Congrats and good luck
@BenchBrawl. This should be a great final!
The Maroons will make some lineup adjustments to maximize defensive posture and head to head match ups:
FORWARDS:
Brad Marchand - Sidney Crosby (C) - Vladimir Martinec
-Martinec swaps with Kurri here. I think the latter is better defensively at ES and with that in mind he fits well on the 2nd line, which will be the primary power on power unit for the Maroons. 200 foot play favors the Maroons as there are more players who fit that description.
Craig Ramsay - Bobby Clarke (A) - Jari Kurri
-Ramsay moves up to the 2nd line as a defensive stopper vs Bossy, though Denneny will still get shifts here, especially if the Wanderers want to take some runs at Bobby, though Chelios, Black Jack Stewart and Rob Blake are more than capable of putting people on their asses if need be.
This line will go power on power with the Wanderers top line. Clarke is about the perfect C to face off vs Mario. He's a relentless pain in the ass, bordering and sometimes crossing over the dirty line as a player. One of the all time great defensive C and provides a clear advantage in the dot (Mario was never regarded as anything better than average at faceoffs) which is a vital aspect to puck possession. Clarke's primary job will be to harass and hack Mario as much as possible and produce chances on the counter. You have some hothead/lunatics on the Wanderer side and goading them into taking stupid penalties isn't exactly a secret strategy IMO.
You have here, one of the all time great defensive C's AND wingers to counter Lemieux/Bossy. Those 2 are the types who can be irritated physically speaking and Ramsay/Clarke make that possible IMO. Yes, I'm sacrificing offense by moving Ramsay up but believe defensive/counter hockey to be paramount to success here and this move also enhances the depth of scoring for the Maroons by shifting Denneny and Malone down. More on that later. You still have a glue guy, facilitator, and goal scorer so offensively the line is still cohesive. Offense is simply more evenly distributed with this particular set up and with Northcott in the top 6 for the Wanderers I see a pertinent opening to move the chess pieces around, in this case Ramsay in a more important checking role.
Cy Denneny - Ted Kennedy (A) - Alexander Maltsev
-Denneny drops down here and enhances the offensive capabilities considerably. Scoring depth is so important and the Maroons have that in spades.
Kennedy will lock horns with Beliveau, and again, this is a match up that shouldn't get us killed. Kennedy was an incredible gamer. Strong defensively, though not on Clarke's level. Uber physical, always played 110% and honestly plays a physical brand of hockey that should help vs a big man like JB, much like Clarke vs Mario. Kennedy, like Clarke is elite in the dot giving the Maroons another advantage in key face off situations which translates into puck possession. This will also be extremely critical on the PK.
An increased offensive presence to his left, Kennedy is in perfect position to lean on Beliveau and shadow him like a hawk as much as possible, doing the things which he was most known for. Maltsev will still be the main conductor of the line and his wizardry should mesh well with a star spark plug/checker like TK and an upper echelon finisher like Denneny.
Obviously Beliveau is a big advantage offensively speaking down the middle here but Denneny/Maltsev is far more offense than Northcott/Kane.
Joe Malone - Mike Modano - Theo Fleury
-A ringer of a line that could very well be the difference when looking at the forward groups. This would be a passable 2nd line scoring unit IMO but instead they're a depth unit that can skate, score, pester and defend. Modano and Fleury provide good 200 foot play with strong offense for a bottom 6 role. Malone is probably the best pure offensive player of the group and along with the top line the 4th group will be used to push the Wanderers back on their heels with relentless pressure while the 2nd and 3rd lines are more counter units, deployed to maximize ressitance against the top 6 of the Wanderers.
DEFENSEMEN:
Brian Leetch - Chris Chelios
-A wash of top pairings if there ever has been one, though I will advocate for the edge given this unit is less of a defensive liability as Coffey is as close to a black hole as you can get at this stage.
Another aspect to consider is with Coffey certainly going to be giving up some odd man rushes, Chara isn't exactly the fleetest of foot so the Wanderers top pairing is one that I think can be exposed with speed, skill and hockey IQ, which the Maroons have up and down the line up. Defensive positioning I think favors the Maroons as well.
To me the Maroons are slightly more balanced whereas Chara and Coffey are very distinct defensive and offensive only players. Leetch at least PK'd at nearly 50% rate for his career and Chelios is actually one of the very few Dmen since 1960 to play more than 50% on both the PP and PK.
At the end of the day, give me the group that has the best overall player and Conn Smythe winner in crunch time.
Jack Stewart - Rob Blake
-Pain. They can replicate the style of the Wanderers 2nd pairing. Chelios, Stewart, Blake give up nothing in the physicality department when looking at Chara, Cleghorn, Coulter. I do give the edge on this pairing to the Wanderers though as Cleghorn is easily the best overall player, though one who will be routinely pestered by Clarke, Kennedy, Marchand, Fleury, among others for obvious reasons. You needle the players who had a tendency to play stupid.
John Carlson - Dan Boyle
-The Maroons are actually slightly better here IMO. First off, both of these guys are SC winners and battle tested, whereas neither Giordano or Hatcher ever lifted the Cup. Gio especially has a minimal and putrid postseason record. Both Carlson and Boyle are postseason AS's, twice each. This unit can move the puck from either side and each have a role on special teams and quite frankly don't think they're any more of a liability defensively than Gio/Hatcher.
GOALTENDING:
Jacques Plante
Billy Smith
-To me, this is where the series tilts. Each series I've gotten slightly easier match ups head to head in net and this is the biggest gap yet. In a league this size, Benedict is a bottom of the barrel starter where as Plante is upper echelon. I don't think it's outrageous at all to say this is the single biggest gap of the series.
Something to consider is Benedict was also used to playing behind mostly Pete Green led teams who were more slanted towards defensive hockey, which the Wanderers are not. Shot volume will be, IMO, greater than what he was used to in real life, given the make up of the skaters in front of him are very different from the Senators of the 19teens/20's. Can he handle that?
I think Plante will have an overall easier time in terms of consistent action and given he's the much better player, this seems like a big advantage in a final series.
SPECIAL TEAMS:
PP 1:
Denneny - Crosby - Kurri
Blake (trigger) - Leetch (QB)
PP2:
Maltsev - Malone/Modano/Clarke (will rotate) - Martinec
Carlson (trigger) - Boyle (QB)
PK 1:
Ramsay - Clarke
Stewart - Chelios
PK 2:
Martinec - Kennedy
Carlson - Blake
-I don't think it's hard to decipher who stands out where. The Wanderers have an elite PP group. It should strike fear into anyone. They're much better overall, simply put because of Mario, Beliveau, Bossy and Coffey.
With that being said, the Maroons are just as dominant on the kill IMO with a few critical aspects that tilt ST's in our favor.
One, puck possession.
Clarke and Kennedy will be used heavily on the kill, as they should be. Who is going to win the most faceoffs in the Maroon zone (or any zone) when a kill situation arises? This clearly favors Clarke and Kennedy. So right off the bat, possession should favor the Maroons. And gaining possession on ST's is arguably the most critical aspect.
As good as Coffey/Cleghorn is running the blue line, Ramsay-Clarke are just as dominant in their roles. Not only were both prime killers, together they possess counter attacking ability which is rare to see in such gifted PK'ers.
Martinec/Kennedy are studs as 2nd unit players given their own usage and acumen and again, offer more than normal offensive ability going the other way.
So not only do you have to solve a ridiculous amount of PK ability at F for the Maroons, you always have to worry about chances going the other way with a stable of Clarke, Martinec, Kennedy, Ramsay.
Two, physicality down low.
Black Jack Stewart and Chelios were made for the Mario's and Beliveau's of the world. At least as best you can be haha.
Chelios is elite kill. He's very ornery and big enough to not be pushed around. And he'll have no problem getting dirty in srums. Cross checks in the back and arms will happen. Stewart was even bigger/stronger and known for punishing people physically. You'd be hard pressed to find a better combo on D when looking at who the Wanderers are deploying on the PP.
Rob Blake is more of the same on the 2nd unit. Whoever ventures near the net will feel his wrath. Martinec is really the only player who doesn't bring notable physical play to the table here, though as a 2nd unit player he should still be considered very good.
Obviously nobody is going to shut out the Wanderers PP group. But limiting the damage and making life extremely difficult on them is something the Maroons should be able to pull off.
COACHING:
Straight wash. A lot of people's #4 coach ever against a man who more and more people are talking about being 5th overall.
I think Lester Patrick gets a bit too much credit for things that didn't really pertain to coaching directly, like financial contributions, and rule changes. When you look at on ice results, I think longevity easily favors Quenneville and there is an argument to be made that his 3 Cups in 6 seasons with Chicago, 2nd most regular season wins and 3rd most postseason wins all time is every bit as impressive as the 3 Cups that Patrick won from 1925 through 1933.
If you look strictly at coaching accomplishments and leave the rules creations and behind the scenes building aspect of the game, Q COULD be argued over Patrick, though that is a debate for the HoH section if we ever attempt a coaches ranking, which I hope we try.
Either way, I think this is a classic wash. Both are very close in ranking (I would probably have them 4 and 5) and both have teams that should be able to do what each coach was most known for stylistically.
I think this is an extremely close series. The F and D groups are razor thin. The Wanderers possess more firepower in the top 6 but the Maroons have better defensive acumen, especially at F. And scoring depth easily favors the Maroons given Keon, Parise, Barber and Bertuzzi aren't exactly offensive powerhouses. How do you contain these bottom 6 wingers? Denneny, Maltsev, Malone and Fleury, being centered by Kennedy and Modano.
I think the Wanderers stars face tougher hurdles than vice versa.
Mario faces Clarke
Beliveau faces Kennedy
Bossy faces Ramsay
Keon is the only strong defensive C the Wanderers have and the Maroons counter with 4 C's who can all produce, while all playing 200 foot games, ranging from above average to elite in that regard.
On the back end, again, to me this is very close. I would advocate for the Maroons top pairing ever so slightly if for no other reason than it's less of a liability defensively and won't have any issues moving the puck, on either side. Cleghorn gives the Wanderers a leg up on the 2nd pairing. 3rd pairing is slightly in the Maroons favor by my estimation.
And lastly Plante gives the Maroons a pretty big leg up in net. In terms of pure talent/accomplishments/etc I think this is the biggest tilt in the series and why the Maroons will prevail in game 7. IMHO.