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Pens really did play smart. Another game we never trailed. That's 5 out of 6 games the Sharks were never able to hold a lead(not counting OT Sharks win in game 3 as technically Sharks didn't hold a lead).Masterful 3rd period by the PENS!
Four for the Pens, two for the Flyers. Pens went back to back with the Lemieux-Jagr teams, Flyers in the mid-70's back to back with Parent/Clarke.How many Cups do the Pens and the Flyers have, respectively, all time?
It's nuts this series is so close. I've felt the Pens were the better team in all but 2 periods this entire series. That's crazy. Just luck of bounce et al has allowed this to go this far. Would hate to see it come to game 7, if the Sharks would somehow win, it'd be one of the greatest examples of the lesser team winning a title of all time. And that's not just homerism, I'm a pretty solid self-hater!
How many Cups do the Pens and the Flyers have, respectively, all time?
Four for the Pens, two for the Flyers. Pens went back to back with the Lemieux-Jagr teams, Flyers in the mid-70's back to back with Parent/Clarke.
Pens beat Minnesota, Chicago, Detroit and now SD. Flyers I know beat Boston but I forget who else.
Pens also lost in the Finals to Detroit, I know Phila has lost in the Finals as well, at least once.
No shit he was the better goalie!!! When SJ tied it up, I was convinced the series was heading back to Pitt for game 7 because there was no way the Pens were going to get anything else past 31. He was OUT-friggin-STANDING! Stole at least 2 from Crosby and did everything he could to steal a series the rest of his team was losing. Had the Sharks completed the improbable comeback, there would have been NO DOUBT who deserved the Conn Smyth.Congrats to the Pens. Jones was the better goalie, but the Pens were the better team.
The Sharks know what they have to do now. They have to get some faster skaters. Jeebus, the Pens beat them to every loose puck, and dominated play. One shot on goal (one!) during the third period, when the Sharks absolutely NEEDED a goal, pretty much sums it up. I did not even think they should pull Jones with a minute left. You could see an empty net goal coming from a mile away. Sigh...
How many Cups do the Pens and the Flyers have, respectively, all time?
The 4th win often isn't pretty, and yet it's the one all of those young Ln will remember the most.Oh by the way, it was me, yet again, who said that the Pens would need to win the next game, 2-1 or 3-2 or something like that, due to Jones morphing into Ken Dryden, Patrick Roy, Bily Smith, and Martin Brodeur all in one, for the finals.
We did exactly that; We won an ugly 2-1 game with an empty netter to make it 3-1.
I think this is easily the best coaching job I've seen....maybe ever.
Have to consider what Sullivan was confronted with. A 12th place team remade in season with an infusion of young rookies and speedy vets that had not played with any of this core before. It was a core that had not had a true identity in 6 years and been used to coming up short of expectations since winning the Cup 7 yrs ago. They buy in and relentless consistency this team showed is still pretty freaking amazing.
Lose Malkin in the heat of a playoff run? No problem
Lose your #1 goalie with a playoff position still in doubt? No problem
Need your 3rd string goalie to come in and set the tone in your playoff opener? No problem
Lose heartbreaking series opener against President Trophy winner? No problem...we'll win 4 of next 5.
Go down 2-3 to defending conference champs and need to win back to back starting on the road? No problem....we'll dominate both of those games.
Lose a top D pairing in conference finals? Next man up.
I think last night's game in a nutshell was a very fitting end for this team. SJ had stolen momentum and headed back home. Pens had the champagne iced for a storybook game 5 clincher but had to pack it up and head back across the country. Mentally, I just had no idea where this team would be, and expected SJ to have its best effort. The focus and drive of this team was on full display. While that was the most evenly played game of the series, the Pens never trailed, dictated the tempo in the face of that SJ crowd and - maybe most fittingly - allowed a grand total or 1 shot to get through to Murray before the final minute of the 3rd period. That D performance on a team that was supposed to be extremely challenged in its own end puts perhaps the most under-apprecaited exclamation point on this run. This team could beat you a both ends.
I really didn't know much about Sullivan before his success with the Pens. The NBC sports post game gave a rundown on his 10 year gap between NHL head coaching jobs as well as his previous focus on defensive hockey. The fact that he was able to mesh all the offensive talent into his system and develop a team that was so consistent in it's approach to two way hockey was coaching genius.
One of the more interesting storylines is how a coach with Sully's very strong and forceful way about coaching was able to bring a room of vets into line. I'm sure his time in Chicago last year provided somewhat of a blueprint for playing more up tempo.
I still can't say enough about how awestruck it was to see this team with their laser focus no matter what was thrown at them. Some of this was conditioned by the recent shortcomings of this team the past few years, but also just human nature would have dictated some lapses with all of the emotional swings of a long run.
Nothing at all fazed this group...it was almost robotic how they would take hold of a game and dictate play at both ends. Just extremely impressive job starting at the top with Sullivan.
Enjoy the victory Pens fans. The Flyers are on the rise and Crosby's not getting any younger.Flyers suck! There's nothing that franchise has on the the Pens. It just hurts them to admit Pittsburgh has a better franchise. At least the Pens brought the Cup back to PA. That's a good thing for a Flyer fan right?
Enjoy the victory Pens fans. The Flyers are on the rise and Crosby's not getting any younger.
This team is a lot more than Sidney Crosby. And 28 is not exactly on the downside of his career.Enjoy the victory Pens fans. The Flyers are on the rise and Crosby's not getting any younger.
Much like Villanova's national championship, I didn't see it coming. At the end of the season, you know you have a good team that has the juice to make noise, but I never looked at either as a Championship team. But as the rounds went on, both teams just kept gaining strength. Cumulating in a championship.One of the more interesting storylines is how a coach with Sully's very strong and forceful way about coaching was able to bring a room of vets into line. I'm sure his time in Chicago last year provided somewhat of a blueprint for playing more up tempo.
I still can't say enough about how awestruck it was to see this team with their laser focus no matter what was thrown at them. Some of this was conditioned by the recent shortcomings of this team the past few years, but also just human nature would have dictated some lapses with all of the emotional swings of a long run.
Nothing at all fazed this group...it was almost robotic how they would take hold of a game and dictate play at both ends. Just extremely impressive job starting at the top with Sullivan.
Enjoy the victory Pens fans. The Flyers are on the rise and Crosby's not getting any younger.
I'm pretty sure you know what I'm getting at. Nobody is getting any younger and a talent like Crosby will be hard to replace when he decides to hang up the skates. Who knows when that will be but it will surely happen some day.And who prey tell IS getting any younger? Other than Benjamin Button?
Enjoy the victory Pens fans. The Flyers are on the rise and Crosby's not getting any younger.
I'm pretty sure you know what I'm getting at. Nobody is getting any younger and a talent like Crosby will be hard to replace when he decides to hang up the skates. Who knows when that will be but it will surely happen some day.
I wish him all the best. It's always more fun when the Flyers beat the Pens with Crosby on the ice.Right, but he could play 10+ More years and torment the flyers and possibly win another cup or two. It's not like he's 35. He's 28, and has many top years left.
I'm pretty sure you know what I'm getting at. Nobody is getting any younger and a talent like Crosby will be hard to replace when he decides to hang up the skates. Who knows when that will be but it will surely happen some day.
Enjoy the victory Pens fans. The Flyers are on the rise and Crosby's not getting any younger.
I wish him all the best. It's always more fun when the Flyers beat the Pens with Crosby on the ice.
The Gulls played in the Cup Final? LOL...Four for the Pens, two for the Flyers. Pens went back to back with the Lemieux-Jagr teams, Flyers in the mid-70's back to back with Parent/Clarke.
Pens beat Minnesota, Chicago, Detroit and now SD. Flyers I know beat Boston but I forget who else.
Pens also lost in the Finals to Detroit, I know Phila has lost in the Finals as well, at least once.
One last thing on Sullivan and the Pens, I think I saw someone else mention, their discipline on penalties. In their 4 wins, I think Pens had 7 penalties. And Sharks only PP score in a Pen win came in the first game. Last night, if looks could kill when Sheary got that late penalty, I thought Sully was going to flip. You know usually you'd see Malkin or Crosby take stupid penalties when they got frustrated not scoring, but it was just good disciplined hockey. Definitely there was an emphasis put on staying out of the penalty box, and not giving Sharks PP opportunities. I think coming in, the Sharks were best PP Playoff, pretty sure I heard that.
BTW......If you're interested, odds on winning the cup next year out today. Pens favorite at 8-1, Washington and Chicago I believe are 10-1, and I think I heard St. Louis at 12-1.
Can you say "One for the Thumb"!!!
Congrats Pens, Stanley Cup Champions!!! "Oh Lord Stanley, Lord Stanley, hand me some Brandy" - Mike Lange
And who prey tell IS getting any younger? Other than Benjamin Button?
FYI, The Flyers are tied with Boston and Florida at number 16, with odds of 25-1.Wait! Where are the Flyers?
FYI, The Flyers are tied with Boston and Florida at number 16, with odds of 25-1.