NHL Playoffs 09. Drop The Puck.

fletcher21 · Post by **fletcher21** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 9:29 am

macsomjrr wrote:
10spro wrote:How about J. Hiller?
The guy is on fire. I'm surprised the crease doesn't just melt away from underneath him. Is there any team that can beat us right now?

1. Boston
2. Vancouver
3. Pittsburgh
4. Detroit

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 9:31 am

macsomjrr wrote:
10spro wrote:How about J. Hiller?
The guy is on fire. I'm surprised the crease doesn't just melt away from underneath him. Is there any team that can beat us right now?

Vancouver, Detroit, Boston, for starters.

Take care,
PK

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 9:34 am

Joe Thornton is the A-Rod of hockey, minus the dirty syringe hanging from his ass. Is there a better player in the regular season in the last 10 years who has disappeared in the postseason more than Thornton?

There was a play in the third period that illustrated perfectly how soft Thornton really is. Thornton had a clear shot from the right crease at Hiller, who deflected the shot up into the safety net.

A scrum ensued in front of the net, with nearly every San Jose and Anaheim player engaged. Except Thornton, that is. He skated away from defending his teammates and his team while losing, sulking away toward the edge of the faceoff circle to ponder yet another lost opportunity in the postseason.

The guy simply gags when the games really matter. It's become a self-fulfilling prophecy of spring.

Take care,
PK

GameSeven · Post by **GameSeven** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 9:58 am

GameSeven wrote:Hopefully Marty channels some of that frustration into a shutdown performance in Game 5 at the Rock.

Not to quote myself, but

Marty came through in a huge way last night and outdueled an equally proficient counterpart in NJ. 86 shots and 1 goal between Canes and Devils last night.

What a matchup!

IIRC the stat from last night, 25 of 27 recent winners of game 5 in a deadlocked series go on to win the round. Hopefully that bodes well for the Devils though its impossible to write off the Canes. Games 2 through 5 have all been extremely tight affairs able to have gone either way.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 10:08 am

That was one of the greatest performances of the Hall of Fame career of Marty last night. Unlike Joe Thornton, that guy REALLY shows up when it matters.

Can you imagine a Rangers-Devils' series? Every game might be 1-0 with the way King Henrik and Marty are playing.

Take care,
PK

GameSeven · Post by **GameSeven** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 10:26 am

Playoff hockey at its best

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 10:31 am

Now thats a party....

Sweet shot.

I love me that playoff hockey.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 10:33 am

Wow, that's a great shot, G7. Definitely a case of a picture saying 1,000 words.

Take care,
PK

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 10:34 am

GameSeven wrote:

Playoff hockey at its best

Geez, that looks more like a Rugby scrum.

C. Ward played very well too, that high glove side save on Z. Parise was

.

GameSeven · Post by **GameSeven** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 10:40 am

10spro wrote:C. Ward played very well too, that high glove side save on Z. Parise was .

Yes, while of little real meaning, the fact that he was snubbed in the three stars for the game was a disgrace. He was equally on his game making several key stops and the one that did beat him was deflected from point blank. Electric performances from both goaltenders.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 10:42 am

You kids out there, tune in to Versus so you can watch an old vet like Rod Brind'Amour skate.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 11:15 am

GameSeven wrote:
10spro wrote:C. Ward played very well too, that high glove side save on Z. Parise was .
Yes, while of little real meaning, the fact that he was snubbed in the three stars for the game was a disgrace. He was equally on his game making several key stops and the one that did beat him was deflected from point blank. Electric performances from both goaltenders.

Agreed. Even Devils' broadcasters Mike Emrick and Chico Resch said the same thing on TV. They were almost offended that Ward didn't get one of the three stars.

Take care,
PK

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 1:35 pm

Great point by Edmonton radio personality Dan Tencer on Joe Thornton:

>>>Should San Jose consider trading Big Joe? Hard as it might be given his regular season dominance, Thornton would bring a massive return on the trade market (contract: 2 years remaining @ $7.2 million cap hit). If the Sharks feel they have enough horses to get them into the playoffs, perhaps Doug Wilson considers moving Thornton for a couple more that he feels will help them WIN in the playoffs.

I leave you with a final thought: In December of 2005 the Boston Bruins traded superstar Joe Thornton to the San Jose Sharks. 4 playoff years later, it appears that the Bruins will reach the 3rd round before the Sharks do. Go figure.<<<

Complete blog: http://www.630ched.com/Blogs/DanTencers ... D=10029837

It's funny: Everyone -- including me -- thought San Jose made the Steal of the Century, right up there with the deal that sent Luongo from Florida to Vancouver, to get Thornton from the Bruins. But that deal isn't looking so sweet right now because what has Big Bird done to help this team win in the postseason? NOTHING. And as Tencer said, it sure as hell appears that Boston is going further in the playoffs this year than San Jose.

Take care,
PK

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 1:40 pm

#17 is entering a ruck from the side.

TCrouch · Post by **TCrouch** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 1:49 pm

He sure looked old and beaten last night. There were three or four separate occasions where he almost looked lost. His entire line was dominated by the Getzy/Perry/Ryan line from the 2nd period on.

It almost looked like an NHL 09 OTP game where somebody makes a boneheaded choice to chase the puck and leave a scorer wide open in the high slot. He must have done that at least 3 times last night, not to mention the strange intercepted pass that led to another goal.

He was my favorite DUCK last night

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 1:56 pm

TCrouch wrote: It almost looked like an NHL 09 OTP game where somebody makes a boneheaded choice to chase the puck and leave a scorer wide open in the high slot.

Speaking of OTP...G7's pic is a pretty good depiction of how we play D in our end .

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 2:04 pm

pk500 wrote:Joe Thornton is the A-Rod of hockey, minus the dirty syringe hanging from his ass. Is there a better player in the regular season in the last 10 years who has disappeared in the postseason more than Thornton.

From all the teams that made it to the playoffs this year, I can only think on K. Tkatchuk at the moment. This guy was worth several 1st round picks to different teams only to disappear at the time where it matters most.

But SJ has also other issues other than Big Joe. J. Cheechoo's best years are over, Nabokov can't seem to make the saves he was making during the regular season, is he tired? And where is their Captain Patty Marleau?

When you have a blue line of Pronger, Niedermayer, Beauchemin and Whitney, that's going to be very hard for the Sharks to win three in a row to take them to the next level.

And looking ahead, the Wings better be prepared for these Ducks, cause if Ozzie is not sharp ANA will win their series. Love Bobby Ryan and a guy that doesn't get enough credit is their coach, R. Carlyle.

Former Winnipeg Jets is quite a demading guy and he gets the most of his gang at this time of the year.

greggsand · Post by **greggsand** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 2:31 pm

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 2:45 pm

Eh, I think the Sharks and fans are happy as long as they win enough and fill HP Pavillion.

A lot of their season ticket holders were strangers to hockey and some to sports in general before the Sharks came into town.

But yeah, they won't get full value for Thornton and Marleau is up for a contract extension.

They've had better luck as #8 seeds than as one of the top seeds so they might as well blow up the roster.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 3:17 pm

Soto is cute, although she has an eerie resemblance to whack job country singer Mindy McCready, the Amy Winehouse of Nashville:

McCready

Soto

Take care,
PK

Feanor · Post by **Feanor** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 3:23 pm

fsquid wrote:#17 is entering a ruck from the side.

Parise is the hooker.

toonarmy · Post by **toonarmy** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 4:46 pm

It's ludicrous to read some of the crap I am reading and hearing about Thornton. His job is to win faceoffs, retain possession of the puck, and keep the offense going by feeding passes to the guys shooting the puck. From what I saw he did fine, not dominant, but fine. I thought the other guys on the team were complete letdowns, especially Nabby. The reason the Sharks keep disappointing their fans in the playoffs is because the front office doesn't understand the importance of gritty players who have an edge. The Sharks have too many skill players and not enough grinders. The supposed tough guys they do have are not as effective as they used to be. The playoffs is more than about raw skill much of the time, and that is why the Sharks seem to underperform. Scapegoating Thornton is ignorant and a simpleton's explanation.

As for his year's with Boston, you put him on this year's team and Boston would be one of the most dominant teams in recent history. The lack of Bruins' success when he was there was due to many other factors than Thornton. I think some hockey fans really do not understand his role and point to the big-name player when things go bad.

By the way, I was very impressed with the Ducks. They really gelled in the series and beat the President's Trophy winner without much problem. Do not underestimate how well they played as opposed to saying San Jose choked. The Ducks wanted that series bad.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 5:13 pm

toonarmy wrote:It's ludicrous to read some of the crap I am reading and hearing about Thornton. His job is to win faceoffs, retain possession of the puck, and keep the offense going by feeding passes to the guys shooting the puck. From what I saw he did fine, not dominant, but fine. I thought the other guys on the team were complete letdowns, especially Nabby. The reason the Sharks keep disappointing their fans in the playoffs is because the front office doesn't understand the importance of gritty players who have an edge. The Sharks have too many skill players and not enough grinders. The supposed tough guys they do have are not as effective as they used to be. The playoffs is more than about raw skill much of the time, and that is why the Sharks seem to underperform. Scapegoating Thornton is ignorant and a simpleton's explanation.

No, it's not. Thornton doesn't put up anywhere near the points per game in the playoffs that he does in the regular season. That's not a simpleton's observation -- it's a fact.

Big Bird averages 1.007 points per game during the regular season in his career. During the playoffs, he averages .68 of a point per game. No dropoff there, eh?

He also is a leader of The Soft Parade on that team, which is inexcusable for a guy who is 6-4, 235. There's no reason why a man of his size can't be more physical and more willing to grind in the corners for pucks, even if his skills don't require that during the regular season.

You do make an excellent point about the softness of San Jose. They need more grit. Unfortunately, one of their few skilled hard men, Ryane Clowe, is having a lousy series. He was great last year with 14 points in 13 games.

toonarmy wrote:As for his year's with Boston, you put him on this year's team and Boston would be one of the most dominant teams in recent history. The lack of Bruins' success when he was there was due to many other factors than Thornton. I think some hockey fans really do not understand his role and point to the big-name player when things go bad.

That's preposterous. If Thornton was still on Boston, then the brilliance of Savard would be neutralized. The puck wouldn't be big enough for both of them. Just look how Cammalleri slumped after Calgary got Jokinen. There's not enough puck there for those two and Iggy.

There are exceptions to that rule, such as Malkin and Crosby. But those are very rare. Thornton and Savard are so similar that they would be redundant -- not enough pucks to go around. Odd considering they're so different in size, but that's more of an indictment of how soft Thornton plays than anything.

Take care,
PK

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 6:44 pm

Looks like Tortorella had it with Avery, at least for tonight's game.

AO wasn't happy with a reporter last Wednesday when he asked back 'Do you think this is over?' Time is running out on him and WAS, we'll see if he can lead them to victory tonight.

Nice to see 'Nucks Taylor Pyatt back in practice today after his fiancee's death.

toonarmy · Post by **toonarmy** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 7:57 pm

pk500 wrote:
toonarmy wrote:It's ludicrous to read some of the crap I am reading and hearing about Thornton. His job is to win faceoffs, retain possession of the puck, and keep the offense going by feeding passes to the guys shooting the puck. From what I saw he did fine, not dominant, but fine. I thought the other guys on the team were complete letdowns, especially Nabby. The reason the Sharks keep disappointing their fans in the playoffs is because the front office doesn't understand the importance of gritty players who have an edge. The Sharks have too many skill players and not enough grinders. The supposed tough guys they do have are not as effective as they used to be. The playoffs is more than about raw skill much of the time, and that is why the Sharks seem to underperform. Scapegoating Thornton is ignorant and a simpleton's explanation.
No, it's not. Thornton doesn't put up anywhere near the points per game in the playoffs that he does in the regular season. That's not a simpleton's observation -- it's a fact.

He also is a leader of The Soft Parade on that team, which is inexcusable for a guy who is 6-4, 235. There's no reason why a man of his size can't be more physical and more willing to grind in the corners for pucks, even if his skills don't require that during the regular season.

You do make an excellent point about the softness of San Jose. They need more grit. Unfortunately, one of their few skilled hard men, Ryane Clowe, is having a lousy series. He was great last year with 14 points in 13 games.

toonarmy wrote:As for his year's with Boston, you put him on this year's team and Boston would be one of the most dominant teams in recent history. The lack of Bruins' success when he was there was due to many other factors than Thornton. I think some hockey fans really do not understand his role and point to the big-name player when things go bad.
That's preposterous. If Thornton was still on Boston, then the brilliance of Savard would be neutralized. The puck wouldn't be big enough for both of them. Just look how Cammalleri slumped after Calgary got Jokinen. There's not enough puck there for those two and Iggy.

There are exceptions to that rule, such as Malkin and Crosby. But those are very rare. Thornton and Savard are so similar that they would be redundant -- not enough pucks to go around. Odd considering they're so different in size, but that's more of an indictment of how soft Thornton plays than anything.

Take care,
PK

A couple points in response to your points. First, you must be missing my point about Thornton's lack of production in the playoffs. I have watched a ton of Sharks games this year, and Joe's point totals are very much dependent on the performance of his linemates. His role is much more about passing than making goals. If you have seen the playoff games then you should have observed that his linemates are not putting the puck in the net when Joe gets it to them. You cannot possibly say it is Joe's fault when the other guys cannot score goals when he gets it to them. Perhaps you do not understand Thornton's role too well.

Second, regarding Thornton in Boston, have you watched this year's Bruins much? They have seven players with 20 goals or more. There would be more than enough opportunities for both of their lines. You do realize that Malkin and Crosby usually are not on the same line on the 5 on 5, right? Seems to me both guys score plenty, and their team scoring is not as balanced as that of Boston. I am not sure how redundancy comes into play, as you state, since both men would play on different lines at center, and also both players have different styles at the center position.