What’s really bugging me today is not the (2) losses… not even how much people in Pittsburgh seem so worried about the scoring race. Although the scoring race does bother me a little bit. One win and we are in and that’s what counts. Those who should be worried are …..
teams like Boston who really deep down in can’t possibly have confidence that Tim Thomas against Crosby and Malkin in a 7-game series is going to cut it. In fact, Jose Theodore in Washington won’t last in a 7-game series. That’s not a given at all because we all know the playoffs are one major crapshoot BUT it’s close to a given. Most hockey people (except Boston’s GM) know that neither of these goalies is THAT strong. It’s not that their team can’t win against the Penguins – it’s just not likely and their goalies have to get hot as hell to pull it off.
I’d take the Penguins against any of them and right now if Cam Ward continues to play as well as he’s playing… they along with the Pens are who those TOP-4 teams fear the most. All of them have something to bring to the table but I think these ‘all season long’ front runners fear the Penguins most of all. Beware the Penguin!
But this isn’t what’s bugging me. What’s bugging me is Petr Sykora. What’s
going on with this guy? He’s hanging on the perimeter and not playing well at all. It’s not just the scoring. Bylsma has been dropping him in the lines and is limiting his time on the PP. His ice time is in the crapper too… and Deservingly so. Is the goal #300 placing the same pressure as the Hat Trick was on him? He best on the PP and right now he’s been pretty much removed from it.
Whatever it is his play over the last weeks has been terrible. This is a contract year and reports are he’s asking for a 3-year contract and the Pens offered him 2-years. The way he’s been playing if I was Ray Shero I’d take that 2-year offer off the table. Unless he’s playing hurt and if he is playing hurt – that’s stupid. Personally, I think he’s choking. It’s not so much his ZERO points in his last 8 games it’s more his 2 goals in his last 17. That’s Rod Scuderi type numbers!
As to Malkin winning the scoring race… I’d hate to see him blow the lead he’s got just because he doesn’t have a right wing worth a bag of pucks right now. I wouldn’t want him losing to Ovechkin and the Penguins playing the Capitals in the first round. I don’t think that would be good for Malkin’s psyche.
Sykora got another game winner against Tampa and now has 10 game winning goals, the next closest Penguin has 4.
@Shoot66
Max Talbot claims that Malkin and Sykora are like brothers. Maybe so, but reports are the Penguins have offered Sykora a 2-year contract but he’s holding out for three. Offering him a 1-year and Sykora will be leaving his brother!
@ elebeck and lateharvest
It’s not so much an obsession with Sykora. Ray Shero is in a bit of a bind here with Sykora… and Guerin for that matter. Bylsma has dropped Sykora down to the third line and I think we all know Sykora’s value is lower when he’s not playing with Crosby and Malkin or on the PP. Sykora claims, “You know it’s going to come back”… and maybe it will. However, right now the depth on our RW is Guerin, Sykora, Kennedy, Godard and that’s not looking so awfully good into the future.
There’s (2) who are listed as LW’s… Tangradi a year away (maybe)and plays RW for the Belleville Bulls and Caputi (who played LW up here) but was a RW with the Mississauga/Niagara Ice Dogs. Other than that there’s not much in the RW prospect cubard as Filewich has pretty much bummed-out. So the bind is with the salary cap possibly going down and Sykora’s (future)production under a microscope right now. What should Shero do? This isn’t going to be an easy decision and that will lead to an interesting summer indeed.
Very possibly Cuputi and Tangradi move into the first two-lines next season. It’s a big jump but why not? Are Guerin and Sykora who would sign for millions going to be THAT much better of a choice?
I think that Dan Potash and FSN should give back the tape they are sniffing from Sykora’s Game 5 triple Overtime. These FSN guys are all smart fellers!
Sykora’s had pretty consistent stats his entire career, and he’s only 4 goals shy of his 2007/08 season. Having mentioned that, Sykora hasn’t been able to elevate his game by playing next to Malkin.
If Scuderi scored 2 goals every 17 games I’d be thrilled. As of now he’s 1/78. But I have to agree, it sure seems like Sykora’s choking right now. Any ideas why? This is usually his time of year.
Just another way to look at his numbers…in the past 20 games he’s had 3g-2a-5pts. That’s a quarter of the season that he’s spent with the man who leads the league in even strength points and the best Sykora can do is 5pts?
I have to wonder, where is this chemistry that Sykora and Malkin supposedly have?
of course, this all builds on what will probably be an exciting summer.
What is the obsession with Sykora?….He is not a top scoring winger and never has been….Two 30 goal seasons in 13 years should not be the player the Pens are looking for to Play with Malkin or Crosbey….It has been so long since the team has had any good Wings, that players like Sykora and Fedotenko and Ryan Malone look good. As a wing playing with the Leading Scorer, apoint per game is not to much to expect….
With the Salary Cap expected to go down for the 2010/11 Season, an older players like Sykora, Fedotenko, Guerin and Gill simply can not be retained for next season on anything longer than one year deals
You shouldn’t put down Petr, unlike Satan he comes everynight to play for last few weeks yeah he has had a hard time scoring but he shoots the biscuit the goalie makes a great save or just doesn’t get the bounces, he needs to keep firing the puck it will go in and he looked better with TK and Staal, If I was Ray I would offer only a one year deal.