How’d Caryle do his last time out against the Wings, Helene?

Oh, really?

Well, then, we can file this under “More Stupid Sh**”, where 99% of the stuff you write goes.

Posted by Red Winger from Sault Ste. Marie on 06/09/09 at 08:15 AM ET

Randy Carlyle’s One-Step Approach to Beating the Wings in a Playoff Series:

Step 1: Make sure they’re missing 2 of their top 4 defensemen due to injuries.

Posted by Mandingo from The Garage on 06/09/09 at 08:40 AM ET

I don’t know, I think this is a pretty good article overall. She hints at it, but neglects to explicitly say it—the difference between the Pens and the Ducks is that the Ducks had the horses on the back end to really neutralize Detroit’s offensive depth as best as any team in the game can. They’ve got two future HOFers, good, puck-moving compliments in Beauchemin and Whitney, and two big bruisers in Wisniewski and Brookbank. On the other hand, the Pens don’t have a single D-man as good as Pronger or Neidermayer, and taking away the offensive prowess of Gonchar, I think it’s fair to argue that Wisniewski and Beauchemin are comparable defensively to each of the Pens’ top four (if not just plain better).

The thing the Pens have over the Ducks is forward depth. The Pens are much better on lines two and three than the Ducks.

So, yeah, there are some important similarities, but the two big differences are stark. The Pens will either have to get scoring from their forward depth, get their forwards to play lots of defense to help out a D corps that’s nowhere near as good as the Ducks’ is, or a combination of both.

Posted by Nathan from Jonny Ericsson's ice cream truck on 06/09/09 at 08:56 AM ET

Nathan, I hope you didn’t assume I actually read the article. That would be giving me too much credit.

I see Helene’s name, and into the garbage it goes.

Posted by Red Winger from Sault Ste. Marie on 06/09/09 at 09:02 AM ET

Get back to basics. Do the things you do best.

And what would that be, Randy? Cheap shots and whining? No worries there. The Pens (especially Crysbaby) were always the biggest whiners in the league...with you coming in a close second. And now they’ve figured out how to slash and crosscheck almost as well as your little goons.

Who knows, someday that stuff may actually win a team the Cup. But it ain’t gonna be this year.

Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 06/09/09 at 09:20 AM ET

I agree this is a good article.
The Ducks are a very good team, and Nathan points out their excellent defense.

I think Barry Trotz knows how to play tough against the Wings, and Carlyle does, too.  Those are very good coaches.

What I see them do for sucess vs Detroit is to get the puck in deep, retrieve it with speed, (beat Detroit’s D to the puck) then cycle it with 2, then 3 forwards, then move the defensemen up to the zone.

By doing this you take time and space away from Detroit’s puck-moving Dmen, you pound them and wear them down. 
Then they cannot do what they do best, which is to make that excellent first pass out of their zone.

Posted by w2j2 on 06/09/09 at 09:57 AM ET

Randy Carlyle’s One-Step Approach to Beating the Wings in a Playoff Series:

Posted by Mandingo from 6’3”, 3 bills on 06/09/09 at 09:40 AM ET

Last year’s playoffs the Wings were basically playing the Lake Erie Monsters for their second round sweep of the Avs.  Still didn’t stop the ignorant fans from gloating.

And now they’ve figured out how to slash and crosscheck almost as well as your little goons.

Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 06/09/09 at 10:20 AM ET

So, if a team beats the Wings it’s only because they cheated or the refs were in on the payroll?  The Wings slash, crosscheck, and throw just as many questionable hits as any other team.  Get off your high horse.  Yeah, the Wings are good, but they’re no angels.

Posted by AvsRock from My timeshare in insanity... on 06/09/09 at 10:04 AM ET

Be easy on him, boys.

Anyone with the name “AvsRock” has already been through hell this year...and next year, and the year after, and…

Posted by Red Winger from Sault Ste. Marie on 06/09/09 at 10:06 AM ET

Yeah, the Wings are good, but they’re no angels.
Posted by AvsRock from My timeshare in insanity… on 06/09/09 at 11:04 AM ET

Greg Allman, eat your heart out!

The fact of the matter that to beat the current Wings, you need to beat them up.  Not just with cheap shots and thunderous hits, but with hard forchecking and a fast pace...problem is that playing that style of hockey gets a team worn out very quickly.  That is why the Wings look so out of place during the start of the game and some subsequent periods.  It’s because the other team tries to take on rigorous pace that they cannot possibly sustain.  They get worn out by 1.) The Wings patience and 2.) the Wings depth.

In this series, Kunitz and Cooke start flying around out there delivering hits, but body checking doesn’t just affect the hittee, it wears on the hitter as well.  The Penguins get tired, and in game 5 they got tired and frustrated.  Frustration + Exhaustion = Stupid play, no matter what team it is.  An older more veteran team will take lazy holding/hooking penalties, and a young more brash team will take stupid slashing/cross-checking penalties.  Any way you slice it (lazy or stupid) tired hockey players make bad decisions.

The team that has the most energy THROUGHOUT the game is the one that usually wins.  So who wins, the rabbit or the hare?  I guess it depends on A.) the conditioning of the hare and B.) How the game is going to be officiated.

Game 3,4: The Pens dictated the pace and took it to the Wings
Game 5: The Pens played right into the Wings hands

What will happen tonight?  I guess we’ll find out.

Posted by Animal Drew from A Nightmare on Helm Street on 06/09/09 at 10:14 AM ET

Be easy on him, boys.

Posted by Red Winger from The Soo on 06/09/09 at 11:06 AM ET

Well, here’s to hoping the Avs aren’t on the 15 year plan “Dead Things” plan.
Or do Wings fans choose to pretend the years from ‘67 to ‘82 never happened?

Posted by AvsRock from My timeshare in insanity... on 06/09/09 at 12:08 PM ET

Or do Wings fans choose to pretend the years from ‘67 to ‘82 never happened?

No, actually, we’re kind of proud our team’s history dates back further than Clinton’s first term.

But don’t take offense. You’re hanging around a Wings site because you want to know what it’s like to be in the middle of winners. And I dig that.

Posted by Red Winger from Sault Ste. Marie on 06/09/09 at 12:23 PM ET

Ok RW, I have to admit, that was funny.
I didn’t know that KK was a Wings site.  Although, it has turned into one lately.
Can’t say I blame the Wings fans though.  The Avs fans would do the same thing if we were in the finals.  Here’s hoping that the Avs make the playoffs in the next 3-5 years.  Notice I didn’t say finals.  I’m a realist.

PS,
Most (not all) Wings fans here at KK are not bad to chat with.  For some reason the only thing I get out of Wings fans on some other sites is nothing more than profanity laced grunting with the occasional insult thrown my way.  It’s like I’m chatting with arrogant neanderthals that know swear words.
Although I find it amusing that the Wings fans in Denver are mostly idiots.  It’s sad when a die-hard Avs fan knows more about their team than they do....

Posted by AvsRock from My timeshare in insanity... on 06/09/09 at 12:53 PM ET

I didn’t know that KK was a Wings site

It’s not, but like a venereal disease, we’ve made ourselves at home, whether the host wanted us or not.

Posted by Red Winger from Sault Ste. Marie on 06/09/09 at 12:55 PM ET

Or do Wings fans choose to pretend the years from ‘67 to ‘82 never happened?
Posted by AvsRock from My timeshare in insanity… on 06/09/09 at 01:08 PM ET

As much as we’d like to forget, I myself use this as important era in Red Wings history.  When you look back at it and see that though attendance dwindled, it never ran dry as it did in Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo.  You, as an Avs fan have never been through that kind of suffering, of drought.  You inherited a great team (thanks largely to Eric Lindros) and therefore it might be gut-check time for Avs fans now that times are tough, though there is no telling how long it will take management to pull you out of it.

Posted by Animal Drew from A Nightmare on Helm Street on 06/09/09 at 01:17 PM ET

RW, ewwwww

AD, We worry about that daily.  What’s sad is that management still won’t lower ticket prices.  The Avs are one of the top three as far as most expensive tickets.  If anyone looks up that stat it will say otherwise because the management and owners view the lower bowl as “premium seats” so their prices aren’t included in the average. 
As far as the rest of your post, the fans in Denver were also spoiled by an owner with a book full of blank cheques and a GM that knew how to use it.
The next two to three years will expose who the true hockey fan is in Colorado and who the pretenders are.

Posted by AvsRock from My timeshare in insanity... on 06/09/09 at 01:48 PM ET