The Official 2012 NHL Stanely Cup Finals Thread

[Lonesomedave]

Don't give Detroit that much credit. Nashville's PP was just atrocious. No real movement, just going for perfect shots from the point (which get blocked by anyone and everyone, especially come playoff time).

It's like they had a team of Briere's out there (and not the scoring kind, the lazy kind).

can't really argue that one...nashville's PP was pathetic, but i still give Detroit a lot of the credit for making it pathetic.

at any rate, detroit is something like 11-0 for not allowing nashville goals on it's PP; i do think that's pretty darn good

 

[JimK]

Here's some telling stast on how Philly is doing it... IN Pittsburgh no less...
G A Pts +/- Shots
Crosby 1 1 2 0 2
Malkin 0 2 2 -4 2

That's with Courtier and Schenn shadowing them! How is Laviolette getting this matchup and Bylsma not countering it? IN Pittsburgh!

Bylsma is a non-believer.
Those two kids, though, are beginning to shine (man, hope it continues).
Schenn's early season hype notwithstanding...he looked & played like a '70s Flyer in Game 1.
I was aware of Courtier bein' a wunderkind when he was drafted...so far, he's has stepped it up a few notches in both of these games.
I think I'm gonna like these guys better than Richards/Carter.

I wonder why Talbot wasn't the third star? 2 points and a +5 on the night?

No way Talbot or Jagr get any 'stars' in Pittsburgh.

 

[JimK]

You can have all the great players you want, but if they don't match the intensity of the other team...

Nothing wrong with the Pens' 1st period intensity.
Seen it too many times: Get a nice lead out of the gate...blowing the opposition outta the water...get too relaxed...lose your edge...can't get it back.
Hopefully your goaltender has some confidence issues (I doubt it, though).

Nice win Philly, and very cool to see Jagr get the game winner.

You are probably the only Pens' fan to think that!

 

[MJ5150]

Nothing wrong with the Pens' 1st period intensity.

Seen it too many times: Get a nice lead out of the gate...blowing the opposition outta the water...get too relaxed...lose your edge...can't get it back.
Hopefully your goaltender has some confidence issues (I doubt it, though).

You are probably the only Pens' fan to think that!

Nope, the Pens come out strong every game. Bryzgalov will give up goals, the Pens have proven that.

As I said at the beginning of this thread and the end of the last one, I haven't seen this Pens team play 60 minutes of intense hockey let alone do it over a weeks worth of games. The Flyers know this, which is why they don't give a rip when they go down two or three goals. One of you guys talked about how hard the Pens were gripping their sticks at the end of game one. Did you see that grip and how out of sync they got when Jagr scored the go ahead? Those guys couldn't make a clean pass or even hold the puck in the Flyer zone during the empty net. That is all credit to the Flyers sticking it to the Pens.

Who knows, maybe the young guys on the Flyers fold and the Pens figure out how to stay focused for 60 minutes and pull this out. I hope so. I don't think there is anything "wrong" with the guys on the ice, they just don't have anyone to look up to in times of diversity. There isn't a player on the team with gray hair, heck not even the coaches.

As for Jagr, I love the guy. Always will. He wanted to play without being buried behind Crosby, Neal, Malkin, Staal, and Kunitz. He would have been buried in Detroit too. I can't begrudge him for that.

-Mike

 

[Jeff K]

All I'll say is that this series is far from over. Going back to Philly, I think the pressure falls more onto Philly than Pittsburgh. The home fans will turn on the Flyers if they fall behind, so they really need to avoid giving up another big lead early.

That said, I do think the young Flyers have energized the entire team. And having those young legs keeps the team from sucking wind as they get into the 3rd period. And they have the mind-set that they are never truly out of a game, even when trailing. That attitude goes a long way.

 

[JimK]

Bryzgalov will give up goals...

Softies, too. That backhander by Tyler Kennedy? C'mon...

As I said at the beginning of this thread and the end of the last one, I haven't seen this Pens team play 60 minutes of intense hockey let alone do it over a weeks worth of games.

They won 51 games (most in the league)...that doesn't happen if you're not playing 60 minutes most of the time.

The Flyers know this, which is why they don't give a rip when they go down two or three goals.

Lavilotte cares...I haven't seen a coach's face so red since John Brophy coached the ECHL team here in the '90s. Man, Lav's head looked ready to burst.

 

[JimK]

The home fans will turn on the Flyers if they fall behind, so they really need to avoid giving up another big lead early.

Oh, yeah...

 

[Jeff K]

I haven't seen a coach's face so red since John Brophy coached the ECHL team here in the '90s.

John Brophy?!!! Now THERE is a blast from the past! I remember watching him with the Long Island Ducks playing my beloved Johnstown Jets when I was a teen. Brophy put the fear of God into many a minor league hockey player. He was said to be the player upon which Paul Newman's Reggie Dunlop character was based in "Slap Shot!"

And speaking of "Slap Shot!", that movie was filmed in my hometown (Johnstown, PA). I went to many a game at the old War Memorial Arena where the hockey scenes were shot. Thanks for the reminder of good times long past...

 

[mkandolf]

Washington/Boston in OT again, this time tied at 1.

 

[Darth Handsome]

If Washington scores, this game will be a steal. Boston has carried the play.

 

[mkandolf]

Well, Washington scored in double OT to take a game in the TD Garden. Holtby is playing out of this world against Thomas!

In other news... tune in to the Ottawa/New York game... this one is gonna be good. Senators brought their tough guns tonight. One from each team already tossed for the game!

 

[Sonic_Death]

Ottawa is really trying to get under our skin this game. I can't even believe that Dubinsky got thrown out for defending Boyle after he was pretty much blindsighted by Carkner and was repeatedly hit while on the ground. Boyle never even took off his gloves or intended to fight.

The WWE playoffs continue.....

I can only hope that the game settles down a little. At this rate, we may have to call up John Scott next game, heh.

 

[MJ5150]

They won 51 games (most in the league)...that doesn't happen if you're not playing 60 minutes most of the time.

True, sorta.

You can get up 3-0 or 4-1 against more than a few teams in the league and skate to a win. They did put together some strong wins a few times this season, sure. But they also wilted under the pressure a few times in the last few weeks of the season.

Why do I keep finding myself in this weird situation of telling people how bad the Pens have been and can be? I'm supposed to be a Pens fan. But hey, the last few weeks have been a real eye opener for me. Maybe I am just a hockey fan in general, and I identify with the Pens since I am from PA.

-Mike

 

[Broadstbully22]

True, sorta.

You can get up 3-0 or 4-1 against more than a few teams in the league and skate to a win. They did put together some strong wins a few times this season, sure. But they also wilted under the pressure a few times in the last few weeks of the season.

Why do I keep finding myself in this weird situation of telling people how bad the Pens have been and can be? I'm supposed to be a Pens fan. But hey, the last few weeks have been a real eye opener for me. Maybe I am just a hockey fan in general, and I identify with the Pens since I am from PA.

-Mike

Or maybe your heart is telling you that it loves the flyers. lol.

 

[mkandolf]

OK, so HOW did we just have TWO pucks on the ice during a game???

 

[FretlessMainly]

Holtby is playing out of this world against Thomas!

He's playing very well indeed. But the Caps are really playing a strong defensive style and that's helping him greatly. The Broons are still getting their chances, but they are having a tough time stringing passes together because of it.

I think dump and chase is the only way to beat it, but they're clogging up the middle so much that if they do win a battle deep, dropping it back to the point doesn't afford a good shooting lane. That's where the B's have to start moving better.

 

[Darth Handsome]

True, sorta.

You can get up 3-0 or 4-1 against more than a few teams in the league and skate to a win. They did put together some strong wins a few times this season, sure. But they also wilted under the pressure a few times in the last few weeks of the season.

Why do I keep finding myself in this weird situation of telling people how bad the Pens have been and can be? I'm supposed to be a Pens fan. But hey, the last few weeks have been a real eye opener for me. Maybe I am just a hockey fan in general, and I identify with the Pens since I am from PA.

-Mike

Welcome to the Jaded Hockey Fan Club. You're #4,686,768.

 

[dangnewt]

The Bruins-Caps series reminds me of the Finals last year in that the Caps have come out hard and physical and are blocking shots. Vancover started the same way and won the first two games, but it seemed to take a lot out of them. The Caps are a more physical team than the Canucks so it is not as out-of-character; but I can't help but wonder if the Caps can keep it up; or more accurately - I am hoping that they can't keep it up. If they do, it is a 7-game series that can go either way.

The Caps have so many bodies in front of their own net, at some point, a shot will deflect off of one of them into the goal. Right?

 

[Schlyder]

**** *** refs and Rangers. Hagelin better be getting a call from Shanahan tomorrow. And those refs better get a call tonight after the game. What a joke.

 

[Sonic_Death]

Ottawa/Rangers going to overtime. Foligno scored with about 5 minutes left in the third to tie it 2-2. It has been hard hitting to the very end.

Alfredsson still has not come back after being elbowed by Hagelin in the 2nd, and I don't really expect to see him in OT.

This has been one of the more exciting games of the playoffs thus far, IMO.

Edit: I can't blame the refs on this game because there have been an absurd number of hits and possibly dirty plays. This is on both sides. Our players have been getting cross-checked from behind/back of the head without calls, so I think at the end of the day it'll be even. Konopka taking Richards down in a headlock for no reason was stupid too. Hagelin is a clean player, and I'd like to think because he is short he tried to get up on Alfredsson, but who knows... he definitely caught him up high.