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Penguins Beat Detroit in Triple-Overtime Thriller!

With less than a minute to go in regulation, it looked like the Stanley Cup would be skated around the rink inside of Joe Louis Arena.  The Detroit Red Wings had posted a come from behind rally and scored 2-goals in the 3rd period to put them 1-goal ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins (3-2).  But with their goaltender pulled, the Penguins’ last gasp attempt at survival paid off as Max Talbot scored the game-tying goal with just 35-seconds left on the clock to force overtime.  Then Marc-Andre Fleury took over, stopping 24-shots through almost 50-minutes of overtime play to give his team the opportunity to win.  And win they did, after Petr Sykora clinched the game-winner, a powerplay goal at 9:57 of the third overtime!  In a game that had almost everything, including injuries to Sergei Gonchar (upper body) and Ryan Malone (slapshot to the face), the Penguins found a way to win.

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The Penguins came out in the first period and surprised a nervous Red Wings team as they put up an early 2-goal lead.  The first goal game at 8:37 as Marian Hossa slung the puck inside of the far post and beat Chris Osgood.  Sidney Crosby and Pascal Dupuis had the assists on Hossa’s goal, his 11th of the post-season.  Then at 14:41, Adam Hall was credited with an unassisted goal after a botched Red Wings clearing attempt by Niklas Kronwall put the puck into their own net. Since Hall was the last Penguin to touch the puck, he was given the goal.  Shots were 8-7 Detroit and the Penguins were 0-2 on the powerplay and 3-3 on the penalty kill.

In the 2nd period, the Red Wings drew within 1-goal as Darren Helm took a feed from Kirk Maltby and snapped off a shot that beat Marc-Andre Fleury.  With 2:50 left in the period, the Penguins suffered a huge blow when Sergei Gonchar went awkwardly into the end boards at high speed.  Gonchar left game for the rest of the period, but returned briefly in the 3rd before leaving again.  He ultimately returned to the ice in the 3rd OT period, and skated his first shift on the game-winning goal.  The Penguins had another setback with just 1:22 left in the period, as Ryan Malone took a puck to the face off from heavy slapshot by Hal Gill.  The shot hit Malone on his broken nose, and he immediately left the ice bleeding profusely.  He ultimately returned in the 3rd period looking fully playoff tested with a gashed and swollen face, and gauze packed in his nose.  Shots were 12-7 Detroit in the 2nd and both teams were 0-1 on the powerplay.

Onto the 3rd period where Detroit made a full court press to win the Stanley Cup, as they outshot the Penguins 14-4.  At 6:43, the Wings got the tying goal on the powerplay as Tyler Kennedy sat for hooking.  Pavel Datsyuk picked up his 10th goal on a tip-in that beat Marc-Andre Fleury five-hole.  Assists were credited to Henrik Zetterberg and Brian Rafalski.  Then at 9:23 with momentum clearly on their side, the Wings scored the go-ahead goal on a wrister by Brian Rafalski, from Johan Franzen and Henrik Zetterberg.  From that point on, it looked as if the Red Wings would finish it off and win the Stanley Cup.  NBC had rolled video of the Cup being removed from its case and getting polished.  With just 40-seconds left, the desparate Penguins pulled Marc-Andre Fleury from the net and threw all they could at Osgood.  Just 5-seconds later while champagne bottles were being prepped in the Red Wings locker room, Max Talbot stopped the anticipated celebration by banging home a puck behind Osgood to tie it up.

During the first Overtime period, Marc-Andre Fleury put on a clinic by stopping all 13-shots by the Red Wings.  The Penguins offense was largely ineffective notching just 2-shots on goal, despite having a 2-minute powerplay on a questioned goaltender interference call on Henrik Zetterberg.  In the 2nd Overtime, the youth of the Penguins started to pay dividends as they matched the Red Wings skating game and took an 8-7 edge in shots.  Each team was assessed a minor penalty in the 2nd Overtime, but neither team could capitalize.  Then in the 3rd Overtime,  Jiri Hudler took a double-minor high sticking call after cutting the face of Rob Scuderi with the blade of his stick.  The Penguins responded by putting the injured Sergei Gonchar back on the ice, along with Malkin, Whitney, Sykora and Malone.  After being largely absent throughout the entire series, Evgeni Malkin made a beautiful pass to Petr Sykora in the high circle area and he put it in the net to end the game at 9:57.  Sergei Gonchar was also credited with an assist.

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• VIDEO:  Game HIghlights
• VIDEO:  Coach Therrien Press Conference – 3 Jun
• VIDEO:  Post Game Press Conference
• VIDEO: Post Game Locker Room Report
• PHOTOS:  In-Game Photos
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Rosters
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Summary
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Boxscore
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Play-by-Play

The win could prove to be a momentum swing in this series that should have ended tonight for the Red Wings.  The Penguins found a way to get the tying goal in the waning moments of the game, and then battle through the adveristy of injuries and being outplayed in the 3rd period and first overtime to eventually win it after a prolonged battle on the Red Wings’ ice.  Marc-Andre Fleury proved phenomenal in goal by stopping 55-of-58 shots for a 0.948 save percentage.  Marian Hossa had another spectacular game, picking up 2-points (1G, 1A).  Sidney Crosby padded his league leading post-season points by netting 2-more points (2A).  The Penguins take the series back to Pittsburgh trailing 3-2 with a chance to tie it up on Wednesday night.

The Penguins return home to Pittsburgh for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Wednesday night, where they will look to win 1-more on home ice to send the series back to Detroit for a deciding Game 7. 

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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 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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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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Magnificent Malkin Scores 2 as Pens Win Game 1

The Pittsburgh Penguins continued their unbeaten record at home in these playoffs as they beat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-2 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Friday night.  Evgeni Malkin was the star of the show as he picked up 3-points (2G, 1A), to include his first career short-handed goal.  With 17-points (8G, 9A), Malkin now leads all scorers in the NHL post-season.  Sidney Crosby, who picked up his 3rd goal of the post-season, is tied for second in scoring with 15-points (3G, 12A).  Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 26-of-28 shots for a 0.929 save percentage and extended his playoff record to 9-1 this season. 

In the first period, the Penguins struck first at 6:19 on a beautiful backhander by Petr Sykora that hog-tied Philadelphia netminder Martin Biron.  Working up the middle of the ice, Evgeni Malkin passed the puck to Ryan Malone on the left wing and continued to drive to the net.  With the defensemen backing up on Malkin’s drive, Malone fed a cross-ice pass through an open lane to Petr Sykora coming down the right side.  Sykora kept the puck on his forehand until Biron made a move, and then quickly shifted to his backhand and lifted the puck over Biron and into the net to make it 1-0.  But the Flyers battled back just a little over two minutes later as Mike Richards beat Marc-Andre Fleury on a scrambling wraparound that deflected off the back of Fleury’s leg and into the net.  The play was briefly reviewed after the referee lost sight of the puck to confirm that the puck went into the net before the whistle.  R.J. Umberger and Brandon Coburn were credited with the assists.  With the score tied 1-1, the Flyers continued to crash the Penguins net until it paid dividends at 12:50 as Mike Richards picked up his 2nd goal of the night by collecting the trash and whipping it into the net.  Joffrey Lupul and R.J. Umberger picked up the assists on the play to make it 2-1 Flyers.  At 14:11, the Penguins tied it back up on a beautiful redirect by Sidney Crosby off from a hard pass by Marian Hossa along the boards.  But the play of the period goes to Evgeni Malkin with just 6.9-seconds left in the period as he took a Ryan Whitney pass at the Flyers blueline and walked it in and picked the far corner of the net to make it 3-2.  The Penguins killed off the only penalty of the period, and were alightly outshot 12-11  by the Flyers. 

In the 2nd period, the game tightened up significantly over the 1st with the Flyers outshooting the Penguins just 7-6.  At 3:35, Brooks Orpik took a holding call behind the Penguins net to put the Flyers on the power play.  With about one minute killed off in the penalty, Evgeni Malkin got the puck and drove down to the Flyers net where he was pummeled into the boards by Mike Richards.  As the play moved back up ice, Malkin was slow to get up and trailed the play back to the blueline.  In the opposite end, Marian Hossa knocked Mike Richards off the puck allowing Sergei Gonchar to then make a long up-ice feed to Malkin who was still hanging at the blueline.  Malkin skated the puck in all alone short-handed in front of Biron and let a wicked slapshot go from 15-feet out that beat Biron mercilessly to make it 4-2.  It was the perfect answer to the hit placed on him by Mike Richards, and was particularly special as it was Malkin’s first career short-handed goal.  The Penguins ended the period 0-for-1 on the powerplay and successfully killed of their only penalty.

 

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Despite pressing in the 3rd period, the Flyers were unable to solve Marc-Andre Fleury as he turned aside all 9-shots thrown at him.  The Penguins, looking to protect the lead only managed 4-shots on net in the final frame.  At 18:32, there was a gathering near the Penguins end of the ice as one of the Flyers players put a late hit on Kris Letang.  Both teams mixed it up with pushing, shoving and face-washing.  In the end, it was Malkin for roughing, Hatcher for  roughing and Upshall for cross-checking and a game misconduct.  As a result, the Penguins played the last minute and a half on the powerplay. 

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

The Penguins and Flyers meet up again at Mellon Arena on Sunday night as the Penguins look to extend their home ubeaten record and take a 2-game lead over the Flyers.  In other news, Pittsburgh’s Wilkes-Barre team beat the Flyers’ Phantoms farm club Friday night to win that AHL playoff series in five games.

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Penguins Finish Rangers in OT

The Pittsburgh Penguins finished off the season of the New York Rangers in overtime on Sunday as they beat them 3-2 to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.  The Penguins will have the home ice advantage as they face the cross-state rival Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference Championship series.  After carrying a 2-0 lead into the 3rd period, the Penguins gave up 2-quick goals to the New York Rangers to force the overtime period.  Marian Hossa scored the game winner in overtime, his 2nd goal of the night, to finish the series.  The Penguins extended their post-season record to 8-1.

In the 1st period, the Penguins outshot the Rangers 10-7 but neither team was able to score as both Henrik Lundqvist and Marc-Andre Fleury were perfect in net.  The Penguins went 0-for-1 on the powerplay and successfully killed off 2 penalties of their own.

The Penguins dominated the 2nd period of play, outshooting the Penguins 17-4 with the Rangers failing to register a shot during the final 14:50 of the period.  Early in the period, Chris Drury took an accidental stick to the face from Ryan Malone that opened up a gash on his cheekbone and covered the ice with blood.  Play was stopped while the ice was cleaned up, but no penalty was called as the referees missed the play.  Drury eventually returned to the game after recieving stitches.  At 8:45, the Penguins got on the board as Marian Hossa converted on the powerplay while Michal Rozsival sat for tripping.  Working from near the goal line, Sidney Crosby threw the puck to Ryan Malone at the center of the ice.  Faking the shot, Malone froze Lundqvist as he passed the puck to Marian Hossa on the weak side of the net.  Hossa then whipped the puck into the empty side for his 4th goal of the post-season.  At 12:40, Evgeni Malkin took a pass from Kris Letang in his own zone and carried it all the way down the ice.  Malkin tried to make a move around one of the Rangers’ defensemen, but the puck failed to go through.  Malkin stopped and turned onto his backhand and lifted the puck past Henrik Lundqvist to make it 2-0.  Ryan Whitney and Kris Letang picked up the assists on Malkin’s 6th goal and 14th-point of the post-season.  The Penguins finished the period 1-for-4 on the powerplay and 2-for-2 on the penalty kill.

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In the 3rd period, the Rangers scored two quick goals to get themselves right back in the game.  The first goal came at 2:03 as 2004 1st round pick and minor league callup Lauri Korpikoski managed to beat Marc-Andre Fleury, as he played in his first NHL game.  Michal Rozsival and Chris Drury were credited with the assists on the play.  Then, a little over a minute later at 3:25, Nigel Dawes connected on his 2nd goal of the playoffs to tie it 2-2.  Scott Gomez and Ryan Callahan picked up the assists on the play.  The Rangers continued to press through the remainder of the period and outshot the Penguins 11-7, but failed to get another one by Marc-Andre Fleury.  Late in the period, the Penguins were given an opportunity as Chris Drury took a 4-minute high sticking call at 18:42.  Despite a full court press, the Penguins failed to score in the time remaining in regulation and the game and powerplay time were extended into overtime. In overtime, the Penguins had the advantage of playing the first 2:42 with a man-advantage on freshly prepared ice.  Despite the advantage, the Rangers managed to kill off the remainder of Drury’s 3rd period double minor.  Play continued until 7:10, when Marian Hossa collected a deflected pass from Sidney Crosby and whipped it on net beating a stunned Henrik Lundqvist.  The goal, Hossa’s 2nd of the night and 5th of the playoffs, was assisted by Sidney Crosby and Pascal Dupuis.  The game winner sent Penguins fans to their feet and players scrambling to join their team in celebration along the glass.  After a few minutes clustered around Hossa, the Penguins moved to center ice to partake in the traditional post-series handshakes with Rangers players.

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

Despite winning the series 4-1, the Rangers-Penguins matchup was closer than it would appear at first glance.  The Penguins will take away some good lessons from this series that should help them in the next round.  First, they had to overcome adversity and battle back from a 3-0 defecit in game 1 to beat the Rangers.  They managed to do so and came back in game 2 with a shutout.  They also had to battle back from a shutout loss to the Rangers in Game 4 by igniting their offense against one of the league’s best goaltenders.  Finally, the had to go into overtime and take back a game that they had led by 2-goals through 2-periods.  The New York Rangers put up a great battle, but in end the Penguins oppressive special teams performance and the stellar play of Marc-Andre Fleury sealed the deal for the Penguins.

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The Penguins now head into the Eastern Conference Championship series against the Philadelphia Flyers who are on a roll after beating the #1 seeded Montreal Canadiens in 5-games.  The Penguins will have the home-ice advantage against the Flyers, and will be looking to turn around the great play of Martin Biron and RJ Umberger.  In the first all Pennsylvania Conference Final, this is setting up to be a classic series between two cross-state rivals that do not like each other.  We expect a hard-hitting, in your face style of play for this “Keystone Classic” series.  The winner takes all in the East and gets to move on to the Stanley Cup Championship Series against the Western Conference Champions.  It promises to be an excellent series.  Let’s Go Pens!!

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Penguins Take Commanding 3-0 Lead Over Rangers

The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the New York Rangers 5-3 at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals series. Marc-Andre Fleury was huge in net as he stopped 36-of-39 shots and Hart Trophy finalist Evgeni Malkin loomed large with 2 powerplay goals and an assist. The Penguins’ special teams were the difference, however, as they went 2-for-2 on the powerplay and killed off all 5 New York powerplays, including two 5-on-3 chances for the Rangers. The Penguins remain unbeaten in the playoffs, becoming just the 11th team in the NHL’s long history to win the first 7-games in a playoff. The last team to do so was the 1994 New York Rangers, who ultimately went on to win the Stanley Cup that year.

In the 1st period, the Penguins jumped out to a quick lead at 1:02 on a beautiful passing play by the Penguins top line. Sidney Crosby stripped the puck off from Jaromir Jagr in the neutral zone and passed it up to Pascal Dupuis. Crosby then rushed the net and redirected a hard shot by Dupuis onto the net. Henrik Lundqvist made a beautiful pad save on Crosby, but failed to control the rebound which came off of his pads and onto the stick of Marian Hossa. Hossa wasted no time as he buried it in the Rangers’ net to make it 1-0. The Rangers bounced back at 14:32 as Martin Straka took advantage of a mad scramble in front of the net and threw the puck over a sprawling Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury had his hands full with Jaromir Jagr and two of his own teammates all in the crease and pushing on the net. The play was ultimately reviewed to confirm that the goal went into the net before it was dislodged. Jaromir Jagr and Paul Mara picked up the assists on the play. But less than 2-minutes later while playing on a line with Evgeni Malkin and Petr Sykora, Georges Laraque found the corner of the net over Lundqvist’s shoulder to make it 2-1. Malkin and Sykora got the asissts on the goal. The Penguins then found themselves on a 4-minute powerplay after a high-sticking call on Ryan Callahan for catching Hal Gill in the nose. The Penguins wasted little time as Evgeni Malkin blasted his 4th of the post-season into the net to make it 3-1. Sergei Gonchar and Marian Hossa set up the Malkin goal. At the end of the 1st period, the Penguins found themselves up 3-1, despite being outshot 15-9. The Penguins were 1-for-1 on the powerplay in the period.

In the 2nd period, the Rangers poured it on as they outshot the Penguins 14-4. Early in the period, the Penguins found themselves in penalty trouble as Sykora, Dupuis and Orpik all took back-to-back overlapping penalties that resulted in two 5-on-3 chances for the Rangers. But the Penguins were phenomenal on the penalty kill as they have been all series, and shutout the Rangers on the man advantage. As the period wore on, Jaromir Jagr and Martin Straka picked up their game to a frenetic pace to get themselves back in the game, and it worked. At 12:07, the Rangers finally managed to beat Marc-Andre Fleury as Ryan Callahan got his 2nd goal of the post-season from Scott Gomez and Sean Avery. Then at 13:11, Jaromir Jagr came around from behind the net and picked the high corner over Fleury’s right shoulder to tie the game 3-3. Scott Gomez and Martin Straka picked up the assists on the play. At this point in the game, the momentum had clearly shifted to the New York Rangers who were out-hustling the Penguins on every shift. Penguins’ coach Michel Therrien took a very wise timeout at this point in the game to slow the pace down and to chirp at his players. At 15:56 of the period, Ryan Hollweg took a bad boarding penalty on Petr Syokora that ultimately put the momentum back at the Penguins end of the ice. On the ensuing powerplay, Evgeni Malkin scored his 2nd of the night with another one of his signature blasts from the high circle area. Sergei Gonchar and Sidney Crosby picked up the assists on the play, as the Penguins restored a 1-goal lead.

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In the final period, the Penguins were outshot 10-4 but managed to score the only goal of the frame to make it 5-3. At 2:30, Kris Letang let a shot go from the point that was redirected between the legs of Henrik Lundqvist by Ryan Malone, who was left standing all alone 10-feet in front of net. Pter Sykora picked up the other assist on the play.The Penguins successfully killed off 2-penalties in the period, and were afforded no powerplay of their own, as they went on to win the game 5-3.

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

For the Penguins, Evgeni Malkin picked up 3-points (2G, 1A), Marian Hossa (1G, 1A), Sidney Crosby (2A), Sergei Gonchar (2A), and Petr Sykora (2A) all notched 2-points. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 26-of-39 shots for a 0.923 save percentage.

The Penguins return to Madison Square Garden on Thursday night where they will be given the opportunity to sweep the series and keep their undefeated post-season record alive to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Penguins can thank their brilliant goaltending, solid defensive play, and pheneomenal special teams for their success so far this post-season. The Penguins have also found offensive contriubutions from all four lines. It is undeniable that this team has the momentum and the skill to go a long ways in this post season, as long as they continue to play their game.

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Penguins Shutout Rangers in Game 2

The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the New York Rangers on Sunday afternoon 2-0 to give them a 2-0 lead in the best of 7 series.  Marc-Andre Fleury turned aside all 26 shots thrown at him by the Rangers offense to post his 2nd career playoff shutout.  With his first career shutout coming in game 1 during the first round against the Ottawa Senators, Fleury and his Penguins teammates have yet to lose a game this playoff season.  The Penguins have now won their first 6 playoff games, a first in Penguins franchise history. 

In the 1st period, the Penguins poured on the offense and put up 8-shots before the Rangers were able to record their 1st attempt on net.  Ultimately, the Penguins outshot the Rangers 14-10 in the period, the most open of the 3-frames.  The Penguins went 0-for-2 on the powerplay, but managed to put up 8-shots during the man advantage.  More importantly, the Penguins penalty kill was pehenomenal as it held the Rangers to just 4-shots in 3-attempts.  Despite it all, both goaltenders were flawless in the 1st period as it ended 0-0. 

In the 2nd period, the play tightened up as both teams put 9-shots on net.  The Penguins converted on their only powerplay of the period after Chris Drury took a hooking call at 12:22.  The Penguins were pressing hard on the powerplay with Ryan Malone and Marian Hossa both missing on excellent chances in front of Lundqvist.  Then at 13:55, with Jordan Staal posted in front of Lundqvist, Evgeni Malkin took the puck into the corner and made a hard cross-crease pass.  Jordan Staal stopped the puck on his backhand, moved it quickly to his forehand and lifted it over Lundqvist’s right pad as he was moving right to left.  The goal was Staal’s 2nd of the post-season and was assisted by Evgeni Malkin and  Ryan Whitney.  The Penguins successfully killed off the only penalty they had, a hooking call to Marian Hossa. 

In the 3rd period, the Penguins outshot the Rangers 9-7 and fought off a couple of late penalties to hold on for the win.  At 13:54, Petr Sykora was called on a high stick, but the Penguins managed to kill it off.  During the kill, the Rangers did manage to poke the puck through Fleury’s pads and into the net, but the play had already been blown dead by the referee who had lost sight of the puck.  Then at 17:38, Hal Gill took a cross-checking call and went to the box.  Because of the timing of the call and the desparate need for the tying goal, the Rangers were able to pull Henrik Lundqvist to gain the 6-on-4 advantage.  The Penguins defense and Marc-Andre Fleury were up to the task however, as they turned aside every attempt to keep the lead.  Then with just 17-seconds left on the clock, Adam Hall threw the puck up the wall on a clearing attempt and the puck deflected off the glass and down the ice into the empty net to make it 2-0.  At the final buzzer, a scrum broke out as Sean Avery confronted Marc-Andre Fleury for lifting his stick into Avery’s groin area.  Fleury’s actions were in response to two stick whacks that Avery placed on Fleury behind the play.  Hal Gill immediately came to the aid of Fleury and drove Avery up against the boards as other players came streaming in. 

• VIDEO:  Game Highlights
• VIDEO:  Post Game Press Conference w/Michel Therrien
• VIDEO:  Post Game Player 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

The Penguins travel to the New York Garden for games 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Thursday.  The Penguins have yet to beat the Rangers at the Garden this season.  The last time the New York Rangers came back from a 2-0 playoff series defecit was in the first round 1996 matchup against the Montreal Canadiens.

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Penguins Come From Behind to Win Game 1

The Pittsburgh Penguins mounted an improbable come from behind win on Friday night as they overcame a 3-0 deficit midway through the game and beat the New York Rangers 5-4.  After falling behind 3-0 early in the 2nd period, the Penguins came alive and scored 4 unanswered goals before giving up a tying goal at the mid-point of the 3rd period.  But a late penalty to the New York Rangers created an opportunity for the Penguins that they seized for the game winner with just 1:41 left in the game.  The win gives the Penguins a 1-0 lead over the Rangers in the Eastern Conference Semi-Final series.  The phenomenal come from behind win by the Penguins also provides them with momentum going into game 2 on Sunday at Mellon Arena. 

The Penguins came out skating strong in the 1st period and dominated much of the play but failed to convert on two early power play opportunities.  After weathering 2 penalty kills, however, the Rangers seized the momentum at 13:40 by scoring on the power play as Ryan Whitney sat for a high sticking call.  Martin Straka notched his 2nd goal of the post-season with assists by Jaromir Jagr and Michal Rozsival.  The Penguins outshot the Rangers 9-7 in the 1st period, were 0-for-3 on the power play, and 1-for-2 on the penalty kill.

In the 2nd, the Penguins fell further behind as the Rangers notched two quick goals in the first 4-minutes of the period.  The first came at 1:52 as Chris Drury tipped in a shot past Marc-Andre Fleury.  Marc Staal and Nigel Dawes picked up the assists on the play.  The shot appeared to be knocked in by Drury with a high stick redirection, but the video review was inconclusive and the goal was allowed to stand.  Then at 3:37, perennial pest Sean Avery laced a shot to the corner that eluded Marc-Andre Fleury and took the air out of Mellon Arena.  Marc Staal and Michal Rozsival got the assists.  However, Avery’s animated post-goal celebration may have ignited a spark of motivation on the Penguins bench.  As if to mimmick Avery’s previous rule generating antics against New Jersey, Jarkko Ruutu started a subsequent shift by holding the tip of his stick blade in the face of Michal Rozsival during the face off.  After a stern warning by the ref, the puck was dropped and Jarkko Ruutu took the puck up ice and rebounded it into the net off from Rozsival’s shin pads.  Jordan Staal and Brooks Orpik picked up the assists.  Ruutu’s goal was just the spark that the Penguins needed to ignite the fire.  Just 14-seconds later, Pascal Dupuis took a picture perfect pass from Sidney Crosby and blasted it past Lundqvist to make it 3-2.  Shots in the 2nd were even at 9 a piece.  The Penguins were 0-for-1 on the power play and 1-for-1 on the penalty kill.     

In the 3rd, the Penguins continued their comeback by notching their 3rd and 4th unanswered goals.  The first came from an impossible angle at 4:40 from Marian Hossa, his 2nd goal of the post-season.  Standing on the goal line, Hossa threw the puck on net from the sideboards and threaded the needle through the skates of a Rangers player and deflecte it into the net.  Rob Scuderi and Ryan Malone picked up the assists.  Then 20-seconds later, Petr Sykora wristed another one past Lundqvist to give the Penguins the 4-3 advantage.  Evgeni Malkin and Ryan Malone were given assists on the play.  At 10:04, the Rangers pulled even as Scott Gomez one-timed a Jaromir Jagr pass from behind the net.  Michal Rozsival got the other assist on the play.  But the Penguins were given the golden opportunity at 16:40 as Martin Straka was assessed with an interference penalty and sent to the box for 2-minutes.  With 21-seconds left on the power play, Sidney Crosby one-timed a shot on net that deflected off from Evgeni Malkin’s leg and into the net to make it 5-4.  The play was reviewed and confirmed that the puck wasn’t kicked in.  Ryan Whitney picked up the other assist.  The Rangers pulled their goalie in teh final minute of play, but were unable to beat Fleury again, despite one getting by him and hitting the post.  Shot were again even in the 3rd at 8, and the Penguins went 1-for-1 on the power play.

• VIDEO:  Game Highlights
• VIDEO:  Post-Game Press Conference w/Coach Therrien
• VIDEO:  Post-Game Locker Rooom 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

Sidney Crosby had 2 assists, Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist and Ryan Malone had 2 assists.  Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 20 of 24 shots on goal.  Jaromir Jagr failed to record a single shot on goal. 

The Penguins host the New York Rangers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals at 2PM on Sunday. 

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