hmmm. jus sayin. let's look at some interesting facts regarding the alleged Underdogs.
the Rangers took two of their Playoff Series' to 7 games, one to 6.
of course, we know the Kings went 7 games each in all three of their previous Series'.
however, as for tonight -- Game One -- the alleged "Underdog" Rangers did some fairly interesting things through their 64 minutes and 36 seconds on the ice amidst their opponent, the allegedly Dominant L.A. Kings: the Rangers managed to find their way to the puck, especially when it was in the Kings possession.
the Kings had six Takeaways (two from Kopitar, who's kind of a big deal with the Kings)...the Rangers only had the puck taken away ONE TIME.
skip ahead to Giveaways. (this would indicate somewhat BAD PASSING and, perhaps, being rushed into making mistakes). the Kings had GIVEAWAYS from ALL BUT SEVEN of their 19 players used tonight, including their goaltender Quick. of the 12 Kings players giving the puck away to the Rangers, each had anywhere between 1 and 2 Giveaways, 18 total.
(blame four giveaways on Willie Mitchell alone).
where is this obscene dominance, again?
i mean, i get it. the Kings won the game.
but, remember, we're talking about dominance and underdogs, right?
and. if what the popular media, NBC announcers, and Vegas are alleging is true, then how in the WORLD did the underdogs take the dominant into Overtime??
for, aside from a fluky bounce-in goal with Drew Doughty in the 2nd (which tied the score), the Kings would wind up massively assaulting the Rangers' netminder with (get this now) 43 shots on goal.
(but only 3 got in?)
(this is Dominance??)
the Rangers, yeah, they finished the game with merely 27 shots on goal -- two of which had such a dynamic impact upon the game, that the game was taken into Overtime on those two shots alone (the ones that found their way to the back of the net, of course).
interestingly, the Rangers only took three shots on goal in the 3rd period.
the Kings took 20.
defense? lack of offense? either way you want to dissect the 3rd period, the fact remains: the game went into Overtime.
(and...in actuality...with the Corsi and Fenwick being literally 1% difference between the two teams in the entire game, the winner could have been either team.)
thus...Dominance? Underdog?
imagine what might happen in Games 2, 3, 4, if the Rangers were to take 13 shots on goal each period, like they did in the 1st period tonight...
if tonight's game is any indication of the dynamics or propensity of aptitude for each team within this Stanley Cup Finals -- and their respective possible consequences for Giveaways, Takeaways, defense, shots on goal and such -- i do believe the Kings are in for more than a 4-game sweep of the alleged Ranger "Underdogs."
Vegas may want to reconsider their points, odds, and assumptions toward the Dominant and Underdog... lest a fraction of hockey betters cash in HUGE when all is said and done.
ask anyone who laid down cold, hard cash on the Bruins. jus sayin.
