TheSupafly 50 Report post Posted April 22, 2011 If and when we face the Wings, and I can't wait for that, I want both teams to show up, and for BOTH to stay on their VERY BEST GAME. I want both teams to play for a full 60 minutes, each and every game. In such games, I can't predict the victor, or the outcome of the series, or even what the balance of luck will be, but I could not ask for better than that. That would be hockey at its finest, where even the so-called "luck" will be an exciting part of the game, win or lose. Exactly how I feel about it. Every time both the Wings and Sharks have shown up, the games have been breathtakingly great hockey. I am decidedly not a wings fan, however I must admit I LOVE watching them play when they are on top of their game. It's beautiful to watch and I have an immense respect for the entire organization. Why wouldn't you want to model your own team structure after the wings? Looking forward to the matchup if it happens. 1 Vladifan reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Crymson Report post Posted April 22, 2011 (edited) Exactly how I feel about it. Every time both the Wings and Sharks have shown up, the games have been breathtakingly great hockey. I am decidedly not a wings fan, however I must admit I LOVE watching them play when they are on top of their game. It's beautiful to watch and I have an immense respect for the entire organization. Why wouldn't you want to model your own team structure after the wings? Looking forward to the matchup if it happens. Looking forward to the refereeing being leagues better than last year, if the matchup happens. Sharks fans seem to routinely forget that the horrid officiating won them two games. Last year's series also led me to utterly lose respect for Todd McLellan, who was perfectly willing to let his players flop and dive like fishes. Edited April 22, 2011 by Crymson Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Konnan511 1,736 Report post Posted April 22, 2011 No. We only play Sharks if they win. If Kings win, we'll play either Ducks or Preds... assuming, of course, Nucks beat Chicago. never assume Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RedLightGoesOn 81 Report post Posted April 22, 2011 Joe Thornton blowing kisses to his fans (according to him) was priceless. The Sharks are likely to advance now and if they play the Wings I think it will be the best matchup of the second round. Their depth is causing problems for the Kings and is why they win games. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chrisdetroit 189 Report post Posted April 22, 2011 Joe Thornton blowing kisses to his fans (according to him) was priceless. The Sharks are likely to advance now and if they play the Wings I think it will be the best matchup of the second round. Their depth is causing problems for the Kings and is why they win games. The Sharks can't win with Niemi. He has an .877 save percentage and a 3.63 GAA. This is against a Kings team with their top goal scorer out. The Wings will light him up. Exactly how I feel about it. Every time both the Wings and Sharks have shown up, the games have been breathtakingly great hockey. I am decidedly not a wings fan, however I must admit I LOVE watching them play when they are on top of their game. It's beautiful to watch and I have an immense respect for the entire organization. Why wouldn't you want to model your own team structure after the wings? Looking forward to the matchup if it happens. So when does Niemi elevate his play so that he is "on top of his game" because a sub .900 save percentage isn't going to cut it against a Wings team that averaged 4.5 GAA in the first round. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hockeytown0001 7,652 Report post Posted April 22, 2011 That should just about do it for the Kings. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grypho 195 Report post Posted April 22, 2011 Looking forward to the refereeing being leagues better than last year, if the matchup happens. Sharks fans seem to routinely forget that the horrid officiating won them two games. Last year's series also led me to utterly lose respect for Todd McLellan, who was perfectly willing to let his players flop and dive like fishes. Think about something for a second: When was the last game you can think of that the Wings won as a direct result of their own players embellishing or outright diving, or bad officiating, or both, and not on the Wings' own merits (or despite a lack thereof in that particular game)? It happens in the NHL for sure, including in the playoffs, but I have come to the conclusion that it is a rare fan who can not only discern when it adversely affects the outcome of their own team's game, but also when it happens the reverse. Most fans tend to be quite myopic about it, having what I think of as a persecution complex for their own team. Bad calls (but especially non-calls) encourage players to do whatever it takes to draw attention to the officials. Likewise, all players on ALL teams in the league are encouraged to draw penalties by their coaches, and to do whatever they can to make sure that THEIR teams "remains disciplined" while the other team gets more penalties. That is part of the game, of course, and I'm not talking about diving, either. No, you'll hear coaches openly denounce diving as a cardinal sin, one that they simply will not tolerate from their own players. Yeah. Right. I don't just see players from other teams (read=ALL TEAMS) embellish, and even dive at times, trying to draw penalties, as well as bad calls and non-calls that go in the other team's favor (including ::: gasp ::: the Wings). But I see when the Sharks do it too. At least the ones that any unbiased, disinterested fan without a horse in the race would be able to confirm as such. When I do mention it (bad calls, non-calls, or diving/embellishing that benefits our team), I see some Sharks fans get all dismissive about it, while others just nod their heads, or stare neutrally, as if it didn't happen. Can you see that same thing with your team? Does it just not happen, or does it happen so infrequently as to make it a non-issue in your mind? Also, I don't ask myself or a fellow Sharks fan if Sharks players have dived. That would be kind of stupid, with answers that are predictable. No, to know if that's true, or whether a team has a reputation for it, ask the fans of the other teams. Better yet, go to Youtube and enter "my_team_name dive" (without the quotes). Or, if you'd like, I could provide specific examples of absolutely disgustingly egregious diving (by Sharks, Wings or any other team) gladly upon request. 1 Echolalia reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hockeytown0001 7,652 Report post Posted April 22, 2011 Dustin Penner has been horrible for them. Anyone else notice how he completely stopped skating on SJ's ot winner in Game 3? Even the announcers commented on it. Had he continued to backcheck, he would have at the very least made it difficult for Setoguchi to get the puck. No wonder he's always been called out for being lazy, even by Terry Murray almost immediately after being acquired at the deadline. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HankthaTank 1,100 Report post Posted April 22, 2011 Better yet, go to Youtube and enter "my_team_name dive" (without the quotes). Or, if you'd like, I could provide specific examples of absolutely disgustingly egregious diving (by Sharks, Wings or any other team) gladly upon request. Other than Osgood, which I have to admit is quite funny, I would like a specific example cited of a Wings player that pops up on YouTube for diving. I just couldn't find it, or maybe I'm just searching incorrectly. Regardless, we are all quite justified in feeling that last year's series was quite HORRIBLY officiated and resulted from quite a few dives on the Sharks' part. 1 Klunzo reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grypho 195 Report post Posted April 22, 2011 Other than Osgood, which I have to admit is quite funny, I would like a specific example cited of a Wings player that pops up on YouTube for diving. No, not THAT YouTube. The other YouTube, the one that shows all the Wings players diving. You probably just typed it wrong, it might be case-by-case sensitive or something. Yeah, the Osgood dive (which also made me laugh) was all I saw too, at least on the first page. Come on, HankthaTank, you were not supposed to actually check. I thought we were friends. You were supposed to just take my word for it, and assume that it is true because I did a fast and lazy search, found one example, and posted it as if it was the rule. Gosh, the nerve of some people. Really. Stop oppressing me and my people! It's my potty and I'll dive if I want to, dive if I want to! 1 Jenny reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
syntax 359 Report post Posted April 22, 2011 I wonder how much different this series would look if the Kings had Kopitar. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hockeytown0001 7,652 Report post Posted April 22, 2011 I hope the Kings at least make things interesting. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grypho 195 Report post Posted April 22, 2011 I wonder how much different this series would look if the Kings had Kopitar. I wonder the same thing, and wish they did have Kopitar, and a healthy, uninjured Williams. No room for excuses, I like it when two teams battle it out with their healthiest roster intact. There have been too many times in Sharks history where we lost a key performing player, only to have the team rally as a result, and otherwise nonperforming players step up their play. It happened in the RS with Nichol. He is a great player, but one of the Sharks' biggest late season rallies, especially defensively, happened while he was out. I think that might have happened with the Kings to an extent. They looked like a completely different team when Kopitar and Williams were both out, but not in a bad way. It was like they all suddenly realized that they couldn't rely on them for performance, and each had to contribute more as a result. So yeah, who knows. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
haroldsnepsts 4,826 Report post Posted April 22, 2011 Dustin Penner has been horrible for them. Anyone else notice how he completely stopped skating on SJ's ot winner in Game 3? Even the announcers commented on it. Had he continued to backcheck, he would have at the very least made it difficult for Setoguchi to get the puck. No wonder he's always been called out for being lazy, even by Terry Murray almost immediately after being acquired at the deadline. No kidding. When he was a kid with the Ducks I thought he was going to be a beast. Turns out the fat and lazy label was true. The Kings have a lot of potential, but they keep making moves like this that keep them from taking the next step. They should've had a better handle on who Penner was. And they needed a sniper with speed, not Bertuzzi lite. I don't know the details of why they didn't get Cammalleri re-signed a couple seasons ago, but he's exactly the kind of player they need now. I wonder how much different this series would look if the Kings had Kopitar. I think the Kings would at least have one more win. He's their leading scorer, is becoming a solid two-way player, and is one of the only guys on the team that can carry the puck through the middle of the offensive zone. His ankle injury on that freak play was devastating to the King's postseason. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mabuhay Red Wings 177 Report post Posted April 22, 2011 The Wings were better prepared for the Coyotes because of their experience with them last year. Based on a comparison of the series results, you could say it's like night (4-3) and day (4-0). The Sharks have a s*** ton more speed and offensive weapons and will obviously force Detroit to come up with a different and better game plan. However, due to their experience last year with the Sharks in addition to the fact that they'll be way more rested this time, perhaps the Wings have learned a lesson or two and will be better prepared for the Sharks should they meet in the 2nd round. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azshark 1 Report post Posted April 23, 2011 Dustin Penner has been horrible for them. Anyone else notice how he completely stopped skating on SJ's ot winner in Game 3? Even the announcers commented on it. Had he continued to backcheck, he would have at the very least made it difficult for Setoguchi to get the puck. No wonder he's always been called out for being lazy, even by Terry Murray almost immediately after being acquired at the deadline. Sharks fan living in LA. Went to the games here. You can call it a Kings collapse or the Sharks digging-deep. Whatever...all I know is that we are lucky to be up 3-1 in this thing. Penner did play soft on the OT winner Tuesday. But what I witnessed was Marleau schooling Handzus on that winning assist: 4th line for SJ allowed the first two, early goals on Tuesday and were yanked (TOI): -Eager: 1:30 -Mayers: 2:40 -Nichol: 3:20 The 4th line did play more last night, but we must roll out all four. People here picking on Quick. Very unfair. The majority of goals last night were pucks thrown to the net, blocked, and rammed-home. Quick is not a bad goalie. Just getting a bad rap. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hockeytown0001 7,652 Report post Posted April 23, 2011 Sharks fan living in LA. Went to the games here. You can call it a Kings collapse or the Sharks digging-deep. Whatever...all I know is that we are lucky to be up 3-1 in this thing. Penner did play soft on the OT winner Tuesday. But what I witnessed was Marleau schooling Handzus on that winning assist: 4th line for SJ allowed the first two, early goals on Tuesday and were yanked (TOI): -Eager: 1:30 -Mayers: 2:40 -Nichol: 3:20 The 4th line did play more last night, but we must roll out all four. People here picking on Quick. Very unfair. The majority of goals last night were pucks thrown to the net, blocked, and rammed-home. Quick is not a bad goalie. Just getting a bad rap. He is also playing behind an inexperienced squad. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
haroldsnepsts 4,826 Report post Posted April 23, 2011 People here picking on Quick. Very unfair. The majority of goals last night were pucks thrown to the net, blocked, and rammed-home. Quick is not a bad goalie. Just getting a bad rap. Agreed. He's not an elite goaltender, but is a great goaltender for the money. Quick hasn't been the problem nearly as much as the Kings getting flustered and running around in their own end. When they get a couple goals against them in succession, they're prone to collapse. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grypho 195 Report post Posted April 24, 2011 (edited) Agreed. He's not an elite goaltender, but is a great goaltender for the money. Quick hasn't been the problem nearly as much as the Kings getting flustered and running around in their own end. When they get a couple goals against them in succession, they're prone to collapse. Absolutely. I would go the opposite direction and say that Quick's play has been stellar, despite the number of pucks in net, which I do blame on the team, and not the netminder. It's no secret that the Kings are a defensive team, and that is their primary strength. They don't have the offensive depth or firepower power to play loose and fast with higher scoring game chances in the offensive zone. That's the Sharks' primary strength (and part of the reason why I think our penalty kill sucks so badly). The Kings beat the Sharks 4-0, and stole one on the road because they never let up on their defensive game, and were able to create offensive breakout chances (and draw needed penalties from frustrated Sharks) as a result. It looked to me that the resulting success infused their forwards with an illusion of power and confidence, as if it was all their doing. That in turn gave them the courage in the following games to play much faster and looser offensively - albeit at the expense of defense, their number one strength! Big mistake, because that took them completely off of their game, away from a formula that had already worked so well (in both opening games, the first of which the Sharks could EASILY have also lost). Listening to Murray, though, it is obvious to me that he sees it differently. He just called up Parse for Game 5, and is trying desperately to "shake things up", and specifically to beef up the Kings' offense! Not one of his reactions seemed to address a Kings' return to what had already worked so well in game 2, and had effectively shut the Sharks down - despite the Kings' lack of matching offensive power. I'm not in Murray's shoes, but my armchair coach instincts tell me this is a sure recipe for quick elimination (unless the Kings players regroup themselves, and get back into their original game, despite Murray's "shake up" changes). On the flip side, I'm wondering also which Sharks team is going to show up tonight. Too schizoid lately for my comfort. Should be interesting! Edited April 24, 2011 by Grypho Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MGreenberg 105 Report post Posted April 24, 2011 Wooo, go Kings. Want these Van/Chi, Ana/Nash and this series to go the distance so these teams get worked hard while Detroit gets to be Fresh. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HockeytownRules19 902 Report post Posted April 24, 2011 Wow... 3-0 Kings 9 minutes in! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vladifan 680 Report post Posted April 24, 2011 Those of you who have Directv, this game is actually being shown right now on Versus's alternative channel(s), 604. I kid you not. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HockeytownRules19 902 Report post Posted April 24, 2011 Niemi has been pulled... again Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MGreenberg 105 Report post Posted April 24, 2011 (edited) Wow, guy just jumped backed to this game after the BOS/MTL finish and the Kings are up 3-0 again? Hope they don't choke this time. Edited April 24, 2011 by MGreenberg Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RedLightGoesOn 81 Report post Posted April 24, 2011 Sharks defense looks like garbage. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
