Game Thread: Pittsburgh Penguins(1) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets(WC 1)| ECQF

[Cobiemonster]

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-p...tml?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

 

[Maverick426h]

I'm sorry, but this is on Fleury. If he stays in the net or even just returns to the net asap after first mishandling the puck, that's not a goal. Instead, the puck gets past him twice and the net remains gaping.

 

[forty_three]

I stand corrected. THREE forwards beat the Pens D back (2 Jackets, 1 Penguin). I thought the guy covering Calvert on the half wall was Stempniak. Looks like Kunitz.

Stempniak was chasing Johansen.

Soooo, two wingers on the side of the ice with the puck, 2 D on the other side and the center coming right down the middle and not covering dead space? AND the defender closest to the puck is the winger from the OTHER side?


ouch

 

[dash]

I was just wondering if anybody is keeping track this post-season regarding how many times teams have been successful scoring a goal with the extra attacker (i.e. goalie pulled). The success rate seems to be very high in these playoffs.

 

[Maverick426h]

I was just wondering if anybody is keeping track this post-season regarding how many times teams have been successful scoring a goal with the extra attacker (i.e. goalie pulled). The success rate seems to be very high in these playoffs.

And in this particular case, both goalies were pulled, so I think that counts as 2 for 2.

 

[dash]

And in this particular case, both goalies were pulled, so I think that counts as 2 for 2.

My calculations say Disco Dan Bylsma needs to win two of the next three games to save his job (and the Pens have regained home ice advantage). Pittsburgh is still in pretty good shape.

 

[Cobiemonster]

I was just wondering if anybody is keeping track this post-season regarding how many times teams have been successful scoring a goal with the extra attacker (i.e. goalie pulled). The success rate seems to be very high in these playoffs.

I know it's worked for teams like Colorado, really well

 

[Maverick426h]

My calculations say Disco Dan Bylsma needs to win two of the next three games to save his job (and the Pens have regained home ice advantage). Pittsburgh is still in pretty good shape.

It could go either way. Yes, the Pens have home ice, but it hasn't meant much in this series. The Jackets are riding a wave of momentum and Fleury has proven that he can wilt at the most inopportune moments. That doesn't bode well for the Penguins if they keep getting down 3-1 and their room for error is less and less.

 

[evolver115]

My calculations say Disco Dan Bylsma needs to win two of the next three games to save his job (and the Pens have regained home ice advantage). Pittsburgh is still in pretty good shape.

Tanking for Trotz

 

[dash]

It could go either way. Yes, the Pens have home ice, but it hasn't meant much in this series. The Jackets are riding a wave of momentum and Fleury has proven that he can wilt at the most inopportune moments. That doesn't bode well for the Penguins if they keep getting down 3-1 and their room for error is less and less.

I don't have a dog in this fight, but at least the big guns for Pittsburgh are starting to wake up. No doubt that Fleury wears the goat horns for both the tying goal and the OT winner. From an entertainment perspective, this series has been great and now we get at least two more games.

 

[sabresfaninthesouth]

My calculations say Disco Dan Bylsma needs to win two of the next three games to save his job (and the Pens have regained home ice advantage). Pittsburgh is still in pretty good shape.

I'm thinking they may disagree with that. Aside from these short segments where Pittsburgh scores 3 goals in 6 minutes, Columbus has controlled a huge portion of this series.

If Columbus can manage to play for more than 54 minutes a game, they could be in great shape.

 

[dash]

Tanking for Trotz

lol - I just realized Trotz is almost an anagram of Torts.

 

[dash]

I'm thinking they may disagree with that. Aside from these short segments where Pittsburgh scores 3 goals in 6 minutes, Columbus has controlled a huge portion of this series.

If Columbus can manage to play for more than 54 minutes a game, they could be in great shape.

That's where Disco Dan needs to turn things around and say, "Guys, we're tied 2-2 in this series and we've played maybe 40 minutes of good hockey. How about a full 60 minutes for a change?"

 

[evolver115]

lol - I just realized Trotz is almost an anagram of Torts.

Mario could troll the hell out of his junior millionaires with a hire like that.


Ain't know way he'd have played for that ass-clown, though.


Nucks haven't cut him loose, yet... have they?

 

[element1286]

That's where Disco Dan needs to turn things around and say, "Guys, we're tied 2-2 in this series and we've played maybe 40 minutes of good hockey. How about a full 60 minutes for a change?"

That's like a whole series worth in one game, surely you jest.

 

[dash]

That's like a whole series worth in one game, surely you jest.

"We need to get this man to a hospital"
"What is it?"
"It's a large building with many patients, but that's not important right now"

 

[dash]

Nucks haven't cut him loose, yet... have they?

I think Trevor Linden is deciding on the next Vancouver GM before he (or his GM hire) cuts Torts loose.

 

[evolver115]

I think Trevor Linden is deciding on the next Vancouver GM before he (or his GM hire) cuts Torts loose.

I'm really hoping that this is Danny B's last ride with Pittsburgh, regardless of what happens the remainder of this series. He doesn't deserve any more chances to get the job done here. His best season was arguably the 10/11 season when he coached them without Sid and Geno. Maybe that's what he's meant for. A team without any superstars and a bunch of players that are in the mold of what Dan was while he was in the NHL.

The guy I would really like to see replace him is Lavy

 

[forty_three]

lol - I just realized Trotz is almost an anagram of Torts.

That's where Disco Dan needs to turn things around and say, "Guys, we're tied 2-2 in this series and we've played maybe 40 minutes of good hockey. How about a full 60 minutes for a change?"

Even this, he copies from Richards

I'm really hoping that this is Danny B's last ride with Pittsburgh, regardless of what happens the remainder of this series. He doesn't deserve any more chances to get the job done here. His best season was arguably the 10/11 season when he coached them without Sid and Geno. Maybe that's what he's meant for. A team without any superstars and a bunch of players that are in the mold of what Dan was while he was in the NHL.

The guy I would really like to see replace him is Lavy

I was just having a discussion with a guy (Hawks fan) that likened Danny to Melrose. Decent motivator, but not really good at reacting to changing conditions. And perhaps shielded by being able to point down the bench and say "we need a goal - Gretzky (Or Robitaille) Go." Not sure that's entirely fair. But pretty close...

I also think his attempts to appear to remain calm are borderline attempting to suppress panic. I remember the Leafs/Kings series in 93 when Burns was RIPPING him from the bench and Barry just stood there, staring forward and chewing gum, you just knew there was a trickle down the pants leg. I guess I can see a similar vibe from Danny from time to time.



I said before that the Jackets needed to make it in. Anything after that was success. Getting a win on the road was huge, and coming up big for the crowd at home was even bigger. They could lose this series now, and it will not (completely) sour what has already happened.

They have remained calm, and are learning as they go. They are standing together. Hard to not feel good heading to Pittsburgh where the fans will want blood at the first sign of trouble, though. That situation could play right into the Jackets gameplan.

Pens need a system coach. They have too much skating ability to get hemmed in.

 

[Dacks]

From a fellow goalie's point of view, I think MAF has a very clear understanding of the D in front of him. I don't think his issue is a lack of confidence, I think it's a "I have/want to be the difference" state of mind. Both often lead to the same result, but I can't say he has no confidence. He's not making bad plays, but he's making plays with the mindset that his D is not going to come through the front and clear anything out for him. Or one is going to turn looking for a break, leaving his partner outnumbered behind the net.

On the tying goal, it was clear that the Jackets were going to beat the Pens to the puck, and he had exactly 3 milliseconds to decide what to do, and it went wrong for him (ask any goalie. It usually does). But in my mind if he has no confidence, he curls under the crossbar and points to his left where the puck is going. I gave my son a coaching lesson right there in the family room. Had MAF got his pads against the boards and not tried to stop it with only his stick, it's a 3-1 series. That's the margin of error we work with.

On the winner, Foligno crossed the line and looked like he was going to go down the boards and cut in, so Fluery set up on the right side of Niskanen. Nick shot quicker than anyone expected and MAF went with him, but he was still off a smidge and the knuckler got by him. But he was on top of his crease, square (relatively) and just missed a tiny bit. His style and his D's style just aren't meshing right now.

The Pens need more Scuderi's and less Letangs, or Fleury needs to just lay back and let the D handle everything.




By the way, they interviewed Wiz and he said that as they were coming back into the room after tying in regulation Nick stood in the middle of the room and asked if anyone minded if he went out and scored the game winner, because he "wanted to".

I love that guy.

When they asked Foligno about it later he just said "I say crap like that all the time. I can't believe it actually worked."

I mean REALLY love that guy.

His confidence has been fine up until now. I'm more worried about him going forward. Since 2009, it seems like once he lets in a bad goal in the playoffs, he gets rattled and starts playing worse and worse. Happened two years ago in Philly and happened again last year against the Isles.

By the way, I didn't congratulate #Lumbus. They are playing fantastic. If they reel in some of the dumb penalties (an effect of so many playoff rookies I'm sure) they have a good chance going forward.