First Round Grades

[cr00d 26]

Datsyuk - A+ (5 goals, 8 points... last years playoff totals: 1 goal, 9 points)

Homer - B (Homer being Homer)

Franzen - B- (Hard to fault a guy for having a point per game, but he's been very quiet up to now)

Zetterberg - A+ (round 1 MVP)

Filppula - A+ (proving doubters wrong)

Bertuzzi - B+ (complimenting Z and Fil beautifully)

Helm - C+ (very strong on the pk, but a minus 3 makes it hard to grade him anything over a C+)

Draper - C (could be better; could be worse)

Eaves - C (0 points and a minus 2, though like Helmer, been great on the pk)

Abby - A (providing everything asked of him)

Miller - B (strong on the pk, and chipping in with a goal)

Cleary - C- (0 points, even with limited ice time, it'd be nice to see Clears chip in)

Lidstrom - A+ (expect any less?)

Rafalski - B (not particularly strong, we need team USA Raffi)

Stuart - A (beast, 2 goals, 6 points, +6)

Kronner - B (we want the BIG hit!!)

Lilja - B (soild in limited ice time)

Ericsson - C+ (few turnovers, but played well regardless)

Howie - A (aftrnoon games aside, Howie was spectacular)

*edited, forgot about Heml's goal. upgraded to C+

Edited April 28, 2010 by cr00d

[HOCKEY MATTERS 167]

Pretty good assessment, imho.

[wingsownnhl43 14]

I know I'm probably going to get hammered, but I thought Lidstrom was pretty below average until game 7. I dont think he deserves an A+ for that series.

[Travis 576]

There are grades that I disagree with, but I can at least see your point on all of them.

I think Bert is leaving something to be desired, and I've been really happy with the bottom 6. Not a lot of point production, per se - but they did their jobs beautifully.

[DatsyukownzU13 1]

Datsyuk - A+ (5 goals, 8 points... last years playoff totals: 1 goal, 9 points)

Homer - B (Homer being Homer)

Franzen - B- (Hard to fault a guy for having a point per game, but he's been very quiet up to now)

Zetterberg - A+ (round 1 MVP)

Filppula - A+ (proving doubters wrong)

Bertuzzi - B+ (complimenting Z and Fil beautifully)

Helm - C (very strong on the pk, but a minus 3 and no goals makes it hard to grade him anything over a C)

Draper - C (could be better; could be worse)

Eaves - C (0 points and a minus 2, though like Helmer, been great on the pk)

Abby - A (providing everything asked of him)

Miller - B (strong on the pk, and chipping in with a goal)

Cleary - C- (0 points, even with limited ice time, it'd be nice to see Clears chip in)

Lidstrom - A+ (expect any less?)

Rafalski - B (not particularly strong, we need team USA Raffi)

Stuart - A (beast, 2 goals, 6 points, +6)

Kronner - B (we want the BIG hit!!)

Lilja - B (soild in limited ice time)

Ericsson - C+ (few turnovers, but played well regardless)

Howie - A (aftrnoon games aside, Howie was spectacular)

I agree for the most part, but I'd change a couple (mainly giving props to the grinders):

Datsyuk - A- (great when it mattered toward the end but he was rather unspectacular in the early games)

Lidstrom - A- (defensively more suspect than usual, especially in the losses)

Eaves - B (provided a ton of energy and enthusiasm, does the little things right when he isn't producing points)

Miller - B+ (similar to Eaves, provided the intangibles that you need to wear down a team)

Helm - B (drew a few key penalties, continually hit and forechecked)

Eaves, Miller and Helm aren't expected to produce points (though they do on occasion), so judging their performances by stats makes things a bit ambiguous. They played their roles well and constantly forced turnovers and wore down the Phoenix defensemen.

Edited April 28, 2010 by DatsyukownzU13

[Paul MacLean's Mustache 44]

What about Meech?

I'd say he gets a "B" for reenacting famous speeches during intermissions.

[taxijim 11]

I think Helm should be given a B+ for effort....he is -3 but that is because no matter how many times he sets up his linemates they can't seem to score....both being pointless in the series.....most nights he led the team in hits & was above 50% on faceoffs. He is now the go to guy on the PK booking more time than anyone else.

[mmamolo 287]

Datsyuk - A+ (5 goals, 8 points... last years playoff totals: 1 goal, 9 points)

Homer - B (Homer being Homer)

Franzen - B- (Hard to fault a guy for having a point per game, but he's been very quiet up to now)

Zetterberg - A+ (round 1 MVP)

Filppula - A+ (proving doubters wrong)

Bertuzzi - B+ (complimenting Z and Fil beautifully)

Helm - C (very strong on the pk, but a minus 3 and no goals makes it hard to grade him anything over a C)

Draper - C (could be better; could be worse)

Eaves - C (0 points and a minus 2, though like Helmer, been great on the pk)

Abby - A (providing everything asked of him)

Miller - B (strong on the pk, and chipping in with a goal)

Cleary - C- (0 points, even with limited ice time, it'd be nice to see Clears chip in)

Lidstrom - A+ (expect any less?)

Rafalski - B (not particularly strong, we need team USA Raffi)

Stuart - A (beast, 2 goals, 6 points, +6)

Kronner - B (we want the BIG hit!!)

Lilja - B (soild in limited ice time)

Ericsson - C+ (few turnovers, but played well regardless)

Howie - A (aftrnoon games aside, Howie was spectacular)

Not trying to be a dick, but Helm scored the second goal for the Wings in Game 6. His -3 hurts for sure but he has been huge on the PK and he had a massive game last night in Game 7. I'm really surprised that you'd give Ericsson that low of a grade. He has cut his turnovers way down from the regular season. I think the only knock he realyl has is he coudl turn the physical play and intensity up. I think your grade for Abdelkader may be a little biased. He has been great but his 1 goal in 6 games and Helm's 1 goal in 7 games and look at the difference in grades when they both bring tons more to the table. Draper has played hsi role great, especially last night.

Howard is the biggest miscue in my opinion. He was huge in games 4, 5, and 7 for sure. But he was very average in 1, 2, 3, and 6. He didn't steal anything or make that big save we needed. Don't get me wrong, at the end of the day he was a beast when we ultimately needed him to be but an A is a little high in my opinion. I'd probably have given him a B+ or something.

[Finnish Wing 110]

Are these grades based on expectations or just performances?

[Yzerman191 37]

I disagree with a few:

Lidstrom: B

Datsyuk: A-

Helm: B

Stuart: B

I think Lidstrom and Stuart had a couple of really bad games in two of those losses.

[cr00d 26]

Are these grades based on expectations or just performances?

A mix of both i suppose.

[Nightfall 871]

I disagree with a few:

Lidstrom: B

Datsyuk: A-

Helm: B

Stuart: B

I think Lidstrom and Stuart had a couple of really bad games in two of those losses.

Stuart is the only one that stands out as underrated in your grading scale. 2 goals, 6 assists, 8 points in 7 games? Are you joking around with only a B?

I suppose that Stuart needs to get 12 points in order to get a B+?

[Finnish Wing 110]

I disagree with a few:

Lidstrom: B

Datsyuk: A-

Helm: B

Stuart: B

I think Lidstrom and Stuart had a couple of really bad games in two of those losses.

This is an example of basing grades on expectations. Maybe Lids and Stuart had some bad moments, but they were easily better than Helm.

[Nutty2003 0]

I agree whole heartedly with those that feel Lids was average in this series,, He's definitely still great but is either hurt or has lost a step or two,,, he was burned a lot this series,,, not taking away passes on 2 on 1's resulting in goals, getting burned wide when they entered the zone on us, slow to the puck in the corners, and not being able to position himself between the man and net in front of our own goal. But at the end of the day, he's still solid and how long can you honestly expect perfection from the man? It's just frustrating knowing he is always in the perfect position 99% of his career and actually ages like humans do, I was beginning to wonder...

[Buppy 1,720]

Grades relative to expectations/ability

Datsyuk - A (Almost perfect, would probably be A+ if his linemates had been better)

Homer - C (Not bad, and not less than expected, but nothing special either)

Franzen - C+ (Half his points were because he just happened to touch the puck before Pav, needs to improve)

Zetterberg - A+ (How many plusses can we add?)

Filppula - A (Probably better than we should reasonbly expect, no plus since Hank made him look a lot better)

Bertuzzi - B (Continental drift is faster, but he mostly stayed out of the way at least)

Helm - B+ (Draper 2.0 coming along nicely)

Draper - B- (The OD was really working hard, sucks that people have to get old)

Eaves - C- (Other than the PK, not showing the greatest hustle)

Abby - B- (Came out strong, but barely noticeable after the first game)

Miller - B+ (Great effort, not enough skills, Maltby 2.0?)

Cleary - D+ (Good and bad at times, not seeing/using his linemates well at all, did nothing with time on Pav's line, step it up)

Lidstrom - B- (Aging legs showing, damn you Father Time!)

Rafalski - B- (meh)

Stuart - A (Probably a plus if Kronwall was better, and stop trying to get fancy)

Kronner - C- (Good to see his passes start connecting, now keep it up)

Lilja - B+ (I barely noticed him, which is good for a third pair man, a plus for being that solid after a year off)

Ericsson - B (Huge improvements from early in the year, can still get better)

Howie - B (Some huge saves, some bad goals, could have been a lot worse, needs to work on his handoffs)

[Dano33 41]

Williams - A+

He did us a huge favor by playing his way out of the lineup.

[Konnan511 1,736]

I know I'll get flamed quite a bit for my ratings, but these are based off expectations, performance, and role. A superstar playing like a superstar can range anywhere from a B+ to an A+. A role player plying his role decently can go from a D+ to a C+.

Datsyuk - A- (Has played great, and coming through in the clutch. Needs to get that +/- up.)

Homer - B (Is a vicious net presence, doing his role quite well, could do more on the PP as well though)

Franzen - B (Needs to score those timely goals more often and start producing more on the powerplay, plus his 5% shooting% is atrocious. Would be a lower grade but his 5v5 play has been very good.)

Zetterberg - A+ (Dominating on every shift and putting up huge points)

Filppula - A- (Doing a fantastic job on every shift. Great on the PP and pretty good 5v5)

Bertuzzi - A- (All over the place and doing a very good job, would like to see him go to the net more, like he did in game 7. Dominating 5v5 play with 5pts)

Helm - B- (Filling his role nicely, but hasn't been very good 5v5 and it's hurting the Wings)

Draper - C- (Invisible most nights, would like to see him being more of a presence at the faceoff dot when given the opportunity, 36% is not cutting it.)

Eaves - C- (I expected more out of him, same thing with his whole line. 0pts and a -2 isn't cutting it for me from him)

Abby - B- (60% FO! Plus is up near the lead in hits and isn't being a liability defensively, outstanding job all around by AppleFritters)

Miller - C+ (Been doing his job very well all around, exactly what i expected from him.)

Cleary - C- (Playing good defensively, doing a good job at the FO dot, but needs to put up some points, otherwise he is overly redundant)

Lidstrom - B (Playing well below his standards at defense, getting beat easily by faster skaters. Dominate on the offensive ends of the things, but that +/- needs to grow)

Rafalski - B+ (Playing above average defense, contributing defensively, and distracting the opponents with his bald head.

Stuart - B+ (High +/-, but prone to game changing mistakes, if he didn't make boneheaded plays during timely sequences his grade would have been a lot higher. Offensively he is everything we could have asked for and more.)

Kronner - B- (Great offense, no hitting, lackluster defense)

Lilja - C- (He earns his pay on the PK, and the PK has been way too inconsistent for my likings. Not all his fault, but he needs to step it up in that regard)

Ericsson - C+ (has a positive +/- and keeping things simple. I figured he'd mess up a lot more and he hasn't done terrible like I thought he would)

JHo - B+ (He's been very very good, just wildly inconsistent)

[titanium2 867]

Williams - A+

He did us a huge favor by playing his way out of the lineup.

Oh poor Willy.

[Pucks 66]

Kronwall, Cleary, Franzen = C at best. I didn't even realize Kronner was playing in that series. Sometimes it's all about matchups. Hopefully the guys that didn't impact much in this series will kill in the next.

[wingsownnhl43 14]

Grades relative to expectations/ability

Datsyuk - A (Almost perfect, would probably be A+ if his linemates had been better)

Homer - C (Not bad, and not less than expected, but nothing special either)

Franzen - C+ (Half his points were because he just happened to touch the puck before Pav, needs to improve)

Zetterberg - A+ (How many plusses can we add?)

Filppula - A (Probably better than we should reasonbly expect, no plus since Hank made him look a lot better)

Bertuzzi - B (Continental drift is faster, but he mostly stayed out of the way at least)

Helm - B+ (Draper 2.0 coming along nicely)

Draper - B- (The OD was really working hard, sucks that people have to get old)

Eaves - C- (Other than the PK, not showing the greatest hustle)

Abby - B- (Came out strong, but barely noticeable after the first game)

Miller - B+ (Great effort, not enough skills, Maltby 2.0?)

Cleary - D+ (Good and bad at times, not seeing/using his linemates well at all, did nothing with time on Pav's line, step it up)

Lidstrom - B- (Aging legs showing, damn you Father Time!)

Rafalski - B- (meh)

Stuart - A (Probably a plus if Kronwall was better, and stop trying to get fancy)

Kronner - C- (Good to see his passes start connecting, now keep it up)

Lilja - B+ (I barely noticed him, which is good for a third pair man, a plus for being that solid after a year off)

Ericsson - B (Huge improvements from early in the year, can still get better)

Howie - B (Some huge saves, some bad goals, could have been a lot worse, needs to work on his handoffs)

Pretty much perfect right here. Id grade Franzen a little higher though. Yeah, he needs to score more, but he hasnt exactly been bad.

Lilja - C- (He earns his pay on the PK, and the PK has been way too inconsistent for my likings. Not all his fault, but he needs to step it up in that regard)

Man, I thought Lilja was one of our better defenseman this series.

[Buppy 1,720]

Lilja - C- (He earns his pay on the PK, and the PK has been way too inconsistent for my likings. Not all his fault, but he needs to step it up in that regard)

Just a note, but Lils wasn't out for any of Phoenix's PP goals.

[Motown4013 350]

Just a note, but Lils wasn't out for any of Phoenix's PP goals.

I thought Lils was very strong in this series! I agree- his big body and shot blocking was great!!

[WingZNut13 99]

Lils did an amazing job this series. I think where Lindstrom might have slacke he came back out and made sure he played mistake free hockey. He was also killer on the PK. I think he was a big surprise to a lot of people. I hope he can carry it over to San Jose!

[edicius 3,269]

I know I'm probably going to get hammered, but I thought Lidstrom was pretty below average until game 7. I dont think he deserves an A+ for that series.

Agreed. Lidstrom was making a lot of mistakes in a middle of the series, very uncharacteristic of him.

And while this isn't surprising coming from me, I think Lilja deserves much better than a B. He was easily one of our best defensemen in the series and no one blocks shots like him.

[Finnish Wing 110]

Grades relative to expectations/ability

Datsyuk - A (Almost perfect, would probably be A+ if his linemates had been better)

Filppula - A (Probably better than we should reasonbly expect, no plus since Hank made him look a lot better)

I think we should expect more from Datsyuk than Filppula considering the cap hit. That why I don't quite get this, as one could say Filppula even played better than Datsyuk.