DUCK'S BLOG

[henrik40 76]

Teams create their own luck. Hustle and hard work is going to create opportunities. For example, Crosby hustled to get a second shot but Hank hustled just as hard to make sure it didn't have a chance to go in.

Edited June 2, 2009 by henrik40

[T.OWingsFan 7]

I probably wouldn't bet on the Pens against the Ducks...their two-man show might work in the eastern conference but a gritty, well-balanced, defensively strong team like Anaheim would probably do similar things to them that the Wings are now.

Oh God can you imagine how Crosby and co would cry at what the Ducks do compared to the Wings?

Part of me would have loved to see that in itself.

[Dabura 12,206]

The Ducks would absolutely murder these Pens.

[Vincanni 1]

Not a shock really, seems most hockey fans unanimously agree the Wings are the favorites here and are not surprised to see them up 2-0.

[RoninJai 5]

The Pens would get murdered by the Ducks over a seven game series. Yes, I know, before all the Pens slappys jump in with the "BUT WE BEAT THEM THIS YEAR!!!", that was the regular season. The Ducks are built to be a playoff team. The Pens actually match up better with the Wings I think than the Ducks.

[thedisappearer 291]

The Red Wings are lucky they are better than the Pens and don't spend as much time trying to find excuses.

[BlakChamber 8]

If not for breaks, the Pens could be up 2-0 right now.

And if your mom had balls she'd be your dad.

Breaks, luck, whatever you want to call it is part of the game. Besides, it's better to be lucky than good.

(I hate myself for responding to you)

[dawings1905 2]

Ah the conference thing again.

Wouldn't you agree at least a little that the Wings have had all the luck both games, and they could've gone either way? I could understand this comment last year, when Detroit just plain outskated the Pens. But c'mon... how many times did the Pens hit the post last night? You wouldn't agree that things have at least been competitive?

If not for breaks, the Pens could be up 2-0 right now.

Same as last year from you guys. Never willing to admit you were beaten by a better team. At least in the first two games. The reason teams hit posts is they are under pressure. Pressure that maybe they wouldn't be under against another team. You make your own breaks, and the fact the wings won the first two games (back to back, on short rest, and without the MVP candidate) speaks VOLUMES!!!

So don't give me this wings getting ALL the breaks BS because that is what it is.....BS. It will be interesting to see how many PP's the Pens get in game three. Speaking of breaks, the Pens got another with with Malkins suspension being removed (cough, cough, way to go Gary) Not only did the Pens catch a break on the scheduling (and injuries), but apparently they don't have to follow the same rules as everyone else. And you wanna come here talking about breaks!!!!

[VM1138 1,921]

Ah the conference thing again.

Wouldn't you agree at least a little that the Wings have had all the luck both games, and they could've gone either way? I could understand this comment last year, when Detroit just plain outskated the Pens. But c'mon... how many times did the Pens hit the post last night? You wouldn't agree that things have at least been competitive?

If not for breaks, the Pens could be up 2-0 right now.

The "breaks" would only make things interesting. There is nothing that says they would be winnign if they had "gotten lucky."

It's not like these were one goal games.

[Jake Ryan 1]

Even if Pittsburgh's posts go in, and both games go into overtime, there's still a good chance the Wings are up 2-0. It's stupid to say the only reason the Wings won is because they got good breaks. 6-2 goal differential. That's more than luck.

[daniel1 32]

Ah the conference thing again.

Wouldn't you agree at least a little that the Wings have had all the luck both games, and they could've gone either way? I could understand this comment last year, when Detroit just plain outskated the Pens. But c'mon... how many times did the Pens hit the post last night? You wouldn't agree that things have at least been competitive?

If not for breaks, the Pens could be up 2-0 right now.

I would say it's the Pens who've been getting all the breaks, yet they still are behind in the series:

- NHL decides to move finals up by a week, who's the beneficiary of this? Pens, they are younger, better rested and have less injured players to start the finals.

-NHL decides to play back to back for the first 2 games of the series. If it were even, then they would do the same for when the games go to s***sburgh, but they don't, again the Pens are recipient of a good "break" which is completely out of the Wings control.

- Datsyuk is out - HUGE break for the Pens, our best offensive player has yet to play in the finals and if this isn't a bit of good luck for the Pens I don't what is.

- Lidstrom is coming off an injury, again the Pens are the recipients of a good break, our best defencemen is less than 100% coming into the series.

- Ericcson has to have an appendectomy, this is tremendous news for the Pens as another of our top D-men is coming off surgery, what a break!!

- Draper is out. Our best faceoff man and third line center and one of our best PK'ers has yet to play in the series - can the Pens GET any LUCKIER!!

- Lilja is injured. Our best shot blocker and one of our top penalty killing defensmen is out for the entire series, I swear the Pens are s***ting rabbits feet at the rate of breaks and good luck going their way coming into this series. If I was a Pens fan I would be buying lottery tickets by the dozen with all the luck and good breaks they are receiving here.

- One of the Wings own players shoots the puck into his own net! What a break! This gives the Pens a lead in what could be a pivotal 2nd game that the older, more injured Wings have been forced to play back to back after having the NHL reduce the amount of time between the two series. Here is the perfect bit of good luck the Pens need to even the series right? WRONG! They lose the game.

- Zetterburg hits the post on a beautiful cross ice feed in game 1 - what a break! Do the Pens take advantage of it? No, they lose.

- Their goalie doesn't trip and fall flat on his face entering the Joe. An amazing bit of luck for the Pens as now he should be uber-confident in his puck stopping abilities after having successfully navigated his way onto the ice, but alas, the Pens don't take advantage of this bit of luck and still manage to lose the game.

- The NHL overturns what should be an automatic 1 game suspension for their best player - if this isn't the epitome of a a ******* great B-R-E-A-K then sun isn't hot. Let's see if they can take advantage of this break in a long and lucky series of breaks that have all gone the Pens way so far.

Now tell me super-Pens-fans-turned-trolls-on-a-Wings-board, WHO'S GETTING ALL THE ******* BREAKS AND GOOD LUCK SO FAR??? That's right; now STFU and be quiet while we revel in the perseverance and determination our team is showing despite getting screwed by the NHL gods, the injury gods, the post gods, and Colin Campbell.

[Yzermania 156]

Yah, we're luck you guys like to shoot at posts and you're lucky the mule, who usually picks corners like no one's business shot it 10 feet over the net fromt the middle of the slot when your goalie was down. Get over it, both teams have bad and good luck at times, the better teams has the best of luck though.

[Husker BigGuy 0]

If it wasn't for a couple of bad bounces, and some bad ref calls, the Wings would be up 3-0 right now.

[truebladearmy 33]

Ah the conference thing again.

Wouldn't you agree at least a little that the Wings have had all the luck both games, and they could've gone either way? I could understand this comment last year, when Detroit just plain outskated the Pens. But c'mon... how many times did the Pens hit the post last night? You wouldn't agree that things have at least been competitive?

If not for breaks, the Pens could be up 2-0 right now.

"if if if"

You want luck?

One goal in game two. Watch the slow mo video, it was scored on a Power play where Hossa did NOTHING. And it didn't even get put in by Pittsburgh, it got put in by a Detroit player by accident. You want luck. WE SCORED FOR YOU.

Malkin gets to play game 3. That is luck. Considering the NHL basically redifined an entire rule, that they put into place to specifcally stop what he did, just to accomodate him.

You want to talk about luck? Go find a bunch of bandwagon fans, and fester in a corner with them.

Edited June 2, 2009 by truebladearmy

[hockeysattva 8]

The Pens are a far more talented team than the Ducks IMO.

Stop drink the Red stuff for a second guys, seriously.

Hitting posts and crossbars is not just close... it really is almost in, and I can't believe you are trying to act like you haven't felt this way in the past (if you haven't get on a different bandwagon).

I can't fathom why any of you would over-rate the Ducks the way you are. They should have been eliminated by the Sharks, who couldn't help but choke, and was the team I was most afraid of. I still can't believe what happened to the Bruins either... tangent...

I'll dig up some stats if I need to, but yeah, Ducks not better than the Pens.

[sureWhyNot 19]

I will say this - while I really am not a Ducks fan... At all (and this is putting it extra politely) I have to give them a lot of credit. Looking back at that Rd. 2 series I have come to realize just how hard they played us, and just how great that 7 game series really was.

I mean I loathe Pronger, and wholeheartedly dislike the reast of Anaheims squad - that said - there isnt a team I would like to face less the the Anaheim Ducks come playoff time. That includes ANY team from the East and the San Jose's, Calgary's, etc. in the West.

[T.Low 1,011]

Ah the conference thing again.

Wouldn't you agree at least a little that the Wings have had all the luck both games, and they could've gone either way? I could understand this comment last year, when Detroit just plain outskated the Pens. But c'mon... how many times did the Pens hit the post last night? You wouldn't agree that things have at least been competitive?

If not for breaks, the Pens could be up 2-0 right now.

The casual fan always make too much of hitting the post. Hitting the post does not even count as a shot on goal because it is a missed shot.

Yes it was very lucky for the Wings that Stuart put that goal in on Ozzie, otherwords Ozzie would have had, God forbid, a shutout. And it was indeed a lucky bounce as Stuart was not actually trying to score on Ozzie, it was just good luck.

Yes things have been competitive. Not like last years onslaught.

How could the Pens be up 2-0 when they didn't even get one by Ozzie in Game 2? And you want to talk about ifs, if it weren't for the WIngs lucky shot by Stuart and one lucky juicy rebound by Ozzie that went right to Fedetenko who luckily was in the right spot at the right time, the Pens would be scoreless in the first two just like last year.

The Wings top guys have been able to shutdown the Pens top guys and the WIngs depth players, or more accurately, the minor league guys with little or no NHL experience, have out played Pittsburghs verteran 3rd and 4rth liners. Simple as that.

Stuarts shot off the boards went in because Flurry made a mistake. HNIC showed the Pens practicing shooting off the boards with Flurry in goal prior to game 1, so that they would know how to use it to their advantage and so Flurry would get used to the bounces. Hossa was on the doorstep for the rebound anyway.

Flurry aslo made a mistake when he lifted his leg to block the shot and it bounced off it and went in instead. Why would you want to block a shot from that angle that way? Mistake.

I guess when the Wings don't get a goal waved off for one entire game, people think we are lucky and getting all the breaks.

Loosers always whine about doing their best but not getting the breaks, winners go home with the Stanley Cup.

[RedFX 48]

Ah the conference thing again.

Wouldn't you agree at least a little that the Wings have had all the luck both games, and they could've gone either way? I could understand this comment last year, when Detroit just plain outskated the Pens. But c'mon... how many times did the Pens hit the post last night? You wouldn't agree that things have at least been competitive?

If not for breaks, the Pens could be up 2-0 right now.

Desperate-for-something-to-cling-to troll is desperately clinging to something.

[Datsyerberger 279]

Loosers always whine about doing their best but not getting the breaks, winners go home with the Stanley Cup.

[T.Low 1,011]

Ha! Perfect.

Can you see Lidstrom saying that Leino? Or would Hossa be the one most likely to say something like that?

The great thing is, I don't see any single Red Wing playing with that "I'll give it my best" attitude like Nick Cage's character. They are all playing with the Rock the Prom Queen attitude and thats still the difference between Detroit and Piitsburgh this year. Well, one of the main differences anyway.

Thats the attitude that got them thru Anaheim.

[Yzermania 156]

To add to the hitting the post thing "being almost in", who remembers the ducks movies? Bombay sits there and tells charley, an inch and half to the left and it would of been in and we would have won....and then charlie says yah but an inch and a half to the right and it would of been wide of the net, so there you have it, the pens are just as close to shooting pucks wide as they are to scoring goals. And actually, as previously mentioned, technically they did shoot it wide being how it doesn't count as a shot on goal.