2017 ECSF Washington Caps vs. Pittsburgh Pens

[GMRwings1983 8,794]

23 minutes ago, toby91_ca said:

Ovie was the only -2 tonight.  I'm not a big Ovechkin fan, but I do feel bad for him because all the talk will be that he can't beat Crosby.  But is not fair to put this all on him.  The reality is that a winger does not really move the needle that much in terms of carrying a team, centers are far more important.  Almost similar to Hull in a way, he'll score a ton of goals, but not control the pace of a game and carrying a team to either wins or losses....for the most part anyway.

I was going to mention that earlier and it's a great point.  Jagr was the best winger in the league for many years, but could never win the Cup when he was the main guy on those Pens teams in the late 90's.  A center naturally makes the players around him better.  Hard to do that if you're a winger and be the best player on a Cup winning team.

[datterberg1340 626]

stupid caps

damn penguins

all we have left to hope for that would be mildly cool would be to see an all Canadian finals

but with our luck it will be the two teams no one on these forums can stand

[xault 272]

Only team I think that can beat PIT now is NSH. They have a great goalie with pretty much the best group of Dman you could ask for. Along with being fairly deep at forward and pretty good coaching.

I just can't see EDM, ANA or OTT beating the pens. Sad face.

Edited May 11, 2017 by xault

[DickieDunn 2,571]

The Pens are one Crosby head shot away from not being the best team left.

Sent from my LGLS676 using Tapatalk

[sjr2012 439]

it will be pens repeating no one is better sadly i cant even see preds 

[Andy Pred 48 337]

Maybe fate has the Sens going all the way in their 25th anniversary year! I'd love a Sens v Preds final but you just know it's gonna be Pens v Ducks.

[Hockeymom1960 5,107]

4 hours ago, sjr2012 said:

it will be pens repeating no one is better sadly i cant even see preds 

I have faith in the Preds.  They have to be the hungrier team. 

[AtlantaHotWings 983]

I am going baby puke colors for stopping of the repeat.

Unless Rinne pulls a Holtby he will be tough to get a puck past. After what the Preds did to the Hawks high flying teams don't seem to phase them.  Of course they have to get past the quacks.  I fear the Sens don't have the mojo to keep up with the Pens. 

Pens in 5

Preds in 6 

[toby91_ca 620]

As I expected, which was obvious....all I'm hearing about today is the Ovie, Ovie, Ovie.  Backstrom must love the fact that Ovie is on the team to take all the heat.

[GMRwings1983 8,794]

3 minutes ago, toby91_ca said:

As I expected, which was obvious....all I'm hearing about today is the Ovie, Ovie, Ovie.  Backstrom must love the fact that Ovie is on the team to take all the heat.

The things he's being criticized for are silly.  "He doesn't make his teammates better like Crosby does".  "He doesn't play a two way game like Crosby does".  "He can't win you a Cup like Crosby can".  Do these "experts" realize the difference between a center and a winger?  Doesn't seem like they do.  Do they also realize Crosby has a number two center behind him who's one of the 5 best players in the world?  Ovechkin had a mediocre playoff offensively, but his career playoff numbers are not bad by any stretch.       

Serious question.  How many teams win the Stanley Cup with their best player being a winger?  When is the last time this happened?  Gordie Howe?  Lafleur?  Martin St. Louis?  Doesn't seem like it happens very often.  

[xtrememachine1 795]

The Preds have a pretty good defensive group, but... yeah, I can't see them winning 4 out of 7 games against the Pens.  Its a shame the East isn't stronger.  Beating two mediocre teams and a team that chokes against you all the time and the Pens are in the Finals again.  Watch when the Wings get good again, the entire conference will be stacked. lol  Remember back in the day when we'd have to beat Dallas and Colorado just to get to the Finals?

[GMRwings1983 8,794]

1 hour ago, F.Michael said:

Since I'm too lazy to look it up...Over the years - how many wingers wore the 'C'?

But good point - typically your best player is either a center, a Dman, or in a few cases like Marty Brodeur - a goalie...Rarely a winger.

If we're talking about the best wingers in the league in the last 25 years, then guys like Hull, Jagr, Ovechkin, Bure, Iginla, Kariya, Alfredsson all wore the "C".  Guess what all these players have in common?  None of them won the Stanley Cup when they were the best players on their team.  Most of these guys never won the Cup at all.     

[toby91_ca 620]

I don't think Ovechkin is the best player on the team anymore though.

[shocky2002 36]

I feel like the Sullivan/Crosby Penguins are basically the Belichick/Brady of the NHL. The Penguins should win the cup this year and they might just be a dynasty in the making. Ovechkin and the Capital=Mannning's Colts.

Edited May 11, 2017 by shocky2002

[NerveDamage 4,176]

https://twitter.com/FlyersCountry/status/862606354992828416

Edited May 11, 2017 by NerveDamage

[ChristopherReevesLegs 7,022]

Great rant from Slava Malamud on Ovi. He's not wrong.

EDIT: You got hit the next arrow on the right of the image to see all of it

 

Edited May 11, 2017 by ChristopherReevesLegs

[ChristopherReevesLegs 7,022]

Also, the Caps have ZERO draft picks until the 4th round this year lol

[brett 1,029]

I believe the first goal in game seven Ovie was coasting right behind the goal scorer. Ovie is terrible defensively. He is part of the reason they lost imo

[GMRwings1983 8,794]

23 minutes ago, brett said:

I believe the first goal in game seven Ovie was coasting right behind the goal scorer. Ovie is terrible defensively. He is part of the reason they lost imo

How  many top goal scoring wingers are great defensively?  The best goal scoring wingers in the last 25 years weren't exactly competing for Selke trophies.  

53 minutes ago, ChristopherReevesLegs said:

Great rant from Slava Malamud on Ovi. He's not wrong.

EDIT: You got hit the next arrow on the right of the image to see all of it

 

That guys is a nutcase.  He sounds like some guy whose girlfriend Ovechkin stole back in Russia.  

[toby91_ca 620]

13 minutes ago, GMRwings1983 said:

How  many top goal scoring wingers are great defensively?  The best goal scoring wingers in the last 25 years weren't exactly competing for Selke trophies.  

That guys is a nutcase.  He sounds like some guy whose girlfriend Ovechkin stole back in Russia.  

Agreed, why there is some truth to what he is saying, it's way, way over the top and there is way more to a team winning or losing than one guy.

[NerveDamage 4,176]

 

[GMRwings1983 8,794]

Leonsis needs to bring back this jersey for next season.  

 

 

[GMRwings1983 8,794]

31 minutes ago, F.Michael said:

Well - it is a rant, but I tend to agree with what he has to say.

As much as Yzerman, and his teammates toiled to the demands of Bowman - it produced results...This Caps team was loaded, and on paper they are the better team, but as we all know - games played determine the outcome.

As I mentioned earlier - moving Ovie might not be a bad idea.

Bowman was a winner.  The Caps replaced a playoff choking coach with another playoff choking coach.  Boudreau and Trotz weren't able to win in the postseason in other places.  Ironically, Nashville is doing pretty good now without Trotz and Anaheim may get over the hump with Boudreau being out of the picture.  Washington needs a more proven playoff coach and more guys that have won the Cup.  There's something lacking mentally on this team. They didn't show up in the third period yesterday, despite being down a goal and playing at home.  

[ChristopherReevesLegs 7,022]

lol

 

[NerveDamage 4,176]

29 minutes ago, ChristopherReevesLegs said:

lol