I'm going to be starting this early for the big early season Capitals-Flyers game. Also tonight, one of the most important games in the 2011 MLS Season on ESPN2 as the Philadelphia Union take on the New York Red Bulls.
Game 2: Rangers vs. Cardinals 7:30 (Fox - Joe Buck and Tim McCarver, SR: Ken Rosenthal)
Showing posts with label Washington Capitals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Washington Capitals. Show all posts
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Tomas Vokoun's Contract Perfectly Illustrates The Flyers' Follies
For the past 20 or so years, there was a long held organizational belief in the Flyers that you do not need the best goaltending in the world to win the Stanley Cup. For the past 20 or so years, there has been pushing from the a large part of the fanbase that yes, goaltending is necessary to succeed in the NHL. Obviously, these are two very different philosophies, and while it is difficult to say one is completely the way to go, there is one thing that should not have been done. And that is exactly what the Flyers did this off-season. They gave Ilya Bryzgalov a 9-year, $51M contract.
This is not going to be a post about how much I miss Richards and Carter. Those are changes I can accept. This is not going to even be a post largely centered around the salary cap, although inevitably, it will be mentioned.
What this post aims to do is to talk about goaltending, its importance in hockey, and just how good some goalies really are. And just how wrong the Flyers were to pay Ilya Bryzgalov what they did.
Since the 2011 Stanley Cup, when Tim Thomas won it, everyone has been saying how this proved once and for all you need goaltending to win the Stanley Cup. There is no denying it. Tim Thomas is a fabulous goaltender. He is by far the best goalie in the NHL today, and with good reason. But it is worth mentioning that even though he shattered numerous save percentage records, the Bruins still needed to win three Game 7s to advance and were one unfortunate bounce away from being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
In the post lockout era, Tim Thomas is not the rule. He is the exception to it. Of the six starting goalies to win the Stanley Cup since the lockout, only two of them can so much as say they are above league average. While those goalies, Thomas and Giguere, are very good goalies, to mention them first is to bury the lead. Four teams won the Stanley Cup on below average to average goaltending. I have talked about this before on here so I will not go into it again, but here is more on Tim Thomas and the Stanley Cup winning goalies in the post-lockout era if you missed the post a month ago.
It is a belief the Flyers have not had good goaltending in twenty years. That falsehood is often linked to the Flyers 35-year Cup drought as evidence that the Flyers need goaltending to win. What many may not realize is that in the past 10 years alone, the Flyers have had capable goaltending numerous goaltending.
Example number 1: Roman Cechmanek. Now people despise Cechmanek because he became such a headcase, but if you look at it, the guy was a great goaltender. Not only was he a Vezina nominee, but his career even strength save percentage is .931. That's very good. Cechmanek was an elite NHL goaltender. But unfortunately, his headcase-iness cost him a very productive career in the NHL.
Example number 2: Martin Biron. Would you believe it if I told you the Flyers had a goalie whose numbers were equivalent to those of Martin Brodeur? Well, they did. And his name was Martin Biron. Before you completely blast this as sensationalized bullshit, consider the following. Martin Brodeur and Martin Biron have the same even strength save percentage, the same penalty kill percentage, and almost the same total save percentage (h/t Geoff Detweiler). So why will Martin Brodeur go down as one of the best goaltenders to ever play and Martin Biron will struggle with being remembered five years when his playing days are done? The answer is Brodeur's longevity and the fact that the New Jersey Devils teams Martin Brodeur has played on all have been really fucking good. All Brodeur needs to do is be his above average self, and a real good defensive team turns into one of the most vaunted defensive teams in recent league history. Biron has not had such good fortune. Make no mistake about it, Brodeur's longevity separates him from the pack. But make no mistake about it, if you isolate individual performances, Biron is on Brodeur's level.
We saw last year what a good defensive team can do regardless of who is goalie last year when the Flyers carried Michael Leighton's five-hole all the way to Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals. We saw this year what a complete team breakdown can do to a team in the post-season. The Flyers got above average goaltending from Sergei Bobrovsky and Brian Boucher all through the season, but come playoff time with one of their 2-way forwards injured (Carter) and their best defender (Pronger) injured, even Tim Thomas would have been made to look like a sieve with that team in front of him.
When the off-season came around, the Flyers (namely Ed Snider) decided he had had enough of "mediocre goaltending" (even though as I showed above, there were times when it was far better than mediocre) and he persuaded Paul Holmgren to do whatever he could to sign Bryzgalov. And sadly, he did just that.
Why the Flyers did what they did I have no idea. They waited before the market was set last year and overpaid Michael Leighton on a 2-year, $3.1M contract. As it turned out, better goalies went for less as the off-season went on. The Flyers jumped the gun, and in doing so, overpaid a guy they had absolutely zero business overpaying.
The same thing happened this year, only on a far more extreme level. The Flyers signed Bryzgalov to a long-term deal at a cap hit of $5,666,667. The Washington Capitals signed Tomas Vokoun, a better goaltender, for a $1,500,000 cap hit. That is a difference of $4,166,667. That is just unexcuseable on the part of the Flyers. There is no market for goalies. They could have waited it out and gotten their man for a very, very, very cheap price. But no. They jumped the gun. And they will pay for it dearly in the next nine years. Even if the Flyers win a Cup with Bryzgalov between the pipes, that contract will still be a glaring mark of negativity. The Flyers had options. They could have orchestrated a trade for Semyon Varlamov, who I would have loved on the Flyers. They could have signed Tomas Vokoun for pennies. But instead, they payed Ilya Bryzgalov every penny he wanted. And now they are stuck with him. Likely for the next nine years. The only way this signing is not a mistake is if Bryzgalov does for the next 9 years what Tim Thomas did last year in Boston. And that is all but impossible. Bryzgalov is a good goalie, but there are those in the NHL better than him. And Bryzgalov does not deserve to be paid that money.
Especially when one of those goalies better than him is making $4,166,667 less.
This is not going to be a post about how much I miss Richards and Carter. Those are changes I can accept. This is not going to even be a post largely centered around the salary cap, although inevitably, it will be mentioned.
What this post aims to do is to talk about goaltending, its importance in hockey, and just how good some goalies really are. And just how wrong the Flyers were to pay Ilya Bryzgalov what they did.
Since the 2011 Stanley Cup, when Tim Thomas won it, everyone has been saying how this proved once and for all you need goaltending to win the Stanley Cup. There is no denying it. Tim Thomas is a fabulous goaltender. He is by far the best goalie in the NHL today, and with good reason. But it is worth mentioning that even though he shattered numerous save percentage records, the Bruins still needed to win three Game 7s to advance and were one unfortunate bounce away from being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
In the post lockout era, Tim Thomas is not the rule. He is the exception to it. Of the six starting goalies to win the Stanley Cup since the lockout, only two of them can so much as say they are above league average. While those goalies, Thomas and Giguere, are very good goalies, to mention them first is to bury the lead. Four teams won the Stanley Cup on below average to average goaltending. I have talked about this before on here so I will not go into it again, but here is more on Tim Thomas and the Stanley Cup winning goalies in the post-lockout era if you missed the post a month ago.
It is a belief the Flyers have not had good goaltending in twenty years. That falsehood is often linked to the Flyers 35-year Cup drought as evidence that the Flyers need goaltending to win. What many may not realize is that in the past 10 years alone, the Flyers have had capable goaltending numerous goaltending.
Example number 1: Roman Cechmanek. Now people despise Cechmanek because he became such a headcase, but if you look at it, the guy was a great goaltender. Not only was he a Vezina nominee, but his career even strength save percentage is .931. That's very good. Cechmanek was an elite NHL goaltender. But unfortunately, his headcase-iness cost him a very productive career in the NHL.
Example number 2: Martin Biron. Would you believe it if I told you the Flyers had a goalie whose numbers were equivalent to those of Martin Brodeur? Well, they did. And his name was Martin Biron. Before you completely blast this as sensationalized bullshit, consider the following. Martin Brodeur and Martin Biron have the same even strength save percentage, the same penalty kill percentage, and almost the same total save percentage (h/t Geoff Detweiler). So why will Martin Brodeur go down as one of the best goaltenders to ever play and Martin Biron will struggle with being remembered five years when his playing days are done? The answer is Brodeur's longevity and the fact that the New Jersey Devils teams Martin Brodeur has played on all have been really fucking good. All Brodeur needs to do is be his above average self, and a real good defensive team turns into one of the most vaunted defensive teams in recent league history. Biron has not had such good fortune. Make no mistake about it, Brodeur's longevity separates him from the pack. But make no mistake about it, if you isolate individual performances, Biron is on Brodeur's level.
We saw last year what a good defensive team can do regardless of who is goalie last year when the Flyers carried Michael Leighton's five-hole all the way to Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals. We saw this year what a complete team breakdown can do to a team in the post-season. The Flyers got above average goaltending from Sergei Bobrovsky and Brian Boucher all through the season, but come playoff time with one of their 2-way forwards injured (Carter) and their best defender (Pronger) injured, even Tim Thomas would have been made to look like a sieve with that team in front of him.
When the off-season came around, the Flyers (namely Ed Snider) decided he had had enough of "mediocre goaltending" (even though as I showed above, there were times when it was far better than mediocre) and he persuaded Paul Holmgren to do whatever he could to sign Bryzgalov. And sadly, he did just that.
Why the Flyers did what they did I have no idea. They waited before the market was set last year and overpaid Michael Leighton on a 2-year, $3.1M contract. As it turned out, better goalies went for less as the off-season went on. The Flyers jumped the gun, and in doing so, overpaid a guy they had absolutely zero business overpaying.
The same thing happened this year, only on a far more extreme level. The Flyers signed Bryzgalov to a long-term deal at a cap hit of $5,666,667. The Washington Capitals signed Tomas Vokoun, a better goaltender, for a $1,500,000 cap hit. That is a difference of $4,166,667. That is just unexcuseable on the part of the Flyers. There is no market for goalies. They could have waited it out and gotten their man for a very, very, very cheap price. But no. They jumped the gun. And they will pay for it dearly in the next nine years. Even if the Flyers win a Cup with Bryzgalov between the pipes, that contract will still be a glaring mark of negativity. The Flyers had options. They could have orchestrated a trade for Semyon Varlamov, who I would have loved on the Flyers. They could have signed Tomas Vokoun for pennies. But instead, they payed Ilya Bryzgalov every penny he wanted. And now they are stuck with him. Likely for the next nine years. The only way this signing is not a mistake is if Bryzgalov does for the next 9 years what Tim Thomas did last year in Boston. And that is all but impossible. Bryzgalov is a good goalie, but there are those in the NHL better than him. And Bryzgalov does not deserve to be paid that money.
Especially when one of those goalies better than him is making $4,166,667 less.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Claude Giroux Scores A Goal With A Different Stick
Even Claude Giroux's crotch is filled with awesomeness!
The way Giroux danced around it in the interview with Steve Coates was hilarious. Way to be politically correct while telling everyone watching that you used a stick of different sorts to score a goal.
The way Giroux danced around it in the interview with Steve Coates was hilarious. Way to be politically correct while telling everyone watching that you used a stick of different sorts to score a goal.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Canadiens Upset Capitals To Cap One Of The Most Improbable Comebacks In NHL Playoff History
Before last night's Montreal-Washington Game 7, since playoff expansion to the current format in 1994, no #8 seed had ever been down 3 games to 1 and ended up winning the series. Such a comeback had never happened.....now. History was made at the Verizon Center.
If you watched that whole video, you may have noticed the controversial waved off goal call at the start of the 3rd period. It appeared the Washington Capitals had tied it at 1 right at the start of the period, but the referees waved it off. The question on everybody's mind is, "was it the right call?" And the answer is frankly not a simple yes or no. Here is what the rule states.
Enough addressing the controversy and more of being in awe at what happened. I am not sure if I could still wrap my head around what happened in this series. Going into this thing, if ever there was a slam dunk sweep or 5-game series win for the top-seed, this was the series. The Capitals were even on the verge of that. Yet, somewhere, thing got lost along the way as it all went wrong. The best regular season power play in the league was beyond abysmal, getting one PP goal all series long, and the team with the best regular season homework lost 3 times on home ice.
As for the Flyers, this means that we have a Winter Classic rematch (full schedule coming up in a bit) in the postseason. The 6-seeded Bruins have home-ice advantage. The #4 seeded Pittsburgh Penguins have home-ice throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs. All 3 divisional winners are gone. Wrap your head around those concepts. In a playoffs filled with odd statistical occurrences (all series tied 1-1, all East series went 3-1, all West series went 2-2), this one may be the oddest. Listed below are the 8 remaining teams with their original seed in the playoffs next to them. Get ready to have your mind blown.
#1 San Jose Sharks.
#2 Chicago Blackhawks
#3 Vancouver Canucks
#4 Pittsburgh Penguins
#5 Detroit Red Wings
#6 Boston Bruins
#7 Philadelphia Flyers
#8 Montreal Canadiens
How crazy fucked up is that? Of course, things still go by conference, so the Sharks are playing the Red Wings, and not the Canadiens, but damn, if that is not just bizarre.
I'll be the first to tell you that I hate the Canadiens, but you have to tip your hat to them for a stunning and unbelievable comeback, the likes of which the NHL has never seen before. Down 3 games to 1 after losing 2 straight at home, they rallied to win the last 3 games, 2 in Washington and 1 in Montreal, clinch the series, and eliminate the Habs. Simply stunning.
If you watched that whole video, you may have noticed the controversial waved off goal call at the start of the 3rd period. It appeared the Washington Capitals had tied it at 1 right at the start of the period, but the referees waved it off. The question on everybody's mind is, "was it the right call?" And the answer is frankly not a simple yes or no. Here is what the rule states.
69.3 Contact Inside the Goal Crease – If an attacking player initiatesHalak was in the crease the whole time. Puck Daddy has the picture of contact starting between Knuble and Halak before the puck is in the net. Of course I bring that up because Bruce Boudreau seems to be claiming otherwise in an attempt to no doubt deflect the blame off him as his job could very well be in jeopardy. Anyways, back to the goal, if you are going exactly by the book, then Brad Watson made the right call. That goal should have been disallowed. However, the contact in that situation was no doubt ticky-tacky. It was not blatant and it was not Halak being pushed in the net with the puck like Varlamov would be later on in the game (that goal ended up being disallowed as well). Worse infractions have gone uncalled and goals have stood up with worse, more blatant, and more forceful contact being made. You could argue and you would have a point that in a Game 7, that is a kind of call you let stand. So while you have a case that the officials should have and could have let something like that go, you cannot make the argument that the officials in that situation made the absolute wrong call. By the books, the right call was made on the ice.
contact with a goalkeeper, incidental or otherwise, while the
goalkeeper is in his goal crease, and a goal is scored, the goal will be
disallowed.
Enough addressing the controversy and more of being in awe at what happened. I am not sure if I could still wrap my head around what happened in this series. Going into this thing, if ever there was a slam dunk sweep or 5-game series win for the top-seed, this was the series. The Capitals were even on the verge of that. Yet, somewhere, thing got lost along the way as it all went wrong. The best regular season power play in the league was beyond abysmal, getting one PP goal all series long, and the team with the best regular season homework lost 3 times on home ice.
As for the Flyers, this means that we have a Winter Classic rematch (full schedule coming up in a bit) in the postseason. The 6-seeded Bruins have home-ice advantage. The #4 seeded Pittsburgh Penguins have home-ice throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs. All 3 divisional winners are gone. Wrap your head around those concepts. In a playoffs filled with odd statistical occurrences (all series tied 1-1, all East series went 3-1, all West series went 2-2), this one may be the oddest. Listed below are the 8 remaining teams with their original seed in the playoffs next to them. Get ready to have your mind blown.
#1 San Jose Sharks.
#2 Chicago Blackhawks
#3 Vancouver Canucks
#4 Pittsburgh Penguins
#5 Detroit Red Wings
#6 Boston Bruins
#7 Philadelphia Flyers
#8 Montreal Canadiens
How crazy fucked up is that? Of course, things still go by conference, so the Sharks are playing the Red Wings, and not the Canadiens, but damn, if that is not just bizarre.
I'll be the first to tell you that I hate the Canadiens, but you have to tip your hat to them for a stunning and unbelievable comeback, the likes of which the NHL has never seen before. Down 3 games to 1 after losing 2 straight at home, they rallied to win the last 3 games, 2 in Washington and 1 in Montreal, clinch the series, and eliminate the Habs. Simply stunning.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Phillies Vs. Giants And Canadiens Vs. Capitals Game 7: The Fate Of The Flyers Hangs In The Balance....
Hamels is pitching against Lincecum and here is your info for tonight's big Game 7 between the Capitals and the Canadiens.
Montreal @ Washington 7:00 (Versus - Sam Rosen and Billy Jaffe, SR: Bob Harwood) (TSN - Gord Miller, ItG: Pierre McGuire)
Montreal @ Washington 7:00 (Versus - Sam Rosen and Billy Jaffe, SR: Bob Harwood) (TSN - Gord Miller, ItG: Pierre McGuire)
Friday, April 16, 2010
This Caps Fan Takes Losing A Game 1 A Bit Too Far
I'm sure this is not the only ridiculous video of a crazy, pissed off fan that I will be posting from the Montreal-Washington series. No offense to any of my online friends who are Caps fans, I am not thinking of you when I says these things, but in a series involving two of hockey's most insufferable fan bases (hence last night's live blog title; fans of the punk rock band Rise Against might have been the only ones who fully got that), this drunken Caps fan scores a point to give the Caps fans the early lead in the "Who Can Have More Douche Bag Fans In One Series" competition.
Thank goodness Joe Buck does not call hockey games.
Anyways, yes, I am aware that one drunken idiot is just that, one drunken idiot, but seriously here. When you are dealing with 2 of the most insufferable hockey fan bases in the same series (you can add Pittsburgh, Detroit, and the Rangers to that list as well; I'd include Devils fans but they don't have enough fans to form a base) and someone does that and gets on TSN, it is going to get on here and I am going to take cheap shots at the entire group because frankly, it's too easy. Actually, come to think of it, he probably mouthed off f-bombs and pantomimed the moon because he thought the Caps had just been eliminated from the playoffs. Most members of The Bandwagon are probably not used to this whole 7 games in a hockey series deal. It's a foreign concept to them. Really. Look at this way, though,he has come all the way from last month when he learned for the first time who the great Oaf Koolaid was. Baby steps here, people. Baby steps.
Thank goodness Joe Buck does not call hockey games.
Anyways, yes, I am aware that one drunken idiot is just that, one drunken idiot, but seriously here. When you are dealing with 2 of the most insufferable hockey fan bases in the same series (you can add Pittsburgh, Detroit, and the Rangers to that list as well; I'd include Devils fans but they don't have enough fans to form a base) and someone does that and gets on TSN, it is going to get on here and I am going to take cheap shots at the entire group because frankly, it's too easy. Actually, come to think of it, he probably mouthed off f-bombs and pantomimed the moon because he thought the Caps had just been eliminated from the playoffs. Most members of The Bandwagon are probably not used to this whole 7 games in a hockey series deal. It's a foreign concept to them. Really. Look at this way, though,he has come all the way from last month when he learned for the first time who the great Oaf Koolaid was. Baby steps here, people. Baby steps.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Rangers-Flyers Game 82 Live Blog
Well, 81 games have led to this. Game 82. The Flyers and the Rangers. Winner take all. If you are in the Philly market, you can see the game on CSN Philly. If you are in the New York market, you can see the game on MSG. If you are out of market but still in the U.S. or Canada, you can see the game on NHL Network. The game starts at 3 PM, however, I will probably start the live blog sometime before the Bruins-Caps game so I can spend 3 hours telling you how nervous I am for the Flyers game. For a look at my calculated Eastern Conference playoff scenarios given any combination of today's playoff important games, click here or here.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Assessing Pros And Cons Of The Flyers Post-Season Options
There is a week of regular season hockey remaining and the Philadelphia Flyers are locked in a tight playoff race. Will they make the playoffs? Will they choke it all way? I don't know, but this post will assess the pros and cons of every outcome for the Flyers season, as frankly, there are pros and cons to every remaining outcome.
Choking And Missing Out On The Playoffs
Pros: You mean there are pros to a choke job? Yes. Sure it will be embarrassing and I don't want to see it, but let's face facts, despite the pre-season predictions by the Hockey Almanac, the Philadelphia Flyers are not a Stanley Cup team. On average in the post-lockout league, it takes around 93 points to make the playoffs (this goes for both conferences). Should they win out, the Flyers will max out at 90. That's still 3 points short of what it normally takes and this Flyers team winning 3 more in a row is realistically highly unlikely. This team never developed a chemistry together, as of the moment have 4 playoff goalies with the only one known outside of the Flyers contingent being Brian Boucher (unless you have heard of Johan Backlund, Jeremy Duchesne, and Michael Lee Teslak). I'll have a bit more on Boucher when I look at the pros and cons of the Devils, but really, this is not a threatening team in the playoffs.
Cons: Duh. Like I said, even if a team has no chance of winning it, you still want to see your team in the playoffs, if for no other reason than to have your suspicions confirmed. And even though it is highly unlikely to happen to the Flyers, if they can get hot, the Eastern Conference is not exactly uber-threatening this year (read: it sucks), who knows what can happen.
Now that we've gotten the not-making playoffs situation, the following will be the pros and cons of all of the possible first round match-ups for the Flyers.
New Jersey Devils
Pros: Ask Flyers fans which match-up they like best, and almost all of them will say New Jersey. The pros to this series are really simple in that the Flyers dominated the regular season against the Devils, taking 5 of the 6 games against them. The Devils are a team not as hot as they were in the beginning of the year, Martin Brodeur is not getting any younger and the Devils continue to overuse him like it was his earlier years. Now I know you don't need a Vezina caliber goalie to take this thing, but you need a goalie who won't make dumb mistakes. Fatigue, overused goalies make dumb mistakes. Frankly, the Devils are the only team I have pure confidence that we can beat should we make the playoffs. And then there is the Flyers goalie Brian Boucher. 10 years ago, he played the Devils in the playoffs and even though that series ended in the biggest hockey heartbreak I have ever felt and the worst sports moment I have ever seen live in person, that does not change the fact that earlier in the series he made the greatest save I have ever seen a Flyers goalie make (cue Steve Levy and Darren Pang!)
Cons: Regular season success against a team does not always equate to post-season success against said team. Just ask the Montreal Canadiens. In the 2007-08 regular season, the Habs were 4-0 against the Flyers. Then their conference semifinal playoff series came along and Carey Price turned into the Carey Price we all know today and the Flyers won the series 4 games to 1 in a series that could have just as easily been 4-0. The Flyers are capable of a complete offensive breakdown and who says Martin Brodeur can't channel his play of 10 years ago in an inspired effort for New Jersey. The Devils also have one of the top scorers in the world in Ilya Kovalchuk. He has under-performed since coming to New Jersey but who is to say he does not break out in the playoffs like he is very much capable of?
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pros: Like I said, the Flyers are not winning the Stanley Cup this year. That being said, a successful first round knock out of the Pittsburgh Penguins would be just as good. They got us in the 2008 Eastern Conference Finals and the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals. Revenge would sure as well be sweet, especially seeing as the Pens would be losing to a team not likely to win the whole thing. And it's not like the Flyers have gotten their butts kicked by the Pens all year long. They have played close games this year.
Cons: Most of those close games have been just that for the Flyers, close calls, good efforts, and oh, we'll get 'em next times. The Flyers have beaten them this year, but the Pens took the season series and face it, when it comes to post-season hockey, Sidney Crosby has our number. He does not lose to the Flyers in post-season hockey. And as sweet as beating the Pens would be, could you imagine the laughter from Pens fans if they eliminate the hated Flyers 3 years in a row? It would be unbearable.
Washington Capitals
Pros: Even though the Caps have the most points in the league, you almost have to pro-rate the Southeast Division, as let's face it, outside of Washington, that division is terrible. The only other team in that division still in the playoff race is the Atlanta Thrashers and they are 3 points out of 8th with 3 games left and games against the Penguins, Devils, and Capitals to close out the season. Thus begs the question, are they really that good? Of the 8 Eastern Conference playoff teams, are tied with the Penguins for having given up the most goals in the regular season (222). If the Flyers offense can play consistently well for that series, it might be as much of a laughter as one would initially think. Then again, I think you can say that about any time heading into the post-season against Washington.
Cons: Scoring 5 goals on Washington will do you no good if the Caps are going to score 6 goals on you. Again I say, you don't need a Vezina caliber goalie to win (though against a team like Washington, it certainly would not hurt), but you need solid defensive play and you need a team to play well in front of that goalie to give someone like Brian Boucher as much of a chance as possible. For some reason, the Flyers have not played well in front of Brian Boucher this season. They have made him a scapegoat amongst the fans when most of the goals he lets in have been unstoppable. And the most notable ones that were his fault occurred at a point in time where the goals made the game 4-0 and 5-1 in favor of the Islanders. That being said, Boucher may have to make some spectacular saves if the Flyers want to win a series with Washington. And even if Boosh can make great saves, this series will come down to how the Flyers play defensively and let's face it, the Flyers defense has been inconsistent all year long. Boosh will be handcuffed and an unfair scapegoat in this series.
Buffalo Sabres
Pros: The Sabres are not a team that scares a lot of people, but should they? They are fighting for a 2-seed and have one of the top goalies in the sport on their team. But why are they constantly being overlooked? The lack of a real star is certainly possible. Not being in a big market is another. Admittedly I have not seen a lot of the Sabres this year but does I have seen them play the Flyers this year and when watching them, I just get the sense that this team is not going to do anything this year. Does anyone feel like this Sabre team is going to win it all? The Flyers have been a team that plays well against good, big-named goalies but struggle against the young goalies. Seriously. Vesa Toskala actually shut the Flyers out once this year. Anton Khudobin made his NHL debut with the Wild against us and won 2-1. Jeff Deslauriers of Edmonton shut us out. Ryan Miller is certainly in the category of the former. Does that would not bode well for most teams bode well for the Flyers?
Cons: When Ryan Miller's back is against the wall, it does not matter how good you are against good goalies, the guy can flat out play goaltender. We saw it in the Olympics and if he is not burned out, we'll see it again in the playoffs. And Buffalo may not have huge offensive superstars that are heard about everyday in the hockey world outside of Buffalo, but they 223 goals this year, which is good for 4th among Eastern Conference Playoff teams and 5th overall in the Eastern Conference, so it's not like these guys are offensively anemic.
While highly unlikely, the Flyers can also play the Ottawa Senators in the playoffs. But due to it's unlikeliness and the fact that Donovan McNabb has just reportedly been traded to the Washington Redskins I won't get into breaking that one down now.
Choking And Missing Out On The Playoffs
Pros: You mean there are pros to a choke job? Yes. Sure it will be embarrassing and I don't want to see it, but let's face facts, despite the pre-season predictions by the Hockey Almanac, the Philadelphia Flyers are not a Stanley Cup team. On average in the post-lockout league, it takes around 93 points to make the playoffs (this goes for both conferences). Should they win out, the Flyers will max out at 90. That's still 3 points short of what it normally takes and this Flyers team winning 3 more in a row is realistically highly unlikely. This team never developed a chemistry together, as of the moment have 4 playoff goalies with the only one known outside of the Flyers contingent being Brian Boucher (unless you have heard of Johan Backlund, Jeremy Duchesne, and Michael Lee Teslak). I'll have a bit more on Boucher when I look at the pros and cons of the Devils, but really, this is not a threatening team in the playoffs.
Cons: Duh. Like I said, even if a team has no chance of winning it, you still want to see your team in the playoffs, if for no other reason than to have your suspicions confirmed. And even though it is highly unlikely to happen to the Flyers, if they can get hot, the Eastern Conference is not exactly uber-threatening this year (read: it sucks), who knows what can happen.
Now that we've gotten the not-making playoffs situation, the following will be the pros and cons of all of the possible first round match-ups for the Flyers.
New Jersey Devils
Pros: Ask Flyers fans which match-up they like best, and almost all of them will say New Jersey. The pros to this series are really simple in that the Flyers dominated the regular season against the Devils, taking 5 of the 6 games against them. The Devils are a team not as hot as they were in the beginning of the year, Martin Brodeur is not getting any younger and the Devils continue to overuse him like it was his earlier years. Now I know you don't need a Vezina caliber goalie to take this thing, but you need a goalie who won't make dumb mistakes. Fatigue, overused goalies make dumb mistakes. Frankly, the Devils are the only team I have pure confidence that we can beat should we make the playoffs. And then there is the Flyers goalie Brian Boucher. 10 years ago, he played the Devils in the playoffs and even though that series ended in the biggest hockey heartbreak I have ever felt and the worst sports moment I have ever seen live in person, that does not change the fact that earlier in the series he made the greatest save I have ever seen a Flyers goalie make (cue Steve Levy and Darren Pang!)
Cons: Regular season success against a team does not always equate to post-season success against said team. Just ask the Montreal Canadiens. In the 2007-08 regular season, the Habs were 4-0 against the Flyers. Then their conference semifinal playoff series came along and Carey Price turned into the Carey Price we all know today and the Flyers won the series 4 games to 1 in a series that could have just as easily been 4-0. The Flyers are capable of a complete offensive breakdown and who says Martin Brodeur can't channel his play of 10 years ago in an inspired effort for New Jersey. The Devils also have one of the top scorers in the world in Ilya Kovalchuk. He has under-performed since coming to New Jersey but who is to say he does not break out in the playoffs like he is very much capable of?
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pros: Like I said, the Flyers are not winning the Stanley Cup this year. That being said, a successful first round knock out of the Pittsburgh Penguins would be just as good. They got us in the 2008 Eastern Conference Finals and the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals. Revenge would sure as well be sweet, especially seeing as the Pens would be losing to a team not likely to win the whole thing. And it's not like the Flyers have gotten their butts kicked by the Pens all year long. They have played close games this year.
Cons: Most of those close games have been just that for the Flyers, close calls, good efforts, and oh, we'll get 'em next times. The Flyers have beaten them this year, but the Pens took the season series and face it, when it comes to post-season hockey, Sidney Crosby has our number. He does not lose to the Flyers in post-season hockey. And as sweet as beating the Pens would be, could you imagine the laughter from Pens fans if they eliminate the hated Flyers 3 years in a row? It would be unbearable.
Washington Capitals
Pros: Even though the Caps have the most points in the league, you almost have to pro-rate the Southeast Division, as let's face it, outside of Washington, that division is terrible. The only other team in that division still in the playoff race is the Atlanta Thrashers and they are 3 points out of 8th with 3 games left and games against the Penguins, Devils, and Capitals to close out the season. Thus begs the question, are they really that good? Of the 8 Eastern Conference playoff teams, are tied with the Penguins for having given up the most goals in the regular season (222). If the Flyers offense can play consistently well for that series, it might be as much of a laughter as one would initially think. Then again, I think you can say that about any time heading into the post-season against Washington.
Cons: Scoring 5 goals on Washington will do you no good if the Caps are going to score 6 goals on you. Again I say, you don't need a Vezina caliber goalie to win (though against a team like Washington, it certainly would not hurt), but you need solid defensive play and you need a team to play well in front of that goalie to give someone like Brian Boucher as much of a chance as possible. For some reason, the Flyers have not played well in front of Brian Boucher this season. They have made him a scapegoat amongst the fans when most of the goals he lets in have been unstoppable. And the most notable ones that were his fault occurred at a point in time where the goals made the game 4-0 and 5-1 in favor of the Islanders. That being said, Boucher may have to make some spectacular saves if the Flyers want to win a series with Washington. And even if Boosh can make great saves, this series will come down to how the Flyers play defensively and let's face it, the Flyers defense has been inconsistent all year long. Boosh will be handcuffed and an unfair scapegoat in this series.
Buffalo Sabres
Pros: The Sabres are not a team that scares a lot of people, but should they? They are fighting for a 2-seed and have one of the top goalies in the sport on their team. But why are they constantly being overlooked? The lack of a real star is certainly possible. Not being in a big market is another. Admittedly I have not seen a lot of the Sabres this year but does I have seen them play the Flyers this year and when watching them, I just get the sense that this team is not going to do anything this year. Does anyone feel like this Sabre team is going to win it all? The Flyers have been a team that plays well against good, big-named goalies but struggle against the young goalies. Seriously. Vesa Toskala actually shut the Flyers out once this year. Anton Khudobin made his NHL debut with the Wild against us and won 2-1. Jeff Deslauriers of Edmonton shut us out. Ryan Miller is certainly in the category of the former. Does that would not bode well for most teams bode well for the Flyers?
Cons: When Ryan Miller's back is against the wall, it does not matter how good you are against good goalies, the guy can flat out play goaltender. We saw it in the Olympics and if he is not burned out, we'll see it again in the playoffs. And Buffalo may not have huge offensive superstars that are heard about everyday in the hockey world outside of Buffalo, but they 223 goals this year, which is good for 4th among Eastern Conference Playoff teams and 5th overall in the Eastern Conference, so it's not like these guys are offensively anemic.
While highly unlikely, the Flyers can also play the Ottawa Senators in the playoffs. But due to it's unlikeliness and the fact that Donovan McNabb has just reportedly been traded to the Washington Redskins I won't get into breaking that one down now.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Song Of The Day: The Caps Rap By Someone Who Has No Shame In Life
Seeing as I'm fairly lazy, I don't think Song of The Day will be returning full time, but this is too good not to pass up.
I've seen some pretty bad things in my life, and even though the Washington Capitals may have beaten the Flyers on the scoreboard yesterday, but after viewing this, I can safely say that the moral victory of the day was won by the Flyers and their fans when this video landed into the hands of Philly fans on Twitter.
Words can't describe the awfulness that is The Caps Rap, so I will just post it here and let you watch and laugh and sigh with me. I'm telling you it's like a car wreck, it's awful but you can't stop turning away from it.
First of all, what the hell? Secondly, WHAT THE HELL? Seriously? Is it possible to lose points in the standings if one of your fans goes on YouTube and does that?
Two things on the plus side, at least the Caps fans and Flyers fans can agree that the Penguins are Nature's Crybabies and secondly, it does give me satisfaction knowing that our very own kt1000 is a YouTube whose video has now been seen by over 50,000 people and is being linked throughout the hockey and CollegeHumor interwebs.
I've seen some pretty bad things in my life, and even though the Washington Capitals may have beaten the Flyers on the scoreboard yesterday, but after viewing this, I can safely say that the moral victory of the day was won by the Flyers and their fans when this video landed into the hands of Philly fans on Twitter.
Words can't describe the awfulness that is The Caps Rap, so I will just post it here and let you watch and laugh and sigh with me. I'm telling you it's like a car wreck, it's awful but you can't stop turning away from it.
First of all, what the hell? Secondly, WHAT THE HELL? Seriously? Is it possible to lose points in the standings if one of your fans goes on YouTube and does that?
Two things on the plus side, at least the Caps fans and Flyers fans can agree that the Penguins are Nature's Crybabies and secondly, it does give me satisfaction knowing that our very own kt1000 is a YouTube whose video has now been seen by over 50,000 people and is being linked throughout the hockey and CollegeHumor interwebs.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
WE HAVE A GAME 7!!!!!!!
What. A. Game. Either Versus is very stingy with their videos being put up on YouTube or no one has thought to put up Doc Emrick's call of the exciting finish to Game 6 (figures the one time you actually want a Versus video, it's non-existent). But alas, Gord Miller and Pierre McGuire (which is not too shabby in it of itself, but Doc is one of the best there is) from TSN will have to suffice for now.
The final 2 minutes of regulation. The game is tied at 4 and the Pens are on the power play.
Nothing would result from the last faceoff in front of VarlLAMov with 1.5 to go in regulation. So we head to OT and before we get to the game winner, here's an exciting sequence from minutes prior to said game-winner.
And now the moment we've all been waiting for. For this is the moment that sent this series into Game 7. Brooks Leich and Dave Steckel, the ice is yours....
Just epic. What a game and guess what? On Wednesday, we get to do this all over again! And in other NHL action last night, the Chicago Blackhawks advanced to the Western Conference semifinals bywinning the NHL All-Star game Game 6 of their series with Vancouver by a score of 7-5 and winning the series 4 games to 2. They are the first of our NHL Final Four. Detroit and Carolina will have a chance to add themselves to that list if they can win tomorrow.
And do expect some sort of update to go along with this post. Even if it means putting up a pretty much redundant video of the highlights of the Caps-Pens video, there is no way that Doc's call of those epic moments at the end will not be embeded on this blog.
Update: Here's Doc!
The final 2 minutes of regulation. The game is tied at 4 and the Pens are on the power play.
Nothing would result from the last faceoff in front of VarlLAMov with 1.5 to go in regulation. So we head to OT and before we get to the game winner, here's an exciting sequence from minutes prior to said game-winner.
And now the moment we've all been waiting for. For this is the moment that sent this series into Game 7. Brooks Leich and Dave Steckel, the ice is yours....
Just epic. What a game and guess what? On Wednesday, we get to do this all over again! And in other NHL action last night, the Chicago Blackhawks advanced to the Western Conference semifinals by
And do expect some sort of update to go along with this post. Even if it means putting up a pretty much redundant video of the highlights of the Caps-Pens video, there is no way that Doc's call of those epic moments at the end will not be embeded on this blog.
Update: Here's Doc!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun; Two Overtime Games Are Better Than One!
Sorry for the corny title. So sorry. But alas, it is true. The NHL Playoffs just continues to get better and better! And there are games that when you watch them, it just feels like you're watching an instant classic, even if the game may not have reached that level yet, some games just have that feeling. And tonight's Caps-Penguins game had that feeling to it all day long. Now whether or not it will be called an instant classic is for time to tell, but it went to overtime where Chris Letang buried it home to trim the series lead to two to one for the Capitals.
While I am pulling for the Capitals to humiliate the Penguins as much as possible and finish this off as quick as possible, I really want to see this one go seven games. Of course, I want to see the Caps win it in that 7th game (despite how I feel about their fans, who are in my top 3 for least favorite fan bases in the NHL; for reasons of hatred, see their classlessness at the end of the Flyers-Caps Game 7 after the Flyers beat them in OT) but damn, could we like maybe have that game go 5 overtimes or something, just so I can take it all in before the Pens finally lose (and besides, that may break their heart more than a sweep would). This series has been every bit as great as it has been billed to be.
However, that Letang goal was not the end of the night! We had overtime in Carolina and here's how that one ended. Cue Mr. Clutch himself, Jussi Jokinen!
Absolutely unbelieveable! And you can hear the disdain in Jack Edwards' voice as he is calling the Jokinen goal. Classic! And if the name Jussi Jokinen sounds a bit familiar, well, it should. This is the same Jussi Jokinen who did this.....
And this......(Jussi Jokinen is the tying goal, FYI)
Far be it for me to nominate anyone or put anyone in this position, but methinks that Jussi Jokinen ought to receive early consideration for the Conn Smythe trophy. Just incredible!
While I am pulling for the Capitals to humiliate the Penguins as much as possible and finish this off as quick as possible, I really want to see this one go seven games. Of course, I want to see the Caps win it in that 7th game (despite how I feel about their fans, who are in my top 3 for least favorite fan bases in the NHL; for reasons of hatred, see their classlessness at the end of the Flyers-Caps Game 7 after the Flyers beat them in OT) but damn, could we like maybe have that game go 5 overtimes or something, just so I can take it all in before the Pens finally lose (and besides, that may break their heart more than a sweep would). This series has been every bit as great as it has been billed to be.
However, that Letang goal was not the end of the night! We had overtime in Carolina and here's how that one ended. Cue Mr. Clutch himself, Jussi Jokinen!
Absolutely unbelieveable! And you can hear the disdain in Jack Edwards' voice as he is calling the Jokinen goal. Classic! And if the name Jussi Jokinen sounds a bit familiar, well, it should. This is the same Jussi Jokinen who did this.....
And this......(Jussi Jokinen is the tying goal, FYI)
Far be it for me to nominate anyone or put anyone in this position, but methinks that Jussi Jokinen ought to receive early consideration for the Conn Smythe trophy. Just incredible!
Saturday, May 2, 2009
VarLAMov Makes The Save Of The Playoffs
Just an incredible save by Simeon VarLAMov. Perhaps one of the best that I have ever seen.
That save was not for naught, as the Capitals would get a 3rd period game-winning goal and take Game 1 by a score of 3-2. An all-round really good game and I think we can expect a whole lot more entertaining games like this one between these two teams.
That save was not for naught, as the Capitals would get a 3rd period game-winning goal and take Game 1 by a score of 3-2. An all-round really good game and I think we can expect a whole lot more entertaining games like this one between these two teams.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Videos Of Epicness: 2 Thrilling Game 7s With 2 Hilarious Choke Jobs
Well, they are hilarious for me at least, a Flyers fan. Forget the NBA playoffs, last night featured perhaps one of, if not the, most exciting and unpredictable hour that I can eve recall. The New York Rangers were up 3 games to 1 on the Capitals. The Caps had completely blown out the Rangers the next 2 games and what happened next was me seeing a team that I hate pull a 2000 Flyers Eastern Conference Finals. Your first video of epicness of the day: Highlights from Game 7 Rangers @ Caps from the Verizon Center.
And if you thought the Flyers blowing a 3-goal lead to lose a must-win Game 6, wait until you see what the Devils did in Game 7. Cue video of epicness #2: Game 7: Carolina @ New Jersey from the Prudential Center.
THAT.........WAS.......AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And no, I am not content on just showing that once. NHLVideos decided to use the Doc Emrick call from MSG+. But, John Forslund was admitted into the hospital last night after calling the Hurricanes-Devils game. Here's why.....
This will never get old!!! Good luck to the Carolina Hurricanes. You guys officially have my support to win the Stanley Cup Playoffs. And it does not hurt my new-found love for them that they have ex-Flyer Rod Brind'amour.
Conference Semifinals start tomorrow with the Blackhawks vs. the Canucks at 9:00 tomorrow (schedule will be up in a bit). And thanks to the Hurricanes comeback, it's Ovechkin vs. Crosby!!!!! I've never been this pumped for a non-Flyers NHL playoff series in my life!
And if you thought the Flyers blowing a 3-goal lead to lose a must-win Game 6, wait until you see what the Devils did in Game 7. Cue video of epicness #2: Game 7: Carolina @ New Jersey from the Prudential Center.
THAT.........WAS.......AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And no, I am not content on just showing that once. NHLVideos decided to use the Doc Emrick call from MSG+. But, John Forslund was admitted into the hospital last night after calling the Hurricanes-Devils game. Here's why.....
This will never get old!!! Good luck to the Carolina Hurricanes. You guys officially have my support to win the Stanley Cup Playoffs. And it does not hurt my new-found love for them that they have ex-Flyer Rod Brind'amour.
Conference Semifinals start tomorrow with the Blackhawks vs. the Canucks at 9:00 tomorrow (schedule will be up in a bit). And thanks to the Hurricanes comeback, it's Ovechkin vs. Crosby!!!!! I've never been this pumped for a non-Flyers NHL playoff series in my life!
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