A lot has transpired since I last dropped in so let’s get to it. Absolutely incredible Game 1 on Saturday. Buff-Toews-Kane a combined -9, Pronger posting over 32 minutes of ice time, 11 goals, no Flyer penalties, etc. But no matter how crazy the storyline we are beginning to see one thing remain pretty constant: the Hawks coming out victorious. Brouwer and Kopecky (two guys who were battling for the same spot in the previous 3 series) got the job done along with added contributions from Versteeg, Sharp, and Bolland. The pace of the game was so ridiculous that there wasn’t even time for any of the underlying questions to be answered. Can Pronger stop Buff? I don’t know. Is Toews better than Richards? I don’t know. Is Leighton better than NIemi? I don’t know. Game 1 was such a roller coaster ride that little analysis can be made of what patterns are beginning to set in as we head towards Game 2 tonight.
My advice? Buckle your seat belt and prepare for anything. The awesome thing about this series is that whether you’re me typing for a relatively unknown blog or John Buccigross writing for ESPN.com, no one really has any idea what’s going to transpire in this series. Leighton could make 75 saves tonight in a Flyers victory or Troy Brouwer could score 7 goals en route to a Hawks victory. Neither is expected, but neither would come as a complete surprise. The Hawks and Flyers are so alike that they have created the absolute perfect series for the NHL. It’s like turning on Madden 10 for XBOX and simulating the Bears vs. Bears for 7 games. No one can predict the outcome or know what to expect. They simply have to tune in and see what stories and situations arise from game to game. The same can be said of this Stanley Cup Finals matchup. No one can sit down and write keys to this series that will hold true for all 4-7 games played. Each game is its own unique event and what is crucial to victory one night (Hawks secondary scorers netting 6 goals) could be a non-factor the next night (Maybe the BTK line scores 6 goals tonight).
Even with this being considered I am still going to try and take a shot at predicting tonight’s matchup. Let’s start with the BTK line. -9 and 0 points is not what we expect from our first line and I don’t believe it is what we will get tonight. With the pace expected to slow down and the Hawks hopefully receiving a couple man advantages, I think Kane , Toews, and Buff will definitely find themselves on the score sheet when this one ends.
Also as a result of a more controlled pace, I expect a lot of tempers to flare up in tonight’s matchup. There is a lot of personality on both of these rosters and unfortunately for the fans the pace of Game 1 was just too fast for any of them to clash. With the action being a little slower tonight look for Eager and Burish to mix it up with Asham, Betts, Carcillo (if he dresses), etc.
In my first article directed towards the Stanley Cup I blogged about how Hossa and Kane will shine in the Finals. I thought Hossa played great on Saturday. I could have scored two goals if Hossa was setting me up the way he did Troy Brouwer. I look for him to continue to elevate his game and break through with a multi-goal performance sometime soon. As for Kane, I think his performance was sub-par for what we’ve grown to expect from him. Look for Kaner to bounce back with a gutsy effort tonight. He too will benefit from a slower pace because it will give him more time to dissect the defense.
I better start writing here more often because it’s way too difficult to formulate my thoughts after these 5 day hiatuses. Enjoy Game 2 tonight and check back later this week for more Hawk talk here at The Manchise.
0 comments:
Post a Comment