Miközben évek óta a védelmünk/védőink minősége miatt siránkozunk, a minap elgondolkoztam hogy pl. a Penguins védelme ugyan mennyivel is olyan sokkal erősebb papíron mint a miénk. Erre ma lejön egy ezzel foglalkozó cikk a THN-en, idézem:

Take away Kris Letang, and what do you see from the Pittsburgh blueline on paper? Olli Maatta, the oft-injured youngster. Justin Schultz, who barely survived the Edmonton Ruin Machine after choosing the Oilers over the Ducks. Ben Lovejoy, a player GM Jim Rutherford openly admitted he shouldn’t have traded Simon Despres for last year. And yet, this crew (plus Brian Dumoulin and Ian Cole) has helped the Penguins to within a game of the Stanley Cup, despite losing Trevor Daley to injury before the final even began. How are they doing it?

Keepin’ it simple, to be blunt.

“It’s a team defense, not necessarily a group of individuals out there,” said coach Mike Sullivan. “That’s what’s helped each player throughout the course of this post-season. They trust one another. They rely on one another. They support one another. Because of that, I think they bring out the best in each other.”

The Penguins crew has just gone about their job quietly – and it has been frustrating for the Sharks.
“They just get the puck out of their own end as quickly as possible up to their forwards,” said San Jose coach Peter DeBoer. “There’s nothing fancy about it. Not afraid to rim it, to throw it out, to flip it out. They’re not looking to make cute plays. They’re just looking to get it out of their own zone as quickly as possible.”

No comment részemről.