[scottiB]

Sweet analysis, freudling, especially the carrying the puck through the neutral zone.

Reminds me, a bit, about Franzen's PP goal last night: he carried the puck in and kind of loped his way to the net, albeit with some nice stick work. Don't know if the Pens were expecting him to pass off, but I was surprised how easily he scored.

[freudling]

scottiB:

Thanks, I grew up in small town Canada, started playing at 4 years old. Here I sit, smashed knee from my hockey game last week...

Indeed, I watched that Franzen highlight reel several times: a good example of how easy it really can be to walk through a team. Especially if you have played competitive hockey, you know how sophisticated break outs can be. The other team pretty much expects you to break out in formation and pass it around. What you are witnessing is Detroit's experience: switching up strategies and mixing things up just at the right time. They play a very disciplined, Russian style of hockey. The Pens need to to the same thing, but more creatively.

Here is an excellent reel of some Bobby Orr rushes:

YouTube - The Bobby Orr Rush -- Catch Me If You Can!!

[villalobos]

30 minutes to game 4. Nerves are getting a little more tense. Hoping for a 3rd win for the Wings. They would miss Holmstrom quite a bit if it it turns out to be scratched. Let's hope that Franzen is back to his end-of-the-season/start-of-the-playoffs self. He seems to have got his confidence back in game 3, judging by his authoritative puck handling.

[OldManMac]

Detroit pretty much in control, wins one in Pittsburgh, 2 - 1!! 3 - 1 for the series; time to start getting ready for Lord Stanley's Cup coming back to Hockeytown!

[villalobos]

Originally Posted by OldManMac 

Detroit pretty much in control, wins one in Pittsburgh, 2 - 1!! 3 - 1 for the series; time to start getting ready for Lord Stanley's Cup coming back to Hockeytown!

DEEEEEE-TROIT!! What a monstrous game Z had : shut down the "best" player in the world. Ok, now I agree with everybody else, he should be Conn Smythe. Osggod was solid as well. Not as crazy a game as the previous, but still very enjoyable, hard-fought hockey. 3 Europeans score, and the best player on the ice is a Swede : Cherry must be livid.

[freudling]

Pittsburgh was all over, their defence were making poor decisions... they deserve to lose if they play like that. Also, a bad goal... championship teams don't play like they did tonight. They will have to regroup and come back hard if they want to win. They CAN win, they have all the talent, they just need to calm down.

Clearly though, the coach did not ride them hard enough to play the trap. Their defence had lots of holes and the defence rarely committed themselves to Detroit's offence coming up the neutral zone. So Detroit could easily break out and get some solid chances with lots of text book 3 man break outs. They also controlled the puck.

The coach needs to ride the defencemen. If you watch the highlights, you can see that even Crosby seems to know that passing to the defence is like giving the puck away.

Game plan for Game 5: Put Staal with Crosby on some of the powerplays, both are amazing at working the corners. Malkin is crapping the bed. Maybe change the goalie, and once again, if I were the coach, I would personally fire any and all defencemen who make more than 2 unforced errors at the offensive blueline. On the powerplays, you can see that both defencemen, on both lines, hardly ever commit enough to keep the puck in Detroit's end, and frequently fumbled the puck. This is killing their powerplay chances. Defencemen are supposed to commit half way into the zone, along the boards, to keep the puck in, where the other defencemen drops back in case something goes wrong.

Right now this is a coaching thing for Pittsburgh. They have the big guns, they should win the cup, but the team is falling apart because the coach is not putting all of the pieces of the puzzle together correctly, so there is some unevenness and friction.

[villalobos]

It's one thing for a coach to want to have his defense to pitch in and take risks, but that requires a few things. First to have experienced Ds who will know when and how to pitch without getting out of position and exposing themselves. I don't think the Pens have these. Gonchar is their most experienced blue liner. He is prone to make mistakes though. It also implies that the forwards have to cover for their D when this happens. The Wings are playing a total team effort game, where everybody can seemingly play any position (well apart from being goalie that is) at any time. It is becoming a cliché, but Z and Datsyuk are their best defensemen sometimes. Crosby and Malkin for all their skills just cannot match this.

The Wings are the superior team here, and they should justly win the Cup.

[freudling]

This series is now up to the coach. Both teams have the talent and skill to win, but the Pens are not playing like a greased machine, although, in regular season, they were. The situation is such that, they are facing an opponent that is nullifying all of their offensive efforts. This is tired old Detroit playing a tight, neutral-zone-trap.

The coach, after 3 games of loss, must make subtle changes to combat this, because the current game plan is not working. Changes to lines on the powerplay are a must for one. Two, changes to defensive play as discussed. Unfortunately, I do not think Therrien is the coach to do it. He is a bit arrogant and seemed frustrated at the last press conference, almost like he has given up. Contrast his personality with Herb Brooks of the 1980 USA National Team, or the steady handed Mike Keenan... which brings up something to illustrate the situation.

Pan back to the 1987 Canada Cup, a few seconds left in the 3rd period, game tied 5-5, final game, Canada vs. CCCP. Canada has to take the face off in their own zone. Instead of putting Gretzky or Moose on the draw, Keenan threw out Dale Hawerchuk: as he stated, it was a "creative" move.

I don't see this same kind of passion/intuition/energy/ability to read the play on behalf of Therrien. His players need a strong leader with quick answers, and it does not seem like they are getting it from him.

The Pens had a great regular season, but throw all that out, this is the Final Series of the Stanley Cup against a brick wall of a team.

Really cool footage (8 min) of the Canada Cup (Game 3, 1987):

YouTube - Canada Cup '87 in Detail... ( 66 + 10 + 99 )

[Rev-O]

Originally Posted by freudling 

This series is now up to the coach. Both teams have the talent and skill to win, but the Pens are not playing like a greased machine, although, in regular season, they were. The situation is such that, they are facing an opponent that is nullifying all of their offensive efforts. This is tired old Detroit playing a tight, neutral-zone-trap.

Look, I'm far from a Wings fan, but this series is over.
Obviously, the problem at this point is that the Wings just need one win. Any kind of win. A fluke goal, a PP gaol after a bad penalty, or a complete game domination. One win. It isn't really about coaching at this point.
The Wings won the first two, which was according to Hoyle. The Pens came back and won game 3, which was a must win situation. If any game was all about coaching, it was game 4. For the Pens it is about playing out of their skulls, Fluery stealing a game, and a Wing collapse. Not much coaching there. Coaching will get a disciplined win, but the Pens need way more than that right now.

[freudling]

Rev-O:

Thanks for sharing your expert hockey opinion! Where did you play again?

[villalobos]

Originally Posted by freudling 

Rev-O:

Thanks for sharing your expert hockey opinion! Where did you play again?

Wow classy...

In the meantime, here is another "expert opinion" from the great hockey city of Edmonton.

"Detroit ace Henrik Zetterberg laid the lumber on Sidney Crosby at the side of the net, tying up his stick far before Crosby ever got the puck, thus making it next to impossible for Crosby to score when Marian Hossa put a perfect pass right on his stick, with a wide-open net staring at Crosby. It was the kind of non-call the NHL is infamous for. Unlike any other major North American pro league, where a foul is a foul is a foul is a foul no matter what the score and what the import of the game or when it occurs in the game, the NHL's definition of a penalty constantly shifts," Staples wrote."

And the link. The comments are amusing.

[freudling]

villalobos:

Good post. In fact, I too have seen Detroit getting away with more than the Pens. The Pens really respect Detroit, but Detroit is a tad more clever in this respect.

[villalobos]

Originally Posted by freudling 

villalobos:

Good post. In fact, I too have seen Detroit getting away with more than the Pens. The Pens really respect Detroit, but Detroit is a tad more clever in this respect.

To be honest, I think this post was crap. To say that the Wings are master of illegal obstructions and exemplify it with Zetterberg's defense on Crosby is disingenuous at best. I guess nobody else does it in the NHL, right? The Wings do not "get away" with much. There were quite a few obstructions called against them, including the one leading to a 5 on 3 : that's not really looking like "getting away" to me.

[freudling]

villalobos:

Hard to follow you sometimes, just another passive aggressive person on the internet...

I agree though, the penalty called for the 5 on 3 was questionable, but the one they did not call was when Malkin got dumped on a breakaway when he split the D. I watched it several times and he was dumped. Could maybe have been a penalty shot...

But this is not about one team getting away with more than the other, it is, obviously, much more involved.

[villalobos]

Originally Posted by freudling 

villalobos:

Hard to follow you sometimes, just another passive aggressive person on the internet...

I agree though, the penalty called for the 5 on 3 was questionable, but the one they did not call was when Malkin got dumped on a breakaway when he split the D. I watched it several times and he was dumped. Could maybe have been a penalty shot...

But this is not about one team getting away with more than the other, it is, obviously, much more involved.

Lol no I am not passive aggressive, you just did not detect the sarcasm in my introduction of the "expert opinion" I guess.
Does not matter : Wings win tonight!!

[freudling]

Wings win tonight!!

Indeed!

[villalobos]

Overtiiiiiiiime!!

[freudling]

If the Wings don't win tonight, then I eat my words because Therrein pulled it off, never thought he could...

[villalobos]

they'll win, worry not. :-)
But man, what a game!!!

[villalobos]

Well I guess the refs want this game to last as long as possible with these "penalties".

[villalobos]

wow.... Well it will be 4-2 Wings I guess....

[OldManMac]

What a game! Two to go, and the Wings will win one of them, and that's all that matters.

[k squared]

Let's Go Pens!

[ort888]

Let's go anyone but Detroit!

[freudling]

villalobos finally shuts up.

[villalobos]

Originally Posted by freudling 

villalobos finally shuts up.

yeah, had to get some sleep but I'm back. yeeeaaaah.
Great game. Fun all around. I was worried early in the game with the Wings power play, but I really really thought they would win this one.
Now what? Will the older Wings legs recover in time for game 6? Or will there be a game 7? This series that could easily (and should have really) been a sweep will end up in game 7? The crazyness....

[OldManMac]

Originally Posted by ort888 

Let's go anyone but Detroit!

It's tough to be a winner, isn't it?

[scottiB]

Detroit needs to start playing with some angst. Not stupidly, but the machine needs to show some p!ssed off emotion. Popping shots from the circles and hoping MAF misplays it is not sound. While the Wings had tons more shots, true scoring chances were more even.

[freudling]

Pittsburgh might pull off Game 6. They played close to the equivalent of 2 games in one day, at breakneck speed. I remember having to play two games in one day at tournaments... even when you are young, it takes about 3 days to bounce back... you are very, very tired... the legs go. The Wings are going to be tired, and they will not have recovered as much as the younger Pens. Now at least we have something here that gives hope to the Pens...

Malkin just needs to score and then they will have some serious momentum.

Detroit will probably get peppered in the 3rd period and could lose again.

Here's hoping for Game 7. Screw Detroit.

[abbaZaba]

I was in the Mellon Arena watching the game on the Jumbotron with other fans and it was quite a game. I didn't get home until about 2:30. everyone leaving the arena was honking their horns and going nuts. too bad we won't win Game 7 in Pittsburgh.

[villalobos]

Haha, looks like all the Penguins fans are coming out in force now. Wonder where they were earlier this series.
Anyhow, don't get too excited kids, the Wings WILL NOT lose three games in a row to the Penguins.

[Rev-O]

Originally Posted by villalobos 

Haha, looks like all the Penguins fans are coming out in force now. Wonder where they were earlier this series.
Anyhow, don't get too excited kids, the Wings WILL NOT lose three games in a row to the Penguins.

I just cannot see the Wings dropping the next two either.
Man, it is fairly painful for me to pull for the Wings being an Avs fan and all but I just cannot pull for the Pens. They're not my most despised team in Hockey but they're probably in the top 5.

[freudling]

Who said any of us were Pens fans? I am not, I just dislike them less than Detroit.

[scottiB]

Originally Posted by Rev-O 

I just cannot see the Wings dropping the next two either.

I can: the Pens win tonight, and the proverbial "anything can happen" in game seven. The Lions' fans' defeatism can really permeate the psyche.

Dude, I love the Avs. Always pull for them after the Wings.

[scottiB]

Orpik is a fantastic player.

[ironknee]

wow great game.... pens almost at the end... so close

[ort888]

Booooooo!


Boooooooo!!


bOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

[villalobos]

WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!

The best team won as it should. Z was the best player on the ice for the whole series (well apart maybe from MAF in game 5!). He had a slow playoff start, but grew stronger and stronger and showed the league that he is the most complete NHL player right now.
The Pens found a way to make me nervous again at the end. I don't know whether they will have the heart to rebound next year, but the years after look pretty good for this team, if they can keep it together. They should keep Hossa if they can.

[villalobos]

Originally Posted by ort888 

Booooooo!


Boooooooo!!


bOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Yeah that reminds me. Classy Penguins fans who boo the Conn Smythe trophy winner. Real nice.

[OldManMac]

All is well with the world; the cup comes home. The Pens do have a great future ahead, with a young team, but this time it was all about experience.

[ort888]

Originally Posted by villalobos 

Yeah that reminds me. Classy Penguins fans who boo the Conn Smythe trophy winner. Real nice.

They were booing Count Bettman, not Zetterberg. He gets booed every time he makes a public appearance. I would think that most hockey fans knew this?

[villalobos]

Originally Posted by ort888 

They were booing Count Bettman, not Zetterberg. He gets booed every time he makes a public appearance. I would think that most hockey fans knew this?

even i'd boo Bettman. But at that point Z had the trophy.

[freudling]

villalobos:

I wonder what would happened if you never visited MacNN again...

[villalobos]

[freudling]

You are still here?

[villalobos]

[ghporter]

Go Redwings! I'm glad to see this outcome, really. It's nice to see that one Detroit team not only remembers how to stay winning, but practices it.

[Eriamjh]

The best part of this championship was the Wings fans booing the Detroit mayor at the parade!

Red Wings Fans Support Team, Boo Detroit Mayor - Detroit News Story - WDIV Detroit

He's such a scumbag and doesn't even know it.

[villalobos]

Wow, so the Wings just got Hossa for one year. Pretty interesting. Will that be enough for a repeat. Will he be able to bring the emotion that they will need, and potentially lack. I am not sure. He sure is bringing some offensive skills though : I though he was the most dangerous offensive player for the Pens during the Finale.
I like that the Wings got Conklin too. Now can they squeeze Bertuzzi in there??