GAME ONE BREAKDOWN (oh yeah!)
Published: April 12, 2007
And now for a little something I’d like to call “2 Man Advantage’s Playoff Breakdown: The Awesome, the Not So Awesome, and the Downright Ridiculous.”
THE AWESOME: Scott “Oh hey, I actually CAN prove I’m a capable playmaker” Gomez.
That’s right. I said it. Scott mother f’n Gomez. Heavily pooed on by 2 Man Advantage for the majority of the season, Joe and I really were holding Mr. Gomez to a very high standard for the postseason. So much bark, so little bite, Gomer needed to prove that his fancy puck handling could actually translate into fancy goals and fancy assists. The result of Game 1? Three fancy assists for Scottie G, and a ton of great plays to boot. We’re legitimately surprised with Gomez’ play tonight, and that’s a great thing. Keep it up, Scott, and you just might get that $5 million after all.
…yeah, right.
THE NOT SO AWESOME: Backdoor blasphemy! Okay, maybe not blasphemy, but it did get a tid bit ridiculous how easily Lightning offense *cough*Martin St. Louis*cough* were able to just sit at the side of the net waiting patiently for, well, you know, a goal. A bit more concerning is the fact that as many times as this happened, the Devils defense never seemed to catch on, or worse yet, didn’t seem to care. Unfortunately, this leads me to….
THE DOWNRIGHT RIDICULOUS: Johnny O-friggen-duya. I know, I know, he’s a rookie and all and this was his first taste of NHL postseason glory, but come on, could the guy have possibly looked any worse than he did tonight? Johnny, your positioning was a mess and your penalties were awful. If it weren’t for a nice block he made with his stick in the third period, I would have called for the Swede’s head by now. Alas, I will give him another chance. Actually, no, I won’t. I want Richard Matvichuk in the lineup. Okay, I’m kidding, sort of, but if Johnny is playing Saturday, then Johnny needs to step it up Saturday, fo’ sho’.
Aside from all of that, I’d like to take a brief moment and mention the fact that, yes, I do feel bad for Johan Holmqvist. Poor man had some flashes of brilliance during the game (did you SEE that save he made in the first?), but, Holmy, what the HECK were you thinking by not covering the puck with Patrik Elias and Scott Gomez skating in on you late in the third period with the game still in reach? Wow. I’ll chalk it up to a rookie mistake, but you just can’t do that, buddy, not even with a goal deprived team like the New Jersey Devils as your opponent. I fully expect you to bounce back on Saturday, because, well, you really gotta step up now.
Granted, neither team exactly dominated the game, but the ultimate edge does have to go to the Devils who pounced on every opportunity imaginable and found a way to expose Holmqvist for a few weak goals. Marty was once again solid in net, but the defense needs to mightily step up in Game 2 or we’ll be seeing a tied series heading to Tampa Bay. Got it?
10 Comments on "GAME ONE BREAKDOWN (oh yeah!)"
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On Fire | MVN - Most Valuable Network » Blog Archive » Devils Have More Spark on Fri, 13th Apr 2007 2:22 am
[...] Patricia at 2ManAdvantage also wants to wring Oduya’s neck.
[...]
Aaron on Fri, 13th Apr 2007 6:48 am
Big difference between Julien and Lou – how well Holmqvist performed against the Devs. This scared me to death because everyone said the goaltending matchup was a joke, but somehow Julien’s Devs made it seem otherwise during the regular season. WIth Lou comes the incredible new coaching philosophy – shoot the puck a foot off the ice away from the goalie’s chest. Wow! What a concept!
mrsheeps on Fri, 13th Apr 2007 7:31 am
Johhny Oduya. What is wrong with you? What were you thinking? Are you absolutely insane, stupid, or a combination of both? Being the sole responsibility (neither were bad calls) for two of this website’s, now that’s just not allowed. I hope Lou tears him apart for it.
Great news was the scoring. I like how one of the Lightning blogs said we can’t score so they’re going to take the series. Five goals is more than any team scored last night. I guess maybe we should be glad; if fans are under-estimating our scoring, maybe other teams will do the same. I think the Devils have a pretty damn good shot this series, and in the playoffs in general.
RJ on Fri, 13th Apr 2007 9:32 am
Good job, but it’s only one game. Remember I said Bolts in 6, so you guys get 1 more! The game was just as expected. Were not for some utimely turnovers, we would have had a different outcome. I know, I know the Devils force mistakes and capitalize, blah blah blah. You guys have your hands full with our guys and from what I have been reading you know it. Game 2 can’t come soon enough! GO BOLTS!!!!!
Patricia Greuter on Fri, 13th Apr 2007 1:01 pm
RJ, you’re right — it IS only one game. No way am I going to call for a Parking Lot parade after one win in a best of seven series. I think both teams looked shaky, but the Devils were the better of the two last night. Saturday should be a whole different ballgame.
And I do know that we have our hands full with your guys. My thinking though is, hey, shut down whoever the heck you can shut down because it’s going to be a helluva battle. Richards was a nonfactor last night but Lecavs and St. Louis were both on the prowl. If it keeps up like that and the defense doesn’t step it up, this series could easily shift in your favor in no time.
Shari on Fri, 13th Apr 2007 4:05 pm
Does anyone know who the new Guy was wearing #23? He should be the one making 5 mil a year. Johnny O had a bad case of Niedermayer arm last night wow. (Remember in Nieder’s early days He used to hook His arm around player’s just like that to take them off of the puck,) so maybe there is hope for Johnny O. Is it just Me or was Whitey and Big Vin killing each other for the whole game, I wonder how many games it will take for them to drop the gloves and try to take each others head off. This is going to be a 7 gm fight to the finish and one hell of a series. (G are You out there?)
Shari on Fri, 13th Apr 2007 4:11 pm
Ps. I bet that the Islanders are kicking themselves right about now because Parise Rocks, and just wait until Langs gets rolling.
beej on Fri, 13th Apr 2007 4:47 pm
As funny as it would be to see White own Lecav, I don’t think Vinnie would do it. White totally would, but I can’t see Vinnie fighting him, or anyone.
Patricia Greuter on Fri, 13th Apr 2007 5:17 pm
It’s all about discipline right now. Don’t give Whitey any breathing room — he played a helluva game last night, and he really kept his calm when he needed to. If he is given the opportunity to shove a player around, he can easily take it too far, and that’s exactly what we DON’T need. If we give the Tampa Bay offense enough chances, they’ll start to kill us. I’d rather not see a single fight this series — I’ll be content with that. Also why I don’t want Cam Janssen to skate a single game as it stands. If things change and play gets really dirty, ask me again, but right now, I’m good.
mrsheeps on Sat, 14th Apr 2007 9:16 am
I agree re: Janssen. I love the guy, but fact is, he’s a regular season guy if there ever was one. I wouldn’t mind him playing all 82 and then 0 in the playoffs. And, once again Patricia, you were right about bad penalties, and will continue to be; I like the fire in White, just not when it forces him into the box for two minutes.