to hell with defense and coverage, I wanna see scoring chances and violence.
And I don't understand the "goals don't mean anything" argument. I don't think that pens fans said "who cares, there'll be more goals anyway" when jagr scored. When my team falls behind a goal in a 4-3 game I'm just as terrified and heartbroken as in a 1-0 game.
It's a shame that the caps don't play like this anymore. If they had won with that approach, the league would be much more entertaining. Instead, they overreacted in response to running into a hot goalie. Damn you Halak.
I know, I watched but the 3rd period was terrible (competitively). 4-1 Philly in just one period.
Yeah but the period was 2-1 philly at the very end, 2 goals in the last 2 minutes for philly with a EN, shot on goal 11-9 in the 3rd, it was not that much unbalanced.
Crosby start the game strong but is he in the condition for good third period, more and more that the game was advancing the less I saw him. Only two minutes of power play for him in a strange position.
Just 20 minutes for Malkin too, strange TOI for those kind of player.
Lots of goals does not equal good hockey. Bruins/Caps game 1 was awesome, despite it being 1-0. One of the most physical games I've seen.
To each his own but I can't disagree more. That game was utter horse bleep.
I'll watch Pitts and Philly play hockey, you watch Boston and washington play soccer.
I love me some big hits but a hockey game it doesn't make.
Lots of goals. 3 goal comebacks. Rookie kid getting a hat trick. Watching a budding superstar hand it to the best two players in the game. Thats not good hockey. It's great hockey.
It's funny to see fans so hardcore that they can't admit their team isn't playing in the most exciting series so far. Or hate Philly or Pitts so much they would never admit it.
This is the best hockey you will ever see. These guys are killing each other, both teams are flying out there, great saves mixed into the action, tremendous skill on display. They are really putting everything into every hit out there. I don't think any playoff series will top this in 2012.
Then you got the rivalry, the coaches hate each other (I guess), Jagr, just a ton of history and venom. lol so awesome. That's gotta sting seeing Jagr score the GW.
Oops I wanted to make this a poll and I messed it up. lol sorry.
It's good, no doubt, but I have to assume you haven't been watching hockey for as long as I have.
The actual game play has been kind of crappy though. The Penguins D has been pretty bad, good drama, not so great hockey.
It's not going to be too exciting if it winds up being a four- or five-game series, though. And frankly, the only way it goes six is if Pittsburgh wins both in Philadelphia.
To each his own but I can't disagree more. That game was utter horse bleep.
I'll watch Pitts and Philly play hockey, you watch Boston and washington play soccer.
I love me some big hits but a hockey game it doesn't make.
Lots of goals. 3 goal comebacks. Rookie kid getting a hat trick. Watching a budding superstar hand it to the best two players in the game. Thats not good hockey. It's great hockey.
It's funny to see fans so hardcore that they can't admit their team isn't playing in the most exciting series so far. Or hate Philly or Pitts so much they would never admit it.
That was exciting but the Pittsburgh D and the D by the Penguins forwards, Crosby and Malkin in particular was just plain bad play, there is no other way to describe it.
Games like these are awesome ONCE IN A WHILE. If this was what hockey was always like, it would get incredibly boring, with goals not meaning much.
That's my opinion as well. Sometimes you like to see a match where both teams are constantly fighting for a goal, and a team that scores just 1 or 2 might win. Sometimes it's fun when lots of goals are scored. It takes all kinds. If the rest of the series goes exactly as it has (which I would not mind) then it'd be hard to argue that we're watching the best hockey in the league..one team can't fix bad starts and one can't fix bad finishes.
I think because of the history of these two teams, the entire situation as a whole, the comebacks, the intensity, the pace...this series thus far is more exciting to me than most I've seen.
But I do think the 'terrible defense' thing is much overstated, I believe most defenses if not all would look terrible against these two offenses.
I love a well played-error free game, but watching two teams overwhelm each others defenses with speed and skill is beyond anything those 1-0 games can produce.
I can't believe so many people think the goals mean less, or that it's less of a nail biter because there are more goals being scored. Granted there have been a few goofs in the series, goals that really should not have been allowed. But 80% of them are great goals.
It's like you're a boxing fan who wants to see a 12 round contest with no knockdowns and great technical skills displayed. Decided by the judges.
THis series is like two guys swinging haymakers, getting knocked down getting up and swinging some more! One of the boxers slept with the other guys wife, and it's personal. Passion has maddened each man to heights that pain nor fear can reach! lol
It's a rare gem of a series and the rest of the playoffs are going to be dull by comparison.
I may be biased but I thought last night's Detroit-Nashville game was incredibly exciting. A fight to start off the game.. The early tension built around the Zetterberg incident. Great physicality, incredible goaltending, especially from Howard, and a close game all the way through ending in a 3-2 score. Personally I prefer a game where there are a lot of high quality chances but but also great goaltending.
I wouldn't be surprised if this is better than the finals, I haven't gotten nearly the same entertainment value from any other series as I have with the Pittsburgh and Philly one, the intensity is just lacking in other series compared to this one. I really hope this goes seven games and then Pittsburgh takes it because watching Crosby and Malkin is too good to pass up on.
I wouldn't be surprised if this is better than the finals, I haven't gotten nearly the same entertainment value from any other series as I have with the Pittsburgh and Philly one, the intensity is just lacking in other series compared to this one. I really hope this goes seven games and then Pittsburgh takes it because watching Crosby and Malkin is too good to pass up on.
Malkin is looking brilliant with the puck, but the problem is that the Flyers are big and fast just like him, and they aren't giving him much time to do ANY-THING. Having said that, his defensive game has been very lacking, he's not taking pucks away at all.
Crosby has not been great without the puck either, but he is just unreal...you can just feel that something amazing is going to happen when he has the puck, brilliant pass, a slick move. He's impossible to contain.
The show stealers have been the Flyers! Sid and Geno may be the best, but they got the 3rd best center in Giroux and their depth of talent is a little better than the Penguins. Voracek, Read, Cloutier, Schenn, and Simmonds are all flying out there and Voracek has been tremendous with the puck o his blade. Schenn dominated G1, Cloutire in G2. And then, you got their vets! Giroux, Jagr, Hartnell, Briere, and Talbot have all played tremendous. That is a scary group of forwards...
As a neutral (hawks fan) this has been the most entertaining first two games of a series I've seen in a very long time. I found myself cheering for Pitt yesterday just because I want this series to go as long as possible.
What we got here is 2 of the top scoring clubs going head to head with the Flyers fielding 7 or 8 rookies and a banged up defense, and Pittsburgh with a fairly weak defense and a hi potent offense....This series really don't surprise me much at all.....When i watched the so called "experts" on the NHL channel ALL pick Pitts in 6 and one moron had Pitts in 5......I had to really step back and wonder what the heck they were thinking about ?.....Pitts could still win it in 6, they are a heck of a club etc...But the tone and body language of the "experts" was saying Philly did not have a snowballs chance in hell to beat the mighty Pens......That why you gotta lace em up and play the games.
The roller coaster of emotions both teams have experienced throughout the first two games is unparalleled. If it goes to 4 games only , then as great as the series has been it will be forgotten. If it goes to 7 then it will be an epic for all time. But also note, that this matchup hurts the NHL is so many ways. Huge divisional rivalry , with players and coaches that hate one another to the max. This should never have been a 1st round matchup.
To me, there is a HUGE difference between good hockey and exciting hockey.
I would much rather watch 80's style. Average scores being 5-4, 6-5 type of thing, with 15-20 guys getting 100 points every year and then having them challenge for records. Imagine the hype of the Crosby-Ovechkin rivalry if they were both going for the point record on an annual basis? I think it would much more exciting to see scoring records being constantly chased.
However, that is not good hockey, that is good forwards. When your d-men couldn't block a shot or lay a hit if their lives depended on it, and your goalie is practically cowering on his goal-line every time Giroux, Malkin, Briere or Crosby is skating towards them, you know it isn't good hockey. The Sens-Rangers series was fantastic hockey. Fast paced, hard-hitting, and both teams were playing great at every position. That's just the example I used because I followed it the most closely. GOOD hockey is when there are players actually playing WELL in every position.
