a replacement is hard, and it just disgusts me that we are stuck with him on the top 6.
Has anyone considered what Franzen's numbers would be elsewhere? What about someone else who is below Franzen's PPG average, could they out produce Franzen on this team? I would rather take someone who skates, checks, etc, -- plays with more effort because chances are they will produce more consistently and less streaky
What good is a player who the team depends upon as a top 6, who helps you get into the playoffs and then becomes invisible? It is sort of a Catch 22 marred by his contract length and price.

So the question(s) for Game 2 are:
1. Can the Bruins shut down Pittsburgh's offense again?
2. Will the Pens defense improve?
I personally think if the Pens can't get their offense going it is going to continue to pressure their defense to play better. If Boston plays hard I am certain the Pens defense will have its lapses and you will see Bruins generate great scoring chances.
Also, I like that the Bruins played physical but didn't make it their priority to hit everyone as much as possible. They played a smart game by focusing on stick work than just trying to blast guys into the 3rd row. They didn't seem to really flinch when Pittsburgh got very physical/gooned it up, so good on them for keeping their composure.

So the question(s) for Game 2 are:
1. Can the Bruins shut down Pittsburgh's offense again?
2. Will the Pens defense improve?
I personally think if the Pens can't get their offense going it is going to continue to pressure their defense to play better. If Boston plays hard I am certain the Pens defense will have its lapses and you will see Bruins generate great scoring chances.
Also, I like that the Bruins played physical but didn't make it their priority to hit everyone as much as possible. They played a smart game by focusing on stick work than just trying to blast guys into the 3rd row. They didn't seem to really flinch when Pittsburgh got very physical/gooned it up, so good on them for keeping their composure.

Franzen is going down hill and is useless the majority of the time. He skates lazily, makes mistakes, doesn't put much effort in, etc. I don't think someone who has proven to be largely ineffective and unmotivated worth any cap hit. What is worse is he doesn't seem to care and is way to comfortable making a fair chunk of change while playing like crap and being outpeformed by Cleary in the CHI series. This guy is a nonfactor for us.
If we aren't prepared to motivate him by benching him or scratching him, I say we look to unload him in the near future via trade and get some value out of him before it is too late.

That's the thing. Abby is the type of player we need up there, but he isn't the player we need. Does that make sense? We need his style of play, but in the form of a player who scores.

If they want to have a team that doesn't have to really overachieve in order to simply get into the playoffs then it's probably not a good idea to stand pat.

LOL.
You've been reading my posts over the years, Ryan. But you have to be more subtle.
Just say that Carey Price would have made that last save.

What's sad about this statement is how shocked we are about this. If he played better everyone would have been chanting Cleary's name. He was GOD AWFUL and would always find a way to choke on HUGE moments. He could have easily tipped this series in our favor if he capitalized on the truck tons of chances and not make as many terrible mistakes/plays with/without the puck. The fact that he is point leader shows us how bad our offense is/was.

Can't believe we really sucked that much and lost. I hate it. This teams needs some adjustments, but we played very very well and surpassed all expectations. The future is bright.

Agree.
There's no reason Cory Emmerton should be getting all your good chances in a game 7.

Not too many people think we can win. I admit, I am scared too. That said, let's show them what it means to face the Detroit Red Wings in the playoffs. Come out with everything and bury them.

Pens look good because they haven't been tested and faced a worthy opponent yet. The Bruins-Pens ECF would leave me thinking it would be a slobber-knocker of a series.