Here are 10 quick thoughts (make that 11) about the first 2 games of the Stanley Cup Finals. Some look back at what happened, some look at what needs to be changed and some are just overall observations that needed to be said. It should be 10 thoughts, but people in the cheap seats are long-winded. I’m just trying to keep with the theme.
Justin Abdelkader has been stepping up for the Red Wings. Who will step up for the Pens?
1. Guys like Darren Helm and Justin Abdelkader are what separate the Red Wings from every other team in the league. By no means am I saying that this series is over—but Helm is an afterthought when you’re talking about Detroit and Abdelkader isn’t even a thought of at all. Yet in the Stanley Cup Finals, Helm has been one of the best forwards on the ice for the Wings and Abdelkader has as many goals as the entire Penguins team. Which mid-level guy is going to step up for the Penguins and help pull them back into the series? We know what to expect from the superstars like Malkin and Crosby—but a team needs more than 2 players to win a Cup. So who’s it going to be from Pittsburgh? Guys like Matt Cooke, Tyler Kennedy and Maxime Talbot need to step up all aspects of their game for Pittsburgh to have better results.
2. Should have Malkin been suspended for his instigator penalty at the end of Game 2? If you go by common sense, then absolutely not. If you go by the letter of the law? Then yes. As an outsider, I’m glad that we’ll get to see the best players on the ice—and we aren’t deprived of that because of a stupid rule. Now the onus is on the owners to FIX that stupid rule in the offseason.
3. Penguin fans that complain about the referees are starting to compete with Mike Milbury as the most annoying thing in the playoffs this year. Going into Game 3, the Penguins have had the most power play opportunities of any team in the playoffs. Until the fireworks at the end of Game 2, they had only been called for 2 penalties all game. Please don’t tell me that Pittsburgh was playing a squeaky clean game. In fact, since they were already down a game—maybe they should have been playing a little closer to the line anyway.
Here’s the play that I heard most Penguin fans complaining about during and immediately after the game. The guys over at Abel to Yzerman for the visual aid. Also, I have to give respect to Jared OzVath. Over on his blog, he admitted the play wasn’t a penalty and focused on his OWN team for not playing to the whistle. Classy move and a good blog.
4. Speaking of officiating, I’ve found that when BOTH fanbases are pissed about referees, then the zebras are probably doing a pretty good job. In Game 1 and Game 2, they let the players play—and most importantly, they let BOTH teams play. From a guy that has no dog in the fight, they looked like they were consistent in that they let both teams get away with the same amount of stuff.
5. The Red Wings won both games at home to go up in the series 2-0. History tells us that home teams that win both of their home games to open the Stanley Cup Finals are 31-1. I never think the series starts until someone wins on the road—but that’s a pretty impressive statistic. Just like it’s important to not go overboard when a team wins their games at home; we should give credit where credit is due. Pittsburgh was red hot (they had won 5 straight) coming into the Cup Finals. It doesn’t matter where they were playing—for Detroit to slow them down and take the first 2 games is impressive.
6. There was a lot of talk going into the first 2 games about the NHL’s decision to play back-to-back games for Game 1 and Game 2. Most of the outcry came from Detroit where they are older, battling injuries and would only get 2 days off after winning the Western Conference Finals in only 5 games. It’s interesting how there wasn’t much talk about the scheduling after the Red Wings won the 1st two games without Kris Draper or Pavel Datsyuk. Mike Babcock wouldn’t let them use the scheduling nor the injuries as an excuse for their play on the ice. Of course, it might be a different story had they lost one of the opening games.
The Pens need both of these guys to play like superstars EVERY game...
7. Sidney Crosby has to be happy that the series is headed to Pittsburgh for the next two games. Since Mike Babcock has had the final change in Detroit, Crosby has seen Henrik Zetterberg just about every time he’s been on the ice. In Game 1, Crosby came out with a fire that looked like it was lacking in last seasons Finals. But gradually, that fire has been extinguished by the suffocating play by Zetterberg’s line. Just think how much the Red Wings will be improved when they have another perennial Selke candidate (Datsyuk) to counter the Penguins skill.
8. Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby need to play well in the same game. In Game 1, Crosby came out and looked like the emotional leader than the NHL and Pittsburgh fans want him to be. In Game 2, Malkin played with a fire that helped him score Pittsburgh’s only goal AND earned him an instigator for starting a fight with Henrik Zetterberg. The problem is that the two Penguin superstars have been unable to put it together during the SAME game. One superstar performing while the other is rendered useless is not going to be enough to beat the Red Wings. The both need to play at the highest level every game. That should be a given for the Penguins success.
9. Marc Andre Fleury needs to play better. Period. Going in to the Final Four this season, the only goaltender that hadn’t won a Stanley Cup was Fleury (Ward, Khabibulin and Osgood have all lifted the Cup). After the first 2 games of the series, he’s not doing much to change that. I’ve never, EVER heard such a big deal made out of active boards as the media was making about the boards at Joe Louis after Game 1. Maybe less of the blame should be placed on the bad “luck” of the boards and more emphasis placed on what looked like an unprepared goaltender in the first game of the Stanley Cup Finals. Fleury isn’t a rookie, this isn’t the first time he’s played in Joe Louis and it’s not like it’s a secret that the building has active boards. Neither Mason, nor Hiller, nor Khabibulin (or Huet) had as many problems combined as Fleury had in Game 1.
10. This was addressed before, but it’s important for fans of the Joe and the Igloo to remember this: The series doesn’t start until someone wins on the road. As well as the Red Wings played and as happy as they should be with the outcome of the 1st two games; all they really did was win the games they were supposed to win. Well see which direction this series is going to go in the next to games. Is it going to be a quick series or an epic battle that the NHL so desperately needs. The Penguins (and their effort level) will decide in Games 3 and 4.
11. Bonus: Is it luck that has Chris Osgood leading his team to a 2-0 advantage or skill? A lot of Pittsburgh fans seem to think that he’s just getting lucky with the posts and missed shots by the Penguins. That could very well be true—but he’s now 10-2 in the Stanley Cup Finals (including 6-2 against the Pens over the last 2 years) and he’s only given up a goal per game in this year’s Finals. He is the proud owner of 3 Cups and is looking for his 4th. You can say what you want (and God knows I have) about Osgood, but that’s a helluva lot of luck for one guy in a career. At some point, you have to admit that it’s not luck and there’s a little bit of skill involved.
Game 3 is tonight (Tuesday night) in Pittsburgh on Versus. Surely NBC wouldn’t want the Stanley Cup Finals to interfere with Conan O’Brien’s opening week as the new host of The Tonight Show, right? Whatever. We’ll see if the Penguins want to make this a series or if it’s going to be quick and painless. Tonight will go a long way towards determining the rest of the series.
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