Preview to Game 6: An ___________ Never Forgets

My in depth analysis = Pens cannot allow Wings to screen Fleury and they HAVE to get to the puck first. As for Wings, screen Fleury and get to the puck first. : )~

No need to get more complicated, Wings have to keep doing what they are doing and Penguins have to correct the macro problems and the micro ones will blend right in. I continue to think the Pens are susceptible to hyper-focus which can cause someone to tire mentally & physically, well except when someone is trying to @#$&% fall asleep! It can be hard to get out of this mode...don't think about elephants for the next two days...an experiential...give it a try and if you do, remember...do not think about or visualize elephants for the next two days starting as soon as you read this sentence about not thinking about or visualizing elephants. The 'problem' with this experiential every time? Guess who is going to 'see' elephants for the next two days? Not that I don't love elephants...should have suggested a beach at sunset.

Penguins defense: Is it Flearer or Fleurier? (spin off of a childhood memory at Sterling Optical at the Mid-Island Plaza.) Seriously though I don't get what the D is doing out there. They seem blurry to me...that's the word that comes to mind anyway.

Penguins supposed frustration: It's understandable during the regular season but in the final round for the Stanley Cup, a team is not allowed to get frustrated (yeah because I say so). To look back and realize your team lost not because the roster didn't have the skill or desire but because of frustration...well that kind of hindsight can haunt because 'you' know you could have thought better. Look at Columbus, no one can look back and say they did not play their hardest with a never say die mindset the entire series. Now that's a clean slate to start next season with worthy of envy.

Coach Bylsma's post-game 5 interview was FABULOUS! I probably could recite his words by now thanks to the NHL network's ability to play they same coverage OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN... Programming that is in need of Hockey Gods intervention.

Stanley Cup Playoffs

Game 5
June 6, 2009

Detroit up 5-0. Once Penguins are this off in their positioning, not much can be generated on O or D. WIth the way the Penguins are playing tonight it's a wonder how they just won 2 games in a row against a team who played like they did in the 1st two games. Can the Penguin's team cohesion be that lopsided on home and away ice? Can't take away though from Detroit's speed and skill, having Chris Osgood in net...bonus!

2009 Stanley Cup Finals

June 2, 2009
Attention Pittsburgh Penguins - did you all get into a fight before the first game? Whatever grudge is floating around your team, let it go. If your goalie can't connect the dots with his teammates in front of him, he's going to continue to lack the confidence necessary to do his part to stop an offensive force like Detroit.

more later...

June 4, 2009
Ok so it's later, Detroit won first 2 games and now Pittsburgh won game 3, seems they wore down Detroit and appeared more connected as a team although I'm not sold on the warm fuzzies yet. Focus yes, hyper-focus no and is counter productive...and IMO is the reason why Crosby is not scoring. Power play opportunities yielding goals and a healthy number of hits and blocked shots made it happen for the Penguins. No doubt the Wings will have something to say about it on Thursday night but will it be heard above the roar of the Pittsburgh crowd?

Been at my mom's for a bit revamping her landscaping, my sister and I are boneheads for wearing short sleeved shirts and now have poison ivy. You'd think we'd learn. Nah. Anyway a highlight of the finals has been my mom's commentary during the games - the woman cracks me up. Back to the city tomorrow and looking forward to being home and to watching game 4.

Happy June Everyone!

NHL Playoffs Round 2: Thursday, May 7th

Washington leads series against Pittsburgh 2-1
Carolina leads series against Boston 2-1
Vancouver leads series against Chicago 2-1
Anaheim leads series against Red Wings 2-1

Ok so this is what I had predicted for Round 2 and beyond:

Chicago vs. Vancouver = Chicago
Anaheim vs. Detroit = Detroit
Pittsburgh vs. Washington = Pittsburgh
Boston vs. Carolina = Boston

Stanley Cup Final: Boston vs. Detroit

2009 Stanley Cup Champions: Boston Bruins

The current standings are messing up my predictions but in all honesty I don’t mind a bit – makes for more suspenseful hockey. Even though each game is a new win opportunity, I think it’s safe to say there wasn’t a person who didn’t think that Pittsburgh HAD to win this game, Malkin had to step up asap and the depth of this team needed to find its way back to the ice. Done, done and done. Carolina just seems to get better with each game, and Eric Staal should be cloned. Anaheim’s confidence/mindset has carried them this far and more than any playoff team, it has remained constant. Vancouver is still aglow and like Anaheim, their conditioning may be giving them an edge over the Blackhawks who are looking a little sluggish out there. One thing that seems apparent, some (not all) goalies are getting tired.

Boston Bruins coach Claude Julien stated in the post game interview (NHL network) that there are such things as hockey gods…ah ha! Another believer! Wonder if he also believes in parking gods – living in NYC, I pray to them often.

Wonder if Martin Brodeur is out of shock yet.

Round 1 Continues: Thursday, April 23

Philadelphia 3 – Pittsburgh 0

Pittsburgh leads series 3-2
Great to see Martin Biron fly above radar this game which surely was a major factor in the game outcome. The Flyers distributed the weight of effort from line to line and came up with 3 even strength goals. The Penguins did not. I suppose commanding the Penguins to win wouldn’t be realistic so I’ll just have to root them on at the game and hope they bounce back like they did on Tuesday. The first 10 minutes of the game will say it all.

*Note to not all but too many Flyer fans going to the game…calling him Cindy Crosby is funny, calling him a pedophile is not.

Detroit 6 – Columbus 5

Detroit wins series 4-0
Overall this series was like Varsity scrimmaging JV. The Blue Jackets made history by their appearance in the playoffs and no one can say that they did not give their all in this round. Although it would have been wild to see the game go to OT, the end result would have been the same; Wings advancing to the 2nd round. Yes losing stinks however if you’re in it for the long haul, this is the way you want to lose – all out team effort and the standing ovation support of 18,889 fans.

Carolina 0 – New Jersey 1

New Jersey leads series 3-2
It was goalie against goalie this game and as predicted, Martin Brodeur composed himself and led his team to a shutout win…with only 1 goal…a deflection…on the power play. If Brodeur wasn’t in goal it could be a toss up but as long as he keeps his composure Carolina is going to have to come up with some serious strategy for getting the puck past him enough times to win 2 games.

San Jose 0 – Anaheim 4

Anaheim leads series 3-1
This is clearly a situation of Ducks impersonating Sharks. I suspect Anaheim is not going to give back the shark suits any time soon. San Jose seemed deflated since the beginning of this series and unable to gain any type of meaningful or lasting momentum. It must stink to work your butts off all season to rise to the top entering the playoffs only to fall down when taking the first playoff step…however the cool as cucumber attitudes I saw and heard in Shark interviews were a little baffling. Not that the players should have run around shouting ‘the sky is falling’, but some intensity in their words might have helped their internal process, which somewhere along the line broke down. Now it’s time to see if Anaheim knows how to cap off a series while in the underdog role.

Round 1 Continues: Tuesday, April 21

Pittsburgh 3 : Philadelphia 1

Pittsburgh leads series 3-1
Let’s see…Pittsburgh scored ‘3’ goals. One goal Crosby’s body escorted into the net and another was an empty netter. Yes they count for the win but in my mind the Penguins head back home after having tied the Flyers 1-1. Marc-Andre Fleury was the primary reason the Penguins did not lose this game – second to his performance was the defense stepping up to protect their turf, and killing 8 penalties. Some risky behavior by the Pens and if they start racking up as many penalties on Thursday night, I don’t think they will be as fortunate as they were in this game. But then again, if they have more confidence in their goalie now, we might see less penalty minutes from Pittsburgh. As for the Flyers - where did their game go? Where was the substance? Beyond that, 8 power play opportunities and 46 shots on net produced 1 goal? This next game is hard to call. Fleury can run hot and cold, Martin Biron has been a little too quiet back there in net so far this series but after this game he might be inspired to kick it up a notch, he has to because it was not until this game that I noticed his presence in net – that isn’t good, well at least by my standards. Playoffs are not the games where a goalie can fly under the radar. I think the Penguins will win this series, and as much as I would like to see the Flyers go buh-bye, I’m not sure if game 5 will be the one to do it. On that note, advantage goes to the Flyers. On another note, I volunteer to be wrong.

Vancouver 3 : St. Louis 2

Vancouver wins series 4-0, their first playoff series sweep. The Canuck’s skill set won out over the Blues and no doubt Vancouver is a well conditioned team, physically. Although I was hoping the Blues could pull off a win on home ice, and for a moment there when the score was tied 2-2 it seemed possible – St. Louis had advantages of more power play minutes and shots on goal (49-36) but did not have the extra UMPH! to push on through to the win. It’s UMPH! that St. Louis will need to develop in order to spiral up next season and also, Chris Mason may benefit from Yoga and/or Pilates.

Detroit 4 : Columbus 1

Detroit leads series 3-0.
Ok so I just typed ‘Detroit leads series 3-1.’. AH HA! Foreshadowing to the Blue Jackets squeaking out a win on home ice? Hey it could happen. Columbus is looking frustrated because and obviously on the surface losing sucks, even if it was going to be quite a task for Columbus to beat the defending Champs. Columbus is a feisty team, a team you can feel play this series and empathize with – I’m still with the intention that they win one at home.

New Jersey 3 : Carolina 4

Series tied 2-2
What was Martin Brodeur really pissed at? The referees not calling goalie interference? Being tied in the series? That his own defense was a detriment by getting in his way? Carolina taking 46 shots and Brodeur having to deal with that? That maybe, just maybe after Jussi Jokinen ‘bumped’ him, Brodeur hesitated thinking it would be called and didn’t play the puck, thus ultimately was pissed at himself? I don’t know the answer to the question but I don’t think being pissed at the referees is why he threw his stick. Advantage goes to New Jersey for the next game due to Carolina blowing a three goal lead and that Brodeur is going to ‘correct’ the situation through his playing, he’s going to utilize the experience which is great but not as effective if team cohesion is lacking. This might be a good time for the Devils to squeeze in some off ice team building exercises before the game. Styrofoam cups, string…communication…group hug…whatever it takes or a speedy and cohesive team like Carolina is going to show the Devils how it’s done.

San Jose 4 : Anaheim 3

Anaheim leads series 2-1
It’s Duck season, no it’s Shark season, Duck season, Shark season blah blah blah. What a ping pong match this game was. Pretty thrilling hockey to watch. Although San Jose won, it was the Duck’s comeback goals that stood out and assigns them the advantage for Thursday night. What we’ve got here is a rock-paper-scissors kind of thing going on.

Round 1 Continues: Saturday, April 18

Rangers 1 : Washington 0

Rangers lead series 2-0
Just because the Rangers were ranked 7th, doesn’t mean that they were going to play that way – same for the Capitals on the flip side. This season I’ve watched probably every team play in one game or another but I didn’t watch the Caps, something about the team repels me which means their energy is probably unbalanced or dark. I’m also not a big fan of #8, beyond recognizing him for the stand out player he is. Advantage goes to Washington for the next game despite the Rangers in the lead and playing on home ice. The Caps played way beneath their ability this game and yet look how much effort it took the Rangers to score 1 goal and keep the Caps to none. Sooner than later being ranked #2 with #8 on the team is going to surface, let’s see if Washington can recognize that moment and build on it. As for the Rangers an image for them to build upon would be a v-shaped flock of geese with Henrik Lundqvist as lead goose. Curious to see who will be in net for Washington.

Columbus 0 : Detroit 4

Detroit leads series 2-0
Anyone shocked about how this series is going? A meditation going out to Columbus in advance of the next game is that they win at least one game on home ice, not only for themselves but also for their fans.

Montreal 1 : Boston 5

Boston leads series 2-0
Kind of the same situation as Columbus/Detroit except the Bruins are gaining momentum that could serve them beyond this series.

Calgary 2 : Chicago 3

Chicago leads series 2-0
If Calgary can step up its defense and gain some traction on home ice, the tug-of-war between these teams will be awesome to watch.

NHL Teams Skating in Round 1 of Playoffs

Wednesday, April 15th

(7)Rangers 4
(2)Washington 3

The advantage goes to the Rangers because of who they are matched up with in the first round – they have nothing to lose. In order to ever advance further in their bid for the Stanley Cup, the Rangers will have to somehow reconcile with the notion that that a team has to earn its way to a Cup – step by step. Washington has done this and will most likely reap the rewards. If the Rangers can avoid player egos turning on each other at the first sign of adversity, which they can be sure will happen against the Caps, they just might have a chance to force Washington to say, “Phew that was a close call” at the end of this series.

(5)Philadelphia 1
(4)Pittsburgh 4

Although I am thrilled the Penguins beat the Flyers, it doesn’t mean much because the Flyers played sloppy and unless Philly completely falls apart, no doubt they will recover quickly from this loss and come out swinging Friday night. Don’t know if his leadership will be enough to break the Flyer’s habit of getting in their own way and choking when it comes to the post season but John Stevens is one clever coach – if the Pens drop their style of play for a second, the Flyers will seep into that space, however trading Scottie Upshall created vulnerability in the team chemistry so it’s an uphill climb for the Flyers to begin with, especially if any resentment is buzzing around the team towards management.

(6)Carolina 1
(3)New Jersey 3

New Jersey is a more seasoned team so let’s see if Carolina can regroup and utilize their speed and figure out a way around the Devil’s defense. Looking beyond the playoffs, Carolina is building nicely as a team. The outcome of this series will most likely be based on the Devils already being a nicely built team and if they were any more organized, it would be a team deficit.

(6) St. Louis 1
(3) Vancouver 2

Both teams are probably just glad to have made it over the playoff race finish line and compared to other teams, are in a playoff world of their own. This will be an interesting series to watch due to the skill set each team possesses. With both Chris Mason and Roberto Luongo in net, even more reason why this series will be interesting to watch.


Thursday, April 16

(7)Columbus 1
(2)Detroit 4

Columbus making their first appearance in the playoffs is a win all on its own. Having to play against the Red Wings is a great learning opportunity for Columbus, who will get to experience what’s ahead for them in future playoff years – what kind of effort it will take to be a Stanley Cup contender and what kind of force they will feel coming their way from an opponent should they make it that far – can’t say enough about how much can be learned from the force of resistance. Out of all the series, I am most curious to see what will happen between these two teams.

(5)Calgary 2
(4)Chicago 3 (OT)

Probably going to be to most ‘spirited’ series – as in it’s gonna get nasty out there. Anyone watching these games is in for quite a push and pull experience – which is some of the best hockey to watch.

(8)Montreal 2
(1)Boston 4

While watching Boston beat the Isles on Sunday I thought to myself – if Boston plays like this (lackluster) in the playoffs, they will get hammered. Don’t think Montreal has the endurance to chip away at Boston’s numero uno spot in the standings but they are capable of energy surges so the Bruins better make sure they recharge effectively between each game.

(8)Anaheim 2
(1)San Jose 0

San Jose has been the only team echoing in my mind in regards to the Stanley Cup. Either things are going to go really well or really bad for this team because of what and which teams they will have to endure to make it to the top of the NHL hill. This game, it appeared as though their bodies came out on the ice but their spirit did not. Probably a necessary loss for the Sharks, a bite on the butt from the Ducks as a reminder that there is no free lunch. My guess is the Sharks will bite back and chomp their way through this series.