Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

I mean I don't see how being pessimistic about game 7 has makes us ungrateful.

Losing a series after being up 3-1 is super shitty, has no bearing on last year.

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

You guys underestimate the power of the Washington Capitalolololololololololols.

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

Yeah, if they lose Wednesday, then I can go cry while watching their 4 Stanley Cup highlight videos. :lol So I can't complain too much.

Still, it's disheartening to see them this out of sync and sloppy. The only really great game they've had this series is Game 2. And yet, to be that out of it and still pull out three wins against the President's trophy winners says a lot about them. And they should be even better next year, so I'll get over the disappointment if they lose on Wednesday fairly quickly.

^And blowing a 3-1 lead is never fun, as you Caps fans should know. But this would mark the 3rd time the Pens have done it this decade (though it's hard to fault them for that Tampa series when they were without Sid and Geno.)

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

Yeah I mean I went into this series thinking I wouldnt be that bothered if they lost. That's changes big time once you get into it.

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

It would be very Capitalolololol of them to build your fan bases hope back up to bring it crashing down in a Game 7 dud

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

It's so funny how different the effect will be on the fanbases. If the Pens lose, their fans will be understandably disappointed, but will probably be able to shake it off with relative ease.

But if the Caps lose, this one will sting more than probably any of the others.

This isn't over. I understand how lopsided it looked tonight, but this isn't a done deal. This is still the Caps, and beyond that, it's still just a hockey game, complete with all the randomness that comes with our sport.

But the Caps sure do have them on the ropes. The Pens looked defeated tonight. For the first time in a long time they didn't look like they could hang at all.

Which all sounds to me like the makings of the biggest disappointment we've seen yet from our lovable losers in red.

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

The Caps are finally backchecking, finally blocking shots, finally have active sticks, finally winning battles. I hope it's not just them facing defeat.

Finally showing the effort we've never seen from them is my hope.

Now that Pittsburgh is facing elimination I expect a different group is going to take the ice. Game 7 is going to be on for,both teams.

Side note, Sid took another nasty hit tonight.

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

Yeah exactly. Let's not forget what happened the last time these teams met in a game 7 in DC.

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

Never won a game 7 versus Pittsburgh

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

No letang for transition has been huge.

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

Crosby is one tough motherfucker.

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

Never had Justin Williams for a game 7

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

Fuck yeah!

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

This literally means nothing

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

True but they found a way to win 3 games this series without him so I can't use that as an excuse.

I just think they finally hit the wall. 106 games last year and 93 so far this year. They're tired which leads to laziness which leads to turnovers which leads to the golf course.

Maybe they find another gear on Wednesday but I don't see it. I'm calling an easy Caps victory. Hope I'm wrong.

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

It means everything

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

How does that work?

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

jeez who'd you think the series was already over.

Penns fans in here. :lol :lol

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

It basically is though. I normally wouldn't be so dramatic but this is the worst they've played under Mike Sullivan. That tells me they are gassed and there's no real coming back from that.

There's a sliver of hope that they bounce back but I just don't see it. I know this team, and they aren't themselves right now.

Would be different if they were losing 50/50 games but the Caps have officially taken over.

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

He took a nasty fall.

I don't believe the cap will be the pens in game 7. We will see tho

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

I love how the Penns and Caps fans are going back and forth over how it's going to be THEIR OWN team that loses.

"My team's gonna lose!"

"No, my team's gonna lose!"

Love you guys. :lol

And guys, I'm honestly worried about Crosby. There were shifts where I was convinced he had no idea where he was.

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

I saw the replay of him going into the boards last night. He does not look good. I want him to play the next 10 years.

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

Yeah and neither of these are my teams. Caps have no history of winning the big game (2009 anyone?) and the Pens do. Yes they have injuries and have been outplayed, but that all gets thrown out in game 7.
Agree on the momentum but if something happens early in game 7....it can change. Pens score first and early....I think it's over. Caps are beyond fragile and if they get scored on early they are gonna be wondering "Here we go again?"

Both of these. They had all the momentum in 2009 after winning game 6 in Pit and got home ice for game 7 and it was an ass kicking. If the game had been close that year I'd say ok...they left it all out there but they did not. And to any caps fan (I know not Barbs) who gets defensive over that, they gotta prove me wrong. I have them winning in my bracket so I thought they were good enough to win but this is it right here and 2008 game 7 (although they were inexperienced then). 2009 game 7, 2010 game 7, 2012 game 7 against the Rangers (game 5 was the bigger choke though), 2013 game 7.. get the idea?
I was surprised they were up 3-1 that year without those guys to be honest.

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

I'm not ready to completely write them off, but boy did the Pens look awful last night.

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

I think its alot of what H2P said too. I think this team is gassed. They arent playing their style of hockey. Caps are actually imposing their will on them.

I know its still possible for some lolcaps but they overcame being down in game 5 and have controlled every second since the drop of the puck in the 3rd period of that game. The Pens have done an admirable job considering what theyre down, but lihe H2P said, this is by the far worst theyve played under sullivan, and now MAF even seems to be coming down off the wave he was riding. They missed their chance to deliver a knockout blow in game 5 and at this point id be surprised if the caps dont win by 2 goals tomorrow.

Pens are totally out of rhythm, have%2

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

This doesn't seem to me the way this team plays. I'd rather a quick goal by Pittsburgh then 0-0 game going late in the third.

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

The team being gassed argument is a bit of red herring IMO.

Both of these teams were in the playoffs last year as well. The pens net have only played 11 additional games between now and the end of last year's regular season.

It's much more of what you said in one of your earlier posts that for whatever reason they couldn't clear their own zone, sustain the offensive zone, and get any sort of organized power play.

I hope sully keeps guentzel with Sid tomorrow night. They really could use Daley back too.

Lastly, I think it took a while but the Letang factor finally showed up last night.

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

Jesus Christ this site is a flaming dumpster

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

Yeah letang missing is taking its toll. They are having a really hard time moving the puck out from behind their own net, and it's really not as much he Caps forecheck as it is their positioning. Pens have been making a lot of desperate cross ice passes in the neutral zone that just aren't connecting. As I said they are just totally out of sync and I just can't see that changing by tomorrow.

Re: The NHL Thread (where the Presidents Trophy matters!)
 

You're totally right they looked out of sync.

I'll admit that I'm probably more hopeful than I should be given the last 4 periods of hockey in this series.

I just find it hard to believe that this team can turn so dramatically so fast.

They need to limit the turnovers... there were two consecutive ones by Sheary and Hainsey (I think) last night in the defensive zone that led directly to the second goal.

IMO those two weren't being out sync it was just sloppiness; especially on Sheary's part.

They need to clean that up.

One other thing I noticed is that the PK was TERRIBLE last night. They just let Oshie stand right in the center of their 4 man box. The Caps don't let the pens do that. They need to quit that crap too.