My cure to Pirateitis

[IABucFan]

For far too long, I have invested far too much time and energy into religiously following the Pittsburgh Pirates, but not this year.  I am tired of having my heart broken game after game, so, I've turned my attention to my second favorite pro sports team, the Pittsburgh Penguins.  Finally, I have a team to cheer for and take pride in.  Congrats to the Pens on reaching the Eastern Conference Finals and best of luck against the Flyers.

Ryan Whitney rules!

[Dogknot3]

The Penguins at one time were the worst team in all of hockey and finished dead last four years in a row.  I follow the Penguins too and hope they win it all, but the right draft picks and new management have changed their ways. 

I hope the Pirates can do the same.

[IABucFan]

A while back, I posted on the main board about how the Pens are the "anti-Pirates."  In other words, everything we lambast the Bucs for NOT doing, the Pens have done to the opposite effect.  They draft well, make smart trades, GOOD FA signings, and have good scouting.  They trade from strengths to bolster weaknesses, and have an all-around commitment to winning.  Certainly, luck has been on their side with being able to draft guys like Crosby, Malkin, and Fleury, but they didn't shy away from getting these guys when the opportunity presented itself.  They also didn't try to build their team around a third-line left wing and say, "We really feel that having a guy like _______ will help us win hockey games.  His backchecking ability makes him very valuable even though he is flawed in other areas of his game."  Contrast that to the drafting of Moskos and Bullington, signing of Bell and Mondesi, trading of ARam and Lofton, not trading Stairs and Sanders, Rule 5 fiasco, trying to build a team from the bullpen out, and on and on.

The fact of the matter is that the Pens have rebuilt their entire team and went from being the laughing stock of the NHL to a team with a legit shot at winning the Cup within a couple of years.  Yes, luck was on their side.  It's not often that you can draft arguably the two best players in the world in back-to-back years.  But, they still did it, and Crosby and Malkin do not make up the entire team.  Thus far in the playoffs, every single one of the Pens has contributed in meaningful ways.  Whether it's Dupuis getting a big clear on a penalty kill, Orpik with a big hit in the defensive zone, Fleury making a big save, or Crosby setting up Hossa for a goal, everybody has done their part.  With the Bucs, per the usual, a number of guys are playing well (Nate, Doumit, Nady, Bay), while the rest underperform.  About the time everyody else wakes up, the aforementioned quartet will be fast-asleep. 

I'm willing to give NH and company a shot.  Thus far, I've been impressed and I realize the turnaround doesn't happen overnight.  But, the Pens took PRO-active steps to make that turnaround happen within the parameters governing play in the NHL.  As far as I can tell, at least under DL, the Pirates made REactive decisions to maintain the status quo and failed to take advantage of the fact that they were almost always near the top of the drafting order.

[Steve Zielinski]

The Draft will tell us more if not a lot about Coonelly and Huntington -- Coonelly, mostly. The Pirates need to load up on talent. And they need to spend to acquire this talent.

We'll see.

[IABucFan]

Congrats to the Pens on reaching the Stanley Cup Finals!  The Wings will be by far our toughest test yet in the playoffs.  I have no idea who will win, but I will predict that if the Pens win, it will be in six games, if the Wings win, it will be in seven.  Pittsburgh plays really well at home, so hopefully, that translates to wins in Games 3, 4, and 6.  I don't see us beating Detroit in Game 7 on their ice, so we have to win in six.  Likewise, I don't see the Wings winning in our place, so I think they win in 7. 

Key matchup in my mind will be Lidstrom against whichever line Babcock lines him up against.  Personally, I think the Dupuis-Crosby-Hossa line is more dangerous, so I expect to see Lidstom go against them and the Wings number 2 pair against Malone-Malkin-Sykora.

Goaltending will be huge.  Ultimately, either Marc-Andre Fleury or Chris Osgood will decide this series.

Only downer is NBC doesn't start carrying games until Game 3.  Versus (who actually has that channel anyway?) has Games 1 and 2. 

[Steve Zielinski]

Congrats to the Pens on reaching the Stanley Cup Finals!  The Wings will be by far our toughest test yet in the playoffs.  I have no idea who will win, but I will predict that if the Pens win, it will be in six games, if the Wings win, it will be in seven.  Pittsburgh plays really well at home, so hopefully, that translates to wins in Games 3, 4, and 6.  I don't see us beating Detroit in Game 7 on their ice, so we have to win in six.  Likewise, I don't see the Wings winning in our place, so I think they win in 7. 

Key matchup in my mind will be Lidstrom against whichever line Bab**** lines him up against.  Personally, I think the Dupuis-Crosby-Hossa line is more dangerous, so I expect to see Lidstom go against them and the Wings number 2 pair against Malone-Malkin-Sykora.

Goaltending will be huge.  Ultimately, either Marc-Andre Fleury or Chris Osgood will decide this series.

Only downer is NBC doesn't start carrying games until Game 3.  Versus (who actually has that channel anyway?) has Games 1 and 2. 

Pens have to take one of the first two games, which will be played in Detroit. If they fail to accomplish that I'm not optimistic about their chances. They've had it nice holding home ice advantage so far. Now they'll have beat a great team on the road.