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GDT: Canes @ Pens 10/18 7:00

I like what I’m seeing from us, but Pitt’s defense is awful. There have been tons of loose pucks in their end and they haven’t figured out a way to get to any of them.
 
The kid scores again, KK gets another assist from winning a battle in the corner, the Ghost scores again on a scorcher from almost the blue line, Nachos scores, Slavin plays with what he considers to be food out there on ice, Burns still looks like he's a young man. What's not to love about this one?
 
Great teamwork last night! Shutting down Crosby's line and demonstrating what it means to have four lines you can depend on (unlike the Pens). Good to see KK's grit and hustle the last two games. We could have scored more - I think the Pens may have to replace their goal bars after the way they were pummeled.
 
andyt said:
For all the fancy stats people, Crosby had the worst Corsi For game of his career. On home ice. Where Sullivan can avoid Staal and Slavin.


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Even before checking the fancy stats, my impression of Crosby in that game was that he didn't really make one ... an impression that is. He just had the kind of night older guys sometimes have, when they don't have the push in their legs to get engaged in puck battles and get through gaps in time to post up in the right position before it turns into the wrong position. Sid was terrific in their previous game, so it's not like he's past it or anything. He just isn't going to have it every night at this stage, with the sheer mileage he's got on the tires. It's easier for defenders and forwards who were never mobile in the first place when they start to have older legs. Sid's not Malkin and he can't just barge his way through bodies to get position, and his game has always been about being in the right place at the right time. It didn't help that they were playing the Canes, who are one of the better top to bottom skating teams in the league. Still, next time around he might be feeling frisky and make Carolina miserable. He's still that good.
 
Carolina ended up at 88% on the old deserve-to-win-o-meter, which is about as much of a beatdown as you're gonna see at the NHL level. Blomqvist stood on his head early, which kind of artificially tilted the scoreline a little. But in the end both he and Andersen finished with 2 goals and change saves above expected, so the fact that Carolina scored 4 when they had well over 6 xGs, is down to Carolina's usual profligate shooting. For believers in horses for courses, this is an ideal matchup for the Canes though. Pittsburgh isn't particularly disciplined in their system and they're pretty slow and clunky. The Canes will generally carve those teams up and if they finish well enough, they're going to win most of the time. It's the biggest reason the computer models like the Canes more than the reporter class.
 
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