4 Pittsburgh Penguins v. 5 Tampa Bay Lightning Series Thread

[evolver115]

Nice to see the Pens are hated even when Sid and Cooke aren't gonna be playing. Consistency is a wonderful thing

 

[evolver115]

HC Boucher isn't buying what Bylsma and the Penguins are selling:

The Lightning coach has heard the reports Sidney Crosby, the Penguins' injured superstar, will not be ready when the teams begin their first-round playoff series Wednesday at Pittsburgh's Consol Energy Center.

Boucher just cannot afford to take them at face value as he puts together a game plan.

"So to me," Boucher said, "he's playing, period."

But Penguins coach Dan Bylsma recently said Crosby, skating with teammates but out since Jan. 5 because of a concussion, might not get medical clearance to play, at least in Game 1 of the best-of-seven series.

"But we can't say if he's not (playing), they don't have a great team," Boucher said. "They're a great team. With him, they're an amazing team. We're playing against a great or amazing team, so we have to be at our best."

 

[Winged_Wheel88]

6 of 8 ESPN experts are taking the Pens over the Lightning.

2011 Stanley Cup playoffs: Experts' picks - ESPN

 

[dare2be]

6 of 8 ESPN experts are taking the Pens over the Lightning.

2011 Stanley Cup playoffs: Experts' picks - ESPN

I'm sorry, I must have heard you wrong.

 

[Winged_Wheel88]

in practically every other post on the series' threads I put experts in quotation marks.

 

[dare2be]

Come back, Cricket.

 

[pixburgher66]

I hope that this is all some facade being put on...but I highly doubt it. They're just being cautious because they don't want fans under the impression that he'll be back, only to have him not return. My fingers are crossed for the second round if we get there.

 

[evolver115]

I hope that this is all some facade being put on...but I highly doubt it. They're just being cautious because they don't want fans under the impression that he'll be back, only to have him not return. My fingers are crossed for the second round if we get there.

I'm fairly certain it's just the fact that Bylsma and the rest of the organization don't know. As they've said all along, there is no timetable, and it's on the doctors to say when Sid is ready to take hits, and then get ready with game conditioning.

But.... you cannot discount the gamesmanship that goes into reporting on injuries. Look how protective NHL teams are with reporting what part of the body is hurt.

 

[evolver115]

from the PG

Crosby missed the final 41 games after Jan. 5 because of a concussion. The team went 23-13-5 without him. Malkin missed five games with an aching left knee and a sinus infection in late January and early February, then played just six minutes Feb. 4 against the Buffalo Sabres before his right knee was injured in a collision with Sabres defenseman Tyler Myers, forcing him to have surgery and miss the final 29 games. In those 35 games without Crosby and Malkin (including the one when he made that brief appearance), the team went 20-11-4.

 

[dare2be]

...with 7 of those wins shootout wins

 

[evolver115]

...with probably 8 of those wins shootout wins

I know what the doubters are saying: six of those 20 wins were in shootouts, and there are no shootouts in the playoffs. Those same cynics will tell you the Penguins are going to have a hard time getting enough goals against the high-scoring Lightning without Crosby and Malkin.

 

[dare2be]

not being cynical, just showing that the numbers are meager and expected with the difference in lineups.

 

[evolver115]

not being cynical, just showing that the numbers are meager and expected with the difference in lineups.

I didn't write it... this is the work of one Ron (homer) Cook.

 

[dare2be]

lol, sounded like you were endorsing his viewpoint...my bad

 

[evolver115]

lol, sounded like you were endorsing his viewpoint...my bad

I endorse it up until the point where Cookie says in the article that the Pens should beat Tampa in game 5, or no later than game 6.

As far as the regular season numbers go.... I do support it. How are we to know how those 6 shootout victories would have turned out if they had just skated on and on in OT until there was a winner? We don't... in any case, it's still impressive.

I endorse it because defensively and between the pipes in the second half of the season, they were about as stout as you can get through 40 some games.

 

[dare2be]

The defensive makeup of this team was just gelling as the offensive makeup was falling apart, so that does support the relatively close records of the team pre- and post-Crosby-Malkin meltdown. Part of it may have been out of necessity (getting Neal and Kovy, for instance), but just imagine how good this team would have been with the dynamic duo...

 

[pixburgher66]

Only games 3 and 5 are on VS. Sheesh. Every other series (sans the Preds/Ducks series which has ZERO national broadcasts in the US) has at least 4 games on national TV.

 

[The Croz Man Cometh]

I endorse it up until the point where Cookie says in the article that the Pens should beat Tampa in game 5, or no later than game 6.

As far as the regular season numbers go.... I do support it. How are we to know how those 6 shootout victories would have turned out if they had just skated on and on in OT until there was a winner? We don't... in any case, it's still impressive.

I endorse it because defensively and between the pipes in the second half of the season, they were about as stout as you can get through 40 some games.

The numbers actually suggest that they were a better defensive team before Crosby went down for the year. They allowed more goals per game in the second half.

 

[pixburgher66]

The numbers actually suggest that they were a better defensive team before Crosby went down for the year. They allowed more goals per game in the second half.

It was a very small difference really. I'm pretty sure that we can all agree that the team is just overall better with Sid in the lineup.

 

[The Croz Man Cometh]

It was a very small difference really. I'm pretty sure that we can all agree that the team is just overall better with Sid in the lineup.

I can agree with that.

Who do you think will be the first Pen to hit him in contact drills?