Vancouver V. Chicago Discussion Thread

[tyler]

[tyler]

OH and this is to you leaf fans who are gonna say something ... you can call this "in advance" ... carry on ....

[MSP4LYFE]

[bills09]

[bills09]

[bills09]

[bills09]

[Tony]

But but ... Ro8erto 7uongo is the best goalie EVER!!!1!

[tyler]

haha

[MSP4LYFE]

What do the defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins and Vancouver Canucks have in common?

Nothing


What do you call a Canuck with a Stanley Cup Ring?

A thief


What do the Vancouver Canucks and possums have in common?

Both play dead at home and get killed on the road.


How do Canuck fans spell dynasty?

None


Why won't they give Kelowna a professional Hockey team?

Because then Vancouver will want one too.

[MSP4LYFE]

haha

Meh, we got Kessel out of it.

[Mike]

creepy

[jcarton]

creepy

nice one, Chicago just has to much talent, San Jose and Chicago should be a good series to watch

[Shoalzie]

When the Hawks want to put it down in a game, they're hard to beat. If they can play with some consistency, I see them as the favorite in this series. When they lose games, they can look completely outmatched. The Sharks narrowly beat the Wings playing at less than a top level. We'll see if the Hawks' B-game or C-game will get them a win or two in this series or will they be easy wins for the Sharks. It really rests on how Niemi plays. The other angle is the Hawks being able to win 3 road games in the previous series...like the Wings...can they win in The Tank?

I like the Blackhawks in 6 games...the only time I can use the phrase "I like the Blackhawks" without throwing up.

[MSP4LYFE]

This is a very tough one to call, both teams are firing on all cylinders, and have an exorbant amount of talent to boot. In my eyes this series is the Sharks to lose, they can match the depth and top end talent of Chicago, and then some. They are built for series like these, with big and quick players that will wear down a defence over the course of 5 or more games. Not to mention a legitimate second line that can run and gun with the best of them, and provide primary scoring in the event that the top line is shutdown for a prolonged period. Conversely, the Blackhawks are reliant on Patrick Kane and Jonathon Toews to lead the charge offensively. If the Sharks can neutralize the Blackhawks top unit they should come away with the win, the Blackhawks simply don't have the firepower up front to gun with SJS, nor do they have the goaltending to play a tight defensive system. However they do possess a youthful exuberance and hunger that can never be understated.

Prediction: SJS in 6

P.S. FUCK YOU CROSBY

[Shoalzie]

This is a very tough one to call, both teams are firing on all cylinders, and have an exorbant amount of talent to boot. In my eyes this series is the Sharks to lose, they can match the depth and top end talent of Chicago, and then some. They are built for series like these, with big and quick players that will wear down a defence over the course of 5 or more games. Not to mention a legitimate second line that can run and gun with the best of them, and provide primary scoring in the event that the top line is shutdown for a prolonged period. Conversely, the Blackhawks are reliant on Patrick Kane and Jonathon Toews to lead the charge offensively. If the Sharks can neutralize the Blackhawks top unit they should come away with the win, the Blackhawks simply don't have the firepower up front to gun with SJS, nor do they have the goaltending to play a tight defensive system. However they do possess a youthful exuberance and hunger that can never be understated.

Prediction: SJS in 6

P.S. FUCK YOU CROSBY

The Thornton line didn't put up gaudy numbers in the Wings' series but what they did was deliver at the right time. Timely scoring is about as big as balanced scoring. Yeah, you can have guys that can score goals, but can you score when you need goals? (see Washington).

Both teams have clutch guys and but I think the Sharks drop off in scoring depth once you get past the top two lines. The Hawks get multiple goals out of Kopecky, Bolland and Versteeg...while the Sharks have gotten some boost from Couture but just a single goal out of guys like Helminen, Nichol and Malhotra. Having that combo of depth and clutch scoring is so big at this time of year. If you have just one line that does it all, the opposition can shut that line down or keep in check over the course of series. That's where those secondary and tertiary guys come in pay huge dividends. The Hawks are getting strong production out of Byfuglien and Sharp, while the Sharks are getting not nearly as much from Heatley and Clowe.

There's so much talk about how much but the Sharks are built for the postseason with guys like Malhotra and Nichol. I think if the Sharks can get scoring from those guys as well as getting solid contribution from Couture, I think they'll be able to hang with the Hawks if this series resembles the run-and-gun style it took on against Vancouver. I think the beefier (and healthier) Sharks defense have to take away real estate and neutralize the Hawks speed and puck-carrying ability. They have to serve as filter in front of Nabokov and not allow him to be a sitting duck like the Canucks did for Luongo. The best goalie in the world isn't going to be able stop pucks when guys are right on top of them and aren't facing a lot of resistence.

I think the Hawks are the more complete team and the much quicker and younger team as well. We'll see either the Sharks take away time and space and frustrate the young Hawks or the young Hawks legs will tire out the veteran Sharks over the course of the series. I think we'll see what matchup wins out as we get later in the series. Youth and energy usually wins out in the end...the Penguins were living proof of that last year in Game 7.

[MSP4LYFE]

The Sharks are hardly a slow and old team...The core of the team is young or in their prime (Marleau, Thornton, Boyle, Pavelski, Setoguchi, Couture, Clowe, Vlasic). Aside from Kane and Toews, both teams are similarly aged. The Blackhawks might have a slight speed advantage, but it will almost certainly be nullified by the similarly agile and BIG Shark attack. As I mentioned above the pressure that will be placed onto the Sharks defence by Thornton, Clowe, Marleau, Nichol, Malholtra, Heatley and Pavelski will have it's effect over the course of the series. Those players all have size and speed, it's almost impossible to stop them when they are on.

You mentioned secondary and tertiary scoring for the Hawks, but in reality it has been the secondary scoring for the Sharks, not the Hawks that have carried them through the playoffs. For a majority of the first series against Colorado it was the Malholtra and Pavelski line doing all the damage, it was not until recently that the Sharks top line has come to the forefront of the Sharks offense, a major reason is because no team can key in on one particulaur line. The other two will burn them. Conversely, the Blackhawks are almost completely reliant on the offensive production of Toews, Hossa and Kane. There are others that can chip in, but none that can do so as consistently as the Sharks secondary scorers. Byfuglien is a glorified third liner who gets hot against the Nucks and then disapears, Ladd and Brouwer are much the same, minus the hot streak against the Nucks. Sharp is a good secondary scorer, but not enough to match the Sharks, second unit of Clowe-Pavelski-Setoguchi.

[bills09]

The Sharks are hardly a slow and old team...The core of the team is young or in their prime (Marleau, Thornton, Boyle, Pavelski, Setoguchi, Couture, Clowe, Vlasic). Aside from Kane and Toews, both teams are similarly aged. The Blackhawks might have a slight speed advantage, but it will almost certainly be nullified by the similarly agile and BIG Shark attack. As I mentioned above the pressure that will be placed onto the Sharks defence by Thornton, Clowe, Marleau, Nichol, Malholtra, Heatley and Pavelski will have it's effect over the course of the series. Those players all have size and speed, it's almost impossible to stop them when they are on.

You mentioned secondary and tertiary scoring for the Hawks, but in reality it has been the secondary scoring for the Sharks, not the Hawks that have carried them through the playoffs. For a majority of the first series against Colorado it was the Malholtra and Pavelski line doing all the damage, it was not until recently that the Sharks top line has come to the forefront of the Sharks offense, a major reason is because no team can key in on one particulaur line. The other two will burn them. Conversely, the Blackhawks are almost completely reliant on the offensive production of Toews, Hossa and Kane. There are others that can chip in, but none that can do so as consistently as the Sharks secondary scorers. Byfuglien is a glorified third liner who gets hot against the Nucks and then disapears, Ladd and Brouwer are much the same, minus the hot streak against the Nucks. Sharp is a good secondary scorer, but not enough to match the Sharks, second unit of Clowe-Pavelski-Setoguchi.

Dont forget Patty Sharp and Buffy the Luongo Slayer