If the clock strikes midnight on Murray...it could be a short series.

Teams are pretty even, it should be a great series. Thornton and Marleau are going to be balls to the wall.
- sammy87

Love watching this 21 yr old kid take down Lundqvist and Holtby. He follows up being replaced in Game 5 by winning two elimination games with a .933 (on the road) and .941 SPG. Sure he could hit a rough patch but his demeanor tells me the big stage won't affect him.

The bigger worry would be he's hung out to dry by a methodical, structured, sniping Sharks group. Simply said the Pens need to play the percentage of the time in the Sharks' zone as they've done all playoffs and if they do that IMO they win.

Who knows really though, like really really? As long as all the betters find out who Ek thinks is going to win(and bets on the other team of course) then it will be like pennies from heaven.
- Dcoms

Word around here is that you had a life time ban...

Who knows really though, like really really? As long as all the betters find out who Ek thinks is going to win(and bets on the other team of course) then it will be like pennies from heaven.
- Dcoms

Glad you brought bettors up. That's where the smart money lives in predicting winners not experts as many Pen's fans have been complaining about.

Pens are indeed favored at a -130.

If the clock strikes midnight on Murray...it could be a short series.

Teams are pretty even, it should be a great series. Thornton and Marleau are going to be balls to the wall.
- sammy87

...we have the best backup the league has ever known. And he's game-warmed (despite losing) and ready to go.

Murray will be fine though.

You been on a holiday Dcoms? I don't think the Sharks guys are real stirrers - you just have to avoid reading a few others comments in here!
- Aussiepenguin

Yeah I took a little over a month off from this board except for checking in a couple of times without saying anything. Seems like every time I did a certain someone was missing me because he still has no end to $hit talking me. Oh well it's better than getting ganged up on by 10 guys after a whole bottle of vodka and a bad game. Won't let that happen again though. Actually pretty happy my second favourite team is the Sharks. I was working a lot of afternoon shifts there for a while and the only team still playing when I got home were the Sharks so although they are the enemy this round and this round only it won't kill me as much if they do win(but they won't.). How you been man? How is the prospect of Australian winter affecting you? Has to be better than Canadian weather.

Word around here is that you had a life time ban...
- MattStrat

No ban except the self imposed one. But I'm pretty excited about tonight so I broke my silence.

No ban except the self imposed one. But I'm pretty excited about tonight so I broke my silence.
- Dcoms

Good...get all hands on deck...now jfks, or whatever your name is, if you're out there reading this...start commenting again.

Glad you brought bettors up. That's where the smart money lives in predicting winners not experts as many Pen's fans have been complaining about.

Pens are indeed favored at a -130.
- Mr Ricochet

That really surprises me since just casually asking/reading around it seems like 80% of people either want the Sharks to win or flat out think the sharks are gonna win. And since most people are dummies and bet with their hearts instead of their brains, rooting for a team usually means betting on them.

I like when the Pens play scared -- they play for their hockey lives. Hopefully the Sharks and all the analysts predications are scaring the sh!t out of them so they play like they do when they're down 0-4 going into a third period in game 5 vs. Tampa for the whole series.
- brienstel

The Penguins' strength is that they play "desperate" hockey a majority of the time, not just when they're down big.

It honestly hasn't sunk in yet that today is game day of Game 1 of the SCF and we're playing!

Clear eyes. Full hearts.

Benjamin "the reverend" Lovejoy is on a mission to prove that he was a part of Rutherford's greatest trade....

Benjamin "the reverend" Lovejoy is on a mission to prove that he was a part of Rutherford's greatest trade....
- DeflatedPucks

Haha let's cool it on greatest trade, but he's been very good this offseason. We won't be able to afford to keep him, and I'm fine with that, because that means he's played a good part in bringing us this far. Let's hope he, Cole, and Schultz keep playing at a high level.

Haha let's cool it on greatest trade, but he's been very good this offseason. We won't be able to afford to keep him, and I'm fine with that, because that means he's played a good part in bringing us this far. Let's hope he, Cole, and Schultz keep playing at a high level.
- Victoro311

We won't be able to keep him because Calgary will offer him 3 years x $3 just like they did Engellend

We won't be able to keep him because Calgary will offer him 3 years x $3 just like they did Engellend
- DeflatedPucks

Yeah someone is going to give him a bit of a raise over 1.1 mill with a bit longer than 1 year term I would imagine.

Love watching this 21 yr old kid take down Lundqvist and Holtby. He follows up being replaced in Game 5 by winning two elimination games with a .933 (on the road) and .941 SPG. Sure he could hit a rough patch but his demeanor tells me the big stage won't affect him.

The bigger worry would be he's hung out to dry by a methodical, structured, sniping Sharks group. Simply said the Pens need to play the percentage of the time in the Sharks' zone as they've done all playoffs and if they do that IMO they win.
- Mr Ricochet

thats a fair assessment, The Pens need to skate...thats what they do best, when they keep their legs moving, they are tough to beat. They keep teams in their own zone and force dump outs, which means no sustained break outs...which will limit the Sharks chances. I think the key for the Pens, will to stay out of the box....

Yeah someone is going to give him a bit of a raise over 1.1 mill with a bit longer than 1 year term I would imagine.
- MattStrat

And that team will almost immediately rue the day they got suckered into signing his below average, useless behind.

Lets Go Pens! Spear the Sharks!

And that team will almost immediately rue the day they got suckered into signing his below average, useless behind.
- Dcoms

He's been very good for the Pens the past month or so...hopefully that continues for another two weeks. After that I couldnt care less how he performs wherever he ends up.

That really surprises me since just casually asking/reading around it seems like 80% of people either want the Sharks to win or flat out think the sharks are gonna win. And since most people are dummies and bet with their hearts instead of their brains, rooting for a team usually means betting on them.
- Victoro311

Indeed casual fans with little betting knowledge, or plain homers, bet their team no matter the value of the wager and it can SLIGHTLY skew the line. Notre Dame for instance is usually skewed a point cuz there are SO many fans, but there's a huge amount bet on a ND game. Same for the Cubs or Yankees to win the series. This isn't so for NHL games and the number is fair and unbiased.

The few gamblers who bet the NHL do it to make money so those are the sharpies, not so much a fan of a certain team, and they have the Pens favored so no bias.

Indeed casual fans with little betting knowledge, or plain homers, bet their team no matter the value of the wager and it can SLIGHTLY skew the line. Notre Dame for instance is usually skewed a point cuz there are SO many fans, but there's a huge amount bet on a ND game. Same for the Cubs or Yankees to win the series. This isn't so for NHL games and the number is fair and unbiased.

The few gamblers who bet the NHL do it to make money so those are the sharpies, not so much a fan of a certain team, and they have the Pens favored so no bias.
- Mr Ricochet

Yeah I guess as an ND fan I'm used to lines being out of whack. I'm only an entry level sports gambler and don't like betting big games.

thats a fair assessment, The Pens need to skate...thats what they do best, when they keep their legs moving, they are tough to beat. They keep teams in their own zone and force dump outs, which means no sustained break outs...which will limit the Sharks chances. I think the key for the Pens, will to stay out of the box....
- Thorny

I'm a season ticket holder for the Hawks since 2007, sit front row 3rd level. I can say with certainty that since then the most structured methodical teams since then, watching live from above, are the Kings, Sharks and Blues. They dissect more than attack and if the Hawks lost position, structure or ran around they'd get beat.

The Hawks are a speed possession team but most, including their own fans, don't realize that their structure more than anything allowed them to play fast and when they win cups at warp speed........The Sharks, like the Kings, play fast not because they have a group of burners but cuz they play structured and crisp.

My concern with the Pens, even before the Daley injury, was their young defense in front of a 21 yr old goalie but they've proven that concern moot beating two world class goalies and the President's Cup winners.

Structure, positioning and systeming can beat speed if the speed isn't smart, but again the Pens have proven that they can beat a defense first system that WSH and NYR plays and Cooper's Bolts play a D first system too.

8 hours before puck drop and I'm still scratching a hole in my head.

I'm a season ticket holder for the Hawks since 2007, sit front row 3rd level. I can say with certainty that since then the most structured methodical teams since then, watching live from above, are the Kings, Sharks and Blues. They dissect more than attack and if the Hawks lost position, structure or ran around they'd get beat.

The Hawks are a speed possession team but most, including their own fans, don't realize that their structure more than anything allowed them to play fast and when they win cups at warp speed........The Sharks, like the Kings, play fast not because they have a group of burners but cuz they play structured and crisp.

My concern with the Pens, even before the Daley injury, was their young defense in front of a 21 yr old goalie but they've proven that concern moot beating two world class goalies and the President's Cup winners.

Structure, positioning and systeming can beat speed if the speed isn't smart, but again the Pens have proven that they can beat a defense first system that WSH and NYR plays and Cooper's Bolts play a D first system too.

8 hours before puck drop and I'm still scratching a hole in my head.
- Mr Ricochet

I don't think Game 1 will give you many answers either. These teams aren't gonna know what to do with each other when they first meet. Neither team has played anything like the other. There will be a feeling out process.

Thank you Bob McKenzie for the heart palpitations.

Here is a very good analysis of the series by Sports Illustrated.

http://www.si.com/nhl/201...harks-pittsburgh-penguins

Every one keeps saying who the sharks beat. How bout the pens beating "the best" goalie of his generation in the king. Th e presidents trophy winners and the team that represented the east in the finals last year.

If we can keep their shot totals down, like we have everyone we faced, and pepper their mediocre goalie with 40 a game, we will win this series in 5.

My prediction is 7 though. We will lay an egg or 2...we always do.