[A] Brink of Elimination: CHI 2, PHX 3 (OT)

[Chief Walking Stick]

Tippet made a good 3rd period tactical adjustment, and Q did not/could not respond. Our Boys were not prepared for the full court press (2 man forecheck), and any form of of adjustment came too little/late. Why did "we" again score in the last moments of the game...unencumbered skill being allowed to attack without restriction. Why did they not dominate the other 58+ minutes each game? They have the speed and skill to do it. They also (should have) had enough anger to run through brick walls. Properly channeled and utilized, they could have, and should have made this a one-sided blowout.



Throughout history, inferior armies with good strategies have invariably defeated superior armies with mediocre strategies.

I'd say coming back from a 2 goal deficit in the 3rd period was a good response to that "tactical adjustment".



This team is resilient and I just can't count them out.

 

[supraman]

.842 !!! The will be no winning games with a Save percentage of .842! The biggest problem is between the pipes. I maintain this from the beginning of the year. This year, even with the yet to be realized miracle of 3 wins in a row to advance, would end there. Next season looks no better, Crawford is a good backup but he is not in even the top 50% of goalies ...no, I take that back, he isn't even good enough to be in the top 60%..nuff said!

You do realize that stats only tell half the story. Crow has played stellar with the exception for the last two OT goals.



So please watch the game instead of just reading the stat sheet.

 

[Samurai]

I'd say coming back from a 2 goal deficit in the 3rd period was a good response to that "tactical adjustment".



This team is resilient and I just can't count them out.

I know better than to count them out. All I'm saying is that Tippet made a tactical shift that was effective, and Q did not.

 

[Tim]

You do realize that stats only tell half the story. Crow has played stellar with the exception for the last two OT goals.



So please watch the game instead of just reading the stat sheet.

Crawford is one of the worst goalies in the playoffs, some teams have backups better that Crawford.

He has to be mentally weak to let in that non shot sliding puck last night. That was worse than the POS goal he let in Tues night.

San Jose's offer sheet to Nik is the gift that keeps on giving to the rest of the league.

 

[R K]

You do realize that stats only tell half the story. Crow has played stellar with the exception for the last two OT goals.



So please watch the game instead of just reading the stat sheet.

He's too busy trolling for reaction.



Toews, Sharp, they need to show up. Kane can not do it all on his own.



Keith, Leddy ODUYA have to show up. Seabrook can not do it on his own.



Even mother fucking MORRISSON got a fucking goal!



Minus Kane and Seabrook this teams STARS went MIA, horrible officiating or NOT. Which I might add again cost us a goal last night.





Crawford has to stop those shots. He made a few FANTASTIC saves, and then lets that crap go through. Two games in a row? There is enough anxst to make this team PISSED off, at least there should be. SHOW IT FOR FUCKING 60 MINUTES you WIN!

 

[supraman]

Crawford is one of the worst goalies in the playoffs, some teams have backups better that Crawford.

He has to be mentally weak to let in that non shot sliding puck last night. That was worse than the POS goal he let in Tues night.

San Jose's offer sheet to Nik is the gift that keeps on giving to the rest of the league.

Marc-Andre Fluery and Ilya Bryzgalov say hi

 

[R K]

Crawford is one of the worst goalies in the playoffs, some teams have backups better that Crawford.

He has to be mentally weak to let in that non shot sliding puck last night. That was worse than the POS goal he let in Tues night.

San Jose's offer sheet to Nik is the gift that keeps on giving to the rest of the league.

Close but on the same token Smith is just ahead of him. Can't pin the losses soley on Crawford and you know that.



That said he needs to make the easy saves. His soft goals have killed him all year. Along with the team at times.

 

[Tim]

Close but on the same token Smith is just ahead of him. Can't pin the losses soley on Crawford and you know that.



That said he needs to make the easy saves. His soft goals have killed him all year. Along with the team at times.

Seabs has been solid , the rest of the D not so much. Fucking Frolik has been one of the better forwards, I mean wtf is with that.

As for Crawford, he is backup material. A legit #1 steals games not lose games with demoralizing soft goals.

 

[winos5]

Marc-Andre Fluery and Ilya Bryzgalov say hi

Neimi as well. San Jose is down 3-1 as well.

 

[Tim]

Niemi and MAF both won rings as starters, Bryz does suck but the way that series is being played Patrick Roy would have given up 5 or 6 a game.

I stand by my statement on Crawford, he would be best suited as a backup, and is one of the worst netminders in the playoffs.

 

[LordKOTL]

Fair is fair here...if you're going to blast Crawford for failing to make the OT save, then why the smeg aren't you blasting Leddy for allowing the play to happen in the first place?



Last night's game told a very good story. If Crawford is just average, than more than have of the skaters were worse in their positions than he was last night--and not just rookie scrubs, we're talking Hardware-carrying vets and guys wearing a letter.



I don't think Seabrook and Bickell/Bolland/Frolik can carry the team on their own.



From where I sit, either the guys don't want it, or they don't have the conditioning to get it since playing a full 60 hasn't happened.

 

[winos5]

Agree. One of the reason's Smith has been so good is the trapping defensive scheme with an aggressive forecheck that the Yotes utilize. Don't remeber many people singing his praises before he was claimed off waivers from the Lightning.

 

[supraman]

Niemi and MAF both won rings as starters, Bryz does suck but the way that series is being played Patrick Roy would have given up 5 or 6 a game.

I stand by my statement on Crawford, he would be best suited as a backup, and is one of the worst netminders in the playoffs.

And you would be wrong but at least you stick to your guns. Bryzgalov has been by far the worst netminder in the playoffs by a country mile. he makes Huet look good.

 

[supraman]

Agree. One of the reason's Smith has been so good is the trapping defensive scheme with an aggressive forecheck that the Yotes utilize. Don't remeber many people singing his praises before he was claimed off waivers from the Lightning.

No he was absolute horseshit in Tampa. Especially after he had the concussion. He got the concussion, hid it, threw a tantrum, hid it more, and then they found out about it.



http://www.tampabay.com/sports/hockey/lightning/article973140.ece



http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/rumors/post/Coach-Tocchet-had-no-idea-Mike-Smith-had-a-concu?urn=nhl-140613

 

[Tim]

Agree. One of the reason's Smith has been so good is the trapping defensive scheme with an aggressive forecheck that the Yotes utilize. Don't remeber many people singing his praises before he was claimed off waivers from the Lightning.

Fair is fair here...if you're going to blast Crawford for failing to make the OT save, then why the smeg aren't you blasting Leddy for allowing the play to happen in the first place?



Last night's game told a very good story. If Crawford is just average, than more than have of the skaters were worse in their positions than he was last night--and not just rookie scrubs, we're talking Hardware-carrying vets and guys wearing a letter.



I don't think Seabrook and Bickell/Bolland/Frolik can carry the team on their own.



From where I sit, either the guys don't want it, or they don't have the conditioning to get it since playing a full 60 hasn't happened.

It has been suggested that with their big contract signings and previous ring complacency has set in with some of the core. Something is definitely out of sorts.

 

[howcho]

Utterly disappointed in Crawford. He just cannot let in those soft goals in OT. Where are Sharp and Stalberg? Oh Don't Ya is showing some frightening tendencies.

 

[LordKOTL]

Honestly, I don't know what it is...but the problem wth not playing a full 60 has gone on all year and the past two games we've had ample reason to be fired up. Even though I can't speak about how the locker room is, unless Hossa has no friends in the core, you'd think a couple of the guys would elevate their game and play to avenge the loss.



It's why I'm starting to question the conditioning.



And howcho: As much as Crawford needs to make that save, Leddy can't let turnovers like that happen. Both are journeyman hockey players that should know better. One deserves no more blame than the other, and the fact that our 13th and 14th forwards were the only ones to pot anything (and one of them playing like a beast to boot), and a fucking 19-year old rookie was playing better positionally than vets with letters and hardware IMHO is where most of the blame should be placed.

 

[bierboy]

Tell me, again, Ron, how great Kane is....umm....let's see....ummm....two SOG, with the last one in the second period.



Now, don't get me wrong, there's plenty of blame to spread around -- Crawford, Sharp, Toews, Keith, Oduya, O'Donnell, Leddy -- the list goes on. But for you jackwads to keep insisting how great Kane has been is ridiculous. He has completely disappeared in this series. And, NO, he didn't score that goal in the third game. He fired it, but it was deflected. Yeah, call me a Kane-hater, but I'm just a realist. I'm not defending their other stars because they're just as much to blame for this imminent elimination from the playoffs.

 

[LordKOTL]

Tell me, again, Ron, how great Kane is....umm....let's see....ummm....two SOG, with the last one in the second period.



Now, don't get me wrong, there's plenty of blame to spread around -- Crawford, Sharp, Toews, Keith, Oduya, O'Donnell, Leddy -- the list goes on. But for you jackwads to keep insisting how great Kane has been is ridiculous. He has completely disappeared in this series. And, NO, he didn't score that goal in the third game. He fired it, but it was deflected. Yeah, call me a Kane-hater, but I'm just a realist. I'm not defending their other stars because they're just as much to blame for this imminent elimination from the playoffs.

Honestly, outside of our 3rd line, Seabrook, and to a lesser extent Morrisson and Saad, I think the whole team was sub-par. Crawford has been average--good saves in regulation and softie's in overtime.



I made a similar analogy to this on the other boards with respect to the Crawford vs. Emery vs. Someone else in net. If your Chevy truck (Crawford) gets shitty gas mileage when towing your RV with all of your stuff in it, and your other truck, a Ford (Emery) doesn't do any better, then maybe the idea is to clean out all of your junk out of the trailer which is dead weight rather than thinking a Dodge (Someone else) can do any better.

 

[supraman]

Honestly, I don't know what it is...but the problem wth not playing a full 60 has gone on all year and the past two games we've had ample reason to be fired up. Even though I can't speak about how the locker room is, unless Hossa has no friends in the core, you'd think a couple of the guys would elevate their game and play to avenge the loss.



It's why I'm starting to question the conditioning.



And howcho: As much as Crawford needs to make that save, Leddy can't let turnovers like that happen. Both are journeyman hockey players that should know better. One deserves no more blame than the other, and the fact that our 13th and 14th forwards were the only ones to pot anything (and one of them playing like a beast to boot), and a fucking 19-year old rookie was playing better positionally than vets with letters and hardware IMHO is where most of the blame should be placed.

Same problem we had last year. Maybe its complacency, maybe coaching, maybe fatigue (though Detroit has gone into the 2nd season 21 or 22 times in a row so I aint buying that). Like you I dunno what it is but someone needs to get fixing it.