ATD#11 Foster Hewitt Semifinals: Boston Bruins (1) vs. Anyang Halla (4)

[Sturminator]

Anyang Halla

Coach: Anatoly Tarasov

Toe Blake - Mario Lemieux - Jari Kurri
Johnny Gottselig - Ralph Backstrom - George Armstrong
Mike McPhee - Vladimir Shadrin- Jim Peters
Slava Kozlov - Vyacheslav Starshinov - Helmut Balderis
Willi Plett

Frantisek Pospisil - Börje Salming
Herb Gardiner - Vitaly Davydov
Jerry Korab - Al Iafrate
Darius Kasparaitis

Jiri Holecek
Vladimir Dzurilla

vs.

Boston Bruins

Coach: Al Arbour
Captain: Bill Cook
Assistant Captains: Hap Day, Peter Stastny

#10 Alex Delvecchio - #6 Frank Nighbor - #5 Bill Cook (c)
#71 John LeClair - #26 Peter Stastny (a) - #13 Vladimir Martinec
#12 J.P. Parise - #20 Don McKenney - #11 Harry Hyland
#7 Ed Sandford - #30 Dick Irvin Sr. - #8 Jim Pappin
#19 Reggie Fleming - #9 Charlie Burns

#2 Doug Harvey - #4 Hap Day (a)
#15 Jim Neilson - #17 Jan Suchý
#14 Graham Drinkwater - #3 Red Dutton
#51 Gilles Marotte

#31 Grant Fuhr
#1 Dave Kerr

1st unit powerplay:

Delvecchio - Stastny - Cook
Harvey - Suchý

2nd unit powerplay:

Leclair - Nighbor - Martinec
Drinkwater - Day

1st unit penalty kill:

Parise - Nighbor
Harvey - Day

2nd unit penalty kill:

Delvecchio - Pappin
Neilson - Dutton
​

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[Sturminator]

Wisent, if you post your captains and your 23rd skater, I will edit them into the first post. I'm just using what's in your roster post right now. Good luck in what should be a great series.

 

[Sturminator]

Early impressions:

- Czechoslovakia is quite well represented in this series. Not surprising coming from a couple of GM's who live right next door to the Czechs.

- Goaltending is a wash.

- The battle at center ice seems crucial here. How effectively can Nighbor play Lemieux, and how much mileage can Boston get from the Stastny/Backstrom mismatch?

- Add to list of ATD conventions: Sturm vs. Wisent in divisional play. It's like clockwork.

 

[Sturminator]

A very heavy load falls on Mario Lemieux in this series, as Anyang holds no personnel advantages beyond what Mario can bring to the table. Comparing the rest of the 1st units, Boston's wings are somewhat better (Delvecchio and Blake are close, but Cook is definitely better than Kurri), Harvey beats Salming easily while Day/Pospisil are very close. In spite of Mario's clear advantage over Nighbor, I think the 1st units are basically even because of the wide difference in #1 defensemen and Cook's advantage over Kurri. At any rate, the struggle between the 1st units looks to be a real war.

Second units are a true mismatch. With the possible exception of #4 defensemen (though I prefer Neilson to Davydov, at least, depending on who one considers Anyang's #3 defenseman), the Bruins possess substantial advantages at every position on the 2nd units. I don't really see the need to go into excruciating detail here; the units simply exist on opposite ends of the spectrum in this draft. Peter Stastny looks to be a very good candidate for MVP of this series should Boston prevail.

Comparing bottom units - 3rd lines are a bit hard to compare as they fulfill different functions, that of a checkingline and secondary scoringline, respectively. Think of it what you will. Both units are strong in their role.

3rd pairing comparison looks good for the Bruins. Red Dutton is easily the best bottom pairing defenseman in this contest. 4th lines are somewhat similar - both secondary scoring units anchored by centers who should probably be 3rd liners. Balderis has better overall scoring credentials than Pappin, but Pappin brings a better all-around game and outstanding postseason scoring for a 4th liner. Both left wings are steady and unspectacular. Again, Kozlov is maybe the better scorer, while Sandford brings a lot more size, grit and 2-way play, in addition to leading the NHL in playoff scoring once in his career. All-in-all, I think the 4th lines are quite close, though the advantage of having Red Dutton on the bottom pairing should tilt the overall matchup Boston's way.

So how much slack can Mario Lemieux pick up in this matchup? Considering the large mismatch of 2nd units, coaching (Tasarov is a fine coach, but he's no Al Arbour), Boston's advantage in the bottom units and other advantages on the 1st unit (#1 D and RW), it looks like Mario will have to put Anyang on his back and carry them if the Halla is to prevail in this series. This is certainly possible (it is Mario Lemieux we're talking about here), but unlikely, I think.

Frank Nighbor is hardly a pushover, combining Bobby Clarke-level offense with, well...Bobby Clarke-level defense. I don't consider Nighbor quite on Clarke's level (I have him somewhere between Clarke and Schmidt in all-time terms), but he's quite possibly a top-10 all-time center in his own right. Seriously, the only centers I see as clearly better than Nighbor are Gretzky, Lemieux, Beliveau, Mikita, Morenz, Clarke and Esposito. Nighbor enters the conversation as soon as we get to the Sakic, Lalonde, Taylor, Trottier, Schmidt level (I've got Yzerman, Apps and Boucher somewhat lower) and really these six guys can pretty much be arranged to taste in terms of their all-time placement. As good as #66 is, Frank Nighbor is a tough matchup, and Lemieux then has to deal with Doug Harvey when he beats Nighbor. The Boston 1st unit, as a whole, has an extremely high level of defensive smarts and awareness, as well as skating ability and strength, all of which is needed to defend against Lemieux. Other than pure checking units, I'm not sure there's a single unit in the ATD better suited to containing Super Mario.

 

[seventieslord]

This series hasn't been discussed in four days. My quarterfinal series was discussed more recently! Time for a bump.

- I agree that goaltending is a wash.

- Lemieux is the best player in the series and his line will probably have to carry the team through this round. Can they do it? They've carried the team this far. It's just an outstanding, perfectly constructed first line with just enough of everything.

- Red Dutton on one third pairing, with Korab and Iafrate on the other third pairing, is a striking contrast between the two squads.

- I notice that both teams have their share of defensive awareness and some grit in their forwards, but not a lot in the way of real toughness. I think Blake and Cook are the toughest forwards on either team, and after that, it's anyone's guess.

- Al Arbour gives a team a coaching advantage over almost anyone. In this case, Tarasov is surrounded by a few countrymen so the advantage is partially mitigated.

 

[Sturminator]

Al Arbour gives a team a coaching advantage over almost anyone. In this case, Tarasov is surrounded by a few countrymen so the advantage is partially mitigated.

Hmmm...it's not at all clear to me that Anyang's Czechoslovak players would be happy under Tasarov. All three of Pospisil, Dzurilla and Holecek once (in 1969, to be precise) put athletic tape over the red star on their jerseys before a World Championship match against the USSR - that's how much they hated the Soviets. I wasn't going to bring it up, but there does appear to be the possibility of some tension here.

 

[seventieslord]

Yeah, I was thinking Shadrin, the whole 4th line, Davydov, and Kasparaitis... but the Czech aspect adds an interesting twist regarding chemistry...

 

[Sturminator]

Yeah, I was thinking Shadrin, the whole 4th line, Davydov, and Kasparaitis... but the Czech aspect adds an interesting twist regarding chemistry...

I dunno about Balderis, either. He was Latvian, and apparently mistreated by the Russian-dominated Soviet hockey system, which I believe explains the disparity between his talent and his opportunities to play on the national team. It was Tikhonov and not Tasarov who was directly responsible for how Balderis was handled, but I don't know how well he'd react to Tasarov, either.

 

[Sturminator]

Hey kids. Well, the series is over. It's a shame that Wisent couldn't check in for this one because his team deserved better than a 5 game elimination. Selfishly, however, I can't complain that the Bruins will go into round 2 relatively fresh. Boston vs. Minnesota should be a barnburner.

 

[seventieslord]

The Boston Bruins (1) vs. The Anyang Halla (4)

Game Results:

Boston Bruins: 5 - Anyang Halla: 3
Boston Bruins: 4 - Anyang Halla: 0
Anyang Halla: 3 - Boston Bruins: 6
Anyang Halla: 3 - Boston Bruins: 1
Boston Bruins: 4 - Anyang Halla: 2

The Boston Bruins (1) defeats The Anyang Halla (4) in 5 games.


Series Three Stars

1: Doug Harvey - Boston Bruins
2: Mario Lemieux - Anyang Halla
Co-3: Frank Nighbor - Boston Bruins
Co-3: Peter Stastny- Boston Bruins


Series Recap:

- This series first star, Doug Harvey, was nothing short of sensational. Harvey was able to control the pace and tempo of the game everytime he was on the ice. A calming demeanour, Doug Harvey was on the ice for more than half of the game in each of the 5 contests. Notching two powerplay goals in the first game, he was moreover nothing short of spectacular in the defensive zone.

- For the losing team, Mario ''Le Magnifique'' was once again his team great performer. On a team visibly tired and physically hurt from their last series, Lemieux was able to perform very well. His linemate Hector Blake and Jarri Kurri were invisible all series, getting a lone point each in 5 games.

- Both goaltenders fell short of delivering good performances. Grant Fuhr and Jiri Holecek were pretty animic between their respective goals. Fuhr himself told the reporters after the series that he would need to step it up a notch if his team want to win the Dunnell Cup.