Western Conference Finals Preview - San Jose's Goalies
by McClure on May 13, 2010 9:29 AM CDT
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PrintWith there being every indication that the series will begin on Sunday after the Flyers forced a game 7 on Friday, it's now time to take a look the Hawks' next opponent - the San Jose Sharks. After the jump we'll get started by taking a look at their goaltending
Let's face it - the scouting report on the Sharks goaltending begins and ends with Nabby. As a 10 year veteran, the book is pretty much out on Nabokov. He's slightly undersized, but plays an athletic, acrobatic butterfly style due to his tremendous natural reflexes, notably his glove hand. Nabby can most definitely make a highlight reel save on some of the most glorious of chances - witness this hate crime against Brad Richards:
Watching that save is enough to make any shooter clench his ass cheeks in fear. On top of all of that, Nabokov is a far superior puck handler outside of his crease than the Hawks have seen with Rinne and Borat in the first two rounds, and even has a goal to his name back in 2002. Cleaner changes will be key for the Hawks, as Nabby will most definitely make 80 foot outlet pass to catch the Hawks scrambling at the benches.
But with all that said, there are holes to Nabokov's game. Due to the style he plays, he can be caught hysterically out of position if shooters are patient and/or passes are smart. And as is the mandate with any goalie, traffic in his crease is quite bothersome, especially given that Nabokov is generously listed at 6' even, as opposed to the 6'5" Rinne and 6'3" Sideshow Bob. If you thought those two didn't like it when the Hawks crashed the net like there was pizza-and-whiskey flavored pussy behind the goalie, just watch what happens to Nabokov. And when he's off, he's spectacularly off, as we saw in game 4 against the Wings, or against Canada in the Olympics, where in both cases he couldn't get his diaper changed fast enough.
Nabby comes into the series posting a 2.43 GAA (identical to his regular season numbers), and a .907 save percentage, which is markedly lower than his .922 of the regular season. If the Hawks continue to throw copious amounts of vulcanized rubber at the net, Nabokov will need to improve upon that, and all indications from the regular season point to the skaters in front of Nabby not being entirely interested in playing a prevent game against the Hawks.
So, bottom line - the chances will be there, get bodies to the net as always, be patient, avoid the glove hand if at all possible, and dump the puck cross-ice to prevent Nabokov from playing it and keying a breakout headed back the other way.
Because Nabokov plays such a heavy workload, Greiss saw very little action in the regular season, and figures to see even less in the postseason. His numbers are fine for a backup (as well as the German national team), and being that he's 24, he may still eventually grow into a starter, perhaps for another team. But if Greiss is playing at all this series it's because Nabby shit the bed in a game, or suffered a catastrophic injury. Basically, if you're a Sharks fan, there is no good circumstance under which you will see this man play.
Coming up next, we should have a look at San Jose's defensive corps posted sometime later in the day.
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that save was indeed wicked
but I would be in heaven if the Hawks were able to set up that precise play 4 to 6 times a game – because he is only going to make that save once (maybe twice)
Confusion will be my epitaph.
good point
Until now, I was only focusing on what the goalie was doing. Now that I’ve gone back and watched the whole play, the pass and shot leading up to the great save were also a thing of beauty.
A good goalie will occasionally make that save
but it will be a distinct minority of the time a play like that is made in front of him
Confusion will be my epitaph.
Bring on the Sharts!!!
"Everything I know about life, I learned from my father watching the Blackhawks. It can all be summed up in 2 words, 2 simple words that ring over and over in my memory. Detroit Sucks!!! Detroit Sucks!!!"
"Nabby, tell me how my ass tastes!"
by Hjammer of the Gods on May 13, 2010 10:13 PM CDT up reply actions
Reminds me of something a demented friend once told me:
“Here’s the thing about eating ass . . . You’re eating ass.”
teaching respect for the Indian, one Red Wing fan at a time.
What about the Cannibal Ghost Fish painted on his mask?
Let’s hope that facemask doesnt scare Buffy away from the front of the crease. In interviews with Nabokov he says even he does not know what that thing is. I guess it just looks cool. Let’s Go Hawks!
LUigi was found dead at the scene, murdered by a Chelsea Dagger.
maybe after a classic Russian style volka infused brings, he got it tattooed on his ass
and then figured it might as well go on the mask too
Confusion will be my epitaph.
Something to note about Nabby
While you make the point that his postseason numbers are worse than his regular season numbers, this article points out that if you take out game 4 against Scum, his save percentage jumps to .923% & GAA drops to 2.03.
I know that removing one game from the stats isn’t entirely kosher, but one (very) bad game out of 11 will have a larger impact on the stats than a few bad games out of the 71 he played in regular season.
Some head-asploding stats
Just did some quick and dirty 99% confidence intervals (99% chance he’ll give up between the low and high number of goals), assuming he played 60 mins in every game for simplicity:
Regular Season GA
mean: 2.39
stdev: 1.41
99% CI: 1.96 — 2.83
Playoffs GA
mean: 2.36
stdev: 1.63
99% CI: 1.10 — 3.63
Of course this is largely a product of the smaller sample size and greater variation of his playoff performance, but I think this shows that, as people are saying, we don’t know which Nabby we’ll get.
(for the geeks — looks like GAA is not normally distributed, hmm)
You know what I like about stats?
The Capitals and Penguins are out.
Chewing gum?
"Alex didn't cause Campbell's injury, the boards did."
yeah, that CI spread for the playoffs is HUGE
so i’m guessing flipping a coin will get us our answer?
by puppetmasterp on May 13, 2010 10:44 AM CDT up reply actions
keep teh crusade going
although that puts us into the age old “eye test” debates (which I so often find totally wearying) – now, granted, there are a lot of people whose “eye test” opinions hold great weight with me, but I don’t know too many people here well enough (yet) to have gotten to the point of fully accepting them all that much (and readily I confess to venturing no less than my fair share of “eye test” opinions myself).
Confusion will be my epitaph.
When you're comparing
VS on-ice reporters (Thompson, other blond) to NBC’s (McGuire), I think the eye test tells you everything you need to know.
sure they're all morons - but the guys will much more readily put up with the ladies moronicisms
perhaps because we’ve hit mute before they start talking anyway
Confusion will be my epitaph.
dude
you’re talking to the girl who once did a stat injury analysis for baseball pitching, based on Tim Lincicum’s whacked-out pitching mechanics. The experts all said he’d injure himself into uselessness before he even hit the majors (as opposed the mark Prior’s perfect mechanics) — and 2 Cy Young’s later, he’s still a pitching anomaly (p < .01).
There’s a reason I haven’t let myself get buried into the hockey stat convos here. If I did, I’d never see daylight again.
by puppetmasterp on May 13, 2010 11:09 AM CDT up reply actions
Isn't Timmy the greatest?
I mean what? Go Hawks!
Watch it with the jinxing!
Time for some thrillin' heroics!
by shinkicker on May 13, 2010 11:23 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
have you ever read
driveline mechanics? they did a long piece on tim lincecum summer ‘08 and basically said, "kid’s probably never going to get injured, even if it looks weird." and they keep coming back to mark prior and his inverted w at footfall and how absolutely no one should have been surprised when he broke down.
(170 g) * (3x10^8 m/s)^2 = 1.5x10^16 J
really? no i haven't read it
but i wish i had
by puppetmasterp on May 14, 2010 12:08 AM CDT up reply actions
it's an sbnation blog
i read them daily summer ’08 (horrible job, but luckily “nothing for me to do” horrible, not “crappy boss breathing down my neck ever second” horrible), before they moved to sbnation, and i was really impressed with the depth of analysis. they did a lot on pitching mechanics back then and, when i went over tonight to check them out, i saw that the first post was about pitching mechanics.
(170 g) * (3x10^8 m/s)^2 = 1.5x10^16 J
I love driveline mechanics
they are possibly the only people who appreciate Justin Duchscherer as much as I do.
Depends on what you're going for
I wanted to better capture what I thought the possible outcomes were, and it’s still probably too narrow. But this is more a product of using a normal distribution… I’m sure possible GA is much more spread out.
Also Take out Game 5 vs VAN for Nimei.
GAA drops to 2.34, and SV% to 0.917. (2.57, 0.910 current). Still not a whole lot of separation in those numbers, it would take 3 games for Niemi to have 1 more GA than Nabby (7 : 6).
This series is bigger than any one player or aspect be the determining factor. This will be more of team play and pick up than either team had to worry about in the previous two rounds.
Get off my Land!
ART.I§8-11; AM I-XXVII
James Madison is my Hero!
by Toews-makes-funny-faces on May 13, 2010 10:04 PM CDT up reply actions
Best. Preview. Eva.
If you thought those two didn’t like it when the Hawks crashed the net like there was pizza-and-whiskey flavored pussy behind the goalie, just watch what happens to Nabokov. And when he’s off, he’s spectacularly off, as we saw in game 4 against the Wings, or against Canada in the Olympics, where in both cases he couldn’t get his diaper changed fast enough.
I’m in awe.
This is WHY I read this blog
Make me laugh hysterically out loud in my office!
by imknowdummy on May 13, 2010 11:36 AM CDT up reply actions
Great post
For as much as we play the Sharks and talk about the Sharks, for some reason I feel like I know nothing about Nabokov.
And the pizza/whiskey flavored thing – you might be onto a million dollar idea there, for a personal hygiene product maybe?
Great preview.
Looking forward to this series. Nice photo caption too. Blood Hound Gang is old school. hahaha
6 of 11
games Nabby gave up 2 or less goals. 5 of those games were in the 1st round against the Avs who really don’t have much scoring depth. The games against Scum:
3, 3, 3, 7, 1
San Jose seems willing to play the “We’re just going to put one more in the net than you do” type of game, defence is almost an afterthought. Of course the Hawks at times have treated some games like even showing up at the rink was an afterthought.
If the boys can keep their heads in the game out west we just may see Greiss back home.
SCH Resident Idiot
Success is our only mother f*&#ing option, failure's not
seeing Griess would do wonders for my stomach lining
the playoff run so far has not been kind to it
Confusion will be my epitaph.
For me it's less the stomach lining than the liver.
I’m going to blame my future cirrhosis on the Hawk’s tendency to go for heart-attack style games.
by spokeinthebandwagon on May 13, 2010 11:11 AM CDT up reply actions
I've been drying out
my liver since Tuesday’s clincher. It’s a long painful wait till Sunday!
Soldier, how did you get so close to me? Sniper approached the instructor by being a sneaky bastard, Sergeant Major!
by thepuckstopshere31 on May 13, 2010 12:59 PM CDT up reply actions
speaking of which
hey krome, i’m back home. got any plans to watch game 1 (in case i’m feeling lazy and don’t feel like wandering past the bowling ally down the street)?
by puppetmasterp on May 13, 2010 11:13 AM CDT up reply actions
As soon as I figure out exactly when it will be I'll get something worked up
Jake & I figure to be watching it somewhere decent (Jake joined me at the penultimate BL meet up a while back – while you were traveling) – but we haven’t fixed our plans yet.
You interested in joining us to watch?
Confusion will be my epitaph.
potentially yeah
maybe i can even convince ahnfire to drive “all the way” down to the west suburbs.
by puppetmasterp on May 13, 2010 11:21 AM CDT up reply actions
send me an email (so I have your's - and maybe a number to text to), so I can get back to you
Confusion will be my epitaph.
If you guys don't mind
I might be in the area on Sunday and would enjoy meeting up if so.
Well, folks, I want to thank you for being here for the recording of my live comedy album. Funny material and laughter will be dubbed in later.
by ChicagoNativeSon on May 13, 2010 12:10 PM CDT up reply actions
I'm in that area
but I believe they’re all northeast of me. I might be in Lombard on Sunday doing some work on one of rental units.
Well, folks, I want to thank you for being here for the recording of my live comedy album. Funny material and laughter will be dubbed in later.
by ChicagoNativeSon on May 13, 2010 12:51 PM CDT up reply actions
krome and i are in north Wheaton
so 15-20 minutes-ish from Naperville or Warrenville (or Lombard). Also 1/2 hour from Plainfield via I-355, if that gives you a better idea.
by puppetmasterp on May 13, 2010 1:04 PM CDT up reply actions
Oh crap, that's right
We typically go every year.
Sorry kids! Hawks > Lilac parade
Well, folks, I want to thank you for being here for the recording of my live comedy album. Funny material and laughter will be dubbed in later.
by ChicagoNativeSon on May 13, 2010 1:14 PM CDT up reply actions
Nothing that a trip to DQ before the game can’t solve.
Is the game officially at 2:00 ? I hope not…midday weekend games really kill my weekend project efforts.
btw I’m in Naperville but have relatives in Lombard.
I used to live there for a few years
It was my stepping stone out of the city and into the great unknown
Same here on the projects. And I have many of them.
Well, folks, I want to thank you for being here for the recording of my live comedy album. Funny material and laughter will be dubbed in later.
by ChicagoNativeSon on May 13, 2010 1:21 PM CDT up reply actions
Naperville...
Same here. What do you typically do for the games?
by Hjammer of the Gods on May 13, 2010 10:16 PM CDT up reply actions
ever since I've moved back here,
I’ve watched every game on my couch at home. Do you have a good spot to go in the area?
I do roughly 50/50 on hitting a bar, or watching on a friend’s couch. When I do go out, it’s to downtown Naperville, at a bar called the Grumpy Bulldog. Small place, but 3 big tv’s so you’ve got a good view from wherever, and they stock a shitload of micro & craft brews, and have 7 or 8 on tap at any time, and rotate ‘em out weekly. I know the owners, cool guys, so they always make sure they have the game on every tv, and that they’ve got the audio on and cranked as well. They really try to make it THE Blackhawks bar for downtown Naper.
by Hjammer of the Gods on May 14, 2010 9:56 AM CDT up reply actions
good to know
Thanks for the info. I think that’s the place where Soupy ran into that Olympian? Funny thing is, I go downtown every so often and I never knew the place existed until I read about it here! Looking at the map, it appears to be right next to Jimmy’s? Man…talk about having my head up my ass.
Yep
I was there with him that night, apparently left about 15 minutes before that girl showed up.
by Hjammer of the Gods on May 14, 2010 12:31 PM CDT up reply actions
cool
Well, for game 1 I’ll definitely have to stay home. My extensive honey-do list does not provide for me to spend an afternoon at a bar (although I’d like to, but I would certainly end up like Sami Salo). But for a weeknight game I’d definitely be up for it.
The odds of seeing Greiss,
as noted in the preview, are infinitesimally small.
Even if Nabby is playing poorly, I don’t think you’d see a change. If Nabby plays so godawful in the first two that they slide #1 in for game 3, the series is effectively over regardless.
teaching respect for the Indian, one Red Wing fan at a time.
Yeah, management has essentially ridden Nabokov the last few seasons, and I think he’ll get the start in every single game this series no matter how things turn out. He’s been dictating his starts (i.e. the coaching staff allows him to say when he will and won’t play) for awhile now.
Meth Squirrel won’t be making a start unless Nabokov really shits the bed a couple games in a row which, after the year he’s had, is basically impossible.
"San Jose is where I want to be at the end of the day, and there's an opportunity now to make it there. It is where my heart is." - Jamie McGinn, 2/22/10
Fear The Fin: Where Selling Your Soul Is The Likely Solution
Dude has crazy fucking reflexes and makes some ungodly saves but just won’t stay in his crease. GhostofLinkGaetz (a commenter at FTF) came up with the nickname. Basically he’ll start pokechecking the puck carrier when he crosses the blueline, and you need to put a rope around him that is tethered to the net in order to keep him in position.
"San Jose is where I want to be at the end of the day, and there's an opportunity now to make it there. It is where my heart is." - Jamie McGinn, 2/22/10
Fear The Fin: Where Selling Your Soul Is The Likely Solution
Meth Squirrel won’t be making a start unless Nabokov really shits the bed a couple games in a row which, after the year he’s had, is basically impossible.
Dude, why would you say that? Now you know he’ll shit the bed in consecutive games now. You just jinxed my friend, jinxed him.
2010 PLAYOFFS: ROUND 2 MVP
Jonathan Toews - 4 goals and 8 assists for 12 points in 6 games
- Hat-trick in Game 4, need I say more?
And you just jinxed the jinx. Kapow!
Wait, fuck, that means I just jinxed the unjinxing of the jinx by mentioning the unjinxing… I’m confused now.
"San Jose is where I want to be at the end of the day, and there's an opportunity now to make it there. It is where my heart is." - Jamie McGinn, 2/22/10
Fear The Fin: Where Selling Your Soul Is The Likely Solution
Nabby will be nasty
to play against. While we took the season series 3-1-0 (I think), two of those wins came because Nabby took a dump in his confidence pants, and the other because of Hossa (who, for this series, I will dub Quint) playing like a man avenging the death of his family in a Mob-related house fire. When they won, it was because of Nabby getting grabby (see what I did there?) with the puck, and gret puck movement on the PP. If we commit to the uber-dumbing (Eager, fucking relax, would you?) we will get spanked by their top units. If Buff gets his salad tossed, and Quint gets his harpoon gun, we will take the Campbell Bowl.
Occam's Razor keeps the cutting clean.
He also beat us
on a night when we outshot the fish 47-14, so you never know which Nabby you’re going to get.
Something I didn't think of before
Since the Olympics, The Big Pavelski is showing us he’s all growed up and he’s dragging Jumbo into the playoff performances of his career. Yesterday, I was all bravado and kingly swagger about our chances, but the more I watch of game 5 the less my step springs.
Occam's Razor keeps the cutting clean.
by russellguldin on May 13, 2010 10:29 AM CDT up reply actions
They are over confident and we all know what that leads to…If the hawks play their game we should be able to grind this out.
by jamesbhawk74 on May 13, 2010 10:42 AM CDT up reply actions
they can also be very undisciplined at times
multiple guys in the box at once in both of their first two series – if we can get under their skin we can exploit this
I went to a fight the other night and a hockey game broke out.
- Rodney Dangerfield
My recollection of that game
was that a few of those saves were quite good, but many of the 47 shots were from 20+ feet out, with no traffic, right into his gut. If the Men of Four Feathers either shoot more towards high stick side or put a body in front of him (or both, if I had my druthers) and put 47 on net, I suspect the result would be substantially different.
teaching respect for the Indian, one Red Wing fan at a time.
this is awesome
Plus, Hossa knows about Grabby Nabby’s eyes. The thing about Nabby, he’s got…lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll’s eye. When he comes at ya, doesn’t seem to be livin’.
Fear the Fin
has a two day waiting period to comment so you guys may want to go get a jump on that. They have a very well done preview up, and I was going to tell them I thought so but their silly rules got in the way.
Also, they have a poll going in the preview and if you add up the options at last look it’s about 53-46 leaning Blackhawks. I wonder if a bunch of you haven’t already gone over and voted Chicago style.
i'll let them know for you
heading over in a bit, and i joined during the Wings series.
by puppetmasterp on May 13, 2010 11:15 AM CDT up reply actions
Vote-rigging? Chicago? What?
Never!
by spokeinthebandwagon on May 13, 2010 11:21 AM CDT up reply actions
I voted Hawks in 6-7
But I’ll bet Sharks followers don’t really think they can win.
Chewing gum?
"Alex didn't cause Campbell's injury, the boards did."
I'd be surprised by that
maybe they’ve just lived with too much disappointment to allow themselves to believe, but their team is capable of beating the Hawks. I think the Hawks match up well against them but San Jose is no slouch.
Nope, they're confident, for sure.
There’s that whole “#1 in the West” thing going on. For Sharks fans, the Hawks are second-class. There are people claiming Thornton is better than Kane, and Marleau better than Toews (ORLY? then why did they strip the C from him?).
There’s a hella lot of swagger over there. And I don’t mind that. I like the idea that the Hawks are the underdog in this matchup, so they come in fired up and crazy.
by spokeinthebandwagon on May 13, 2010 12:00 PM CDT up reply actions
You know, I think it's a cover for severe insecurity.
Thornton is better at some things than Kane. He fucking should be he’s twice his size and a lot older. Talk to me is 6 games about Kane. We’ll see.
Lambeau over Toews! Not in any lifetime.
I think the Sharks are trying to talk themselves in to being the best team in the West. They can think they are all they want. The games will be played and the players still have to play them. All of them.
It’s going to be a good time.
Chewing gum?
"Alex didn't cause Campbell's injury, the boards did."
funny, they say the same about us....
isn’t that odd?
by puppetmasterp on May 13, 2010 12:12 PM CDT up reply actions
Yes, it's exactly the same, except
I am a Hawks fan.
There is a lot of insecurity going around.
I think they have more.
Chewing gum?
"Alex didn't cause Campbell's injury, the boards did."
Yup. This series is gonna be a riot.
by spokeinthebandwagon on May 13, 2010 12:28 PM CDT up reply actions
Woody Allen (back when he was funny) would be a good poster boy for this series
Confusion will be my epitaph.
Manhatten
may be my favorite movie ever.
Annie Hall… also not too shabby.
Rock Over London
Rock on Chicago
Diet Pepsi
Uh-Huh!
but yeah, back then when he was funny
not the later perving the stepkids life stage
Confusion will be my epitaph.
Woody's stand up
may be some of the funniest shit ever recorded. As much as I’ve enjoyed some of his movies, they’re nothing compared to The Moose.
teaching respect for the Indian, one Red Wing fan at a time.
Maybe that's the reason we haven't had much cross traffic
actually that’s not completely true. I know there’s the wait period but we have a few people commenting over there, including myself (but sparingly). I haven’t noticed anyone from FtF over here though except their moderator.
Well, folks, I want to thank you for being here for the recording of my live comedy album. Funny material and laughter will be dubbed in later.
by ChicagoNativeSon on May 13, 2010 12:31 PM CDT up reply actions
In that same post (over there)...
they have Boyle=Keith. I’m not so sure I’m on board with that assessment, but then again, I haven’t watched Boyle play nearly as much as I’ve watched keith. I think Duncs is a better all around Dman. I’m sure someone here can sift through each players stengths and weaknesses and provide us with a little more insight than “Boyle=Keith.”
Ditto for CNS
Hey look, turns out I'm a homer. Surprised? Anyone? Beuller?
I’m pretty sure I’m not on board with that assessment. Keith is sort of objectively better, both on the point sheets (Boyle 58 points on the season, Keith 69 points on the season; Boyle 70 PIM, Keith 51) and by the eye test.
Plus, I (shudder) trust Babcock’s judgment. There’s a reason Keith was Canada’s #1 shutdown guy, taking every shift against the rest of the worlds’ top lines and 27 minutes a game in the decade’s most high-pressure tourney. Boyle, on the other hand, was Canada’s third-line D. Big difference
by spokeinthebandwagon on May 13, 2010 12:26 PM CDT up reply actions
You bring up good points, especially the Olympics angle
I understand that there are deficiencies with the +/- stat, but I think the stat is a somewhat fair comparison because both teams have been good for the last two years.
08-09
Boyle = +6 (on a president’s trophy winning team)
Dunc = +33
09-10
Boyle = +6
Dunc = +21
Let’s not forget that Dunc is a Norris Trophy finalist, Boyle is not.
Not saying that because Dunc is better than Boyle the Hawks will have a big advantage in the series, but the assessment that Boyle=Dunc is homerific.
And yes, we know, Joe Thornton is “better” than Patrick Kane, excellent comparison of your massive first line center to our diminutive right winger. Up until this last series against Detroit, Sharks fans probably wished Jumbo Joe had the stones and killer instinct of the kid half his size.
Ditto for CNS
Playoff Thornton sucks
One series against the Wings. Big deal. He was absent from Colorado and all the other previous series. Let’s see if Thornton can put his big boy pants on for this series too.
The Bay Area newspapers
are raving about Thornton in the Wings series. I disagree.
3 goals and 5 helpers. Atrocious numbers, you’re right.
..:Fear The Fin:..
The artist formerly known as cyoung
Our standards might be higher
but Toews likes to raise the bar on that kind of thing.
Watch it with the jinxing!
Time for some thrillin' heroics!
Jumbo Joe was very good in that series. The biggest question is can he do it again? He hasn’t been able to put together back-to-back solid series efforts his whole career.
Outside of last season and this, Joe has been money in the first round but his productivity would drop immensely the following round. That has been his, and the Sharks, problem all along and will continiue to be until proven otherwise.
2010 PLAYOFFS: ROUND 2 MVP
Jonathan Toews - 4 goals and 8 assists for 12 points in 6 games
- Hat-trick in Game 4, need I say more?
The Hawks aren't the only ones
that need to work on being more regular.
Watch it with the jinxing!
Time for some thrillin' heroics!
shark meat is high in fiber.
little known fact.
I a scientist.
Rock Over London
Rock on Chicago
Diet Pepsi
Uh-Huh!
Boyle=Keith
I like to use the GVT numbers as a baseline.
Keith is the highest rated defensemen at 22.4 12th in the league overall.
Boyle is rated 12.7
Campbell is 11.4
Seabrook is 11.1
Unless you watch Keith a lot you sometimes don’t appreciate how dominant he is.
I don’t think anyone really thinks Boyle is as good as Keith— he was probably the best defenseman in the league this entire season, and along with Seabrook they make up the best (or one of the best) pairings in the NHL.
That being said, after being a clusterfuck this entire season, our blueline has really played well during the playoffs. Going to be interesting to see what the Hawks forwards can do against them, but I’m far more confident in our boys back there then I was a month ago.
"San Jose is where I want to be at the end of the day, and there's an opportunity now to make it there. It is where my heart is." - Jamie McGinn, 2/22/10
Fear The Fin: Where Selling Your Soul Is The Likely Solution
Yes, they are A LOT less objective than NM about this series and much of it is non-hockey
Apparently we’re a bunch of bandwagoners (is it required over there that every other post mentions that?), with an awful National Anthem singer, who are stuck with and boo Campbell at our own stadium (there was a time-but never from me), have a back up goalie in net, and a semi-racist mascot (who knew Tommy Hawks was a racist?).
Sharks in 5
Well, folks, I want to thank you for being here for the recording of my live comedy album. Funny material and laughter will be dubbed in later.
by ChicagoNativeSon on May 13, 2010 12:16 PM CDT up reply actions
I also forgot
we have an annoying air of entitlement
Well, folks, I want to thank you for being here for the recording of my live comedy album. Funny material and laughter will be dubbed in later.
by ChicagoNativeSon on May 13, 2010 12:18 PM CDT up reply actions
they are from the SF Bay area - we have to expect the oddities of prespective and PCishness from them
Confusion will be my epitaph.
yes, from the land of PC utupia
where labor is cheap
Well, folks, I want to thank you for being here for the recording of my live comedy album. Funny material and laughter will be dubbed in later.
by ChicagoNativeSon on May 13, 2010 12:33 PM CDT up reply actions
I feel like I should object on principal
…but there’s a reason I left home.
Watch it with the jinxing!
Time for some thrillin' heroics!
by shinkicker on May 13, 2010 2:54 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
home's great
and it’s very pretty out there. but there are all those other people.
Watch it with the jinxing!
Time for some thrillin' heroics!
Yes, they are A LOT less objective than NM
You meant a LOT MORE objective than NM right?
NM was by far the least objective site in the playoffs so far.
I actually thought the NM bloggers did a good job of maintaining objectivity throughout the series.
www.mjt.org
I agree there
Aside from Mr. Plank, I can’t say what i’ve read there so far is as objective as NM. or when people try to engage more on objective points, posters just stop responding.
by puppetmasterp on May 13, 2010 1:28 PM CDT up reply actions
maintaining objectivity
Well I got “spewed on” pretty badly at NM so I think of them in the same vein people around here view BCB.
I do think the least objective blogger so far has been that Waach guy. I don’t mind people being biased but I do mind people that don’t know they are biased. He pretty much had a hissyfit at anything that wasn’t presented from the Canucks point of view…
Agreed
Not a fan of Mr. WAACH. Very whiny.
by HungryHungryPanda on May 13, 2010 6:44 PM CDT up reply actions
I booed Phantom last year.
I thought his work ethic left something to be desired for his pay grade.
This year? I started coming around mid-November, and was starting to really appreciate him right about the time Ovie pulled his classless crap (and O how happy I am that little russian fuck is long gone!). When Campbell came back, ahead of schedule, to contribute in the playoffs when he perceived his team needed him? That sealed the deal for me. I still think the Hawks overpaid, but I no longer question his talent and effort.
teaching respect for the Indian, one Red Wing fan at a time.
i didn't vote
but i think a lot of those voting for the hawks are not hawks fans (though they might not be sharks fans either).
by puppetmasterp on May 13, 2010 12:11 PM CDT up reply actions
Habs' win leads to 32 Montreal arrests
This is why Canadian teams can’t be allowed this deep into the playoffs. ;)
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/100513/national/hkn_montreal_scene
Hours later the alcohol-fueled remnants of that crowd began taunting Montreal police, tossing bottles at them and their horses. Then some covered their faces, smashed store windows and started looting. Police regained control of the downtown early Thursday by charging into the mob, discharging tear gas and jabbing their batons into the ribs of any stragglers. At least 25 people were arrested. Two officers suffered minor injuries.
Jeez, it’s only the conference semi-finals
Well, folks, I want to thank you for being here for the recording of my live comedy album. Funny material and laughter will be dubbed in later.
by ChicagoNativeSon on May 13, 2010 12:21 PM CDT up reply actions
Imagine what could happen if they *lose* the Cup.
Winning wouldn’t be a problem. Losing would get beyond ugly.
by spokeinthebandwagon on May 13, 2010 12:27 PM CDT up reply actions
I'm from Los Angeles
and that’s pretty standard behavior but only AFTER the Lakers win something. Or lose it.
it's entirely possible this isn't sarcasm
They said at the start of the season
they wanted to be like Detroit.
teaching respect for the Indian, one Red Wing fan at a time.
Nabby has a 2.43 goals against average
but he played the battered and beaten Avs.
He gave up 14 goals in 11 periods until game 5. He didn’t look all that impressive.
How about that solid game he played for Russia against Canada? Toews had two points, just sayin’.
This guy can be beat. Just don’t think rifling shots (47 on Dec. 22nd of which he stopped 45).
And the Sharks have not faced Niemi once this season.
When in Rome we shall do as the Romans, when in Hell we do shots at the bar.
by HolyBlackhawksBatman on May 13, 2010 12:21 PM CDT reply actions
Solid passing is key as McClure pointed out.
When in Rome we shall do as the Romans, when in Hell we do shots at the bar.
by HolyBlackhawksBatman on May 13, 2010 12:23 PM CDT up reply actions
Which leads me to wonder about the ice
They’re hosting some concert Saturday night with Game 1 at noon local time the next day, and when they get back to Chicago we already know the ice is shit after what we saw in Game 5 against Vancouver. I think part of the reason we played so well, and so fast up in Vancouver is that the ice allowed the Hawks to play their best. We’ll see how it goes in the WCF.
The difference in passing from game 5 to game 6
was insane. I hope ice quality isn’t a main player in this series.
Watch it with the jinxing!
Time for some thrillin' heroics!
by shinkicker on May 13, 2010 1:24 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Ice conditions in San Jose are notoriously inconsistent. Probably not going to be the best during the series, especially this time of year.
"San Jose is where I want to be at the end of the day, and there's an opportunity now to make it there. It is where my heart is." - Jamie McGinn, 2/22/10
Fear The Fin: Where Selling Your Soul Is The Likely Solution
Looking at the calendar at the UC
it’s actually looking pretty empty, so at least there’s that. Not that things seemed to be sliding right Sunday.
At least the Bulls aren’t in the middle of their playoffs, too. That would be a nightmare.
Watch it with the jinxing!
Time for some thrillin' heroics!
Yeah, all of that opening and closing of the arena doors really fucks with shit. Like Scott13 said up there, it’s going to be pretty dicey with the quick turnaround.
Glad to hear the UC isn’t booked up. I’m pretty sure this is the last event at HP during the series, so things will probably be the worst in game one.
"San Jose is where I want to be at the end of the day, and there's an opportunity now to make it there. It is where my heart is." - Jamie McGinn, 2/22/10
Fear The Fin: Where Selling Your Soul Is The Likely Solution
I read over Mr. Plank's review - he really seemed to have it nailed pretty well by my reckoning
Confusion will be my epitaph.
agree
Well, folks, I want to thank you for being here for the recording of my live comedy album. Funny material and laughter will be dubbed in later.
by ChicagoNativeSon on May 13, 2010 12:54 PM CDT up reply actions
Yeah, I basically agreed with everything he said.
In a couple of spots I wondered if he wasn’t giving Chi-town too much credit, but I think that’s a natural instinct. It was a great series preview though.
I’m nervous about the Sharks. I genuinely have no clue which team is actually the better of the two, so I get the feeling that whoever brings more need-it to the series will have the edge.
by spokeinthebandwagon on May 13, 2010 1:00 PM CDT up reply actions
I thought so as well
I think they didn’t give themselves enough credit for their size advantage. That team is just so goddamn big and a lot of our best defensive players (Keith, Madden, Bolland, Ladd, etc.) just don’t match the same amount of size.
A couple of days ago someone on FtF posted the size differences
and it was actually pretty close (about 2 lbs on avg if I remember correctly)
Well, folks, I want to thank you for being here for the recording of my live comedy album. Funny material and laughter will be dubbed in later.
by ChicagoNativeSon on May 13, 2010 1:20 PM CDT up reply actions
Was that a player-player match up?
Or a team average? Because buff would totally screw with that mean.
Watch it with the jinxing!
Time for some thrillin' heroics!
by shinkicker on May 13, 2010 1:22 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Because buff would totally screw with that mean.
Team average so yea Buff moves the mean up. Of course Kane moves it down to so it all evens out in the end…
The big guy is an outlier, it's not news
And we’ve used him to our advantage.
Watch it with the jinxing!
Time for some thrillin' heroics!
by shinkicker on May 13, 2010 1:54 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Just did it myself
Based on the top 14 forwards and top 7 D, doesn’t look like that big a difference (maybe their blue line is slightly bigger but that’s about it):
Team Mean Median
---------------------
Sharks 206 200
..fwds 204 199
..dmen 210 205
---------------------
'Hawks 203 200
..fwds 202 200
..dmen 203 201
Well, if you believe Toews is 7'6", 374 lbs
or whatever the Hawks have him and a few other guys listed as. So there probably is something to what you’re saying. Of course, the Sharks are probably doing the same thing too…
Well, folks, I want to thank you for being here for the recording of my live comedy album. Funny material and laughter will be dubbed in later.
by ChicagoNativeSon on May 13, 2010 1:53 PM CDT up reply actions
He's listed as 210
to Ladd’s 200, is this true??
You’re right though, they can get generous with these at times. In my mind every hockey player is pretty much just one of two sizes, “slightly big” and “slightly small.” Except for outliers like Buff and Chara.
and those little runts....
the Canadiens have running around on their forward lines
by EamusCatuli23 on May 13, 2010 2:08 PM CDT up reply actions
Without Byfuglien in the mix, the difference in average weights was ~7lbs. He definitely skews things :)
..:Fear The Fin:..
The artist formerly known as cyoung
Probably should toss out Murray then as well. Either way, I think the Sharks probably win the physical battle.
"San Jose is where I want to be at the end of the day, and there's an opportunity now to make it there. It is where my heart is." - Jamie McGinn, 2/22/10
Fear The Fin: Where Selling Your Soul Is The Likely Solution
No, the comment I'm referring to was comparing height, weight and age
Well, folks, I want to thank you for being here for the recording of my live comedy album. Funny material and laughter will be dubbed in later.
by ChicagoNativeSon on May 13, 2010 10:50 PM CDT up reply actions
I'm still recovering from the last series
So I’m focusing on the “yay we get more hockey!” thoughts.
Tomorrow my stomach will probably start churning again.
Watch it with the jinxing!
Time for some thrillin' heroics!
by shinkicker on May 13, 2010 1:18 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
he really seemed to have it nailed pretty well...
In reading other peoples views I find it interesting that Kane is viewed more as a goal scorer then creator.
He *did* lead the team in goals
but I think this is something you have to watch him a lot to be familiar with.
I also don't see day to day how irritating he is to other teams
but as I think about it, I can understand it.
Confusion will be my epitaph.
the Kane hate is really confusing to me
I get that he was a drunken idiot in a big way, and I guess if I flip all of the times he’s made me really happy and try to imagine the other side it starts to make sense? Maybe?
Whatever, he and his mullet are awesome. I want pucking hilarious to deliver the damn shirts
Watch it with the jinxing!
Time for some thrillin' heroics!
by shinkicker on May 13, 2010 1:20 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
I think it's because he shows emotion on the ice
and after he’s just ripped your heart out the last thing you want to see is him celebrate. And of course people hate little guys, just ask David Eckstein.
seriously/objectively - he does come across rather like a "punk" at times
and I like the kid!
Confusion will be my epitaph.
he does come across rather like a "punk" at times
To me he comes across as somebody that (right now) should be in a Frat House at some anonymous college. I don’t see anything in him that age won’t cure…
He reminds me of you're 21 year old ultra-talented punk kid brother
He’s brash, confident, and acts exactly like how you would picture 21 yr old punk kid with tons of money would act. And does shit that pisses you off b/c he knows he’s so talented and can get away with it. But in the end of the day, even if he’s had a horrible game/series, he usually finds a way to come through. and he always makes the game exciting. And you cant help but patting that little shit on the head and giving him a noogy because of it.
by EamusCatuli23 on May 13, 2010 2:20 PM CDT up reply actions
Yea, I can see that
And I’m sure some will even out with age, but if a little cockiness comes with the ability to fucking rip a team’s heart out…well hey. This season is littered with teams with "L"s from some downright sickening shots from little 88. As long as he keeps it it check for the most part, I don’t mind it at all. Btw, you feel like coming up to the square to watch Sunday? (yea, this is who you think it is)
Ha
Hey Mi……..I mean Duncs. I’m up for whatever. I don’t think you’ve seen our new 63 inch in our basement yet, which I’ve watched half the games on. But maybe getting out of the neighborhood for once would be good for me. We could always go up to Bottom Lounge, which is walking distance from me, but I’m easy. Let’s get in touch tomorrow before noon.
by EamusCatuli23 on May 15, 2010 12:48 PM CDT up reply actions
I think Kane is looked on by most other teams’ fans as an arrogant little mouthguard-chewing prick. His taxi incident was by no means “serious” … but that’s the kind of thing that follows you for a long time; aside from going first overall that’s pretty much the first thing people associate with him. Hence, a dick. Can’t really blame people for thinking that.
I know I’ve formed opinions on other players with less info that that, heh.
www.mjt.org
hes a fucking asshole
and i love him for it
Hossa's Attorney says:
TAKE OFF THOSE CLOWN SHOES OR I WILL SHOOT THIS DOG!
by BigCSouthside on May 13, 2010 1:30 PM CDT up reply actions
I'm shocked
I think I’ve just hit the point where I find his assholishness endearing. So when other people want to punch him, I want to pat him on the head
Watch it with the jinxing!
Time for some thrillin' heroics!
by shinkicker on May 13, 2010 1:57 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
well, that kind of goes back to the old line
“Yeah, he’s an asshole. But he’s our asshole”
I just acknowledge that I can understand other teams’ fans not liking him
Confusion will be my epitaph.
yeah
its almost all off ice stuff they hate him for, not like why we hate burrows or kesler
Hossa's Attorney says:
TAKE OFF THOSE CLOWN SHOES OR I WILL SHOOT THIS DOG!
by BigCSouthside on May 13, 2010 2:12 PM CDT up reply actions
I think another part of it
is the perception that he’s just a glory whore who doesn’t play defense. And while he’s still no Toews, he’s very much improved. (see Kane racing down Crosby’s breakaway in GMG)
fucking asshole? Nah.
To me, he reminds me of that really talented kid that was on my soccer team. Not real talkative, most of the time he’s grinning shiteatingly, sorta funny, annoying to play against even in practice, but a guy I want on my team because he can rip the other teams heart out and eat it with chips- if that makes him a fucking asshole, then commence fucking. Either way, I love that kid. Him and Toews.
I can’t tell you how much more I love the Hawks with them on this team.
indeed - I never cared if OTHER teams liked me (I rather liked them disliking me)
Confusion will be my epitaph.
I refuse to let fans of
Dany Heatley say one fucking thing about Kaner and the dust-up in Buffalo.
Every time one of those pukes makes a comment about Kane being obnoxious, or calls him 20-cent, or anything else along those lines, I want someone to post this.
teaching respect for the Indian, one Red Wing fan at a time.
by 334Rules on May 13, 2010 3:19 PM CDT up reply actions 5 recs
My thoughts on Dany Heatley? Well, I’m from Ottawa….need I say more?
2010 PLAYOFFS: ROUND 2 MVP
Jonathan Toews - 4 goals and 8 assists for 12 points in 6 games
- Hat-trick in Game 4, need I say more?
have you seen that mock cribs episode of heatley
with voice over by some obviously pissed sens fan? pure gold.. its on youtube somewhere.
Doesn’t seem very moral to me. Might as well take Satan’s autograph while you’re at it. - N.C.
hahaha I posted my reply downthread
before I read and rec’ed this. Very good point.
"Your eyes can decieve you. Don't trust them." Obi-Wan Kenobi, the first sabermetrician...
by Curtain Jerker on May 13, 2010 5:55 PM CDT up reply actions
I can't believe the Sharks fans
have the gall to call out Kane for assulting a cabbie when they have Dany “I just had a fifth of vodka…dare me to drive?” Heatley on their roster.
"Your eyes can decieve you. Don't trust them." Obi-Wan Kenobi, the first sabermetrician...
by Curtain Jerker on May 13, 2010 5:53 PM CDT up reply actions
I am an Islanders fan and I am pulling for the Hawks
I have been with you guys since the start of the playoffs. Coming in I thought the Canucks would be the hardest team for you and you beat them.
Lets go Hawks!
Became a fan of Kane in the Olympics. glad to see Kane beat Luongo after the gold medal game.
Thanks Rick
That’s one small victory on the way to hopefully a much larger one!
Well, folks, I want to thank you for being here for the recording of my live comedy album. Funny material and laughter will be dubbed in later.
by ChicagoNativeSon on May 13, 2010 3:33 PM CDT up reply actions
Thanks and welcome!
I went to a fight the other night and a hockey game broke out.
- Rodney Dangerfield
Hey Rick!
I’m a Hawks fan first, and then an Islanders fan after that. Welcome!
/Note unceasing sarcastic laughter in background.
by burpchelischili on May 14, 2010 7:51 PM CDT up reply actions
This series needs to start already...
I can’t wait for this series.
Not sure how welcoming all of FTF is going to be.
They seem to be shocked some of us are already over there talking to them (this early before the game) and many have this preconceived notion we are all self entitled d bags. They are even saying we are worse than the Scum fans.
I went to a fight the other night and a hockey game broke out.
- Rodney Dangerfield
I was really confused by that
mostly because I know when I’m trying to start shit and it looks very different than what I’ve commented. Puppet’s been chill, alpo’s been a bit inflammatory, but hasn’t crossed the troll line, in my opinion.
Watch it with the jinxing!
Time for some thrillin' heroics!
Of course I've been inflammatory
They are very frustrating. Instead of discussing players they rather discuss home ice. Although I did get sucked into the stupidity
it all seemed playful to me
maybe they are just expecting us to go over there and spout shit like “we are the best, we are going to kick your asses, etc” and we aren’t doing that
I went to a fight the other night and a hockey game broke out.
- Rodney Dangerfield
So you're saying
they’re trying to bait us into exhibiting that “sense of entitlement” they keep talking about?
It’s like a trap!
you have just been dying to say that again haven't you?
I went to a fight the other night and a hockey game broke out.
- Rodney Dangerfield
yeah i didn't get it either
very few people seemed to want to engage in actual hockey-talk other than “we’re great!” and “they suck!” and with not much wit to boot. Granted, i haven’t checked since way earlier in the day, but i got bored. And then i got annoyed when one of the posters commented that their own preview was too pro-Hawks, so no WONDER we were paying compliments on it!
Good lord. I’m not in the habit of complimenting crap, even if that crap shares every single opinion i have. I said it was good b/c it was objectively good, but apparently we’re too “biased” to pay a compliment. That’s the part where i left and stopped reading.
by puppetmasterp on May 14, 2010 12:31 AM CDT up reply actions
Although
I think showing up and starting the conversation by pointing out they are lazy and stereotypical is probably edging close to trolldom, or at least a bit rude.
Hopefully you started by demonstrating your superior hockey acumen, and waited for a lazy, stereotypical reply before slapping them.
teaching respect for the Indian, one Red Wing fan at a time.
so like the Hawks we should wait for a turnover at the blue line
then strike with our full force and show them what we are truely made of
I went to a fight the other night and a hockey game broke out.
- Rodney Dangerfield
damn I forgot about their home blog advantage
I went to a fight the other night and a hockey game broke out.
- Rodney Dangerfield
yeah but so far
we’re spending a lot of time in their zone… so far a lot of cycling and pretty passes but the shooting lanes haven’t opened up yet
hey, they're the ones calling for a
“BLOG WAR!!!”
that term still cracks me up.
by puppetmasterp on May 14, 2010 12:35 AM CDT up reply actions
Blog War
Every time one of them writes that all I can see is a bunch of South Park characters running around being mischievous.
I went to a fight the other night and a hockey game broke out.
- Rodney Dangerfield
But it's still a TRAP
I only see a couple of guys here forechecking… the rest are hanging around the neutral zone trying to stop our break out
like the person who stated that our d wasn't really that good - because VAN's offense just sucked in the playoffs
I had to point out that the Nuck’s had the highest scoring offense in both conferences in the first 2 rounds. Way to check your facts. Not sure what that says about our d though…
Well, folks, I want to thank you for being here for the recording of my live comedy album. Funny material and laughter will be dubbed in later.
by ChicagoNativeSon on May 13, 2010 7:28 PM CDT up reply actions
Take out his numbers from game 4 and then look at his aggregate postseason numbers. Not too shabby, my friends. Also, go watch game 5 again.
..:Fear The Fin:..
The artist formerly known as cyoung
Though, one could argue that it’s valid to leave the game 4 numbers in, as the entire Sharks team pretty much took that night off.
..:Fear The Fin:..
The artist formerly known as cyoung
Pull out the bad games of any goalie
and they would all look like Vezina winners. There’s no guarantee Nabby won’t have another game 4 just like there’s no guarantee he will have another game 5.
by Katherine215 on May 13, 2010 5:35 PM CDT up reply actions
If you think you have a “gigantic” advantage in goal may I add to the list of Predators and Canucks fans who thought the same thing at the beginning then watched their own netminder fall all over themselves in losing the series.
Niemi isn’t as bad as everyone thinks he is. He may have replaced Osgood in this category of: “We can score on him easily” which then turns into “he’s pretty good” after your shaking his hand after he had just eliminated you.
2010 PLAYOFFS: ROUND 2 MVP
Jonathan Toews - 4 goals and 8 assists for 12 points in 6 games
- Hat-trick in Game 4, need I say more?
i like that analogy
obviously its only been two rounds, but apt so far
Doesn’t seem very moral to me. Might as well take Satan’s autograph while you’re at it. - N.C.
A stellar blueline makes even the most mediocre of netminders look great. That’s the difference betwixt Nabokov and Niemi. For the greater part of the regular season (yeah, the regular season goes out the window come playoffs, but I’ve already seen it cited here in this preview several times to make points), the Sharks bled shots on goal, whereas the Hawks were the antithesis of this. If you factor this in, it makes Niemi look that much more lackluster, and Nabokov that much better.
Just my $0.02.
..:Fear The Fin:..
The artist formerly known as cyoung
Kudos
on the proper formulation for two cents. We’re sticklers for math accuracy here!
teaching respect for the Indian, one Red Wing fan at a time.
the Sharks bled shots on goal, whereas the Hawks were the antithesis of this
Actually, I think the opposite is true.
First off, I love stats but I really really hate save percentage as a measure of goaltenders. The problem with save percentage is that it is based on “total shots” and not “quality shots” on goal. For save percentage to have any meaning the ratio of total shots to quality shots would need to be the same for every team. I don’t believe that to be true.
The truth is, I believe that the ratio of quality shots to total shots decreases when teams get more shots on net per game. I also think the opposite is true when teams get fewer shots on net.
Think about it, teams that are trying for the extra pass get less shots on net but when they do get a shot it is more often a better scoring chance. Teams like that might get less total scoring chances but their ratio of quality chances to total chances is higher.
Ever notice how teams that are winning puck possession are more willing to put the puck on net and teams that are losing the puck possession tend to try to make that extra pass?
For what it's worth
That stats stuff I did a little while back gave me a 43% correlation between shots and on-net percentage, i.e. getting it to the net (as opposed to missing or getting blocked).
I’m not sure how to interpret this, because high on-net% obviously means more shots get counted as being on net (and thus SOG)… so maybe the fact that the number isn’t higher confirms what you’re saying. But I’m not really sure.
I'm pretty sure what he's saying is pure handwaving.
There’s a significant difference between ratio of shots/chances and actual number of quality shots. I’m lazy right now and not going to look it up, but earlier in the season BehindTheNet did a look at this, a whole article with pretty T charts and stat analysis and everything. Conclusion? In general, yeah, you get a better shot/chance ratio when you take fewer shots. But (again, in general, we’re talking averages and stat analysis here) you SCORE MORE GOALS when you take more shots. It’s the difference between ratio and absolute outcome.
If I in my rec-league, shitty-knees self take two SOG all game and somehow score on both of them, my shot/chance ratio will be fantastic. But I’ll still lose to the actual athlete who take thirteen shots and scores on three of them. My ratio will be better, but I’ll be golfing.
I’m not entirely convinced that some of the stat associations hockey holds holy should be sacred (GAA as a goalie-evaluation metric, for instance), but in this case, I’m pretty sure that ‘more shots = good’ is (speaking in terms of averages) correct.
by spokeinthebandwagon on May 13, 2010 10:18 PM CDT up reply actions
Perhaps there is a mix of this
At times it is not a shot on goal that scores(first shot) but shot at net the generates the goal. Shots at the net, can directly lead to a goal, even though the shot may miss itself, at times this done intentionally to move players and the goalie.
But I would def. go with the more quality (screened, deflected, one-time) shots, the better your odds of winning. If one team takes 40 shots, 30 from the point unscreened, the goalie should stop all 30. Of the other ten based on SV% (adjusted) 2-3 should dent twine. Whereas a team that takes only 20 shots, but all a screened, deflection, or one-timers, based on the same SV% 4-6 are goals.
Get off my Land!
ART.I§8-11; AM I-XXVII
James Madison is my Hero!
by Toews-makes-funny-faces on May 13, 2010 10:28 PM CDT up reply actions
Word.
I mean, we know that the Hawks have practiced missing the net, in shots where Keith or Hammer fire it five feet wide in hopes of getting a redirect, or at least getting it way deep and letting the forwards at the goal spread out to the boards and generate a scoring chance by centering it off a board battle.
I’m not against quality, don’t get me wrong. And the Hawks’ record this year (what’s our W/L when we outshoot the opponent 45-17? Something stupid like 0-4? At any rate, we usually lose when we way outshoot opponents…) is a testament to the idea that shots alone isn’t the only thing that counts. I’m in complete agreement with your second paragraph. The circumstances are what matters. I mean, Lu stopped Sharpie’s pretty breakaway, which would have been a score if there was a god in this world, but he let in some dirty goals that probably should have been stops.
This is why they play the game. Because God only knows what the hell’s going to happen, and in a series this close, even He’s got to be betting on Lady Luck rather than a specific team. Here’s hoping the Hawks bring their hard hats, because I know they’ll need them.
by spokeinthebandwagon on May 13, 2010 10:49 PM CDT up reply actions
1-2-1, I think (I forget what that green dot was)
Depending on how you define “way outshoot,” of course:
Maybe this is something worth looking further at, but I have to wonder if sometimes a goalie standing on their head almost causes a team (or ours, at least) to start running up those shot totals.
Some of the stuff that’s been done at BtN (and elsewhere) shows that teams that are behind, especially in the 3rd period, tend take a lot more shots. So it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to say that a team that’s been frustrated will do the same, and by extension continue doing so when they get to the 3rd period and are behind.
In general, yeah, you get a better shot/chance ratio when you take fewer shots
That is my point exactly. Also teams that play on their "heals" tend to give up more shots and more quality shots but the ratio of shots to quality shots is lower.
Since people didn’t seem to understand my point lets use an example. Let’s say you have two goalies that have exactly the same ability. They will give up 1 goal for every 4 quality chances and don’t in this example give up non quality chance goals.
First team takes 40 shots on goal with 12 quality chances. Since the opposing goalie gives up 1 goal for every 4 quality chances, this team scores 3 goals.
The second team takes 20 shots on goal with 8 quality chances. The same 1 out 4 ratio here means they scored two goals.
The team that had more shots won the game which is why shooting more is a good idea.
Now remember both goalies had the exact same performance of goals given up to quality chances. However, the 40 shots against goalie has a save percentage of .930. The Goalie with 20 shots against had a save percentage of .900.
The difference between the two save percentages is the difference between the ratios of quality chances to total shots and NOT the difference between the two goalies.
Does that make sense?
Now here is the deal. In a typical game the difference between a save percentage of .910 and .900 or .920 is -/+ 3 non quality shots per game. The difference between a .910 and an .890 or .930 is -/+ 6 non quality shots per game.
All of this means that the error rate of this stat can encompass the entire range of its distribution. And that is why I don’t compare save percentages of goalies from different teams, especially in a small sample size like the playoffs. A .912 percentage from one team can actually be a worse performance than a .900 from another…
by DaleHalas on May 14, 2010 3:18 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
this was the most concise explanation of this i've read yet
and made your point perfectly clear. thank you.
by puppetmasterp on May 14, 2010 6:13 PM CDT up reply actions
I beg to differ
A stellar blueline makes even the most mediocre of netminders look great.
Try telling that to Cristobal Huet.
"You don't wanna show me nothin'. But you're tellin' me everything."
Huet definitely had some bad games
but he is still the same goalie who posted back to back shutouts and was the #1 star of the week in December, when the defense was really clicking. Niemi has also benefited from solid defense as well as suffered from poor defensive efforts.
by Katherine215 on May 14, 2010 11:31 AM CDT up reply actions
Didn't mean to be bashing on Huet at all.
In fact I was definitely a Huet supporter/defender when many were piling on him during the season. (Me & the wife even went out and bought Huet/#39
t-shirts at the height of the Huating to show our support.) So I feel bad if that’s the way my comment read.
The point I was trying to make (and didn’t do a good job of) was that you can’t say the goaltender looks good just because of having a good set of blueliners. Niemi (and Huet) didn’t win all the games they did just because they had good defense in front of them. They won them because they are good goaltenders that have shown they have the ability to win in the NHL in any given game. Even when the “D” doesn’t play so well in front of them.
"You don't wanna show me nothin'. But you're tellin' me everything."
Agreed!
We are on the same page. :)
And wow, that’s great you bought the shirts to show support. I wish I’d thought of it, but the players tend to get injured when I wear their gear so I’m starting to avoid it!
by Katherine215 on May 14, 2010 1:56 PM CDT up reply actions
Have you tried wearing anything for the opposing team?
Not that I am supporting injurig anyone, but you know just to do a little experiment to see if your theory is true.
I went to a fight the other night and a hockey game broke out.
- Rodney Dangerfield
I can't bring myself to wear non-Hawks stuff.
someone might think I was an actual fan of that team!
by Katherine215 on May 14, 2010 3:49 PM CDT up reply actions
I had thought of that too.
Don’t want to be associated with the enemy.
I went to a fight the other night and a hockey game broke out.
- Rodney Dangerfield
where it in your living room
no one but that dog of yours will be confused
(170 g) * (3x10^8 m/s)^2 = 1.5x10^16 J
it will scar him
to see his mom in enemy apparel.
by Katherine215 on May 14, 2010 5:34 PM CDT up reply actions
if we take out his game 4 numbers
can we drop one of Niemi’s Game 1?
it’s all going to come out in the wash.
Watch it with the jinxing!
Time for some thrillin' heroics!
Have we
talked about this yet?
Pretty good stuff on the emerging Hawk/shark rivalry.
Rock Over London
Rock on Chicago
Diet Pepsi
Uh-Huh!
Enlightening as to why they give a fuck about Campbell.
Also calling us out for BLOG WAR!
Rock Over London
Rock on Chicago
Diet Pepsi
Uh-Huh!
and then they're confused when we start commenting there
I don’t know that they thought that one through.
Watch it with the jinxing!
Time for some thrillin' heroics!
Was wondering about the Campbell thing...
Makes sense to be pissed. I wasn’t following things that close at the time, in fact had given the Hawks up for dead for several years until the old man passed.
Was checking out the Fear the Fin site and saw a couple Hawks fans had posted and then saw a few Shark fans bitching about it, can’t figure that out at all.
The tried to explain it,
but I’m still sort of in the dark. You had him for half a season. Your management took a gamble, knowing the risks, and lost. So… the player’s a fault? No! The asshole GM who made the trade decision is at fault! I still don’t understand booing the player.
by spokeinthebandwagon on May 13, 2010 10:19 PM CDT up reply actions
I just don't see it.
They are grasping for straws. Rivalries are built in the playoffs or divisional play. Unfortunately, we have neither. Also, the Sharks roster doesn’t have any toolbags (Bieksa, Burrows, Regehr, Rene Borque) other than the whiny bitch Heatley
I really don't see it as a rivalry yet either.
Could turn into one. Hasn’t yet. Most definitely forsee this as being an exciting series (hopefully in our favor).
I just like the idea. Throw a bunch of random reasons out there why theoretically this could be a rivalry, then get all bring it on style with “Oh it’s ON!”
And yes. Heatley = posterchild for toolbags of the universe
Rock Over London
Rock on Chicago
Diet Pepsi
Uh-Huh!
I think I saw a post over there saying something similar
They can’t find enough ‘Hawks to hate. No wonder they’re ripping on Kaner. We’ll probably have the same problem.
Probably this one. Booing Campbell is pretty lame, but I don’t think many Sharks fans actually really give a shit at this point. It’s kind of like company policy— you’ve been doing it for awhile now that you forget why you actually started in the first place.
"San Jose is where I want to be at the end of the day, and there's an opportunity now to make it there. It is where my heart is." - Jamie McGinn, 2/22/10
Fear The Fin: Where Selling Your Soul Is The Likely Solution
Why have the Canucks played so poorly in the playoffs these past two years?
I don’t think manySharks fansCanuck players actually really give a shit at this point. It’s kind of like company policy— you’ve been doing it for awhile now that you forget why you actually started in the first place.
by HungryHungryPanda on May 13, 2010 6:54 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I was actually just going to throw up a fanpost concerning this tomorrow
‘Reasons to Hate the Sharks.’ Granted, it’s half comedy and non hockey-related stuff, as I don’t find a whole lot to get worked up over, but it’s the playoffs, soooo, hate hate hate. Like Dave Chappelle Player Hater’s Ball style. "I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I don’t even know you, but I hate you. I hate your guts. I hope all the bad things in life happen to you and only to you. "
by Hjammer of the Gods on May 13, 2010 10:37 PM CDT up reply actions
Marian Hossa will never lose to Dany Heatley. Ever.
Sorry Sharks fans but this is where the train stops and you get off. Outsted in the Conference Finals is better than the 1st round right?
’Hawks in 6.
2010 PLAYOFFS: ROUND 2 MVP
Jonathan Toews - 4 goals and 8 assists for 12 points in 6 games
- Hat-trick in Game 4, need I say more?
Out of curiosity
how have your predictions been so far? I’m not keeping track, so..
Also, I’m kind of curious how TMFF’s predictions for the Van series turned out, but I’m too lazy to go check.
My Predictions have been spot on for the ‘Hawks as for the others….not so much with only Montreal, possibly, over Washington but nothing really major. Didn’t think les bleu-blanc-et rouge would get by Crosby and the Penguins, but hey, who did?
2010 PLAYOFFS: ROUND 2 MVP
Jonathan Toews - 4 goals and 8 assists for 12 points in 6 games
- Hat-trick in Game 4, need I say more?
Hawks61 was the main reason I was worried about game 6 in VAN
he’s been dead on since the last week of the season (could be longer).
Well, folks, I want to thank you for being here for the recording of my live comedy album. Funny material and laughter will be dubbed in later.
by ChicagoNativeSon on May 13, 2010 10:13 PM CDT up reply actions
Here is a preview just for you (Nobody else look)
I did not predict (I fear the Hockey Gods), my super number crunching back breaking eye popping spreadsheets did.
For Vancouver it Predicted
54.8% Hawks win = Check
Hawks in 6 Games = Check
No Shutouts = Check
Controlling Home ice = CHECK CHECK CHECK (hahahahaha VAN 0-3 at home!) Hawk miss
CHI GFA 3.16 = 3.83 actual = Off
CHI GAA 3.09 = 3.00 actual = Check
CHI wins 2/3 home game = 1/3 actual = Off
CHI wins 1/2 (first 2 road games) = 2/2 actual = Off
Predicted 1 OT game = 0 actual = Off
Hawks had a 0.113 chance of winning series with 1 Home win = Off
Hawks had a 0.937 chance of winning series with 3 Road wins = Check
If the Hawks lose game one, the odds of the Hawks winning the series drop to 0.403 = Off
Get off my Land!
ART.I§8-11; AM I-XXVII
James Madison is my Hero!
by Toews-makes-funny-faces on May 13, 2010 8:52 PM CDT up reply actions
Oh and Poll results too
How will the Series End?
0% Hawks win in 4, Luongo to stunned to respond 0 votes
4% Hawks win in 5, Kesler spent more time dealing with “cowards”, than playing. 2 votes
28% Hawks win in 6, Luongo tears up while while ripping up pictures of Kane! 12 votes
23% Hawks win in 7, Chicago area hospital are overwhelmed by heart attack victims, but all survive 10 votes
4% Canucks win series, Skyway is closed down as massive lines form of Hawk fans reportedly trying to" fly" off the span 2 votes
38% Why are you even asking this, and tempt pissing off the Hockey Gods? 16 votes
But instead of Kane it was probably Buff and Tazers pics Reboundo was shredding!
Get off my Land!
ART.I§8-11; AM I-XXVII
James Madison is my Hero!
by Toews-makes-funny-faces on May 13, 2010 8:57 PM CDT up reply actions
A revision of history
Anaheim ousted in the Conference Finals in 2006 came back the second year and won the Cup.
Detroit ousted in the Conference Finals in 2007 came back the second year and won the Cup.
Chicago ousted in the Conference Finals in 2009 came back the second year and ???
2010 PLAYOFFS: ROUND 2 MVP
Jonathan Toews - 4 goals and 8 assists for 12 points in 6 games
- Hat-trick in Game 4, need I say more?
these last two comments of yours
are making me nervous.
Watch it with the jinxing!
Time for some thrillin' heroics!
I'm especially nervous at the
4 straight Nabby shutouts I’m predicting.
Rock Over London
Rock on Chicago
Diet Pepsi
Uh-Huh!
if we take out game 4 his numbers are STELLAR!!!!!!!
hell, lets take out all of his games except game 5 against detroit!
Watch it with the jinxing!
Time for some thrillin' heroics!
I saw that
I’m no expert but I don’t think stats work that way…you are what you are.
"Your eyes can decieve you. Don't trust them." Obi-Wan Kenobi, the first sabermetrician...
by Curtain Jerker on May 13, 2010 6:27 PM CDT up reply actions
Fair enough – though while we’re being blunt, Niemi’s a pretty mediocre netminder that’s had a brilliant defensive corps limiting quality shots and scoring chances for most of the season. Two can play that game.
..:Fear The Fin:..
The artist formerly known as cyoung
I don't disagree
Look at Luongo during the Olympics. If you have a great blueline and several great two-way forwards, an average goalie can win a trophy.
As long as Niemi doesn’t throw up all over himself (hereafter called “pulling a LeBron”) too often he’ll be fine. Average is good enough.
"Your eyes can decieve you. Don't trust them." Obi-Wan Kenobi, the first sabermetrician...
by Curtain Jerker on May 13, 2010 6:56 PM CDT up reply actions
.
Time to play the game!
"San Jose is where I want to be at the end of the day, and there's an opportunity now to make it there. It is where my heart is." - Jamie McGinn, 2/22/10
Fear The Fin: Where Selling Your Soul Is The Likely Solution
NICE!
If my username didn’t tell you, I’m a big wrestling fan, so anything that is related to wrestling I love. Go Motorhead!!
"Your eyes can decieve you. Don't trust them." Obi-Wan Kenobi, the first sabermetrician...
by Curtain Jerker on May 13, 2010 6:58 PM CDT up reply actions
Niemi’s a pretty mediocre netminder that’s had a brilliant defensive corps limiting quality shots and scoring chances for most of the season.
Where have I seen these quotes before? Oh yeah, from OtF and NM in the first 2 rounds. Enjoy eating those words.
2010 PLAYOFFS: ROUND 2 MVP
Jonathan Toews - 4 goals and 8 assists for 12 points in 6 games
- Hat-trick in Game 4, need I say more?
The great Goalie debates continue
Wins are all that matter and Niemi and Bananov have 8 each. First one to 12 wins.
Chewing gum?
"Alex didn't cause Campbell's injury, the boards did."
Niemi doesn't have to be a superstar
he fits great in the style of play the Hawks have, really limiting the SOG of their opponents.
I’ll be curious to see if your opinion of Niemi’s “mediocrity” changes at all this series.
Watch it with the jinxing!
Time for some thrillin' heroics!
Exactly.
His ability to stay focused despite the lack of shots makes him more valuable to the Hawks.
That being said, he seems to do better for the rest of the game when he sees a few more in the 1st.
by pointmesouth on May 13, 2010 7:14 PM CDT up reply actions
reminds me of a certain SCUM formula that seemed to win some cups?
by jamesbhawk74 on May 13, 2010 9:47 PM CDT up reply actions
Hi all.
Sharks fan here. Looking forward to a great series blah blah blah blah blah.
I’m really just making this comment so I could mark SCH as “Favorite” so I could get some Chicago perspective…
Perspective?
You mean like we think the Hawks will beat the Sharks? Toews is the best? Kane will rip Nabby’s heart out? Seabrook is a beast? Niemi is our goalie and we are fine with that?
Is that what you were looking for?
Chewing gum?
"Alex didn't cause Campbell's injury, the boards did."
Hi! Welcome!
Ignore the assholes, enjoy the trolls, drink lots, be merry. Welcome to the AA meeting the never ends! We’re generally fun, and we only bite when you ask for it (hoo, kinky).
by spokeinthebandwagon on May 13, 2010 10:23 PM CDT up reply actions
I resemble that remark
Look up the asshole song by Jimmy Buffet. It’s a classic.
Chewing gum?
"Alex didn't cause Campbell's injury, the boards did."
I really think all the talk here and on FTF about stats is crap
Especially playoff stats. The Sharks have not played a team like the Hawks, and the Hawks have not played a team like the Sharks.
Whatever each team did stat wise is out the window. What matters is how they played the games, and more importantly adjusted. Both teams did very well, and both teams laid a couple of eggs.
The Hawks D is going to be facing more depth coming at them than vs VAN and NSH, while the Hawks Off will see less D from the Sharks as vs NSH, but more than VAN.
The Sharks will be seeing a holy shit ton more depth coming at them than COL a or DET could muster, and a stronger top 2 D Pairings than COL or DET.
Niemi and Nabby both are going to be seeing more higher quality setup and shots than either has regularly seen. This by far is the toughest series to read as who is going to win or dominate. It can easily be argued 4-7 game wins for either side!
Get off my Land!
ART.I§8-11; AM I-XXVII
James Madison is my Hero!
by Toews-makes-funny-faces on May 13, 2010 7:59 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
"Especially playoff stats. The Sharks have not played a team like the Hawks, and the Hawks have not played a team like the Sharks."
couldn’t agree more. Case in point, the PP seems to have picked up in the 2nd series, but is that a case of our PP getting better or Vancouver’s PK just being flat out crappy? Hell, they made the Kings’ PP look worlds better than it was during the regular season. What’ll our PP look like against the Sharks? They’re the only team that the Hawks couldn’t score a PPG on during the regular season. Etc etc.
But when it was suggested to him that Toews v. Kane seems likely to become a sidebar to every future international hockey tournament, he smiled and said: "I'd like us to win something together, too."
(Tweets @ChiBlackhawks and blogs at Blackhawks Down Low.)
by chiblackhawks on May 13, 2010 8:32 PM CDT up reply actions
hey Chi
I just finished a fanpost, can you see if the video is working on it?
Hossa's Attorney says:
TAKE OFF THOSE CLOWN SHOES OR I WILL SHOOT THIS DOG!
by BigCSouthside on May 13, 2010 8:41 PM CDT up reply actions
nvm i think its working now
fucking internets, trying to outsmart me. thanks for the pointers earlier
Hossa's Attorney says:
TAKE OFF THOSE CLOWN SHOES OR I WILL SHOOT THIS DOG!
by BigCSouthside on May 13, 2010 8:48 PM CDT up reply actions
no problem
glad I could help.
But when it was suggested to him that Toews v. Kane seems likely to become a sidebar to every future international hockey tournament, he smiled and said: "I'd like us to win something together, too."
(Tweets @ChiBlackhawks and blogs at Blackhawks Down Low.)
by chiblackhawks on May 13, 2010 10:58 PM CDT up reply actions
perfect
I thought you were taking some time off?
A few hours is fine with me.
Chewing gum?
"Alex didn't cause Campbell's injury, the boards did."
As I mentioned (when brought up on FTF)
This is not a GDT, when I remove my brain, and hide it!
But FUCK this is the Hawks too! It is like crack, you just can’t walk away from it, no matter how much you want too!
Get off my Land!
ART.I§8-11; AM I-XXVII
James Madison is my Hero!
by Toews-makes-funny-faces on May 13, 2010 8:54 PM CDT up reply actions
But then,
we have more time to plan the cupcake bake-off!
/Note unceasing sarcastic laughter in background.
by burpchelischili on May 13, 2010 10:24 PM CDT up reply actions
I think of that thread every time I see shinkicker's avatar
I went to a fight the other night and a hockey game broke out.
- Rodney Dangerfield
Me too,
yummies in the summer!
/Note unceasing sarcastic laughter in background.
by burpchelischili on May 13, 2010 10:26 PM CDT up reply actions
I'm over cupcakes
and all about the pancakes now.
But when it was suggested to him that Toews v. Kane seems likely to become a sidebar to every future international hockey tournament, he smiled and said: "I'd like us to win something together, too."
(Tweets @ChiBlackhawks and blogs at Blackhawks Down Low.)
by chiblackhawks on May 13, 2010 11:01 PM CDT up reply actions
that looks like way too much work for breakfast
the bee and the turtle were really cute though
I went to a fight the other night and a hockey game broke out.
- Rodney Dangerfield
Jim's got too much time on his hands
but you know I’m on it!
Thanks Chi! You been busy at work or something?
Well, folks, I want to thank you for being here for the recording of my live comedy album. Funny material and laughter will be dubbed in later.
by ChicagoNativeSon on May 14, 2010 12:19 AM CDT up reply actions
i'm making those cupcakes my summer project
or post-move-when-i-may-have-a-better-kitchen project.
a little bit, yeah. Things are picking up a lot around here, which is good, but which also means I sometimes don’t get to check SCH til after I get home.
But when it was suggested to him that Toews v. Kane seems likely to become a sidebar to every future international hockey tournament, he smiled and said: "I'd like us to win something together, too."
(Tweets @ChiBlackhawks and blogs at Blackhawks Down Low.)
by chiblackhawks on May 14, 2010 12:32 PM CDT up reply actions
It just struck me
while looking at your avatar while reading this post.
If the boys go far enough in the playoffs that crest is gonna be rockin a
Z Z Top beard by the time this thing is over!
"You don't wanna show me nothin'. But you're tellin' me everything."
Chi's gonna have to start growing the neck beard
Well, folks, I want to thank you for being here for the recording of my live comedy album. Funny material and laughter will be dubbed in later.
by ChicagoNativeSon on May 14, 2010 2:28 PM CDT up reply actions
Yeah, I don't like comparing playoff stats
I realize that playoffs and regular season are different, but not as different as Preds-Nucks and Avs-Wings are. Plus the sample size is just tiny, I don’t think you can make any conclusions worth standing by.
In the playoffs, it’s the outliers that get a chance to shine. See: Halak, Jaroslav.
Hmmm. Part of me thinks you have a point, but I go back and forth on this one.
On the one hand, a series against Van or NSH clearly isn’t a series against the Sharks. Different teams, different strokes (to make a Jaws or swimming pun). And these teams haven’t played each other recently; we finished the regular season series early, so the team we’ll play now and the team we played then is probably not the same (though it is the same people, so similar).
But. But but but butbutbut. There’s a REASON we look to numbers to explain things. There’s a reason that we think Dunc’s much-better +/- and much better win record makes him a better defenseman than, say, Alex Burrows (to take an example from the last series). The numbers DO tell us things. The past, to some extent, does in fact predict the future. Not in a causative way, certainly, but in enough of a corrolative way that we base millions of dollars of salary each summer on the prospect that past performance is a good enough predictive mechanism that we should pay for it. There’s a reason we paid for Hossa instead of ‘Joe Blog from the ECHL’. It’s because Hossa is a better player. How do we know? We look to his past.
Don’t write off the regular season too quickly.Yes, the Sharks have had problems with the Hawks, and Nabby isn’t invincible if you handle him correctly.
Don’t write off the previous post-season too soon. Yes, the Hawks have been feast-or-famine. Yes, our goalie is a rookie (albeit one who’s given us mostly reasons to be pleased with in his first two series). Yes, there are questions. Yes, to this point, this scrappy, gutsy team - too young to know that they’re breaking the rules, too talented to care- hasn’t failed us this season.
It’s an even match-up, in my view. Things to celebrate, things to fear on both sides. Playoff hockey, people. Treasure it, or GTFO the bandwagon (yes, ironic considering my username. I know. I’ll bite it.)
by spokeinthebandwagon on May 13, 2010 10:37 PM CDT up reply actions 4 recs
Absolutely a great point
Even though I agree 100% with what you’re saying about stats, I’m kind of with TMFF on this one, in the sense that it’s really tough to draw conclusions from series to series. For instance, we moved Buff from D to wing, and the styles of play for the two teams we’ve played are so different — that it’s hard to isolate the factors that would still be relevant for round 3.
Of course, it’s not impossible. And it shouldn’t stop anyone from trying… but it’s just something to keep in mind.
rec'd
You were spot on through the entire post. Yes, it’s the post-season, and the teams we face now MAY NOT be the same team we faced in the regular season. However, you can not forget about past match-ups. It can truly go either way. Each team must be wary of past encounters but, they must have confidence in how they are playing now. The latter is much more important. You got this far playing how you have. Yes, they should have a plan on how they play the Sharks. It should be based on their last encounters AND it should include their more recent play. Take what and who has worked best recently, and mix it with what worked before. That is the key to winning this series.
by Coz_Bulls_Fan on May 13, 2010 11:47 PM CDT up reply actions
I am having, well had, a tough time trying to figure the right balance
for my next Numbers post (hopefully tomorrow). I did end up using Playoff and Reg Season stats, but weighed to the whole to at least factor in. As well as weighing Home Ice 5:3 over road (Though this is contrary to the Hawks VAN, not as the playoffs as a whole).
Get off my Land!
ART.I§8-11; AM I-XXVII
James Madison is my Hero!
by Toews-makes-funny-faces on May 13, 2010 9:21 PM CDT reply actions
Reply Fail
Get off my Land!
ART.I§8-11; AM I-XXVII
James Madison is my Hero!
by Toews-makes-funny-faces on May 13, 2010 9:22 PM CDT up reply actions
so the right balance isn't your only problem today :)
I went to a fight the other night and a hockey game broke out.
- Rodney Dangerfield
Love you too ;)
Get off my Land!
ART.I§8-11; AM I-XXVII
James Madison is my Hero!
by Toews-makes-funny-faces on May 13, 2010 9:24 PM CDT up reply actions
ESPN has a podcast interview with Nabby
he was asked what he thought Niemi’s strengths were and his first response was “Well he’s Finnish” and then laughed. That made my day.
I went to a fight the other night and a hockey game broke out.
- Rodney Dangerfield
The thing that's nice about Nabby
From a shark’s perspective is that he gets his shitty game out all at once. That is, he’s really bad, but he doesn’t do the “I sort of suck just enough to lose the game for you guys, when you deserved to win, but not bad enough for it to be a blowout.”
Anyway, Niemi’s awesome (my regular season fantasy team might make me biased, but so does being a Sharks fan) so this should be interesting.
Niemi best attribute...
has to be his attitude. Some people say it’s a flaw for him. I would disagree completely. If you look at the regular season, and the post-season up till now…when he shit the bed, he came back with a really strong performance. His shit-the-bed games have been few and far between up till now. He admits his mistakes, and takes responsibility for a loss. Considering he is a rookie, and he is still developing his skills, we have a lot to look forward to. You want a goalie with nerves of steel. You want a goalie that will forget a bad game and come back and straight out dominate.
That said…
The Blackhawk mindset this season is they just need a goalie who is good enough. That is true but, Niemi was never given a chance through the beginning of the season to show what he could do. It took Huet completely losing it for us to go to him. Now that we have, things are looking good. Anti-goal has the attitude that I would want as a #1. Attitude is extremely important as a goalie for a team that is playoff bound.
by Coz_Bulls_Fan on May 13, 2010 11:55 PM CDT up reply actions
i think his work ethic is a major plus too
a bunch of the reporters and bloggers have mentioned the extra time he puts in to fix specific problems. Just look at the way he got the rebound thing under control when he had to.
by WhatWouldBurishDo on May 14, 2010 3:01 AM CDT up reply actions
That's a huge development
in what seems to me to be a short amount of time… it seems like he has to call on his amazing reflexes/athleticism a lot less now that the 2nd and 3rd chances are of lower quality (or don’t even happen in the first place!)
I am very happy with Niemi, and he does seem to bounce back really well.
I love Huet’s attituds too, based on the fact that when he shits the bed in a game his postgame interview is the opposite of the Luongo School of Blame. Plus, he always looks genuinely happy when Nemo does well. If only he had a semblance of confidence…where is the wizard of oz when you need him?
Off-topic: listening to ESPN 1000
Hawks are taking a day off, going to visit Alcatraz. Jesse Rogers asked John Madden which Hawk he’d leave behind, and Madden basically said Sharp because he’s the prettiest and therefore they can (I guess he thinks Alcatraz is still in use) leave the prisoners, um, someone to drop their soap around.
This team is so wrong sometimes.
But when it was suggested to him that Toews v. Kane seems likely to become a sidebar to every future international hockey tournament, he smiled and said: "I'd like us to win something together, too."
(Tweets @ChiBlackhawks and blogs at Blackhawks Down Low.)
oh, that is great!
it’s like something you’d read here!
by Katherine215 on May 14, 2010 1:57 PM CDT up reply actions
glad i'm not the only one who thinks LOLuango looks like Borat
“his her vagine hang like wizard’s sleeve”
Don't Toews Me Bro!!
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- Shinnimin scores twice and adds assist as Americans beat Chiefs 5-3
- Reid with three goals and an assist as Winterhawks beat Thunderbirds 7-2
- Willick scores twice, including winner, as the Blazers beat the Rockets 3-2
- Simpson 41 saves, earning the game`s first star, as Silvertips beat Giants 4-2
- Tulupov's first lifts Oklahoma City Barons to 2-1 win over Abbotsford Heat
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