2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs

[Sodboy13]

I'm sorry, this is bull ****. We play Game 5 in Glendale late Friday night, and how does the NHL schedule Game 6? Oh yeah, 36 hours later on the other side of the country.

... and the problem with that is?...

...not allowing teams to fully recover from the previous game. If you're watching this game, the Wings look tired. And when you're tired you take bad penalties. And if you're too tired to defend those penalties, you're gonna pay the consequences.

This is a scheduling loss if I've ever seen one.

In order for this argument to be successful, one of the following conditions must be present:

1) The Phoenix Coyotes had significantly more rest time than the Red Wings, despite the fact that they had played each other in the same place at the same time, therefore suggesting a sort of rip in the space-time continuum; or

2) The Red Wings came into the game older, less physically fit, and as a whole, less ready for a game with a shorter turnaround, and therefore less ready to handle the grind of the playoffs as a whole.

A "scheduling loss" occurs when your team is going from a Saturday nighter into a Sunday matinee, and your opponent hasn't seen game action since Thursday. Blame the players, blame the coaches, blame the system under which they operate, but blaming the schedule in a situation like this is fanboy-laughable. Oh, and a Bettman-led conspiracy for Phoenix victory uber alles didn't make the Wings go 0-for-5 on the man advantage.

[The_Admiral]

Getting all the Red Wings in the box is fishy (!!!), but that last part there really does defy explanation, since the Red Wing power play is so often a thing of beauty. I guess 29-year-old Henrik Zetterberg can't handle those 36-hour turnarounds like he used to. You know, this whole five-star hotel thing, it's a young man's game.

[Maz]

We will be seeing a Crosby vs Ovechkin err Pittsburgh vs Washington ECF. Fleury better get his act together if they want to repeat.

-Dan

The Caps haven't gotten through Montreal, yet....

Boston/Philadelphia/or Montreal could give Pittsburgh headaches too.

lol

Anythings possible. Not that I need to remind you that the Caps have a hard time closing out series. So yes, I am overly concerned about Game 6 tomorrow.

That's just because the caps suck.

Seriously, though, I know. That was directed more towards Montreal if anything. Philly does scare me.

[GFB]

I'm sorry, this is bull ****. We play Game 5 in Glendale late Friday night, and how does the NHL schedule Game 6? Oh yeah, 36 hours later on the other side of the country.

... and the problem with that is?...

...not allowing teams to fully recover from the previous game. If you're watching this game, the Wings look tired. And when you're tired you take bad penalties. And if you're too tired to defend those penalties, you're gonna pay the consequences.

This is a scheduling loss if I've ever seen one.

In order for this argument to be successful, one of the following conditions must be present:

1) The Phoenix Coyotes had significantly more rest time than the Red Wings, despite the fact that they had played each other in the same place at the same time, therefore suggesting a sort of rip in the space-time continuum; or

2) The Red Wings came into the game older, less physically fit, and as a whole, less ready for a game with a shorter turnaround, and therefore less ready to handle the grind of the playoffs as a whole.

A "scheduling loss" occurs when your team is going from a Saturday nighter into a Sunday matinee, and your opponent hasn't seen game action since Thursday. Blame the players, blame the coaches, blame the system under which they operate, but blaming the schedule in a situation like this is fanboy-laughable. Oh, and a Bettman-led conspiracy for Phoenix victory uber alles didn't make the Wings go 0-for-5 on the man advantage.

Then explain why the Wings are are 1-5 when they have to play a day game after coming home with one day turnaround, yet they are 8-1 when they have two days to prepare.

EDIT: I don't have any doubts that #2 is true.

[charger77]

Their coach did not prepare them?

[wildwing64]

Yay for San Jose making it to the next round.

And the Phoenix VS Detroit series going to the full seven games? Totally didn't see that coming.

[Brendan]

I need to look up a lot of penalty-related statistics. How did Detroit do on the kill this year? Last year's postseason, regular season, year before that? Have the Red Wings always been this awful at this, or do they just have absolutely no idea what to do on a penalty kill because they have never ever had to kill a penalty before? I can see it now: Pavel Datsyuk scans the ice looking to set up a play, only sees three teammates, counts again, yep, one-two-three, thinks to himself wait I know this there are supposed to be five of us OH GOD SOMETHING IS THE MATTER WITH MY BRAIN I AM CONCUSSED, immediately flops on the ice to draw a penalty, nothing happens, sheepishly gets back up, skates to the dressing room. Kris Draper comes on the ice, thinks to himself why am I playing in a game I'm freaking Kris Draper SOMETHING IS VERY AMISS, freezes dead in his tracks, Coyotes score.

You're a clown.

No, Shane O'Brien is a clown.

[BrySmalls]

Red Wings fans throw Octopi, land in jail

[crashcarson15]

The Coyotes had a quick turnaround too and they were going on the road, and are playing at 11 AM according to their body clocks.

They are also younger than the Wings and they had to win to stay alive.

Okay I'm sorry that your world-class hockey players are generally in their late twenties and early thirties and as such eminently unable to handle the rigors of charter air travel.

Says the man whose team is playing in a series that is a full game behind every other series.

Yeah, because it started 2 days after every other series. They've played 5 games in the same amount of time it took your precious Wings to play 5 against the 'Yotes.

[The_Admiral]

You know, only now, 24 hours later, am I really starting to digest yesterday's Hawks game and how improbable the whole thing was. For all the pre-series talk about how we should all just grab our ankles for the mighty Barry Trotz, the wonderful outcome of that game was just as much due to a slew of schematic brainfarts on the Predators' behalf as it was the amazingness of Kane and Hossa. And the vaunted "Nashville discipline" (a cute little euphemism for eye-glazing stalling and the neutral zone trap) is all well and good, but their power play is so pathetic (to the tune of what, 0 for 22 now?) that they hardly even deserve to advance, should they somehow win the next two. They've done an admirable job of exploiting mistakes, yes, but all good teams exploit mistakes. Really good teams do a hell of a lot more than that. Still, though, what a game, and I hope these lumps are dispatched tomorrow evening so that we needn't see another chrome-plated tiger fossil for some time.

EDIT: way to go Red Wings fans for embarrassing the fairweathers like that. You're temporarily my favorite asswipes.

[BrySmalls]

Canucks advance to the Semifinals beating the Kings 4-2 in Game 6.

[Brendan]

Luongo is huge in Canucks victory. Hopefully the Canucks get the rematch with Chicago that they want.

[Corvus]

There coach did not prepare them?

Maybe they need to hire the sleep consultants the Canuck's have been using this year.

And, whoo for advancing to the 2nd round, and yet another third period come back. I'd still rather the Canucks were blowing out teams in the first than having to come from behind, but a win is a win.

Also:

[Lee.]

Outstanding save.

You should have put it in the game day thread.

[Still MIGHTY]

Good to see that the Kings have now gone 42 years without at Stanley Cup.

Thank you Vancouver.

[Lee.]

Remember gang, the Game Day Discussion thread is pinned at the top of the page. Try to keep this thread for basic playoff discussion, and individual game time, as-it-happens stuff up there.

Danke.

[JACK IS CONSTRUCTION]

These have been exciting playoff games.

Buffalo needs to pick one more up before game 7, and hell they might actually do it. Vaneks in the lineup too, which makes me want to eat cake.

[Corvus]

Remember gang, the Game Day Discussion thread is pinned at the top of the page. Try to keep this thread for basic playoff discussion, and individual game time, as-it-happens stuff up there.

Danke.

Whoops. Didn't even see that thread.

[rams80]

I'd like to thank the Boston Bruins for further punctuating the utterly crapshoot nature of the tournament.

[RedRenesis]

Remember gang, the Game Day Discussion thread is pinned at the top of the page. Try to keep this thread for basic playoff discussion, and individual game time, as-it-happens stuff up there.

Danke.

So where do I laugh hysterically at the Craps, here, or up top?