The Stanley Cup Final
Two teams that no one thought would have a chance getting past the first round, let alone make it to the cup final. A battle of the underdogs. Not to mention two SP rookies, destined to play together, but separated during the draft. A certain Pickle reaching the cup final after a 10 season drought. Even Disney could not have scripted it better. So many story lines. To start let’s recap the journey to the cup final.
Pittsburgh made some huge moves before the trade deadline that solidified their defense. Adding Ajax and Westside has reaped dividends. Westside’s play in net, to this point, is deserving of the Conn Smyth. Pittsburgh started off with a battle against Toronto. Going all the way to a decisive game 7. In the next round they faced a top regular season team in Boston. Odds stacked against them, Pittsburgh was able to shut down a potent Boston attack 4 games to 2. Reaching the conference final, they faced the top team in the league during the regular season, cross town rival Philadelphia. While the experts had Pittsburgh losing in 6, the stats told a different tale. Pittsburgh and Philly both came into the series averaging 1.80 goals against. While Pittsburgh only averaged 2 goals per game, Philly averaged 3.40. Both defenses where solid and something had to give; what gave out, was Philadelphia’s offense. Struggling to find the net game after game. Pittsburgh stayed consistent and found a way to win.
Vegas squeaked into the playoffs. They couldn’t find any chemistry week in and week out. A huge pickup before the deadline was adding Stonerboy and Ciulla to the roster. This allowed eXecuti0n80 to move back to defense while adding chemistry to the top line. Ciulla in net has brought a level of consistency to the goaltending position in Vegas. Similar to Pittsburgh, Vegas was written off against Los Angeles in the opening round. Yet after dropping game 1 to the Kings, Vegas won 4 straight to take the series 4-1. Entering the second round, going up against one of the top teams this season in Colorado, they were written off again before the games could be played. When the dust settled a familiar score revealed itself, Vegas winning 4-1. Finally, meeting a HOT Anaheim team, boasting a five points per game average on the top line, sweeping two straight series. Again Vegas had the odds stacked against them. The tables were then turned on Anaheim, as Vegas swept the series to advance.
The Preseason:
Finally, it’s always important to reflect on what was expected of you this year, interestingly enough both teams first round picks in the draft, were key in getting the assets that put them over the top.
Pittsburgh:
“This team will fight with Boston for the 2nd spot in the Patrick division, and they’ll make the playoffs and probably play Boston in the first round. Whoever wins is up in the air, but this team is not good enough to beat Carolina. Burst will have to carry the offense and snake will have to carry the defense. DrWally had some mediocre stats in VG, and jay better hope those numbers don’t carry over into this league. Tibod can also win some games in net, but don’t expect him to carry the team throughout the playoffs.”
Vegas:
“These guys finish third, get out in the first round of the playoffs. Their forwards look good, and they are solid in net. The defense on the other hand, looks atrocious. Plisk is a goalie, not a dman. Execution has bad numbers in vg, and bad is a nice way of putting it. They’ll make the playoffs in the 3rd spot easily because Vancouver will be so close to the bottom. Don’t expect them to contend for a top spot, because that’s a stupid expectation”
Brutal evaluation. Huge moves by Jayscott and redconcept put both teams over the edge. It also helps that DrWally and eXecut0n are actually better than last season’s VG numbers show.
The Matchup:
When you look at Pittsburgh they are led by their defense. DrWally and Ajax headline the top Defensive pair. Combined they are plus 20, while statistically they are not putting up huge offensive numbers, they play a tight defensive game. DrWally has been quoted as saying, “I would argue that we are putting up a ton of points, but third assists are not counted.” Westside is boasting a save percentage of 88% during this playoff run. By far the top goalie in the playoffs, he will need to continue his stellar play if Pittsburgh is going to take home the Cup.
Offensively, the wild card in this playoff run has been Pittsburgh’s ability to put up timely goals. The top line of Jayscott, Capone and Puckzone/Castles averages 1.4 points per game. Can Jayscott bring back the 150 pt. season Jayscott of old? This could be a difference maker going into the cup final.
Vegas also has a solid defense core, with redConcept88 and eXecuti0n80 as the top pair. Ciulla in net brings reliable goaltending every night. With Pliskin providing reliable goaltending and defense whenever called upon, he truly is the best 7th man in the SP playoffs. Ciulla has been the top goaltender for Vegas during the playoffs for Vegas with an 81% save percentage.
Offensively Vegas has five forwards who collectively average 2.74 points per game. This is the matchup no one thought they wanted to see. Vegas’s forwards against Pittsburgh’s defense. The top line of Prodigy, Stonerboy and Rocket found their chemistry in the playoffs. A huge factor in the success of Vegas is being able to seamlessly replace any forward in the lineup with Zredbeard or Randymarsh at will. All five forwards have found a way to click.
My Analysis:
It’s interesting to point out that Westside has faced double the shots 235 vs 116 compared to his counterpart in Vegas. While many of these shots are from the outside, typically out of desperation, as Pittsburgh suffocated the offense of their opponents.
Vegas has the better forwards overall. They run five guys who put up the similar points. The advantage goes to Vegas in this category since the Pittsburgh forwards can be unpredictable. This can make them dangerous because you never know which lineup will show up.
Defensively Pittsburgh and Vegas have a strong top line. The constant play from the back end is what drove Pittsburgh to this final. It’s also what helped Vegas during their playoff run. In this category, it’s even, while both pairs have strengths and weakness, they all play a similar style.
Goaltending has to go to Pittsburgh, because Westside has been unbelievable all playoffs. Take nothing away from Ciulla who has been equally amazing. This is one of many intriguing match ups this series brings.
It will be close. Pittsburgh has found ways to win each night, squeaking by in 1 goal games. Vegas typically wins by a 2 goal margin, but had their fair share of 1 goal games.
My Prediction:
This was a difficult decision. I feel it will be Pittsburgh in 7 games. Westside’s play in net can’t be overlooked. DrWally and Ajax have shut down top offenses all playoffs. This will be a great series. A battle of two similar backlines. Three players from the same VG team last year, who had a terrible season. One of the reasons why both teams were written off. Tune in on Monday night, grab a drink and enjoy some quality hockey.