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It’s Pens vs Caps in Round 2 Under Newly-Inked Coach Bylsma

Both the Washington Capitals and the Carolina Hurricanes won Game 7 of their respective series’ showdown on Tuesday night to advance to the Eastern Conference Semi-Final round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs along with the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Boston Bruins.  As a result, the #4 Pittsburgh Penguins will meet up with the #2 Washington Capitals who will have the home ice advantage and the #1 Boston Bruins will host the #6 Carolina Hurricanes.  The schedules have been released by the NHL, and it looks like this:

Saturday, May 2	at Washington, 1:00 p.m.	NBC, CBC, RDS
Monday, May 4	at Washington, 7:00 p.m.	VERSUS, CBC, RDS
Wednesday, May 6	at Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m.	VERSUS, CBC, RDS
Friday, May 8	at Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m.	VERSUS, CBC, RDS
*Saturday, May 9	at Washington, 7:00 p.m.	VERSUS, CBC, RDS
*Monday, May 11	at Pittsburgh, TBD	VERSUS, CBC, RDS
*Wednesday, May 13	at Washington, 7:00 p.m.	VERSUS, CBC, RDS

 

In other news, Pittsburgh Penguins’ General Manager took the short respite to ink a long term deal with Dan Bylsma to remove the “interim” from the Head Coach title that he now carries.  The details of the deal have not been disclosed, other than to identify that a multi-year contract had been awarded.  In announcing the deal Ray Shero said, “It just became more and more evident to me that Dan was the guy that I wanted to move forward with.  So why wait?  Timing-wise it was the right thing to do for Dan and his family.  With a few days off in-between rounds, it was the right time for our team.  It’s very well deserved.  Three values that are very important to me for this organization are:  work ethic, accountability and passion,” Shero went on to say.  “Dan and his staff have certainly brought that.  For me, personally, it’s made it a real fun place to come to work for the last couple of months with the play of the team, the locker room, the players, our training staff and our coaching staff.  I think it’s been a very good fit so far.  When I made a coaching change, one of the things I was looking for was someone that could grow with this team,” Shero continued.  “He is certainly the guy to do that.  I believe with this team, our best days are ahead of us.  Dan, as a head coach in the National Hockey League, his best days are ahead of him.  I think it’s been a good fit.”

Congratulations Coach Bylsma, now let’s go beat the Caps!

The “Shhhh” of Death

For all those Christopher Walken fans who remember him as the angel of death in Prophecy, watching Penguin Mad Max Talbot put an index finger to his lips, with a little knowing smile to the Philly fans as he said “shhhhhhh” was the the kiss of death for the Flyers.

On the heels of a fight with Flyers’ tough guy, Dan Carcillo, Talbot’s atonement for a goal-costing mistake earlier in the game proved to be the wake-up call for a team that had played hard, but found themselves down 3-0 barely five minutes into the 2nd period. Coach Dan Bylsma said of the fight, “I think Max Talbot really changed the momentum with that,” referring to the fact that the Philly fans were really into the game and extemely loud. Defenseman Sergei Gonchar concurred, “Yeah, it’s one of those things. Fight starts and things start going your way.”

Entering the first intermission, the Penguins were down 2-0 and having to start the 2nd period on the penalty kill. Danny Briere found the back of the Penguin net as Evgeni Malkin looked on from the sin bin to make it 3-0. Enough was enough. If Penguins fans were scanning their team’s bench looking for a hero, Mad Max might not have been their first choice, but here’s a guy who has a lot of heart, a lot of drive, and he lays it out, all out, on the ice every game in any way he can. Carcillo was due anyway. He was the one who received the 1-game suspension earlier in the series on a shot to Talbot’s head in the final seconds of that game.

When asked about the timing of the fight, Talbot replied, “I think it was the right time. The crowd was into it. Sometimes it’s gonna work. Sometimes you lose momentum. This time it gave it a little bit of momentum.” The momentum started with Ruslan Fedotenko breaking out of his 5-year playoff goal-scoring slump with his net presence on some hard work by linemate Malkin.

Not to be outdone, just a shade under two minutes later, Mark Eaton scored on a screamer of a shot through a collectively strong shift, joining the rush with linemates of the moment Tyler Kennedy and Fedotenko during a 4-on-4 situation that happened as a result of the earlier goal and a melee in front of Biron’s net. The crowd was no longer into it. All the energy was coming from the Penguins bench, and they were cyphoning it off the Flyers bench.

Captain Sidney Crosby evened it up, and it was clear that the Penguins were steam-rolling. Coach Bylsma’s mantra to his team throughout the game was an admonishment of patience, “Keep playing the right way. Stay focused for 60 minutes.” For Sergei Gonchar, he got the monkey off his back, scoring what would end up being the game-winner, his first goal in 29 playoff games. The collective sigh of relief could be felt on the Penguins bench comingled with the rejuvenation of the team.

Crosby’s empty-netter after Philly pulled Biron to add the extra attacker was a thing of beauty. His first attempt did not go as he was in hot pursuit by a back-checking Flyer, but the puck bounced his way as he buzzed around the net and laid it in on the second chance, leaving 28 seconds on the clock.

The biggest element–character. That’s according to Max Talbot, “a lot of character.” It’s no surprise to Penguins fans, particularly in the last two seasons. Last year, they battled through an unbelievable number of injuries, including lengthy ones to Crosby and Fleury around mid-season. The talking heads said the team would be lucky if they could manage to stay around.500. In Malkin’s mind, that was unacceptable because he literally took the team on his shoulders, and his drive was infectious. The team pulled together and put themselves high in the playoff rankings. And then they battled the Giant Detroit Red Wings. No one expected them to be there.

The character of that group of guys, their never-say-die attitude even when things look bad is a testament to their heart. There’s no quit in them. Certainly not in Philadelphia on Saturday as they came roaring back with 5 unanswered goals. Coach Bylsma said of this series and of his team, “Huge test. Huge character for our team. Down 3-0 in this building. I think that says a lot about our group…When the team plays the right way, it gives different guys an opportunity to score.”

What worked:

1. The right fight at the right time. Something like that in a high-stakes game is always a gamble, but for those supporters of taking fighting out of the game, if they are honest in their assessment of how the game subsequently unfolded, they would be hard-pressed to disagree with it.
2. The Staal line. While their offensive numbers are not earth-shattering in this series (2G, 4A collectively), they have become a forechecking nightmare. Consistently throughout this series, with the exception of Game 3, they have kept the Flyers in their end for seemingly interminable chunks of time, wearing players down. These three have accounted for 58 shots (29% of the team’s shots) and 33 hits (20% of the team’s hits). Jordan Staal remains strong on the face-off averaging 57% in this series, ranging from 50%-79% for five of the six games. More consistently than the other lines, they have been able to start and sustain cycles. On special teams, Cooke and Staal have been solid on the primary penalty kill, and Staal is overdue for a few short-handed goals.
3. Other intangibles that boost a team. Gonchar and Fedotenko breaking out of their slump. Rob Scuderi’s gutsy continued play on a PK with what at first looked like a useless left arm, later determined to be a shot taken to the body with the left arm protecting. Goals from two defensemen. A power play that had a pulse and some chances on the net.
4. Defensive Corps. Really, with a few exceptions in this series, the Penguins defensive corps of Brooks Orpik, Sergei Gonchar, Hal Gill, Rob Scuderi, Mark Eaton, and Kris Letang has been about as solid, unit for unit, as they have been all year. They have improved greatly from early to mid-season play when they looked slow, out of sync, and at times, uninterested. Orpik has always been a solid hitter, but he’s found another gear and the “pounding” per square inch is well nigh incalculable. Scuderi thinks nothing of giving up the body to block a shot, and the others have followed suit, particularly Letang and Eaton. Scuderi also shines as the lone defenseman in 5-on-3 situations. Gill has shown more speed and is gaining offensive confidence.

What Still Needs to Happen–Lessons for Round 2:

1. Consistency. 60 minutes of focused play that “sticks to the plan.”
2. Score First and Score Often. The Penguins do themselves no favors by getting behind in a game even if they are one of the top teams in the number of come-from-behind wins. Those kinds of games are psychologically as well as physically draining. The Flyers proved to be tough to beat when they get a lead, and other teams in the playoffs will be just as tough if not tougher. With a lead, teams will lock down in their zone with very agressive “outriders” in the neutral zone as the Flyers showed in this series. The Penguins need to keep the pedal to the metal no matter how many goals they score. They themselves proved that no lead is safe.
3. Keep the Hits Coming. The Penguins are as physical a team as any when they decide to be, and when they knock bodies off the puck, they do so effectively, winning the majority of the battles on the boards. Another thing they started to do in the playoffs but got away from again are good, clean, crunching open-ice hits. They are not known for it, but they are good at it. If the opportunity presents itself, they should take it. Hits are just as exhausting to receive as they are to give, and the receiver usually finds himself hesitating a little too long, expecting a hit to come. Hits get in a guy’s head. This provides the perfect opportunity to win the puck and further punish the opponent through extended cycles.
4. Drop-pass Sparingly. The Penguins became too predictable with the drop-pass. It wouldn’t hurt to fake a drop and then deke around a defender, and the Penguins have enough stick-skill to do this. Not only should the drop-pass be used sparingly, but it can’t happen high, dead-center inside the offensive blue line because it’s off to the races for the other team. If it has to happen there, the forward dropping the pass needs to linger on angle just long enough to screen without interfering, thus deterring a pick-off.
5. More Net Presence. Of course, this requires someone to shoot on net in order to be effective. Net presence should come in any combination of standing up and screening the goalie, to buzzing around the net, to criss-crossing in front of it, all of this with shots, shots, shots.
6. Power Play, Please. If the power-play does not improve, the Penguins will not get far. Given their strong cycling at even strength, it would be interesting to see what Jordan Staal and Tyler Kennedy could do with Geno, or even Guerin or Kunitz coming out as the first unit. This would give a different look and throw teams off. Keep the defensive pairing of Gonchar and Letang. Bring Crosby out with Kunitz and either Talbot, who can manage a winger spot, or Satan, who looked better in Game 6.

Finally, a word needs to be said about the Philadelphia Flyers. While Pittsburgh and Philadelphia fans love to hate each other and their respective teams, it cannot be disputed that any time these teams match up, people will get their money’s worth. Biron is a tough customer between the pipes. The likes of Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, the up-and-coming Claude Giroux, and tough guys Scott Hartnell and Dan Carcillo provide a gritty, hard-hitting force to be reckoned with. They should be commended for giving the Penguins early adversity, something they did not have to face in last year’s playoffs until the finals, showing that they truly are one of the top teams in the East.

Game 6: “Coach” Chaiwoman’s Pre-game Talk

Gentlemen, it’s a race to 4, and reaching that magic number today means extra time to rest up, heal up, and get our minds right for the next level. If you want the next level, if you still remember what it was like, that taste in your mouth when Detroit came into OUR house and held that cup up, then you take that feeling and you turn it into something you can use on the ice today because that road is long, and we still have to get off this one.

Those guys in the other locker room, in their house, think they have us, think they can take this series from us. We’re here today to prove them wrong, to steal another win from under their noses in their house because we have the talent and we have the experience and we have the memory.

It’s gut-check time, boys. What do we need to do to win this?

1. FOCUS–60 minutes of pure, unadulterated focus. Focus on the puck, focus on your man.
2. Protect the net–backcheck hard and clear the puck smartly, with authority up the boards. North-South, North-South. Do not let them play with the puck in our zone. If you can’t get it out in under 10 seconds, it’s in there too long. Get it. Clear it. Clear it hard.
3. Face-offs–win them, especially in our defensive end. Draw them back and the off wing go hard to the puck, and you’d better clear it up the boards with force to your guys waiting there for the outlet.
4. Score first–it will make it easier on us because they will be forced to have to match us and keep the game moving. If they score first, they will go into protect mode, clogging the neutral zone and backing en masse into their defensive zone to make it harder for us to get at Biron, which is what they did in the 2nd and 3rd periods of Game 5. To break that, we have to Murphy dump and forecheck hard, and I don’t mean once or twice, I mean every time until they back off. Then, and only then, can you venture to carry the puck in. Beat your man to the puck and win the scrums on the boards and in the corners.
5. Shoot–I don’t care if it’s 5-on-5 or 5-on-4. Move the puck, move your feet, force them to have to work you. If you have the shot, I don’t want you to chance another pretty pass to get a perfect goal. I want the shots at the net from all angles. If they can zip it across Marc-Andre’s shoulders from the goal line, we can do the same. Off guys crash the net and take a man. Ugly is gorgeous if it puts points on the board, and we have the talent of a whole benchload of guys to make that happen.
6. Physical play–take a body every chance you get, but don’t be stupid. Watch the stick work. I want you to separate them from the puck and make a play. Make them tired. Make them sore, but don’t get sucked into retaliation. Skate away after the whistle no matter what they say or do. Give ‘em a grin and file it away for later when you hit  them legally. That’s your payback.
7. Penalty-kill–keep moving, keep forcing them to the outside. If you get the break, take it, and continue to be smart in knowing where your help is. Get a shot off if you can. Beat them on the boards in their end and grind out the clock so that they do not have a chance to set up and get going in ours.
8. Power-play–no more than 3 passes. I want the puck on the net from all angles, and I’m not talking slap shots, either. We take too much time on the wind up for a slapper that they just slide into position to block it. The puck ricochets off their shins and past our defensemen. And then we’re forced to have to go back and reset because they are sending one and sometimes two guys to challenge us agressively in the neutral zone as time ticks away. Make them have to fight for and secure the puck in the corners. Make them have to work to clear it. Shoot, shoot, shoot, crash the net, and pick up the garbage. Make Biron have to break a sweat, have to second-guess what we are going to do. We want him edgy. We want him nervous.
9. Have fun–feed off the hatred in those stands. Feed off the desperation against you on the ice. The Flyers have to prove to their fans today that they can stay alive. The burden is on them. Nothing would be sweeter than telling them no, in their house, on this day. Kill a crowd, kill a team–the way you know how. Do it with a smile. Do it with relish. Do it for 60 solid minutes. Taste it, smell it. That’s their fear. That’s their desperation. That’s our victory.

Lucky Number 13

Fridays and the number 13 are traditionally viewed as a very unlucky combination, but it was a Friday night, and it was Number 13, Bill Guerin, who brought the luck to the team in game 2 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals match-up against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Game 2 had a decidedly different feel to it than Game 1, which saw the Penguins dominate their opponent in every aspect of the game, making it look easy.  The Flyers recovered in the off-day, made adjustments, and were bound and determined to prove that they, too, could be a disciplined team.  And for a while, it seemed to be working.  The Flyers drew first blood barely seven seconds into their power play against the second PK unit of Maxime Talbot and Pascal Dupuis on a weird tip in from a shot at the blue line.  In the first period, the Broad Street Bullies de jour only had one offender in the sin bin versus two from the Pens.  This was a vast improvement from game 1, which saw four Flyers caught for penalties in the first period.

The Penguins continued a steady pace though, and Marc-Andre Fleury did his part to keep the game close, facing a total of 14 shots in the first frame.  His team was rewarded as #13 Bill Guerin hitched a ride on a shift with the original 2-Headed Monster of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.  Even strength at 16:38 in the second period, a 3-on-2 rush initiated by a great Gonchar poke-check in their defensive end sent the puck to a waiting Malkin on the right boards, and they were off.  A smart and sassy wrister from Guerin notched the equalizer.

The newly minted, disciplined Flyers team started to tarnish a little as the third period saw them taking the only penalty in the period on a Jeff Carter hook, and it would prove costly.  Guerin quarterbacked a play from the left side of Martin Biron who had to be mindful of Malkin behind him in the trapezoid.  Crosby was perched in the right circle.  Guerin surveyed the scene and made a shift a little higher in the left circle.  Crosby shifted up as well, allowing Guerin to send him a crisp pass across the front of the goal.  Crosby quickly turned the puck to Sergei Gonchar, who sent it back left again to Kris Letang cheating in on the left circle.  As this was happening, both Guerin and Malkin converged, and Letang’s slapper was fed into the net by Malkin.

That was with 3:47 left in regulation.  The Penguins had life, and the Flyers were seething.  OT was spectacular as Fleury turned away 10 shots and Biron faced 11.  The Flyers slung off their sheep’s clothing starting at 16:55 when the first wolf Mike Knuble reared his ugly head on a cross-checking penalty, which had him and an already-penalized Hal Gill for the Pens hanging out in the sin bin as their teams moved through a 4-on-4 situation.  Twenty-five seconds later at 17:25, one second before Gill was to be let loose, a second wolf emerged as Claude Giroux of the Flyers took a 2-minute slashing penalty and went to join his teammate, Knuble.

This created the perfect 5-on-3 the Pens needed.  Coach Dan Bylsma elected to insert Chris Kunitz in the power play this time, which slid Malkin to the right point with Gonchar on the left.  Guerin and Crosby took the left and right circles.  As Malkin shifted the puck along the blue line to Gonchar, the Sarge made for what looked like a slap shot that instead was slap-passed to a waiting Guerin perched just to Biron’s right off the left post.  The goal was the nail in the Flyers’ coffin as all discipline was thrown out the door, ending with a frustrated Kimmo Timonen taking a 10-minute misconduct penalty.

So what is it about Bill Guerin?  Last season, the cult of Gary Roberts applauded his role as the veteran in the locker room who could guide a young captain in Crosby and a young team in the Penguins to victory.  With Roberts, though, you never knew what you were going to get.  The cold look of a crocodile and the hit of a freight train, Roberts commanded notice.  He scored some key goals, but was seen more as an enigma–something simultaneously awed and feared.

Bill Guerin, by stark contrast, appears to be one of those veterans who fits the category of “still waters run deep.”  He’s not flashy, but he’s reliable.  He doesn’t do anything to command notice in the ways Roberts did, but that makes Guerin even more dangerous than Roberts.  Guerin skillfully flies under the radar of opposing teams, and by the time his presence is realized, it’s too late–kind of like a Stealth bomber.  His body of work in game 2 is a classic example of this.  He only posted two hits and a blocked shot, but he had his finger on the trigger for 8 shots on net, two of which were fatal blows to the Flyers.

From watching interviews, Guerin possesses the same kind of quiet, even-keeled, contemplative personality that Sidney Crosby does, and in that, Sid has a perfect mentor.  Unlike Roberts, Guerin is also one of those two puzzle pieces the Pens have been looking for to complete the Crosby line and end the saga of “Who Can Play with Sid?”  Marian Hossa was not the solution either, truth be told.

It is doubtful that there will be any WWBGD?  like the WWGRD? (What Would Gary Roberts Do?) slogans that seemed to show up everywhere in Pittsburgh last year.  It’s not necessary.  Guerin, now and in the long run, is a better suited veteran (and Crosby linemate) for the Penguins in terms of his poise and his skill.  The Pens are lucky to have Number 13.

Penguins Take 2-0 Series Lead on Guerin’s OT Goal

The Pittsburgh Penguins met a much different team on Friday night than the one that showed up on Wednesday, but they came away victorious and took an ever important 2-0 series lead over the Philadelphia Flyers.  It took the better part of 4 periods and two come from behind goals for the Penguins to seal the deal by a score of 3-2.  In the end, it ultimately came down to poor discipline on behalf of the Flyers that lead to a minute and a half 5-on-3 sudden death powerplay opportunity for the Penguins.  The game winning goal came off from the stick of Bill Guerin with just 1:31 left in the first overtime period while Mike Knuble (cross checking) and Claude Giroux (slashing) sat in the penalty box for the Flyers.  The 5-on-3 opportunity for the Penguins came after they successfully killed of a minute and half of their own penalty on Hal Gill (cross checking).  To the credit of the officiating staff, none of the three calls in overtime were questionable. 

For Bill Guerin, the game winner was his second goal of the night as he also scored the Penguins’ first goal, an even strength tally that tied the score at 1-1 in the 2nd period.  “It’s been a couple years since I’ve been in the playoffs,” Guerin said after the game.  “So, just to be a part of this feels really good. To be able to contribute feels even better.”  At age 38, Guerin has brought the veteran presence that the Penguins need, both on and off the ice.  “Tonight, he kept saying the right things and doing the right things,” Bylsma said. “He’s patient – the way he takes a step to the middle, and it looks like he calmly puts it in the net.  I’m not sure he was calm on the inside and no one was calm on the bench. That’s what he brings to our room.  His experience factor.”  It is that type of veteran leadership that is so important to a young team like the Penguins.  He understands what it takes to win, and he also understands that you must always focus on the next shift and not dwell on the past.  “Bottom line – everyone knows it in the playoffs:  one goal, two goals, whatever you do, when the game is over the game is over,” Guerin said. “You have to get ready for the next one.” 

Marc-Andre Fleury had an absolutely incredible night in net for the Penguins, stopping 38 of 40 shots (including 10 in OT) for a 0.95 save percentage.  Fleury made a stunning highlight reel save in the 3rd period that prevented the Flyers from taking a commanding 3-1 lead late in the game.  Fleury made an improbable move from one side of the crease to the other and made a toe save on Jeff Carter’s shot toward an open side of the net.  The sure goal for the Flyers was thwarted by the raw athleticism and determination of Marc-Andre Fleury, who is showing every sign that he is in the zone that took the Penguins all the way to game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals last season.   “(A save like that) means the world to the team,” Guerin said.  “It gives you a second life.  You get energized by that and you realize that your goalie helped keep you in the game.  That’s what we ask from him at this time of the year.”  Fleury said, “I was a little far from the inside post, it wasn’t the best spot.  I just tried to get my pad over there and it hit my toe, so it worked out well.”  Dan Bylsma recognized Fleury’s pivotal play in the post-game press conference.  “The playoffs are all about timely scoring and individual plays that turn the momentum.  I haven’t seen the replay other than on the jumbotron looking up, but it looked like a for sure goal – it’s going in – but somehow Marc-Andre gets a pad on it.  It’s a remarkable save and certainly kept the game within reach for us at that point.”

Evgeni Malkin quietly went about his business picking up 3-points (1G, 2A) and Sergei Gonchar had 2-points (2A).  Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang each added an assist.  The Penguins ratcheted up the physical play by outhitting the Flyers 50-29.  Brooks Orpik was a beast on the ice racking up an incredible 14 hits just by himself.  “Tonight it was more of a playoff feel, that’s for sure,” Orpik said. 

The Penguins and Flyers now travel to Philadelphia for game 3 on Sunday.  The 3PM matinee will be aired in High Definition on NBC.

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Penguins Roll Over Flyers 4-1, Lead Series 1-0

The Pittsburgh Penguins kept their late season momentum rolling into the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs as they beat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1 in game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals on Wednesday night.  In a nearly textbook win, the Penguins flat outplayed the Flyers who looked as if they were still disoriented from the unexpected loss to the New York Rangers at the end of the regular season that squandered their home ice advantage.  The Penguins, on the other hand, clearly came out prepared to play and took it to the Flyers for nearly 60-minutes, particularly in the first and third periods.  Although game stats indicate that the Penguins were outhit by the Flyers 37-30, Pittsburgh appeared to have the more punishing physical presence.  It started on the very first shift as Chris Kunitz lined up and pummelled Kimmo Timonen.  Timonen, rattled by the hit, exhibited the after-effects throughout the remainder of the game and didn’t look 100% .  The hits continued with Matt Cooke reaking havoc in the corners and Jordan Staal even getting into the act and making his imposing presence felt. 

Pittsburgh overwhelmed the Flyers defense by maintaining constant pressure and good puck possession that slowly wore down the seemingly demoralized Flyers.  Philadelphia didn’t help their cause any by taking far too many penalties.  The Penguins had 6 man-advantages before going 5-on-3 for the final 19-seconds of the game.  The Penguins only converted on 1 powerplay, otherwise the score would have been much more lopsided.  The Penguins got goals from Sidney Crosby, Tyler Kennedy, Evgeni Malkin and….yes, Mark Eaton!  Both Crosby and Malkin had 2-points with a goal and assist each.  Sergei Gonchar, Jordan Staal and Kris Letang all picked up assists as well.  The lone Flyers goal came on a Philadelphia power play after Marc-Andre Fleury was called for tripping.  The Penguins outshot the Flyers 33-27 and crushed them in the faceoff circle by winning 64% of the draws. 

Jordan Staal played an amazing game at both ends of the ice.  Leading all Penguins’ forwards in ice time with 20:36, he stepped up his physical play and was an absolute defensive juggernaut against the Flyers.  Mark Eaton made the defensive play of the game by eliminating a two-on-one opportunity in the first period to protect the Penguins 1-0 lead.  With Mike Richards and Scott Hartnell breaking in on net, Eaton dropped to the ice and diverted Richard’s attempted pass to neutralize one of the the Flyers’ best scoring chances of the game.  Evgeni Malkin got the game’s only unassisted goal as he corraled an errant pass and backhanded it past a sprawling Martin Biron before raising his arms into the air like Philly’s Rocky Balboa.  

Dan Bylsma captured his first career post-season win as a head coach.  After the game he noted “”One of our goals was to set the tone and certainly after the first period …
I think the whole period long we forced them to play in the defensive zone a lot, which is one of the situations we want to keep replicating.”  Whatever Dan Bylsma is doing to lead, coach and inspire this young team, let’s hope he can keep it up!  Tonight’s game was a thing of beauty for a Penguins fan!

Third “Line’s” a Charm

It is now official.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have not one mystical, magical two-headed monster, but TWO of them.

It’s no secret that Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have become the two-headed monster, but in the final, intense run to the playoffs, another two-headed monster reared up in the form of Jordan Staal and Tyler Kennedy. Don’t blink because on the lead PK, the monster transforms to the tandem of Staal and Matt Cooke who have been unleashed, and all three players could conceivably be the “X” Factor for a successful playoff conclusion, the kind that eluded the Pens last year.

Time and again, in games when the team struggled during the birth of its new identity, the third line, most consistently comprised of Staal, Kennedy, and Cooke, has emerged to hit hard, start cycles in the offensive end, wear down opponents, and put some points on the board.

Case in point: in their last game against the New York Islanders, if a tertiary assist existed, it would have gone to the Staal line on the Bill Guerin goal at 11:08 in the third period. Staal and company mercilessly ground down the Islanders’ defensemen with crisp, swift passes around the net, cycling on both circles, and wheeling the puck out to the blue-liners only to start all over again…and again…and again for what had to be one of the longest sustained cycles of the season.

By the time the Crosby line got on the ice, a too-short clear of the puck kept the Isle’s defensemen stranded on the ice. They put up a fight, but it was clear that their legs had turned to lead, and Guerin made them pay for it.

That’s the value of the Penguins’ third line, and under Dan Bylsma, they have methodically honed their craft. With each successive game they play in the Bylsma era, their cycles start sooner, last longer, and really free up the ice for their teammates. They are hitting their stride as a unit at the right time, and truth be told, the third line is the most in-sync unit.

The statistics also show the growth of these three players both individually and as a collective. An analysis of the last 24 games played under Michel Therrien and the 24 games played prior to their last against the Montreal Canadiens under Dan Bylsma shakes out as follows:

• Jordan Staal–Under Therrien: 4 G, 6 A (10 points), 40 shots on net with a 10% shot percentage. Under Bylsma: 7 G, 10 A (17 points), 61 shots on net with an 11.4% shot percentage.
• Matt Cooke–Under Therrien: 4 G, 2 A (6 points), 28 shots on net with a 14.3% shot percentage. Under Bylsma: 5 G, 6 A (11 points), 35 shots on net with a 14.3% shot percentage.
• Tyler Kennedy–Under Therrien: 4 G, 5A (9 points), 65 shots on net with a 6.2% shot percentage. Under Bylsma: 6 G, 9 A (15 points), 57 shots on net with a 10.5% shot percentage.
• Collectively–Under Therrien: 12 G, 13 A (25 points), 133 shots on net with a 9% shot percentage. Under Bylsma: 18 G, 35 A (43 points), 153 shots on net with an 18% shot percentage.

Staal’s shot production has increased considerably (+21), Cooke moderately so (+7), and while Kennedy’s shots on net have decreased (-8), his shot selection has evolved to create better chances to score, increasing his percentage by 4.3%. Under Bylsma, they have 6 more goals, 22 more assists, 20 more shots on net, and they’ve impressively doubled their shot percentage from 9% to 18%.

Watching them individually as well as collectively, these three skate with more confidence and authority. They punish opponents on the boards as they fight for possession of the puck, and each knows innately exactly where the other two are at all times.

Tyler Kennedy’s spark plug style makes him hard to track as one moment he’s on one side of the net, and the next, he’s in the opposite corner, breaching the distant to the puck before the first defenseman arrives, and gaining possession. He has a keen sense of where he is on the ice at all times in relation to Staal and Cooke even when his back is turned, showing very quick visual perception.

Matt Cooke adds the gritty, instigatory element to the line and to the team by extension, and he has really made a study of his role. The turning point was against the Tampa Bay Lightning some games back when he managed to out-best the old salty dog king tormentor and former Penguins forward, Gary Roberts. Cooke managed to get under Roberts’ skin, causing the 40-plus-year-old veteran to pull a rookie mistake and retaliate. Cooke’s brand of physical, scrappy play is to a point now where he is managing to spend less time in the penalty box, showing that he is mastering the subtler points of the art of institgation–and loving it.

Finally, big center man, Jordan Staal, is proving Ray Shero’s theory of creating a strong core from Sid through the lines to Fleury. Staal’s efforts, paired with Matt Cooke, have elevated the PK to a shade above 87%, and in 5-on-3 situations with the fantastic play of defenseman Rob Scuderi, this unit will prove both valuable and formidable in the playoffs.

Even more importantly, Staal’s confidence has sky-rocketed. He now lugs the puck from his defensive end into the offensive zone not as quick to get rid of it as in weeks past. Now, he looks not just to make a play but to generate a sustained play. Confidence is allowing him to “see” options as if he has all the time in the world within a span of mere seconds, and his linemates are operating on the same frequency.

Staal has developed some signature moves that reveal his strength and the true extent of his reach. The most striking thing he added to his repertoire was a few games ago when Kennedy fed him a puck some distance above the left circle just inside the blue line, clearly out of his usual comfort zone of the interior hash mark on the same side. Staal ripped a slap shot that scored. What this shows is a young player who is now ready to challenge himself a little more, to try something new when the opportunity arises. It makes one wonder what his stats might have been, and more importantly where he would be now in his own development, under a full season of Dan Bylsma.

It’d be nice to find out.

Malkin Wins Scoring Title

After the last puck was dropped on the NHL regular season on Sunday, Pittsburgh Penguins’ Alternate Captain Evgeni Malkin officially became the winner of the 2009 Art Ross Trophy having scored more points than any other NHL player this season.  It is the 13th time in the last 21 seasons that a Pittsburgh Penguins player has won the scoring title.  Malkin finished the year with a career best 113-points (35G, 78A), 3-points ahead of last year’s winner and fellow Russian Alexander Ovechkin (56G, 54A).  Last season, Malkin came in 2nd in the scoring race just 6-points behind Ovechkin.  Malkin is the 8th-player in the past 8-seasons to be awarded the Art Ross Trophy, joining Jaromir Jagr in 2001, Jarome Iginla in 2002, Peter Forsberg in 2003, Martin St. Louis in 2004, Joe Thornton in 2006, Sidney Crosby in 2007 and Alexander Ovechkin in 2008.  Just 22-years old and playing in his 3rd season, one has to wonder how many times he may win the award.  Malkin has proven that he is one of the most elite and productive players on the ice today. 

While both Malkin and Ovechkin hail from Russia and have finished #1/#2 in the scoring race for the past two seasons, they are noticeably two very different personalities.  While Ovechkin has demonstrated a flair for the flamboyant (see his All-Star appearance and this season’s 50th goal celebration for two recent examples), Malkin is much more reserved publicly with perhaps even an over-abundance of humility.  “It’s my third year playing in the NHL and I understand how to play here,” said Malkin after Saturday night’s win against the Canadiens.   ”My English is a little bit better and my game is better.”  Referring to Ovechkin’s end of season drive in the points race, Malkin stated, “Alex is a good player, and in the last five games he played awesome.  Every game he had three or four points. It made for a good scoring race, but it was better for me.” 

While understated in his recognition of his own accomplishments, Malkin understands the importance of meeting his goal of winning the scoring title.   ”All season I’ve wanted to win it,” Malkin said.  “I had a good summer working out and felt great all season. I started well and now here I am.  I feel great.  Thanks to my team and coach who helped me all season,” said Malkin.  “I was nervous the last five games but I won.  It’s my life and a good day today.”  The significance of Malkin’s accomplishment wasn’t lost on Sidney Crosby, either.  “In the last 20 years how many guys from Pittsburgh have won it? It’s pretty amazing,” Crosby said. “Now he can put his name on that list, it’s a special accomplishment and well-deserved.  It’s nice to have it in Pittsburgh.”  Malkin also led the league in assists (78) and takeaways (91), and was named as the team’s Most Valuable Player. 

Malkin is also a potential candidate for the Hart Trophy as the league’s Most Valuable Player, although he himself expects it may be difficult to dethrone last year’s winner Alexander Ovechkin.  Penguins’ captain Sidney Crosby thinks Malkin is deserving.  ”He’s done a great job all season long,” noted Crosby,  “Consistency is a big thing for any player, especially for one who wants to be recognized for an award like that.  To show the consistency he has, he’s right up there.”  Malkin has shown great consistency through the season, scoring at least one point in 64 of 82 games played, and never going more than two straight games without a point. 

The trophy will be presented at the 2009 NHL Awards, to be held for the first time in Las Vegas on Thursday, June 18.  The NHL Awards will be broadcast live from the Pearl Concert Theater inside the Palms Hotel Las Vegas on VERSUS in the United States and CBC in Canada.

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NHLPens.com Redesigned for Playoffs

I am very happy to present the newly remodeled NHLPens.com, just in time for the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs!  I have overhauled the theme to make the features of the site more accessible from the “Home” page.  First, the site now features the last 3-posted articles using an image/text slideshow box at the top left of the home page.  To read a featured article, simply click on the image and you will be taken to the full posting.  Just below the slideshow, there is a summary listing of the last five featured articles so you can quickly navigate to a recent article.  We are also categorizing every article as news, opinion, analysis, announcements and the like so that you can easily navigate to and read the content that you would like.  You can access these categories at the top of the home page, or view summaries of the past few articles in each category a little further down the home page.  The home page also includes an embedded video from the NHL or the Pittsburgh Penguins.  This video will change frequently and will highlight player interviewsm game highlights and other compelling content.  On the right “sidebar” of the home page, you will find a live NHL scoreboard that updates in near real-time, the latest NHLPens.com poll, the latest news clippings scoured from the internet and more!  From the navigation bar at the top of the home page, you can still step off to other pages of great content to include the Team roster, schedule/results, stats, standings, the Forum message board, our video page, great Fan gear and more!  I hope you find the site’s redesign both appealing and functional.  If you have any feedback, we would love to hear from you.  You can either comment on this post, or send me an e-mail at Paul@NHLPens.com.  As always, thanks for visiting us at NHLPens.com!

Let’s Go Pens!

Turning Up the Heat in a Hot Kitchen

by Chaiwoman
Pittsburgh Penguins’ radio color analyst Mike Lange is fond of saying “…to take the heat out of a hot kitchen” during harrowing defensive stands, but he may have to amend that slightly as the Pens and their opponents are fighting fire with fire.

Penguins 6–Devils 1: The Pens cranked up the heat on the New Jersey Devils, and while one would think they could take it, it was no April Fool’s joke. The Devils clearly did not look like themselves that night, and the Pens, by contrast, looked possessed. Six guys figured in the goal scoring: Matt Cooke (11), Bill Guerin (20), Evgeni Malkin (34), Sidney Crosby (30), Jordan Staal (21), and Chris Kunitz (23). On top of that, 12 players assisted in those tallies with defensemen Sergei Gonchar and Hal Gill leading the way by contributing two assists each. Not to be outdone, even netminder Marc-Andre Fleury had an assist, his first of the year, on the Guerin goal.

The confidence of the defensive corps of the Penguins is evidenced in their plus/minus rating. The tandem of Gill and Rob Scuderi posted a +4. This is an outstanding improvement for the pair considering that in days of yore (pre-Bylsma), at the best of times they looked mediocre and at the worst of times shell-shocked. Many were the games when plays in front of Fleury by those two created incredible anxiety for the fans and heart failure for their netminder whose own confidence was shaky. The insecurity was palpable and hard to watch. Fast-forward to present day, and Gill and Scuderi have been reborn. They are as in sync as Siamese twins, playing the way many believed they could play, and Fleury has felt the effects translate to his own crisp game.

Penguins 2–Hurricanes 3 (OT): “Kickin’ it up a notch,” the Pens went into Carolina Saturday night. From the first puck-drop to the goal horn in the OT frame, it was such a firestorm of speed, shots, hits, and break-aways that FSN’s Paul Steigerwald and Bob Errey never had a chance to talk about anything anecdotal except during commercial breaks and intermissions. They were nearly out of breath as they tried to match their play-by-play calling with the speed of the game.

Crosby and Malkin were picking pockets like Fagin’s street urchins, generating chances. Tyler Kennedy had yet another solid game, which at least merits an honorable mention to the 3 stars of the game–all Hurricanes. Malkin’s failing to score on the penalty shot he was awarded was a bad break. However, Guerin’s disallowed goal was a result of a bad Kunitz penalty, which hearkens back to what Bylsma said days ago. It’s not so much about how many penalties they take, but the kind they are and when they occur. This was not a good penalty as without it, Guerin’s goal would have counted, and Jordan Staal’s goal, then, would have been the game winner.

A Hurricanes-Pens playoff round match-up would make for an exciting, heart-stopping, nail-biting, teeth-gnashing series. These two teams are about as evenly matched as any two could be, including their season-long ups and downs and the fact that each possesses an outstanding young goalie in Fleury and Cam Ward, energizing stars, and, oh yes, a Staal brother. Pens fans seem to travel well as the crowd appeared to cheer just as loudly for the Penguin goals as the home team crowd did for the ‘canes, showing some Pittsburgh faithful in attendance.

Penguins 2–Panthers 4: After a strong first period, notching a hefty 19 shots on netminder Tomas Vokoun, the second period saw the Pens experiencing fatigue. No doubt this was a result of the supercharged, all-out slug fest in Carolina just 20 hours earlier. It did not help that a flukey goal came off a misplayed puck by Hal Gill that popped up strangely and could not be cleared out. Add to this the fact that neither Crosby nor Malkin registered a point in this game or in the Carolina game, and both were a -2 at Carolina and -1 at Florida.

However, Coach Dan Bylsma has recognized the power of the Staal-Kennedy duo, putting just about every winger he could think of on the line to try to generate something. It worked for Pascal Depuis, and Staal was also part of the unit that netted Eaton’s power play goal.

While rest can renew tired legs and focus weary minds, it is still unacceptable that the power play produces so few chances on net.  The Pens had 4 power play chances and registered only 3 shots with Mark Eaton scoring the sole power play goal. If they are not putting at least 5 shots on net per power play, then it is powerless. If not correctly quickly, such a situation will not bode well for a deep playoff run, let alone a Stanley Cup final. It cannot be stressed enough that Crosby is best working the end boards behind the goalie, forcing the goalie to split his attention to account for him. As soon as he is slides up on the half wall, he has much too much ice to play around with, and 99% of the time, he elects to pass.

The Therrien-era power play reared its ugly head in this game: the passing was excrutiatingly slow, and the player in possession of the puck held it entirely too long. The Panthers’ PK unit loved this because they hardly had to move. They could have killed a 10 minute penalty without a line change at that rate. So few shots on net leaves guys like Kunitz and Guerin with nothing to do, negating one of the biggest reasons they were acquired. Bottom line: Sid, more than any of them, must shoot.

All is not lost though. This team has proven time and again over the past three seasons that it has the collective intestinal fortitude to grind it out and push through a new growing pain. They are in position to have a date with destiny, to get back to where they were last season–maybe to avenge some unfinished business. The road is long and hard, and it will be a test for them and for their new coach, but as Bylsma said, going into the Hurricanes game, he put to them this question: “What mindset do we want to have going into the game?” How they respond 60 minutes at a time will determine their outcome.

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