So what you're saying is you can't do it? I don't blame you, because it's impossible. I'm not all for a team of goons, but this team is beyond soft.
- jmatchett383

I'm just doing everything I can to not make a joke right now... because I spent my seriousness debating against adding another winger to this team.

28 fan bases will disagree. Take off the black and gold glasses.
- jmatchett383

Pretty sure you will find most of those fanbases arguing both our team's top Dman sucks and theirs is better

Mcdonagh, Girardi, and Staal all blow letang away in terms of play in their own zone. Girardi, Staal, and Mcdonagh are all elite at defense. Not sure what makes you think Martin is better than Girardi or Staal?

Skipped through the pissing and moaning just to post about Farnham being in the lineup vs philly tonight

Now to go catch up on how everyone's erections I mean eye tests trump all.
- ImScore71

Check the first page, about the 7th post. I beat you to that

Rangers have had a top 5 defense in the league for close to half a decade now. You're high.
- RAGSareDANGERus

Goaltending.... Hank has the best save percentage in the league over the last five years. Which means he is making your D look that much better. McD is a true talent, Klien is having a good season, Staal is overrated and Girardi is slightly above average.

Mcdonagh, Girardi, and Staal all blow letang away in terms of play in their own zone. Girardi, Staal, and Mcdonagh are all elite at defense. Not sure what makes you think Martin is better than Girardi or Staal?
- RAGSareDANGERus

Okay, you went too far. McDonagh, I'll give you. I'd take Letang over the rest of the D. That's no shot at the D, just how it is.

And please don't use the lone example of the Nash goal against Letang, because I could (and won't) search youtube to find a bad play by McDonagh.

McDonagh - Girardi
Staal - Boyle

Not really a debate. Maatta is good but he's no Girardi or Staal yet. Probably not even Klein.
- RAGSareDANGERus

I hope that Maatta never becomes a Staal, he is so overrated it's not even funny. McDonagh and Girardi though are studs. But I do agree that Maatta has not yet proven himself... I want to see another full season or 2 out of him before I believe he can be fully evaluated.

Advanced stats are to hockey fans, are what thick black rimmed glasses and beards are to hipsters.


Someday we will all laugh about them both.

Advanced statisticians are the hipsters of hockey


F The Flyers
- nbartley9

This is good.

F The Flyers

Goaltending.... Hank has the best save percentage in the league over the last five years. Which means he is making your D look that much better. McD is a true talent, Klien is having a good season, Staal is overrated and Girardi is slightly above average.
- usethe1-2-2

Or does the defense means that he sees easier shots to stop than both teams?

Not saying you're wrong, just that one is a reflection of the other and that it can go both ways.

Edit: Girardi is far from "slightly above average."

Goaltending.... Hank has the best save percentage in the league over the last five years. Which means he is making your D look that much better. McD is a true talent, Klien is having a good season, Staal is overrated and Girardi is slightly above average.
- usethe1-2-2

Yes because a good defense doesn't help hanks numbers.

Okay, you went too far. McDonagh, I'll give you. I'd take Letang over the rest of the D. That's no shot at the D, just how it is.

And please don't use the lone example of the Nash goal against Letang, because I could (and won't) search youtube to find a bad play by McDonagh.
- jmatchett383

Girardi and Staal are better than Letang at defending. It's really not an asinine statement. You won't find many defensemen better than Girardi or Staal at playing in their own zone. The minutes they face on a nightly basis against the top players in the world and the success they have speaks for itself.

You think Staal is overrated but do you not remember him absolutely shutting down Crosby in the playoffs last year?

Not really. Career wise, Goc has scored 15 more points than Sutter in 146 more games.
- cap1681

Touché. When you right, you right. I was more or less just comparing the last 5 or so years.. which I guess isn't fair to Sutter, as that would be Goc at the age of 25 and older, as Sutter is just now 25.

Girardi and Staal are better than Letang at defending. It's really not an asinine statement. You won't find many defensemen better than Girardi or Staal at playing in their own zone. The minutes they face on a nightly basis against the top players in the world and the success they have speaks for itself.

You think Staal is overrated but do you not remember him absolutely shutting down Crosby in the playoffs last year?
- RAGSareDANGERus

I don't remember Stall shutting him down, because I don't remember pairing matchups of a team I hate from last April. Sorry.

Sorry, I thought you said all 3 were better than Letang and were elite, not better at defense. Although I do think you're downplaying Letang's defensive capabilities. Ask Tavares how he liked playing against him in 2013.

Yes because a good defense doesn't help hanks numbers.
- RAGSareDANGERus

Hanks numbers make that D look that much better. Thats it. There is nothing more to say. Hank has consistently been on top of the save % list for like a decade, meaning no matter who was in front of him he was stopping a high % of pucks. One of three truly elite netminders in the game today. He makes them look much better than they really are.

I love McDonagh, legit #1, the rest I'd rather have the Pens top 3 easily

So Josh Yohe thinks that Farnham is going to replace Goc in the lineup tonight.......

Edit: Now Molinari is saying the same thing.

Hanks numbers make that D look that much better. Thats it. There is nothing more to say. Hank has consistently been on top of the save % list for like a decade, meaning no matter who was in front of him he was stopping a high % of pucks. One of three truly elite netminders in the game today. He makes them look much better than they really are.

I love McDonagh, legit #1, the rest I'd rather have the Pens top 3 easily
- usethe1-2-2

Guess that Devils' mid-90's defense sucked. Same with the mid-70's Canadiens defense, the early-90's Chicago defense, and the current-day Kings' defense. It's all Brodeur, Dryden, Belfour, and Quick making their players look good. Can't possibly be that the 2 go hand-in-hand.

Have you not followed Dupuis after his last injury? A lot of us were questioning his ability to return to full form, myself included. He looked great here this season. If anyone is going to return, AGAIN, without slowing down, it would be him. He also isn't returning from an injury that was a muscle issue or bone break, hes resting and doing cardio. Just can't take contact until May (depending on how he recovers timeline wise).
- Guile

This isnt an injury. It's a blood clot. It's his second blood clot. He has a family. It's not so black and white as you make it seem. Vokoun, while older, never came back from this.

I wouldn't count make roster decisions assuming that he's coming back. I'd rather be prepared for the worst and hope for the best.

Guess that Devils' mid-90's defense sucked. Same with the mid-70's Canadiens defense, the early-90's Chicago defense, and the current-day Kings' defense. It's all Brodeur, Dryden, Belfour, and Quick making their players look good. Can't possibly be that the 2 go hand-in-hand.
- jmatchett383

No, that mid 90's devils team had an amazing defense, they held the oppostion to some of the lowest shot totals ever recorded. Marty almost never had a high save %, low 920's *regular season his playoffs were high 920's

*also, the 13-14 kings were amazing on D, the 11-12 were back stopped by arguably the best goaltending performance in modern playoff history.

I don't remember Stall shutting him down, because I don't remember pairing matchups of a team I hate from last April. Sorry.

Sorry, I thought you said all 3 were better than Letang, not better at defense. Although I do think you're downplaying Letang's defensive capabilities. Ask Tavares how he liked playing against him in 2013.
- jmatchett383

I don't think Letang is a slouch defensively. It's just that girardis and staals bread and butter is their defending.

No, that mid 90's devils team had an amazing defense, they held the oppostion to some of the lowest shot totals ever recorded. Marty almost never had a high save %, low 920's *regular season his playoffs were high 920's
- usethe1-2-2

So you're saying that his 4 Vezina Trophies and 5 Jennings Trophies are all a product of his defense?

I don't remember Stall shutting him down, because I don't remember pairing matchups of a team I hate from last April. Sorry.

Sorry, I thought you said all 3 were better than Letang and were elite, not better at defense. Although I do think you're downplaying Letang's defensive capabilities. Ask Tavares how he liked playing against him in 2013.
- jmatchett383

Pretty sure pens fans called the cops on Staal for him "breaking crosbys spine"

This isnt an injury. It's a blood clot. It's his second blood clot. He has a family. It's not so black and white as you make it seem. Vokoun, while older, never came back from this.

I wouldn't count make roster decisions assuming that he's coming back. I'd rather be prepared for the worst and hope for the best.
- YouMeAndDupuis9

Volkun did attempt to return, but no team picked him up and he moved back home. Dupuis will return if he is capable, he lives to play the game.

But to be fair... if he doesn't return, how does that affect us cap wise? I am not 100% clear on how that would work for a retirement with money still on the books. If that would give us his space free and clear... hell, I STILL say we are not in need of another winger.

Girardi and Staal are better than Letang at defending. It's really not an asinine statement. You won't find many defensemen better than Girardi or Staal at playing in their own zone. The minutes they face on a nightly basis against the top players in the world and the success they have speaks for itself.

You think Staal is overrated but do you not remember him absolutely shutting down Crosby in the playoffs last year?
- RAGSareDANGERus

Well considering Sid was playing with a wrist injury and was STILL generating chances all playoffs long, the only thing that was missing was his shot, I would attribute his lack of production more to the stellar goaltending of Hank as well as the people on the receiving end of Crosby's passes unable to finish. The chances were there all playoffs long, they just didn't go in, much like Rick Nash's playoffs... He had a ton of chances, just couldn't put the biscuit in the basket.

I don't think Letang is a slouch defensively. It's just that girardis and staals bread and butter is their defending.
- RAGSareDANGERus

Like I said, I misread that. Yes, they are better (maybe not "elite") than Letang at defending. But you do make it sound like Letang is some horrible defensive player, while he is quite above-average.

Pretty sure pens fans called the cops on Staal for him "breaking crosbys spine"
- RAGSareDANGERus

Lets not go there... no one is going to defend those crosschecks. They were as cheap and uneeded as they come.