April 23, 2015
Michael Clifford
2015-04-23
I'm going to start a mailbag-type thing once a week as part of my ramblings. Check the forums here on Dobber Hockey where I will start a thread for posters/readers to ask me anything fantasy hockey-related (or really, just hockey in general). It could be keeper questions, trade questions, playoff discussion, whatever is on the mind of the readers, really. I'll open up the thread around noon on Thursdays (Eastern time), and check the posts a few times throughout the day on Thursday and Friday to answer the questions I can (some are pure speculation – I have no idea what Jack Eichel's Year 1 value might be).
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The Anaheim Ducks became the first team to punch their ticket to the second round of the playoffs, sweeping the Winnipeg Jets after taking Game 4 by a score of 5-2. While the Jets did a better job being disciplined – they only gave the Ducks one power play after giving them 10 through the first three games – but couldn't get the saves needed to win. The Jets needed to do three things to win games in this series: Keep the Getzlaf line in check (Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry had just four points in three games after a big Game 1); be disciplined (they were ok); have Ondrej Pavelec be close to average. Pavelec finishes the playoffs with an .891 save percentage overall.
The Ducks now get the winner of the Calgary-Vancouver series.
The Rangers took a stranglehold of their series 3-1 with the Penguins with a tight-checking overtime win. Both Marc-Andre Fleury and Henrik Lundqvist made the necessary saves to keep their team in the game, and the Rangers managed to bang one in when they needed it. For all his problems in the past, Fleury has a .921 save percentage these playoffs. He has a .917 in his last 17 playoff games, a stark contrast from anything he had done since their Cup-winning season.
It's really amazing how bad the Pittsburgh power play has been this year. Through the first 13 games of the season, the team managed 21 goals with the man advantage; the next 69 games saw the Penguins score just 28 times. Despite managing a couple of power play goals in a Game 2 win, Pittsburgh had drawn just seven penalties to New York's 14 through Game 3. They started Game 4 by going 0-for-2 in the first period, when one conversion could have given them an insurance marker after an early goal from Patric Hornqvist. Sure the injuries over the year played a big factor, but this team went along at a clip of 14.1-percent in those final 69 games. For reference, the Sabres were at 15.2-percent over the final 69 games of their regular season. Injuries and bad luck don't explain away how poor this Penguins power play has looked at times. Of the ways that Pittsburgh can win that series, winning the special teams battle would seem to be of importance for the team. This is something that needs to change in a hurry if they hope to get past the Rangers.
The Penguins finished the game 0-for-3 with the man advantage, and sit at 2-for-10 for the series. It's not a bad mark, though with the Rangers having two of their own, the Penguins breaking even on special teams isn't enough for them.
Cheer up, Pens fans. Here are some Malkin highlights to enjoy