Rene Lecavalier Division Semifinals: (1) Vancouver Millionaires vs. (4) ACB Bullies

[Hawkey Town 18]

Vancouver Millionares

1915 Stanley Cup Champions
Home Rink: Denman Arena (1911)
Head Coach: Tommy Ivan

Anatoli Firsov - Alex Delvecchio (C) - Jaromir Jagr (A)
Cy Denneny - Frank Fredrickson - Theoren Fleury
Adam Graves - Walt Tkaczuk - Ed Westfall (A)
Simon Gagne - Bobby Holik - John Pie Mckenzie

King Clancy (A) - Tom Johnson
'Moose' Vasko - Bullet Joe Simpson
Bobby Rowe - Mathieu Schneider

Bill Durnan
George Hainsworth

Spares: Doug Weight C, Andrei Markov D, Jim Pappin RW, Mattias Ohlund D,

1st unit PP:

Denneny - Delvecchio - Jagr
Simpson - Clancy

2nd unit PP:

Firsov - Fredrickson - Fleury
T.Johnson - Schneider

Alternates: Tkaczuk

1st unit PK:

Tkaczuk - Westfall
T.Johnson - Vasko

2nd unit PK:

Delvecchio - Firsov
Clancy - Rowe

Alternates: Holik - Fleury


vs.


Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies
Coach: Viktor Tikhonov

Joe Malone -- Stan Mikita (A) -- Marian Hossa
Brian Propp -- Joe Thornton -- Mike Bossy
John Tonelli -- Igor Larionov -- Peter Bondra
Mel Bridgman -- David Backes -- Claude Lemieux
Jason Arnott -- Claude Giroux

Jacques Laperierre -- Bill Gadsby
Harry Howell -- Kevin Hatcher
Lars-Erik Sjöberg -- Adam Foote
Yuri Liapkin --- Zinetula Bilyaletdinov

Henrik Lundqvist
Al Rollins

PP1:
Tonelli
Thornton - Mikita - Bossy
Gadsby

PP2:
Malone - Larionov - Bondra
Hatcher - Sjoberg

PK1:
David Backes -- Marian Hossa
Jacques Lapperriere -- Adam Foote

PK2:

​

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[Hawkey Town 18]

ACB you need to finish your PK units

 

[monster_bertuzzi]

Here's to a good series, KF. Opening thoughts:

-Van absolutely has the coaching and goaltending advantage, there is also some very Dark energy in the Boardwalk Bullies dressing room between Tikhonov and Larionov. Durnan is obviously better than Lundqvist with a Vezina count of 6 to 1. King Henrik has been one of the finest goalies in the NHL for a long time now, but his resume isn't far off from a guy like Luongo, and he's a very bargain basement starter in a 26 team ATD. The Millionares also have George Hainsworth, a starting calibre ATD goalie, as a huge adv. over Al Rollins.

-The Board Walk Bullies have a lot of A list talent up front, but Malone - Mikita is a very poor choice from a chemistry perspective for obvious reasons. Bobby Hull and Mikita were put on seperate lines at 5 on 5 by the BlackHawks for a reason. Joe Malone is basically just a lesser version of Bobby Hull. I'll put Firsov - Delvecchio - Jagr up against any line in the hockey universe.

-King Clancy is easily the finest defenseman in this series. Real Life Jagr teams usually only required one excellent puck mover from the backend whether it was Murphy or Zubov to be Successful, Vancouver certainly has that with Clancy and I expect Ivan to use his top pair for at least 25 minutes each.

 

[jarek]

For what it's worth, I think this series is a hell of a lot closer than the seedings indicate.

ACB has a crazy good top-3 in Mikita, Bossy and Malone, and I think that's going to go very far for them. If I were Vancouver, I'm not sure I'd want to spend my top line matching against either of these two lines, as Vancouver has very little outside their top-6 in offensive depth and they're going to need Jagr putting up points to win this one.

With that being said, ACB has a surprisingly good matchup against Vancouver in that the Mikita line could go up against the Delvecchio line and do reasonably well, and then maybe have a unit of Tonelli - Larionov - Backes go up against the 2nd line. The strong 2nd line of the Bullies could push them over the edge here.

With all that being said, there is a pretty big gap in goaltending, and I do think that, along with the overall quality of Vancouver, probably takes the series for them in 7, but I am far from convinced of that.

 

[monster_bertuzzi]

For what it's worth, I think this series is a hell of a lot closer than the seedings indicate.

ACB has a crazy good top-3 in Mikita, Bossy and Malone, and I think that's going to go very far for them. If I were Vancouver, I'm not sure I'd want to spend my top line matching against either of these two lines, as Vancouver has very little outside their top-6 in offensive depth and they're going to need Jagr putting up points to win this one.

With that being said, ACB has a surprisingly good matchup against Vancouver in that the Mikita line could go up against the Delvecchio line and do reasonably well, and then maybe have a unit of Tonelli - Larionov - Backes go up against the 2nd line. The strong 2nd line of the Bullies could push them over the edge here.

With all that being said, there is a pretty big gap in goaltending, and I do think that, along with the overall quality of Vancouver, probably takes the series for them in 7, but I am far from convinced of that.

Who needs bottom 6 offensive depth when your top 6 is the best in the league??? I feel like you're underestimating the offensive contributions my third line will be making anyways, I don't except them to light the world on fire but they're not exactly Gainey - Carbonneau - Toppazzini, either.

I need Jagr scoring to win? There's also Cy Denneny with a VSx rating of 92.8 who may put a puck or two home...

 

[jarek]

Who needs bottom 6 offensive depth when your top 6 is the best in the league??? I feel like you're underestimating the offensive contributions my third line will be making anyways, I don't except them to light the world on fire but they're not exactly Gainey - Carbonneau - Toppazzini, either.

I need Jagr scoring to win? There's also Cy Denneny with a VSx rating of 92.8 who may put a puck or two home...

I happen to think Larionov - Backes is a good match against Fredrickson - Denneny, as well as the power on power matchup for ACB. Obviously your team is highly talented, I just like the matchups from the ACB side.

What am I underestimating about your third line, exactly? That line doesn't seem like it'll score much at all, especially if it's matched against one of the ACB scoring lines.

Also, I think you're underestimating the offensive power of ACB as well. Malone, Mikita, Thornton, Bossy is an outstanding best 4.

 

[monster_bertuzzi]

What am I underestimating about your third line, exactly? That line doesn't seem like it'll score much at all, especially if it's matched against one of the ACB scoring lines.

This is when posting the 7 year VSx numbers of each player on both teams top 9's would really help. Graves can score, and Walt Tkaczuk can pass the puck - they are probably an average duo on the attack as far as third lines go this year, maybe slightly below average. Westfall won't contribute much obviously, but their main objective is shadowing the likes of Mikita - Malone, or Thornton - Bossy. They are also a very physical line, and won't be easy to play against.

This is the VSx numbers for my top 6 to the best of my knowledge:

Jagr: 114.6
Denneny: 92.8
Firsov: 90.0 (he must be in this range)
Delvecchio: 85.4
Fleury: 83.4
Fredrickson: 82.0? (again just a guess, but he must be in this range)

Is there a higher powered top 6 than this teams?

 

[BraveCanadian]

This is the VSx numbers for my top 6 to the best of my knowledge:

Jagr: 114.6
Denney: 92.8
Firsov: 90.0 (he must be in this range)
Delvecchio: 85.4
Fleury: 83.4
Fredrickson: 82.0? (again just a guess, but he must be in this range)

Is there a higher powered top 6 than this teams?

That is a damn impressive top 6 offensively but they have to be because it drops off very rapidly on your third line.

67 for Tkaczuk, Graves isn't even in the top 250 for points HO posted.. although he is 203rd for goals, and neither is Westfall.

Holik doesn't rank, McKenzie is a 65, and Gagne is around the 250 mark but got bumped off HO's most recent list as active players have moved up.

Your top 6 is absolutely stacked but the bottom six is all pluggers.

 

[jarek]

This is when posting the 7 year VSx numbers of each player on both teams top 9's would really help. Graves can score, and Walt Tkaczuk can pass the puck - they are probably an average duo on the attack as far as third lines go this year, maybe slightly below average. Westfall won't contribute much obviously, but their main objective is shadowing the likes of Mikita - Malone, or Thornton - Bossy. They are also a very physical line, and won't be easy to play against.

This is the VSx numbers for my top 6 to the best of my knowledge:

Jagr: 114.6
Denneny: 92.8
Firsov: 90.0 (he must be in this range)
Delvecchio: 85.4
Fleury: 83.4
Fredrickson: 82.0? (again just a guess, but he must be in this range)

Is there a higher powered top 6 than this teams?

Right, I already said I like the offense from your top-6. I just like the matchup the Bullies have against your top-6. That's all I'm saying. I didn't say it would be enough to beat your team, and currently I don't really think it is.

 

[monster_bertuzzi]

That is a damn impressive top 6 offensively but they have to be because it drops off very rapidly on your third line.

67 for Tkaczuk, Graves isn't even in the top 250 for points HO posted.. although he is 203rd for goals, and neither is Westfall.

Holik doesn't rank, McKenzie is a 65, and Gagne is around the 250 mark but got bumped off HO's most recent list as active players have moved up.

Your top 6 is absolutely stacked but the bottom six is all pluggers.

Luckily for me then two headed monsters of a top 6 like mine are very difficult to stop, whereas we know one line teams are curb stomped frequently.

I don't see how having physical checkers and grinders in my bottom 6 is a bad thing.

 

[jarek]

Luckily for me then two headed monsters of a top 6 like mine are very difficult to stop, whereas we know one line teams are curb stomped frequently.

I don't see how having physical checkers and grinders in my bottom 6 is a bad thing.

It isn't a bad thing. You keep side stepping my point about the matchups being good for ACB and I'm really not sure why.

 

[monster_bertuzzi]

It isn't a bad thing. You keep side stepping my point about the matchups being good for ACB and I'm really not sure why.

Not saying they don't create some matchup problems, but I don't see how Malone - Mikita - Hossa is going to out perform Firsov - Delvecchio - Jagr in a power on power matchup.

Obviously with four out of 7 on home ice, we're going to harrass the heck out of their top four up front that you mentioned with the Tkaczuk line, Firsov and Delvecchio are both pesky players strong away from the puck as well. Hell, even my fourth line is a credible shutdown unit.

Not to mention Kevin Hatcher is just really easy pickin's for the Jagr's and Denneny's of the world.

And if there really is line-matching questions...wouldn't you put more faith in Ivan over Tikhonov?

 

[jarek]

Not saying they don't create some matchup problems, but I don't see how Malone - Mikita - Hossa is going to out perform Firsov - Delvecchio - Jagr in a power on power matchup.

Obviously with four out of 7 on home ice, we're going to harrass the heck out of their top four up front that you mentioned with the Tkaczuk line, Firsov and Delvecchio are both pesky players strong away from the puck as well. Hell, even my fourth line is a credible shutdown unit.

Not to mention Kevin Hatcher is just really easy pickin's for the Jagr's and Denneny's of the world.

And if there really is line-matching questions...wouldn't you put more faith in Ivan over Tikhonov?

Fair point on the coaching. That is probably a pretty relevant point in this series, especially given the Tikhonov - Larionov potential issues.

I think you're overselling Firsov by calling him strong away from the puck. I've yet to see really strong evidence for this. If someone could consolidate everything that is known about Firsov's game away from the puck into one place, it would help out a crapton. Also, I know Delvecchio has the reputation as the two-way guy but can you provide references for this please?

Fair point about Hatcher - I think a couple people have said that he wasn't actually bad defensively but he isn't great obviously.

I wouldn't go as far as to say that the Mikita line would outperform the Jagr line, I just like the matchup from a defensive point of view. If there's a unit that can really hamper the Jagr line's ability to score, the Mikita line is a pretty good one.

Specifically, I like Malone's speed in the neutral zone and his strong game away from the puck (although I may be the only one who actually has the info about this - I've seen MANY references to him having strong defensive games in game recaps). The Malone - Jagr matchup will be key as I think stopping him in the neutral zone will be critical to putting a halt to Vancouver's offensive game on the first line, and I think Malone is a great guy for this. If Jagr gets down low in the offensive zone, it'll spell a lot of trouble for ACB.

As far as the very finesse based Firsov, I think Hossa, again, in the neutral zone, is just an outstanding player to match up against him.

None of this is to say that ACB will be successful enough to actually execute this game plan to success often enough to win, but it'll be absolutely critical to victory here IMO.

 

[monster_bertuzzi]

As far as the very finesse based Firsov, I think Hossa, again, in the neutral zone, is just an outstanding player to match up against him.

Not surprising you have this opinion since you don't buy into the revelations about Firsov's gritty game, and indeed his strong play away from the puck.

Sorry but Firsov win's the matchup against Hossa easily, he's severally notches higher Offensively.

 

[jarek]

Not surprising you have this opinion since you don't buy into the revelations about Firsov's gritty game, and indeed his strong play away from the puck.

Sorry but Firsov win's the matchup against Hossa easily, he's severally notches higher Offensively.

Right, so why not consolidate everything that's known about Firsov's game away from the puck, then? I can't be the only one with doubts.

Just because he's better offensively, doesn't mean he's going to win the matchup easily. Hossa is a very proficient defensive player, and I see it as a good defensive matchup against Firsov in the neutral zone.

 

[monster_bertuzzi]

Right, so why not consolidate everything that's known about Firsov's game away from the puck, then? I can't be the only one with doubts.

Just because he's better offensively, doesn't mean he's going to win the matchup easily. Hossa is a very proficient defensive player, and I see it as a good defensive matchup against Firsov in the neutral zone.

Hossa is a solid option to shadow Firsov without a doubt, and he's a lot bigger than Anatoli as well. But Firsov is a lot better. What happens when we get through the neutral zone, and attack with a 3 on 2? You won't keep our top line from rushing into the zone for chances - especially with Clancy feeding Jagr perfect passes through the neutral zone.

 

[jarek]

Hossa is a solid option to shadow Firsov without a doubt, and he's a lot bigger than Anatoli as well. But Firsov is a lot better. What happens when we get through the neutral zone, and attack with a 3 on 2? You won't keep our top line from rushing into the zone for chances - especially with Clancy feeding Jagr perfect passes through the neutral zone.

Yeah, that's what I mean, I like the ability of ACB to stop the Jagr line in the neutral zone, but if it gets into the defensive zone, there will be problems. Mikita will be shouldering the vast majority of the burden physically for the line and none of ACB's defense pairs are particularly outstanding defensively.

 

[seventieslord]

Vancouver stands up to the Bullies, defeating them in just 5 games.

 

[Iceman]

ACB was a team that grew on me as the draft went a long. I think the defensive depth of Vancouver won this.