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Stanley Cup Finals Sure to Excite

Big Tony — Sat, 30 May 2009 16:49:36 +0000

Ladies and gentlemen the time has arrived as hockey fans the world over gear up for the sports biggest club competition final featuring the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings. The storylines in this series are plenty as the defending champs try to stave off last year’s runner-up in the new and improved Pittsburgh Penguins. Beyond all of the hype and excitement is where we find the keys to victory for each team. For Pittsburgh they need to have their best players be their best players and have each role player take his role and embrace it every step of the way. If someone is in a scoring slump he shouldn’t try to do too much to make up for the slack simply allow everyone else to fill in the void and focus on doing one thing and doing it well. Crosby, Malkin, and Fleury will have to be at the top of their game for sure but the team needs to rely a lot on last year’s journey and the success of veterans like Billy Guerin whether it’s on game day or at practice. Detroit on the other hand needs to overcome their health problems. The biggest hurdle for them is have played three overtime contests in the last round and are licking their wounds as a result. Otherwise the team has nothing to worry about as just about all of them have experienced an enormous amount of success. Unlike last year however this series will have a different tone and the Pittsburgh Penguins will use their grit, experience, and skill to raise the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1992 and the third time in team history. No curse here for touching the Prince of Whales Trophy folks, it will be the Penguins taking home the 2008-2009 Stanley Cup Title. Enjoy the Finals everyone!

Pens-Caps Game Seven Bound

Big Tony — Tue, 12 May 2009 02:46:26 +0000

What else should anybody have expected but to see Pittsburgh and Washington go to a seventh game. After an intense back and forth battle Monday night both teams will have to retool and focus their energies on playing what is all but certain to be another incredible match-up. The difference in the game will likely not be Washington having home ice advantage, or superstar play from Crosby, Ovechkin, Malkin, Semin, etc, but it will come down to the goaltenders. Sure it seems obvious that the last line of defense will determine who wins and who loses but it is more than the obvious. Which of the two will make the big save at the right time and who will make the easy save when it’s necessary? Which will push the play up the ice when the puck comes into his respective zone or make a simple play when a simple play is required rather than trying to be a hero with the puck? Smart play from the netminders, not just great saves, will be the difference in game seven. As the games have gone on Varlamov has been the one people are waiting to fall apart, and it was believed that finally happened in game four. But he has stood his ground and been able to battle back from the adversity he faced. The series is six games old and he has not caved yet and he won’t—quite frankly neither will Fleury. Varlamov has played well but Fleury has another level to take his game to, it’s a level we saw last year in game five of the finals and it’s a level we’ll see Wednesday night. Because of Fleury kicking it into another gear he will simply outduel Varlamov and the Penguins will head into round three.

P.S. This is my 100^th entry. Thanks very much to everyone who reads these and I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them. Here’s to the next 100!

Down and Out? Caps Hold Serve, Pens Must Rally

Big Tony — Tue, 05 May 2009 02:15:02 +0000

The Capitals and Penguins have played a fairly even series so far. Both Crosby and Ovechkin recorded hat tricks Monday night and both goaltenders have made some incredible saves. The difference so far has basically been timing. The Penguins have taken the early lead in both games but the Capitals are answering quickly before Pittsburgh can extend the lead to get a reasonable chance at protecting it. The Capitals are also getting timely goals as they have taken the lead late in both contests. Timing is key point one, but key point two is Varlamov making the mistake of giving very little in goal. Varlamov has given up a soft goal here and there but has done it at a time when the Caps can battle back, whereas Fleury gave up two soft goals in a row to Ovechkin with under five minutes left to play in regulation. So how does Pittsburgh right the ship? Evgeni Malkin has to step up his game and get himself on the score sheet. Malkin was a difference maker all season long and into the playoffs which is part of what separates Pittsburgh from the rest of the competition. As a Hart trophy finalist, Malkin (along with the other wingers) has to make a discernible impact to take some of the pressure off of Crosby and Fleury. Washington on the other hand simply needs to keep doing what they’re doing: make the Penguins play for every penalty they take, keep Varlamov from getting caught up in the moment of the big stage he’s on, and keep getting timely goals to keep the morale of the Penguins low. Now the series moves back to Pittsburgh where the Penguins need to win both games if they want any chance of advancing. The time to rely on last year’s finals appearance is now, because upstart Washington can taste the Conference Finals.

Ovechkin Wins Round One; Luongo Can’t Carry Weight Himself

Big Tony — Sun, 03 May 2009 14:36:07 +0000

Round 1 of Crosby versus Ovechkin goes to Ovie as the Washington Capitals outlasted the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 Saturday at Verizon Center. Based on the flow of the game this should be a pretty long series that goes back and forth. The difference in the game (aside from an incredible save by Simeon Varlamov) was Washington’s stellar power play outdueling a “headscratchingly” bad power play for the Pittsburgh Penguins. If the Penguins want to win the series they have to get their power play to at least be mediocre. Right now they have an enormous amount of talent on their power play unit but they are wasting it by setting it up poorly. Set up two power play lines that splits up Malkin and Crosby and better utilizes Kunitz and Guerin so that there is a line with say Crosby and Guerin and another line with Kunitz and Malkin. Splitting up the time certainly can’t hurt nor could making any change to it really because it hasn’t worked. The Penguins are really only one power play goal per game away from being a completely unstoppable team offensively. The Capitals on the other hand just have to keep doing what they’ve been doing. Keep dominating on their power play while playing fairly strong at even strength. Their speed and skill cannot be stopped with the man advantage (let alone a two-man advantage) so as long as they have that going and Varlamov holds up they are going to win the series. Another luxury the Caps have right now is being able to be aggressive without fearing being penalized. It isn’t that the refs aren’t calling penalties on them it’s just that the Penguins are not making Washington pay for their mistakes. Bottom line, if Pittsburgh’s power play gets going they win the series, if it continues the tract it is on now Washington will win no matter what else happens.

Out West, the Chicago Blackhawks made another comeback against the Vancouver Canucks Saturday night erasing Vancouver’s early two goal lead. Only this time the Hawks were able to make the comeback stick and went on to defeat the Canucks 6-3 tying their series at one heading to Chicago. Saturday’s loss was the first for Vancouver in these playoffs and won’t be their last as they are on a collision course with elimination. Sure they have been able to get off to a quick start the first two games—barely hanging on to win game one—but Vancouver relies way too much on Luongo to bail them out on a nightly basis. Relying on Luongo worked well enough in the first series against a more inferior opponent but it will not work against Chicago. Vancouver needs to get a whole lot more from their big guns if they want to survive. If Roberto Luongo has to be Vancouver’s best player for them to win they will be eliminated before the end of this round.

Dream Match-Up Highlights Round Two

Big Tony — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 03:31:06 +0000

Round one could not have gone out on a better note with two game seven’s (Devils-Hurricanes and Caps-Rangers) that did not disappoint in drama and excitement. I couldn’t possibly say anything to sum the two games that are surely both instant classics; as a result we’ll just turn to round two now that we know the match-ups. So far the sportsroids predictions have yielded a 4-4 record which I’ll be looking to improve upon in round two.

Eastern Conference:

1. Boston Bruins vs. 6. Carolina Hurricanes
The Bruins breezed through the first round sweeping the hated rival Canadiens right out of the playoffs. Despite picking Montreal to win (in the interest of not flip-flopping from my preseason Eastern Conference Champ) I had serious doubts about their performance down the stretch and how they would fair in the playoffs and sure enough they laid an egg. Although Boston swept the series the lame duck Canadiens probably would have made any team look like juggernauts. Nevertheless, the Bruins are very well rested and do have a lot of fire power, enough to have swept the season series from the Hurricanes anyway (not to mention the top seed in the East). So far Tim Thomas has continued his stellar play despite the doubts surrounding his style of play and his lack of consistent success in his career before this year. In front of Thomas are the likes of Zdano Chara who has been unbelievable for the Bruins all year and it continued in round one. Pair Chara’s dominance at the blue line with a very strong core of forwards and the Bruins have all the makings of what could be a very special playoff run.
Opposite the Bruins are the Carolina Hurricanes who are very much a different team today from the one Boston saw in the regular season. Ryan Whitney, Chad LaRose, and Eric Staal have played incredibly well thus far in the post-season each with at least five points against the best goalie in the game today in Martin Brodeur. The Canes also have a world class netminer of their own in Cam Ward who came up huge for them all season and certainly in the playoffs keeping them in game seven in particular. This team has a lot going for it on the ice with their talent but also their experience with key members from their Stanley Cup winning team of a few years ago still around. So what can we expect from this series? Well the goaltending for both will most likely be stellar but beyond that the comparisons end. Boston is more of a big bruiser type club that loves to slug it out and play a hard hitting, defensive type game. Whereas the Canes are a smaller, quicker club who will generate a lot of offense and as a result rely heavily on Ward defensively. Carolina is on an emotional high at the moment by they just finished a grueling back-and-forth seven games with New Jersey. The Canes experience will keep them in the series but the Bruins will simply out class the Canes and send them packing in six.

3. Washington Capitals vs. 4. Pittsburgh Penguins
From one rivalry to another for the Pittsburgh Penguins as they plan to travel to Washington not long after deposing of the much hated Philadelphia Flyers in six. This is certainly the dream match-up for hardcore and casual hockey fans alike with both teams possessing an enormous amount of talent—namely Malkin and Crosby for Pittsburgh and Ovechkin and Semin for Washington among many others for both. So what can we expect from this series? Well the Caps took the season series from the Penguins 3-1 but three of the four contests were very close and filled with lots of intensity. The spotlight will certainly be on the Ovechkin/Crosby rivalry but those two alone will not determine the series. Both teams are going to need to get a lot out of their third and fourth lines as well as goaltenders. The top players for both teams will in all likelihood neutralize one another as they match up pretty well player for player both up front and on the blueline. So we turn to the third liners and it’s the Penguins who have the advantage in that regard as they are the deeper team by far. Guys like Tyler Kennedy and Jordan Staal create a lot of energy for the Penguins as third liners and have been known to generate a lot of offensive zone action and that Caps simply don’t have an answer for them. Washington had the advantage in the “toughness”category before Donald Brashear was suspended for six games and will not be able to play for Washington until game six of this series if there is one. There will certainly be a lot of up and down play in this series with a lot of passion coming from both teams and their fans. The buildings will be rocking, the media will be buzzing, and the tension/excitement amongst all parties involved should make this one of the best series of the playoffs. In the end the Penguins depth advantage will lead them to a six game series victory over the high flying Capitals.

Tune in next time (Thursday) for a preview of the Western Conference Semis.

Devils-Canes Series Fallen Upon Blind Eyes

Big Tony — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 03:58:23 +0000

I know the networks in the U.S. want to sell the stars—i.e. Crosby, Ovechkin—to increase ratings but sometimes you have to be confident in the product on the ice no matter who is playing. I am referring to the fact that only ONE game of the New Jersey-Carolina series (of the six played so far) has been on national TV and it has been the most competitive series in the east’s first round. Two games went to overtime with each team winning the contest in the other’s house. Another game ended on a last second shot vaulting the Canes to a 4-3 win with only 0.2 seconds remaining on the clock. Martin Brodeur and Cam Ward have been phenomenal all series long and even managed to make a 1-0 game one of the most exciting contests any sports fan would ever want to see. Granted, not every game can be broadcast nationally but it would be a lot easier if NBC were to step up and televise games on weekdays! *gasp* Either way it’s a shame that such good hockey has gone unnoticed by a lot of hockey fans both serious and casual because it simply hasn’t been on TV unless you have the center ice package. Stop with all the gimmicks and use a little common sense, no matter who is invovled in a particular contest if the quality of the game play is high you better believe people will flock to their television sets. So NBC stop bullying hockey around like it’s the little brother of pro sports and realize it is back and better than ever… if you show the games people WILL watch!

Talbot and Penguins Rally to Eliminate Flyers

Big Tony — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 03:33:57 +0000

Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Penguins who overcame a 3-0 second period deficit on the road against the Philadelphia Flyers Saturday afternoon. The Flyers had a loud home crowd behind them, with all the momentum in the world and were seemingly headed toward pushing the series to a seventh game Monday night in Pittsburgh. However, the Penguins remained calm and the Stanley Cup finalists from a year ago used that experience to not only battle back but to score five unanswered goals to ruin the day for the Flyers and ending their season. The big stars—Malkin, Crosby, and Fleury—all played a major role in getting Pittsburgh back to the second round as you might expect, but it was role player Maxine Talbot who got the ball rolling. At 4:21 of the second period Talbot engaged Daniel Carcillo in a fight that by all accounts Talbot lost. As a result of the fight the Flyer bench was pumped up and the fans went absolutely crazy! There was one problem for Philly and that was the effect the fight had on the Penguins bench. Up to that point the Penguins had not lost composure but they also did not have a great amount of energy coming from the bench; but after Talbot’s fight the players were jolted with a surge of electricity as they suddenly came to life and 14 seconds later Ruslan Fedetanko got the Penguins on the board. It was the beginning of the end for the Flyers when Fedetanko scored and it teaches everyone a valuable lesson about fighting. If your team is up 3-0 with all the momentum in the world and the other team is fairly deflated DO NOT FIGHT! You cannot give that other side anything to go on, simply frustrate them by not engaging in their antics and continue to bury them on the scoreboard. If not, then you re-invigorate the other side and give them something to build off of. So while guys like Crosby put the numbers on the scoreboard, the Penguins owe a debt of gratitude to Max Talbot for being smart enough to engaged the Flyers in battle, ultimately being the springboard to Pittsburgh’s success. So Kudos to Max Talbot and shame on you Daniel Carcillo for obliging to Talbot’s request; now Philly can thank Pittsburgh for sending them to the golf course two years in a row.

Sportsroids.com’s NHL Eastern Conference Playoff Preview

Big Tony — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 03:42:37 +0000

The playoff match-ups are all set and read to launch Wednesday evening. To start the first of two playoff previews I will take a look at the Eastern Conference match-ups, give you some notes about them and make a pick. This is the BEST part of the year by far so let’s get right to the previews.

1. Boston Bruins VS 8. Montreal Canadiens
Well it’s a year later and the seedings have been swapped but the first round match-up is the same as the Canadiens and Bruins throw more gasoline on the burning rivalry between the two. The teams are slightly different but the key pieces have gone unchanged. Carey Price and Tim Thomas are both back and bring with them playoff experience which neither of them had last year. Each netminder had stretches of brilliance and ineptitude in the series last year and with that experience under their respective belts they should each be relatively solid in net. Zdano Chara had a fantastic year on defense while Marc Savard, David Krejci, and others showed that you can score a lot of goals in a Claude Julien system. Montreal lost Mark Streit and last year’s version of Alexi Kovalev but they gained some size and toughness in Ryan O’byrne and Georges Laraque (something they desperately needed against Philadelphia last season). There are plenty of other things to consider and we can talk all day and night about this series… so who has the advantage? The Bruins had a great season but really sputtered toward the end including a 6-1 loss to a Sabres team spending another April on the golf course. Montreal did not have the best end of the season either but despite falling so far so quickly they are in and that’s what separates them from the Bruins, despite all odds the Canadiens end up where they want to be. Series outcome: Montreal in six.

2. Washington Capitals VS 7. NY Rangers
This is a battle of goaltenders, plain and simple. Despite the Caps star power when it comes down to a shooting contest I’ll take Henrik Lundqvist over Jose Theodore any day. Washington can score so they’ll steal a game or two but in the end the Rangers will advance in five or six.

3. New Jersey Devils VS 6. Carolina Hurricanes
How far can Martin Brodeur take the Devils? New Jersey did so well without him and once he returned it’s like the team reverted back to the old days of play defense and rely on Brodeur to win 1-0. Those days are over, and if they play that against one of the league’s hottest teams and a Conn Smythe winning goaltender they will lose. Ward has been unbelievable and with Eric Staal and Erik Cole in front of him the Devils are in serious trouble. All-in-all it’s an even match-up on paper, but once you reach the playoffs if Pittsburgh taught us anything last year you go with the hot team. The hot team is Carolina, therefore the Canes take it in five.

4. Pittsburgh Penguins VS 5. Philadelphia Flyers.
It’s the battle of Pennsylvania, division rivals, and the home of the “Crosby is a diver!” Tie that in with revenge on the minds of the Flyers after last year’s playoff thrashing at the hands of the Penguins what else could you want in a series? Crosby and Malkin more than likely have to play well for the Penguins to advance but it’s possible to see Pittsburgh in round two without top-notch play from their two stars. What the Penguins can’t afford to have is inconsistent play from netminder Marc-Andre Fleury. When Fleury is on he’s one of the best goaltenders in the league and shows flashes of what made him such a highly touted amateur player. But when Fleury is off the rest of the team is usually not good enough to bail him out. The same goes for Marty Biron on the other side of the ice. Even if Richards, Carter, Knuble, etc. are amazing if Biron is off the Flyers are done. So the key to this match-up is the goaltending; whoever wins the battle of the goalies will lead their team to round two. So who wins? Marc-Andre Fleury won last year and will win again this year. Both teams will have their moments but the Penguins will win in seven…(the Flyers will be kicking themselves for having lost home-ice on the last day of the season).

Rivalries, Passion, Parody All Define East Playoffs

Big Tony — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 03:30:30 +0000

Ladies and Gentlemen the teams who will participate in the Eastern Conference Playoffs have been decided. Boston, Washington, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Carolina, Pittsburgh, NY Rangers, and Montreal are in and unfortunately for some the Florida Panthers are out. The exciting thing about this year’s playoff picture in the east is that every team who made it is in a city with incredibly dedicated fans. Some places are better than others of course but all are extremely supportive and very passionate. Carolina may be the best southern based team to make the playoffs because of their fans. Hurricane fans may not be large in numbers but the ones who follow the team make for an incredible atmosphere for Carolina home games; many believe their arena gets as loud as any in the league. New Jersey probably has the worst fan support of all the teams but at the same time they provide some of the most talented players in the league (Brodeur, Parise, etc.) which can make for some very entertaining hockey. Above all else it’s the passion that makes the playoffs so exciting and nothing gets a fire going like a good rivalry and the possible match-ups have set up some very good rivalries in the first round and beyond. There are the team rivalries: Boston/Montreal, NYR/NJ, Washington/Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh/Philadelphia, and the intra-divisional rivalry between Washington and Carolina which became very heated toward the end of last season. Then there are the great individual rivalries including Crosby/Ovechkin, Malkin/Ovechkin, and the always entertaining Avery/Brodeur confrontation. No matter how you look at it, the Eastern Conference playoffs should be some of the most exciting we’ve seen in a long time. The teams are separated by very little talent wise (despite any point differentials) and any team as the ability to beat any of the others and represent the east in the Stanley Cup Finals. So sit back, relax, and get your popcorn ready ladies and gentlemen because we’re in for one great Spring of hockey.

Crosby, Malkin, Ovechkin… Watch and Enjoy

Big Tony — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 03:25:34 +0000

Crosby, Malkin, and Ovechkin (in alphabetical order) are at the top of the scoring charts fighting for the Art Ross trophy. All season long people have debated who is the better player? Some say it’s definitely Crosby with his stellar all-around game and ability to score goals, set up other players, and kill penalties among an assortment of other things. Some say Ovechkin is better because he can score goals like crazy, gets a lot of shots on goal, and has an energy that is simply contagious. Malkin also gets some mention since he is big and strong with a knack for racking up the points while also possessing an uncanny ability to backcheck like none other. So while the debate goes on I am here to tell every to relax! Stop this debate about who is better than the other. All three have different styles that bring s something unique to the game that is effective and very entertaining. There’s no real way to compare the three or any other player one might want to throw into the mix. But what we can say for certain is that we’re watching three of the most talented athletes in the world today and amongst the best the NHL has had to offer throughout its history. It is really an honor and privilege to be able to watch these guys night in and night out. So stop the bickering, sit back, relax, and enjoy the performances put on by these guys every night. If you don’t enjoy it now the opportunity will pass you by and you’ll wish you had just taken a moment to take it all in while you had the chance.