Stanley Cup Finals 2016, Game 2 Aftermath

The San Jose Sharks were even closer this time. They didn't fall behind 2-0. They didn't give up a late goal (It was San Jose that got that in the second contest). The Pittsburgh Penguins scored only two goals. The game was tied after sixty minutes. The Pens only got 30 SOG in nearly 63 minutes of action.

But at the end of the day, it's the Sharks heading home down 2-0. They've lost both games by a single goal despite being tied with less than three minutes to go in each contest in Pittsburgh. That's one way to look at it.

However, there's the other way. Based on everything I've seen, San Jose is being outplayed. Their goalie has been their best player in the first two games and is 0-2 despite a .930 S% (66 of 71 SOG turned aside). Martin Jones has been like Indiana Jones.

No one is really sticking out like a sore thumb for Pittsburgh, statistically. Even their goalie, Matt Murray (Whose S% is only slightly better, for all his heroics, than Jones. .938). Sid Crosby, I admit, is getting the better of Joe Thornton. I wonder if that incident last night is indicative of both teams' mindset. In case you missed it, Sid was holding Joe along the boards. Joe smacked his helmet off. Then a cross check for good measure. No penalty was called on the play (On three were called the entire game, which was fairly clean). The fact that Crosby didn't react speaks volumes of his maturity. He's used to getting this. He'll gladly exchange it for the win.

So, what do the Sharks do? They actually out-shot the Penguins in the third period, 9-6, and even in overtime, 2-1. However, the final tally was still 30-22 for Pittsburgh. That might be the first thing they need to change. More shots at Matt Murray. More bodies to the net.

I think the big problem had been the San Jose starts to the game. I watched the first period, which ended 0-0 despite Pittsburgh having a 11-6 advantage in shots on goal. Of those 11, about six or seven were good scoring opportunities. San Jose had done well to get out of the first period scoreless.

But that wasn't enough there. It will also not be enough at home.

I'm a big believer in the first goal being important. Sometimes, it even ends up being the more important goal of the game (Think back to the Conference Finals game six, what if that first goal by the Lightning had counted?) The Pens have the first goal (The first two, actually in game one. Don't kid yourselves to believe the Sharks are coming back from down 2-0 in game three. Not happening) in the first two games. And have, of course, two wins. San Jose is playing at home in game three, with today (June 2nd) being an off-day. A chance, says the panel at TSN, to regroup.

Can the Sharks slow the Pens down? That, too, is something they must figure out. Pittsburgh is, through two games, skating rings around San Jose. Having to rely on Jones isn't the way. Martin was screened on the overtime winner by Conor Sheary, so you can't even blame him there. The team in front isn't getting it done. Jones might be able to steal a game or two, especially at home. But if the Sharks continue to come out flat, that's all they'll win: A game or two!


References

"If You're Not Cheating, Your Not Trying." TSN. The Sports Network, 02 June 2016. Web. 02 June 2016.<http://www.tsn.ca/video/nhl/if-you-re-not-cheating-you-re-not-trying~882885>.

Roarke P. "San Jose Sharks at Pittsburgh Penguins - June 1st, 2016." NHL.com. National Hockey League, 02 June 2016. Web. 02 June 2016. <https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/sjs-vs-pit/2016/06/01/2015030412#game=2015030412,game_state=final>.

Sports Reference LLC. "2016 Stanley Cup Final: Pittsburgh Penguins vs. San Jose Sharks | Hockey-Referenece.com." Hockey-Reference.com - Hockey Statistics and History. Web. 02 June 2016. http://www.hockey-reference.com/playoffs/2016-pittsburgh-penguins-vs-san-jose-sharks-stanley-cup-final.html. 

Stanley Cup Finals 2016: Observations!

So one game is in the books, and it was good. 3-2 for Pittsburgh over San Jose. There is a bit of irony in that the Sharks came into the league in 1991/92 and the Penguins won the Stanley Cup that year. 25 years later, it's San Jose trying to stop them from winning another. And San Jose is themselves trying to win it all for the first time in their quarter-century history.

First of is the status of Bryan Rust. He missed today's practice, and optional one. He left the game after taking a hit, returning only for one shift. Rust then left the game for good. It is not known whether he can play in the second contest.

The second game is important for San Jose. Dropping the first game is no big deal in a best-of-seven affair. The Pens again displayed their speed, but the Sharks were right with them, battling back from 2-0 down to tie it. Pittsburgh won it on Nick Bonino's tally with less than three minutes to play.

I thought both goalies played well. Martin Jones, though, really made some eye-popping ones. Matt Murray made some big saves with the game on the line, and Pittsburgh was forced to kill off a six on four situation late in the third period. San Jose didn't go away quietly.

If I were to fault San Jose, it would be for some undisciplined penalties. The team had tied it in the second, only to take a penalty just forty seconds later. While Pittsburgh didn't score on it, San Jose lost some momentum from their game with that.

What the Sharks need to do is find a way to slow the Pens down in the crucial second game. Perhaps if Rust is unavailable that will make the task easier.

How about the two other goalies? Weren't both Marc-Andre Fleury and James Reimer once starters? I'm not sure if either of them will make any appearances (Save in lost causes) in the finals, given what we've seen from both Martin and Murray. Gotta be a little hard on them to be just riding the pine, when they could very well be in their in the thick of it. Another side-story.

In any event  the first finals game of the Stanley Cup in 2016 was a classic, one-goal games. But to be fair, I expect a lot more from Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in the second game. It's time for the big guns to raise their game!

Fleury and Reimer: Have You Seen These Missing Goalies?

Marc-Andre Fleury and James Reimer are two goalies in the same situation in the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs. And, of course, their stats are identical. What brought them to there is quite a different story.

Now, to get it out of the way fast, Reimer isn't the goalie Fleury is. Fleury, of course, helped the Pittsburgh Penguins win the Stanley Cup back in 2009, and make it all the way to the finals the previous year. Although the next few years were a struggle in the playoffs for Marc, he has shown life in the playoffs. Many were hoping that this was the year he regained his form in the playoffs. Although the Pens lost in the second round in 2014 and the first round last season, Marc's play was very good. Healthy, it was thought that he could contribute.

But Marc suffered two concussions this season, the second of which occurred on March 31st, late in the season. It was a shame. He'd won 35 of 58 games (All of them starts), and was in the top ten in save percentage (,921). Actually, that tied his career high. Pittsburgh roared into the playoffs after a bad start, and seemed poised for a deep run. Fleury went down, the Pens tried two goalies in their first round series vs. the Rangers.

Rather than lose it, it was Pittsburgh winning in five (and exact reverse of last season's result, and a repeat of the 2008 Conference Finals). The Pens settled on Matt Murray, rather than the experienced Jeff Zakoff. The move proved to be wise. Although Fleury was back on the bench in the second round series vs. Washington, he never got into any games. This series was excellent, with both Murray and Bradon Holtby providing some real top-notch goaltending. The Pens managed to hold the fort and prevail in six, despite blowing a 3-0 lead at home in the final contest.

The Eastern Conference Finals saw Murray in net against the Tampa Bay Lightning. At Pittsburgh proceeded to lose 3-1. Murray gave up the three goals on 20 shots. But it all likelihood, it will be Murray again in the second contest. Fleury has yet to appear in a single playoff game this postseason. And the Pens have played 12 games so far.

James Reimer is a different story. He hasn't had the stellar career yet that Fleury has. His one venture into the postseason ended with a heartbreaking game seven loss to Boston in 2013. Back then, he was a Toronto Maple Leaf. And he was still there when this season started. But he wasn't the #1 guy.

The Leafs go off to a sluggish start. But then something interesting happened. Toronto, who'd changed coaches in the offseason, started playing him. And he, if nothing else, kept the Leafs in many-a-game. With Toronto's other netminder, Jonathan Bernier struggling, the Leafs actually called up another goalie, Garrett Sparks to play. Garrett was too green to be the main man in the Toronto net.

Reimer played. He got hurt. He came back. He persevered. The Leafs were about a .500 team at the midway point of the season, and James looked like he'd won the job back that had been his back in 2013.

Then came a shocking trade to San Jose. Reimer had been below .500 (11-12-7), but had a .918 S% and low GAA 2.49. Once he got to the Sharks, those number became even better. From there, he went 6-2-0, 1.62, .938! It was truly a remarkable finish. Oh, and he tossed in three shutouts in his eight starts.

But San Jose got him to be the backup. Would you rather be a 1A or 1B on a not-so-good team like Toronto or a backup on a great team like San Jose? Well, in the playoffs, the Sharks turned to Martin Jones for the goaltending duties. Reimer was destined to ride the pines. The Sharks needed just five games to polish off Jones' old team, the Kings. Then, San Jose needed six games to beat the stubborn Nashville Predators. That took them to the Western Conference Finals. They gave the St. Louis Blues all they could handle in the opening tilt, only to lose 2-1. However, the signs here point to a long Conference Finals.

So, will either Fleury or Reimer play? Well, in Reimer's case, I think the answer is only in a relief role. So if Jones get shelled, he'll come in. But Martin has played very well so far, and you have to go with the hot hand (The same, of course, applies to Matt Murray). This is his first ever playoff series (Ditto for Murray) and he has responded well. But the Blues will undoubtedly be his toughest test. Maybe if St. Louis routs San Jose in game two. But I think the Sharks will steal the second contest and look to get ahead of the Blues at home.

Fleury could be a little closer. Is Murray just playing over his head? Well, I though he was the second best goalie out there in the last two games vs. Washington. Tampa Bay's goalie Ben Bishop left the game with an injury in the first game of the Conference Finals. He's listed as day-to-day. But his backup, Andrei Vaslevskiy, took over (Bishop had made nine saves, many of them spectacular before his injury) and was brilliant. Vas stopped 25 of the 26 shots that came his way, and Pittsburgh didn't get one by him until after they were behind 3-0. Game two is a big one. Tampa wants to steal another in Pittsburgh for two reasons: They can wait on Bishop and Steven Stamkos is rumoured to be on the comeback trail, this series! His return will give Tampa a huge boost. The Pens probably want this series in six or less, and losing game one made that just a little bit tougher to accomplish. But if Murray gets off to a bad start in the second game, Fleury will not only be back in the crease, but he'll probably get the nod in game three, as well!


References

The Canadian Press. "Jonathan Bernier Back In Leafs' Net After Minors Stint."  CBC.ca Canadian News Sports Entertainment Kids Docs Radio TV. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 15 Dec. 2015. Web. 16 May 2016. <http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/jonathan-bernier-maple-leafs-1.3366303>.

Gretz, Adam. "Marc-Andre Fleury Will Be Matt Murray's Backup For Pens In Game 3." CBSSports.com. CBS Sports. 2 May 2016. Web. 16 May 2016. <http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/ eye-on-hockey/25575399/marc-andre-fleury-will-be-matt-murrays-backup-for-pens-in-game-3>.

Sports Reference LLC. Hockey-Reference.com - Hockey Statistics and History. http://www.hockey-reference.com/. Web. 16 May 2016.

"Official Site of the National Hockey League." NHL.com. National Hockey League. Web. 16 May 2016. <https://www.nhl.com>.

Bernier And Scrivens: Now What?

I was surprised when the Kings traded Ben Scrivens to the Oilers for Double-D, Devan Dubnyk. I guess this is going to make the off-season trade of Jonathan Bernier for Scrivens all the more interesting. Life throws more than hockey pucks at you, I guess. Scrivens will be seeing as many if not more than Bernier for what could be forever.

In an event, I can't help but wonder if the rise of Martin Jones had anything to do with this. My gut feeling is "no", but remember when I said that we hadn't seen the last of him? I can safely say the other Jonathan, Quick, has his job still safe.

So what does this trade do for the Bernier and Scrivens situation? I guess it levels the playing field somewhat. Scrivens is clearly on the worse team now. The Leafs though, have relied heavily on Bernier and James Reimer to get them wins, especially in the shootout.

But now the door is open for Jones to play in Los Angeles, and Scrivens to become what Bernier and Reimer are, a game stealer.

But if that 1st game is any indication, Scrivens will have to be better. Stopping 29 of 33 pucks wasn't enough as the Oilers lost 4-1 to the Wild. But the fact that he started his first game available for Edmonton suggests that he will at least be the 1A goalie on the team. That obviously was not going to happen in Los Angeles with Quick playing so well.

And another thing about the Los Angeles situation: Scrivens was backed by good defence, so his goaltending would get overshadowed! Sort of like what is said about Martin Brodeur always having the Devil's D to insure a low shot total against. I never have believed that the defence makes the goalie look that good. I guess I am about to find out in Edmonton

But now Ben has a chance to become like what Jonathan Bernier is in Toronto. Now we find out if he was the product of good defence or he was just that good. Imagine a scenario where the Oilers suddenly put together a winning streak with Scrivens in net? Oh, he was the difference!

Bernier, by the way, has continued his strong play since my last post. Remember when I talked about him being a "stopper" of sorts for the Leafs? As in losing streak stopper?

Toronto had lost 3 straight games when Bernier got the call against Washington. The Leafs seemed to play with confidence and poise in this game, and Jonathan kicked away 32 of 35 pucks. It wasn't enough to stop the losing streak, but you kinda got the feeling the Leafs were back on track. The feeling was that if Bernier could play a little better, and the Leafs could play like they did against Washington, the losing streak was over.

Sure enough, Bernier stopped 36 of 38 shots against facing the Devils. The Leafs won the game in, you guessed it, a shootout. Then came Boston.

You know, the team that came back against the Leafs in game 7 from last year's Stanley Cup playoff? The Bruins looked like they were going to do that again. Again in Boston. But Bernier made sure it didn't happen and Toronto skated off with a 4-3 win and a 2-game winning streak. A strong performance by a suddenly confident Reimer made it a 3 game winning streak against Buffalo.

Your turn, Scrivens!

See you after game 82!

Jones: Why We Have Not Seen The Last End Of Him!

Martin Jones, fear not, will end up like Indiana Jones. There will be a sequel.

Still, it's not like it is every day that you go 8-3-0, 1.41, .950 and get sent down, right?

But with Ben Scrivens doing so well and Quick being, well, Quick there just isn't any room for this guy. At least, no room in Los Angeles. But I'll say it again, we've have not seen the last of him.

It's the old adage of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Before Quick became so great, Jones would have been the starter or backup. Had Martin been before Jonathan Bernier and Scrivens, the Kings might have looked to him.

So where does he go from here? Or from Manchester?

Well, he's picked up his first award. Jones and Chicago's Antti Raanta were given Rookie Of The Month. Well, if you can't get Rookie Of The Year...

In any event, how do we see Martin again?

I think it is possible for him to end up somewhere else, perhaps at the trading deadline. A team in need of a fresh young backup, or a team a little desperate for a starter might make a trade for him. And if the Kings' feel like Jones is really just a flash-in-the-pan-in-disguise, they might deal him.

I actually feel that Jones is the real deal.

Granted, his stats weren't eye-popping in Manchester the last three years. But in limited playoff action, he showed his poise and talent. And his number were great as a junior with the Calgary Hitman.

The argument could be that Los Angeles is just soooo good defensively that any goalie (That's you and me included, btw) would look great in-between the pipes in La-La land. I don't know. Does great defence lead to a .950 S%? The defence isn't stopping those shots, you know.

I wasn't actually surprised when Jonathan Quick got healthy again that Jones got the heave. Quick is that good. That's not to say Jones isn't.

Should Quick get hurt again, or Scrivens struggle and/or get hurt, you can bet Jones will be right back, quickly. I don't know if I like that scenario to be honest with you. I happen to like both Scrivens and Quick.

In any event, rest assured, Martin will be in the NHL in 2014. But whether it's 2013/14 or 2014/15, we'll just have to wait and see!