Originally posted by ragesRemorse
wow
The Penguins have no chance to win this series. Their best hope is to win two games and save some pride. After seeing that dominating victory i would be surprised to see the Penguins win two games in this series. If they lose on monday, the wings will take the series 4-1. If they hapen to win, they might take the series in 7, but that, unfortunately is not going to happen. They got spanked like when the kindergardeners played the red wings in south park.
Overreact much?
Let's see if it becomes a trend tonight. The Pens do indeed have the talent to match up with Detroit. They just played like ass in game 1. Clearly the Wings are and should be favorites (especially tonight at home) but Pittsburgh didn't roll through the Eastern Conference easily for nothing.
I don't like their chances a ton after game 1 either, but it's still far too premature to call it over. I'll withhold judgement until game 3 when the Pens finally get a home game.
Originally posted by DigiMark007
Overreact much?Let's see if it becomes a trend tonight. The Pens do indeed have the talent to match up with Detroit. They just played like ass in game 1. Clearly the Wings are and should be favorites (especially tonight at home) but Pittsburgh didn't roll through the Eastern Conference easily for nothing.
I don't like their chances a ton after game 1 either, but it's still far too premature to call it over. I'll withhold judgement until game 3 when the Pens finally get a home game.
No man, in the first game the Penguins couldn't get s shot on net or take a hit without being put on the ice. When 85% of your over all shots on net come from powerplays, when you can't stop traffic, beat your opponent's to the puck or create shooting lanes then you are fuked. This means you have to change EVERYTHING and having to change your line match ups and over all strategy in the cup finals usually always means you lose. Seeing the Pens lose again tonight by another shutout is just the final nail in the coffin. I knew the series was over at the end of the first game, but it is official now. I think they will win at least one of their remaining two, but right now, the Red Wings probably look ten feet tall to the Penguins.
Originally posted by ragesRemorse
No man, in the first game the Penguins couldn't get s shot on net or take a hit without being put on the ice. When 85% of your over all shots on net come from powerplays, when you can't stop traffic, beat your opponent's to the puck or create shooting lanes then you are fuked. This means you have to change EVERYTHING and having to change your line match ups and over all strategy in the cup finals usually always means you lose. Seeing the Pens lose again tonight by another shutout is just the final nail in the coffin. I knew the series was over at the end of the first game, but it is official now. I think they will win at least one of their remaining two, but right now, the Red Wings probably look ten feet tall to the Penguins.
Heh. One game at a time. It's easy to declare a series over after such a stomping (which it was).
It's clearly a must-win for the Pens. If they lose game 3, I'll join you in your lament for the series. But they played fine in the 2nd two periods this game...their chances just weren't going in. It was only in the 1st that they got dump trucked and had no offense.
This reminds me of the 2002 Finals, Red Wings vs. Canes. I went to the one that went until 1AM. Throughout the whole series (well, Game 2 on), the Canes were physically manhandled at the blue line, and when the Canes actually managed to get any sort of a shot off, it was a freakin' miracle.
The exact game plan has been executed before, by the same team in fact, and yet nothing has been done to combat it. Point is, the Penguins have shown no remote signs that they can break this sort of lock-down and win in the neutral zones. I hope they can, but I sure as hell haven't seen it up to this point. Of course, whiffing on the puck in front of the net doesn't help, and neither does acting totally surprised when the puck hits your stick on a pass that actually gets through the defense. And where have Ruutu and Sykora been?
I know I'm bad about throwing in NFL analogies, but watching the first two games, I couldn't help but think of teams with no pass rush trying to stop the Patriots from throwing 4-yard outs every play. They are simply better than you, and it drives you crazy.
I'd like to see Malkin play like the budding star that he is. Crosby is nearly invisible, but when I've spotted him, he was trying to make plays but no one was home. I don't know what the hell Malone is doing besides losing the puck to 3 Red Wing players in the corners and getting frequent flyer mileage in the penalty box. Fleurry is trying his guts out but hell, when 2/3 of the game is in your end, the amazing saves can only go so far.
Bottom line: The Red Wings are a machine. They skate, they pass, they check, they confuse, they score. I give them all the credit in the world, even though the series isn't over. That being said, it really irks me when coaches throw this kind of cocky gibberish out there:
From KDKA.com:
Unlike Game 1 when the teams played a scoreless first period, the Red Wings came out flying. Showing none of the nerves Detroit coach Mike Babcock said his team had in the opener, the Red Wings got goals from Stuart and Holmstrom 4:23 apart.
I'll admit it, the Red Wings were outplayed in Game 1 for the first THREE MINUTES. After that, where the hell were the nerves? Hell, they even had a goal taken away in the first period! If that was nerves with that execution, then I'd like to see a GD dominating performance. Even though it was 1-0 and 2-0 for most of the game, if it weren't for Fleurry's saves, it could have been a debacle. Early.
What a game. The Wings are really dominating this series, I thought the Pens just had a bad game, but from the looks of it the Wings are just a dominating team. Same thing happened last year with the Sens, they had the speed and the talent, as well as the Cash Line, but all of that was ineffective because the Ducks played a better defensive and offensive game. They shut down the only threat Ottawa has and won. Sidney and Malkin are only doing worse than before because the Wings are effectively shutting them down. If Detroit sticks with the presumably "same" formula they have used all season then we should have ourselves the 2008 Stanley Cup winners.
Originally posted by Admiral Akbar
What a game. The Wings are really dominating this series, I thought the Pens just had a bad game, but from the looks of it the Wings are just a dominating team. Same thing happened last year with the Sens, they had the speed and the talent, as well as the Cash Line, but all of that was ineffective because the Ducks played a better defensive and offensive game. They shut down the only threat Ottawa has and won. Sidney and Malkin are only doing worse than before because the Wings are effectively shutting them down. If Detroit sticks with the presumably "same" formula they have used all season then we should have ourselves the 2008 Stanley Cup winners.
I'd have to agree with you. But I'm hoping the Penguins will win game 3
They showed shots and chances for each line in game 2 for the Pens. Crosby and his line aren't the problem. That line alone accounted for more than half the Pens' chances.
Malkin's line: 1 shot, 0 chances. Pitiful.
Sid's not playing bad. Evgeny is.
...
As it is, the Pens need to win 4 of 5 against a Wings. Realistically, it's not going to happen. Both home games are must-wins. A loss in either one and it's over.
I'm sick of hearing about how Malkin isnt doing well. A. he carried the team throughout the season on his back, b. he played brilliantly during the first two rounds.
For a guy who is 20 years old, he is remarkably doing well. Couldnt this be the case that Crosby is not as tired as Malkin?
(this isnt just about you, but the media itself)
Originally posted by Smasandian
I'm sick of hearing about how Malkin isnt doing well. A. he carried the team throughout the season on his back, b. he played brilliantly during the first two rounds.For a guy who is 20 years old, he is remarkably doing well. Couldnt this be the case that Crosby is not as tired as Malkin?
(this isnt just about you, but the media itself)
It isn't about Malkin hate. I love Malkin. He might be our best player, and yes that includes Sid. But it's just a straight fact that he has been non-existent in the finals. Sid's line is at least producing...the chances just aren't going in, from a combination of good goaltending and bad luck. But Malkin's line is just getting dump trucked, and a lot of the heat has to fall on him. 1 shot, 0 chances in game 2 doesn't cut it for arguably our best player (I don't have the official line stats for game 1).
So it's objective assessment. We need our best players to play that way or we won't win. Period. I'm not going to hate him for it. But I am going to point it out as the fact that it is.
Teams win and lose, not players. The beatdowns aren't on Malkin alone. But he's stuck out as much or more than anyone, so yes he'll take some considerable flak.
Originally posted by DigiMark007
It isn't about Malkin hate. I love Malkin. He might be our best player, and yes that includes Sid. But it's just a straight fact that he has been non-existent in the finals. Sid's line is at least producing...the chances just aren't going in, from a combination of good goaltending and bad luck. But Malkin's line is just getting dump trucked, and a lot of the heat has to fall on him. 1 shot, 0 chances in game 2 doesn't cut it for arguably our best player (I don't have the official line stats for game 1).So it's objective assessment. We need our best players to play that way or we won't win. Period. I'm not going to hate him for it. But I am going to point it out as the fact that it is.
Teams win and lose, not players. The beatdowns aren't on Malkin alone. But he's stuck out as much or more than anyone, so yes he'll take some considerable flak.
I guess.
I just think there's other circumstances on why he isnt playing he should.
I've got this feeling that Malkin's going to breakout and get 2-3 points in Saturday's game. The guy's inexperience is showing, sure, but he hustled his ass off in last night's game. I counted at least 2 times where he broke up a potential Red Wing chance in the right corner of the Pens' end, and he was keeping the puck alive at the Wings' blue line like nobody's business. Scoring or not, those two things have to happen for the Pens to have a chance. The scoring will take care of itself, and I think (hope) it will come in Saturday's game.
Good playing by the Pens last night. The muscle and disruption they exhibited was far superior that what came out of that locker room (well, the visitor's locker room in Joe Louis) in Games 1 & 2 combined.