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Carolina Hurricanes Blogger •
First, for Canes fans, I will deliver on my promise to write up a Pens series autopsy either tonight or otherwise tomorrow. It actually makes for a good lead in for next week when I will move forward and take a look at what the summer means for the Canes in terms of free agents, needs, contract situations, etc.
So after getting a firsthand account as a Canes fan of how good the Pens can be when they get going, let me throw out 4 things that impressed me about the Penguins and 4 burning questions as they prepare to battle the Wings.
4 things that impressed me about the Penguins:
1) Crosby and Malkin growing up. It was no surprise to me or anyone that Malkin (especially) and Crosby were capable of taking over and winning a series. But a couple things did stand out. First on Crosby, he has come a long way from being a 100-point type of player of the Olli Jokinen type and become a much more complete player. He impressed me with his work ethic and work in his own end. While you can sometimes run over people with offense, the ultimate success comes when you get high-end players who are good at both ends of the ice. Reference Detroit’s continual success that always features good defensive centers who are also the team’s best players. The thing that impressed me most about Malkin against the Canes was his ability to repeatedly create great scoring chances in very little space and oftentimes when the defense really did little wrong. The backhand beauty in game 3 was the prime example. Ideally, Seidenberg would have played him more physical either whacking at his stick or getting a body to him, but in general he was in decent position, did not leave too much gap and basically gave him the low-percentage scoring play when he could not take away everything. It still resulted in a goal and not even the variety where you completely fault the goalie. The Canes did offer Malkin a few handouts on turnovers, but he also did so much in situations where there did not seem to be much there.
2) Solid without the bells and whistles. To put it in Canes terms, the defense reminded me of the Canes defense from the 2006 Stanley Cup run. The only guy who is a household name is Gonchar and that is much more because of offense than defense. Otherwise, not a single Pens defensemen would have made anyone’s “10-15 defensemen to watch in the playoffs” list starting the playoffs. But they repeatedly made simple plays and correct decisions and were positionally sound such that the Canes got pretty much nothing in terms of handouts on offense through 4 games. Who knows what the future holds for guys like Eaton, Scuderi, Orpik, and Gill but right now they are playing well, well enough to win a Stanley Cup with the good offense that they have.
3) Depth on offense. It is no secret that the Pens are the best in the NHL up the middle of the ice. But for a couple years now, they have struggled with a variety of young players who never quite worked out and rentals who were not quite enough. For 3 years we have watched the same routine where the Pens coach tried this, tried that, tried the other thing, got a trade deadline rental and tried that but in the end always had to go back to playing Malkin and Crosby on the same line when he really needed offense. Veteran permanent players like Sykora and Satan mostly fizzled. Veteran short-termers like Recchi and Roberts did not work out so well. Even Hossa was not enough. Some young promising players similarly disappeared over time. Doing it partly with rentals, the Pens will likely face this challenge again and again over the coming years, but for right now I think they have something that works on the wings. Even though he has not scored a ton of late Kunitz fits. He is a big enough body that can get up the ice fast enough to play with Malkin or Crosby. Guerin has delivered even more than you could reasonably have hoped. And after a miserable regular season, Satan seems to have showed up at the right time with the right attitude and is skilled enough to finish some even if he is not what he was awhile back. At the end of the day, the Pens will always be led offensively by the big 2, but there must be enough help and players to finish when they create. At least for the summer of 2009, I think the Pens might finally have that.
4) Fleury – not how much but when. I have to admit that I started the 08-09 playoffs and even the Canes series as a Fleury skeptic. I think phenomenal when going good but streaky is a fair description of Fleury up to this point in his career. (It should be noted that this is a fair assessment for almost any goalie his age, regardless of talent level, including Cam Ward.) And let me also point out that there is still a last chapter to be written in this story and to say that we know how it turns out based on 3 rounds is way premature. But all this said, I think Fleury might finally be reaching that level.
For me it is not so much how good Fleury has been, but when he has been good. Despite the 4-0 sweep, the Canes were tied or within a goal at the midway point or later in the 3rd period in each of the 1st 3 games. They were always 1 break, soft goal or bit of luck away from clawing their way into the series. But Fleury seemed to make many of his best saves at times when the Canes really needed a goal. The Canes scored 1st in each of the 2 home games but could never get the 2nd goal. Also in game 1 after killing off 2 Pens penalties (in a scoreless tie) the Canes got a power play only to get robbed twice by Fleury and then get a goal from Satan streaking out of the box. Time and time again when the Canes needed that 1 goal, Fleury had the answer. Watch Osgood. His goals against average is good but helped a bunch his team sometimes. His save percentage is nothing spectacular many nights. But the guy is filling up fingers with rings for 2 reasons: 1-He plays for a great team with players capable of winning it all every season; 2-He has that special knack for making the key save be it in a 4-4 game or a 1-0 game. Fleury just might be finding that this season.
So does this mean I am drinking the Pens Kool-Aid at this point and declaring them the runaway winner against Detroit? Far from it. To be honest, I have no idea how this series will go, and I think anyone that claims to gives himself too much credit. You have pretty much the same Detroit team that showed the Pens last year how it is done. If they can get the key guys healthy, it does not seem impossible that this year plays out exactly like last year. But at the same time, the Pens are a year wiser and hungrier and enter the series looking like a juggernaut.
Here are my 4 burning questions that I think will have a lot to say about the Pens success in the Finals:
1) Did the Eastern Conference do the Pens a disservice letting them play “race to 5” hockey through 3 series? Or are they just so good that they can inflict their will and style on anyone? I really thought the Flyers series would play out much differently with the Flyers taking the game to the trenches and turning it into a physical war where they might have had an advantage. But they got lured into shootout type hockey and it continued with the Caps and Canes. Is it that the Pens are just so good at willing this kind of game that they dominate on their opponent and that they will do the same against Detroit? Or are they a 1-trick pony that will be in trouble if the Wings can successfully drag them into a normal playoff hockey series? The Pens only need to walk by the Black Hawks grave on the way to Detroit to see what the Wings are capable of doing to too much pond hockey. The Wings mostly shut down the pretty stuff (Patrick Kane who had his way through 2 series finally got a goal in game 5 but was still a big minus for the series.), and then they masterfully cherry picked turnovers and mistakes when the Hawks tried to do too much and won a couple lopsided games. The Hawks were very much in the Wings series with a win and 2 overtime losses, but it is important to note a couple things. When they tried to open things up too much, they got run out of the building in games 1 and 4 and also blew a 3-0 lead in the huge game 3 loss when they got loose for only a period. That was the turning point in that series in my opinion. The Hawks best work came playing a tighter puck possession type of game in their own end looking more for a 3-2 win than a 5-3 win. Will the Pens take notice? Or are they just so much better than the Hawks that they can play race to 5 against Detroit and get away with it?
2) What happens against better shut down defensemen? I think it is also interesting to note that the Pens probably did not face a single defenseman that you would label as 1 of the top 10 in the league. All teams and many players are playing well this time of year, but there is a difference between team defense and the ability to throw a single guy out there with a purpose and be assured that you will be pretty good defensively because of him. Who would you label as the top defensemen (and don’t tell me Green because I am talking about defense not goal scoring) that the Pens faced so far? Might it be something like Joni Pitkanen, Braydon Coburn and maybe Milan Jurcina? All of these players are good and were playing pretty good playoff hockey. But even on a good day, none of them is in the same category as Niclas Lidstrom (if healthy) or probably even Brian Rafalski. Can the Pens stars push through offensively against a higher level of skill on the blue line against them?
3) Is Fleury ready? First, let me say that based on what he has done through 3 rounds in the playoffs it is unfair to question him. I finally became a Fleury believer during this playoff season. Up to this point, he has done everything that has been asked of him. But that is not how it works with young NHL goalies. Young goalies only earn their way past the questions when they win it all. If his team is good enough, is this the series where he converts the non-believers?
4) Can the Pens play with the puck on their sticks enough? You have to believe that with the puck on their sticks in the offensive zone with some space or off the rush that the Pens are the best offense in hockey. But when Detroit is playing well and their opponent is struggling, the game very much looks like a game of keep-away with all of the big kids on 1 team and the little kids on the other. When having their way, the Wings move the puck from stick to stick up the ice and within the offensive zone such that the other team can go whole shifts without ever having possession of the puck. Recognizing the dangers of Malkin and Crosby, you have to figure that the Wings even more so will try to play keep-away figuring that the duo cannot score if they do not have the puck. The Hawks had some success in a couple games using some of their size to cycle the puck and push the gritty version of puck possession hockey right back at the Wings. But probably with the exception of Staal’s line, the Pens are not so much a cycling and grinding type of team and instead prefer to play it more like the Wings. More so the Pens are very good at forechecking the puck to their possession and then playing a poor man’s version of the Wing’s stick-to-stick passing game. So what wins out? Is the Pens' forecheck with speed and skill so good that it works just as well against Detroit? Or do the Wings make them look like the little kids chasing the puck up the ice? I think this joust will determine which team dictates the style and tempo of play and could also be the deciding factor in the series.
As I said above, I have no idea how this series plays out this time around. I have seen enough of the Pens to believe, but I also think the Pens will be encountering a couple new challenges that they did not face through 3 rounds in the Eastern Conference. They do have the benefit of facing the Wings last year and knowing very much what the expect. More than anything I hope that the Wings best players heal in time to give it their best. With that I look forward to and expect to see a bunch of high-quality playoff hockey minus the temporary high blood pressure issues that come with it when it is your team playing.
And I still have to finish with…
Go Canes!
So after getting a firsthand account as a Canes fan of how good the Pens can be when they get going, let me throw out 4 things that impressed me about the Penguins and 4 burning questions as they prepare to battle the Wings.
4 things that impressed me about the Penguins:
1) Crosby and Malkin growing up. It was no surprise to me or anyone that Malkin (especially) and Crosby were capable of taking over and winning a series. But a couple things did stand out. First on Crosby, he has come a long way from being a 100-point type of player of the Olli Jokinen type and become a much more complete player. He impressed me with his work ethic and work in his own end. While you can sometimes run over people with offense, the ultimate success comes when you get high-end players who are good at both ends of the ice. Reference Detroit’s continual success that always features good defensive centers who are also the team’s best players. The thing that impressed me most about Malkin against the Canes was his ability to repeatedly create great scoring chances in very little space and oftentimes when the defense really did little wrong. The backhand beauty in game 3 was the prime example. Ideally, Seidenberg would have played him more physical either whacking at his stick or getting a body to him, but in general he was in decent position, did not leave too much gap and basically gave him the low-percentage scoring play when he could not take away everything. It still resulted in a goal and not even the variety where you completely fault the goalie. The Canes did offer Malkin a few handouts on turnovers, but he also did so much in situations where there did not seem to be much there.
2) Solid without the bells and whistles. To put it in Canes terms, the defense reminded me of the Canes defense from the 2006 Stanley Cup run. The only guy who is a household name is Gonchar and that is much more because of offense than defense. Otherwise, not a single Pens defensemen would have made anyone’s “10-15 defensemen to watch in the playoffs” list starting the playoffs. But they repeatedly made simple plays and correct decisions and were positionally sound such that the Canes got pretty much nothing in terms of handouts on offense through 4 games. Who knows what the future holds for guys like Eaton, Scuderi, Orpik, and Gill but right now they are playing well, well enough to win a Stanley Cup with the good offense that they have.
3) Depth on offense. It is no secret that the Pens are the best in the NHL up the middle of the ice. But for a couple years now, they have struggled with a variety of young players who never quite worked out and rentals who were not quite enough. For 3 years we have watched the same routine where the Pens coach tried this, tried that, tried the other thing, got a trade deadline rental and tried that but in the end always had to go back to playing Malkin and Crosby on the same line when he really needed offense. Veteran permanent players like Sykora and Satan mostly fizzled. Veteran short-termers like Recchi and Roberts did not work out so well. Even Hossa was not enough. Some young promising players similarly disappeared over time. Doing it partly with rentals, the Pens will likely face this challenge again and again over the coming years, but for right now I think they have something that works on the wings. Even though he has not scored a ton of late Kunitz fits. He is a big enough body that can get up the ice fast enough to play with Malkin or Crosby. Guerin has delivered even more than you could reasonably have hoped. And after a miserable regular season, Satan seems to have showed up at the right time with the right attitude and is skilled enough to finish some even if he is not what he was awhile back. At the end of the day, the Pens will always be led offensively by the big 2, but there must be enough help and players to finish when they create. At least for the summer of 2009, I think the Pens might finally have that.
4) Fleury – not how much but when. I have to admit that I started the 08-09 playoffs and even the Canes series as a Fleury skeptic. I think phenomenal when going good but streaky is a fair description of Fleury up to this point in his career. (It should be noted that this is a fair assessment for almost any goalie his age, regardless of talent level, including Cam Ward.) And let me also point out that there is still a last chapter to be written in this story and to say that we know how it turns out based on 3 rounds is way premature. But all this said, I think Fleury might finally be reaching that level.
For me it is not so much how good Fleury has been, but when he has been good. Despite the 4-0 sweep, the Canes were tied or within a goal at the midway point or later in the 3rd period in each of the 1st 3 games. They were always 1 break, soft goal or bit of luck away from clawing their way into the series. But Fleury seemed to make many of his best saves at times when the Canes really needed a goal. The Canes scored 1st in each of the 2 home games but could never get the 2nd goal. Also in game 1 after killing off 2 Pens penalties (in a scoreless tie) the Canes got a power play only to get robbed twice by Fleury and then get a goal from Satan streaking out of the box. Time and time again when the Canes needed that 1 goal, Fleury had the answer. Watch Osgood. His goals against average is good but helped a bunch his team sometimes. His save percentage is nothing spectacular many nights. But the guy is filling up fingers with rings for 2 reasons: 1-He plays for a great team with players capable of winning it all every season; 2-He has that special knack for making the key save be it in a 4-4 game or a 1-0 game. Fleury just might be finding that this season.
So does this mean I am drinking the Pens Kool-Aid at this point and declaring them the runaway winner against Detroit? Far from it. To be honest, I have no idea how this series will go, and I think anyone that claims to gives himself too much credit. You have pretty much the same Detroit team that showed the Pens last year how it is done. If they can get the key guys healthy, it does not seem impossible that this year plays out exactly like last year. But at the same time, the Pens are a year wiser and hungrier and enter the series looking like a juggernaut.
Here are my 4 burning questions that I think will have a lot to say about the Pens success in the Finals:
1) Did the Eastern Conference do the Pens a disservice letting them play “race to 5” hockey through 3 series? Or are they just so good that they can inflict their will and style on anyone? I really thought the Flyers series would play out much differently with the Flyers taking the game to the trenches and turning it into a physical war where they might have had an advantage. But they got lured into shootout type hockey and it continued with the Caps and Canes. Is it that the Pens are just so good at willing this kind of game that they dominate on their opponent and that they will do the same against Detroit? Or are they a 1-trick pony that will be in trouble if the Wings can successfully drag them into a normal playoff hockey series? The Pens only need to walk by the Black Hawks grave on the way to Detroit to see what the Wings are capable of doing to too much pond hockey. The Wings mostly shut down the pretty stuff (Patrick Kane who had his way through 2 series finally got a goal in game 5 but was still a big minus for the series.), and then they masterfully cherry picked turnovers and mistakes when the Hawks tried to do too much and won a couple lopsided games. The Hawks were very much in the Wings series with a win and 2 overtime losses, but it is important to note a couple things. When they tried to open things up too much, they got run out of the building in games 1 and 4 and also blew a 3-0 lead in the huge game 3 loss when they got loose for only a period. That was the turning point in that series in my opinion. The Hawks best work came playing a tighter puck possession type of game in their own end looking more for a 3-2 win than a 5-3 win. Will the Pens take notice? Or are they just so much better than the Hawks that they can play race to 5 against Detroit and get away with it?
2) What happens against better shut down defensemen? I think it is also interesting to note that the Pens probably did not face a single defenseman that you would label as 1 of the top 10 in the league. All teams and many players are playing well this time of year, but there is a difference between team defense and the ability to throw a single guy out there with a purpose and be assured that you will be pretty good defensively because of him. Who would you label as the top defensemen (and don’t tell me Green because I am talking about defense not goal scoring) that the Pens faced so far? Might it be something like Joni Pitkanen, Braydon Coburn and maybe Milan Jurcina? All of these players are good and were playing pretty good playoff hockey. But even on a good day, none of them is in the same category as Niclas Lidstrom (if healthy) or probably even Brian Rafalski. Can the Pens stars push through offensively against a higher level of skill on the blue line against them?
3) Is Fleury ready? First, let me say that based on what he has done through 3 rounds in the playoffs it is unfair to question him. I finally became a Fleury believer during this playoff season. Up to this point, he has done everything that has been asked of him. But that is not how it works with young NHL goalies. Young goalies only earn their way past the questions when they win it all. If his team is good enough, is this the series where he converts the non-believers?
4) Can the Pens play with the puck on their sticks enough? You have to believe that with the puck on their sticks in the offensive zone with some space or off the rush that the Pens are the best offense in hockey. But when Detroit is playing well and their opponent is struggling, the game very much looks like a game of keep-away with all of the big kids on 1 team and the little kids on the other. When having their way, the Wings move the puck from stick to stick up the ice and within the offensive zone such that the other team can go whole shifts without ever having possession of the puck. Recognizing the dangers of Malkin and Crosby, you have to figure that the Wings even more so will try to play keep-away figuring that the duo cannot score if they do not have the puck. The Hawks had some success in a couple games using some of their size to cycle the puck and push the gritty version of puck possession hockey right back at the Wings. But probably with the exception of Staal’s line, the Pens are not so much a cycling and grinding type of team and instead prefer to play it more like the Wings. More so the Pens are very good at forechecking the puck to their possession and then playing a poor man’s version of the Wing’s stick-to-stick passing game. So what wins out? Is the Pens' forecheck with speed and skill so good that it works just as well against Detroit? Or do the Wings make them look like the little kids chasing the puck up the ice? I think this joust will determine which team dictates the style and tempo of play and could also be the deciding factor in the series.
As I said above, I have no idea how this series plays out this time around. I have seen enough of the Pens to believe, but I also think the Pens will be encountering a couple new challenges that they did not face through 3 rounds in the Eastern Conference. They do have the benefit of facing the Wings last year and knowing very much what the expect. More than anything I hope that the Wings best players heal in time to give it their best. With that I look forward to and expect to see a bunch of high-quality playoff hockey minus the temporary high blood pressure issues that come with it when it is your team playing.
And I still have to finish with…
Go Canes!
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