I really kind of think there is actually a lack of good defenders these days. I’m not sure where the change came, but everybody seems to be over balanced on offense. And looking at the free agent market, there is nobody really drool worthy. The few who are real superstars are locked up way past their prime. And even #2s seem rarer and rarer.
I would not be surprised to start seeing a lot of junior league defense conversions.
We have s series out west.
I know the series isn’t lost, yadda yadda. But I think this series has finally, finally turned me into The Guy That Hates the Coach. I’ve been fighting it for years now, finding excuses elsewhere (especially goaltending), etc. But Julien is taking Disco Dan out to lunch and making him pay, every single minute of the game. Byslma is even letting Julien dictate the line pairings as if CJ is on home ice - like whenever Julien puts out the Bergeron line, Dan sends out Crosby, knowing that’s what Julien wants. What kind of stupid arrogance is that?
Not to mention, what kind of broken spoke tries to out-physical Boston?! When has that ever worked?!
There’s just no system in place, and Boston is the first team skilled enough to call them out on it. Like, there’s no puck support in the offensive zone - they keep blindly dumping the puck, or doing stretch passes through the neutral zone, knowing that Boston will neutralize it. The same damn thing Islanders capitalized on they’re still struggling with 10+ games later. So Crosby is up-ice, surrounded by three Bruins, and nobody is set up in front of the net to capitalize on rebounds, redirects, whatever - what’s he supposed to do?
And I could be wrong, but there doesn’t seem to be any sort of defensive system in their own zone - Bruins have wide open space to move through, and Pens’ seem confused as to how to even begin defending them. This also goes back to d-pairings, which Dan Bylsma chooses like a hipster choosing beer, irony over efficiency. Letang/Nisky, Murray/Eaton, and Engelland/Anybody are so horribly bad, even on paper, that Disco seems to be the only one surprised that they get burned almost every time, going on three playoff series now. He’ll change them for a bit, but as soon as they have any success he goes right back to them.
But the defensive players themselves aren’t bad. Paul Martin, Eaton, Murray, Orpik, Bortuzzo, Despres, and Letang could all be amazing in a top 6 if they were not only utilized correctly, but developed properly. Letang, for instance - you can’t fix stupid, but should he really be making the same rookie mistakes 7 years into his career? Doesn’t that have to do with coaching?
And, god, player development under Byslma has been abysmal. How has Letang, Crosby, Malkin, or any of them progressed in 4+ years under Bylsma? Malkin has almost regressed - and it’s telling that when he goes to Russia, Maurice can get him to wake up and play defensive hockey, then he comes back and stops caring in 3 games. Not to mention, what’s Byslma’s plan for Despres and Bennet? Or the incredible defensive prospect pool that’s about to come up? Including Puliout - he’s going to be a world-beater in 4, 5 years, the same skillset as Letang but sees the ice a few steps below Crosby - that is provided he’s coached right.
Anyway, that’s a lot of words. But it’s frustrating seeing them blown out playoffs after playoffs, in the same freaking way, with their talent level - it’s almost at a Torts level for me right now. I’d love to send Disco to Vancouver and pick up Tippet from Arizona. Tippet or DeBoer would be the best coaches possible for this team (outside of, you know, Bowman or Babcock or Sutter) but Tippet is available, so…
…
Oh, and, I think they messed up MAF’s career, not only by throwing him into the NHL at 18 with a part-time goaltending coach, but making that coach - Gilles Meloche - fulltime a few years later. Little known fact, Lemieux and Gilles were close growing up, even played on some of the same teams, and Lemieux feels indebted to him to this day for some reason. After Game 4 of the Islanders series - you know, the one that chased Fleury for good - there was this really depressing interview with Gilles where he said he thought Fleury let up “maybe one” soft goal. So if that’s the coaching Flower’s been getting, and if Lemieux and Gilles are BFF, who do you think will get sent packing first?
I feel very confident only losing 2-1 (essentially) on the road vs a very good goaltender when the Hawks’ top 4 offensive players didn’t perform very well. Although that Toews faceoff win that led to their only goal with 33 seconds left in the 2nd was clutch. If the Kings win that faceoff, the Hawks are dejected, trailing 2-0 into the 3rd.
I predict a one game suspension for Duncan Keith. You just can’t swing your stick intentionally like that and hit someone in the face. I don’t believe he meant to hit him in the face, but it was still reckless and dangerous and the swing was intentional.
Well, it’s put up or shut up time for the Penguins tonight. If they can turn this around and play a complete game like they did against Ottawa, and bring the series to 2-1, then anything can happen. While a 3-0 comeback isn’t out of the question with the talent this team has, that’s a very tall order against a Bruins team that is playing very disciplined hockey. Tonight is a must-win.
Gotta agree. He seemed sorry but that don’t cut it. It was a stupid thing to do.
I think 1 game suspension is sufficient enough as well, but Shanni seems to use some sort of RNG when it comes to discipline…I would not be surprised if Keith gets the max fine of $10k, or even gets 2 games (one for the intent, and one more for the injury).
…and Voynov is just residing on the right side of Crazytown.
Watching playoff hockey in OT is less stressful when you don’t have an emotional investment in either team.
I just… don’t even… Has to be the most bitter, disappointing loss I can remember as a sports fan, considering the missed chances and inability to get ONE lucky bounce. Malkin alone hit what, 3 posts? Was it 4?
Also, it’s really freaking frustrating to watch “playoff hockey” happen to your team. Kudos to Boston for understanding it and exploiting it to their advantage, but it still sucks. And yes, it matters - the GWG started with a blatant, obvious hook from Jagr on Malkin.
But, of course, it shouldn’t have gotten to that point. Bylsma kept putting the same PP on the ice opportunity after opportunity with the same stupid result each time - perimeter play, low scoring chances, etc. Why was nobody in front of the net to clear the crease? Why the hell was Letang and Malkin on point, two defensive liabilities all playoffs, over Paul Martin, who had 2 or 3 Coffee-esque moments in the game?
Not to mention sheltering Beau Bennet, who actually showed a ton of life out there.
Frustrating, frustrating, frustrating.
Well, it would have been a lot more disappointing had it been a third straight weak performance. The Penguins really turned things around when they absolutely had to.
But the result is still 0 - 3, which will require some sort of miracle comeback if they are to advance.
This year’s Screw the Regular Season, the Playoffs Are What Matters moment: Greg Campbell breaking his leg blocking a Malkin slapshot, then getting up and *still *skating the penalty kill for almost a full minute, successfully.
And another, reported by several Boston media types aboard the same plane after Game 2. A baby was crying loudly in the back rows, and the captain said over the PA “I hear we have Sidney Crosby aboard today.”
Boston Strong. Pittsburgh, not so much. Just like Vancouver a couple of years ago.
Holy Crap! He looked hurt but I had no idea his leg was broken!
That is one tough dude.
That’s the point: loses like that happen in the playoffs, where you give everything and the bounces don’t go your way. No big deal, that’s why there are 7 games. But Pittsburgh/Bylsma spotted them 2 free games before that performance. Can you imagine how epic the series would have been if every game was played with that much heart and intensity on both sides? That was one of the best games all playoffs, and what everyone was hoping for going in. As a hockey fan that’s all I ask - if you lose a 7 game series with those kinds of performances, oh well.
Of course, if Julien doesn’t get the sweep, it might still be a long series - he’s horrible at closing in the playoffs - but hypothetically, what could have been, you know?
It’s also bitter because this will be the 4th early exit from the playoffs since the Cup, all in the same fashion, all due to coaching, and I somehow doubt there will be any coaching changes in the offseason.
Also, I’m absolutely pissed at how they’ve treated Morrow and Iginla. Iginla came here to play with Sid (remember the Canadian GWG for gold that Crosby set-up and Iggy finished?) and Bylsma has given them maybe 4 shifts together since the deadline. Not only that, he has built a HOF career playing on the right wing, so arrogant asshead Bylsma has stuck him on the left wing and refuses to move him. His reasoning is that the “best line in Hockey” with Sid, Dupuis, and Kunitz shouldn’t be broken up - but that line has been atrocious all playoffs.
The only use Iggy has on the left side is on the PP - he was on the main unit when it was operating at 33% all playoffs and his role was like Ovchekin, he’d one-time it from the face off circle. That’s what made the PP so dangerous, it was impossible to defend. There were snipers everywhere and they were all excellent at possession. But sometime during the Ottawa series, Byslma decided he didn’t want Iggy out there anymore, so he took him off - and our PP has sucked since. It’s 0-12 with Boston, because it’s so easy to defend without a threat on the left hand side - you just crowd the right boards, and wait until you break up a pass.
Now Morrow, it was obvious he was going to be used like Billy Guerin in the 08/09 cup run. Older, slower guy, but still tenacious in front of the net, perfect for a line like Malkin/Neal to screen the goalie and create havoc in front of the net. What does Bylsma do? Turn him into a freaking grinder! He loves grinders as much as Torts loves shot blockers. Rask is going to stop almost every shot he sees - that’s why you crowd the net, screen him, etc.
The height of the lunacy was yesterday, when Bylsma started the (older, slower) Iggy and Morrow on the same third line, as a supposed grinding unit. WTF?!
It’s almost like the goalie situation, I’m starting to believe the Pens’ achieve in spite of the coach. He’s been given the most stacked roster since the lockout and he’s managed to cock-up even the most simple, obvious decisions - to where they’re on the verge of being swept.
It’s a good point. Fans of a team capable of playing the way the Penguins did on Wednesday should not have to endure a performance like they gave on Monday.
I tend to agree that the finger is pointed at coaching.
Well “started” is hard to define exactly, but just before Jagr hooked Malkin, he himself was hooked (less blatantly but hooked) making him give up the puck so that evens out.
I don’t get Crawford. Brilliant against tough shots and lets stupid goals go by.
I know what the Kings problem is: the Blackhawks, who happen to be a very good team,