Guest Architeuthis Report post Posted May 30, 2009 http://steelerfury.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=1014 Interesting... from Steeler forum but worth the read. 1. Shoot the Simple Thing One of the biggest areas where the Penguins have improved since last year is in their willingness to simply put the puck on net. This year, the Penguins are 3rd in the playoffs at almost 35 shots a game, 6 shots above their average in last year's playoffs. Those numbers don't even tell the whole story. In the first two games of last year's Stanley Cup Final, the Penguins managed only 41 shots combined in two shutout losses. Now, some of this was a product of Detroit's suffocating defensive system, and I don't expect the Penguins to manage 40 shots a night against the Red Wings like they were against the Capitals and Hurricanes. But the Penguins were to blame as well, never settling for decent shots in hope of the perfect play. The improvement can be attributed to a few different things: 1. Dan Bylsma has these guys in the shoot first and ask questions later mindset. 2. Veterans like Guerin, Fedotenko and Boucher have never seen a shot they didn't like and 3. Crosby and Malkin have adapted their games and have been scoring dirty goals throughout these playoffs. The Penguins are going to have to work for shots against the Red Wings, but I'm confident that they'll let fly when given the chance. Osgood has the reputation of struggling with long distance shots and misdirections. The Penguins need to play the Red Wings' own game, get point shots, get people in front of the net and get even more people to the net after the shot to cash in on rebounds. 2. Puck Movement The Penguins struggled in their own zone against the forecheck of the Red Wings last summer, especially early in the series. While their defensemen aren't of the caliber of Lidstrom & Rafalski as far as starting the breakout, they've all improved by leaps and bounds over last year. Gonchar is suddenly playing extremely smart hockey, relying on his brains with his mobility not quite at 100%. Kris Letang got benched in last year's finals in favor of Darryl Sydor. He's not losing his spot this year, and he's gaining confidence with each outing. Orpik continues to refine his with-the-puck game. Mark Eaton is playing super-smart hockey, not making mistakes. He leads all defensemen in the playoffs as a plus 10. Scuderi is breaking out like Orpik did last year, and it's not just his stickwork and shotblocking. He's making smart passes out of his own end. Hal Gill is Hal Gill, a battleship that is never going to be Al MacInnis on the breakout, but he hasn't been burned often in these playoffs. This year's Penguins' defense isn't just better defensively, they're contributing more to the offense as well. They will need to continue to limit their giveaways in this series for the Penguins to succeed. 3. In the Corners The Penguins learned at one point in the series last year that they weren't going to consistently gain the zone 5 on 5 by carrying the puck in. They started to dump with more regularity, but the dump in game didn't suit their strengths, especially on the top two lines. Now, those top two lines have more grit and it's not even close. Hossa could work the corners for a skilled European, and Dupuis tried hard. But Guerin and Kunitz are far better at getting dirty and winning pucks, and both have the offensive creativity to find shots out of the cycle. "Sykora" and "corners" are just two words that really don't go together, and Malone lacked the speed to do much when he did win a corner battle as far as gaining separation and working the puck out for a shot. This year, Talbot is the ultimate battler on that line, and Fedotenko is severely underrated in the strength department - he will win corner battles. Add those grit improvements among the forwards to Crosby and Malkin's new-found joy in working the walls and driving to the net, and the Penguins have a much better chance to succeed if they're limited to a dump and chase offense. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
87to71 0 Report post Posted May 30, 2009 http://steelerfury.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=1014 Interesting... from Steeler forum but worth the read. 1. Shoot the Simple Thing One of the biggest areas where the Penguins have improved since last year is in their willingness to simply put the puck on net. This year, the Penguins are 3rd in the playoffs at almost 35 shots a game, 6 shots above their average in last year's playoffs. Those numbers don't even tell the whole story. In the first two games of last year's Stanley Cup Final, the Penguins managed only 41 shots combined in two shutout losses. Now, some of this was a product of Detroit's suffocating defensive system, and I don't expect the Penguins to manage 40 shots a night against the Red Wings like they were against the Capitals and Hurricanes. But the Penguins were to blame as well, never settling for decent shots in hope of the perfect play. The improvement can be attributed to a few different things: 1. Dan Bylsma has these guys in the shoot first and ask questions later mindset. 2. Veterans like Guerin, Fedotenko and Boucher have never seen a shot they didn't like and 3. Crosby and Malkin have adapted their games and have been scoring dirty goals throughout these playoffs. The Penguins are going to have to work for shots against the Red Wings, but I'm confident that they'll let fly when given the chance. Osgood has the reputation of struggling with long distance shots and misdirections. The Penguins need to play the Red Wings' own game, get point shots, get people in front of the net and get even more people to the net after the shot to cash in on rebounds. 2. Puck Movement The Penguins struggled in their own zone against the forecheck of the Red Wings last summer, especially early in the series. While their defensemen aren't of the caliber of Lidstrom & Rafalski as far as starting the breakout, they've all improved by leaps and bounds over last year. Gonchar is suddenly playing extremely smart hockey, relying on his brains with his mobility not quite at 100%. Kris Letang got benched in last year's finals in favor of Darryl Sydor. He's not losing his spot this year, and he's gaining confidence with each outing. Orpik continues to refine his with-the-puck game. Mark Eaton is playing super-smart hockey, not making mistakes. He leads all defensemen in the playoffs as a plus 10. Scuderi is breaking out like Orpik did last year, and it's not just his stickwork and shotblocking. He's making smart passes out of his own end. Hal Gill is Hal Gill, a battleship that is never going to be Al MacInnis on the breakout, but he hasn't been burned often in these playoffs. This year's Penguins' defense isn't just better defensively, they're contributing more to the offense as well. They will need to continue to limit their giveaways in this series for the Penguins to succeed. 3. In the Corners The Penguins learned at one point in the series last year that they weren't going to consistently gain the zone 5 on 5 by carrying the puck in. They started to dump with more regularity, but the dump in game didn't suit their strengths, especially on the top two lines. Now, those top two lines have more grit and it's not even close. Hossa could work the corners for a skilled European, and Dupuis tried hard. But Guerin and Kunitz are far better at getting dirty and winning pucks, and both have the offensive creativity to find shots out of the cycle. "Sykora" and "corners" are just two words that really don't go together, and Malone lacked the speed to do much when he did win a corner battle as far as gaining separation and working the puck out for a shot. This year, Talbot is the ultimate battler on that line, and Fedotenko is severely underrated in the strength department - he will win corner battles. Add those grit improvements among the forwards to Crosby and Malkin's new-found joy in working the walls and driving to the net, and the Penguins have a much better chance to succeed if they're limited to a dump and chase offense. No question that the style the Penguins play under Dan Bylsma is more conducive to being able to beat the Red Wings then the style that Therrien with the defensive trap ran last season. The Penguins will not sit back and let things happen in this series much like they did last season. They are going to come right at the Wings and try to dictate the pace of the game from start to finish. The Wings have yet to play this Pens team under Dan Bylsma and this new system, so it will be very interesting to see how they handle it and if they can shut it down and hold the Pens to under 35-40 shots. It's going to be tough for the Wings to do if their defense is not at 100 percent with guys like Lidstrom and Ericsson playing but not at full strength. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thedisappearer 291 Report post Posted May 30, 2009 The Wings have yet to play this Pens team under Dan Bylsma and this new system Just as your new system hasn't played us. And it usually takes more than a few months to "get" a new system. Ask the Sharks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YoungGuns1340 1 Report post Posted May 30, 2009 These are keys to every series. This post offers no insight whatsoever. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Heroes of Hockeytown 694 Report post Posted May 30, 2009 The Wings can take advantage whether they are aggressive or passive. The Hawks were hyper-aggressive offensively and got burned again and again on turnovers. They forechecked with two guys and tried to be extremely aggressive there and the Wings were able to make that first pass out of zone and get odd man rushes. They have great players and that's troublesome, but whatever system they play isn't a concern of mine. The Hawks and Ducks were on opposite ends of the scale in their playing styles and the Wings were able to handle both. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thedisappearer 291 Report post Posted May 30, 2009 These are keys to every series. This post offers no insight whatsoever. Actually, it missed the "intangibles" point. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
10 Minute Misconduct 104 Report post Posted May 30, 2009 lol @ the pens fan who thinks theyll get 35-40 shots a night on the wings. almost just fell off my seat Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
titanium2 867 Report post Posted May 30, 2009 lol @ the pens fan who thinks theyll get 35-40 shots a night on the wings. almost just fell off my seat Didn't the Hawks do that for a game or two? The Pens offense is that much more aggressive. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
titanium2 867 Report post Posted May 30, 2009 One key to this series is to send Kopy to challenge Brooks Orpik to a fight, Orpik will literally bash his face in and then the league will suspend Orpik for the rest of the year because they call it on impact and not textbook rules. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Booster313 138 Report post Posted May 30, 2009 This post is why I believe the Wings will win this series. The Pens are basically a carbon copy of the Red Wings. And the Wings have been doing it for 14+ years. No won plays the Wings style better than the Wings. The Pens will quickly learn that. One day the student may surpass the teacher but it ain't happening this year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
10 Minute Misconduct 104 Report post Posted May 30, 2009 Didn't the Hawks do that for a game or two? The Pens offense is that much more aggressive. Hawks averaged 30.4 per 60 mins. Pens offense arn't much more agressive. That Hawks team was almost as much run and gun and you could get. People want to say yeah the Pens have a different system, their more uptempo and offensive. Guess what folks, the way to beat the Wings iss to play a grind it out, trapping kind of game. Like the Hawks tried in game 5 when they realized they couldn't gun down the Wings. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
b.shanafan14 733 Report post Posted May 30, 2009 Marian Hossa Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Outsider 42 Report post Posted May 30, 2009 Marian Hossa b.shan..... The quote in your Sig is something I'm counting on to give our Wings an extra bit of motivation, however small. It was commented on by more than one Wings Player during the Regular Season, and it's absolutely true. These guys Won the Cup and immediately became second class citizens in the eyes of the NHL Media/Marketing Department, to the Team they BEAT! They're hopefully ruminating on how bad it would be if..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YoungGuns1340 1 Report post Posted May 30, 2009 I love it when people call the basics of hockey keys to winning a game. If you want to look at the keys to this series, its pretty simple: Hope the Refs don't hand powerplays out to the Pens like candy on Halloween, if you're the Wings. Hope that the refs make tons of calls for you, if you're the Pens. 72% penalty kill + Crosby Malkin on for the majority of their PP opportunities + plenty of PP opportunities for the Pens in all = bad news. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
beepbeep 3 Report post Posted May 30, 2009 Keys to the game 1. Lidstrom and Datsyuk healthy 2. Officials calling a game that is fair for BOTH teams. If the Wings get those 2 things the spends another year in HOCKEYTOWN......... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
