2009 Stanley Cup final: Game 3 Preview (In Numbers)

by James Mirtle on Jun 2, 2009 6:00 AM CDT in Statistics Comment 9 comments

Sure, it looks bleak, but one thing's certain: Pittsburgh absolutely, positively has to win tonight. To give you an idea of where they've gone wrong to this point, here's a compendium of stats and figures from the first two games in Detroit:

Icetime Leaders (Forwards)

Zetterberg 23:03
Malkin 21:49
Crosby 21:06
Staal 19:12
Filppula 19:01
Hossa 18:58
Franzen 18:26
Kunitz 17:25
Cleary 17:22
Fedotenko 17:17

Icetime Leaders (Defencemen)

Lidstrom 23:44
Stuart 23:35
Gonchar 23:18
Kronwall 22:33
Rafalski 21:32
Letang 20:41
Orpik 18:19
Eaton 18:02
Scuderi 17:46
Ericsson 16:48

Save percentage: Osgood (.969), Fleury (.893)

Players with two or more points: Abdelkader, Holmstrom, Hossa, Malkin
Players rated +2 or better: Lidstrom, Zetterberg, Rafalski, Cleary, Ericsson, Lebda, Abdelkader
Players rated -3 or worse: Gill, Scuderi, Eaton
Red Wings rated lower than +1: none
Penguins rated higher than -1: Gonchar, Orpik, Talbot

Shots on goal leaders

Malkin, 10
Hossa, 8
Crosby, 7
Kunitz, 7
Cleary, 6
Fedotenko, 6
Lidstrom, 5
Zetterberg, 5
Guerin, 5
Letang, 5

Missed shots: Wings 27 Pens 18
Hits: Wings 77 Pens 72
Blocked shots: Wings 21 Pens 24
Faceoff wins: Wings 63 Pens 43

More stats to come with a look specifically at one key matchup Mike Babcock was angling for in Games 1 and 2.

Poll

Who wins tonight?

Detroit

128 votes

Pittsburgh

141 votes

269 votes | Poll has closed

0 recs | Comment 9 comments | Add comment | Share

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Comments

I see Mike Babcock is pretty gangsta.

SNN Sports - A theoretical Oilers blog (i.e. theoretically, I write stuff there)

by Doogie2K on Jun 2, 2009 8:48 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

That shit will get you suspended in the NCAA

Or shot, in the McGill ghetto.

by TD O'Dell on Jun 2, 2009 8:51 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Despite what Mike B has been rapping about

Any chance Draper makes his debut, tonight?

If so, which of the youngsters becomes the Abdicator?

You can’t the kid with the great chip shot to the clubhouse, so my money’s on Leino. If not tonight, then next game.

by TD O'Dell on Jun 2, 2009 8:55 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I hate the Wings

but i love Babcock. best coach in hockey.

by HartnellsMop on Jun 2, 2009 10:14 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I think Bylsma has crippled Crosby’s ice time in trying to keep him away from Zet. It’s difficult when you don’t get the last change, you try short-shifting other guys and what-not. But the bottom line is, if the Pens can bring this one back to Detroit, he’s got to have more than 19-20 minutes upon getting there. I like that they’re making quick changes and keeping everyone fresh, but when you are the team that obviously has less depth, the marquis players have got to lead the charge more often than not. There is no reason IMO from Dan B’s prespective for any of the Wings’ forwards to have more ice time than Crosby and Malkin.

-David
sixminutecynic.blogspot.com
www.piratesmix.com.

by pascaldupweevil on Jun 2, 2009 10:22 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

What are you talking about? Crosby and Malkin have both had 21 minutes per game, which is more than reasonable for a first-line forward, and more than anyone in the series not named Zetterberg (and barely at that). Unless you mean he’s been playing a lot of 15-second shifts due to line-matching, which…maybe, but it sure hasn’t been too effective, if you look at the post above this one. But I’m not sure what you’re saying is accurate, here.

SNN Sports - A theoretical Oilers blog (i.e. theoretically, I write stuff there)

by Doogie2K on Jun 2, 2009 12:17 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree with him, actually. In this situation, with the season on the line, stick Crosby out there for 24 minutes. He is fit enough to do it.

Blogging on hockey at fromtherink.com

by James Mirtle on Jun 2, 2009 1:02 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Keep in mind, that’s 21 minutes in back-to-back games, with very few PP minutes (which are easier and less tiring). It’s also easy to say Crosby wasn’t played enough after watching Pittsburgh lose two games, but it’s much harder to decide to play Crosby more at the start of game 1 or 2 of what everyone expects to be a long series. In fact, until Detroit’s third goal in game 2, I think deciding to play Crosby at a 24 min/night pace would have been a mistake.

After that goal, though, I think Bylsma should have ran Crosby and Malkin to exhaustion, and he didn’t.

by RyanV on Jun 2, 2009 2:17 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree with James, particularly in the third period. The Wings were obviously wearing down in both games. You could see it in every period, where the Penguins slowly took over the play. Get Crosby on the ice more in the third, and you’re going to get him more time against Abdelkader. That may not be true by game five.

That’s what I thought was the worst part about Abdelkader’s goal in game two: it crushed Pittsburgh. They completely dominated the first two minutes of the third period, just as they had the end of the second. When Abdelkader scored, the life just went out of them. It helped Detroit that they could focus on just playing defense at that point, but the Penguins almost gave up. They should have still been able to control the play.

This is what I was talking about a couple of weeks ago when I said that Detroit doesn’t let the time of the nature of the goals they give up bother them. Pittsburgh obviously did let the timing get to them, and it cost them.

by J. Michael Neal on Jun 2, 2009 1:37 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs