Here is how I see the match up.
Forwards
Hard to give an edge to one group of forwards over the other because they play such different styles. The Rangers are the grind it out type of team, great off the cycle and creating their chances from below the goaline. Meanwhile the Sens are a little more run and gun and rely on a strong counter attack game for their offence. Both teams have legitimate first line centres in Richards and Spezza, both teams have first line snipers in Gaborik and Michalek and both teams have tough bottom six guys like Dubinsky and Neil that can contribute. Both teams like to play a physical brand of hockey so there's no real seperation there. But the Senators have a Daniel Alfredsson, the Rangers do not. We have seen Alfie elevate his game at this time of year before and I don't expect this year to be any different.
EDGE- The Ottawa Senators
Defence
Another tough one to call because the two defence cores are just so different. Led by Erik Karlsson, the Sens defence puts up points and lots of them. Meanwhile the Rangers get far less scoring from their back end but they love to make you pay a physical price and are capable of blocking a ton of shots. The pair of Girardi and McDonagh is going to make life extremely difficult for Spezza, particularly at MSG where the Rangers have last change. I'll give the Rangers a slight edge here because their defence appears to be a little more built for playoff style hockey. With that said, if the Sens get continued production from the blueline, it could be the difference in this series.
EDGE- The New York Rangers
Goaltending
Let's face it, Henrik Lundqvist is probably the best goalie in the NHL. Coming off a season that is sure to net him the Vezina and even some Hart Trophy talk, he is the reason the Rangers are the top seed in the East. At the other end, you have Craig Anderson who has looked strong since returning from a hand injury. If there is a saving grace for the Sens, it's the fact that Lundqvist hasn't exactly been lights out during the playoffs in his career. He has a 15-20-0 record and a fairly unimpressive .909 save percentage. Lundqvist is not the type to get rattled easily but traffic in front of him is going to be crucial. If he can see it, he's going to stop it. If Andy can match King Henrik in this series, the Sens should be able to hang with the Rangers.
EDGE- The New York Rangers
Special Teams
This is where Erik Karlsson and Jason Spezza will have to leave their mark on this series. Goals are harder to come by at playoff time so you have to make sure you take advantage on the power play. The Sens sport the league's 11th best power play while the Rangers are ranked 23rd. Meanwhile the Rangers have the 5th best PK in the league while the Sens are ranked 20th. Pretty much a wash here but it will essentially come down to which team's stars take advantage of their opportunities with the man advantage.
EDGE- Draw
Prediction
While the Rangers had the edge in two of the four categories, there are a couple key elements that I feel tip this series in the Sens favour. The first is experience. Despite icing a fairly young team, the Sens have a ton of playoff experience in their line up and have the added bonus of a group that is just one season removed from a Calder Cup run in Binghamton. Experience matters this time of year.
The second factor is pressure. The Rangers are the top seed in the East and will be expected to make short work of the Sens. If Ottawa can find a way to steal one of the first two at MSG, a building they have played so well in historically, the could plant that seed of doubt in the Rangers.
PREDICTION- OTTAWA SENATORS IN 6 GAMES
SCHEDULE
Thursday, April 12, 2012 7 pm Ottawa at NY Rangers
Saturday, April 14, 2012 7 pm Ottawa at NY Rangers
Monday, April 16, 2012 7:30 pm NY Rangers at Ottawa
Wednesday, April 18, 2012 7:30 pm NY Rangers at Ottawa
Saturday, April 21, 2012 7 pm Ottawa at NY Rangers
Monday, April 23, 2012 TBD NY Rangers at Ottawa
Thursday, April 26, 2012 TBD Ottawa at NY Rangers
These couple days of conjecture are going to be rough, and by the time the puck gets dropped on this one, we should be able to cut the tension with a knife.
Came across this and thought it might be fun to do a playoff pool for all the Chirp members
http://playoffschallenge.nhl.com/playoff_challenge
You can create a group and members can join said group.
I definitely agree with most of what you said there.
As we've seen in the playoffs, a strong D will lead to victories. You look at high offense teams like the Flyers, Canucks, and Washington and you can see where they fell short in the playoffs. The Hawks, Bruins, Pens, Wings all won the cup on the remarkable play from their back end. It's where Keith, Buff, Chara, Gill, Lidstrom (hell even Gonchar) all displayed brilliance and skill.
It's a lot of pressure, but I've had a good feeling about King Karl all year. He's going to step it up I think, and force his name into that crop of elite D men. I'm liking that prediction of Sens in 6.
@Senschirp: Great breakdown of the Series, people are starting to think i'm crazy with my SENS in 6 prediction.
Gonchar and Kuba both have Stanley Cup rings and have been here before. Phillips lives for this time of year, as long as he doesn't score on our own net.
Karlsson is a big time player and I expect him to log a ton of minutes as he did in his rookie campaign in the playoff series against the Pens.
Cowen stepped up huge for the Bsens in the playoffs last year and has played in so many pressure situations throughout his career. As long as Cowen keeps it simple and focuses and being a shut down guy, he'll have a great playoff.
The only questions mark on defense is between Carks and Gilroy. I think we should start with Gilroy for game one and if he falters or if we need more toughness then Carks
can draw back in.
I also have a feeling Turris is going to have a bit of a break out performance as well. Maclean said that Turris was one of, if not Phoenix's best player in their series against Detroit last year and I can see him doing more of the same against the Rangers.
As for everyone else, just go hard to the net, skate your asses off and hit everything that moves.
Oh and as for Alfie, well... he knows this may be his last shot at Lord Stanley. We're going to see the Daniel Alfredsson of 2006/2007 where he put everything on the line and was the best player in those playoffs.
and if he doesn't...its nothing that a uncooked plate of oysters can't fix *evil grin* lol.
Realistically though, really am liking how the Sens match up against the Rangers, I posted a numbers breakdown from the 4 games the Sens and Rags played this year, and from what I remember, the only place the Rangers had the edge were hits, but am expecting the Sens to ramp up the physicality for the playoffs. Tookie...aka Iknownothingabo uthockey has said it before, but we go as far as Anderson takes us, the goals will be there, but we need Andy to dominate and play lights out.
Zibanjead says that he's going to join the Sens on Sunday. Whether he plays or not remains to be seen. He practiced with Sens today.
http://espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs/2012/story/_/id/7772345/experts-picks
The "experts" at ESPN don't have a lot of faith in our Sens ...
Thanks man! I never watch these goofs on sportsnet but I'm tuning in now.
Another interesting stat:
Craig Anderson career vs Rangers: 7-3-1, 1.87 GAA, .941 SV %, 2 SO
He's been good this season against them, too.
Same here, listening live online www.fan590.com
Thanks!
Worth it if we're one top 6 player shy of winning a playoff series. Burning off a year of an ELC isn't as big of a deal as people make it out to be.
Np. I can't wait for these darn playoffs to start. Go Sens GOO
This is true if it was someone else- like an Alexander Radulov- but sending an 18 year old kid whose only played 9 NHL games and is still very unproven into a pressure-filled playoffs environment and expecting him to be a top 6 player on an underdog team isn't what management is going to do. They'd rather wait and cultivate him the right way.
Jakob Silfverberg, on the other hand [given we make round 2] is more of a candidate to come over because he is indeed NHL ready.
I believe Big Z is too, but just not right now. It wouldn't be the right decision. And if Z does play, I doubt Mac is going to give him top 6 minutes. The playoffs just isn't the time to be doing things like that.
I hope so. I hope they can avoid stupid penalties. Foligno's taken a few down the stretch.. And hopefully the refs get their shit together as well.
Foligno has really got to stop with the "Ooooops! I got pushed into the opposing goaltender" penalties. He's a really bad actor, and a few bad penalties lately have somewhat soured the fact that he's picked up he's play quite a bit the past month.
Nope.
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockeynightincanada/video/live/#id=2183470620
Hope he comes around fast, he's been playing a lot better, grittier and more hard nosed than Gilroy has down the stretch.
Yeah I am pretty sure that was our second game against them, whereas it was our first that was the loss.
Haven't seen you around in a while Johne, nice to see you back!
Sens beat Rangers 5-4 in the shootout that game (Oct 29th). Sens came back from 4-1 down and Michalek got the tying goal and the shootout winner.
Not that game. I was at that game at MSG. I was relentlessly heckled the whole game, Then when we came back to win in the shootout, the final blow was "at least I get to go home knowing I'm not Canadian" I'm to sure if that was intended to be an insult, but I found it funny.
Then we got snowed in and I had to scramble to find a hotel. Good times!
No one is giving the Sens a chance. That's when they are at their best... when they are the underdog..
They need to play the kind of game they did in Boston when they shut them out 1-0... that was their best game of the season.
This team will be hungry.. and with lots of young legs..
Both Tortorella & McLean have a Cup win...but McLean has learned from the best in Babcock...
I can't wait until Thursday.. go Sens..
I know. I've been super busy. Just moved and been dealing with my health issues, but now that its the postseason, I just can't help myself to join in on the discussions.
Sens in 6!
Any reason you didn't compare the coaching staffs ?
We all know that NY coach will win the goofy face and
outrageous quotation competitions but both staffs must
be doing something right (or wrong).
Had it in there initially but decided it would be tough to give an advantage. Both teams are obviously extremely well coached. Will be interesting to see how Torts tries to work the media and whether or not MacLean responds to those tactics.
Fair enough - so EVEN then?
Just another opportunity to show the so called experts wrong and that they in reality know nothing.
Nothing like being in a place where you have something to prove. (THIS team in particular)
No way we do not take out the Rangers, we have had their number all season.
However, I do disagree with a few comparisons you made. Gaborik is well ahead of Michalek as a sniper or even just plain offensive producer. Also, Richards is not a clear cut #1C, he's actually been best in his career when he was #2 and has trouble reaching the levels of most true #1Cs. I would actually say Richards is more like an Alfie in terms of a consistent performer who can turn it on for the playoffs then he is like Spezza. Just my opinion, should be a fun a series either way!
on another topic...I take no credit for this, but you should incorporate this banner into the site for the playoff run chirp
http://www.chez106.com/home/flashbox/images/sens_large_650x220.jpg
http://senators.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=626839
Hey Moedozer... our resident SEL expert.
I was hoping you could shed some light on a Swedish prospect that we had high hopes on a year or so ago, and I have heard absolutely nothin on lately.
Marcus Sorenson
Have not seen him on the WJC or heard anything about him
Do you have any info on this guy?
#Sens to host rally to kick off playoffs tomorrow morning-1130 am at city hall. #cbcott
marcus was on a path to a very bright future just over a year ago starting in the SEL as an 18/19 year old. he was playing on SAIK so that alraedy put him at a disadvtange playing on a very experienced team leaving limited roster spots, he was then moved down to the under 20 of the SEL(called the SuperElite, where as the div1 SEL is called the Elitserien). he had a pretty good start of something like 5points in 8 games but then suffered a pretty serious injury. if my memory serves me right, it was a big concussion. took him half the year to get back into shape. by that time he started the season in the "AHL" of SEL (called Allsvenskan) he had a good return at 17poitns in 29 games. he is now expected to join SAIK starting next year. i have read that hes put on some muscle since (we drafted him at a small frame of 5'11 161lbs), we should see him here in the developemnt camp in summer time.
he did play in the WJC in i beleive 09 and i remember he was a ppg player but only playing 3games.
good thing about marcus is he plays a big man role, loves to get physical and into dirty areas and has very high skill, how ever he is just lacking size. this should be a huge off season for him to bounce back and maybe try moving to N.America by the 2013-2014 campaign
edit: he started his career in djurgarden and was a dominant player over ppg in the J20, was traded to SAIK the following year.
Michalek: 40 playoff games and only 10 goals
Average of 1 goal every 4 games from a "top line sniper" = sweep
stop overrating this guy, just will look worse when he does a no show in round 1.
I've said it before I don't hate for no reason, Michalek is welcome to shut me up, I welcome it, but he wont.
He is a weak little guy who gets pushed off the puck.
whatever happened to his speed? He has no stand out skills. No heart. Cannot take control of a game for the life of him.
Just wasted top line ice time.
If you think he will lead us to a cup you are crazy, he is barely a second line winger at this point in the season.
game 1 of the SEL finals start tomorrow. so he is still atleast 1.5 weeks away.
dude ur actually annoying.
did u look at gaboriks playoff stats?
13 goals in 34 games
not too jizz-worthy if u ask me
put it to bed
LOL chirp should give him his own prospect update section on the site
Michalek: 40 playoff games and only 10 goals
Average of 1 goal every 4 games from a "top line sniper" = sweep
Hey Zippy,
why dont you put your money where you big mouth is?
You say the Sens get swept
I say the Sens DO NOT get swept vs Rangers.
Loser changes his name to "I know LESS than nothing about hockey"
what do you say there Zippy?
Yes. ZZR and the person with the eternal hard-on for "Rock Star" Robin should move in together and cancel their Internet. Probably both the same butt-wad person though.
Chirp, I think you forgot about Callahan. He is probably the MVP amongst the NYR forwards. Not for points but for two way game and blocked shots.
If either plays in a game in the playoffs it will mean we either have a major injury or are in desperation mode looking for scoring - so hopefully neither plays an actual game.
I'll tell you this, the Messier award this year should actually go to Callahan. He is without a doubt the best Rangers captain to come out since Messier lol, and is always the hardest working player on the ice. Last year he missed the playoffs just because he tried to block a Zdeno Chara slapshot, and broke his ankle in the last game of the Season.
He is also very clutch goal scorer, He's got 29 goals this year, with plenty of game winning goals. When his team is down, like Alfredsson he will be the one to be the game breaker.
The matchups you got to look foreward in this series is :
Gaborik vs Michalek
Richards vs Spezza
Stepan vs Turris
Callahan vs Alfredsson
Del Zotto vs Karlsson
Next to Karlsson, Del zotto is my second favourite D-man. He is the perfect allrounder.
Not sure who has seen it but it was new to me.
#Sens head coach Paul MacLean joins The Scratches to talk about RD 1 of the NHL playoffs: https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10151498761820585
Many of you guys seem to think that playing the Rangers is going to be an easy win, but I think this is going to be an extremely tough series to get out of. I know we've had NY's number in the regular season, but the playoffs is a season where roster players take it up a gear because they have something to fight for. With our squad, we have been competitive this year because so many people have been having career years in order to show management that they have the potential to be a staple in our roster post rebuild.
All the other teams with established rosters and long term committed players (ie, NY), will be extremely tough to play against purely based on talent levels and drive alone.
I'm not saying it cannot be done, but we gotta battle hard!!
GO SENS GO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3c9t4VHDm0
I don't think anyone is thinking the Rangers will be "easy". But it is a better match-up on paper than the Bruins would have been.
Still total underdogs and going to be a huge challenge.
Though I do think those same guys who have been battling all year to show they belong should have EVEN MORE incentive to show they're playoff performers.
So bring on the Rangers!
I agree 100%. Even in 2007 the Sens weren't exactly favorites and yet they managed to get to the cup finals. I believe that the underdog role is perfect for our team, it alleviates the pressure and allows the Sens to play balls to the wall hockey, the type we thrive on!!
Whether at home, at the arena, or at the bars, let's give as much support to this team as we possibly can and let them know they have what it takes!
Be loud, be proud!!
P.s. Have not posted since zip zap started being a ducher on here.. chirp really needs to monitor the worthless comments..
I know there's freedom of speech, but fuck it!
i understand what you are saying but honestly, since watching the rangers play since early season. they always seemed to be playing much more intense thane everyone else. almost as though they started playing in "playoff mode" from the get go. and for that reason i think they wont be able to elevate their game even more than what they already have been doing.
That'll pump you up ladies and gents.
I agree Rangers are not going to be a walk in the park but bring it on Rangers is how I feel also.
It's just to bad we get the senile bob cole and the senator hater glen healey.
This is pretty damn good.
Sounds a bit home-made in parts but the voice is dead-on.
Still get you pumped though as a Sens fan. Some great moments in there (and some painful ones - but well put together).
These videos puts to shame the other video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ajz0paAZJ_Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=fvwp&NR=1&v=dCLOkXitFZE
Buddy we get it you don't like Michalek. You've made your point now trust me and let it go. Everyone is entitled to an opinion but do you not find it weird that NOBODY agrees with you. I'm not the biggest Michalek fan in the world by any means but the guy is a solid two-way player who proved this season that when healthy is UNQUESTIONABLY a top 6 forward in this league. He competes every shift and you don't get 35 goals in this league as a fluke. Give it a rest, it's getting pathetic.
Sincerely,
Every other Sens Chirp Reader except you
I love when he's talking about excuses and you see Phill Kessel. LMFAO!
Just listened to it great stuff.
Some great playoff prep time before Thursday, learning was for regular season, performance is all there is for playoffs.
Alfie Spezza Michalek Neil Phillips Gonchar Kuba Anderson have playoff experience and that is huge but the one that excites me the most is Anderson, having a goalie that has been there before, playoff finals, that is massive to me on the choke side of things.
That and the last time he was there he brought it.
The Saint John Sea Dogs are making a mockery of the QMJHL playoffs, with 56 goals in 6 games, they're top 3 have 20pts in 6 games, LMAO!!
Huberdeau not one of them, 9pts in 6 games.
Phillips 21pts
Coyle 20pts
Galiev 19pts
I think they are making a serious case as the best Junior team of all time.
HAx mentioned it, I dont think anyone said it would be an easy series win, alot of us said its a better match up for us.
Also NYR are known playoff chokers, for all they're talent and rive you refer to, they dont show up in the playoffs.
The squad that NY is icing this year has more experience under their belt and is much more confident though. Plus, they now have Richards.
No way is this going to be an easy match-up. I will be damned if they sweep us though. Hell, no one is really giving us a chance in this series but I'm hoping these boys prove them wrong! Only three times have the 8th seeded team beat the first 1st seed.. Let's make it four, in FOUR!
Yes we do - he's officially an RFA so we can either make a one-year deal or trade his rights (or walk away I suppose).
Vids are great but not as "pump you up" as the first one. Would love to see those guys do a follow-up. The more vids the better though - keep the links coming it's going to be a long week until puck drop!
Awesome!! Thanks :).
I think we should give him a one year deal just to make things competitive.. I'm sure he will sign for very little.
Obviously Nail is ranked first for N.A Skaters... but on the European side, this kid caught my interest:
14 KARLSSON, ERIK FROLUNDA JR. SWE-JR. 5' 11.75" 162 C/LW
Anyone know about him?
I say we draft him on name alone.
Well it would have to be a two-way deal I think since we certainly can't promise him a spot. But since he ended up in the KHL's version of the AHL (last I heard) maybe he'd be willing to do that.
Or maybe sign him to a deal that we know we can move him out to some other team if he doesn't make the Sens out of camp?
man i really was hoping we could have drafted coyle last year. cant believe the horrible trade sharks did to lose him i think it was setoguchi coyle and a 1st rounder for brent burns!!
and i cant believe that minnesota have phillips and coyle. ive said this for a while, i love the wilds' prospect depth with guys like granlund, brodin, larsson, hackett, gustafsson etc.
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=33395
i posted that link about him before laughing at how similar he is to karlsson in size. however this erik is a forward and seeing his stats is looking like he can be a steal at the 2nd round. not much is said about him since he hasnt even made his pro debut, has only played in the J20. we'll have to wait to see him next year in the WJC. im sure our scouts know about him though.
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=9878
Notice how they both had similar stats for their first year of the U20 team (Albeit one was a forward and the other was a Dmen). And, they play for the same team in Sweden! We NEED to draft him!
Don't know if you heard about it, but Mr. Kessel (and Reimer) told the media that they have been playing injured. Ya. Kiss my ass leafs.......... ...excuses.
LOL yeah them and about 300 other NHLers. Part of the gig Kessel - stop bitching.
@ ZipZapRap,
Why do you continue to post such garbage statements regarding Michalek who has scored 35 goals this past season ??
Ugh. Ignore him and he will go away.
Loved hearing the "reading Sucks" chants all night long!
Yahoo and ESPN both don't have playoff pools. I haven't been able to find another free one.
Well, we did have 3 1st rounders last year... And we have Turris ( but don't forget we gave up Rundblad) and Bishop
What do you know about Sebastian Collberg, and what are the chances we could get him with our first pick?
Thanks!
I looked you up and it says: "RUSHRLZ eliminated!" So proceed to the Elimination Chamber for some Elimination Communication or "Potty Training!"
Wake up, boy...make a contribution!
bafflegab
glad you brought him up actually. from the beginning of the season i read about many scouts saying he is the best Swedish forward, yes better than f.forsberg.
forsberg's team (Leksand) was a div 2 team, and forsberg 17poitns in his 43 games there and 3points in 10 games during the relegation tournament. collberg(in Div1 SEL) had 0points in the 41 games he played (because he was a 4th liner and was playing arround 5-7 minutes a game on a pretty weak offencive team).
forsberg in the J20 league had 40poitns in 36games comapred to collberg 44 in 34.
ive read a lot about collberg having an insane wrist shot, a scout(a well respected scout, sorta liek bob mackenzie on tsn but in sweden) even said hes the best kid since backstrom. a swedish friend of mine that gets to see collberg live said when collberg is releasing his shot it really reminds him of kovulchuk's release. collberg is a power forward potential with an incredibly high ceiling. forsberg is more of a safe pick player that plays 2 way well with good offence but isnt like collberg. dont get me wrong, forsberg deserves to be a top 5 pick too but for some reason collberg is not being ranked that high, there obviously must mean there is some sort of gap in his game that fans havent found.
in the last WJC collberg did score more than forsberg by getting 8points in 6games compared to forsberg's 5 in 3
wouldnt be surprised to see collberg be drafted way early than what anyone expected just like zibanejad
if we can take collberg at arround 15th i really think thats a huge steal, his nose for the net is just insane. but who knows really.
plus we have a very strong relationship with frolunda, so if he is the real deal, im sure our scouts have done some work looking at him.
Iginla has a 7M contract for only 1 more year. We'd have to give up lots to get him.
Not saying he isn't good. If Calgary was giving him away, I'd grab him in a second - but they aren't.
Parise and Suter will come in at around those price tags, and they are at least equal if not better (have to take into consideration the leadership of Iginla) than Iginla AND younger AND will cost nothing but salary as they are UFA's.
Not that we are going to be guaranteed to get either of those players, but I say we go after 1 or two of them before we go for someone we have to pay for.
Iggy will go at the deadline for some insane number of prospects/picks . No way I want to get in that bidding war. Now if he decides after next season he wants to sign for a low amount with a team he thinks has a shot - then maybe.
But as pointed out, for the money would could get Suter or Parise or 3-4 other guys that are younger and as good or better.
Interesting, that's what I think about Slater Koekkoek
I doubt Iggy is a Flame on July 1st. If someone's planning on taking a run at the cup with him next year, they are going to do it in advance of free agency so they know what cap space they have and what their other needs are to fill out their line up. I'm guessing Sutter and Lombardi will push hard to get him in L.A.
Depends a great deal on the CBA. Iggy may not be worth the cap hit if the cap drops significantly.
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=626836
Again, happy it's the Rangers and not Boston.
In case you missed it yesterday: 20 quirky stats & storylines for Sens/Rangers series. http://tinyurl.com/cz93efj
Interesting read from Mendes.
Im sure he'll sign with KHL and stay there for good!
To play in their minor leagues though? I guess he's got a better shot of getting out of their minor leagues than getting out of the AHL, but if he doesn't have a realistic shot at the KHL itself I wouldn't be shocked to see him decide he'd rather ride buses in the AHL than mule caravans or whatever they travel with in the KHL minors.
Such an arrogant prick. Man are we ever lucky to have Bryan Murray.
LMAO, Pricless...!
To me he's the perfect picture of a reasonably smart guy that got VERY lucky in Anaheim and has no idea how to do it again.
He made some good moves in Anaheim of course and I'm not one of those that says Bryan Murray did all the work - but he made tougher decisions than Burke did and Burke (while he made some good moves) didn't exactly think outside the box.
Whoooa offside Canucnik, I know you are unique, and I can appreciate your off the wall comments at times, and to some degree... but Rush, is one of the better posters on this site... there are some others you should crap on, but Rush is not one of them... IMO
Good luck on your ESL mid-term by the way!
Haha! That's ok miguel, I insulted him pretty good and for good reason. I can take whatever he slings back, gotta love the brilliance of potty training jokes! :)
lets see how biased these guys are today.
Amen to that! Judging from that press conference, it is pretty safe to tell that one of two things will occur.
A) By sheer fortune, many Leafs players will have a bounce back year next season and possibly make the playoffs.
B) Half the squad is catatonic and management is changing shit, look forward to another 7 year of early golf Leafs fans!
He was especially charged up today... really on the offensive about Pens winning the lottery. Maybe he should pay attention to the other smart things teams do besides just winning lotteries...
That is insane.... does this mean they are really thinking of just throwing his ass straight into the fire of the playoffs? Yoikes! Big decision.
Well that's interesting. Zibanejad wearing a top six jersey at practice this morning. Skating with Spezza and Michalek. #Sens
My guess is that it's more to evaluate him than anything. Though Greening has struggled with understanding the system all year so it's not like putting in Zibanejad would totally disrupt that line.
YES. Me too. I like this move by the Stache. If Zibby is going to make an impact he needs to be playing with guys who can match his speed around him. You can't plunk him down on the 3rd or 4th line and expect him to produce
The original plan is for Zibanejad to play in Binghamton on Fri/Sat. Having him skate on top line could be a way to get him ready for that.
Mendes with the voice of reason as usual.
And really, if he's going to practice with the team may as well have him get ready for the role he'd play if he did get put in the lineup - no matter how slim the chances are. Doesn't help anyone much for him to muck about with Daugavins and Konopka at practice.
All the nhl.com pundits are picking the Rangers over the Sens...think that has been mentioned before...we should be loving that...no pressure.
Well, really what harm can it do? he replaces Greening...Zib can bring speed, scoring, agressiveness and youthful energy, something Greening lacks...I R ROBOT!
It may look crazy, but this year of underdogs, proving everyone wrong, and being in the dance when no one thought we would... what do we have to lose? We are still not given much credibility, no one has really stolen that top line spot... granted Greening did an admirable job, if this kid can come in and strike lightning why not?
Truly believe the ELC debate is really 6 in one hand and half dozen in the other, b/c by the third year, he may be costing us more than he would in the end of his second year.
two questions, who comes out, and will it affect the chemistry?
Love that BM and PM are not opposed to a little gamble
we could maybe see
zibanejad spezza alfredsson
foligno turris michalek
greening smith neil
condra/winchester obrien daugivins
**right it feels like its been so long since seeing them play i forgot wichester is good to go and im happy to see him perform very well for missing so much time.
just mixing it up, don't hate me for it.
No hate, but Winchester over Daugavins or Condra please.
Yesterday i got into the top5 with my line 2 name for alfie turris and foligno, the old the young and the ugly.
today my buddy murph tickets to game 4 with his touching story of 2007 Alfie chant leading to a alfie wrister past Brodeur.
To go with the tickets for next monday i am now Set for game
Hee Hee - Red Wings are in the playoffs yet again.
They don't seem to need a SUPER CROSBY LOTO JACKPOT win to
be competitive.
@ Tookie,
Inserting Zibanejad with Spezza and Michalek, does not mean he will be starting....... .. They just want to look at his potential etc..
He will be sent down to Binghamton to play in case of injury and possible call up !
Greening will remain on Line 1 , like he has for 80% of the season.
Though I agree with what Mendes suggested that this is just an evaluation and not a lineup change.
Maybe a little message to the boys as well that they need to push to keep their spots. Just like MacLean said yesterday in his press conference - guys have to play well to stay in the lineup.
Yeah, Winnie over Daugavins or Condra any day of the week.
Brian Burke is the Fred Flintstone of the NHL
I tend to agree. I think it's a bit contrary to MacLean's "system first" approach as well to drop in a guy that hasn't been around most of the year. Though it is consistent with his "if you're not performing another guy will get a shot" approach so I'm not sure how to take it. LOL
If we had played better in the last few games of the year I'd say there's no way PMac inserts Zibanejad for game 1, but we played pretty poorly and PMac was pretty clear that he wasn't happy with those games - so maybe?
Sorry - should wait until someone actually asks MacLean before I jump to conclusions.