Who's Your Pick for the Stanley Cup?

[ERC7.5]

So you guys are banking on 2 goalies wit no playoff experience? As for Conklin, look at hi GAA stats over a full year. His best year, this year, he had a .923 save percentage in ONLY 33 games. His other years were .880 and .871 and .892...back-up goalie numbers.

As he is a backup goalie

As for Fleury, his has one playoff series experience against Ottawa last year. How did that finish? Oh yeah...not too well (.880 save percentage in losing 4 games to 1 against the Sens).

This most recent series against the Sens went pretty damned well.

As for the Pens' defence, don't hold your breath. Other than Gonchar, I wouldn't take any of them on my team.

Good thing you don't have to I guess.

"I think the defense squad's goal is to be the worst defensive squad in the league. They're soft. I've never seen a soft squad like this."

They looked pretty good in the first series.

I think that quote pretty much sums it up right there.

Well ..... they still have to play the games.

[ERC7.5]

As for the Pens' defence, don't hold your breath. Other than Gonchar, I wouldn't take any of them on my team.

So you wouldn't take Hal Gill? Ryan Whitney?

"I think the defense squad's goal is to be the worst defensive squad in the league. They're soft. I've never seen a soft squad like this."

When was this quote taken?

[Pat007]

So you wouldn't take Hal Gill? Ryan Whitney?

Uh...no. Even Toronto didn't want Hal Gill. He is the biggest, most useless defenceman in the NHL. He's got absolutely no footspeed and can't keep up with fster players. It was a quote from last year. You can find it on YouTube, just type Michel therrien, it's the second video down.

[Pat007]

As he is a backup goalie

You can't compare stats from a goalie who plays 65+ games (like Brodeur for example) to a back-up like Conklin who played 33 games. It doesn't make sense. Goalies are the position that has the mst "flash-in-the-pan" players. Case in point: Roman Chechmanek. Remember him? Where is he now? Marc Denis? How about him? Jim Carey? Won rookie of the year and lasted another year or so in the NHL and then couldn't stop a puck. Andrew Raycroft: won the Calder in 2004, can't find a startingjob in the NHL. Toronto is even hesitant to play him as their backup.

[ERC7.5]

Uh...no. Even Toronto didn't want Hal Gill. He is the biggest, most useless defenceman in the NHL. He's got absolutely no footspeed and can't keep up with fster players.

ok

It was a quote from last year. You can find it on YouTube, just type Michel therrien, it's the second video down.

So nothing has changed from last year to this year? Last years series with the Sens trumps what happened in this most recent series and Michel Therrien still thinks that way about his defense a year later (actually make that two years ago. After googling I found it to be around January 11, 2006 [I'm not stating that as fact....just what I found])? Doesn't matter though.....last year is not this year.

[ERC7.5]

You can't compare stats from a goalie who plays 65+ games (like Brodeur for example) to a back-up like Conklin who played 33 games. It doesn't make sense. Goalies are the position that has the mst "flash-in-the-pan" players. Case in point: Roman Chechmanek. Remember him? Where is he now? Marc Denis? How about him? Jim Carey? Won rookie of the year and lasted another year or so in the NHL and then couldn't stop a puck. Andrew Raycroft: won the Calder in 2004, can't find a startingjob in the NHL. Toronto is even hesitant to play him as their backup.

Who's comparing Conklin to Brodeur? Who said anything that would bring any of that up? All that was said is that Conklin has looked this season and the combination of he and Fleury is a goody set of goalies. You're happy that you don't have them....we (many Pens fans) are happy we do.

Dang....if this is flash in the pan then so be it. Noone on this thread has said anything about either goalie being the greatest of all time or the next Patrick Roy/Martin Brodeur/Dominique Hasek or the Penguins winning the next two or three Stanley Cups.

[Pat007]

ERC...you see where is says (for example) beside Brodeur's name...that means it was an example, not a straight comparison. I wasn't comparing the
2, just the hypothetical number of games that a goalie would play. Please don't take my examples out of context.

As for Michel Therrien and the defence, what changes have gone on since last year? Hal Gill? He has a plus/minus of +6 Thats about it for changes. Ryan Whitney: -2 rating. Orpik: +11. Gonchar: +13, Eaton +6, Letang -1, Scuderi +3, Sydor +1. All very mediocre other than for Gonchar. Don't kid yourselves, they're big and not very mobile.

[MrKadash]

I'm not hanging my hat on the Senator series - they were a shell of their early season success and were without Daniel Alfredsson and Mike Fisher. The level of competition and physicality goes up next round whoever the Pens play, so they need to rest up and get healthy for the run.

[iacas]

Erik, yu know as well as I do that the playoffs is a whole different season. Experience counts for a ton.

I do, but so what, I'm a Pens fan and I'm going to root for them. I'm still both optimistic and pessimistic, and I think they have a hill to climb, but the buzz they're generating is not out of thin air. The team has substance, the team has stars on offense and defense, and the team is playing really, really well together.

So you guys are banking on 2 goalies wit no playoff experience?

Let's not make things up now. Fleury got experience last year.

As for Conklin, look at hi GAA stats over a full year. His best year, this year, he had a .923 save percentage in ONLY 33 games. His other years were .880 and .871 and .892...back-up goalie numbers.

As someone else said, he's the backup goalie. He played in only 33 games because Fleury started the year. That being said, when needed, he STEPPED IN and STEPPED UP and played remarkably well - just what you want from your backup goalie.

As for Fleury, his has one playoff series experience against Ottawa last year. How did that finish? Oh yeah...not too well (.880 save percentage in losing 4 games to 1 against the Sens).

That was last year. How about this year? Oh, that's right, 5 goals allowed in four games and save percentage north of 0.95, as a member of a team that completed the only first-round sweep in all playoff series.

As for the Pens' defence, don't hold your breath. Other than Gonchar, I wouldn't take any of them on my team.

Good, cuz you can't have them. We're quite happy with everyone we have, and we don't need to pull out quotes from 2006 which have

no real bearing on the current Penguins squad. A squad that, again, gave up 5 goals to one of the top-scoring teams in the league.

Uh...no. Even Toronto didn't want Hal Gill. He is the biggest, most useless defenceman in the NHL. He's got absolutely no footspeed and can't keep up with fster players.

Like a defenseman needs speed. He's slow but he's been dominating on the PK, even 5-on-3. He's made several goal-saving plays. He started out a little rocky, but he's found a partner with Letang (who more than makes up for any lack of speed from Gill) and the two are a solid second- or third-line defensive pairing.

Great pickup by the Pens.

All that was said is that Conklin has looked this season and the combination of he and Fleury is a goody set of goalies. You're happy that you don't have them....we (many Pens fans) are happy we do.

Indeed.

Dang....if this is flash in the pan then so be it. Noone on this thread has said anything about either goalie being the greatest of all time or the next Patrick Roy/Martin Brodeur/Dominique Hasek or the Penguins winning the next two or three Stanley Cups.

Plus, look at friggin' Barrasso. The guy sucked for most of his career, then played great for two years and won two Stanley Cups with the Pens. If that was his "flash in the pan," Pens fans were happy for it. I'll take another similar "flash" now, thank you.

I'm not hanging my hat on the Senator series - they were a shell of their early season success and were without Daniel Alfredsson and Mike Fisher.

Alfredsson played the last two games. Spezza and Stillman and the rest of the team played all four games. Number of times you heard any of their star players named during the game? Oh, about zero. Maybe now and then when they took a penalty...

----- I have my concerns, I have my doubts, but you've got to get better stuff than "he's a backup goalie" (we know) or throw quotes from 2006 at us. This is a team that lost arguably the best player in the NHL for several months and still won games. This is a team that last its starting goaltender and still won. Mark Eaton, a solid D guy, was out for a long time. Same with Gary Roberts. The Pens battled injury all year and had 260+ man games lost to injury. Marian Hossa, Pascal Dupuis, and Hal Gill were awesome trades for the Penguins - they filled the few holes the Pens had. The Pens have as good a chance as anyone of going to the finals. We have our doubts as fans, but again, don't come at us with crap from 2006 or other silly stuff. C'mon now, we don't job whatever crappy team you've gotten behind, so it just comes off as jealousy.

[Dent]

Stupid Flames, my favorite team, Leading 2-1, and then the stupid sharks win with 7 Seconds left.

[ERC7.5]

ERC...you see where is says (for example) beside Brodeur's name...that means it was an example, not a straight comparison. I wasn't comparing the

I don't think I did. My words may have been wrong though. How's this: "Who was comparing Conklin to anybody in the entire world let alone the NHL past, present and future?"

There were no comparisons made. Just statements on ability and some stats.

As for Michel Therrien and the defence, what changes have gone on since last year? Thats about it for changes.

What changes?! How about a lot of things can happen with these players in two years. Maybe Michel Therrien did his job and coached them to be a better defense.

Anyway, my point was that you're pulling out a quote from two years ago. Has no bearing on anything.

Hal Gill? He has a plus/minus of +6 Thats about it for changes. Ryan Whitney: -2 rating. Orpik: +11. Gonchar: +13, Eaton +6, Letang -1, Scuderi +3, Sydor +1. All very mediocre other than for Gonchar. Don't kid yourselves, they're big and not very mobile.

Let me get my calculator out: +6-2+11+13+6-1+3+1=(+)37

May not be tops in the league but....OK...I'll take it!! Go Pens!!!

[iacas]

I see that last night:

Dallas won again (Ducks down 3-1, and some here thought they'd win the Cup?)
Philly won again (Caps down 3-1, sorry Ovechkin)
Boston won again (Montreal can't close the deal? 5-1 is pretty convincing)
Colorado won again (take 3-2 lead over Wild) and
San Jose won again (3-2 lead over Flames).

So in the conference I care about, the Pens will likely play the Rangers, and the Flyers can beat up on Montreal. Assuming Montreal can win one of their next two games...

[CG031]

Been a huge Rangers fan my whole life!

[Big_M]

The Wings are outshooting Nashville 36 to 10 after two periods, but they only lead 1-0. I am scared, it only takes one mistake. It also looks like they Rangers might wrap it up tonight... they'll need the rest for Pittsburg. PA is going to go crazy if we end up with a Flyers v. Pens semi-final.

[MrKadash]

The Wings are outshooting Nashville 36 to 10 after two periods, but they only lead 1-0. I am scared, it only takes one mistake. It also looks like they Rangers might wrap it up tonight... they'll need the rest for Pittsburg. PA is going to go crazy if we end up with a Flyers v. Pens semi-final.

A Pens fan could only hope it's the Flyers in the conf final. The Rangers, if that's the likely team, will be tough. One series at a time.

[CG031]

Oh, so it is PIT - NYR? I thought NYR faced PHI or WAS...OH well, bring 'em on! Lets go Rangers.

[Dent]

And omg is anyone watching the BOS- MTL game right now? its so back and forth! What a game!!! 4-4!

[Big_M]

And omg is anyone watching the BOS- MTL game right now? its so back and forth! What a game!!! 4-4!

Yeah... I was checking the score while studying and went in to watch at the 3-3 mark... what a finish. Montreal and Calgary are going to blow their playoff bids. Ottawa is obviously already done... could be another tough year for Canada. I was really pulling for Calgary too... I think SJ will be tough for Detroit, but we'll see. Hopefully I'm wrong and Calgary can get it done. How many series are stuck at 3-2 now... it seems like a lot of teams are struggling to close the deal... the Stars had the Ducks in a choke hold, but not anymore. Well, back to studying and monitoring the Colorado score.