Leafs @ Penguins - Nov. 26th, 7:30pm - SN, Fan 590

[Heroic Shrimp]

You know, I'm sure guys like Crosby and Malkin have games like Kessel's tonight but I'll be damned if I've ever seen one.

Are you telling me you didn't watch Canada's games #2 through #6 of the Vancouver Olympics?

I'd also add that it's a hell of a lot easier for 2 superstars to shine on the same team than just 1.  They can either benefit from playing together, or they can divide the playing time of the other team's best defenders by playing apart.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

Are you telling me you didn't watch Canada's games #2 through #6 of the Vancouver Olympics?

I'd also add that it's a hell of a lot easier for 2 superstars to shine on the same team than just 1.  They can either benefit from playing together, or they can divide the playing time of the other team's best defenders by playing apart.

And Malkin has most definitely been criticized throughout his career at times for being lazy or disinterested.  But like you said, they've got 2 superstars, 2 of the best players of their generation, on their team at the same time.

 

[L K]

Kadri had that terrible giveaway that tainted an otherwise fantastic game I felt.  The Kadri-Komarov-Santorelli line was by far the Leafs best unit.

I don't want to cheer for bad things to happen but that 2nd PP unit was awful.  Clarkson taking a stupid penalty that led to a Pittsburgh goal was just icing on that cake.  He's on a 26 point pace.  His play is somewhat better than last year in that he's throwing some hits and not falling down as much but he's just a bad hockey player.  I honestly can't wait for his buyout in a year or two.

 

[ZBBM]

Caught this game away from the computer, so all my comments had to wait.

I'm really glad Siegel posted that Santorelli piece earlier today. The man plays with a mission: get the puck; take the puck to the net. On our first goal he makes a great backcheck to take the puck, and Kadri eats a hit to shift a very slick drop pass for him to feed Komarov. Leo would probably get stopped if he didn't bobble the pass slightly to delay the shot. Every line Santorelli plays on drives play the right way.

The 'top' line needs to be broken up as none of them seem to know how to play without the puck. The Holland line had some decent cycle time, but those are not scoring wingers. Holland needs to play with skilled players, and having two puck muckers on the same line is ineffective.

Holzer had a more than decent showing. Rielly and Gardiner together is always an adventure (usually of their own making).

On a night were it's immediately obvious your goalie doesn't have his A-game, the team has to bear down and try to keep the puck in the other end of the ice as much as possible. They couldn't do this, and Bernier got burned for it.

Anyway, good to see the team claw back from an ugly hole for a point, but it was a winnable game.

Good post man. Glad you're posting here.

 

[Strangelove]

Just watched the highlights. Why is Holland backing off the defender 4 on 4? He should never have had so much time to shoot. It's not even like Holland was moving to cover anyone else. Just a really bad play.

 

[Peter D.]

How good has Komarov been...what a great 3rd liner. Starting to become a favourite of mine.

Not a great game from the first line. I find this year that when JvR isn't on, he looks damn near invisible.

Just when you expect Bernier to take control, he has a game like tonight. Only leads to doubts in his ability to carry the load for 55 to 60 starts a year.

Rielly and Gardiner is not a good pairing. Quit going back to it Randy.

If he's on, Malkin is the most dominant player on the ice. Even more than Crosby. Must be nice Penguins fans.

 

[dappleganger]

Watching tonight's game it's very apparent why Pittsburgh has had so little success in the playoffs.

 

[Stickytape]

I'm convinced that Bernier's injury (knee is it?) is affecting his gameplay. He isn't moving well laterally, isn't doing enough to find the puck through or around a screen, and generally seems uncomfortable and distacted.

 

[Kin]

Are you telling me you didn't watch Canada's games #2 through #6 of the Vancouver Olympics?

I actually think I was still living in Australia back then so I probably didn't. Just looking at the scoresheets it looks like he got points in more of those games then he didn't but I'd be lying if I said I had strong memories of any of them.

I'd also add that it's a hell of a lot easier for 2 superstars to shine on the same team than just 1.  They can either benefit from playing together, or they can divide the playing time of the other team's best defenders by playing apart.

I don't know how true the latter is. I'd think most coaches would stick their #1 defensive unit on one of them which would free up the other to some extent.

Anyway that said one of the sad things about the Penguins in recent years is that I can make my comment having seen plenty of games where only one of the two was in the line-up.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

Kadri had that terrible giveaway that tainted an otherwise fantastic game I felt.

I thought as the game went on he took it over from a Leafs perspective.  Even with that turnover.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

I don't want to cheer for bad things to happen but that 2nd PP unit was awful.  Clarkson taking a stupid penalty that led to a Pittsburgh goal was just icing on that cake.  He's on a 26 point pace.  His play is somewhat better than last year in that he's throwing some hits and not falling down as much but he's just a bad hockey player.  I honestly can't wait for his buyout in a year or two.

That penalty on Clarkson was kinda bull though, you could call that a dozen times a game. He's had a bunch of iffy calls go against him this season for whatever reason. Agree with everything else you said. Clarkson is literally the last forward in this line-up that I want on the powerplay.

 

[Heroic Shrimp]

Are you telling me you didn't watch Canada's games #2 through #6 of the Vancouver Olympics?

I actually think I was still living in Australia back then so I probably didn't. Just looking at the scoresheets it looks like he got points in more of those games then he didn't but I'd be lying if I said I had strong memories of any of them.

The recurrent and accurate description of Crosby's performance throughout almost all of the Olympics was that he was invisible.  The golden goal tempers that memory for some or many, I'm sure.  I only offered that particular example as one which is very well-known and documented.  But really, it should go without saying that as a professional athlete and human being, Crosby has had and will yet have numerous games in which he's fairly ordinary, though his exceptional games will of course far outnumber the ordinary ones.

While I zeroed in on Crosby as he's right up there as the gold standard of forward excellence, as Potvin29 said, the big knock on Malkin over the years has been one of indifference.  We may not see it in Toronto because of how much he's dominated the Leafs, but they've certainly seen it in Pittsburgh.

 

[Kin]

But really, it should go without saying that as a professional athlete and human being, Crosby has had and will yet have numerous games in which he's fairly ordinary, though his exceptional games will of course far outnumber the ordinary ones.

Right, so, for emphasis

You know, I'm sure guys like Crosby and Malkin have games like Kessel's tonight but I'll be damned if I've ever seen one.

 

[Deebo]

And Malkin has most definitely been criticized throughout his career at times for being lazy or disinterested.  But like you said, they've got 2 superstars, 2 of the best players of their generation, on their team at the same time.

That what it appears to take to keep the Penguins viable, two of the best players of the generation.

 

[herman]

Good post man. Glad you're posting here.

Wow, thanks! I learn a lot from reading all the analyses you guys contribute on a daily basis. I really appreciate the encouragement.

Kadri had that terrible giveaway that tainted an otherwise fantastic game I felt.

I thought as the game went on he took it over from a Leafs perspective.  Even with that turnover.

I can see that game controlling potential from Kadri developing (this takes time!). If he can get stronger without slowing down, then his body would be able to match what his brain thinks he is able to do. He's got high-end, unteachable moves, but gets stymied at times due to getting bumped off stride. He really forces opponents into making mistakes with his play (penalties, or opening lanes). In 3-5 years, I wouldn't be surprised if we're talking about him like we're talking about Malkin today.

I don't want to cheer for bad things to happen but that 2nd PP unit was awful.  Clarkson taking a stupid penalty that led to a Pittsburgh goal was just icing on that cake.  He's on a 26 point pace.  His play is somewhat better than last year in that he's throwing some hits and not falling down as much but he's just a bad hockey player.  I honestly can't wait for his buyout in a year or two.

That penalty on Clarkson was kinda bull though, you could call that a dozen times a game. He's had a bunch of iffy calls go against him this season for whatever reason. Agree with everything else you said. Clarkson is literally the last forward in this line-up that I want on the powerplay.

The players don't really control what the refs do (unless you're Crosby, amirite?), so no sense in worrying about that. Play hard, play right, and the calls will come when they come.

Both our PP units were horrible, and they're deployment and strategy issues.
PP1: Phaneuf and Franson both have howitzers, but can't truck the puck into position, so they have to rely on the drop-pass to Kessel. Easy to solve. The JvR-Bozak-Kessel trio are a fast-break line, and the PP strategy employed is an offensive zone set up. They're so easy to stop because they're standing still and don't get to use their game breaking speed. Same thing with 5-on-3s. They had some success early on, but teams adjust as the videos are analyzed and we haven't done that.

PP2: Gardiner and Rielly never shoot, even though both own a decent shot. Clarkson is a bit of a blackhole and cannot be relied upon in any passing set up. Use him exclusively as a screen if you have to.

Proposed Fixes: I'm not a hockey coach, but I think we have to play to our strengths. Franson/Gardiner for obvious shooter/mover combo; Franson has that great first pass coming out of the DZ and really good instincts for keeping the puck down in the OZ. Kadri on PP1 because he is has the trifecta of PP skills: cycling, passing, shooting. Kessel on the RW instead of LW to take advantage of Kadri's LH pass. JvR on top of the crease. Having three PP QBs means they have no chance of zeroing in on one person.

PP2's goal should be to tire the PK down some more. Santorelli, Lupul, Bozak is a line that can cycle and occasionally finish. I'd also give Panik more of a look here too, as he has the patience and the hands to capitalize on zone time and the inevitable scrambles that happen off bombs from the point.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

Kadri on PP1 because he is has the trifecta of PP skills: cycling, passing, shooting. Kessel on the RW instead of LW to take advantage of Kadri's LH pass. JvR on top of the crease. Having three PP QBs means they have no chance of zeroing in on one person.

I don't like Kessel on the RW on the PP because he's got the shot and if he's on the RW he has so much less of the net to shoot at than if he's on the LW, cuts his angle to the net down completely.

Also speaking of Phaneuf on the PP and why he's never going to come close to his Calgary offensive numbers.  Check out what Calgary used to do with him on the PP (and this was when he was getting 5:00 PP/time a game).  I don't know if he gets set up for this many one-timers in a month with the Leafs:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmQ8dhO7Ves[/youtube]

I believe the resolution on this video is actually -1080p.

 

[herman]

Kadri on PP1 because he is has the trifecta of PP skills: cycling, passing, shooting. Kessel on the RW instead of LW to take advantage of Kadri's LH pass. JvR on top of the crease. Having three PP QBs means they have no chance of zeroing in on one person.

I don't like Kessel on the RW on the PP because he's got the shot and if he's on the RW he has so much less of the net to shoot at than if he's on the LW, cuts his angle to the net down completely.

I was thinking that as well initially, but without speed going into the zone, Kessel is only seeing legs and sticks anyway. There'd be no stopping him and Kadri from crossing over to continue feeding each other if need be, but staying on the regular side opens up cleaner passes to the points and backdoor plays. Kessel going behind the net on his forehand is also pretty scary for the opposing team as well. Either way, a PP set up that is just standing still and not stretching out the PK box is going to get shut down every time.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

Just remembering this now, not sure if it has been brought up earlier - but did it annoy anyone else after all the icings the Leafs got, that they overturned that icing call against the Pens early in OT?

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Just remembering this now, not sure if it has been brought up earlier - but did it annoy anyone else after all the icings the Leafs got, that they overturned that icing call against the Pens early in OT?

Someone posted this image of the play:

Hard to say, but it looks like Franson had Crosby beat to the hashmarks.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

Just remembering this now, not sure if it has been brought up earlier - but did it annoy anyone else after all the icings the Leafs got, that they overturned that icing call against the Pens early in OT?

Someone posted this image of the play:

Hard to say, but it looks like Franson had Crosby beat to the hashmarks.

There was one earlier in the game where the puck slowly crossed the red line in the Pens zone basically at the same time as JVR and a Pens player both were about to get to it and they still called it icing.