Home of the Penguins: April 2008

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Rangers' Sean Avery hospitalized

NY Daily News

The New York Times is reporting that Avery has a lascerated spleen.
Avery will be sidelined for the remainder of the playoffs. (one more game!)

Breaking News

Max Talbot broke his foot blocking a shot in last night's game. His status going forward is unknown.

Gary Roberts time!

Game 3 roundup - Pens 5, Rangers 3

Recap - The Pittsburgh Penguins have made it seven post season wins in a row by beating the Rangers, 5-3 in game 3 of their Eastern Conference series. The series now favors the Pens 3-0.

Pittsburgh got the first goal of the game on a Hossa shot at 1:02 of the first. NY evend it up at 14:32 before yielding 2 more Pens goals before the end of the first, one to Georges Laraque and a power play goal to Evgeni Malkin. The Rangers were able to fight back and tie the game at three in the third, but a good decision by Pens head coach to call a timeout after the third NY goal got the Pens focus back on the game and they went on to win 5-3. The final two goals were scored at 17:53 of the second, another power play goal by Malkin, and at 2:30 of the third by Ryan Malone.

The Rangers did everything they could to produce offense, putting 39 shots on goal, creating traffic in front of the net and hitting anything that was in a Pittsburgh jersey, but it wasn't enough. Marc Andre Fleury stopped 36 pucks and the Penguins defense was spectacular, blocking nearly 20 additional Ranger shots and keeping the puck in Pens hands as much as possible.

NY goaltender, Henrick Lundqvist, looked rattled. He let in 5 goals on 17 Pittsburgh shots for a SV% of 70.59%. The Pens took advantage of the opportunities that were presented to them and converted them to goals.

Next game - The Pens have a chance to close out the series Thursday 5/1 at 7pm from Madison Square Garden (Versus, WXDX or listen here)

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Aren't you supposed to wait until after...

...you win the Calder Cup to run down the street naked??

http://msn.foxsports.com/nhl/story/8086612/Minor-league-star-caught-streaking

I've lost a few bets like this...and I can think of a few other people that would do this without a bet!!

What the opposition is reading

New York Daily News:

Rangers happy to be home

Newsday.com:

Sniping between Pens and Rangers

New York Post:

Rangers must move puck to score a win

Drury and winning inseperable

Game 3 preview - Pens at Rangers

The Penguins are in New York City for game three of their Eastern Conference semi-final game against the New York Rangers. The Pens did not fare so well at Madison Square Garden in the regular season, going 0-3-1 with 15 goals scored by the Rangers and 5 for the Pens. However, in team playoff history, the Pens are 6-1 at MSG and are riding a 3 games winning streak on that sheet of ice.

Obviously Pittsburgh will need to increase their offensive production and limit the Rangers chances on net if they are to take wither of the next two games. If they play they way they played game 2 these things should fall into place. MSG will be hopping and the Pens will need to take the crowd out of the game early.

Injury Update - Gary Roberts is a healthy scratch for tonight.

News of Note - the NHL announced that Evgeni Malkin is a finalist for the Hart Trophy. The two other candidates are Jerome Iginla of the Calgary Flames and Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals. Congrats to Geno for this tremendous honor!!

Monday, April 28, 2008

What the opposition is reading

New York Post

Diving right in

Ranger Danger

New York Times

Rangers postgame

For Rangers, second perioed is first in woes

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Game 2 roundup - Pens 2, Rangers 0

The Pens were able to put the Rangers in a bigger hole this afternoon, taking game 2 by the score of 2 - 0.

Marc Andre Fleury was the #1 star of this one, stopping all 26 shots the Rangers threw at him. This was Fleury's second shutout of this years playoffs and his career

Jordan Staal scored the game winner, a power play goal, at 13:55 of the second and Adam Hall chipped in an enpty netter on a wall rebound at 19:43 of the third.

The Rangers had an apparent goal disallowed when the referee blew the play dead as the puck was about to cross the goal line. This should make for interesting reading tomorrow in the New York papers as the have already been extremely critical of the officiating and this incident will not help. I agree it should have been a goal and that they whistle did blow earlier than most would, but once the whistle is blown the play is dead. No review, no second look.

What the competiting is reading

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

All this crying about whether Sid Crosby's drawing of a penalty from Marty Straka with 3:00 left to go in the 3rd is crap. First of all why did the Rangers put themselves in the situation that a Penguins power play goal in the third could be a game winner - the Rangers were up 3-0 in the second and blew the lead. And regardless of that, what Straka did was a penalty and should be called in each and every instance.

Today's Penguins Links

Pittsburgh Tribune Review

Penguins Evolution

Therrien fed up with diving accusations

Pittsburgh Post Gazette

Bet in this pair

Better start is a priority for game 2

Friday, April 25, 2008

Game 1 roundup - Pens 5, Rangers 4

It was a tale of two halves. The first half of the game saw the Rangers build a 3-0 lead on the Pens, the second half it was all Penguins - storming back to take a 4-3 lead and eventually win the game in regulation, 5-4.

The turning point was at 3:37 of the second when Sean Avery of the Rangers scored the third goal. He celebrated wildly after the puck went into the net and even skated in front of the Pens bench celebrating. This woke the sleeping giant. The Pens played with more intensity from that point forward and shook off the rust that had accumulated during the 9 day layoff.

Note to Mr. Avery - next time you score a goal that puts your team up 3 - zip in a building that is not named Madison Square Garden, you might want to tone down that celebration a bit.

Pens goals by Ruutu, Dupuis, Hossa, Sykora and Malkin.

Ruutu and Dupuis scored 14 seconds apart in the second, Hossa and Sykora scored 20 seconds apart in the third and Malkin got the gamewinner on a Crosby slap shot deflection, a power play goal, at 18:19 of the third.

Much is going to be said tomorrow, in the New York media mostly, about how this was the Rangers game and they should have been able to close it out having the 3 - 0 lead but they got a little comfortable and allowed the Pens to get back in it. That was not the case. Pittsburgh was the team that looked a little too comfortable at the outset of the contest. When they finally got their skates under them, they were able to control the flow and momentum of the game and force the Rangers into a game that New York is not used to playing. This was the true reason for the comeback.

I must say...this looks to be a very entertaining series.

More to come tomorrow...

Gameday - 7pm tonight

Catch the game on Versus at 7pm tonight. Also on the X (WXDX 104.7) and here.

Gery Roberts will not be in the lineup tonight, however. He has decided that his groin is still a little tender and a couple more days rest will do it good...

Conference Finals

Eastern Conference:

(2) Pittsburgh vs. (6) Philadelphia
Pittsburgh wins series 4-1
1. 5/9/08 Penguins 4, Flyers 2 at Pittsburgh
2. 5/11/08 Penguins 4, Flyers 2 at Pittsburgh
3. 5/13/08 Penguins 4, Flyers 1 at Philadelphia
4. 5/15/08 Flyers 4, Penguins 2 at Philadelphia
5. 5/18/08 Penguins 6, Flyers 0 at Pittsburgh

Western Conference:

(1) Detroit vs. (5) Dallas
Detroit wins series 4-2
1. 5/8/08 Red wings 4, Stars 1 at Detroit
2. 5/10/08 Red Wings 2, Stars 1 at Detroit
3. 5/12/08 Red Wings 5, Stars 2 at Dallas
4. 5/14/08 Stars 3, Red Wings 1 at Dallas
5. 5/17/08 Stars 2, Red Wings 1 at Detroit
6. 5/19/08 Red Wings 4, Stars 1 at Dallas

What the opposition is reading

New York Times:

Penguins have more than the games top star

Penguins fans are certain to boo Jagr

Why stop now? I'd even go to Russia next season to do it if I had to!

New York Post:

Crosby Clampdown

The Matchups

Rangers in 7? Seriously? Well this is the same guy who picked the Devils in the first round...

Newsday.com

Rangers may have to beat Crosby and refs, too

Whatever...

Conference Semifinals

Eastern Conference:

(2) Pittsburgh vs. (5) New York Rangers
Pittsburgh wins series 4-1
1. 4/25/08 Penguins 5, Rangers 4 at Pittsburgh
2. 4/27/08 Penguins 2, Rangers 0 at Pittsburgh
3. 4/29/08 Penguins 5, Rangers 3 at New York
4. 5/1/08 Rangers 3, Penguins 0 at New York
5. 5/4/08 Penguins 3, Rangers 2 (OT) at Pittsburgh

(1) Montreal vs. (6) Philadelphia
Philadelphia wins series 4-1
1. 4/24/08 Canadiens 4, Flyers 3 (OT) at Montreal
2. 4/26/08 Flyers 4, Canadiens 2 at Montreal
3. 4/28/08 Flyers 3, Canadiens 2 at Philadelphia
4. 4/30/08 Flyers 4, Canadiens 2 at Philadelphia
5. 5/3/08 Flyers 6, Canadiens 4 at Montreal

Western Conference:

(1) Detroit vs. (6) Colorado
Detroit wins series 4-0
1. 4/24/08 Red Wings 4, Avalanche 3 at Detroit
2. 4/26/08 Red Wings 1, Avalanche 1 at Detroit
3. 4/29/08 Red Wings 4, Avalanche 3 at Colorado
4. 5/1/08 REd Wings 8, Avalanche 2 at Colorado

(2) San Jose vs. (5) Dallas
Dallas wins series 4-2
1. 4/25/08 Stars 3, Sharks 2 (OT) at San Jose
2. 4/27/08 Stars 5, Sharks 2 at San Jose
3. 4/29/08 Stars 2, Sharks 1 (OT) at Dallas
4. 4/30/08 Sharks 2, Stars 1 at Dallas
5. 5/2/08 Sharks 3, Stars 2 (OT) at San Jose
6. 5/4/08 Stars 2, Sharks 1 (4OT) at Dallas

Thursday, April 24, 2008

White Out for game 1

The Penguins are planning a "white out" for tomorrow night's game and will be handing out white t-shirts at the gates. Don't forget to put it on if you are going to the game tomorrow night!

See the Penguins announcement here

And a video featuring Pens players here

What the opposition is reading

NY Post:

Mightier than the Pens?

Rangers vs. Pens is real cros celebre

Jagr: Sid not in Mario's league

Cashing in on Avery punk act

Yahoo Sports:

What the hell is growing on Jagr's face?

Pens/Rangers Preview

Preview - Game one is tomorrow night at the Igloo and this town is fired up! And this is not the Ottawa Senators that are coming to town. This is a team that ended their first round series in 5 games against the Atlantic's second place team, the New Jersey Devils. This is a team that rivals the Penguins offensive production. This is a team that has stellar goaltending and rugged, veteran defensemen. The New York Rangers have all of the right keys in place to have a prolonged run through the playoffs. But so do the Pittsburgh Penguins.

In the regular season these two teams met 8 times. The record was 3-3-2 with the Rangers scoring 19 goals against the Pens and the Penguins scoring 20 against the Rangers. Pittsburgh won two at home and one away and dropped one each, home and away, in overtime. But the most relevant games, those occurring after January 1, has the Penguins in the advantage at 3-0-1.

The Penguins and Rangers have met in the playoffs four times with the Penguins winning all four series:

1996 - 2nd round - W 4-1
1992 - 2nd round - W 4-2
1991 - 2nd round - W 4-1
1989 - 1st round - W 4-0

Previous matchup have never gone more than 6.

What the Penguins need to do to win:

Goaltending - if M.A. Fleury can perform as well in this series as he did in the Ottawa series this is a given. If he struggles early the Therrien needs to make the move to Conklin. Fleury's head is clear and his confidence has to be sky high after his first career series win so don't look for him to be shaky from the start. This may be the one area that no one needs to worry about.

Offense - Continue what was started against the Sens. Get lots of pucks on net and get Lundqvuist moving east to west with crisp tape to tape passing and superior speed. Pittsburgh averaged 40.25 shots on goal in the first series. Whether this was a symptom of Ottawas porous defense or because the Pens offense exerted their will on the Sens, or some combination of each, this needs to continue for Pittsburgh to have success in this series. The same players will need to keep their performance at the high level in which they have and continue to camp out in front of the net to create traffic. Basically the Pens need to keep doing what they have been and the goal production will be there.

Defense - Gonchar and Orpik were able to shut down the top line of the Senators, holding that line to only 1 assist (even strength) in the series. As much as I would like to think they will be able to do this again going up against the Jagr line, it's not going to happen. Jagr is bigger and better than Heatly or Spezza and much more dangerous when he has the puck. His linemates, Straka and Drury, are both very capable with the puck and have played with Jagr much of the season so they are all familiar with each other. If the Pens defense can minimize the chances that this line gets then Pittsburgh will have a pretty good shot at getting out of this series in 5 or 6.

Role Players - By now every hockey fan in the world has seen or heard of what Rangers forward and all around agitator, Sean Avery, did to the Devils goalie Brodeur in the first round. Avery will continue being the jackass that he is and will make every attempt to get under the skin of the Penguins. That's his job and he does it well. Pittsburgh will have to ignore his antics to neutralize him, since his mouth, not his offensive prowess, is his most potent weapon. On the other hand, the return of Gary Roberts will have an immediate impact on the psyche of the team and guys like Ruutu and Laraque will be needed to enforce any liberties taken on the Pens skilled forwards by the Rangers.

Intangibles - Home ice advantage has not been all that important in this years playoffs, but should be more so in the second and later rounds. Winning game one was the most important factor from the quarterfinals, with the team that won game one moving on in six of eight series. That will probably remain the same throughout the semifinals as well. Pittsburgh needs to take game 1 and game 2 would be nice as well. Having a 2-0 lead going to New York for games 3 and 4 will give them a huge confidence boost and the Rangers will have second thoughts about their ability to pull off the win.

My Prediction - Pens in 6.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Bring on the Rangers!

Washington lost in OT tonight so the Pens will face the Rangers in round 2. The first game of the series will be Friday night at the Igloo.

Schedule:

Friday 4/25 @ Pittsburgh 7pm (VS)
Sunday 4/27 @ Pittsburgh 2pm (NBC)
Tuesday 4/29 @ New York 7pm (FSN)
Thursday 5/1 @ New York 7pm (VS)
Sunday 5/4 @ Pittsburgh 2pm* (NBC)
Monday 5/5 @ New York 7pm* (FSN)
Wednesday 5/7 @ Pittsburgh TBA*

* if necessary

Penguins Second Round Opponent Update

With Montreal's 5-0 trouncing of the Boston Bruins last night and Washington remaining alive in the playoffs with a win over the Flyers, we will have to wait until tonight to learn who the Pens second round opponent will be. We do know that it will be either the Capitals or the New York Rangers. If the Caps win game 7 against the Flyers tonight it will be the Caps, otherwise it will be the Rangers.

My thoughts...bring on the Caps!!!!

Monday, April 21, 2008

Today's Penguins Links

From the Pittsburgh Post Gazette:

Gonchar gets defensive with critics

From the Pittsburgh Tribune Review:

Gary Roberts will be available for game 1

From ESPN.com:

Crosby and Ovechkin plyaoff bound (video)

Penguins Second Round Opponent

It could be known tonight who the Pens will play in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Here is what could possibly happen:

- If Boston wins then Pittsburgh will play Boston.

- If Montreal wins and Washington wins game 7 tomorrow night then Pittsburgh will play Washington.

- If Montreal wins and Washington does not win the series then Pittsburgh will play the New York Rangers.

- There is no possibility that Pittsburgh will play Philadelphia in this round.

Once the opponent is known check back for a series analysis.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Why the Penguins beat the Senators

In case you've been wondering...

Goaltending - first and foremost, Marc Andre Fleury was outstanding in net. He gave up only 5 goals in the four games against the Sens to post a 1.26 GAA and a SV% of .955 and a shutout. He only have up more than one goal in game 2 where he gave up 3. Fleury is my pick for MVP of the series.

Special Teams - The Pens were 6 of 23(26.1%) on the power play and held Ottawa to 1 goal on 13(92.3%) penalty kills. Nuff said.

Defense - Pittsburgh defensemen allowed only 5 Ottawa goals in the series. Of those 5, four occurred in the second period and only one in the third. Ottawa did not score a goal in the first period of any game in the series. Pens defensemen were able to get to the puck before the Senators forwards could and were able to get the puck up the ice and out of the defensive zone without much problem.

The matchup of Brooks Orpick and Sergei Gonchar, who were primarily paired up against Ottawas first line, held that line to no even strength goals. This is the same line that accounted for nearly half of Ottawa's goals in the regular season.

Offense - The Pens scored goals when they needed to. And even when they didn't need to. In fact they pretty much scored whenever they wanted to.

Role Players - the third and fourth liners contributed to the overall success of the team by chipping in a bunch of goals and controlling the tempo of the game when they were on the ice.

Coaching - Bryan Murray did all he could to motivate his players. Too bad it wasn't enough. Not sure that this bunch of players could have been motivated at all. They looked like they knew they would be beaten from the opening face-off of game one.

Friday, April 18, 2008

2008 NHL Playoff Video: Penalty Box

A Pleasant Surprise - Versus HD

Let me start this out by saying the I am a High Definition freak. Hockey is sooooo much better to watch on TV when the broadcast is in HD. The problem is that FSN does not broadcast in HD for away games, which I cannot do anything about at this point in time, and also that my cable company did not offer Versus HD. Well imagine my surprise yesterday when I was looking for something to watch and while looking through the channel guide I noticed that Versus HD had been added to my channel lineup. Just in time for the Stanley Cup Playoffs!! (well, at least the next three rounds).

I also wanted to point out how great the Playoffs coverage has been on Versus. There has been two games broadcast every night since round 1 started and they have selected very interesting games to televise. The analysts have been dead on most of the time and the camera work spectacular. I do remember being disappointed at the first few games last season that Versus broadcast - but they have gotten much better at their coverage. So, if you have not checked it out lately, I implore you to do so. Quality hockey coverage at a great price!

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Today's Penguins Links

From puckthathit.com

Ottawa-outtathere

From The Ottawa Sun

We Got Outplayed

From NHL.com

Unhappy ending for the Sens

This is nice to see

Pens Finish off Sens 3-1 Sweep Series

Pittsburgh completed a sweep of the Senators in their first round matchup last night, 3-1. Pens goals by Malkin, Ruutu and crosby chipped in an empty netter with 7 seconds left to put that final nail in the coffin. Jarkko Ruutu had the series winner at 15:28 of the second. Marc Andre Fleury was the number one star of the game though. He stopped 21 of 22 shots in the game and 107 of 112 in the series. He only allowed 5 total goals in four games.

More analysis to come later...

Next Up - Either the Capitals, Rangers, Bruins or Devils. The Pens will just have to wait a few more days to find out.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

What the opposition is reading

Ottawa Sun Front Page:

Sens won't quit

These Penguins believe in magic

Fans feel Sens desperation

Seriously? Resorting to "burning twigs" for good luck. Maybe if they did some voo-doo dolls in the likeness of a referee some of the calls would go their way too!

And there's some speculation that the Pens are going to "throw" this game just like "they tanked on the last regular season game against the Flyers" just so the series can come back to the 'Burgh for a game 5 ensuring the team an extra home game and the revenue that goes with that. Poppycock! Obviously there are going to be home playoff games when the Pens advance to the Conference Semi Finals after they beat the Senators. There could be as many as 4 home games in the next round if the series were to go to 7. Why would they want to blow a first round game against a team that has all but conceded defeat and sacrifice several of the extra days off that they will earn when they win tonight? That's just asinine!

Today's Penguins Links

TSN:

Senators on brink of elimination

Pittsburgh Post Gazette:

Penguins have sweep dreams

Crosby and Malkin are encouraging king-of-the-hill rivalry

Pittsburgh Tribune Review:

Pens third line shows Shero's influence

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Versus NHL Play-off Anthem

What the Opposition is Reading

Front Page:

Sens Need a Miracle

Ottawa Fan Reaction to game 3

Today's Pens Links

NHL.com

Pens Put Sens on the Ropes

Pittsburgh Tribune Review

Crosby ruins Senator's hopes

ESPN.com

Pens Malkin lurks in the shadows

Game 3 Roundup: Pens 4, Sens 1

The Senators scored 1:11 into the second period to claim their first lead of the series. It lasted for the next 4:30 until the Pens Talbot scored his first NHL Playoff goal to tie the game. The Pens never looked back.

Senators captian, Daniel Alfredsson, made a surprise start that had his team fired up coming out of the gate. They did everything they could in the opening period to get a puck past Marc Andre Fleury but were unable to notch a goal. Once Talbot scored, there was a plapable sense in the arena that the Senators time was coming to an end. Everyone knew it.

The Pens took over in the third period. Ottawa's gas had run out and it was Penguin time! Crosby scored his first goal of this playoff season twelve seconds into the period. Staal got his first just 1:18 later. Marian Hossa got his first playoff goal as a Penguin nearly midway through the period. The Sens looked like a tired bunch the rest of the way. They know that they are beaten.

Hossa was awarded the NHL's #1 Star of the Night for his effort.

My #1 star goes to Hossa as well. He played a great game, as he has this entire series, and earned an assist on top of the point for the goal.

Maybe Ottawa Senators management is pondering the message that the mural they posted yesterday is sending to the Pens? There is still time to take it down before the series is over.

Tomorrow night at 7pm at Scotiabank Place is where the Pens will close out the series. Watch the action on FSN, listen at WXDX or here

Monday, April 14, 2008

Ottawa Mural

Ottowa Senators to the Penguins: We think you need a little more motivation so what were going to do is post a mural of our own Senators receiving the congratulatory handshake from you Penguins after we eliminated you in 5 games last season...

Story here

Think it'll work out for the Sens??

Sunday, April 13, 2008

What the Opposition is Reading

From the Ottawa Sun:

Front Page

Pens best besting Sens

Sens do not have a clean slate

And on a lighter note

Today's Penguins Links

Yahoo Sports:

Sens have no answer for Malkin and Crosby

TSN:

Sens go 0 for 2 in Pittsburgh

ESPN:

Why is Marc Andre Fleury Smiling?

Game 2 Roundup: Pens 5, Sens 3

Recap - The Pittsburgh Penguins managed to take game two of their first round series against the Ottawa Senators 5-2. And it was actually much closer than the final score indicates. The Pens jumped out to a 3-0 lead by outshooting the Senators 31-13 at the midway point of the game. But by the end of the second period Ottawa had been able to put two garbage goals past March Andre Fleury to bring the score to 3-2. Ottawa tied up the game at 8:51 of the third but home town hero, Ryan Malone, put the game out of reach for Ottawa at 18:58 and added an empty netter with 7 seconds remaining.

Pens goals by Sykora(2), Gonchar and Malone(2).

Ottawa goalie, Martin Gerber, was outstanding in goal for the Sens. He stopped 49 of 54 shots that the Pens threw at him, including 40 in the first 40 minutes. His stellar play was the only reason it wasn't 8 or 9 to 2 after the first two. The 54 shots the Pens posted was a playoff record high for the franchise.

Analysis - Pittsburgh has the momentum and the confidence to win this series in the next couple of games. They became a little lackadaisical during the second half of Friday night's game but were able to pull together and take back a game that they nearly gave away.
What remains to be seen is whether they will retain the confidence and momentum with a two day break and traveling to Ottawa.

The Pens have been very strong on special teams. They've only given up one power play goal to the Sens in the first two games and have scored on 4 of the 11 odd man advantages they have had.

Marc Andre Fluery has been very strong, posting a 1.50 GAA and a .946 SV% along with his first career playoff shutout in game 1.

Evgeni Malkin's 6 points leads all NHL shooters in the playoffs. He has one goal in 5 assists.

Next Game - Monday 4/14 in Ottawa. 7pm FSN, WXDX or listen here.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

What the Opposition is Reading

Front page of the Ottawa Sun:

Don't Blame Gerber

Instead blame the columnist. This guy really needs a good ass kicking. He wants Georges Laraque to do what??? Maybe Prisuta can take care of this guy in the press box tomorrow night. Crazy, I tell you.

Cody Bass demanding respect from his elders

This gets more hilarious every day...

Today's Penguins Links

Here's some links for the Penguins faithful:

Penguins a True Playoff Team

A picture tells a thousand words:

Penguins Knock Senators Around

Pens 4, Sens 0

Vindication.

Vindication for last seasons slow start in game 1 where the Senators were able to assert their will on the Penguins.

Vindication for the last year of the so-called experts asking if the young Pens are experienced enough to win in the playoffs.

Vindication for Michel Therrien who has been questioned by the same experts on his ability to prepare his team for a playoff game.

Last nights game can probably be best described as a near mirror image of last years game 1 against the Senators. The only difference was which team was more ready to take the ice and put fourth the effort required to win the game. Instead of that team being the Ottawa Senators it was the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Pens controlled the tempo of the game from the first faceoff until the final buzzer sounded.

The game could not have started out better. Gary Roberts put the first shot of the game past a shaky Martin Gerber at 1:08 into the game. The Pens second goal was scored on a breakaway by Petr Sykora. The game remained at 2-0 until Evgeni Malkin fired his first career playoff goal past Gerber at 13:58 of the third and Roberts put the game out of reach with his second of the game with only 1:35 remaining on the clock.

Pittsburgh's penalty killing was spectacular holding the Sens to 0 for 7 on the power play including two extended 5 on 3's. The Pens were 1 for 5 (20%) with the man advantage.

Marc Andre Fluery stopped all 26 Ottawa shots to earn his first career playoff shutout. Fleury was named the #1 NHL star of the night for his effort. My first star of the game goes to Gary Roberts. He had the game winner with his first goal but that is not the reason I am going with him. It's the fact that he was a force that Ottawa could not counter. He knew what his role in the game was and, not only went out on the ice and performed that role, he did it with AUTHORITY!

Injury Update - Senator Anton Volchenkov took a Malkin slapshot to the forehead midway through the second and did not return to the game. His injury was described as a horrible pressure laceration but there were no broken bones. Volchenkov is expected to return for game 2.

Next Game - Game 2 of the series will be tomorrow night at 7pm from Mellon Arena. FSN(HD), WXDX or listen here.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

What the Opposition is Reading

From the Ottawa Sun

Don't write off the Sens yet

Sens plan to target Crosby and Malkin

Sens insist heat is on the Penguins

On the lighter side

Today's Penguins Links

TSN: Sid is ready to go

Yahoo Sports: Series Breakdown

NHL.com: Series Breakdown

NHL.com: Crosby Revitalizes Pens

Stanley Cup Playoff Quarterfinals 2008

Eastern Conference:

(2) Pittsburgh vs. (7) Ottawa
Pittsburgh wins series 4-0
1. 4/9/08 Pens 4, Senators 0 at Pittsburgh
2. 4/11/08 Pens 5, Senators 3 at Pittsburgh
3. 4/14/08 Pens 4, Senators 1 at Ottawa
4. 4/16/08 Pens 3, Senators 1 at Ottawa

SWEEP!

(1) Montreal vs. (8) Boston
Montreal wins series 4-3
1. 4/10/08 Canadiens 4, Bruins 1 at Montreal
2. 4/12/08 Canadiens 3, Bruins 2 (OT) at Montreal
3. 4/13/08 Bruins 2, Canadiens 1 (OT) at Boston
4. 4/15/08 Canadiens 1, Bruins 0 at Boston
5. 4/17/08 Bruins 5, Canadiens 1 at Montreal
6. 4/19/08 Bruins 5, Canadiens 4 at Boston
7. 4/21/08 Canadiens 5, Bruins 0 at Montreal

(3) Washington vs. (6) Philadelphia
Philadelphia wins series 4-3
1. 4/11/08 Capitals 5, Flyers 4 at Washington
2. 4/13/08 Flyers 2, Capitals 0 at Washington
3. 4/15/08 Flyers 6, Capitals 3 at Philadelphia
4. 4/17/08 Flyers 4, Capitals 3 (OT) at Philadelphia
5. 4/19/08 Capitals 3, Flyers 2 at Washington
6. 4/21/08 Capitals 4, Flyers 2 at Philadelphia
7. 4/22/08 Flyers 3, Capitals 2 (OT) at Washington

(4)New Jersey vs. (5)New York
New York wins series 4-1
1. 4/9/08 Rangers 4, Devils 1 at New Jersey
2. 4/11/08 Rangers 2, Devils 1 at New Jersey
3. 4/13/08 Devils 4, Rangers 3 (OT) at New York
4. 4/16/08 Rangers 5, Devils 3 at New York
5. 4/18/08 Rangers 5, Devils 3 at New Jersey

Western Conference:

(1)Detroit vs. (8)Nashville
Detroit wins series 4-2
1. 4/10/08 Red Wings 3, Predators 1 at Detroit
2. 4/12/08 Red Wings 4, Predators 2 at Detroit
3. 4/14/08 Predators 5, Red Wings 3 at Nashville
4. 4/16/08 Predators 3, Red Wings 2 at Nashville
5. 4/18/08 Red Wings 2, Predators 1 (OT) at Detroit
6. 4/20/08 Red Wings 3, Predators 0 at Nashville

(2)San Jose vs. (7)Calgary
San Jose wins series 4-3
1. 4/9/08 Flames 3, Sharks 2 at San Jose
2. 4/10/08 Sharks 2, Flames 0 at San Jose
3. 4/13/08 Flames 4, Sharks 3 at Calgary
4. 4/15/08 Sharks 3, Flames 2 at Calgary
5. 4/17/08 Sharks 4, Flames 3 at San Jose
6. 4/20/08 Flames 2, Sharks 0 at Calgary
7. 4/22/08 Sharks 5, Calgary 3 at San Jose

(3)Minnesota vs. (6)Colorado
Colorado wins series 4-2
1. 4/9/08 Avalanche 3, Wild 2 (OT) at Minnesota
2. 4/11/08 Wild 3, Avalanche 2 (OT) at Minnesota
3. 4/14/08 Wild 3, Avalanche 2 (OT) at Colorado
4. 4/15/08 Avalanche 5, Wild 1 at Colorado
5. 4/17/08 Avalanche 3, Wild 2 at Minnesota
6. 4/19/08 Avalanche 2, Wild 1 at Colorado

(4)Anaheim vs. (5)Dallas
Dallas wins series 4-2
1. 4/10/08 Stars 4, Ducks 0 at Anaheim
2. 4/12/08 Stars 5, Ducks 2 at Anaheim
3. 4/15/08 Ducks 4, Stars 2 at Dallas
4. 4/17/08 Stars 3, Ducks 1 at Dallas
5. 4/18/08 Ducks 5, Stars 2 at Anaheim
6. 4/20/08 Stars 4, Ducks 1 at Dallas

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Pens/Sens Playoff Series Preview

For the second consecutive year the Penguins will meet the Ottawa Senators in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Last year the Sens set the tone in the first few minutes of game one and were able to control the level of play and aggressiveness immediately out of the box. So, with the Senators playing the underdog card giving the Penguins more confidence, should we expect the same thing again tomorrow?

Absolutely.

Ottawa will try to set the tone of the series tomorrow night in the same way that they did last year. They will be aggressive, hard hitting and intense. Will the result be them same?

No.

Pittsburgh will be ready this time. Game one is at home. The crowd is going to be fired up! The Pens have luxury of being able to look back at last year and learn from it. This team is bigger, faster and, if it even possible, better skilled. The injury list is clear with the exception of Mark Eaton. They are fresh, motivated, more experienced and ready to win.

With the addition of Marian Hossa at the trade deadline, the Pens added a skilled winger. This has been a much talked about need on the team for the past few years. The emergence of Evgeni Malkin gives Pittsburgh a second dangerous scoring line. Ottawa will have to be able to stop two scoring lines and two high energy role player lines that will aggravate and frustrate the Sens. Last season Ottawa could match their best defense line against the Crosby/Malkin line and were able to shut down the scoring. This will not be the case this time around.

Pittsburgh has also upgraded their defense. Adding Hal Gil at the deadline could be a key to playoff success. Gonchar has had one of the best seasons of his career. Letang is defiantely the Pens rookie of the year and Orpick has learned not to take himself out of position to get a huge hit. Sydor adds veteran leadership to a defense corps and locker room that was badly missed in last season playoffs.

Ottawa, on the other hand, is badly in need of motivation. Head coach/General Manager of the Sens, Bryan Murray, is using the fact that the Pens lost to the Flyers on the last day of the season to insinuate that the Pens lost on purpose in order to secure the series with Ottawa. But here are the facts: Ottawa has been the worst team in the NHL since January 1st, team captain and emotional leader Daniel Alfredsson is out for what has been only termed "weeks", Martin Gerber has been a locker room problem and backup goalie, Ray Emery, last seasons playoff hero, has been a shadow of himself. Murray is using whatever at his disposal to motivate his team into action. Can he be blamed for that? And being the Penguins, wouldn't you want a first round matchup with a team in these circumstances?

I may be a bit biased but I'm going to go along with most of the other hockey experts and go with the Pens in 5.

What the Opposition is Reading

Here are a few samples of what our hockey brothers and sisters to the north are reading today:

Pens tank vs. Flyers

Pens Relishing Rematch with Sens

Sens need to stir pot

and on the lighter side

ESPN.com Ranks Playoff Goalies

David Amber at ESPN.com has published a ranking of all 16 teams playoff goalies in the playoffs. Guess who is ranked at #16 (worst!). That's right, folks. It's Ottawa's Emery and Gerber.

See full story here: Click me

Nice to see Pittsburgh's Marc Andre Fleury in the 6 spot too!

Monday, April 7, 2008

Georges Laraque Vs Riley Cote 4/2/08

Here's one from last weeks game vs. the Flyers

Let the War of Words Begin!

Puckhead Report - Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review is reporting that Ottawa Senators Head Coach/General Manager Bryan Murray has questioned the work ethic of the Penguins in yesterday's loss to the Flyers.

"I knew what was going on...they wanted to play Ottawa. It was fairly obvious from the drop of the puck", Murray said.

Murray is suggesting that the Pens purposely dropped the game to the Flyers knowing that would give them a more favorable matchup with the Senators. While he is most likely using this as a motivational tool to get his team thinking that Pittsburgh is going to take them lightly knowing that it will be an easy series, this sort of suggestion could turn into a huge blunder if it gets the Sens thinking that they are an easy target for the offensively gifted Penguins. And I hope it does.

Now whether or not Pittsburgh lost the game on purpose, which I do not believe since they would have captured first place in the East with a win, Michel Therrien sat Sid Crosby for the game to give him a rest. They were also unable to score on 8 power play opportunities.

I do agree that a series, potentially 9 consecutive games with the last 2 regular season games, against the Flyers may have been tough on the Pens, it is Playoff Hockey. All series' are. That is the nature of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

News of Note - The Pens had the day off today and will begin preparation for the Ottawa series tomorrow. Game 1 is less than 48 hours away!

Playoff Hockey - Bring It On!

The Pens dropped the final game of the regular season to the Flyers, 2-0. The loss secured second place in the East and a first round playoff matchup against the same team that disposed of Pittsburgh in five games last year, the Ottawa Senators. The series begins in Pittsburgh on Wednesday at 7pm:

Wed 4/9 7pm Versus at Pittsburgh
Fri 4/11 7pm FSN at Pittsburgh
Mon 4/14 7pm FSN at Ottawa
Wed 4/16 7pm FSN at Ottawa
Sat 4/19 TBA at Pittsburgh (if necessary)
Sun 4/20 TBA at Ottawa (if necessary)
Tue 4/22 TBA at Pittsburgh (if necessary)

More to come later. Check back for analysis, news and a new feature called "What the opponents think..." that will offer views and commentary from Ottawa Senators fans and writers.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Pens 1, Rangers 2 OT

Recap - The Pens dropped a game in which they could have wrapped up first in the Atlantic to the Rangers, 2-1 in overtime. Pens goal was scored by Talbot.

It was a very hard fought game thorughout. The Rangers needed the win to stay in the Playoff hunt but were unable to obtain two points in regulation. Pittsburgh played a great defensive game but got off to a slow start in the first period, only posting one shot on goal in the first 20 minutes.

With the single point the Pens put themsleves within one point of winning the division. If they get a point in the next two games, or New Jersey loses one, the Pens will win the Atlantic. At this point they are already guarenteed home ice in the first round of the playoffs. Winning the Atlantic will mean at least a top 2 finish in the conference.

Injury Update - Gary Roberts is getting close to a return. He was recently quoted as saying he wanted to play in the last regular season game against the Flyers on Sunday. His presence in the locker room would be a tremendous boost for the post season.

Next Up - Tonight at the Igloo vs. Philadelphia. (7:30, FSN(HD), WXDX or listen here)