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TSB prepares the annual NHL playoff preview. Calamity ensues.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
First Four Series Playoff Predictions
This will be quick, as I want to get these in before 7:00.
(2) Washington Capitals v. (7) New York Rangers
The Capitals had a great season, and truly look to be on the same path as the Penguins, but a year behind (as Rob has said several times on the show). Offensively, it is hard to compete with the likes of Ovechkin, Semin, Backstrom and even Green on the back-end, especially when you put the Rangers meager offensive corps up against those players.
The Rangers have the edge in goal with Henrik Lundqvist, but it won't be enough in this series.
The Capitals in 5 games.
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(4) Pittsburgh Penguins v. (5) Philadelphia Flyers
(I will edit in the matchup info later on.)
The Penguins in 7 games.
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(3) New Jersey Devils v. (6) Carolina Hurricanes
(I will edit in the matchup info later on.)
The Hurricanes in 6 games.
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(3) Vancouver Canucks v. (6) St. Louis Blues
(I will edit in the matchup info later on.)
The Blues in 6 games.
---------------------------------------
Edits to come, wanted to get the predictions in before the playoffs officially started.
(2) Washington Capitals v. (7) New York Rangers
The Capitals had a great season, and truly look to be on the same path as the Penguins, but a year behind (as Rob has said several times on the show). Offensively, it is hard to compete with the likes of Ovechkin, Semin, Backstrom and even Green on the back-end, especially when you put the Rangers meager offensive corps up against those players.
The Rangers have the edge in goal with Henrik Lundqvist, but it won't be enough in this series.
The Capitals in 5 games.
---------------------------------------
(4) Pittsburgh Penguins v. (5) Philadelphia Flyers
(I will edit in the matchup info later on.)
The Penguins in 7 games.
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(3) New Jersey Devils v. (6) Carolina Hurricanes
(I will edit in the matchup info later on.)
The Hurricanes in 6 games.
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(3) Vancouver Canucks v. (6) St. Louis Blues
(I will edit in the matchup info later on.)
The Blues in 6 games.
---------------------------------------
Edits to come, wanted to get the predictions in before the playoffs officially started.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Richards and Crosby: A Rivalry That Is Just Beginning
When the NHL lost its entire 2004-2005 season due to lockout between the owners and the players union, it was the darkest year in the sports history. However, as Commissioner Gary Bettman and then Executive Director of the NHLPA Bob Goodenow finally reached an agreement, they had a “savior” making his way to the ice.
When the 2005 NHL Draft was held on July 30 in Ottawa, it was no secret who Penguins owner Mario Lemieux was going to select with his first overall pick.
Sidney Crosby, since the lockout, has been the most popular player in the NHL as it was thought to be when he entered the league as an 18 year old rookie.
The hype of Crosby was held up by his incredible ability to score and still holds true to this day.
In what could be arguably the greatest junior career in hockey history, Crosby recorded 86 goals and 96 assists for an amazing 182 points with the Cole Harbour Red Wings in 2000-2001 as a 14 year old.
The next season as he played midget AAA with the Dartmouth Subways, Crosby didn’t even think about cooling off, pounding home 95 goals along with 98 assists for 193 points. He also added 24 playoff points for a grand total of 217.
He entered the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) in 2003-04 already internationally known as “the next best thing.”
He won two MVP awards in addition to two Offensive Player of the Year awards as a member of the Rimouski Oceanic in 2004 and 2005. He recorded a whopping 120 goals and 183 assists in only 121 career games.
With the NHL taking a nose dive in popularity in 2005, Sid “the Kid” was on his way to Pittsburgh being selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins first round, first overall.
While Crosby was shining with Romouski in 2003, his soon to be arch rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers, drafted another Canadian center by the name of Mike Richards.
If Sidney Crosby was “The Dark Knight” this summer, Mike Richards was “Mamma Mia.”
When Richards was drafted 24th overall by the Flyers in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, he wasn’t even the Flyers top selection. In addition to Richards, the Flyers selected Jeff Carter with the 11th overall pick.
The hype for Crosby in Pittsburgh could have partly been due to the fact the Penguins were in the midst of a five-year basement dwelling in the NHL Standings.
When the NHL draft occurs in June, the Flyers fans are usually still heart broken from a playoff exit and not many people pay as much attention to the draft.
When Richards was selected however, a lot of people felt he had the potential to be “the next Bobby Clarke” in Philadelphia.
After winning a Memorial Cup with the Kitchener Rangers in 2003, Richards was showing the Flyers brass he could be the leader of the organization when he captained Canada to a Gold Medal at the 2005 World Junior Championships with Crosby on his side
Although they were drafted two years apart, Crosby and Richards both made their NHL debuts in 2005-2006, the first post-lockout season.
Richards made an immediate impact in his first game in the orange and black netting his first career goal, but Crosby was the show stopper.
Even though Richards’ Flyers made the post-season in 05-06 and Crosby’s Penguins were in the cellar, if you look at the numbers, it was all Crosby.
Crosby notched 39 goals and 63 assists in his first year in the NHL, placing 2nd in the Calder Trophy voting as the NHL’s Rookie of the Year to Russian sensation Alex Ovechkin.
Across Interstate 76 in Philadelphia, names like Peter Forsberg and Simon Gagne were in the spotlight, while rookie Mike Richards was more of a checking center notching just 11 goals and 23 assists.
The 06-07 season was the resurgence of the Pittsburgh Penguins franchise and one both Richards and the Flyers never want to think about again.
Starting the season 1-6-1, the Flyers decided to fire head coach Ken Hitchcock while long time General Manager Bob Clarke resigned.
As for Richards, it took him to December to score his first goal and he ended the season with not much progression, recording 10 goals and 22 assists.
In Pittsburgh, the tandem of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin started to light up arenas bringing the Penguins back to the playoffs for the first time in five years.
Although they were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round, Crosby was proving his critic’s wrong winning the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player as well as the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s leading scorer. Crosby finished the season with 36 goals and 84 assists. In winning all these awards at the age of 20, Crosby became the youngest player in NHL history to accomplish these feats.
Entering the 2007-2008 season, the Flyers were a question mark and the Penguins were a forced to be reckoned with.
However, 07-08 was the season that officially started the Richards-Crosby rivalry and one that will take us through the next decade.
After re-tooling their roster with the additions of Daniel Briere, Kimmo Timonen, Scott Hartnell, Joffrey Lupul and the gritty Jason Smith, the Flyers, who according to Chairman Ed Snider, “do not re-build”, once again had high expectations.
However, no one saw what was coming next; the emergence of Mike Richards.
Richards led the Flyers in points in 2007-08 with 75 despite missing about three weeks of action late in the season. His play rewarded him with a 12-year, $69 million dollar contract and a trip to Atlanta for the all-star game.
Besides scoring points, Richards provided plenty more for a Flyers team that would eventually reach the NHL’s Final Four, before being ousted by the Penguins.
Sidney Crosby is the more prolific scorer, but him and Richards are both very talented hockey players and Richards intangibles sometimes outweigh Crosby’s scoring.
Richards is a much more physical and defensive player then Crosby as well, which doesn’t show up in the box score, but is a tremendously important aspect when guiding a team through the rigid NHL season.
When the teams met in last year’s conference finals, with the Penguins prevailing in five games, this team and individual rivalry really started to heat up.
When the 2008-09 season began, Richards was named the Flyers captain and many people wondered if Richards would continue his excellent play from the year before.
He currently leads the Flyers with 74 points and 46 assists in addition to having a commanding league lead in shorthanded goals with seven.
Once again Crosby leads Richards in points and assists but they are both tied in goals.
Any hockey fan knows that points aren’t everything. Richards is the backbone of the both the Flyers power play and penalty kill which are both ranked in the top six in the league. Richards also isn’t at all shy to drop the gloves or lay someone out, just ask Nikolai Zherdev of the New York Rangers.
Richards could very well be a finalist for this year’s Selke Award which is given to the league’s top defensive forward.
"There's no question in my mind he's in that category (as best defensive forward) because we have him playing against the top players every night and he continues to kill penalties and produce offensively while playing big minutes," Flyers coach John Stevens said. "He's as important to our team as a (Pavel) Datsyuk is to Detroit."
"He has a great understanding of the game at both ends of the ice and he works like a dog all the time; you have to in order to be considered a great defensive forward," said Bob Clarke. "The one other thing that makes him a complete player is the fact he's not a very easy guy to play against."
A perfect example of what Richards does on the ice that everyone may not see is the fact he and the Flyers held both Malkin and Crosby without a shot in Sunday’s 3-1 victory in Pittsburgh.
On the offensive side, the Flyers power play, led by Richards and Kimmo Timonen has scored at least two goals in the Flyers current three game win streak
It’s very possible that Richards and Crosby could meet again in this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs.
As of right now, the Flyers are 4th and the Penguins are 6th, just one point behind Carolina who is 5th.
Rest assured, if these two teams meet, it will only add a few bruises and memories to a rivalry that is just an infant.
Quotes: NHL.com
When the 2005 NHL Draft was held on July 30 in Ottawa, it was no secret who Penguins owner Mario Lemieux was going to select with his first overall pick.
Sidney Crosby, since the lockout, has been the most popular player in the NHL as it was thought to be when he entered the league as an 18 year old rookie.
The hype of Crosby was held up by his incredible ability to score and still holds true to this day.
In what could be arguably the greatest junior career in hockey history, Crosby recorded 86 goals and 96 assists for an amazing 182 points with the Cole Harbour Red Wings in 2000-2001 as a 14 year old.
The next season as he played midget AAA with the Dartmouth Subways, Crosby didn’t even think about cooling off, pounding home 95 goals along with 98 assists for 193 points. He also added 24 playoff points for a grand total of 217.
He entered the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) in 2003-04 already internationally known as “the next best thing.”
He won two MVP awards in addition to two Offensive Player of the Year awards as a member of the Rimouski Oceanic in 2004 and 2005. He recorded a whopping 120 goals and 183 assists in only 121 career games.
With the NHL taking a nose dive in popularity in 2005, Sid “the Kid” was on his way to Pittsburgh being selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins first round, first overall.
While Crosby was shining with Romouski in 2003, his soon to be arch rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers, drafted another Canadian center by the name of Mike Richards.
If Sidney Crosby was “The Dark Knight” this summer, Mike Richards was “Mamma Mia.”
When Richards was drafted 24th overall by the Flyers in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, he wasn’t even the Flyers top selection. In addition to Richards, the Flyers selected Jeff Carter with the 11th overall pick.
The hype for Crosby in Pittsburgh could have partly been due to the fact the Penguins were in the midst of a five-year basement dwelling in the NHL Standings.
When the NHL draft occurs in June, the Flyers fans are usually still heart broken from a playoff exit and not many people pay as much attention to the draft.
When Richards was selected however, a lot of people felt he had the potential to be “the next Bobby Clarke” in Philadelphia.
After winning a Memorial Cup with the Kitchener Rangers in 2003, Richards was showing the Flyers brass he could be the leader of the organization when he captained Canada to a Gold Medal at the 2005 World Junior Championships with Crosby on his side
Although they were drafted two years apart, Crosby and Richards both made their NHL debuts in 2005-2006, the first post-lockout season.
Richards made an immediate impact in his first game in the orange and black netting his first career goal, but Crosby was the show stopper.
Even though Richards’ Flyers made the post-season in 05-06 and Crosby’s Penguins were in the cellar, if you look at the numbers, it was all Crosby.
Crosby notched 39 goals and 63 assists in his first year in the NHL, placing 2nd in the Calder Trophy voting as the NHL’s Rookie of the Year to Russian sensation Alex Ovechkin.
Across Interstate 76 in Philadelphia, names like Peter Forsberg and Simon Gagne were in the spotlight, while rookie Mike Richards was more of a checking center notching just 11 goals and 23 assists.
The 06-07 season was the resurgence of the Pittsburgh Penguins franchise and one both Richards and the Flyers never want to think about again.
Starting the season 1-6-1, the Flyers decided to fire head coach Ken Hitchcock while long time General Manager Bob Clarke resigned.
As for Richards, it took him to December to score his first goal and he ended the season with not much progression, recording 10 goals and 22 assists.
In Pittsburgh, the tandem of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin started to light up arenas bringing the Penguins back to the playoffs for the first time in five years.
Although they were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round, Crosby was proving his critic’s wrong winning the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player as well as the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s leading scorer. Crosby finished the season with 36 goals and 84 assists. In winning all these awards at the age of 20, Crosby became the youngest player in NHL history to accomplish these feats.
Entering the 2007-2008 season, the Flyers were a question mark and the Penguins were a forced to be reckoned with.
However, 07-08 was the season that officially started the Richards-Crosby rivalry and one that will take us through the next decade.
After re-tooling their roster with the additions of Daniel Briere, Kimmo Timonen, Scott Hartnell, Joffrey Lupul and the gritty Jason Smith, the Flyers, who according to Chairman Ed Snider, “do not re-build”, once again had high expectations.
However, no one saw what was coming next; the emergence of Mike Richards.
Richards led the Flyers in points in 2007-08 with 75 despite missing about three weeks of action late in the season. His play rewarded him with a 12-year, $69 million dollar contract and a trip to Atlanta for the all-star game.
Besides scoring points, Richards provided plenty more for a Flyers team that would eventually reach the NHL’s Final Four, before being ousted by the Penguins.
Sidney Crosby is the more prolific scorer, but him and Richards are both very talented hockey players and Richards intangibles sometimes outweigh Crosby’s scoring.
Richards is a much more physical and defensive player then Crosby as well, which doesn’t show up in the box score, but is a tremendously important aspect when guiding a team through the rigid NHL season.
When the teams met in last year’s conference finals, with the Penguins prevailing in five games, this team and individual rivalry really started to heat up.
When the 2008-09 season began, Richards was named the Flyers captain and many people wondered if Richards would continue his excellent play from the year before.
He currently leads the Flyers with 74 points and 46 assists in addition to having a commanding league lead in shorthanded goals with seven.
Once again Crosby leads Richards in points and assists but they are both tied in goals.
Any hockey fan knows that points aren’t everything. Richards is the backbone of the both the Flyers power play and penalty kill which are both ranked in the top six in the league. Richards also isn’t at all shy to drop the gloves or lay someone out, just ask Nikolai Zherdev of the New York Rangers.
Richards could very well be a finalist for this year’s Selke Award which is given to the league’s top defensive forward.
"There's no question in my mind he's in that category (as best defensive forward) because we have him playing against the top players every night and he continues to kill penalties and produce offensively while playing big minutes," Flyers coach John Stevens said. "He's as important to our team as a (Pavel) Datsyuk is to Detroit."
"He has a great understanding of the game at both ends of the ice and he works like a dog all the time; you have to in order to be considered a great defensive forward," said Bob Clarke. "The one other thing that makes him a complete player is the fact he's not a very easy guy to play against."
A perfect example of what Richards does on the ice that everyone may not see is the fact he and the Flyers held both Malkin and Crosby without a shot in Sunday’s 3-1 victory in Pittsburgh.
On the offensive side, the Flyers power play, led by Richards and Kimmo Timonen has scored at least two goals in the Flyers current three game win streak
It’s very possible that Richards and Crosby could meet again in this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs.
As of right now, the Flyers are 4th and the Penguins are 6th, just one point behind Carolina who is 5th.
Rest assured, if these two teams meet, it will only add a few bruises and memories to a rivalry that is just an infant.
Quotes: NHL.com
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Biron? Niittymaki?...........Lehtonen?
As the NHL trade deadline vastly approaches, the hottest rumor coming out of Philadelphia is the possibility of moving top prospect James van Riemsdyk to Atlanta in exchange for Finnish netminder Kari Lehtonen.
When first hearing this rumor, like many Flyers fans, my mouth dropped.
Lehtonen for van Riemsdyk?
However, after thinking about this possibility, it wouldn’t be a bad deal for the Flyers. The Flyers are already stacked down the middle with Richards, Carter, Briere and hopefully Giroux for years to come which makes van Riemsdyk very big trade bait.
If Flyers GM Paul Holmgren decides to deal van Riemsdyk for a current NHL player, he would have to free up some of the Flyers very fragile cap space. Moving either Martin Biron or Antero
Niittymaki would be inevitable if Holmgren wants Lehtonen.
The Flyers have 21 games left before the playoffs. They aren’t a lock for one of the top eight spots, but if they keep playing at their current pace (6-3-1 in their last 10), they should have no problem locking up, at worst, the No. 4 seed in the East which would guarantee home ice in the first round.
Looking at the season in general, there has been a large debate on who the Flyers No. 1 goalie should be come April. Flyers head coach John Stevens was recently quoted saying both goalies will get plenty of starts down the stretch.
Does this mean Stevens will ultimately pick a No. 1?
Can you have two goalies both playing in the playoffs?
Many NHL fans and purists of the game would say “No” to the latter, saying you need one go to guy in the postseason.
History would agree with that statement as well, as many NHL goalies have emerged courtesy of a long playoff run (see Giguere, C.Ward or Broduer if you want to go back a decade or so).
However, last year was a perfect example of possibly going with two goalies.
After losing games three and four in the Western Conference Quarterfinals last season, Detroit Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock told Dominik Hasek to take a seat and inserted Chris Osgood. The Red Wings won their next nine games overall en route to yet another Stanley Cup in Hockeytown.
After a very strong outing in his first playoff run last spring, Biron started this season in a rut losing his first four starts while giving up some very bad goals (see Sjostrom on Oct. 11 or Marleau on Oct. 22).
As the season has been more of a success than a failure up to this point for the Flyers (33-18-10; fourth in the East), both Biron and Niittymaki have had their highs and lows.
The numbers don’t separate the two either. Biron has posted a 19-13-5 mark with a 2.86 GAA and a .910 SV percent. Niittymaki has posted a 14-5-5 record with a 2.61 GAA and a .916 SV percent.
Right now, the Flyers goaltending job is a toss-up.
If I had to guess, I would favor Biron due to the fact that he has a proven playoff track record.
However, should the Flyers ultimately trade Biron or Niittymaki for a brand new face in net this late in the season?
If history has anything to say, the answer is yes.
It seems like any Flyers' goaltender that gets hot is out of a job within a year or two (see Boucher, Cechmanek, Esche).
Now we have Biron who a year after a 30-win season and a tremendous playoff performance in his first full season with the Flyers is on the trading block.
Will this year be any different?
Will Holmgren pull a Bobby Clarke and trade away a top prospect in exchange for a rental?(Maxime Ouellet + picks and cash for Adam Oates, who ended up playing 11 games with the Flyers.)
I don’t like to predict things, especially who's going where at the NHL trade deadline. However, if I had to guess, I wouldn’t be at all shocked if Biron is moved at the deadline and the Finnish tag team that is Lehtonen and Niittymaki are stopping the pucks in Philly.
When first hearing this rumor, like many Flyers fans, my mouth dropped.
Lehtonen for van Riemsdyk?
However, after thinking about this possibility, it wouldn’t be a bad deal for the Flyers. The Flyers are already stacked down the middle with Richards, Carter, Briere and hopefully Giroux for years to come which makes van Riemsdyk very big trade bait.
If Flyers GM Paul Holmgren decides to deal van Riemsdyk for a current NHL player, he would have to free up some of the Flyers very fragile cap space. Moving either Martin Biron or Antero
Niittymaki would be inevitable if Holmgren wants Lehtonen.
The Flyers have 21 games left before the playoffs. They aren’t a lock for one of the top eight spots, but if they keep playing at their current pace (6-3-1 in their last 10), they should have no problem locking up, at worst, the No. 4 seed in the East which would guarantee home ice in the first round.
Looking at the season in general, there has been a large debate on who the Flyers No. 1 goalie should be come April. Flyers head coach John Stevens was recently quoted saying both goalies will get plenty of starts down the stretch.
Does this mean Stevens will ultimately pick a No. 1?
Can you have two goalies both playing in the playoffs?
Many NHL fans and purists of the game would say “No” to the latter, saying you need one go to guy in the postseason.
History would agree with that statement as well, as many NHL goalies have emerged courtesy of a long playoff run (see Giguere, C.Ward or Broduer if you want to go back a decade or so).
However, last year was a perfect example of possibly going with two goalies.
After losing games three and four in the Western Conference Quarterfinals last season, Detroit Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock told Dominik Hasek to take a seat and inserted Chris Osgood. The Red Wings won their next nine games overall en route to yet another Stanley Cup in Hockeytown.
After a very strong outing in his first playoff run last spring, Biron started this season in a rut losing his first four starts while giving up some very bad goals (see Sjostrom on Oct. 11 or Marleau on Oct. 22).
As the season has been more of a success than a failure up to this point for the Flyers (33-18-10; fourth in the East), both Biron and Niittymaki have had their highs and lows.
The numbers don’t separate the two either. Biron has posted a 19-13-5 mark with a 2.86 GAA and a .910 SV percent. Niittymaki has posted a 14-5-5 record with a 2.61 GAA and a .916 SV percent.
Right now, the Flyers goaltending job is a toss-up.
If I had to guess, I would favor Biron due to the fact that he has a proven playoff track record.
However, should the Flyers ultimately trade Biron or Niittymaki for a brand new face in net this late in the season?
If history has anything to say, the answer is yes.
It seems like any Flyers' goaltender that gets hot is out of a job within a year or two (see Boucher, Cechmanek, Esche).
Now we have Biron who a year after a 30-win season and a tremendous playoff performance in his first full season with the Flyers is on the trading block.
Will this year be any different?
Will Holmgren pull a Bobby Clarke and trade away a top prospect in exchange for a rental?(Maxime Ouellet + picks and cash for Adam Oates, who ended up playing 11 games with the Flyers.)
I don’t like to predict things, especially who's going where at the NHL trade deadline. However, if I had to guess, I wouldn’t be at all shocked if Biron is moved at the deadline and the Finnish tag team that is Lehtonen and Niittymaki are stopping the pucks in Philly.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Why The Rangers Suck, And How To Fix It
Holy shitty hockey, Batman.
I HATE this team.
I stop devoting my full attention to the team for a couple of games in a feeble attempt to be a real college student and look what happens. I miss a few games for some exams and some hockey of my own and the Rangers are a laughing stock again.
What did I miss?
To recap: With today's 5-2 debacle against Philth-adelphia, the Rangers have gone just 1-5-2 in their last 8, their lone win, naturally, coming in a shootout. I'm not going to consider that a win right now because I have some dignity. Make that 0-5-3.
Ew.
Instead of game notes today, lets instead move to some season-to-date, or why-we-suck notes instead!
WHY-WE-SUCK NOTES
Lets begin with some alarming statistics, eh? (With help from the NYR HF Boards)
- Todd White (45 points) and Ryane Clowe (47 points) are among the 53 players who have more points than any Ranger (Nik Zherdev leads the team with 44) this season. Ryane HECHTING Clowe. Look how the guy spells his freakin' name. Embarassing.
- Mike Green of Washington has the same amount of goals as THE ENTIRE RANGERS DEFENSE COMBINED. Seriously.
- Mike Knuble, Rene Bourque, Bryan Little and David Backes all have more goals than any Ranger (a list which includes Naslund, Drury, Zherdev and Gomez).
Now that we got those out of the way, lets move to what the hell is wrong with this team.
Personnel Problems.
- Two summers ago, we were told that the Rangers had signed two first-line centers. LOL. They have combined for merely 69 points, a disgusting -21, and ZERO heart.
- Wade Redden. Is there a worse waste of money in this league? No. But relax Ranger fans, we only have another 5 years of him. Unless we can get him to retire sooner.
- Michal Rozsival sucks at hockey. He is so bad. I refuse to spend any more time on him. I don't have enough column space.
- Markus Naslund is going to pull a Shanahan on us. Start off hot, then get tired and decide to be an old man for the rest of the season. The worst part? He LEADS this team with 17 goals. Only two teams in this league have a leading goal scorer with less than 17 rippings of the mesh.
- Brandon Dubinsky's identity crisis. He showed with Jagr, and even with Zherdev early this season, that he can put up points and be an offensive force. Yet, for some reason, he is being told that his role is as a defensive, faceoff-winning center, rather than a goal scorer. Duby's game is supposed to be a mix of all that. Why the coaching staff is limiting him I do not know.
- Petr Prucha sits. When he plays he scores goals and gets chances. The first game back in which he does NOT score, he is benched afterward. Meanwhile, Aaron Voros, Nigel Dawes, Scott Gomez, and Chris Drury all get free passes despite not having half the heart and desire of Prucha.
... Now I'm going to use this idea of the "free rides" that the Rangers' big money players are getting to help segue into the strategic issues with this team. And since the Rangers aren't using their power play, I'll use it for my example.
The Power Play sucks, and the team should seriously start requesting to to decline any penalties that are taken against them.
The man advantage has been NO advantage. In fact, its KILLING this team- and this goes far beyond their inability to score. When the Blueshirts fail to capatilize on 5-on-4, and more notably 5-on-3 situations, it throws any momentum they may have built out the window.
***When you GIVE UP goals on your "power play", it effectively takes that thrown momentum, propels it into oncoming traffic, under a bus, and splatters it on the unsuspecting face of some 6 year old riding a bike- who then falls off and fractures his leg. He then requires a blood transfusion for internal injuries, during which something goes wrong and he contracts Hepatitis.
Something like that, yeah.
The fact that Perry Pearn, the person who ADMITS to running New York's "Weakness Play", still has a Flichin' job flat out flabbergasts me. And apparently makes me want to use a lot of alliteration.
However, A LOT of the blame must also be put on Tom Renney, who throws out the same 5 guys so matter how inept they are a man up on the ice. Gomez, Naslund, Drury, Redden, Rozsival. They're out there every time. They stink up the joint EVERY time. MIX IT UP TOM! Show me Duby, Ryan Callahan, and Nik Zherdev with Dan Girardi and Marc Staal. You have to do SOMETHING to fix the part of this team that is the biggest cancer. You can't drive a car without a gas peddle. You just can't. Not effectively at least.
More Strategic Issues.
- The Power Play
- You cannot expect a team to gel when each player has 2 new linemates EVERY GAME. Ranger skaters have not been afforded a reasonable amount of time to develop any sense of chemistry with each other. Every time a line goes a shift without scoring, Renney throws the grenade into the lineup.
Naslund- Gomez - Prucha/Dawes
Dawes/Prucha- Drury- Callahan
Zherdev - Dubinsky - Korpikoski
Sjostrom- Betts- Orr
Keep these lines together. Then come back and thank me.
- The 4th line plays WWAAYY to much. I've talked about this before.
- You want to know the difference between the Rangers and the Sharks, or the Red Wings, or the Bruins? (other than the fact that those teams are good at hockey). These teams play to WIN, rather than playing to NOT LOSE. They attack defenses, they pass crisp and hard, they shoot to score. New York does none of that. Renney has publicly stated that he's looking for his team to win 2-1 and 1-0 games. It's not going to happen with this group. They're just not solid enough. Time to change the system.
- One such play that you rarely see a good squad use is the dump and chase. Why not just pick up the puck and hand it to the other team??? NY skaters are so content with gaining the redline and throwing the puck deep, then going to the bench for a change, or setting up in the neutral zone. You will never see the Sharks do this. Instead, Thornton, or Setoguchi will carry the puck into the zone, maintain possession, and wait for teammates to join them in the O-zone. Go change after you pass the puck to a fresh teammate.
Rif's Rangers Solutions
1) This is the first time I've said it publicly. But It is time...ugh... Fire Tom Renney. His system doesn't fit the team he coaches, and he fails to adapt. He's slow and ineffective in adjusting his team during games, and it has hurt the Rangers on numerous occasions. Worst of all, I'm afraid he has lost the locker room. The players look uninterested, and lack any confidence what-so-ever. I think they understand that they need new leadership behind the bench. (AND IN THE LOCKER ROOM). Renney did a good job bringing this team back to respectability, but he is not the one to bring this team to glory. (Not that THIS team, the way it is constructed right now, can get there with anybody).
With him go assistants Pearn and Mike Pelino. Both of whom are awful interviews and lousy coaches.
2) Fire Glen Sather. This is harder for me to say than fire Renney. I don't know why I'm partial to Glen. Yes, he has crippled this team cap-wise, and has had some players sign head-scratchingly outrageous contracts, but I just feel like he knows how to fix it. The problem with that last statement is that I have been saying it for the last 10 years. It's time for a new philosophy for building a team. His personnel decisions over the years have really hurt the direction and future of this team. Its time for Change. (where have I heard that before?)
2a) Do not bring in Mark Messier as the team's new GM. I just have a bad feeling about it.
3) Hire John Tortorella. Here's a guy who isn't afraid to call out his players and demand the most out of a team. He has worked with NYR brass before as an assistant coach, and he won the cup with the Hechting Tampa Bay Lightning for crying out loud. (If not Torts, give me Pat Quinn. Another outspoken, respected hockey coach).
4) Release and/or Lose and/or Trade and/or abandon: Adam Voros, Dimitri Kalinin.
5) Trade/Release AT LEAST one of: Gomez, Drury, Redden, Rozsival. We need these contracts gone ASAP. And they aren't going to disappear any time soon.
6) Call Up: Artem Anisimov, SEAN AVERY. Avery still has to be acquired from Dallas, but that's a formality at this point. I'll elaborate more on Sean in a bit.
7) Target Via Trade: Keith Tkuchuk (STL), Jay Bouwmeester (FLA), Nik Antropov (TOR), Olli Jokinen (PHX)
8) Do Not Trade: Marc Staal, Henrik Lundqvist, Nik Zherdev, Ryan Callahan.
Reasons-Not-To-Lose-All-Hope Notes
- Despite how badly they suck at this game, the Rangers are 9 games over .500. They sit in 6th place in the Eastern Conference (albiet 2 points from 8th, 7 points from 9th). If they can turn things around any time soon, their fast start put them in very good position to make the post season. Once you're there, ANYTHING can happen, especially when you have a great goaltender (which they happen to have).
- Speaking of that goalie, Henrik Lundqvist, despite the losses and some sketchy numbers, is still playing well. Granted, he can play much, much better, but he is not playing so poorly. He still has the ability to carry this team above and beyond. HE wants to win more than anybody else on this roster.
- SEAN AVERY. I fully expect him to join the Rangers within the next month. He'll surely provide this team with a shot in the arm, and the Ranger fans with somebody who is fun to watch on the ice. New York is a very boring team to watch. Sean Avery will not allow that to happen, don't worry. That man was born to play on Broadway, and the fans will cherish every second of it.
- There isn't a team in the East who scares me. Sure, Boston is really good, and the Devils are looking.. well... Devilish, but the Rangers, when they have played well, have shown that they can compete with and DEFEAT these teams.
-Henrik Lundqvist is our goalie.
For this team to win, things are going to have to change quick, fast, and in a hurry. Is there a one quick-fix to the Rangers problems that can make them a "great team"? "Honestly? No. But with a few moves- the RIGHT moves, this team CAN become dangerous.
But I'm sure they'll never make it easy. It will never be painless.
UGH. It's hard loving this team.
-Rif
Monday, February 9, 2009
The A-Rod Effect
Nothing more than something to think about...
So far, baseball has gotten repeatedly hammered by players getting popped for steroids. Alex Rodriguez became the highest profile active player to be swept up in the witch hunt that has already claimed Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and countless others.
To date, only Sean Hill and Bryan Berard, the latter of which wasn't busted under the NHL's drug policy, have been proven as users--and most fans don't care much, because both have been bottom-3 defensemen and far from a true asset to their teams.
That shouldn't fool us into thinking that others aren't out there.
Sure, hockey has the well-deserved reputation of being a clean game, especially when put side by side with football and baseball. But to think just two guys out of the thousands who have dressed in the last two decades are dirty, that's just naive and fans need to be cognizant of that for when the next player--and there will be a next player--gets popped. In any and all sports, this should no longer be a shock to the system.
So far, baseball has gotten repeatedly hammered by players getting popped for steroids. Alex Rodriguez became the highest profile active player to be swept up in the witch hunt that has already claimed Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and countless others.
To date, only Sean Hill and Bryan Berard, the latter of which wasn't busted under the NHL's drug policy, have been proven as users--and most fans don't care much, because both have been bottom-3 defensemen and far from a true asset to their teams.
That shouldn't fool us into thinking that others aren't out there.
Sure, hockey has the well-deserved reputation of being a clean game, especially when put side by side with football and baseball. But to think just two guys out of the thousands who have dressed in the last two decades are dirty, that's just naive and fans need to be cognizant of that for when the next player--and there will be a next player--gets popped. In any and all sports, this should no longer be a shock to the system.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
For the Morbidly Curious...A Penguins Shots on Goal Number Crunch
So, I was bored, and upset at how the team with the two top scorers in the game is consistently on the wrong end of the total shots category.
Thus, I decided to see for myself how often the Penguins are out-shot because of the system.
Here's what I discovered.
Out of 54 games:
The Pens had more shots in 19 games.
They were outshot in 31 games.
The shot totals were even in 4 games.
In those 19 games where the Pens had more shots, their record is 12-6-1.
In those 31 games where they were outshot, their record is 13-15-3.
And in the 4 where the shot totals were even, their record is 1-2-1.
When the Pens DO NOT shoot more than the other team, they have lost 21 of those 35 games.
When the Pens DO outshoot the other team, they have won 12 of those 19 games.
In the last 13 games, they have only outshot 3 teams.
The teams they have outshot:
Ottawa
Carolina
St. Louis
Edmonton
N.Y.I X3
Buffalo X2
Atlanta X2
New Jersey
N.Y.R. X2
Montreal
Boston
Florida
Anaheim
T.B.
In 9 of those 19 instances, the team they outshot would not be in the playoffs if they started today.
In only 4 of those 19 instances did they play a team who is in the top 5 playoff spots in their conference.
In those 19 games, they outshot the opposition by an average of 6 shots per game.
The most they have outshot a team is by 15 shots (against Montreal 12/27/2008 in a 3-2 losing effort)
Against the teams they outshot who are currently in the playoffs, the average was by 4.7 shots per game.
Against the teams they outshot who would not be in the playoffs, the average was by 7.4 shots per game.
The least amount of shots the Penguins have been held to is 11 (10/28/2008 by the San Jose Sharks).
In the 31 games in which the Pens have been outshot, they have been outshot by an average of 9.9 shots per game.
The most they have been outshot is by 34 (10/11/2008 against the New Jersey Devils).
That's all for now as I have to mentally prepare, along with the Penguins, for the 12:30 matchup against Hockeytown in 10 hours.
Thus, I decided to see for myself how often the Penguins are out-shot because of the system.
Here's what I discovered.
Out of 54 games:
The Pens had more shots in 19 games.
They were outshot in 31 games.
The shot totals were even in 4 games.
In those 19 games where the Pens had more shots, their record is 12-6-1.
In those 31 games where they were outshot, their record is 13-15-3.
And in the 4 where the shot totals were even, their record is 1-2-1.
When the Pens DO NOT shoot more than the other team, they have lost 21 of those 35 games.
When the Pens DO outshoot the other team, they have won 12 of those 19 games.
In the last 13 games, they have only outshot 3 teams.
The teams they have outshot:
Ottawa
Carolina
St. Louis
Edmonton
N.Y.I X3
Buffalo X2
Atlanta X2
New Jersey
N.Y.R. X2
Montreal
Boston
Florida
Anaheim
T.B.
In 9 of those 19 instances, the team they outshot would not be in the playoffs if they started today.
In only 4 of those 19 instances did they play a team who is in the top 5 playoff spots in their conference.
In those 19 games, they outshot the opposition by an average of 6 shots per game.
The most they have outshot a team is by 15 shots (against Montreal 12/27/2008 in a 3-2 losing effort)
Against the teams they outshot who are currently in the playoffs, the average was by 4.7 shots per game.
Against the teams they outshot who would not be in the playoffs, the average was by 7.4 shots per game.
The least amount of shots the Penguins have been held to is 11 (10/28/2008 by the San Jose Sharks).
In the 31 games in which the Pens have been outshot, they have been outshot by an average of 9.9 shots per game.
The most they have been outshot is by 34 (10/11/2008 against the New Jersey Devils).
That's all for now as I have to mentally prepare, along with the Penguins, for the 12:30 matchup against Hockeytown in 10 hours.
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