Pens Playoff Push 11-12

[pensodyssey]

1 NYR 95pts 71gp 44 20 7
4 PIT 94 71 44 21 6
5 PHI 92 72 42 22 8

3/17
PHI 2 BOS 3 so
PIT 5 NJD 2
COL 3 NYR 1

3/18
PIT 2 PHI 3 ot

3/19
NJD@NYR

Yes, we all know what the Pens are doing right now, and it's pretty effing sweet. 11-0-0 in the last 11, in case you're living under a rock. This weekend is as much about putting the phlys away as catching the Rangers, though.

edit:  Picked up another point on the Flyers today.  And two on the Rags.

edit:  Motherfuck.  Team looked to be skating with concrete in their skates in the third and overtime.  Blown opportunity.

[pensodyssey]

1 NYR 97pts 72gp 45 20 7
4 PIT 94 71 44 21 6
5 PHI 92 72 42 22 8

3/19
NJD 2 NYR 4

3/20
FLA@PHI
WIN (or is it WPG?  dunno.)@PIT

3/21
DET@NYR

3/22
WAS@PHI
NAS (or is it NSH? dunno.)@PIT

[pensodyssey]

1 NYR 97pts 72gp 45 20 7
4 PIT 96 72 45 21 6
5 PHI 92 73 42 23 8

3/19
NJD 2 NYR 4

3/20
FLA 2 PHI 1
WIN (or is it WPG?  dunno.) 4 PIT 8

Effing tremendous bounceback.  Monster nights from Geno and Neal.

The phlys do what you absolutely cannot do if you're going to catch teams ahead of you at this time of year-- lose in regulation.

3/21
DET@NYR

3/22
WAS@PHI
NAS (or is it NSH? dunno.)@PIT

[pensodyssey]

1 NYR 99pts 73gp 46 20 7
4 PIT 98 73 46 21 6
5 PHI 94 74 43 23 8

3/19
NJD 2 NYR 4


3/22
WAS 1 PHI 2 (SO)
NSH 1 PIT 5

Radu-who?

3/23
BUF@NYR

3/24
NYR@TOR
PIT@OTT
MON@PHI

[Captain Chaos]

You can't ask for a better played game than last night.  Nashville is a very good team and they seemingly backed down against the  Penguins.  I really don't care where the finish in the standings, I'll take my chances with this team against anyone in the east.

[Y2Joyce]

I don't wanna see Pens vs Flyers in the first round. Not scared of the matchup. It's just that Id prefer anyone else to the Flyers eventual lack of restraint over a long series. Cheapshots and injuries could really take a toll over the long playoff haul.

[pensodyssey]

Y2Jouster has a point.  Let's give someone a chance to soften up Bryzgalov first.

[msdmnr2002]

Insert Quote

I don't wanna see Pens vs Flyers in the first round

It's also why I think in all major sports the division concept should be scrapped, just have conferences.  Play balanced schedule and best teams get in, seeded by record.  Right now top 4 teams In East by record are in Atlantic; even more impressive since they still play each other.  Yet they'll be seeded 1,4,5, and 6, with two of them playing each other.  Whoever doesn't win division could potentially finish second in record and end up playing 1st and 3rd best teams to make conference final (or 1 and 2 for 3rd place team).  But 4th in division (and record) could get to conf. finals by playing 5th and 6th best teams by record.

Travel isn't the burden it used to be, so the regional groupings are obsolete.

[pensodyssey]

1 NYR 101pts 75gp 47 21 7
4 PIT 98 74 46 22 6
5 PHI 96 75 44 23 8

3/19
NJD 2 NYR 4


3/22
WAS 1 PHI 2 (SO)
NSH 1 PIT 5

Radu-who?

3/23
BUF 4 NYR 1

Ouch. Pens need to make this pay off just by winning tomorrow.

3/24
NYR 4 TOR 3 so
PIT 4 OTT 8
MON 1 PHI 4

What a stinker.  I still maintain Shero should have gone after a decent backup at the deadline.

[pensodyssey]

1 NYR 101pts 75gp 47 21 7
4 PIT 100 75 47 22 6
5 PHI 96 75 44 23 8

3/25
NJD 2 PIT 5

Good bounce back.  I don't think anything less than 112 points will win the east.

3/26
TB@PHI

3/27
NYI@PIT

3/28
NYR@WPG

[otismalibu]

ESPN is showing your boys with 100 pts.

[pensodyssey]

ESPN is showing your boys with 100 pts.

That is correct.  And corrected.

[scballersc]

I do believe we have one left against the Blueshirts in Pittsburgh, so really staying within a point of the Rangers is the key as the Rangers have quite a grasp on the tiebreakers.  I don't have the stat, but the Pens schedule is slightly more difficult from here on out.

One thing that is probably more important than the race for the #1 seed is Crosby's one-ice performance going into the playoffs...and I am happy to report that he is beginning to heat up.

[pensodyssey]

1 NYR 101pts 75gp 47 21 7
4 PIT 100 75 47 22 6
5 PHI 96 76 44 24 8

3/26
TB 5 PHI 3

One more phlys loss and I'm dropping them from the list.

3/27
NYI@PIT

3/28
NYR@WPG

[otismalibu]

Jesus Penso, who the fuck it updating this thread? One of your students?

I believe the Flyers lost 5-3.

I can only hope your goaltending is this sloppy in a few weeks.

[pensodyssey]

Jesus Penso, who the fuck it updating this thread? One of your students?

Strange.  ESPN game cast had it at 5-2.  Looking at the box score I see that's completely wrong. 

But don't worry.  This time next week, there won't be anything of interest on this thread for you to read anyway.

[otismalibu]

Hey, maybe the Flyers will hit the playoffs with a hot goalie!

 

[pensodyssey]

1 NYR 103pts 75gp 48 21 7
4 PIT 100 76 47 23 6
5 PHI 96 76 44 24 8

3/26
TB 5 PHI 3

One more phlys loss and I'm dropping them from the list.

3/27
NYI 5 PIT 3

Fucking horrible loss, at home, especially with Fleury in goal.  I'm not blaming Fleury (everybody has a bad night now and then) but surely this is the kind of game that a reasonably decent back up might have started.  Oh wait, we don't have one of those.

In the larger picture I'm alarmed by the emerging "one good game, one shitfest" pattern that has emerged of late.

NYR 3 MIN 2


3/28
NYR@WPG

[Y2Joyce]

Worst game I've seen Fluery play in years. Paul Martin should be suspended for that headshot on the last goal.

[kluisi61]

Paul Martin should be suspended for that headshot on the last goal.

The league talked about it, but felt it would actually be a bigger punishment to the team to make him keep playing.

[pensodyssey]

1 NYR 107pts 78gp 50 21 7
4 PIT 102 78 48 24 6
5 PHI 99 78 45 24 9

3/29
PIT 3 NYI 5
PHI 7 TOR 1

Thank fuck the Islanders won't be in the playoffs.  

3/30
PIT  5 BUF 3
MON 1 NYR  4

3/31
OTT 4 PHI 3 (so)

4/1
PHI@PIT (nbc)
BOS@NYR

Rangers can wrap up the east with a win and a Pens loss, even an overtime loss.

[pensodyssey]

Pens come out and they're all over the phlys.  Then they lose shape and lose the front of their own net, and it's a one goal game.  Where have I seen this before?

[pensodyssey]

1 NYR 107pts 79gp 50 22 7
4 PIT 102 79 48 25 6
5 PHI 101 79 46 24 9



4/1
PHI 6 PIT 4
BOS 2 NYR 1


Wow, was that terrible.  Got 10 good minutes of hockey to start and then it was a shapeless mess.  Bylsma will hopefully permanently scrap the 5 forward pp.  At least Sullivan showed up.

[Y2Joyce]

I dislike the Flyers.

[pensodyssey]

1 NYR 107pts 79gp 50 22 7
4 PIT 102 79 48 25 6
5 PHI 101 79 46 24 9


4/3
PIT@BOS
NYR@PHI

Watch the Flyers destroy the Rangers.  Be just our luck.

4/5
BUF@PHI
NYR@PIT

[otismalibu]

Watch the Flyers destroy the Rangers.  Be just our luck.

Good one! Haven't they lost every game to the Rangers this year?

But it's only 4-0 in the 1st.

[pensodyssey]

4 PIT 104pts 80gp 49 25 6
5 PHI 101 80 46 25 9
6 NJD 98 80 46 28 6

Looks like the Rangers are a lock for the top seed.  No need to track them.  But, interestingly, the Debbies are as close to the phlys as the phlys are to us.  And if I understand the league's incredibly complicated tie break, NJ has an edge there, too, though I'm sure Otis will politely correct me if I'm wrong.  Both the Pens and the phlys have a magic number of 2 to lock up their respective seeds, meaning they need a combination of 2 points won or dropped by the team beneath them.

[edit:  the phlys have an insurmountable edge in the tiebreak over the devils at second glance, I think.]


4/3
PIT 5 BOS 3
NYR 5 PHI 3
NJD 3 NYI 1

Heard from a Rags fan friend that there was some strange officiating in that game regarding the award of delayed penalty minutes after a goal.  Couldn't understand fully from his explanation, but I'm sure Laviollette's hair plugs were pissed about it.

4/5
BUF@PHI
NYR@PIT
NJD@DET

4/7
PHI@PIT
OTT@NJD

[pensodyssey]

Tonight's games decided the playoff field in the East; seeding not set yet (I think; like I said above, I don't really understand the NHL's tie break) so on points alone it looks to me like the 3, 7 and 8 seeds are yet TBD.

None of which, of course, affects the Pens in any way.  We will get the phlys at home in the first round.  I sure hope "gutless" Bylsma will "take his skirt off" in time.  Of course, the post-lockout Flyers have proven better yappers than playoff performers.

Can't fucking wait.

[scballersc]

Tonight's games decided the playoff field in the East; seeding not set yet (I think; like I said above, I don't really understand the NHL's tie break) so on points alone it looks to me like the 3, 7 and 8 seeds are yet TBD.

Regulation wins (ROW) in the first tiebreaker.  "Regulation" is quite deceiving I might add, because a win in OT is considered a "regulation win."  Games won in a shootout are excluded from the ROW tally.  Thus, if Florida loses its final game and Washington wins, both will have 92 points, but the Caps will earn the division 37 ROW to 31 ROW.  A similar situation applies to Ottawa and the Caps for the 7th seed.

.

None of which, of course, affects the Pens in any way.  We will get the phlys at home in the first round.  I sure hope "gutless" Bylsma will "take his skirt off" in time.  Of course, the post-lockout Flyers have proven better yappers than playoff performers.

Can't fucking wait.

If the Pens do win the Stanley Cup, it will be one hell of a run.  There are now two teams that think the Pens are a dirty- "one of the most classless organizations" in the NHL in fact:

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=626165

One more regular season game though.  Hopefully a lot of fights and no injuries.

[pensodyssey]

Tortorella's a fool.  That was a bang-bang play; no way was Orpik looking to hit him on the knee.

[scballersc]

Tortorella's a fool.  That was a bang-bang play; no way was Orpik looking to hit him on the knee.

With the inside of his own knee nonetheless.  Performing a take out move, while opening yourself up to tremendous injury is an asinine concept.

[Y2Joyce]

I have to disagree. I think the Orpik hit was quite cheap and would've enraged Pens fans if they'd done it to us.

Tortorella is a fucking buffoon though. Whining that the Pens are whiners? What? Makes no sense. Especially with all the injuries the Pens have suffered through. See Matt Cooke's transformation into a no-major penalty-taking 20-goal scorer or everyone just carrying on when the Rangers knocked Jordan Staal out for a month to completely dispel Tortorella's ridiculous assertions of a Penguins double standard.

These jackasses call Pittsburgh organeyezation arrogant when their same fans cheered for the dirtiest guy in the league Sean Avery. They chant MVP when Lundqvist makes routine saves. They chanted MVP at Jeremy Lin in the same building last month. They're miserable and I can't blame them. They live in New York. The "foreigners" in Pittsburgh are the Malkins. People walk around in I Heart NY shirts. But Pittsburgh is arrogant.
 The city that never sleeps will be asleep in 5.

"Their two fucking stars..." was the best line in the rant though. I assume bitchboy meant Malkin and Crosby. It's funny though because I'd take Letang and MAF over any players the Rangers have employed since Messier. Staal is better than his older Ranger brother. James Neal is a tougher, younger and much
cheaper version of Brad Richards. Only with 15 more goals.

[pensodyssey]

They're miserable and I can't blame them. They live in New York.

Yeah!  Eff New York, that place sucks.

Hey, wait a minute.

[Y2Joyce]

No disrespect, Penso.

Brooklyn keeps on taking it.