Hockey Night In DSP 2024-2025

[10spro]

Right now the difference has been one thing--Rinne's .778 save percentage. Nashville has been the significantly better team by nearly every other metric, shots, corsi, scoring chances, high danger scoring chances...whatever you want to say.

Rinne has been the team's achilles heal the last few seasons, but he closed out the regular season this year playing well, and carried it into the playoffs. Now the wheels are coming off towards the end of a long playoff run.

The question is can Nashville keep this up while also getting better goaltending, or have they punched themselves out and are now cracking? They definitely lost their composure in the 3rd period last night.

Agreed, Rinne is one of the reasons they got here and he must find his game quickly, as I don't think NAS looked out of place in both games despite the losses.

I don't think he could be blamed yesterday, maybe the first goal was a softy but in the third period, NAS was just all over the place. Very unusual for a well structured team with a solid defence. Whether it's mental or physical, Pekka needs to steal a game or two to give his team any chance. Maybe they can do it at home.

[vader29]

Irwin!

[10spro]

F****g Irwin. Where's is he when you need him? It's looking really good for your Pens to repeat Vader. While the series is not over by any stretch, the percentages of raising Lord Stanley after winning the first two games is really high.

I think NAS is missing R. Johansen a lot too as they are simply lacking finish.

[XXXIV]

f***in Irwin for sure!

[XXXIV]

Right now the difference has been one thing--Rinne's .778 save percentage. Nashville has been the significantly better team by nearly every other metric, shots, corsi, scoring chances, high danger scoring chances...whatever you want to say.

Rinne has been the team's achilles heal the last few seasons, but he closed out the regular season this year playing well, and carried it into the playoffs. Now the wheels are coming off towards the end of a long playoff run.

The question is can Nashville keep this up while also getting better goaltending, or have they punched themselves out and are now cracking? They definitely lost their composure in the 3rd period last night.

Yes, yes and yes.

I think you have captured the spirit of the thing.

[Jimmydeicide]

Its not over 'till you lose a home game, all Nashville have to do is hold serve for now.
BUT!!! Rinne is s*** right now and they dont have a competent back up thats obvious.
I think Fluery versus Rinne, fire wagon, hockey 7-6 games , whos with me

[10spro]

With all the talent Pens have, it was interesting to see how frustrating it's been for the Pens to enter the neutral zone with the man advantage. The Fisher line needed to pick it up a notch and the captain did so with a big hit on Dumoulin. No shots on net yet for Malkin and Crosby.

The D's speed to pass the puck quickly into the neutral zone has created some break outs for NAS. If Rinne can keep them in the game, we got a series going.

[XXXIV]

Awesome performance Preds.

Rinne finally shows up.

Preds have been the better team all three games....Cant help thinking if not for soft goals they'd be about to go up 3-0 now.

[10spro]

These Preds fan know to celebrate eh...Murray, Murray...You suck...It's all your fault, it's all your fault...

Rinne started with some rebound issues, but was solid the rest of the game.

[XXXIV]

Kidman does look creepy.

[XXXIV]

Hell of a 3rd goal Preds. Perfect finish Arvidsson and what an assist by Underwood.

Rinne back to form from first two rounds as that was a Conn Smythe period.

[10spro]

Regardless of the final outcome in this SC finals, Rinne is in the conversation for CS award recipient in my view. People like to crucify goalies which is such a thankless position and make quick judgements.

Rinne has been the reason why the Preds have gone this far. No disrespect to Forsberg and the rest of the Swedes, Johansen, the solid D.

He had a shitty game 1, game two could be blame only for one goal while they left him up to dry with the constant Pens' two on one breakaways and all of the sudden he can't stop a beach ball?

Make no mistakes about it, Preds will go as far as Rinne will allow them. And he may have a bad game again in PIT, although I wouldn't count on it.

The reality is that Preds have been the better team so far while some experts were talking about a sweep after the Pens were up 2-0. Nonsense.

I still think PIT has a lot more to give as I said since game 1, but now it's the best of 3, and Preds are getting hot at the right time.

[fletcher21]

I've got some $$$ on Pitt. After game 2, I was already cashing my winnings in my head. Now, I honestly think Nashville may steal game 5 and then close it out in game 6. I hope I am wrong. They say that it isn't a series until someone wins a road game, so we will see. Pitt has looked bad in every game except game 1. I could easily See Nashville up 3-1 right now. My gut tells me Nashville will pull it out.

[10spro]

The very first shift by Sidney Crosby just set the tone for the Pens. #87 was just driven tonight, skating like a possessed man. Malkin and Kessel picked up their game too after being shot down in NAS. Preds just played badly tonight, over committing, too aggressive and the Pens' Superstars showed up big time.

Game was over after 30 minutes, with the third goal with only 10 seconds to go in the first period, the major dart.

We've seen how resilient NAS can be especially at home, and at this juncture we know this much: The team that wins a game on the road wins the Cup.

[XXXIV]

Game was and series is stained by yet another pathetic ref ..That was a goal. The preds should NOT be punished because you are a VERY POOR ref.

Why the whistle ? NO ONE quit on that play but the ref.

I find incompetence on that level UNACCEPTABLE...It really is disgusting.

As a good friend of mine just told me all goals should be reviewable. That was a goal.


Having said that.

Gratz to the Pens and to Sidney Crosby.

Back to back Cups first time in how many years? 20?

Crosby one of the all time top 5-10 greats . Cannot be denied.

[10spro]

Murray dead solid, Crosby best in the world. Canada wins, I mean congrats Pens fans.

[10spro]

Well, the Golden Knights are taking shape slowly but surely. Last night they unveiled their Unis which are Meh in my view.

At the NHL awards tonight, I was paying close attention for a change not so much for the award recipients (all well deserved, especially Torts for doing a great job in COL) but how McPhee was constructing the new franchise from the get go.

They have a good base already with the players they chose tonight and a lot of draft picks, and unlike previous US expansion teams, they'll be able to contend much sooner with all the picks they managed to trade for. And being Vegas, they better not suck for too long before much better suited cities like Quebec and Seattle cry foul.

Teams like NYI, CBJ and Jets gave away 1st rounders so that they wouldn't lose key players.

Look forward to this weekend's draft which I am sure we'll see more trades and a few surprises than the trade deadline itself in early March.

Vegas has some strong names which may be switching address much sooner than spelling the name Knights.

Bet on that.

It's showtime baby. And the draft is in your neck of the woods XXXIV, say hi to Gary for us...

[MizzouRah]

They still should of had 32 teams total = 2 expansion teams. I find the 31 team thing a bit dumb.

[10spro]

Just hours before the draft and Hawks are one of the teams willing to deal and wheel already. After being swept by the Preds, you knew that some changes needed to be done and with little space for cap space they dealt Hjalmarsson and Panarin to ARI and CBJ respectively.

With key players locked in long terms, CHI has little room to maneuver. Hossa another guy signed long term may not even dress for the entire season due to illness while they get back B. Saad who left a couple of years ago ironically due to cap reasons but he's signed for at least 4 years.

Tonight is going to be very interesting, as I was saying earlier, trades will happen more this weekend than the trade deadline itself.

[Diablo25]

Love it that the Flyers got Patrick!

[MizzouRah]

I love that we finally get rid of Lehtera and get a player like Schenn (a 50+ point guy).

Sad seeing Revo leave though.. I'm going to miss him.

[10spro]

OK boyz, another season of frustration for the ‘Nucks will be under way tonight with four games openers.

Actually VAN doesn’t play until Saturday vs the Mighty Oils and with a couple of acquisitions and another year of development with the young kids, they should improve maybe another 10 points but still will be near the bottom feeders just ahead of the Yotes, Avs and Golden Knights.

Look forward to McDavid taking the reigns as best player over Sid this year as his team should have another great season. Along the Ducks they should top the West while Pens and Bolts should rule the East.

J. Eichel just signed a sweet deal with BUF and if he stays healthy, should be among the top 5 scorers in the league.

Look forward to watching the Leafs ( I don’t have a fever) and see how much more they can improve and watch out for the Jets, they may push for a playoffs spot.

The battle of Alberta will finally matter after a decade of futility and it starts tonight baby.

[Naples39]

OK boyz, another season of frustration for the ‘Nucks will be under way tonight with four games openers.

Actually VAN doesn’t play until Saturday vs the Mighty Oils and with a couple of acquisitions and another year of development with the young kids, they should improve maybe another 10 points but still will be near the bottom feeders just ahead of the Yotes, Avs and Golden Knights.

Look forward to McDavid taking the reigns as best player over Sid this year as his team should have another great season. Along the Ducks they should top the West while Pens and Bolts should rule the East.

J. Eichel just signed a sweet deal with BUF and if he stays healthy, should be among the top 5 scorers in the league.

Look forward to watching the Leafs ( I don’t have a fever) and see how much more they can improve and watch out for the Jets, they may push for a playoffs spot.

The battle of Alberta will finally matter after a decade of futility and it starts tonight baby.

Opening night should be a national holiday as far as I'm concerned. That said, I am really down on the Flyers. They were generally a bad, boring team last year, and Hakstol is clinging to bad veterans while sending down/benching exciting young players (Sanheim, Morin, Lindblom). It's really disappointing.

Teams that are intriguing this year for me are 'Peg and Carolina.

Otherwise the league feels pretty wide open. There are no strong favorites IMO. It's more like a big pack of top teams with roughly equal odds.

[10spro]

Good debut from Patty Marleau in a Leafs uniform, they were solid with A. Matthews scoring three points. If the Jets brought S. Mason to heal their perennial worries in between the pipes, they better not see what they saw tonight, although the D was terrible too.

[10spro]

What a Hot trick start for McDavid, pure speed and talent. Not even #99 got three goals ever on an opening night.