#24 – Not Sure If Serious or Playing Dumba

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This is the twenty-fourth post of Deke Dangle RPF Anon, a community for all your ice hockey anon meme needs.

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Comments

Re: Game Day Thread, June 6, 2016

[(Anonymous)]

It's hard to evaluate because obviously how they're playing (or seem to be playing) is also a product of how the other team is playing. The Penguins are a good team (and a lot of analytics predicted would be the better team, and better than the previous opposition the Sharks faced), and are playing well. The Sharks also just don't seem to match up well against the Penguins. Another anon in the thread mentioned speed and forecheck and #analysis; for a specific analysis of how that comes into play, someone on reddit is doing a game-by-game break down of OZ entries which is really interesting and informative: https://www.reddit.com/r/hockey/comments/4mwy0a/post_game_thread_pittsburgh_penguins_at_san_jose/d3yzvua. Their conclusion after Game 4 was pretty much that the Pens' strategy is controlled entries, whereas the Sharks' strategy is dump and chase, which isn't working against the Pens because the Pens' speed allows them to mostly keep the puck to the perimeter.

Re: Game Day Thread, June 6, 2016

[(Anonymous)]

Isn't falling down more likely an ice condition thing? The last two games in particular, dudes have been tumbling all over the ice. That said, I'm fully expecting a laundry list of injuries from both teams as soon as the series is over.

Re: Game Day Thread, June 6, 2016

[(Anonymous)]

Thanks nonnie - this is super interesting.

/#analysis nonnie

Re: Game Day Thread, June 6, 2016

[(Anonymous)]

There's been a lot of discussion on my broadcast about how little space the Pens are giving Pavelski in particular - he wants to get those shots in close around the net, and he's always got a Penguin right there getting up in his space.

Another thing is that one of the Sharks' biggest threats in the postseason has been the power play, but a) they're getting very few power play opportunities (partly because they're not in enough control of the play to draw them and partly because lol SCF reffing), and b) the Pens use that same aggressive speed on the PK. Compound that with the zone entry problems you mention, and the PP is not getting a ton to work with - they're having a lot of trouble even getting set up.

In general, I think if a team that's been playing well suddenly mysterious stops playing well... it's probably because the other team is good and is shutting down things that the first team was used to getting away with. That other anon was a bit inflammatory, but I think the principle holds - remember that there's two teams playing, and your team isn't struggling in a vacuum. Give the other team some credit for showing up, too. (To be fair hockey media and analysis in general has a huge problem with the idea that it's not just about one team losing the game, it's about the other team winning the game.)

Re: Game Day Thread, June 6, 2016

[(Anonymous)]

Yeah, everybody's been falling a lot, although I think it not quite as bad for game 4 as for game 3. Of course, if you fall the wrong way, that may cause injuries as well. :P

Re: Game Day Thread, June 6, 2016

[(Anonymous)]

The ice has been horrible. I saw "people on the Internet" suggesting that this could be a strategy to slow down the Pens. True or not (and honestly I don't really care either way) I was distictly impressed at the level of trolling/tomfoolery/just plain old EFFORT that would be. Like that's honest to god dedication to competitive advantage.

Also it seems silly because everybody plays on the same ice.

Re: What is <i>up</i> with your team? –– non-SCF edition

[(Anonymous)]

Max Domi has taken his life into his hands and decided to spend at least part of the summer in AZ.

For those that don't know, Southern Arizona has had heat of over 100 degrees F several days in a row so far and it's not stopping yet (Tucson had 3 days at 112 in a row and we are always like 5 degrees cooler than Phoenix)

Re: Game Day Thread, June 6, 2016

[(Anonymous)]

Not to support the hypothesis of these people on the internet, but it doesn't seem like that much effort. Ice conditions in San Jose in June are naturally going to be bad, so all you have to do is not go the extra mile to try and make them slightly less bad. Keeping the ice good is what takes all the effort!

Re: Game Day Thread, June 6, 2016

[(Anonymous)]

It's very silly because the Sharks have a not great home record because of that same shitty ice. Of course they could make it worse to fuck with the Pens, but it's not like the Sharks are great at playing on it either.

Re: Game Day Thread, June 6, 2016

[(Anonymous)]

Wouldn't the Sharks' opponents be playing on the same ice? Why would that explain their home record?

Re: Fic discussion

[(Anonymous)]

This was a good ending. Closure. We have it!

Re: Game Day Thread, June 6, 2016

[(Anonymous)]

Oh you're right, lol. Duh. In either case I guess it proves that the quality of the ice shouldn't be a huge factor in who wins because the Sharks don't have some kind of secret advantage in knowing how to play on sloppy ice.

Re: Game Day Thread, June 6, 2016

[(Anonymous)]

Because they have practice on shitty ice, and it's harder to get things smoothly in practice and them again on inconsistent ice?

Re: Game Day Thread, June 6, 2016

[(Anonymous)]

This assumes their practice facility has the same shitty ice as their arena. I guess that's a reasonable assumption to make? IDK.

Re: What is <i>up</i> with your team? –– non-SCF edition

[(Anonymous)]

Meh, it's not that bad. You get used to it. Plus, most of the players live in the Scottsdale/Cave Creek area, which is generally a few degrees cooler than Phoenix proper, due to being slightly higher. I mean, granted, we're always a bit colder here in Vegas - I think our highest in this stretch has been 111 - but you adjust pretty quickly. Though, a few summers ago when we were in danger of hitting 130 for a stretch, that was bad. (Celsius people, 130 is 54.)

And I say this as someone who grew up in the Wisconsin and Minnesota. I am apparently only happy in temperature extremes.

Re: Game Day Thread, June 6, 2016

[(Anonymous)]

da
if their practice ice is nicer than their arena ice that can still lead to the problem ayrt was talking about. I think the point is that their home record shows they're not the masters of the shitty ice, and making it worse to fuck with the pens would be fucking with themselves as well. If the ice really did give them a bad home record it's ultimately a toss up whether it's affecting them worse than the Pens or vice versa, imo.

Re: Game Day Thread, June 6, 2016

[(Anonymous)]

I don't know how you'd put together any kind of evidence to support that conjecture. Boston had a terrible home record this year, despite being in Boston. A team might have a shitty stat for all sorts of reasons, up to and including the ever-dangerous small sample size problem.

Re: Game Day Thread, June 6, 2016

[(Anonymous)]

No I get that and I kinda take it back. I just saw a lot of Pens fans complaining about the ice after game 3 and claiming that it made the Pens lose/Sharks win because they're "used to it" and I think the Sharks home record shows that they don't have a huge advantage against other teams because they're used to the ice. They could be losing for any number of reasons, but I think it's hard to argue that away teams are doomed to struggle in San Jose because of the ice conditions.

Re: Game Day Thread, June 6, 2016

[(Anonymous)]

It's not really a founded assumption unless they have any particular knowledge of the practice rink. The practice rink is in the same hot/humid climate, but without having to accommodate so many people, it's a lot easier to control the temperature and ice conditions. The Pens' old practice rink had fantastic ice, but Consol's ice is pretty shitty.

Re: Game Day Thread, June 6, 2016

[(Anonymous)]

Nah, it's just that fans of a team notice more and fixate more on the mistakes their own players make/what plays fail for their team because of the ice. I may be mistaken, but I seem to recall a Pens media person or blogger speculating that the ice conditions hurt the Sharks more. They didn't explain why, but maybe if the puck behaves in unpredictable ways, that is easier for the faster team to deal with?

Re: Game Day Thread, June 6, 2016

[(Anonymous)]

ayrt

Yeah, that's a good point. Speed isn't just foot speed -- it's the speed of play. After Game 4, Pavelski said that they would try to set up plays like they were used to, but by the team they'd try to pull the trigger, the puck would already be gone.

Re: Game Day Thread, June 6, 2016

[(Anonymous)]

sa

*by the TIME, not by the team

Re: Fic discussion

[(Anonymous)]

I enjoyed the description of the thing a lot it really sounded creepy and unsettling.

Re: What is <i>up</i> with your team? –– non-SCF edition

[(Anonymous)]

Tyler Seguin is skating! https://twitter.com/B_vally16/status/740243992109977600

Re: What is <i>up</i> with your team? –– non-SCF edition

[(Anonymous)]

Yes! Good news.