Good goaltending and good pitching. Man, it just doesn't get better.
Wonder-kid Cole Hamels, now the undisputed ace of the Phillies pitching staff with Brett Myers' demotion (which is still dumbfounding to me), put up a pretty decent line today;
9 innings pitched, 5 hits, 2 walks, 1 earned run, and the win.
Oh, and FIFTEEN strikeouts.
That lowers his season ERA to 2.57 and catapults him into the league lead in strike outs.
This kid is the real deal. I've been a huge fan since his debut last year, and think he will be a premier pitcher in the league for years to come; as long as he can avoid the shoulder issues that plagued him when he was younger.
Now, on to Marty Turco.
The same Marty Turco that has been single handedly blamed for every playoff series the Stars have been in since he has been their starter. And rightfully so. The guy was always a brick wall during the regular season, but he was very human between the pipes in the playoffs. If he didn't show something this year, he was on his way out in Dallas.
And he's shown something alright.
His shutout tonight marks his 3rd of the series. Yes, 3rd. Of the series. 3 shutouts in a single post season is impressive enough.
Turco has officially shut up his critics with this line: 1.20 Goal Against Average and a .955 Save Percentage. He's stopping an average of more than 19 of every 20 shots he faces.
And remember, he gave up 4 goals in the first 3 periods of this series. Since then?
0.77 GAA, .972 SV%
Dallas is going to head into Vancouver and win this series, as I predicted they would in the first place. And they are going to do it because of; not in spite of; Marty Turco.
Lastly, I read a pretty solid article on the Kings and the rebuild they are going through right now tonight. As I often try to explain to people, the Kings are heading in the right direction. The article isn't perfect, but its a pretty good sum up of what the Kings are doing right as well as what they still need to do to become a playoff team. Check it out.
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4 comments:
"...Whose brought stripes and bright STARS..."
Things are looking good for Big D. But maybe someone else is behind that goalie mask. Turco is in 'regular season' mode, and that's gonna be a problem for the rest of the Western Conference.
Glad you still talk about the Kings even though they aren't in the playoffs. That was a good article, true fans know that the core is there, the biggest problem is goaltending for Kings. I think we could easily make the playoffs next year. But Cloutier is the problem, not the answer. I wouldn't mind getting Giguere, even though he's a Duck, he's my favorite Duck...
Woooo Cole Hamels! That's my boy right there...
Go Kings, I believe Lombardie will do the right thing and get some goaltending. Watch out western conference in 2 years.
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