Negative Nancy Notebook - Pens 3 Leafs 2
by Chemmy on Sep 25, 2008 9:39 AM EDT
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PrintIn the interest of bringing you Fair and Balanced coverage of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the day after a game PPP and I are going to show you coverage of the Leafs from people who don't like the Maple Leafs.
NOTES -- Petr Sykora, Ruslan Fedotenko and Evgeni Malkin scored for the Penguins last night, while Alexei Ponikarovsky and Mikhail Grabovski beat goalie Dany Sabourin for the Leafs. ... Center Sidney Crosby (groin) was held out of the game as a precaution, but said he expects to return when the Penguins visit Toronto tomorrow.
This is the entirety of last night's game coverage from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. I know Pittsburgh is a happening place to be on a Wednesday night and all, so it's understandable that their newspaper couldn't write more than a paragraph.
A new Arby's probably opened or something.
From SBNation's own Pensburgh:
the Penguins' forwards at least showed that they can handle the workload up front. Evgeni Malkin, Petr Sykora and newcomer Ruslan Fedotenko all lit the lamp, while Jordan Staal and Miroslav Satan each dished a helper. Malkin tagged one as well on Sykora's first-period goal.
While true, I think this paragraph should read closer to "After the Leafs scored two own goals, Anton Stralman decided to fall down in his own end rather than make a play anyone would have described as 'adequate' , leaving Staal and Malkin alone with Justin Pogge to play their version of monkey in the middle."
But then Toronto fans had another cheap thrill towards the end of the game when Mikhail Gribovski popped the second and final Toronto goal with the extra skater and only 11 seconds left on the clock. Pens hang on 3-2.
Big improvement from last year, The Leafs are already making teams hang on to win against them, rather than letting them come from behind to win. Think about what that means!
The Toronto Star has plenty of negative drivel for you to shovel up this morning:
Yes, the mighty Leafs, led by the likes of Nik Antropov and Alexei Ponikarovsky, couldn't beat the crummy Penguins who only iced loser players like Evgeni Malkin, Petr Sykora, Jordan Staal, Brooks Orpik, and Marc-Andre Fleury. What a bunch of losers how could Toronto get blown out 3-2 to that lineup full of AHLers?
Malkin and Staal victimized Toronto with a shorthanded goal in the second period, a marker that represented a rude undressing for young Leaf defender Anton Stralman.
While that goal was embarassing for Stralman, I would hardly call blowing a tire a rude undressing. If you want to see a rude undressing, ask Mark Eaton what the back of Mikhail Grabovsky's jersey looks like.
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Good to see that hockey is so alive and well in Pittsburgh that they get that much coverage while the important team in the city (the Steelers) is playing.
Well, at least the Pens will survive for the next 8 years. Congrats!
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Eh, it’s preseason and the cost paper is through the roof. No point wasting the goods I suppose.
And to hell with Arby’s – they use spray on cheese.
Oh, and the lease on the new arena is for 30 years…so definitely eight
FrankD from Pensburgh.com
Never get the cheese.
It’s pre-season in Toronto too and the paper spilled some ink on the game ;)
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
oh man, I thought it was only preseason in Pitt. My bad.
In all honesty, it seems the papers in Steel Town would rather finish out covering the Pirates before transitioning full time to the Pens. Why? I don’t know…
And the Steelers? Eh, one game a week with supplemental “what we did wrong” and “where we can improve” coverage is just mundane by Wednesday.
FrankD from Pensburgh.com
Actually, that’s not true. It’s always hockey season in Toronto.
You’d think that the papers would be done with the Pirates by mid-May.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Now I’m hungry for some Arby’s.
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Also this fry box is really creepy. That chick is definitely ready for the Arby’s cowboy to ride in and give her some of his curly fries.
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5 for $5 son!
A Toronto sports blog, where we unequivocally and unapologetically support the home team...
That shit used to be 5 for $5.95 here, now they just don’t do it.
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i'll be honest
i have never eaten at Arby’s
A Toronto sports blog, where we unequivocally and unapologetically support the home team...
Big mistake
Regular roast beef with Arby’s sauce and curly fries is a nice slice of heaven.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Yeah
I’d say they’re not bad. Homemade ones are always the best though.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
What a goal by Grabo
Steen/Stajan/Blake/Poni, etc would have shot that puck from the top of the circle, likely missed and sent Pittsburgh into our end on a rush, but Grabo took it right to the net. Hopefully these others noticed, but in Poni’s case its been five years where he has played the perimeter and its getting too late to expect anything different.
Poni’s ill, back to back 20 goal seasons in 05/06 and 06/07 and 18 goals in 66 games last year.
and he wasn’t on the perimeter last night when he tipped in that point shot.
who wouldn’t love a poni? my mother had poni, my sister had poni…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RDLqb3umsw
A Toronto sports blog, where we unequivocally and unapologetically support the home team...
I like Poni!
I have always been a big Poni-Antro fan but I have a feeling that going forward it’s better for him to play away from Kaptain Kazakh.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
why so? they’re room partners. and they’re both HUGE. last year with mats they controlled the puck down low so beautifully. and now Grabs can stroll around the slot with them, no?
i don’t know. i like them together, but i think we can mix and match our top 2 lines. we got hags, grabs, poni, antro, steen, blake…mix those 6 as you please
A Toronto sports blog, where we unequivocally and unapologetically support the home team...
They definitely can kill together but sometimes I feel like they get lost in cycling the puck.
But like you said, mix the guys up. I am not too big of a fan of the blender but if you have a couple of consistent looks that you can throw at a team (ie Antro-Poni and a shooter or Antro and two shooters) then that helps during the game.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Poni
I’m not totally unhappy with his contributions, but I do think he is only about half committed to going to the net and screening the goalie, and maybe getting hit with the puck. He could easily have had a 30-35 goal season by doing so. Think more of ANdreychuk
by penaltyshots on Sep 25, 2008 2:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Definitely a good hard move to the net. Something I wish Tlusty had done on that shorthanded 2-on-1
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
he made a good pass, still. Sabs made a good save.
i like mayers. he is ill. give him the C.
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No C
It was a great pass but Tlusty is supposed to be a shooter. I want to see predatory instincts. That burst of speed was ni-ice though.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
pure predatory. good point. the sniper needs to snipe it up.
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Smell blood and attack.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Amen on the speed, Tlusty looks bigger and badder which is a very good thing. He looked tired near the end of last season.
Yeah, that’s probably a function of not having had the benefit of as long of a season before. Same with Steen as a rookie.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Kulemin’s coming off 57 game seasons in the RSL, I expect him to lose speed near the end of the season too.
Definitely
We’ll no doubt see stories written about him fading without mentioning it of course.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
In the interest of bringing you Fair and Balanced coverage of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the day after a game PPP and I are going to show you coverage of the Leafs from people who don’t like the Maple Leafs.
Of course that will usually include Toronto-based coverage.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Luke!
So who’s got thoughts on Schenn. I know it’s preseason, but I think he’s made very case to stick around for the regular season so far.
For the most part, he’s looked more impressive than the rest of our D line. If I’m Cliff, I’m having a tough time deciding if he stays up or not. I’m probably also wondering where I parked my car, and what I had for lunch, and where am I….?
Anybody throws me against the boards I'm gonna piss all over myself.
by blurr1974 on Sep 25, 2008 10:52 AM EDT reply actions
Looked Good
But no need to rush him along. This will be a tough season all around but especially on the backend with the installation of a new defensive system. Better to not bring him into an absolute fire-drill regardless of how well he plays.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
He’s already looked on par/better than White, Van Ryn, Stralman, Finger, and Boumedienne, but there’s no sense in bringing him up to play with the big boys just yet. If he could add a couple more pounds that’d be wicked, and he should get some cups of coffee to adjust to the speed of the NHL. Contract status and gradual learning are a lot more important than “improving” our D depth at the moment.
Contract
Goes back to what MF37 was saying in an earlier thread. A big key to success in the cap environment is having the kids outperform their contracts.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
zetterberg is making $2.65 million this year…franzen’s making just under a million…$940 K
both are due for MASSIVE raises next season
A Toronto sports blog, where we unequivocally and unapologetically support the home team...
Yup
And in the meantime the Red Wings get their skills plus Marian freaking Hossa.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Luke
I’m fine with the 10 game look in the pro’s, but let’s not go all Damien Cox on him just yet. If he plays so well that it makes no sense to go back to junior, are you really benefiting his development by having him play against competion that’s not up to par to his skills?
Sure he could add a few pounds, maybe he can train with Wellwood in the offseason…
Anybody throws me against the boards I'm gonna piss all over myself.
by blurr1974 on Sep 25, 2008 11:15 AM EDT up reply actions
Well, we’re not quite advocating a minimum of two complete seasons in the AHL like a certain bald, clueless, fact-free columnist.
The point is that the worst case scenario is pretty steep: 18 year old defencemen.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Yes. We benefit by being a worse team, and getting a higher draft pick. Schenn isn’t carrying us to the playoffs this year.
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PLAYOFFS!
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Shhhh
Not yet. You’ll scare the reporters.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
He could literally score three goals a game in his first ten games and that only makes more of a reason to send him back to juniors.
Let him learn how to lead a team. Keep him away from eating up RFA eligibility years where the only thing he’ll do is drag Toronto out of the basement.
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Lets Wait and See
Schenn needs to show domination against full NHL rosters. Pittsburgh should have a full roster on Friday in their last pre-season game, and as the Leafs 7 remaining pre-season games go on the competition will get tougher. We shall see.
Other questions:
Is winning in junior and playing 30 minutes a game going to help him?
Who of the current Leaf D-men will be traded or waived to make room for Schenn?
Massive minutes and leadership duties at the WJHC and in the Dub will only help. Carlo did a similar thing (except hopefully Luke doesn’t pick up bone exploding disease) and I think it helped him a lot.
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This is Carlo's year
On D, he’s been the biggest surprise – although it shouldn’t come as a surprise really, he has the talent and the presence to be great. Lets hope 9 billion injuries is enough and his career can get on track.
For $5 you can get in on the injury pool.
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It better be
Waiting is getting boring…
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Knowing he should be playing top 4 minutes, I think he’d be best served developmentaly in the AHL at the least. That said, I’m sure he’ll be headed back to junior for one more year, and then 2 years in the AHL, as that is the rule…
And someone said playoffs, is that what happens after the preseason? When are those? Where are they? What are they for?
Anybody throws me against the boards I'm gonna piss all over myself.
by blurr1974 on Sep 25, 2008 12:04 PM EDT up reply actions
He has to go back to junior. Schenn will likely never set foot in Ricoh Coliseum.
I have heard stories that the playoffs involve fewer teams than usual but I am not sure when during the regular season teams get cut out.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
playoffs for privilege
Post-season to pre-season games were held the first week in June to determine who would earn the right to open their regular-season against the Maple Leafs. Detroit won, so they’re up first.
by general borschevsky on Sep 25, 2008 12:21 PM EDT up reply actions
I get it
So basically it’s a long list of teams that get to play the leafs, and Detroit gets to first. OK that makes sense.
I thought it was like Olympic medal play or something, was worried we’d missed out on something. Good to know hockey still ends in early February, with a bunch of meaningless games played for fun until April.
Anybody throws me against the boards I'm gonna piss all over myself.
by blurr1974 on Sep 25, 2008 12:25 PM EDT up reply actions
Wilson Juggling
Line combo’s in this morning’s practice. I guess the 3rd period impressed him:
Mikhail Grabovski – Nik Antropov – Nikolai Kulemin
Alex Steen – Niklas Hagman – Alexei Ponikarovsky
Matt Stajan – Jason Blake – Jiri Tlusty
Dominic Moore – Jamal Mayers – Ryan Hollweg
Mark Bell – Boyd Devereaux – John Mitchell
That first line has all the potential in the world – I like the 3rd line too.
I like the 4th line there. The third line, to me, is the least intimidating line possible.
Fast, maybe, but no grit.
by general borschevsky on Sep 25, 2008 1:21 PM EDT up reply actions
I really badly want Hagman and Tlusty to switch places, for the love of god Ron just play the naked kid for 18-20mins and see what happens.
he’s got to earn it.
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he’s played well in the preseason and put on some mass, did Grabovski earn his spot? Tlusty’s played at least as well as him.
Grabs
was told my management that he’s got a spot on the top two lines on this team. he desperately wanted out of MTL b/c he wants a chance to play meaningful minutes…and he was told he would get that chance in T.O.
take that as you like. but that’s the way it is.
A Toronto sports blog, where we unequivocally and unapologetically support the home team...
Yeah, Grabs definitely has a much longer leash than he would have had previously.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Who gets cut?
We have three too many forwards in that line-up.
Man, who goes?
Mitchell goes back to the Marlies I think. Then it’ll be a rotating cast of press box viewers between Devereaux, Hollweg and whoever Wilson is PO’d with…
Anybody throws me against the boards I'm gonna piss all over myself.
by blurr1974 on Sep 25, 2008 1:02 PM EDT up reply actions
Mitchell to the Marlies is easy but after that it’s a tough call. A lot depends on the last seven games. I have an inkling that Devo might not be The Answer much longer.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
I like Hollweg’s hitting but he takes stupid penalties constantly and will lose us games with our terrible PK.
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Hollweg
He serves a purpose up to a point. I think Mayers can probably play a similar game as it comes to hitting, but without the kamikazee demeanor…
Anybody throws me against the boards I'm gonna piss all over myself.
by blurr1974 on Sep 25, 2008 1:20 PM EDT up reply actions
i think devo is staying with the big club. he’s one of the few guys on the roster with stanley cup experience. not that that really matters, since, you know, we’re going to be shit (or so the pundits say), but i think he’s a guy who is a benefit to the room…and for a young team, devo’s work ethic is the type of thing that should be able to keep him on the team. mother sucker is always out there goin hard…i appreciate boyd…and dominic…
not sold on hollweg. not sure if we really need him with mayers in there.
A Toronto sports blog, where we unequivocally and unapologetically support the home team...
So from that line up, all they need to trim is one or two guys if Wilson plans to go with seven d-men which will be more than likely he will.
So guys like Grabo, Kuli, Mitchell, Tlusty, Willams, and Earl might bounce back and forth and guys like Boyce, Stapleton, Ondrus and Newbery will get limited call ups…
Any way you look at it, its tough and way too hard to judge after only 2 exhibition games and not seeing what they see during practice and dressing room attitude.
I hope there will be pleasant surprises coming up.
by Coach Dunbar on Sep 25, 2008 1:21 PM EDT up reply actions
IR, Numbers and final cuts
Given their susceptiblility to injuries, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Leafs carry 8D. That leaves room for 13 forwards…by my count, the Leafs only have 14 serious contenders for those 13 spots; 15 if you believe Mitchell’s press.
Who’s the final cut (or if Mitchell makes it, who are the final two cuts)?
1. Nik Antropov
2. Mark Bell
3. Jason Blake
4. Boyd Devereaux
5. Mikhail Grabovski
6. Niklas Hagman
7. Ryan Hollweg
8. Nikolai Kulemin
9. Jamal Mayers
10. John Mitchell
11.Dominic Moore
12. Alexei Ponikarovsky
13. Matt Stajan
14. Alex Steen
15. Jiri Tlusty
A life-long Toronto Maple Leafs fan comments on the team, the media and the exasperation...http://bitterleaf.blogspot.com
That would also keep them from having to waive a defender back to the Marlies.
I don’t think Mitchell makes it so I say he’s the first cut and I think the final cut comes down to Mark Bell (because of past history with Wilson he has this training camp to show a new attitude) or Boyd Devereaux sadly.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
agreed
That’s pretty much how I see it coming down too…there’s still like 27 pre-season leaf games to go, so plenty of time for someone to step-up (or get hurt).
A life-long Toronto Maple Leafs fan comments on the team, the media and the exasperation...http://bitterleaf.blogspot.com
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