he's got draymond backing him
- 2Real

Can you break character for one post and just let me know if you're nervous about this series

Because Curry soft af
- PhillySportsGuy

Kyrie Irving rubbed his manhood all over Curry and his hideous old man shows tonight

i totally get that. and i know you guys have gone in the trenches here about stats one way or the other before so we dont have to totally redredge all of that. my only issue is when someone picks one stat, whatever it is, and tries to hold it out as some dispositive thing. it can be an important piece, but unless its viewed as part of a larger context it just doesnt tell enough of the story for me.

again, thats not the stats fault. theyre only numbers and can only tell you exactly what they are. its up to the viewer to interpret and apply them. for the very same reason people now hate plus/minus, i
- stayinthefnnet

Not all too often do I watch a player for some time and his advanced stats surprise me. They aren't magical conjurations. The best case for them is that they help inform and better how you watch the game. You don't have to be hockey Rain Man, you just have to know what to look for. When a player is a great possession player, it's just a check list of criteria. Take your Pens: they were the poster child of analytical strategies down the stretch. All they were doing, put simply, was checking off a list.

Kyrie Irving rubbed his manhood all over Curry and his hideous old man shoes tonight
- KINGKENZO

Can you break character for one post and just let me know if you're nervous about this series
- PhillySportsGuy

no not at all once draymond comes back all will be well
the only way the warriors would have won tonight was to out gun the cavs and win like 130 - 120 with curry still getting over his injury that wasn't going to happen

by all means, dont let me bring back old tiresome memories then haha not my intention. wasnt under the impression you were peddling anything either.

with the pens not having a first this year, ive largely been slacking on my draft research
- stayinthefnnet

Draft, Schmaft...You have a Cup to celebrate.

What they did, with that D corps, is impressive as Hell. Daley looked reborn. Maatta took another step forward, Letang had a fantastic year, Dumolin's breakout...It was good stuff if you're a Pens fan.

The cupboard may be a little bare, but at the same time, they have the pieces to have another few runs in them, and who knows, maybe they can pull a Blackhawks and get real value for some of the guys who got them the Cup this year and sustain themselves for even longer.

no not at all once draymond comes back all will be well
the only way the warriors would have won tonight was to out gun the cavs and win like 130 - 120 with curry still getting over his injury that wasn't going to happen
- 2Real

Ty. Now back to your regularly scheduled posting

Draft, Schmaft...You have a Cup to celebrate.

What they did, with that D corps, is impressive as Hell. Daley looked reborn. Maatta took another step forward, Letang had a fantastic year, Dumolin's breakout...It was good stuff if you're a Pens fan.

The cupboard may be a little bare, but at the same time, they have the pieces to have another few runs in them, and who knows, maybe they can pull a Blackhawks and get real value for some of the guys who got them the Cup this year and sustain themselves for even longer.
- Jsaquella

Can't forget #4 prospect in the world Daniel Sprong

Not all too often do I watch a player for some time and his advanced stats surprise me. They aren't magical conjurations. The best case for them is that they help inform and better how you watch the game. You don't have to be hockey Rain Man, you just have to know what to look for. When a player is a great possession player, it's just a check list of criteria. Take your Pens: they were the poster child of analytical strategies down the stretch. All they were doing, put simply as possible, was checking off a list.
- Mononoke

i think this is all fair and level headed. i'm not anti use of stats at all. i just cant see any one stat as dispositive of anything on its own, thats all.

Draft, Schmaft...You have a Cup to celebrate.

What they did, with that D corps, is impressive as Hell. Daley looked reborn. Maatta took another step forward, Letang had a fantastic year, Dumolin's breakout...It was good stuff if you're a Pens fan.

The cupboard may be a little bare, but at the same time, they have the pieces to have another few runs in them, and who knows, maybe they can pull a Blackhawks and get real value for some of the guys who got them the Cup this year and sustain themselves for even longer.
- Jsaquella

(frank)ing 'roids

Can't forget #4 prospect in the world Daniel Sprong
- Mononoke

he's caught in no mans land right now with the CHL transfer agreement. he would get eaten alive defensively in the pros, but hes not going to learn much more in the Q. i'd love to get him a year in the AHL.

Draft, Schmaft...You have a Cup to celebrate.

What they did, with that D corps, is impressive as Hell. Daley looked reborn. Maatta took another step forward, Letang had a fantastic year, Dumolin's breakout...It was good stuff if you're a Pens fan.

The cupboard may be a little bare, but at the same time, they have the pieces to have another few runs in them, and who knows, maybe they can pull a Blackhawks and get real value for some of the guys who got them the Cup this year and sustain themselves for even longer.
- Jsaquella

dumolin has become one of the top 4 or 5 most important guys on the team. he's more important than maatta in my mind, without question.

Can't forget #4 prospect in the world Daniel Sprong
- Mononoke

Yeah, but after him and maybe Jake Guentzel and Tristan Jarry, you're looking at depth guys and bottom sixers. Pouliot should be able to step in full time next season, too-and he's a really good offensive D.

dumolin has become one of the top 4 or 5 most important guys on the team. he's more important than maatta in my mind, without question.
- stayinthefnnet

The strides he's made in the last 6-12 months have been staggering. He's become a really solid player. I figured he might be a solid 4-5 one day. Now he's basically the Pens number 2 behind Letang.

i think this is all fair and level headed. i'm not anti use of stats at all. i just cant see any one stat as dispositive of anything on its own, thats all.
- stayinthefnnet

I think those of use who trade in them here are quite fair tbh. We are using handfuls of them to make claims. Corsi For % is completely worthless on its own. Combine that with controlled entries, controlled exits, NZ/DZ/OZ score, quality of competition/teammate, remaldoheart%, scoring chances, high scoring chances, relative stats, zone/score adjusted stats, expected goals/against, etc....then you're getting somewhere.

The strides he's made in the last 6-12 months have been staggering. He's become a really solid player. I figured he might be a solid 4-5 one day. Now he's basically the Pens number 2 behind Letang.
- Jsaquella

He was the throw-in to the Staal trade too.

He was the throw-in to the Staal trade too.
- Mononoke

yeah. for all the praise old man ruth has gotten, shero basically extorted him into tacking him on all while bidding against himself for staal.

i wouldnt trade dumo back for staal one for one right now, and i love staal

I think those of use who trade in them here are quite fair tbh. We are using handfuls of them to make claims. Corsi For % is completely worthless on its own. Combine that with controlled entries, controlled exits, NZ/DZ/OZ score, quality of competition/teammate, remaldoheart%, scoring chances, high scoring chances, relative stats, zone/score adjusted stats, expected goals/against, etc....then you're getting somewhere.
- Mononoke

i'm gonna need to see some graphs.

He was the throw-in to the Staal trade too.
- Mononoke

More or less, he was definitely a secondary piece at best.

i'm gonna need to see some graphs.
- stayinthefnnet

Yeah, but after him and maybe Jake Guentzel and Tristan Jarry, you're looking at depth guys and bottom sixers. Pouliot should be able to step in full time next season, too-and he's a really good offensive D.
- Jsaquella

pouliot is a tricky one. i honestly don't know what to make of him at this point.

its weird to say with the teams having crosby, malkin, and giroux, but at some point the teams need a center prospect. i do realize its hard to get those types of A grade center prospects without early picks, although the flyers have traditionally done very well for themselves.

i think both teams went so heavy on D for a few years that now their cupboards are skewed the other way.

More or less, he was definitely a secondary piece at best.
- Jsaquella

yeah, he was the "toss him in because i have the only other team that has a staal on it on the other line".

shero had his flaws, but the dude could trade.

It's funny that the Staal trade, which no doubt hurt their Cup chances in previous years, ended up eventually netting them key components to win this one in Bonino and Dumoulin. Whatever you think about the value(s) in a vacuum, and I remain skeptical of the net return, it worked.

pouliot is a tricky one. i honestly don't know what to make of him at this point.

its weird to say with the teams having crosby, malkin, and giroux, but at some point the teams need a center prospect. i do realize its hard to get those types of A grade center prospects without early picks, although the flyers have traditionally done very well for themselves.

i think both teams went so heavy on D for a few years that now their cupboards are skewed the other way.
- stayinthefnnet

They will need to start keeping an eye on the future from here on out, to avoid being a one and done team.

Who knows, maybe they deal a big name and load up on great prospects.

yeah. for all the praise old man ruth has gotten
- stayinthefnnet

Rutherford's work as GM since his hiring felt like a Charlie Chaplin movie. He looked like a doofus putzing around -- and he kind of was a doofus putzing around -- but somehow things worked out in spite of it all.

Now someone in the organization needs to tell him to cash in his chips and gtfo.