The Predictor Pulls A Coin Out Of His WHAT???

Yes that is my wife, Dawn, on the left. She would be the diehard Anaheim Ducks fan that swept me off my feet. Sometimes they say the best thing is just to go with your wife’s instinct. So after a lengthy discussion and much going back and forth….we went over what we thought were keys in the game.

Detroit’s Keys:

1. Puck Possession
2. Keep the momentum from the end of Game 3.
3. Better focus from the blueline and Osgood.

Pittsburgh’s Keys

1. Continued brilliance from Fleury
2. Crosby-Malkin-Hossa being active in the box score
3. Stay out of the penalty box.

The strange thing is Pittsburgh did not need a 60 minute effort against Detroit in Game 3 because Detroit was uncharacteristically poor in their own end. That happens again and this goes back to Joe Louis tied at 2. This game seems destined to go Pittsburgh’s way just from what I’ve been reading. Even Evgeni Malkin looks the best he has in practice in weeks according to Going Five Hole’s Sean Leahy. We will see what happens there at least.

Overall the wife and I both agree that this thing is going back to Joe Louis tied at 2 but I think Detroit again finds a way to make this interesting in the third period before bowing out to the buzzing home crowd and Penguins at the Mellon.

Penguins 4 Red Wings 2

I almost forgot…as a bit of a parting……highlights from Game 3….enjoy!

Wild One Just Outside Chicago…

For those of you who have The NHL Network in the US….there was a hell of a game tonight at the Allstate Arena outside Chicago…with the Chicago Wolves taking a hard fought 5-4 decision over Wilkes Barre-Scranton in Game 1 of the Calder Cup Finals (AHL).

Just for the record, I thoroughly enjoyed the NHL Network’s coverage of the game.  That and it didn’t hurt to love the up and down flow of the game.  Yes there were mistakes and some costly ones.   But the most enjoyable thing about watching minor league hockey is that familial crowd feel that you get watching any game.  You really do feel like you are right there at the arena with the fans.  It is that emotion that you don’t always get even in Stanley Cup Finals games that keeps you coming back for more.

This game had everything..timely goaltending, lots of great scoring chances and even a penalty shot.  Yes for the first time since 1998, there was a penalty shot in the Calder Cup Finals.  Sure it was missed but I was kind of rooting for it to go in…too bad it went just a bit high.  That is the type of hockey you like to see.  Shots on goal were 36-34 for the Wolves but the intensity is what made this a great Game 1.

The ebb and flow also helped.  Chicago went up 3-0…then Wilkes Barre stormed back to cut the deficit to 4-3 after two.  Unfortunately for them, Chicago had a little more in the tank when Bryan Little scored the eventual gamewinner in the third.  WBS scored to make it 5-4 but could not get the equalizer as it seemed Chicago and particularly Jason Krog was controlling the action.  Krog is an ex-NHL’er who is mentoring the youngsters in Chicago so they can make that next step into the NHL.  He was also a member of the 2002-03 Anaheim Ducks once upon a time ago.  His intelligence and on-ice x’s and o’s makes up for any deficiencies at least in the AHL.  His 112 pts in 80 games is an attest to that…and oh yeah he has 28 points in the playoffs (2 assists tonight).

The other quirky story is Joel Kwiatkowski.  Given up for dead in NHL circles…he has made a comfortable niche in Chicago as well.  He bounced around alot in the NHL (Ott, Pitt, Wash, Fla, ATL) but had 50 pts this season for the Wolves and has 17 in the playoffs including 8 in his last 5 games.  That five game streak is a record for defensemen by the way.  With vets like these two, it is no question the Wolves are just three wins away from the Calder Cup.

Add in some solid youngsters and that is why I think ultimately when all is said and done…the Chicago Wolves will be raising the Calder Cup…hopefully nothing happens to the Cup itself.

The Turkey’s On ME!

Well tonight I guess, the turkey is on me. I predicted earlier tonight that the Red Wings would defeat the Penguins 3-2. I apparently got my signals crossed because the Penguins beat the Red Wings 3-2. Crosby getting on the scoreboard was a given but Hossa being a playmaker wasn’t. Marian Hossa had two big assists on those two Crosby goals.

Strangely enough it was Detroit who made the mistakes tonight. Though some would argue the call that led to the second Pittsburgh call was a bit marginal. The bottom line is that Detroit’s Penalty Kill cracked for the first time in the series. Even Datsyuk and Zetterberg were on the ice for Pittsburgh’s first goal…a sign that it really wasn’t Detroit’s night. The Adam Hall goal was icing on the cake…Osgood should have had that one no question.

Now all was not perfect for the Penguins and really they do have some considerable concerns going into Game 4. Detroit pounded 16 shots on Fleury in the third…now Fleury only gave up one goal and was amazing in net…but that relentless puck possession started to tire Pittsburgh out. Another few minutes and this game would have gone into Overtime.

So who were the turkeys tonight? A quick three if you will.

1. Chris Osgood — for allowing that Adam Hall goal.
2. Evgeni Malkin — for still being pointless.
3. Datsyuk and Zetterberg — for having a rare off night.

Well there are two days off…how ever will we fill the time you may ask? I want to know what the reader really thinks of these Stanley Cup Finals…so fire away!!  I will answer your questions and comments as fast as I can.

Sincerely,

Chris

The Playoff Predictor Hits Pittsburgh….

(Jill_tski/flickr.com)

As the scene shifts to Pittsburgh, above is center ice at Mellon Arena.  Legend has it that Pittsburgh is undefeated at home.  Well that will be put to the test tomorrow evening as the Detroit Red Wings come to town.  The Red Wings have won a road game in every round actually (5 wins total).  That is not surprising really considering they won the Presidents Trophy with a road record of 25-12-4.  The only team better on the road was San Jose (27-10-4).

The twist is Pittsburgh (26-10-5) at home is one of the best teams at home and undefeated in the playoffs at the friendly confines.  The team plays much better there and they will need the crowd to be at their loudest if they expect to win Game 3.  Maybe Evgeni Malkin can rediscover the magic from earlier in the playoffs and hopefully Marian Hossa  can make an impact.  This has been well documented in most circles but especially on The NHL Arena Program.

I have gone over in previous posts what Pittsburgh needs to do.  Now, the first goal is so obviously paramount that it is downright scary.  The Penguins really need to get one past Osgood and quickly.  The longer they go scoreless in this game…the longer the agony Pittsburgh fans will feel and well the players too.

How are they going to score first?  STOP SHOOTING WIDE!  If you watched the first two games…there were a number of chances where Pittsburgh did have glorious scoring chances but could not hit the net on 2nd shot opportunities or in the prime scoring areas thus making Chris Osgood’s life easier than can be.  Crosby, Talbot, Malone, Malkin, Hossa, and others have suddenly found their sticks break or shots shanked when so close to hitting the back of the net.

One problem with all of this….Detroit is just too good defensively.  However, maybe deliberately shooting wide instead of shanking could work.  Time will tell but right now I just do not see Pittsburgh pulling this one out Wednesday Night.  They will get really close in this one and will score at least once but it will not be enough as the hole gets deeper.

Prediction:  Detroit 3  Pittsburgh 2

Halfway Home….

(Getty Images/Yahoo)

A Happy Wings team halfway there….

Give Detroit a ton of credit here…they are the teacher here and Pittsburgh is the pupil much like the Islanders of the 1980’s and the Wings of 10 years ago. Brad Stuart tallied first on a shot where he skated back just a bit then fired…that caught Marc-Andre Fleury off guard. Once Detroit went up 1-0…it looked like Pittsburgh just fell backwards again. It didn’t hurt that it took nearly 9:00 for Pittsburgh even to get a shot on goal on Chris Osgood..

Tomas Holmstrom would add a goal (from in close that counted this time) late in the first to make it 2-0 and really after that you could have turned the television off. Surely Gary Bettman had to have an acute case of heartburn after seeing this game. Thoughts of high octane offense on both sides has melted into a Detroit puck possession clinic where Pittsburgh has few answers but much yapping to do.

Then in the third…Val Filppula scored on a 4 on 4 situation with much help from The Mule (Johan Franzen) and Brad Stuart. At 3-0…the Penguins were reduced to trying to be physical for a change and finally they responded but in a bad bad way. Ryan Malone killed any hopes of a Pens comeback when he ran into Osgood while the Penguins were on a man advantage. Detroit scored just 44 seconds later.

At this point all Detroit has to do is keep on keeping on. Yes Pittsburgh will have the advantage with line changes…BUT Detroit truly has experience on their side.  Will the result change Wednesday, find out on NBC.

Flying High In MoTown!!!

The Red Wings took game 2 on Monday night 3-0. The Pens looked aware, but a sleep at trying to score goals.

Detroit had a very busy couple of days hosting the Stanley Cup Finals and the Eastern Confrence Finals between the Celtics and the Pistons. between the fights and the penalties that were in game 2, I have to say what a game it was on Monday.

There were so many fights and so much talkin I was wondering that maybe this was WWF smack down in hockey style.

Now I know their playing for the biggest trophy in hockey, but I guess you can’t blame them when it comes to Lords Stanley’s Cup you just sometimes have to drop the gloves and fight it out, to see who wants it more.

Although the Pens did seem like they might have been starting to make a comeback in the third, I doubted it after one of the players on the Penguins was called for goalie interference.

Malkin and Crosby seemed to be alert on trying to score goals, but the defense of the Red Wings kust were to much to handle.

I really think that the Red Wings will sweep the Penguins if the Pens don’t start shuting them down and start slowing it down a bit.

The Pens need to stop talking trash with the Wings and start performing as if in fact they are Eastern Confrence Champs.

Because honestly if they keep on talking trash with their mouths, they will see their hopes and dreams of becoming the NHL Champs sweeped away by the the MoTown Wings.

GO PENS!!!

Hail To The Predictor??? Not quite!

No pretty pictures, links, etc today….just something right to the point.  People have been asking me all day so okay the Wings got the upper hand on the Penguins in Game 1 and just played smarter.  Many have asked if they can continue it in Game 2.  It does pose a very interesting side question.  Can the Penguins figure out a way to control the puck and then actually get shots on net?

A nice little stat I forgot was that a majority of shots either missed the net or were blocked.  That is simply unacceptable in the minds of many Penguin fans and I am sure players and coaches as well.  Really Maggie the Monkey could have told you the Wings were going to win Game 1…hell an upside down sleeping dog could have done the same honestly.  So telling you the Wings were going to go up 1-0 was really not very hard at all.

Predicting Game 2 will be a little harder….however, the status of Johan Franzen is questionable but the Penguins have taken out Georges Laraque and in his place will be Gary Roberts.  Combine Roberts being in there with Talbot being put on the Crosby line and I do think you will indeed see a very different Penguins team.  The Wings will be in for a fight.

In the end though…I still see the Wings prevailing although it being very close.  Their puck possession and the home crowd will be just a little too much.

Detroit 3  Pittsburgh 2

I am wondering what fellow Fanboomer Eric Dorman thinks about this.

Samuelsson WHO??? Pittsburgh Finds Out Hard Way!

Mikael Samuelsson…now Pittsburgh knows your name. After a far side errant pass and Malkin fumbling the puck around like a lobster on ice…the Stanley Cup Finals changed instantly. The numbers you need to know for Samuelsson tonight…..

2 goals…5 shots..+2…..

Now it wasn’t just the goals but the timing. It is all about timing and momentum in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and really the Penguins lost a golden opportunity. They had 12 shots on goal in the first period and had several surefire chances to net the first goal but failed to do so. After that, the Detroit Red Wings used their “Lock” and stifled the Penguins into submission…unleashing their own barage led by the Samuelsson that played for Pittsburgh but hey they forgot to put him in their alumni books. Apparently that is a bad no-no in the world of strange karma.

The puck possession game was led by guys like Samuelsson and Daniel Cleary. Scary part for the Penguins is Johan Franzen should be in the lineup for Game 2. The mule is a playoff beast this year and has the mentality to be at the right place at the right time in prime goal scoring areas. Pittsburgh needs to get this thing in gear and the guy that was traded for the pick that was eventually Marc-Andre Fleury sure found a way to abuse him tonight not once but two times.

Pittsburgh needs to scrap what it did in Game 1 and be more disciplined while Detroit just needs to do what it did in the last 40. Game 2 surely will be a closer affair than Game 1…the question being how much closer? That answer lies with the coaching staff of the Pens. 4-0 is simply not acceptable for a fan expecting a closer series.

Wings Of Wisdom

Wow, well what a game one. The Red Wings put on quite a hell of a show Saturday night, and man the Pens looked a sleep. Osgood looked really good and I bet the 4-0 sweep by the Wings Saturday night puts quiet a swing in momentum going on their favor. It’s really no surprise that the Red Wings won game one I knew they would and while I am cheering for the Pens to win it all, after seeing game one I don’t know if anyteam can stop the Wings.

Samuelsson doubled his playoff goal total to two goals in the biggest game of his five years career. He had been dropped to the Wings thrid line earlier in the playoffs,

but tonight he played great.  Detroit overpowered golaie Marc-Andre Fleury with a 36 shot barrage. Osgood already had tow post season shutouts 12 in his palyoff career, not bad for 12 year vet. The Wings are lead by seven sweads, and by their most notable captian Nicklas Lidstrom on defense and don’t forget their great  forwards Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen. Anways what a game on Staurday night and man the pens now have to rebound from this emabrassing loss to the Wings, but the question is how will they stop the high powering Wings, or even get the puck passed Osgood? Game 2 is Monday and I look for Detroit to take a commanding two game lead in the series against the Pens.

 

GO PENS!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Finals Are Here…Time To Bring It!

Time to put the thinking cap on at long last.  Days and days of preparing and contemplating have come down to a scant amount of hours before the puck is dropped.  I can’t help but to look back at last year and how happy my wife was to see her team win their first ever Stanley Cup.  Being a Devils fan, sometimes I take these things for granted…but I think I appreciated her team winning the cup even more so.  Sounds odd, doesn’t it?  Well not really.  Age and wisdom have a funny way of rearing their heads at the least expected times.

Last year was also different because my prediction rate was something extraordinary.  Without looking too far back….I was right around 75%.  This year after last round’s horrific 5-6 showing…I am just 47-32 and that is right around 59%…OUCH!  I have to make this right somehow I suppose and that is never easy.  Because if you truly overthink something…you will most certainly lose.  What is really weird this year is in all three rounds…I have started out on fire (10-2, 5-0, and 4-0 respectively) only to come back to Earth at a dizzying rate.

This came seems to come down to who will get that first goal.  Both teams are dominant when scoring first and they will also try to be extra cautious in the first twenty minutes as they get used to playing each other.  Remember the Wings and Penguins never did face each other this year.  There are some old rivals who have played on other teams so for some, the pleasantries will be exchanged just a bit earlier.

Just to throw this out there but Gary Roberts (pneumonia) and Johan Franzen (concussion-like symptoms) will both be out of Game 1.  They are said to be doing better but are being held out of the lineup coincidentally because the coaches feel they are out of shape just a bit.  Go figure!  Now what I truly enjoy is the coach who takes the heat for holding them out…I actually have quite a bit of respect for both in making wise decisions…even if the players are itching to get out there.

That being said….someone has to win here…and I can see Datsyuk and Zetterberg stepping up just a hair bigger in this first one.  Not that the Penguins will keep this close, oh they surely will.  I think Detroit eeks this one out by the slimmest of margins.  In the end, the mobile defensemen of Detroit make the difference.

Detroit 4  Pittsburgh 3

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