227 replies to this topic

[Crymson]

While Crosby and Malkin may lead the Pens to a Cup, I don't think it will be this year.

Also, the gap is much larger between the Wings Offense and Pens Defense than it is between the Pens Offense and the Wings Defense.

It'd better be next year for their sakes, as after that Malkin will get a huge payday and I doubt Pittsburg will be able to afford him.

[ifonlyicouldskate]

Hmm...

Everyone sure would be disappointed with a Stars/Flyers final.

(which is still theoretically possible, I believe)

I was thinking the exact same thing......We both have to win for a 4th time to advance to the finals

[betterREDthandead]

Totally disagree with those who call the Wings/Pens offensive matchup even. Not without Franzen it isn't. Crosby and Malkin are otherworldly.....then there's Hossa. If we get back the Mule, then we can call it even, otherwise a pretty solid edge goes to the Penguins. The series will have to be won on defense, defense, defense.

[lnvincible]

I was watching the game betweens pens and flyers yesterday , it seemed like flyers werent even trying at all... I mean i wanted to change the channel so many times because it was sooo boring. In my opinion , pens will go down in 5 - 6. Detroit is just to strong for them i think. Sure you have crosby and malkin but honestly , look at the defence pairs pens has beeing playing during these playoffs? No one special, you will TRUELY see a defence when you meet detroit in the final. I hate the facted that everyone expects detroit to lose, happens every playoffs. Ive grown to get used to it , but were finally getting the attention.

[Rice]

Totally disagree with those who call the Wings/Pens offensive matchup even. Not without Franzen it isn't. Crosby and Malkin are otherworldly.....then there's Hossa. If we get back the Mule, then we can call it even, otherwise a pretty solid edge goes to the Penguins. The series will have to be won on defense, defense, defense.

The gap between Crosby/Malkin and Zetterberg/Datsyuk isn't that great. Plus, the Wings get much better offensive production from their blueline than the Penguins do. Kronwall has 11 points, Gonchar has 10, Rafalski has 10, and Lidstrom has 9. The next closest guy on the Penguins is Whitney with 6 then Scuderi with 3. So, that's 30 points from the Wings' top three defensemen and 19 from Pittsburgh's. I think you'll see Lidstrom's production increase too, because he's going to be playing at least 30 minutes a night this series.

[FedorovGurl]

Yeah but ......... Isn't being the "best team in the East" like being the smartest kid on the short bus?????????

[timothy1997]

I predict Wings in four. I'd not mind five, as it'd give us the 4th win at home.

Won't the home ice advantage go to the Wings??? Game 4 would be played in Pittsburgh then.

[McCartyFanForLife]

Won't the home ice advantage go to the Wings??? Game 4 would be played in Pittsburgh then.

Home ice is to the Wings; he was saying he wouldn't mind winning in 5 because we'd clinch at home

[Dawgs]

Well...if you go win the Cup....you will do so stopping 2 of the 3 best players in the world. Crosby-Malkin and Ovechkin..you mix up who goes where.

Ok, who is overlooking the opponent now? Zetterberg and Datsyuk are easily on par with Malkin, Crosby and Hossa. In fact, Id say they are better. Fourth and sixth in points, second in assists, fifth in goals and both are Selke candidates. Datsyuk didnt only lead the NHL in takeaways, he lapped the pack with 140+ to 80 for second. Datsyuk led the league in +/- in the regular season with Hank not far behind. In the playoffs Hank leads in +/-. Crosby leads the playoffs in points but hes a +5. Doesnt scare me much. Ill take the complete package over the one dimensional player any day on my team.

Detroits forwards are better than the Pens. You have some nice talent at the top but cant match Detroits depth. Our fourth line center has more points than anyone on your team not named Crosby, Malkin or Hossa. We roll four lines and they all score. Pittsburgh cant match that. Even with the top playoff goal scorer in the playoffs, a guy with 26 goals in 26 games, sitting.

And please dont kid yourself about the Pens defense matching up with Detroits. That is a complete mismatch. Your best defender would be on our third pairing.

[DraperFan MN]

I hope the best team wins!

No need to hope, that's how it works.

[Rice]

No need to hope, that's how it works.

Hmm...the Anaheim series last year makes me question that theory.

[CrossoverThrash]

They are fairly evenly matched overall but Detroits D is way better and Hal Gil absolutely blows and hes going to be an absolute pylon if they play detroit, Gonchar is the poor man's zubov who is the poor man's lidstrom. The youngsters have a bright future but are largely unproven. That being said our 3rd pair has been a bit crappy but i think our amazing top 4 D more than over shadows it. i think if crosby and malkin are P and Z's age they are even or maybe better but i'd give the slightest edge to the wings 1st line simply because they are in their prime and i don't believe the pens have a guy who plays infront of the oppositions goalie. If Franzen can return the wings second line might also have an edge. I think the pens have to get Sykora and hossa going in order to compete on the second line. And Pit's 2 bottom lines are garbage compared to ours. Remember we have the veteran pest maltby instead of the penalty gorging ruutuu. Goalies are even, although Osgood has done this before, PP is even, after last series i think out pk is stronger. Its mostly about shutting down crosby and malkin and we have 2 guys on the back end who i believe can do it. The series will be a lot closer than any ones these teams have played so far.

Hal Gil is a pylon, he was toronto's lilja and think of how bad that is

[DraperFan MN]

Hmm...the Anaheim series last year makes me question that theory.

Oh c'mon, get over it already. We fought hard, but objectively, Anaheim had better team D, offense, and netminding. They won the cup when they finished us off in six.

[NeverForgetMac25]

ARice89 pretty much summed up everything I was going to say in thread. While not being arrogant toward the OP, you really need to know a little bit more about the Wings defense aside from Lidstrom before making a comparison. On paper, the matchup isn't even close. That's not to say the Pens won't find a way to score a goal or two, but the type of game the Pens play falls right into the hands of the way Detroit wins games. In all due respect, if you honestly feel Detroit only has a slight advantage on defense due to Lidstrom, then you don't much about the Pens' potential opponent.

I was just going to say, on paper it's not even close (knock on wood); Gonchar would be Detroit's number four. However, the Penguins do play impressive team defense -- more impressive than they get credit for, IMO. People seem to think they are all offense but from what I have seen that's not the case. Overall though, I don't think there's a team in the league that can match Detroit's defensemen or their forwards' dedication to defense.

Another thing to remember is the fact that Lidstrom is only averaging 25 minutes per game so far in the playoffs...and the Wings are still dominating teams. You can bet that Nick will be matching up with Crosby and Malkin for at least 30 minutes a game in the finals. Seems to me Babcock has been saving Nick for the most important games.

Another thing that I pointed out on another forum: the Penguins were dead last this year in faceoff percentage. That doesn't bode well for them. To me, Pittsburgh is similar to Colorado in this regard. Who takes the puck away from the Wings? The Wings have been excellent in the faceoff department all year while Pittsburgh has been weak. Pittsburgh obviously has loads of skill, but where are the shutdown forwards and defensemen? Is Hal Gill really going to strip Datsyuk of the puck?

A lot of Pittsburgh's game is waiting for the other team to screw up and capitalize on turnovers -- which was essentially how Dallas was playing prior to this series.

Edit: I think we'll be seeing a lot of my avatar in this series.

[servo]

You all may be right. The Pens have over-achieved this year and at this point...I'm not sure they know whats about to hit them when they play Detroit. That may be good or bad for Pittsburgh...who knows.

Personally...I think if you take the Pens top 2 lines and the Wings top 2 lines...they are pretty even. Hell, I hope this is a yearly tradition in the Finals with you guys!

Actually if you take the wings top 2 lines and teh Pens top 2 lines you'd have one hell of a hockey team!!!

[TheMapman]

(Prefaced with a non-jinxing IF both teams win their series)

It's going to be a hell of a series, no matter what. The one thing the Wings have done very well this post-season has been rattling the other teams' goalies. If they can get to Fleury early like they got to Theodore and Turco, and Ozzie can stay solid with a few key saves each game, the Wings defense has to give them a slight edge. The Pens will have a ton of energy, but they will find out the same thing that teams playing the Wings have found out: teams have been physical against the Pens to stop them, just like they have against the Wings, when that just works to their advantage, since it opens the ice up. The Wings are better passers and roll four lines that are more capable of scoring, plus the Wings have the best first seven defensemen of any team in the league, plus two Selke finalists. The Wings are the best backchecking team in the league as well. The defense will be tenacious, and the offense can explode at any minute.

Hopefully this series can showcase the "new" NHL and bring the sport some more attention. I expect the highest ratings in a while for the SCF, and I think the Wings will prevail in 6.

[RussiaMalkin]

Coolio....HAving a rah-rah guy in the locker room that has to keep the kids heads on straight is over-rated. If need be we have veterans like Gary Roberts and Gonchar for that reason. But remember, this was a team that was down 3-0 in Game 1 against the Rangers at home and came back to win it in the final minute of regulation.

I think that some on here are not giving the Pens D the credit they deserve. They have shut down some of the very best goal scorers in the league this playoff year and so that is why I don't think the Red Wings offense scares them as much as some of you tend to think.

Spezza, Heatley and when he came back Alfredson were shut down
Jagr, Shanahan, Avery were shut down
Briere, Umberger, Prospal were shut down

[CrossoverThrash]

Coolio....HAving a rah-rah guy in the locker room that has to keep the kids heads on straight is over-rated. If need be we have veterans like Gary Roberts and Gonchar for that reason. But remember, this was a team that was down 3-0 in Game 1 against the Rangers at home and came back to win it in the final minute of regulation.

I think that some on here are not giving the Pens D the credit they deserve. They have shut down some of the very best goal scorers in the league this playoff year and so that is why I don't think the Red Wings offense scares them as much as some of you tend to think.

Spezza, Heatley and when he came back Alfredson were shut down
Jagr, Shanahan, Avery were shut down
Briere, Umberger, Prospal were shut down

Hal gil is still a pylon, the other teams just didn't capitalze on his mistakes

[NeverForgetMac25]

Coolio....HAving a rah-rah guy in the locker room that has to keep the kids heads on straight is over-rated. If need be we have veterans like Gary Roberts and Gonchar for that reason. But remember, this was a team that was down 3-0 in Game 1 against the Rangers at home and came back to win it in the final minute of regulation.

I think that some on here are not giving the Pens D the credit they deserve. They have shut down some of the very best goal scorers in the league this playoff year and so that is why I don't think the Red Wings offense scares them as much as some of you tend to think.

Spezza, Heatley and when he came back Alfredson were shut down
Jagr, Shanahan, Avery were shut down
Briere, Umberger, Prospal were shut down

Its not about giving the Pens defense the credit they deserve becausee they have been very good this post season, its that most people without ties to either team will tell you that the Wings defense from top to bottom is much deeper than Pittsburgh's.

[redwingsgirl]

Welcome to LGW. If both teams win the odds and meet up, it will be one great series! Looking forward to it already.

I haven't seen an entire Pens game from start to finish. I really tried last night, but it just seemed so slow and boring. I am wondering if it is because Philly couldn't get much going and dragged the game right down?

I can certainly comment about the Wings though! I think once you see them really in action, they will surprise you. Pavel and Zett are known for their offensive capabilities that what they do on the other side of the puck is often overlooked by opposing fans.

Also in regards to last nights game, I didn't see much traffice in-front of Fleury. That is going to be just one of many aspects of the Wings game for him to contend with. Also, as stated, our opposition has been unable to set up and take more than 20 shots per game. Again, a bit of adversity that I don't think the Pens have had to contend with yet.

And my last comment, in regards to our line-up. Our lines are constantly changing. Babs isn't afraid to mix up guys and throw all sorts of new looks on the ice. The chemistry our guys have not only with thier own "usual line" but with the rest of the team is simply amazing.

Should be some great games of hockey! Welcome aboard - I can't say good luck, but GO WINGS!