When I had an internship, I developed a cough/flu/cold so hardcore and persistent that - instead of trying to find a way to cure it - I might as well have spent that time finding the perfect slasher movie comparison. While it did get gradually weaker as time went on, it didn't have a weird fixation with impaling people (exit Michael Myers), sleep made it slightly weaker (sorry, Freddie) and had nothing to do with summer camp (so long Jason).Eventually, I've settled on calling it a "Terminator" cough.
Regardless, ever since that happened, my immune system has been kind of like Pierre Turgeon after Dale Hunter's brutal, douche-bag late hit. At times it can be effective, but you know it will never be the same.
ANYWAY, being sick really reduced my stress level during a finish that normally would have sent me into cardiac arrest. Ultimately, the Penguins deserved to win this game, even if the ending was truly terrifying.
Now, let's delve into the customary stream of puck consciousness.
Does anyone get the vague feeling that Detroit thinks they can just flick on a light switch in this series?
It's obvious that there are a lot of things that come easier to the Red Wings - particularly transitioning from their zone through the neutral zone - but their elbow grease level seems somewhat inconsistent. At least on the road, that is.
It's too bad that "Cycle like Staal-Kennedy-Cooke" doesn't really roll off the tongue, because I've grown quite fond of that line.
Even when they don't score, their rough and gritty cycle game can build momentum, wear down Detroit's D and draw penalties. It seems like that line really made Nicklas Lidstrom's life miserable tonight.
One of the big stories of the series is Detroit's matchup against Sidney Crosby. It's a shame that Dan Bylsma has to react to what the Red Wings are doing even when the Pens have the last change, but when it's clear that Detroit can shut down the Penguins' top line it's just a painful fact of life. The bottom line is that the Penguins need Crosby to produce if they have any prayer in Game 7.
Evgeni Malkin needs a finisher. Ruslan Fedetenko played that role nicely, but he's missed a few golden opportunities in the SCF and it might be time to see if Petr Sykora can rekindle the chemistry he had with Geno in the talented Russian's first two years in the league.
It's crazy how far the Penguins have come with questionable talent on the wings.
It's always nice to have a guy who "you hate to play against, but love to have on your team." Matt Cooke is the number one guy, but Chris Kunitz and Brooks Orpik also deliver some real bone crunching hits. This is the most physically tenacious Penguins team I've been able to watch.
Chris Osgood was incredible in Game 6.
Even though Henrik Zetterberg has displayed an amazing all-around game and Johan Franzen has been a stunning goal-scoring machine, Ozzie is the only Red Wing I can accept winning the Smythe over Malkin/Crosby. Even if he's a smarmy, Smurfy looking douche.
There have been quite a few moments in this series - for both teams - that made me think "clutch and grab."I know that's "playoff hockey" but maybe there's still some cause for concern.
The officiating hasn't been great, but I guess I'll take "letting the players decide it" over NBA-style zebra intervention. Still, the league needs to stand its ground on holding and interference. Let the stars be stars.
I understand the Ducks-Devils parallels, although the are some pretty enormous differences.
NJ/Anaheim featured teams with star ... goaltenders. In markets that aren't necessarily the most hockey crazed. On the other hand, Detroit is the marquee franchise for American hockey and the Penguins have two of the biggest stars in the league.
Hopefully, the biggest difference will be that the home ice advantage will be broken.
5 comments:
Ugh, this "read more" experiment is not going especially well. It might be time to go to the drawing board soon.
ARTHUR:
If you need advice, we have a pretty palatable version of Read More... over at Anaheim Calling.
That'd be great, Arthur. Drop me a line when you get the chance.
Even though Henrik Zetterberg has displayed an amazing all-around game and Johan Franzen has been a stunning goal-scoring machine, Ozzie is the only Red Wing I can accept winning the Smythe over Malkin/Crosby. Even if he's a smarmy, Smurfy looking douche.
What? How about that great play by Z to block a shot, break his stick, and dive to swat it out of the zone? That was classic Z! I thought he'd been killed at first, the way it all happened in one motion, getting hit with the shot and then doing a barrel roll. I still give it to Ozzie if the Wings win, but Hank is a beast.
Evgeni Malkin needs a finisher. Ruslan Fedetenko played that role nicely, but he's missed a few golden opportunities in the SCF and it might be time to see if Petr Sykora can rekindle the chemistry he had with Geno in the talented Russian's first two years in the league.
I've been laughing at Fedotenko all series long. If there were some capable wingers on that team, PIT could've won this series already.
Does anyone get the vague feeling that Detroit thinks they can just flick on a light switch in this series?
It's obvious that there are a lot of things that come easier to the Red Wings - particularly transitioning from their zone through the neutral zone - but their elbow grease level seems somewhat inconsistent. At least on the road, that is.
Ozzie is a big shining example of this, and it really scares me. When teams act like this, they always get shocked to shit when they find someone who gets the jump on them and kicks their ass while they're busy trying to find the switch. Case in point, G6, they didn't do a damn thing for 45 minutes, thinking they could just turn it on.
Seriously, their first goal came on their first real cycle of the game, and that was almost 50 minutes in! Every time the Wings got it into the Pens end, it was either one guy trying to skate through 4 (I'm looking at you, Hossa), or it was a dumpin where everyone forgot you could pass it back to the point, and they just lost possession in a corner. I was screaming all game long for them to pass it back to the point and cycle it around on those dumpins. Instead, if it ever made it to the point, it was for a single quick shot that was blocked, or more often they just lost the battle in the corner because they refused to pass it to the point. You'd think the forwards forgot the defensemen were out there. Killed me last night.
Don't get me wrong, that Zetterberg play was great. I just think that Malkin/Crosby are ultimately a bit more deserving. Osgood's kept Detroit in every game and has rarely, if ever, allowed any softies in this series.
Agreed on the point play, BTW. When the Wings move to the point smoothly like that, they're terrifyingly effective.
The Penguins clearly need to out-work and out-chance Detroit to win, which is a difficult proposition at Joe Louis.
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