#7 Philadelphia knocks out #2 New Jersey

[AtomicPunk 296]

I was going to start a thread on this when it happened but I couldnt find the "start new thread" button!

I was so happy that the Devils lost. Brodeur has now had first round exits the last 3 years, if I remember correctly. They are so boring to watch and killed my fantasy team when they picked up Kovy, and killed his season. F the Devils.

[edicius 3,269]

Speaking of overrating Brodeur. Have you guys watched any Devils games with the Devils feed? I don't know what's the name of the commentator there (Chico maybe?) but after EVERY goal the Devils allow he's trying to explain why Brodeur had no chance on that one. It's just so ridiculous to listen as he always blames the defenders or the luck or just praises how the shot was the best he has seen. Brodeur makes no mistakes, I guess.

Yep, they'll never say a single bad thing about Brodeur on the local telecasts. It's amazing. Contrast that with Ken, Mickey and Larry who will be brutally honest if Jimmy or Ozzie let in a goal that they shouldn't have. The fact of the matter is that Brodeur hasn't been very good at all in the past few years when it matters most (and that includes the Olympics).

Look at his stats for the past three postseasons:

2010:

1-4, 3.01 GAA, .881 SV%

2009:

3-4, 2.39 GAA, .929 SV%

2008:

1-4, 3.19 GAA, .891 SV%

It could be argued that playing seven games in 2009 made Brodeur's stats better than they might have otherwise been, but it's still a first round exit. Like I said earlier, he's not completely to blame - you can't win if you don't score - but Marty's not helping things by basically guaranteeing that his offense has to score at least 4 goals a game to have a shot at winning.

[stevkrause 1,247]

Yep, they'll never say a single bad thing about Brodeur on the local telecasts. It's amazing. Contrast that with Ken, Mickey and Larry who will be brutally honest if Jimmy or Ozzie let in a goal that they shouldn't have. The fact of the matter is that Brodeur hasn't been very good at all in the past few years when it matters most (and that includes the Olympics).

Look at his stats for the past three postseasons:

2010:

1-4, 3.01 GAA, .881 SV%

2009:

3-4, 2.39 GAA, .929 SV%

2008:

1-4, 3.19 GAA, .891 SV%

It could be argued that playing seven games in 2009 made Brodeur's stats better than they might have otherwise been, but it's still a first round exit. Like I said earlier, he's not completely to blame - you can't win if you don't score - but Marty's not helping things by basically guaranteeing that his offense has to score at least 4 goals a game to have a shot at winning.

pretty telling stats...

[Guest CaliWingsNut]

He's not the right kind of goalie for today's game. He's still a great goaltender tho.

He made himself known playing in games where he had a bit more room. Today's game everyone is crowding the net, making goalies a much more precision and tactics game, compared to the pure ability to stop a shot (you can see).

[Hockeytown0001 7,652]

I thought for sure Philadelphia would be done when both Emery and Leighton went down, leaving journeyman Brian Boucher as their starting netminder. Gotta tip my hat to him, he was great in this series.

[puffy 97]

In goalie terms Brodeur is old. Most goalies roll over and die by the time they reach 37. I think he's still good, but he's not great anymore. I won't hold it against him because he's accomplished everything he's ever wanted to do.

Impotence happens...Brodeur is just the latest victim.

Edited April 24, 2010 by puffy

[cusimano_brothers 1,655]

And it means the earliest that a Washington - Pittsburgh series can happen is...

[Marty Barry 230]

f***it. Let's do 1997 again.

[puffy 97]

f***it. Let's do 1997 again.

Who needs 1997? Just sneeze infront of the bastard and you'll get the same result

[miksteri 55]

I agree with Brodeur playing wwaayy too much in the regular series but do Devils have a guy that compliments Kovie playing? In Atlanta he had Savard for a season or 2...

I dont see a player of Savards type in the Devils roster.

[Frozen-Man 144]

Philly is built for playoff hockey, gritty guys who play with heart and won't back down from top to bottom.

Funny how you see things, you always claim that the Wings are not gritty, are too soft, and always back down. Yet in the last two years they won the Stanley Cup and went to game 7 of the SCF . . . and yet Philly is built for playoff hockey. One question, what are the Wings built for?

[Guest micah]

Funny how you see things, you always claim that the Wings are not gritty, are too soft, and always back down. Yet in the last two years they won the Stanley Cup and went to game 7 of the SCF . . . and yet Philly is built for playoff hockey. One question, what are the Wings built for?

The Wings are built for the playoffs too, just differently. We'll see which formula works better. Go Wings.

[Frozen-Man 144]

The Wings are built for the playoffs too, just differently. We'll see which formula works better. Go Wings.

How can you have two teams that you consider to be pretty much polar opposites both be made for the the playoffs? Not trying to be a confrontational or anything, I really am just curious.

[Guest CaliWingsNut]

How can you have two teams that you consider to be pretty much polar opposites both be made for the the playoffs? Not trying to be a confrontational or anything, I really am just curious.

You say that as if winning playoff hockey is a definition in a textbook.

Different teams, different approaches, different opponents, different answers. If every teams was exactly the same, no one would watch.

[Guest micah]

How can you have two teams that you consider to be pretty much polar opposites both be made for the the playoffs? Not trying to be a confrontational or anything, I really am just curious.

Giraffes are built to eat leaves. Beetles ae built to eat leaves. They look very different.

The Flyers would be a better team if they had a bit more of the Wings' skill. The Wings would be a better team if they had a bit of the Flyers' drive. Both teams are among the elite. Neither is perfect.

[newfy 695]

Giraffes are built to eat leaves. Beetles ae built to eat leaves. They look very different.

The Flyers would be a better team if they had a bit more of the Wings' skill. The Wings would be a better team if they had a bit of the Flyers' drive. Both teams are among the elite. Neither is perfect.

I agree, the wings and philly have a common denominator and its tough d. Both teams have very strong defense which is probably what makes them most play off built. Detroit is built extremely skilled but if they had a balance they would be better. Philly seems to have a bit less skill but are far and away much grittier and play with more heart. If they had another skill guy in their top 6 they would probably win the cup this year.

[Jersey Wing 1,521]

As someone who watches the Devils quite regularly I think their #1 issue is something Mike Babcock refers to as 'competing'. The Devils simply did not compete but for games 2 and 4.

Even though they finished second in the east they simply didn't look all that good post-Olympics. Kovalchuk looked lost in Lemaire's system. I counted more than once where he'd start to pinch and then stop when in all fairness pinching would have been a safe bet. He'd just turn and skate back up ice with no scoring chance or opportunity to create one. If I were him I'd look to play in a more offensive system.

The Devils don't have a lot of finishers. After it was apparent the Devils weren't scoring Philly started checking Parise into the ice. I'd honestly bring in at least 4-5 new faces up front next year.

Martin Brodeur has lost not an entire step but let's say 3/4 of one. His range has diminished. He doesn't nearly play the puck behind the net and seemingly doesn't head the puck off before it hits the corners. I thought the best evidence of Brodeur's slippage as he let in two bad goals in the last 2 minutes of round 1 vs Carolina last year. He did nothing to dispel those goals this year. Scott Clemmensen looks pretty good in retrospect. They should have kept Clemmensen and carried both knowing Brodeur would play in the Olympics and said Marty you're welcome to hang around in 2010-11 but Clemmensen is where we're headed.