NJSikkbreed Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 Can someone give me an explanation here......So, New Jersey had one of the best penalty killing units of all-time this year? is that correct?---- then the playoffs come and Florida completely tears them apart on their power plays to the pointwhere announcers are saying NJ cant afford to committ a single penalty anymore?How does that happen....???This could be the biggest key to our series.....The Flyers hit an insane 50%+ on their power play vs Pitts.... and if NJ continues to struggleon their "pen-ALL-tee kill" (says Max talbot) that could be the downfall for the Devils since the Flyerslooked unstoppable vs Pitt.... if that's the case --- I like Flyers in 5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 Just goes to show regular season means squat when playoffs start. I sure wasn't going to watch the Caps play the bruins, or ottawa play the Rags in the regular season. But come playoffs, those were some great battles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJSikkbreed Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 Yeah pretty much..... since they are long series, the playoffs are all about matchups.Anybody can beat you in a single game, random Tuesday night in mid-January, and a Sunday morning in early March....but, when you have to play 5-7 times in 2 weeks, the true weaknessess in clubs get exposed by teams you may not thinkbecause they give "matchup problems".....which is why you can have a #8 beat a #1 in hockey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 @NJSikkbreed Not to mention some players (cough Gaborik cough) wilt when the going gets tough while others (Giroux, Briere) seem to thrive in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podein25 Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 @NJSikkbreedCan't say definitively if this is the main cause for the change, but FLA generally destroyed NJ at faceoffs in this series. Faceoffs can go a long way toward determining a successful PK or PP 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TedZep Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 Faceoffs can go a long way toward determining a successful PK or PPThat could be a problem; the Flyers have been less than awesome in the face-off circle for many years.But lo and behold! The bottom four face off teams are still in the playoffs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJSikkbreed Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 FLA generally destroyed NJ at faceoffs in this series. Faceoffs can go a long way toward determining a successful PK or PPPerfect point.... I was actually thinking about that last night watching the game how dominate Florida was on face-offs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podein25 Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 But lo and behold! The bottom four face off teams are still in the playoffs.Crazy eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terp Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 @NJSikkbreedNot to mention some players (cough Gaborik cough) wilt when the going gets tough while others (Giroux, Briere) seem to thrive in it.Completely OT but what did you and other Spits fans think of Adam Henrique when he played junior hockey? Did you see him as a sure NHL'er? Did you think he was hugely undervalued as a 3rd round pick? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 Spit fan???? Watch yer mouth...Barrie Colts fan here. Jammer is the Spits fan. Henrique was an excellent player for Windsor. it was pretty apparent he'd be a good NHL player. You tell jammer I said that and I'll deny it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terp Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 Spit fan???? Watch yer mouth...Barrie Colts fan here. Jammer is the Spits fan. Henrique was an excellent player for Windsor. it was pretty apparent he'd be a good NHL player. You tell jammer I said that and I'll deny it.I believe that unlike most Spits fans, jammer can read, so he's going to find out even if I don't tell him.Is that better? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irishjim Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 “[You] just don’t get frustrated. Against Pittsburgh, we had a lot of opportunities. New Jersey, they tend to limit the chances against them. If you get frustrated against them you can fall apart. We can’t let that happen.” ~ Wayne TrainAnd Lord knows it's frustrating watching a Devils game. But in this case, Simmonds is correct. This Series is going to be won with defense, and who capitalizes on the opposition's mistakes the most. And that includes power-play chances. NJ's PP% - 20.0 (Ranked 6th in the Playoffs)PHL's PP% - 52.2 (Ranked 1st in the Playoffs)NJ's PK% - 66.7 (Ranked 14th in the Playoffs)PHL's PK% - 69.0 (Ranked 13th in the Playoffs)(Stats listed include all original teams from the beginning of the post-season Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 @terp Very nicely done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trevluk Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 This Series is going to be won with defense, and who capitalizes on the opposition's mistakes the most. And that includes power-play chances.If that is the case the Flyers could be in trouble, but I just dont see NJ being able to handle wave after wave of Philly offense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCalFlyfan Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 I just dont see NJ being able to handle wave after wave of Philly offense....well, the 'Wave of offense' has to make it through the neutral zone first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idahophilly Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 This could be the biggest key to our series.....and so could monkeys flying out my butt be the key! (probably scare the heck out of Brodouer and myself!)My point is, THere is nothing to be taken granted for. Any team can win on any night. Forget power plays and the PK. Its all reset for round 2. After a game or two then trends can start to be examined. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trevluk Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 True, but they can break the trap with a dump and chase and aggressive forecheck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aziz Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 This Series is going to be won with defense, and who capitalizes on the opposition's mistakes the mostwe'll see. imo, it isn't 1998, anymore, and the playoffs are not won with defense if there isn't an offense to compliment it. not like they used to be. with no clutching/grabbing, the neutral zone can not longer be made into a brick wall. modern defenses work off of blocking shots and winning battles in the defensive corners. which is to say, they allow zone penetration and then work to not let it be sustained. if you don't have an offense to carry the play after you've blocked that shot and won the puck out of the corner...you're just resetting the other guy's offense to give it another go. if the debbies try to let the flyers come at them again and again and think they can live off of the occasional odd man break the other way, i think they are in trouble. to me, the series will be won by the team most able to carry play in the offensive zone. the team that can spend 45 minutes pressing the attack is only spending 15 minutes worrying about defense. it's the playoffs and anything can happen, but...i don't see the devils being built to play that game. flyers in 5. throwing NJ a bone with the 1 win. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doom88 Posted April 28, 2012 Share Posted April 28, 2012 True, but they can break the trap with a dump and chase and aggressive forecheck.You can, though Brodeur does presents an interesting twist as an excellent pick handler. The key is a softer dump that stays in the corners, then pound the defense. Might as well take advantage of the Brodeur rule. Seven games is a long time to withstand a beating. They will fade and get skittish like Letang. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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