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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!

Penguins Adjust and Shake Things Up

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

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

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

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

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

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

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No Sweep in Philly as Pens Lose 4-2

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

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

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

Image details: Pittsburgh Penguins v Philadelphia Flyers – Game Four served by picapp.com

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

Image details: Pittsburgh Penguins v Philadelphia Flyers – Game Four served by picapp.com

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

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

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Eastern Conference Finals Preview – Penguins vs Flyers

The 2007/08 Eastern Conference Finals will commence Friday night at Mellon Arena as the Pittsburgh Penguins play host to the cross-state rival Philadelphia Flyers.  Pittsburgh, the 2nd seed in the East, owns the home ice advantage against the 6th-seeded Flyers.  The Penguins advanced to the Finals by sweeping the 7th-seeded Ottawa Senators in round 1 and beating the 5th-seeded New York Rangers in 5-games in round 2.  The Flyers advanced by beating the 3rd-seeded Washington Capitals in 7-games and then knocking off the 1st-seeded Montreal Canadiens in 5-games.  The Finals promise to be a wild ride between two teams that have a healthy dose of dislike for one another, and a tremendous amount of skill and momentum.  So how do these two teams match up?  Let’s take a look.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have been an unstoppable force on the ice so far in the playoffs having lost just 1-game through 2-rounds, a league best.  The Penguins have excelled on the play of their special teams, their defense and stellar netminding.  Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has been phenomenal in net in the playoffs, leading the league with a 0.938 save percentage, a 0.889 win percentage, and 2 shutouts.  He is also 3rd in goals against average at 1.76 behind Detroit’s Chris Osgood (1.52) and Dallas’ Marty Turco (1.73).  The Penguins have given up the fewest goals per game at just 1.89, and own the best penalty kill of all remaining teams at 89.5% (second only to Boston who finished at 90.9%).  The Penguins’ power play has been highly effective at 23.4%.  The Penguins have found balanced scoring across all 4-lines with 12-of-13 forwards recording at least one goal, and 18-of-19 players scoring at least one point in 9 playoff games.  The Penguins’ star players have lived up to their expectations with Sidney Crosby (2G, 12A) and Evgeni Malkin (6G, 8A) combining for 14-points each and Marian Hossa notching 10-points (5G, 5A).  The only significant weakness that the Penguins have exhibited in the playoffs has been their performance in the face-off circle, where they trail the league at 46.3%.  It hasn’t burned them yet, however, as they have won 8 of their 9 games and outscored their opponents convincingly 31-17.

The Philadelphia Flyers have bounced back from being the worst team in the league last season to knocking off the #1 seeded Canadiens and #3 seeded Capitals through the first 2 rounds of the playoffs this season.  The Flyers offense has produced both in 5-on-5 play and on the powerplay.  The tandem of Pittsburgh native R.J. Umberger (9G, 2A) and Daniel Briere (8G, 6A) have combined for 17-goals through 12-games, and the Flyers are 2nd in Goals Per Game at 3.58.  Mike Richards (4G, 7A) and Vaclav Prospal (2G, 9A) are also in double-digit point territory.  The Flyers powerplay is clicking at 24% effectiveness.  Their penalty kill, however, has been much less effective at 77.2%.  In the net, Martin Biron has been notably solid, but his numbers pale in comparison to Pittsburgh’s Fleury.  Biron’s 2.72 GAA is 8th in the playoffs and his 0.914 save percentage is 3rd among the four remaining starting goalies.  The Flyers have built confidence and momentum by beating two higher seeded teams in the first two rounds, to include ousting the #1 Montreal Canadiens in just 5-games.  The Flyers outscored their opponents 43-34 in 12-games.

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Through the regular season, the Flyers beat the Penguins in 5 of 8 matchups and outscored them 28-23.  However, the Penguins 3 wins came in the last 4 meetings of the two teams in which the Penguins outscored the Flyers 15-8.  Regardless, the regular season has very little relevance now that both teams have battled into the Eastern Conference Finals.  It is a whole new season, and the first team to win 4-games will advance to the Stanley Cup Championship.

The key to this series is likely to be all about special teams and defensive play.  If the Penguins can use their speed and tenacity to draw Philadelphia into the penalty box, the Penguins should be able to dominate the series with their exceptional offense and superior netminding.  If the Penguins find themselves in penalty trouble, they will need Marc-Andre Fleury and the penalty kill to continue to shut down the opposition as they have in the first 9-games.  With the uncertainty of Max Talbot’s injury status, the penalty kill could be less effective than it has been through the first two rounds, so the Penguins will need to be responsible and focused to stay out of the box.  The Penguins will also need a big series out of role players Gary Roberts, Jarkko Ruutu and Georges Laraque to keep the ever-gritty Flyers in check.

In summary, I believe that the Penguins have the edge in their special teams, defensive play, and goaltending, all areas that win playoff games.  The Penguins offense is also second to none, with Marian Hossa living up to his potential in the post-season and Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Sergei Gonchar, Petr Sykora and Ryan Malone all continuing to perform.  I don’t believe that the Flyers defense will ultimately be able to stop the Penguins and Martin Biron’s play, though notable, won’t be enough to douse the firepower of the Penguins offensive stars.  That being said, this promises to be a very chippy and entertaining series between 2-bitter rivals, and the Penguins will need to play their best hockey to avoid disappointment.  Hockey fans rejoice!  We are picking the Penguins to win the series in 6-games and advance to the Stanley Cup Championship series.

Let’s Go Pens!

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