Series Discussion: Columbus (3) vs Pittsburgh (2)

[Heinze 57]

I don't think the Penguins are playing that well. Bob isn't playing well and they've converted on almost every single mistake we've handed them. They've converted on a couple mistakes by the officials too.

How you allow play to continue on the Werenski injury is absurd. The league needs to reevaluate that rule. The puck probably still had his blood on it as it went into the net. Their second goal should've been a holding or interference penalty on Kessel for the horsecollar tackle of Seth Jones. Their fans will cry "that's playoff hockey" and yet shortly thereafter Nick Foligno is called for the tickiest of ticky tack interference penalties. So which one is it? Are we just supposed to accept that the officials are going to be bad? Too much to ask they be bad in our favor one time?

It's just so disappointing. Bob, the officials, blowing a 3-1 playoff lead AGAIN, just how everything has transpired. All of it.

 

[OnYourIgnoreList]

I think we are where the Trotz-era Predators were for many, many years.

We finally have a legitimate, reliable defensive corps that can keep us in games, prevent too many bad goals and generally gives us a chance to win every night.

However, we're devoid of next-level offensive talent that can carry the team when needed. And in the playoffs, that's the difference: the match-up of defense v. offense is exactly like what the security services say about stopping terrorism. The defense has to get it right every time, every game. All the offense has to do is find 1-2 lapses a game to make a difference.

I think what we'll see over the next 2-5 years, absent the acquisition somehow of breakout offensive talent, is a CBJ team that is in the playoff hunt (some years making it and some years not) but that invariably gets bounced in the first round by a team with more offensive ability. It would not at all surprise me if that team turns out to be TOR as soon as next year.

 

[EDM]

This playoff series is illustrating for JK and JD exactly what needs to be added to move the club forward. We are now flooded with good young d-men. Time to convert some of them into elite offensive assets that we need to take the next step.

 

[Demandedace]

Caps fan here, really feeling for you guys after last night (the shot off Fleury's mask broke my heart). I'm hoping you guys can pull off something remarkable and take it to the NHL's golden team though.

Question though (and I apologize in advance if it seems insensitive or is a bad time), I fully believe Bob should win the Vezina for how dominant he was in the regular season - and I believe he should run away with it no questions asked.

However, is the problem right now that he is not doing a good enough job this series, or is your defense letting too many quality chances to the net? Or is it just some combo of the two and bad luck?

 

[EDM]

In yesterday's game we gave Bob four goals. That should be enough for a goalie to win a playoff game. Bob just has been making one mistake after another.

 

[OnYourIgnoreList]

Question though (and I apologize in advance if it seems insensitive or is a bad time), I fully believe Bob should win the Vezina for how dominant he was in the regular season - and I believe he should run away with it no questions asked.

However, is the problem right now that he is not doing a good enough job this series, or is your defense letting too many quality chances to the net? Or is it just some combo of the two and bad luck?

It's a fair question and one I've been struggling with myself. Bob's my favorite player on the team and I credit him with a lot of what happened in the regular season this year.

At the same time, the botched play that lead to the first goal in the second game, the goal by Malkin just after the end of the power play in the same game, not being able to hold the fort when he had 4 goals in support in game 3. I lean toward saying he's responsible for game 3 at least, and possibly game 2 in terms of deflating the team by virtue of the first goal. Game 1, I don't think that one's on him (but I'm already having a hard time remembering specifics of game 1).

 

[imouttahereEdWinger]

Too much to ask they be bad in our favor one time?

Columbus's 4th goal should have been blown dead when the puck left the playing surface.

 

[Grandma Bingo]

Columbus's 4th goal should have been blown dead when the puck left the playing surface.

This.

Game doesn't even go OT if the refs blow the play did when the puck hit the open door, as they should have.

 

[db2011]

Jackets are young, and it's showing; Pens are champs, and it's showing, too. CBJ are missing a bona-fide offensive talent, I believe- in this vein, it's fair to suggest Saad has been a bit of a disappointment.

It'd be nice to win this series, but the Jackets don't really deserve it- the Penguins are better, they have so much more offensive talent. (Let's hope they squander it again rather than repeat, the ****s).

The good news is, Zach and Seth are just going to get better, and I mostly trust JK to address what he sees as the problems in the offseason. I see the team being competitive for a while (the window is just opening), and the youth will mature, and Bob's playoff yips can hopefully be vanquished.

Anyway, let's win one at home and see what happens.

(also, I haven't been keeping up on here so if this post is redundant or seems like its author is clueless about what are the topics of the moment around here, well, he is)

 

[Monk]

This.

Game doesn't even go OT if the refs blow the play did when the puck hit the open door, as they should have.

This looks like a fun back-and-forth game.

There should have been a penalty on the Jones WWE take-down.

Your turn!

 

[Cash for Nash]

I think we are where the Trotz-era Predators were for many, many years.

We finally have a legitimate, reliable defensive corps that can keep us in games, prevent too many bad goals and generally gives us a chance to win every night.

However, we're devoid of next-level offensive talent that can carry the team when needed. And in the playoffs, that's the difference: the match-up of defense v. offense is exactly like what the security services say about stopping terrorism. The defense has to get it right every time, every game. All the offense has to do is find 1-2 lapses a game to make a difference.

I think what we'll see over the next 2-5 years, absent the acquisition somehow of breakout offensive talent, is a CBJ team that is in the playoff hunt (some years making it and some years not) but that invariably gets bounced in the first round by a team with more offensive ability. It would not at all surprise me if that team turns out to be TOR as soon as next year.

Nashville is a good comparison for our team

 

[Monk]

Nashville is a good comparison for our team

Only took us 10 years to catch up to 'em.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

This looks like a fun back-and-forth game.

Yeah, right.

 

[NotWendell]

Nashville is a good comparison for our team

This is history repeating itself featuring one of the main characters. Check out Tampa Bay's ascendency under Torts.

 

[NotWendell]

Jackets are young, and it's showing; Pens are champs, and it's showing, too. CBJ are missing a bona-fide offensive talent, I believe- in this vein, it's fair to suggest Saad has been a bit of a disappointment.

It'd be nice to win this series, but the Jackets don't really deserve it- the Penguins are better, they have so much more offensive talent. (Let's hope they squander it again rather than repeat, the ****s).

The good news is, Zach and Seth are just going to get better, and I mostly trust JK to address what he sees as the problems in the offseason. I see the team being competitive for a while (the window is just opening), and the youth will mature, and Bob's playoff yips can hopefully be vanquished.

Anyway, let's win one at home and see what happens.

(also, I haven't been keeping up on here so if this post is redundant or seems like its author is clueless about what are the topics of the moment around here, well, he is)

Saad and Bob are the two biggest disappointments of this series. Hartnell is just about done being relevant in this league.

 

[Viqsi]

Columbus's 4th goal should have been blown dead when the puck left the playing surface.

This.

Game doesn't even go OT if the refs blow the play did when the puck hit the open door, as they should have.

annnnd here come the bitter invaders...

 

[CBJSlash]

I've like Saad's game overall. I've been more disappointed in Wennberg (can't recall a single play he's made), Anderson (left his wheels and physical presence in Game 1), Hartnell (given his experience, but forgiven a bit because of his role), Foligno (been fighting the puck in Game 2 and 3) and then Bob.

Resume counts for something. I'm not sure why we wouldn't elevate Hartnell. Roll out Saad - Wennberg - Hartnell. Hopefully these minutes the young players are getting launch them into the offseason. We have to be much more dynamic at center ice (but understand in this series they have to lock down Crosby-Malkin).

Our inability to bring the puck into the offensive zone with control (even on the PP) has been my greatest offensive frustration in this series.

 

[Privet]

Any chance we see Korpisalo or Forseberg tomorrow? nothing to lose.

 

[KJ Dangler]

Any chance we see Korpisalo or Forseberg tomorrow? nothing to lose.

Nothing to lose ? I'm sure that's the message the front office wants to send to the team, and Bob who played well all year to get them to this point. Bob has been bad this series, no doubt, but its not like Korpi or Forsberg give them a better shot to win. If we were going to have this mindset, I would be all for the jackets calling up Abramov, and let him bring some speed, and sniping ability to this team . Neither is happening though

 

[Johansen2Foligno]

Any chance we see Korpisalo or Forseberg tomorrow? nothing to lose.

I think we will play both Korpisalo and Forsberg at the same time

 

[OnYourIgnoreList]

This is history repeating itself featuring one of the main characters. Check out Tampa Bay's ascendency under Torts.

I hope you're right, but when I look at the TBL roster for their cup year, I see a whole lot more offensive production.

2002-2003: total points from their top six forwards (Prospal, Lecavalier, Richards, St Louis, Boyle, Modin): 394
2003-2004: (St Louis, Stillman, Richards, Lecavalier, Modin, Andreychuck): 415.

Lecav, Richards and St Louis would have to rate as three of the top offensive threats of that general time period.

By contrast this year:
CBJ (Atkinson, Wennberg, Saad, Foligno, Gagner, Werenski): 322
Capitals: 376
Chicago: 364
Pittsburgh: 379

The ones that are really, to me, indicative of how bad our situation is vis-a-vis scoring are the other two young teams:
Toronto: 369
Edmonton: 363

Both those teams are already giving their first round opponents all they can handle without all this talk of "you have to learn how to win in the playoffs" that we're hearing for the CBJ. There's no substitute for players who are dangerous each time they handle the puck.

 

[JacketFanInFL]

I hope you're right, but when I look at the TBL roster for their cup year, I see a whole lot more offensive production.

2002-2003: total points from their top six forwards (Prospal, Lecavalier, Richards, St Louis, Boyle, Modin): 394
2003-2004: (St Louis, Stillman, Richards, Lecavalier, Modin, Andreychuck): 415.

Lecav, Richards and St Louis would have to rate as three of the top offensive threats of that general time period.

By contrast this year:
CBJ (Atkinson, Wennberg, Saad, Foligno, Gagner, Werenski): 322
Capitals: 376
Chicago: 364
Pittsburgh: 379

The ones that are really, to me, indicative of how bad our situation is vis-a-vis scoring are the other two young teams:
Toronto: 369
Edmonton: 363

Both those teams are already giving their first round opponents all they can handle without all this talk of "you have to learn how to win in the playoffs" that we're hearing for the CBJ. There's no substitute for players who are dangerous each time they handle the puck.

A+ post right there.

 

[Monk]

I hope you're right, but when I look at the TBL roster for their cup year, I see a whole lot more offensive production.

2002-2003: total points from their top six forwards (Prospal, Lecavalier, Richards, St Louis, Boyle, Modin): 394
2003-2004: (St Louis, Stillman, Richards, Lecavalier, Modin, Andreychuck): 415.

Lecav, Richards and St Louis would have to rate as three of the top offensive threats of that general time period.

By contrast this year:
CBJ (Atkinson, Wennberg, Saad, Foligno, Gagner, Werenski): 322
Capitals: 376
Chicago: 364
Pittsburgh: 379

The ones that are really, to me, indicative of how bad our situation is vis-a-vis scoring are the other two young teams:
Toronto: 369
Edmonton: 363

Both those teams are already giving their first round opponents all they can handle without all this talk of "you have to learn how to win in the playoffs" that we're hearing for the CBJ. There's no substitute for players who are dangerous each time they handle the puck.

tl;dr = damn, it really would have been nice to draft Mathews or McDavid.

 

[MAHJ71]

Weresnki out for the rest of the series with a facial fracture...

 

[Heinze 57]

Columbus's 4th goal should have been blown dead when the puck left the playing surface.

Wouldn't have gotten to that point if the Werenski play and Kessel's horsecollar tackle were called correctly.

I'd like a call to go our way that isn't direct cosmic retribution for a bad call that went against us first.