Series Discussion: Round 2 (Caps vs Penguins) 2016 Playoffs (Pens fans, read note in OP) - Part II

[SpinningEdge]

At this point I'd rather face the presumably rusty goalie. I suspect the talk about Fleury is just to give Caps something to think about, but, I hope they make the switch.

Yeah, I don't think it matters who we face. Murray is putting up good numbers - so if they take him out I don't think it makes it any tougher for the Caps.

Caps know they need to win to force a game 7. Doesn't matter who is lined up across from them, who is at goal, etc. Just... win.

I don't think the Pens are going to take many penalties in game 6. They're going to focus on playing ES and make it a best man wins type game. I see maybe 1 or 2 PP's for the Caps Tuesday. We will need another line to step up to win. Right now top line can't do it all. So Caps need to get puck into Pitts zone, play defense like they did in the 3rd period VS Pitt, have Holtby be Holtbeast again, and me start the GDT. If that all happens - Caps can hopefully force a game 7!

 

[Portable Mink]

went to tthe main boards in a moment of drunkness and weakness... saw a thread blaming holtby for our playoff woes: punched myself in the head. came back here.

 

[txpd]

Oh good lord what the hell could they POSSIBLY be complaining about. NBC's Penguins homerism is the worst favoritism I've ever seen from any supposedly neutral broadcast in any sport.

compared to Steigy and Errey Doc and Pierre are downright hostile to the Penguins. It wasn't too long ago that NHL Network actually used Errey as an analyst. So....Surely, saying Ov is good shows their bias against the Penguins.

 

[txpd]

went to tthe main boards in a moment of drunkness and weakness... saw a thread blaming holtby for our playoff woes: punched myself in the head. came back here.

you must have missed the Trotz is a playoff choker and Crosby Ov who is having the better series threads.

Its so clear that Crosby is outplaying Ovechkin....you know.....

 

[Maruk moustache]

went to tthe main boards in a moment of drunkness and weakness... saw a thread blaming holtby for our playoff woes: punched myself in the head. came back here.

Why? It isn't as if he's got the best career playoffs save percentage in the history of the NHL or anything (minimum 25 playoff games played): http://www.hockey-reference.com/leaders/save_pct_career_p.html

 

[Maruk moustache]

Plus he's only at .947 so far in this year's playoffs. What, letting in 1 of every 20 shots? No way we can win with that kind of lackluster performance. http://espn.go.com/nhl/player/_/id/5075/braden-holtby

 

[HecticGlow]

you must have missed the Trotz is a playoff choker and Crosby Ov who is having the better series threads.

Its so clear that Crosby is outplaying Ovechkin....you know.....

None of that matters, the important stuff is we're going to trade one or more of:

• Backstrom
• Ovi
• Mojo
• Carlson
• Burakovsky

For a slower 3C because Kuzy not being our 1C is the problem. Oh, and we should have someone like Letang on our third pairing.

Crikey.

If you can fault anyone this playoffs, Kuzy, Williams, Schmidt, Orlov, Orpik, Richards, Wilson and Chimera are the ones who have 'choked'. Remarkable that no ones picked up that Burakovsky didn't have a SOG for his first four playoff games, and scored a goal in his first or second game on the third line away from Kuzy. Williams just scored when separated from Kuzy. I don't get how Backstrom is clearly producing, and doing a tremendous job this series at neutralising the Crosby line, and yet people are suggesting Backstrom's the issue?! I'm not for a moment suggesting moving Kuzy, but if anyone's to blame here he's the guy surely?!

Meanwhile Mojo was seventh in the regular season in points - despite playing eight games fewer than Williams, who had the benefit of playing on Kuzy's line almost the entire season - and is having a great playoffs, yet people are suggesting a lack of depth in the Washington system means we should 'let him walk'. Baffling.

 

[Hivemind]

Every fanbase thinks national coverage/officiating/the league is biased against them.

 

[g00n]

Every fanbase thinks national coverage/officiating/the league is biased against them.

I don't think any of the other national broadcasters are nearly as biased as Pierre and Olczyk, both of whom have direct connections to the Penguins on their resumes. I haven't detected any anti-Caps bias in national coverage other than that particular NBC crew.

Have you heard the Pens local broadcasters? They're the worst homers in sports history. It's unreal. That's the standard by which Pens fans judge broadcasting. It explains why the NBC crew might be considered hostile.

Maybe I'm just having my information filtered based on the rivalries I follow, but I've never heard/read fans of teams like the Avalanche or Red Wings complaining about national broadcasters being biased against them. Same could be said for a lot of teams. Is it really a thing? Everyone is that paranoid? Because two ex-Pens employees working the broadcast is a little more than nothing and I just don't see connections like that for every other team.

 

[Hivemind]

Yes, this is a thing. Click on the comments section on any NHL facebook video or visit other teams' GDTs during a nationally broadcast game. Their fans are whining about bias the same way our fans our.

 

[Midnight Judges]

Have you heard the Pens local broadcasters? They're the worst homers in sports history. It's unreal. That's the standard by which Pens fans judge broadcasting. It explains why the NBC crew might be considered hostile.

Are they the ones who once during a game said Crosby just made somebody his ***** and called Trotz a no-neck *******?

I'd have a hard time picturing Joe B. or John Walton saying anything like that.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

The mouth breathers employed by the Penguins/ROOT are embarrassing.

 

[Blades of Steel]

I have multiple friends who have never logged on a hockey message board in their lives and they notice how biased Pierre is especially, and the comments Milbury makes.

 

[peterthegreat12]

Force a game 7. From there, anything can happen.

 

[Sam Spade]

All the pressure at this point is not on one team. The Caps are facing being upset early again and the Pens are facing choking. Whichever team loses will be humiliated.

I disagree. If the Pens lose the spin is they were supposed to lose, being up 3-1 is irrelevant.

If the Capitals win it will be pretty "meh" to everyone who isn't a Capitals fan.

I think the Pens come out on fire Tuesday as Sullivan did just enough to piss off some of his top guys last night. And being up 3 games to 1 he could afford to.

 

[peterthegreat12]

I disagree. If the Pens lose the spin is they were supposed to lose, being up 3-1 is irrelevant.

If the Capitals win it will be pretty "meh" to everyone who isn't a Capitals fan.

I think the Pens come out on fire Tuesday as Sullivan did just enough to piss off some of his top guys last night. And being up 3 games to 1 he could afford to.

I think this Caps team doesn't waiver. Whether they win or not, who knows? If they played like they did last game, I like their chances.

 

[Sam Spade]

I think this Caps team doesn't waiver. Whether they win or not, who knows? If they played like they did last game, I like their chances.

I picked the Pens to win this series. I based it on how the Pens finished the season, there style of play and how they wrecked the Rangers and Lundqvist.

The biggest surprise to me is how well the Caps have played. Being down 3-1, and now 3-2, is in no way indicative of how this series has been played. Based on game play the Caps should be up 3 - 2, but honestly that is part of Caps history as well (MTL 2010).

Still think the Pens close this out Tuesday but I can not be mad at the effort the Capitals have put forth.

I can however be really mad at Matt Murray for stealing game three, the turning point of the series.

 

[txpd]

I disagree. If the Pens lose the spin is they were supposed to lose, being up 3-1 is irrelevant.

If the Capitals win it will be pretty "meh" to everyone who isn't a Capitals fan.

I think the Pens come out on fire Tuesday as Sullivan did just enough to piss off some of his top guys last night. And being up 3 games to 1 he could afford to.

when you are supposed to lose, you are supposed to lose. not win 3 games in a row. Caps were in this boat last season and most people I know remember the Caps as choking and not that they were suppose to lose.

 

[ForzaItalia]

So many Pens fans are all but guaranteeing that the Pens end this in 6. Will be quite amusing to read their responses if it goes 7.

 

[Fallschirmyager]

I disagree. If the Pens lose the spin is they were supposed to lose, being up 3-1 is irrelevant.

If the Capitals win it will be pretty "meh" to everyone who isn't a Capitals fan.

I think the Pens come out on fire Tuesday as Sullivan did just enough to piss off some of his top guys last night. And being up 3 games to 1 he could afford to.

Once a team has won 3 in a row and is up 3-1 in series, nobody will believe that spin.

Kuzy showing up on the score sheet would be of great benefit.

 

[Red Dread]

So many Pens fans are all but guaranteeing that the Pens end this in 6. Will be quite amusing to read their responses if it goes 7.

"Caps just got lucky" "NHL extending this series for ratings" "Pens will come out flying and win Game 7"

 

[SpinningEdge]

Missed it - what did Oshie say about Ovi??

 

[hockeykicker]

Missed it - what did Oshie say about Ovi??

He's our leader. We look up to him," Oshie said. "When you see a guy like him that can beat you in so many different ways come out and bring that type of energy, you'd better get on board or just stay on the bench."

Here

 

[Blitzkrieg365]

One game at at time. Entitled To Nothing

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

One game at at time. Entitled To Nothing

The Caps play well with their backs to the wall. If only they could show this urgency before it got to 3-1 for the Pens. But yes, it's one game at a time in elimination games obviously.