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Penguins Come Alive, Beat Red Wings 3-2

At last, we witnessed the level of competition that we had originally anticipated between these two great teams!  After a 2-game slumber party, the Pittsburgh Penguins awoke at Mellon Arena and became the team that went 12-2 to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals.  After going scoreless in the first 2-games, the Penguins scored the first 2-goals of this game thanks to the tenacity of Captain Sidney Crosby, and ultimately went on to beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 on Wednesday night.  It wasn’t easy.  It wasn’t supposed to be easy.  But, from this fan’s perspective, the game contained all of the intensity and excitement that you would expect from a Stanley Cup game.

In the 1st period, the Penguins finally ended a lengthy scoring drought and managed to get their first goal of the series.  The goal didn’t come until 17:25, but it was just what the Penguins needed to lift a large burden and give them some confidence and momentum.  With the Red Wings trying to move the puck out of their own zone, Sidney Crosby picked off an unforced turnover and drop passed it to Marian Hossa who unloaded a quick shot on net.  Chris Osgood made the save, but gave up a juicy rebound that Crosby redirected back between the goaltender’s legs to make it 1-0.  Marian Hossa was credited with the lone assist.  The Penguins were outshot 9-6 in the first, but were prefect on the penalty kill as they killed off penalties to Jordan Staal (holding) and Sergei Gonchgar (hooking).  The Penguins had 2 powerplay opportnities, including one that carried over into the 2nd period, but failed to convert.

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In the 2nd period, the Penguins managed to pour on the pressure and take the Red Wings off their game as they outshot them 13-9.  At 2:34, just 32-seconds into the Penguins final powerplay of the night, Sidney Crosby found the back of the net again to establish a 2-goal Penguins lead.  With Crosby and Hossa posted by the net, Sergei Gonchar let a shot go from the point.  The shot never made it through, bouncing off a defender’s skate and onto the stick of Ryan Malone.  Malone then attempted a shot that bounced off some skates again and found the stick of Marian Hossa.  Hossa quickly released a shot that was stopped by Osgood, but the puck rebounded to Crosby on the side of the net who put it behind the goaltender to make it 2-0.  But the Red Wings found a way back into the game on a powerplay of their own at 14:48, as Hal Gill sat for the 2nd time in the period for clearing Tomas Holmstrom from in front of the Penguins net (via a cross-check).  The goal was scored by Johan Franzen who simply undressed the Penguins defense, walked right in on goal, and roofed the puck over Marc-Andre Fleury’s shoulder.  Nicklas Lidstrom and Niklas Kronvall picked up the assists on the goal, that sliced the lead to 1-goal.  The Penguins were 1-for-1 on the powerplay and 1-for-2 on the penalty kill in the 2nd period.

In the 3rd period, the Penguins managed to restore the 2-goal lead on an even strength goal by Adam Hall at 7:18, his 2nd of the playoffs.  After a huge hit by Kirk Maltby on Tyler Kennedy at the Penguins end of the ice, Gary Roberts responded at the other end of the ice by leveling Andreas Lilja and freeing up the puck.  Max Talbot dug the puck out of the boards and made a cross-crease pass to Adam Hall, who ultimately ended up behind the net with the puck.  Standing behind the net all alone with the puck, Adma Hall made a couple of attempts to pass the puck out, but it ultimately ended back up on his stick.  He finally found an opportunity with Osgood turning to get back into position, and shot the puck off the back of the goaltender and into the net to make it 3-1.  Gary Roberts and Max Talbot picked up the assists.  After the Hall goal, the action up and down the ice was non-stop, with play going without a whistle for over 6-minutes.  Finally, at 13:37, Mikael Samuellson let a shot go that appeared to deflect off from Brooks Orpik’s stick and into the net to cut the lead to 1-goal again.  Brad Stuart and Valtteri Filppula picked up the assists on the play.  Things got hairy at 15:42 as Evgeni Malkin took a hooking call and gave the Red Wings the opportunity to tie it up, but the excellent play of Marc-Andre Fleury and the Penguins’ penalty kill thwarted a late game comeback for the Red Wings.  The Penguins survived a 16-5 shot surge in the final frame to come away with the much needed victory.

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• VIDEO:  Game Highlights
• VIDEO:  Post-Game Press Conference
• VIDEO:  Post-Game Interviews
• PHOTOS:  In-Game Photos
• AUDIO:  Mike Lange Highlights
• AUDIO:  Rink Rat Report
• AUDIO:  Post-Game Hotline Show
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Rosters
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Summary
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Boxscore
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Play-by-Play

The Penguins looked like a different team than what they brought to the first 2-games of the series.  They played the game that they needed to play by getting aggressive on the puck and putting pressure on the Red Wings defense and on Chris Osgood.  The Penguins also managed to change up the mathcups and enabling Crosby and Hossa to find more open ice.  Sidney Crosby (2G) was the game’s 1st star and Marian Hossa (2A) was the 2nd star.  Marc-Andre Fleury had a strong game in net as he stopped 32-of-34 shots, including 15 in the final period, for a 0.941 save percentage.  The series resumes on Saturday night as the Penguins host the Red Wings at Mellon Arena for Game 4, and look to tie the series up 2-2.

 

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Penguins Blanked Again by Detroit’s Stifling Defense

The Pittsburgh Penguins and their fans had another frustrating game against the Detroit Red Wings as they lost 3-0, marking a second consecutive game in which their highly potent offense was snuffed out by the exceptional defensive play of the Red Wings.  The Penguins seemingly played a better game than they did in the first game, but took too many ill-timed penalties and failed to convert on the few good chances that they were afforded.  To their credit, the Penguins never gave up in the game, but just could not break through the stifling defense of the Red Wings.  The Red Wings will take a 2-0 series lead to Pittsburgh on Wednesday, where the Penguins hope to extend their home playoff unbeaten streak. 

The Red Wings scored the ever-important first goal early in the first period, as Brad Stuart picked the corner on a semi-screened Marc-Andre Fleury to make it 1-0.  Valtteri Filppula picked up the assist on the even strength goal.  Then at 11:18, Tomas Holmstrom made it 2-0 as reached in behind Fleury and tapped in a puck that had trickled through his legs on a Henrik Zetterberg shot.  Shots were 12-6 in the first period, with all 6-Penguins shots coming on 2-powerplays.  The Penguins killed off 2-penalties of their own, including 14-seconds of a Gary Roberts roughing call that carried over into the 2nd period.

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There was no scoring in the 2nd period as the Penguins were again held to just 6-shots on goal.  The Red Wings put 11-shots on goal, all of which were stopped by Marc-Andre Fleury who did his part to try and keep his team within striking distance.  The Penguins successfully killed off the balance of Roberts 1st period penalty as well as a slashing call against Ryan Malone. 

In thr 3rd period, the Penguins took penalty after penalty and never gave themselves the chance to get back in the game.  At 7:49, the Penguins went on the power play and it looked like they might get an opportunity to cut the lead in half.  But just 15-seconds into the man advantage, Ryan Malone was called for goaltender intereference and the power play was negated as the teams skated 4 per side.  During the 4-on-4, Detroit scored their 3rd goal of the game as Valtteri Filppula made a spectacular move around Kris Letang and then connected on a Bobby Orr-like diving shot that beat Marc-Andre Fleury.  Then at 11:51, Max Talbot took a double-minor roughing call in a fracas with Detroit’s Johan Franzen, who got just 2-minutes.  Then again at 16:08, Ryan Whitney took an ill-timed roughing call when he took a shot to the head of Pavel Datsyuk after the whistle.  Then at 18:52 with the little question as to game’s likely outcome, Petr Sykora knocked Chris Osgood down as he skated by the net and a large scrum ensued.  Sykora picked up a goaltender intereference call while Malkin and Roberts each took 2 for roughing.  Gary Roberts also picked up a 10-minute misconduct.  Detroit’s Lilja and Franzen each got 2 for roughing, giving the Red Wings yet another power play. 

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• VIDEO:  Game Highlights
• PHOTOS:  In-Game Photos
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Rosters
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Summary
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Boxscore
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Play-by-Play

The Penguins return to Mellon Arena for Game 3 on Wednesday night with the hope that they can find a way to break the defensive juggernaut.  The Penguins will have the crowd on their side and the good fortune that they have enjoyed on their own ice throughout these playoffs, having yet to lose a game there.  If the Penguins can find a way to win on their own ice, they can claw their way back into this series and gaain some confidence and momentum.  Needless to say, it will be a tough challenge if Detroit can continue to play the way they have in Games 1 and 2. 

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Penguins Adjust and Shake Things Up

After posting just 7-shots in the final 42-minutes of Game 1, the Penguins are wasting no time in making adjustments.  At practice on Sunday, Coach Therrien juggled the lines in an apparent effort to shake things up a bit and to give the Penguins a different look.  The practice session on Sunday is a likely a preview to what we will see in Game 2 on Monday night.  The Coach’s theme for Sunday’s practice was effort and desire, two things that seemed to wane after the first period of Game 1.  In the first period the Penguins looked competitive and hungry, but as the game progressed they stopped skating and started watching too much. 

If the lines used in practice hold for Game 2, you can expect to see some interesting changes for Monday night.  First, expect to see Sidney Crosby centering Marian Hossa and Ryan Malone.  I like this combination as it adds a new dimension to the Penguins top line that may pay dividends.  In addition to the speed and playmaking abilities of Crosby and Hossa, you now have Ryan Malone who can post his big body in front of the netminder and give the Detroit defense another element to worry about. 

Pascal Dupuis will be moved to a new Penguins second line, centered by Jordan Staal with Tyler Kennedy on the opposite wing.  Again, this is another interesting matchup as the long reach and excellent defensive abilities of Jordan Staal will be teamed with the speed and energy of Dupuis and Kennedy. 

This means that Evgeni Malkin will now center the 3rd line as he has been struggling of late.  He will be flanked by energy man Max Talbot and sniper Petr Sykora.  It will be interesting to see what moving him to the 3rd line will do as far as Detroit’s line matchups.  Whether Malkin is ailing or just in a funk, the move will either serve to release a little bit of pressure or motivate him to to step his game back up.  Again, it will be interesting to see how Detroit reacts to Malkin’s new location in the lineup.

Finally, the Penguins will put 42-year-old Gary Roberts back into the lineup and sit Georges Laraque.  Roberts, an experienced and gritty forward, has had a difficult year as he dealt with a broken leg and a high ankle sprain that kept him out of the lineup for the 2nd half of the season.  During the Eastern Conference Finals, he again sat out with a bout of pneumonia.  Although healthy enough to play on Saturday, Roberts was a healthy scratch.  That won’t be the case for Game 2, when Roberts will join fiesty Jarkko Ruutu and Adam Hall on the 4th line.  “I’m excited.  For me, bringing some emotion, some intensity.  I’m obviously not going to change my game at this point.  I know what I need to do to be successful.  This team we’re playing against is really smart.”

The Penguins will be looking to turn things around in Game 2 and find a way to steal one in Detroit before heading back to Pittsburgh.  If Coach Therrien can motivate his team to put in a full 60-minutes of effort like they produced in the first period of Game 1, they could generate a very different outcome.  With the line changes and some motivating forces, it will be interesting to see if the adjustments being made by the Penguins coaching staff will yield dividends for the young team.  The only way to the Stanley Cup for the Penguins is to win at least 1-game in Detroit.  They need to believe that the 1-win must come on Monday night. 

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Penguins Lose Game 1 in 4-0 Shutout

The Pittsburgh Penguins were unable to solve the Detroit Red Wings defense and goaltender Chris Osgood as they lost Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Championship Series 4-0 on Saturday.  The Penguins came out strong in the 1st period, but faded as they game went on and Detroit’s defensive game kicked in.  A poorly executed line change by the Penguins midway through the 2nd period served as the turning point and was all that the Red Wings needed to break the lock on a scoreless game.  Another Detroit goal early in the 3rd period enabled the Red Wings to close the defensive noose around the neck of the Penguins.  They finished it up with 2-late goals, one short-handed and one on the power play, to give them a 1-0 lead in the series.

In the 1st period, the Penguins took the first penalty at 3:51, but it quickly turned into a 4-on-4 as Detroit took a penalty of their own just 11-seconds later.  The Penguins offense then had their best opportunities of the game as the Red Wings took 3-more consecutive penalties, but Chris Osgood came up big and shut down the normally potent Pittsbrugh power play.  At 15:20, the Red WIngs had a goal waived off as Tomas Holmstrom was called for goaltender interference as he got his stick between the legs of Marc-Andre Fleury.  The call was questioned by the Red Wings’ bench, but was ultimately a non-factor in the outcome of the game.  The Penguins managed to outshoot the Red Wings 12-11 in the first, but were 0-for-4 on the man advantage.  The Penguins did manage to kill off 2-penalties of their own, including a high-stick call on Hal Gill that carried over 1-minute into the 2nd period. 

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In the 2nd period, it was the Penguins who got into penalty trouble as Sidney Crosby (slashing), Ryan Whitney (holding) and Evgeni Malkin (tripping) all sat for 2-minutes.  Although none of the penalties resulted in a goal, it took the Penguins offense largely out of the game.  At 13:01, with the Penguins trying to get a tired line off the ice, Jarkko Ruutu tried to make a passing play out of his own zone.  With 2-Penguins players heading to the far bench, a flying Mikael Samuellson picked off the Ruutu pass and skated it in around the flat-footed defense and came around behind the net with a wraparound that beat Marc-Andre Fleury.  The goal, Samuellson’s 3rd of the playoffs, was unassisted.  The Red Wings went on to dominate the Penguins by outshooting them 16-4 in the period.  Despite it all, Marc-Andre Fleury managed to keep it a 1-goal game through the end of the period, giving the Penguins a chance to get back into it.

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In the 3rd period, it was Mikael Samuellson again as he beat Marc-Andre Fleury at 2:16 to give the Red Wings the 2-0 lead.  Going in hard on the forecheck, Samuellson pinned behemoth Hal Gill into the boards and gained possession of the puck to beat Fleury with another unassisted goal.  The Penguins had an opportunity to pull within a goal after Niklas Lidstrom took an interference call at 15:27, but the Penguins offense just couldn’t get it done.  Instead, Daniel Cleary put the game out of reach with a short-handed goal with just 9-seconds left on the Penguins’ power play.  Brad Stuart was credited with the assist.  Then with just 13-seconds left in the game and Jarkko Ruutu in the box for slashing, Henrik Zetterberg beat Fleury to make it 4-0.  Tomas Holmstrom and Niklas Lidstrom were credited with the assists on the final goal.  The Penguins were dominated again in the 3rd and were outshot 9-3. 

• VIDEO:  Game HIghlights
• PHOTOS:  In-Game Photos
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Rosters
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Summary
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Boxscore
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Play-by-Play

In a press conference after the game, Coach Michel Therrien noted that the Penguins played their worst game of the playoffs by failing to compete and neglecting to play their system.  He also noted that the team has always bounced back from fair performances with big games, and he expects that will be the case on Monday night when the teams meet up at Joe Louis Arena for Game 2.  He also rightfully noted that the Red Wings played an excellent game, aside from thefirst period penalties.  It was the 2nd time the Penguins have been shutout in these playoffs, with the last time coming in Game 4 against the Rangers.  The Penguins battled back from that performance to win Game 5 3-2 in overtime. 

 

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Stanley Cup Finals Preview - Penguins vs Red Wings

This is it!  The 2008 Stanley Cup Finals will commence Saturday night at Joe Louis Arena as the Eastern Conference Champion Pittsburgh Penguins take on the Western Conference Champion Detroit Red Wings.  Finishing #1 in the league during the regular season with 115 points, Detroit has the home ice advantage over the #4 Penguins, who finished with 102-points.  The Penguins advanced to the Cup Finals by sweeping the #13 Ottawa Senators, beating the #9 New York Rangers in 5-games, and dispatching the #11 Philadelphia Flyers in 5-games.  The Red Wings advanced by beating the #17 Nashville Predators in 6-games, sweeping the #10 Colorado Avalanche, and finishing off the #8 Dallas Stars in 6-games.  The Cup Finals promise to be a highly-skilled battle of youth versus experience between two-teams that haven’t met since the pre-season, and have never met in the post-season.  So how do these two teams match up?  Let’s take a look.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have been virtually unstoppable in the playoffs having lost just 2-of-14 games.  The Penguins continue to excel on the play of their special teams, their defense and stellar netminding.  Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has been phenomenal in net in the playoffs, leading the league with a 0.938 save percentage, a 0.857 win percentage, and 3 shutouts.  He is also 2nd in goals against average at 1.70 behind Detroit’s Chris Osgood (1.60).  The Penguins lead the league in post-season goals per game at 3.64, as well as goals-against per game at just 1.86, and own the best power play of all remaining teams at 24.6%, second only to Calgary who was sent golfing in round 1.  The Penguins’ penalty kill has been highly effective at 87.3%, and is tied with Detroit.  The Penguins have found balanced scoring across all 4-lines with all 13 forwards recording at least one goal, and all 19 players scoring at least one point in 14 playoff games.  The Penguins’ star players have lived up to their expectations as Sidney Crosby (4G, 17A) leads the league with 21-points, and Evgeni Malkin (9G, 10A) and Marian Hossa (9G, 10A) are not far behind with 19-points each.  Of late, JOrdan Staal has come alive and has 7-points (6G, 1A) in 14-games.  The only significant weakness that the Penguins have exhibited in the playoffs has been their performance in the face-off circle, where they trail the league at 46.7%.  It hasn’t burned them yet, as they have won 12 of their 14 games and have outscored their opponents convincingly 51-26.  They will now be facing off against a more evenly matched Detroit team, who is the league’s leader in the face-off circle at 55.7%.

The Detroit Red Wings dominated the league throughout the regular season and have carried that tradition forward into the post-season, dispatching their opponents by winning 12-of-16 games and outscoring them 55-31.  The Red Wings have gotten balanced contributions from their lineup with 8-players scoring 10-points or more in the post-season, including 3 defensemen.  Henrik Zetterburg (11G, 10A) is tied for the league lead with Sidney Crosby at 21-points and Pavel Datsyuk (9G, 10A) has also been hockey gold scoring 19-points.  Both players are Selke Trophy finalists for this season’s top NHL defensive forward.  In the post-season, Zetterberg is a +15 and Datyuk is a +12.  Johan Franzen who has missed 5-games with concussion-symptoms still leads the league with 12-goals and will be a force to be reckoned with upon his return.  He has been given the green light to return to practice, but is unlikely for game 1.  The Red Wings also have 5-time Norris Tropy winner and 2008 finalist Niklas Lidstrom, who is paired with Brian Rafalski for a potent defensive combination.  The Red Wings goaltending job was handed over to Chris Osgood after a 2-2 start by Dominik Hasek.  Osgood leads the league with 1.60 goals against average over 12 starts, has a tremendous 10-2 record, and has been a major component of the Red Wings’ post-season success.   

Penguins - Red Wings Playoff Comparison

Stat	Penguins	Red Wings	Advantage
Games Played	14	16	n/a
Record	12-2	12-4	n/a
Winning %	0.857	0.750	Penguins
Goals Per Game	3.64	3.44	Penguins
Goals Against Per Game	1.86	1.94	Penguins
5-on-5 Goals For/Against	1.71	1.48	Penguins
Power Play %	24.6	21.0	Penguins
Penalty Kill %	87.3	87.3	Draw
Shots Per Game	32.3	36.3	Red Wings
Shots Against Per Game	27.9	23.6	Red Wings
Winning % When Scoring First	1.000	0.909	Penguins
Winning % When Trailing First	0.500	0.400	Penguins
Winning % When Winning After 1 Period	1.000	0.917	Penguins
Winning % When Winning After 2 Periods	1.000	1.000	Draw
Winning % When Outshooting	0.909	0.786	Penguins
Winning % When Outshot	0.667	0.000	Penguins
Faceoff Win %	46.7	55.7	Red Wings
Avergage Player Age	27.9	32.3	Penguins
Average Player Weight	208lbs	195lbs	Debatable
Average Player Height	73.7"	71.96"	Debatable
First Round Draft Picks on Roster	13	3	Penguins
Stanley Cup Winners on Roster	3	10	Red Wings

This series will be a battle of size and youth against experience.  The average age of the Penguins is 4.4 years younger than the Detroit Red Wings.  But along with the durability of youth comes inexperience.  The Penguins roster contains just 3-Stanley Cup winners to include Gary Roberts (Calgary 88-89), Darryl Sydor (Dallas 98-99 and Tampa Bay 03-04) and Petr Sykora (New Jersey 99-00).  The Red Wings have 10 players who have hoisted the Cup, some of them multiple times, to include Chris Chelios (2x), Pavel Datsyuk, Kris Draper (3x), Dominik Hasek, Tomas Holmstrom (3x), Niklas Lidstrom (3x), Kirk Maltby (3x), Darren McCarty (3x), Chris Osgood (2x) and Brian Rafalski (2x).  One has to wonder which stokes the fire of desire more….knowing the exhiliration of having hoisted the Cup before, or the desire to achieve one’s dream for the first time?  In addition to youth and experience, size may well become a factor.  On average, the Penguins outweigh the Red Wings by 13lbs and are nearly 1 3/4″ taller.  Height and weight could be an advantage for the Penguins if the game gets physical.  It could also potentially be a liability in terms of speed and agility, however, I think the Penguins youth would likely trump any limitations there.  Both teams are replete with skilled players, however, the Penguins have the edge in potential with 13 former 1st round draft picks in the lineup.  The Red Wings, with no shortage of proven talent, are playing with 3 former first round picks.   

The keys to this series is likely to be all about defensive play and goaltending.  If Marc-Andre Fleury can continue to play with confidence of steel, the Red Wings could get frustrated and start to feel snake bit.  He will need the help of the Penguins defense, though, to keep the traffic in front of him down to a minimum.  They will need to prevent mad scrambles in front of the net, the only scenario where Fleury has shown any real signs of vulnerability in the post-season.  The Penguins offense will also have to be masters of the backcheck to try and create turnovers and odd man chances.  It seems unlikely that the Red Wings will be caught in many defensive lapses, however.  On the other end of the ice, the Penguins will have to find a way to penetrate the Red Wings’ stingey defense and then solve a red hot Chris Osgood.  The Penguins certainly have the firepower, skill and depth in Malkin, Crosby, Sykora, Malone and Hossa, but they have have to fight for every inch of ice against this defensively superior Red Wings team.  The Penguins will need Jordan Staal to continue his offensive surge of late to add pressure to the Detroit defense, and will also need strong contributions from the energy line with Laraque and Ruutu.  While the penalty kills are equally effective for both teams, the Penguins have a noticeable advantage on the powerplay (24.6% vs 21%).  The Penguins may have to rely on their special teams to help crack the defensive advantage of the Red Wings.  If the Penguins can use their speed and size to their advantage, they may be able to pull the Red Wings into penalty trouble and make them pay, although I will note that it would be uncharacteristic of the Red Wings to do so. 

In summary, I believe that the Penguins will face their toughest challenge of the year in the Detroit Red Wings.  They will need to find a way to put youth and size to their advantage by playing a physical game against the Red Wings to try and wear the “old guys” down and create opportunities.  They will need to find ways to break through the stifling defense of the Detroit Red Wings, put a lot of pressure on Chris Osgood, and hopefully put a dent in his confidence.  The Penguins underrated defense will have to continue to perform like they did in game 5 against the Flyers and find ways to stop Zetterberg and Datsyuk from getting quality opportunities on net. 

This series could go either way, and I fully expect it to go the distance and be an exciting series.  I believe that the skill levels and depth are fairly even, making it hard to see a clear advantage for either team.  As such, I don’t see either team scoring a blowout in any game.  However, with bias, I am going to choose youth and size as the discriminator and pick the Penguins to win the Stanley Cup in 7 hard fought games.

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Let’s Go Pens!

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Stanley Cup Countdown

Well, it is just 2-days until Game 1 of the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals between the Eastern Conference Champion Pittsburgh Penguins and the Western Conference Champion Detroit Red WIngs.  Sorry for the dearth of reporting on my part, as I have been on business travel all week.  This should be an interesting series between two teams that have rolled through their respective conferences with world class goaltending, potent offense and a stingey defense.  Having only met twice in the pre-season this year, these teams don’t have a lot of first hand knowledge of each other and there has been no opportunity for the teams to breed any contempt for one another.  But I don’t expect that will translate into an emotion-less series.  Quite the contrary, this is the Stanley Cup finals! Both teams have battled long and hard to get here and they will be putting it all on the line to take home the Stanley Cup. 

The Penguins (12-2) will have the challenge of playing the first two games on the road in Joe Louis Arena, with the first coming on Saturday night.  The challenge for the Red WIngs (12-4) will be to not let the young Penguins team steal one at the Joe, while the Penguins must (in my opinion) win at least one of the first two at the Joe to prevent the Wings from getting too much momentum.  Both teams have gotten to this point with excellent play and a lot of the same strengths, and it will be a tough series to call.  I will be providing a series preview on Friday after I return from Florida with comparative stats and my best guess at how the series may play out.  Be sure to check back on Friday night!   

Penguins Shutout Flyers 6-0 and Advance to Stanley Cup Finals!

The Pittsburgh Penguins are the 2008 Eastern Conference Champions after decisively beating the Philadelphia Flyers 6-0 in game 5 on Sunday.  The Penguins maintained their perfect post-season home record.  In fact, the Penguins have won their last 16 home games, a streak that has been intact since February 24th.  Marc-Andre Fluery posted his league-leading 3rd post-season shutout and Sidney Crosby added 2-assists to his point total to regain the league lead in playoff points (21).  The Penguins are advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1992, and will play the winner of the Detroit Red Wings and Dallas Stars Western Conference Championship Series.  If the Stars manage to beat the Red Wings, the Penguins will get home ice.  Otherwise, the first 2-games will be played in Detroit.

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In the 1st period, the Penguins jumped out to a quick lead on a power play goal at 2:30.  The Penguins took just 12-seconds to score after Mike Knuble took a hooking call, as Ryan Malone tipped in a shot from the point by Sidney Crosby.  Marian Hossa also assisted on the goal.  At 9:50, the Penguins made it 2-1 on an even strength  goal.  After battling with Ryan Malone behind his net, Martin Biron lost his stick and had to quickly move back into position.  With the play still developing behind the net, Evgeni Malkin managed to recover it and pull it back around on the short side and deflect it in off from Biron’s leg.  Ryan Malone picked up the lone assist.  The Penguins finished the period 1-for-2 on the power play and outshot the Flyers 10-5.  The Penguins killed off their only penalty, but Ryan Malone took a high-stick call at the 20-minute mark that carried over in full to the second period. 

The Penguins started the 2nd period by successfully killing off the Malone penalty before dominating the Flyers in every aspect of the game throug the remainder of the period.  After the penalty expired, the game momentum tilted permanently in the favor of the Penguins after Marc-Andre Fleury stopped back-to-back shots by Daniel Briere and Mike Richards.  Briere threw a hard shot on net that Fleury kicked out with his pads onto the stick of Richards.  Richards attempt was then stoned by another flash pf the pads by Fleury, before the puck was cleared out of danger by Sergei Gonchar.  At 8:24, Sidney Crosby showed how he can dominate at both ends of the ice.  With the Flyers charging into the Penguins zone, a back-checking Crosby picked the pocket of the Flyers offense and reversed the direction of the play.  He then raced to the other end of the ice and made a picture perfect pass from the boards onto the stick of Marian Hossa, who buried the puck behind Biron for his 9th goal of the playoffs.  Max Talbot picked up the other assist on the play.  Then while on the power play at 11:42, Ryan Malone scored his 2nd of the night to make it 4-0 as he deflected a Sergei Gonchar shot past Biron.  Marian Hossa also picked up an assist.  Then, with just 8-seconds left in the period, Jordan Staal scored his 3rd goal in 2-games as he collected a rebound in front of the net and threw it over Biron’s shoulder on the backhand.  Shots were 9-8 in the period in favor of the Penguins, who were 1-for-1 on the power play.

In the 3rd period, the Penguins continued to press the Flyers and never let off the gas.  At 4:03, the Penguins put the final nail in the Flyers’ season as Pascal Dupuis deflected a Marian Hossa shot past Biron to make it 6-0.  Brooks Orpik and Marian Hossa had the assists.  The Flyers outshot the Penguins 8-6 in the final frame, but failed to convert on the lone power play as Hal Gill sat for hooking.

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• VIDEO:  Game Highlights
• VIDEO:  Post-Game Press Conference w/Michel Therrien
• VIDEO:  Post-Game Interviews
• PHOTOS:  In-Game Photos
• AUDIO:  Mike Lange Highlights
• AUDIO:  Rink Rat Report
• AUDIO:  Post Game Hotline
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Rosters
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Summary
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Boxscore
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Play-by-Play

Both Marian Hossa and Marc Andre Fleury have silenced their critics who said before these playoffs that they would not be able to deliver the goods.  Quite the contrary.  Marc-Andre Fleury has posted a 12-2 record with 3-shutouts along the way.  He leads the remaining goaltenders with a 0.935 save percentage, second only to Dan Ellis of Nashville (0.938).  He has given up just 1.83 goals per game, second only to Chris Osgood who has a 1.65 GAA in 2-fewer games played.  What is more impressive is that he has been able to register this performance after a lengthy layoff during the regular season due to a high ankle injury.  As for Marian Hossa, he has put up 19-points (9G, 10A) in 14-games this post-season and he looks like he is just starting to blossom.  One might forget that he is playing on a line that had barely played together before the start of the playoffs due to injuries to both himself and Sidney Crosby. 

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Despite the critics, the entire Penguins team has excelled.  Their big players have played big in the playoffs and their often-criticized defense has shown just how under-rated they have been.  It is for these reasons that the Penguins find themselves with the best record in these playoffs having lost only 2-games, and the most shutouts at 3.  They are also the only team that remains unbeaten on their own ice in these playoffs.  It is certainly impressive and fun to watch this young group of talented players achieve so much as a team, so soon. 

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No Sweep in Philly as Pens Lose 4-2

The Pittsburgh Penguins faltered early in Game 4 on Thursday and lost 4-2 to the Philadelphia Flyers, despite a late rally fueled by Jordan Staal.  The Flyers, facing elimination in front of the home crowd, came out strong in the first period and capitalized on 2 powerplays in the 1st period to gain the early advantage.  The Penguins turned up the heat in the 2nd and 3rd periods, drawing to within 1-goal in the final minutes of the game, but were unable to get the equalizer.  The intensity and snarl of this game finally lived up to what I had expected, but not yet seen, in this series between the Flyers and Penguins.  The loss is just the 2nd of the post-season for the Penguins, who will have another opportunity to put the Flyers away in Pittsburgh on Sunday. 

In the 1st period, the Flyers came out buzzing and outshot the Penguins 17-13.  The Flyers got on the board first at 8:27 as Joffrey Lupul put a shot on net that beat Marc-Andre Fleury after deflecting off from Hal Gill’s stick.  Scott Hartnell and Ryan Parent picked up the assists on the play.  Then at 11:48 with Sergei Gonchar in the box for holding, Daniel Briere backhanded a rebound past Fleury as the final seconds ticked off on the powerplay.  Randy Jones and Scott Hartnell chipped in for the assists.  Then again at 18:50, with Brooks Orpik in the box for roughing, the Flyers got another powerplay goal from Jeff Carter.  Assists were awarded to R.J. Umberger and Ryan Carter.  The Flyers powerplay finally got back on track as they connected on 2-of-3 powerplay opportunities in the 1st.  The Penguins were 0-for-1 on their man-advantage. 

In the 2nd period, the Penguins outshot the Flyers 12-9, but were unable to really pressure Martin Biron from close in.  Marc-Andre Fleury also sealed off the net as the period skated to a 0-0 draw on the scorecard.  The Penguins were 0-for-1 on the powerplay and successfully killed off 1 penalty. 

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In the 3rd period, the Penguins continued to pressure the Flyers as they had a 13-8 advantage in shots.  The Penguins finally got on the board at 3:16 when Jordan Staal chipped away at the puck at the side of the net and managed to bounce it in off Biron to make it 3-1.  Tyler Kennedy and Max Talbot picked up the assists on Staal’s 4th goal of the post-season.  Then at 14:11, the energy line of Staal, Kennedy and Talbot struck again as Jordan Staal picked up his 5th.  With Tyler Kennedy working the puck along the boards, Jordan Staal moved into the open ice where he took the feed and beat Biron with a quick release.  Max Taolbot and Tyler Kennedy were again credited with the assists.  Staal’s 2nd goal of the night quieted down the capacity crowd at the Wachovia Center as the spectre of a comeback loomed large in their minds.  But with the clock winding down and Fleury pulled for the extra attacker, Joffrey Lupul managed to thread a shot that found the empty net and prevented the Penguins from stealing the game in the end.  In the final seconds of the game, things got real chippy as both teams tried to send messages in advance of Sunday’s rematch in Pittsburgh.  Ryan Malone and Derian Hatcher exchanged punches for matching majors, and Sidney Crosby and Mike Richards were each assessed double minors for slashing and roughing. 

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• VIDEO:  Game Highlights
• PHOTOS:  In-Game Photos
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Rosters
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Summary
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Boxscore
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Play-by-Play

It should be a spirited game on Sunday afternoon as the Penguins try to finish off these Flyers once again in Game 5 at Mellon Arena.  The Penguins will need to play a more disciplined game than they did in Game 4 to dispatch these Flyers who will be playing with a renewed confidence.

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Penguins Take Game 3, Sweep in Sight

The Pittsburgh Penguins moved one game closer to a sweep of the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night as they won Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals by a score of 4-1.  Marian Hossa continued to prove his playoff worth by scoring his 7th and 8th post-season goals, including the game winner.  Sidney Crosby picked up 2-assists to move into first place in the post-season points race.  Marc-Andre Fleury extended his record to 11-1 as he stopped 17-of-18 shots for a 0.944 save percentage on the night.  With the win, the Penguins become the 4th team in NHL history to win 11 of their first 12 playoff games.  The last team to do so was the 1983 Edmonton Oilers.

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In the 1st period, the Penguins dashed the Flyers hopes early as they jumped out to a two goal lead on goals by Ryan Whitney and Marian Hossa.  At 5:03 with 30-seconds remaining on a Derian Hatcher hooking penalty, Ryan Whitney attempted a cross-crease pass to Sidney Crosby who was waiting at the far post.  The puck hit a Flyers defenseman instead and deflected into the net on the nearside as Martin Biron slid across the crease to thwart Crosby.  Sidney Crosby and Sergei Gonchar were credited with the assists on Whitney’s first goal of the post-season.  At 7:41, Marian Hossa made a beautiful move at the blueline to get around one defenseman and then shot the puck on net between the legs of the next defenseman.  The shot beat a surprised Biron who looked like he was anticipating a pass from Hossa to Crosby.  Sidney Crosby was credited with the lone assist.  At 10:59, the Flyers drew within 1-goal as R.J. Umberger picked up a rebound of off the post on a wrap-around attempt by Vaclav Prospal and beat Marc-Andre Fleury.  Vaclav Prospal and Daniel Briere were credited with the assists on the play.  The Penguins outshot an anemic Flyers offense 8-5 in the 1st period, converting on 1-of-2 powerplays and killing off 3-penalties.  In the 2nd period, the Penguins stifling defense shut down the Flyers.  In fact, in the 29-minute stretch from R.J. Umberger’s goal in the 1st period through the end of the 2nd period, the Flyers only managed 3-shots on goal.  The Penguins picked up 9-shots on goal in the 2nd, and were 0-for-1 on the powerplay.  Despite it all, the Flyers only trailed by 1-goal as they entered the 3rd period. In the 3rd period, the Flyers managed to get their offense moving a bit more as they outshot the Penguins 10-8.  But it was too little too late as Marc-Andre Fleury shut the door tightly on the Flyers.  At 9:58, Ryan Malone tightened the noose on the Flyers as he picked up his 4th goal of the post-season.  Evgeni Malkin turned over a bad pass by Steve Downie near the blueline and raced up ice.  Petr Sykora collected the puck after it was poked off from Malkin’s stick and fed a nice pass to Ryan Malone for the goal.  Right after the pass, Sykora was leveled by Steve Downie.  Sykora laid on the ice for a moment and was assisted off the ice, but returned in later shifts and appeared to be okay.  Evgeni Malkin picked up the other assist on the play to place him 2nd in post-season points at 18, 1-point behind leader Sidney Crosby.  At 19:06 with Martin Biron on the bench for the extra attacker, Marian Hossa took a feed from Hal Gill and deposited it into the empty net to seal the win for the Penguins.  There were no penalties in the 3rd period. 

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• VIDEO:  Video Highlights
• VIDEO:  Post-Game Press Conference w/Coach Therrien
• VIDEO:  Post-Game Interviews
• PHOTOS:  In-Game Photos
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Rosters
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Summary
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Boxscore
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Play-by-Play

Sidney Crosby was the 1st star of the game with 2-assists, and Marc Andre Fleury was the #2 star.  Marian Hossa looked great on the ice again as he has silenced the critics of his post-season play by notching his 15th point in 12-games (8G, 7A).  With 1-assist on the night, Sergei Gonchar (10-points) is tied for 2nd among defensemen scoring in the post-season, just 1-point behind Niklas Kronvall of Detroit.  Gonchar made a beautiful sliding poke check to disrupt a Mike Richards’ breakaway chance in the 2nd period.  The Penguins are now just one win away from their first Stanley Cup Finals in 16-years, dating back to the 1991-92 season in which they won it all.   

The Penguins return to the Wachovia Center on Thursday night to try and finish off the Flyers in 4-games.  Detroit is also poised to finish off their series in 4-games against Dallas on Wednesday night in Dallas.  Should the Penguins meet up with the Red Wings in the finals, it would be the first time this year as the two teams did not meet in the regular season.  They did meet up twice in the pre-season. 

 

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Broken Foot No Problem as Talbot Scores Game Winner

The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-2 in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday night to take a 2-0 lead in the series.  Max Talbot, playing his first game back since breaking his foot in Game 3 against the New York Rangers, scored the game winning goal midway through the 3rd period.  The Penguins have become the 8th team in NHL history to go 10-1 in a playoff season, and the first team to do so since the 1995 Detroit Red Wings. 

In the 1st period, the Flyers were dealt some adversity less than 2-minutes into the game when defenseman Braydon Coburn took a puck to the face.  Hal Gill launched a shot from the left point that deflected up off from Evgeni Malkin’s stick and hit Coburn near the left eye.  Coburn dropped to the ice with his hands over his face.  Coburn, obviously cut by the puck, ended up leaving the ice with the help of a trainer and never returned to the game.  After a break to clean some blood off the ice, play resumed for a short bit before Tyler Kennedy and Scott Upshall dropped the gloves at 3:49.  Kennedy looked like a machine as he unloaded some wild swings on Upshall.  After falling to the ice and getting back up again for a little more dancing, the linesmen stepped in an stopped the fight.  At 10:48, just seconds after the expiration of a brief 5-on-3 opportunity, Sidney Crosby threw the puck on net to score a powerplay goal and take the lead 1-0.  Sergei Gonchar assisted on Crosby’s 4th goal of the post-season.  At 16:41 while skating 4-on-4, Sidney Crosby appeared to get his second of the night as he poked the puck at the side of the net, before Martin Biron swept it out of the goal.  The on-ice officials called no goal, but went upstairs and to Toronto to see if the video replay conclusively showed the puck crossing the goal line.  While it appeared to me that the puck had indeed cleared the line, it was ultimately ruled no goal by the NHL.  The Penguins went 1-for-3 on the powerplay and 1-for-1 on the kill in the first period, with shots even at 9 per side.   

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In the 2nd period, the battle of the special teams continued as the Flyers evened the score on their 2nd of back-to-back powerplay attempts as Pascal Dupuis sat for interference.  Jeff Carter scores his 5th goal of the post-season from Joffrey Lupul and Jaroslav Modrey.  But at 13:43, the Penguins powerplay hit back as Marian Hossa swatted a rebound past Martin Biron for his 6th goal of the playoffs to restore the Penguins’ 1-goal lead.  Ryan Malone and Sergei Gonchar collected the assists on the play.  But while on the powerplay late in the period, Evgeni Malkin made an ill-advised cross-ice pass at the Flyers blueline that was picked off by Mike Richards, who skated it in on Fleury and beat him high on the glove side shorthanded to even it up at 2.  The Penguins outshot the Flyers 16-13 in the 2nd and were 1-for-3 on the powerplay, 1-for-2 on the penalty kill and gave up a shorthanded goal.  In the final period, the Penguins found a way to get it done 5-on-5.  The Penguins 4th line capitalized on a bobbled clearing attempt by James Dowd as the Flyers turned over the puck in their own end.  After the turnover, Georges Laraque took the puck and played keep away from a back-checking Sammi Kapanen before throwing it to the boards behind the Flyers net.  Gary Roberts raced in behind the net, collected the puck, and backhanded it into the slot onto the stick of Max Talbot who buried it in the net behind Biron.  Talbot’s goal at 8:51 from Roberts and Laraque ultimately proved to be the game winner.  The Penguins got the insurance goal at 19:31 as Jordan Staal put the puck into the empty net with Biron pulled in favor of the extra man.    Sidney Crosby and Sergei Gonchar were credited with the assists on the final goal.  The Penguins outshot the Flyers 134-10 in the final frame and were 0-for-1 on the powerplay. 
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• VIDEO:  Video Highlights
• VIDEO:  Post-Game Press Conference w/Coach Therrien
• VIDEO:  Post-Game Interviews
• PHOTOS:  In-Game Photos
• AUDIO:  Mike Lange Highlights
• AUDIO:  Post-Game Rink Rat Report
• AUDIO:  Post-Game Hotline
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Rosters
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Summary
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Boxscore
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Play-by-Play

Sidney Crosby (1G, 1A) and Sergei Gonchar (2A) each had 2-points on the night.  Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin now share the NHL post-season points lead at 17-points.  Coming off a 3-point performance in Game 1, Evgeni Malkin was held without a point in Game 2.  Marian Hossa (1G), Max Talbot (1G), Jordan Staal (1G), Ryan Malone (1A), Gary Roberts (1A) and Georges Laraque (1A) all finished the game with 1-point.  Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 2-of-32 for a 0.938 save percentage as he extended this post-season record to 10-1.  His 10-wins is a league best, as are his 2-shutouts.  His 0.937 save percentage in the post-season is just slightly behind league leader Chris Osgood with 0.939.

The Penguins travel to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Tuesday night, where they will hope to steal at least one of 2-games played there before returning home (if necessary).  The Penguins have kept the possibility of sweeping the Flyers alive, but they will face a big challenge and an unfriendly crowd in the next two games in Philly. 

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