Well, by now we all know the fate of our Pittsburgh Pens - a second round loss to the Cinderella Montreal Canadiens. In the end, Halak was too good, and Flower was not very good, which is not a good equation if you want to advance in the playoffs.
In the next day or two I'm going to compiling my "who should stay and who should go" list for the Pens, and let's just say there will be more going then you think. And sometime in the next week or so I'll be looking at potential free agent targets for the Pens, which is an avenue we'll have to hit harder then usual this offseason.
So make sure you stay tuned to PPB for all of your Pens offseason moves and rumors, and I'll be back with a big post tomorrow.
Until then...
PS - The Pirates are still horrible, and no news is good news for the Steelers....
Showing posts with label Montreal Canadiens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Montreal Canadiens. Show all posts
Friday, May 14, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Live Blog 5/12/10
Well our big Game 7 starts in about 2 hours, so make sure you check back here around gametime for the start of the live blog...
1st Period
20:00 - Puck drops, Sidney Crosby wins it cleanly.
19:50 - And Crosby is already in the box...crap. let's go PK.
19:28 - Habs score...1-0 Montreal, and obviously the NHL wants us to lose, because that was a miserable call on Crosby. Oh and the Pens were called for another penalty so Montreal is still on the PP.
17:28 - PP is over, we held...but were certainly under fire.
16:10 - The Poni keg can't shoot to save his life...prolly explains why he hasn't been in the lineup...we need to shape up here very quickly...
14:40 - And that's why I like Mike Rupp; he just charged into the offensive zone, dumped the puck, got it himself and took a shot. Man he plays hard, unlike that lazy bum Ponikarovsky...
12:45 - And the Habs hit the post beside Fleury...
12:32 - The Pens are on the PP...I think a goal here would whip this crowd into a frenzy!!!
11:11 - Letang gives it away and causes a breakaway, thankfully he gets back to help stop the shot...
10:34 - PP is almost over, we tried to be waaaay too fancy...faceoff in Montreal's zone.
8:08 - Billy Guerin just misses on an open slapper...we need a goal badly.
6:45 - The Pens get the crowd back into it with a little sustained pressure from the third line, including two wrap around attempts...great shift.
5:37 - Lucky bounce comes out in front to Dominic Moore...2-0 Habs...not looking good right now. I knew Diego was the whammy!!!
4:44 - Halak comes out of the crease, almost lets one in...we can't catch a break maybe this team just doesn't have whatever it was last year's did.
1:34 - Horrible first period so far. We're playing scared, and that's not how you win a game. The only saving grace is that there's still two periods left, but there is absolutely no room for error now...
End of 1st - Boy, this was just about the worst case scenario for the Pens; down 2-0 and not looking good by any stretch of the imagination. If we don't score rather quickly in the second I think it could be lights out on the season. Better wake up and play some hockey Pens!!!
2nd Period
20:00 - Sid wins the draw.
19:01 - Sarge looks horrible this game, maybe he's excited to leave us via free agency?
16:54 - We certainly don't look any better this period. Crap.
16:28 - Cammellari scores, 3-0 Habs and almost certainly the end of our season. There's still time but there's no indication the Pens feel like playing any more.
16:01 - PP for the Pens, if we don't score now there's almost no chance...
14:46 - Short handed goal for the Canadiens, and I am officially calling it quits for the night, as no one in Pittsburgh cares what happens now. Nice season I guess boys....
Until lata...
1st Period
20:00 - Puck drops, Sidney Crosby wins it cleanly.
19:50 - And Crosby is already in the box...crap. let's go PK.
19:28 - Habs score...1-0 Montreal, and obviously the NHL wants us to lose, because that was a miserable call on Crosby. Oh and the Pens were called for another penalty so Montreal is still on the PP.
17:28 - PP is over, we held...but were certainly under fire.
16:10 - The Poni keg can't shoot to save his life...prolly explains why he hasn't been in the lineup...we need to shape up here very quickly...
14:40 - And that's why I like Mike Rupp; he just charged into the offensive zone, dumped the puck, got it himself and took a shot. Man he plays hard, unlike that lazy bum Ponikarovsky...
12:45 - And the Habs hit the post beside Fleury...
12:32 - The Pens are on the PP...I think a goal here would whip this crowd into a frenzy!!!
11:11 - Letang gives it away and causes a breakaway, thankfully he gets back to help stop the shot...
10:34 - PP is almost over, we tried to be waaaay too fancy...faceoff in Montreal's zone.
8:08 - Billy Guerin just misses on an open slapper...we need a goal badly.
6:45 - The Pens get the crowd back into it with a little sustained pressure from the third line, including two wrap around attempts...great shift.
5:37 - Lucky bounce comes out in front to Dominic Moore...2-0 Habs...not looking good right now. I knew Diego was the whammy!!!
4:44 - Halak comes out of the crease, almost lets one in...we can't catch a break maybe this team just doesn't have whatever it was last year's did.
1:34 - Horrible first period so far. We're playing scared, and that's not how you win a game. The only saving grace is that there's still two periods left, but there is absolutely no room for error now...
End of 1st - Boy, this was just about the worst case scenario for the Pens; down 2-0 and not looking good by any stretch of the imagination. If we don't score rather quickly in the second I think it could be lights out on the season. Better wake up and play some hockey Pens!!!
2nd Period
20:00 - Sid wins the draw.
19:01 - Sarge looks horrible this game, maybe he's excited to leave us via free agency?
16:54 - We certainly don't look any better this period. Crap.
16:28 - Cammellari scores, 3-0 Habs and almost certainly the end of our season. There's still time but there's no indication the Pens feel like playing any more.
16:01 - PP for the Pens, if we don't score now there's almost no chance...
14:46 - Short handed goal for the Canadiens, and I am officially calling it quits for the night, as no one in Pittsburgh cares what happens now. Nice season I guess boys....
Until lata...
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Live Blog 05/08/10
Ok boys and girls the game is about to start in the next fifteen or twenty minutes...I'll be bringing this game to you much like I did the last one, and if you have any suggestions hit me up at pierogisnat@gmail.com...
Hope you guys enjoy the blog, and, as always, GO PENS!!!!
PS - I'm going to write the time left in the period as opposed to the actual time...figure that makes a little more sense...
1st Period
20:00 - Puck drops, Jordan Staal wins it.
19:07 - Icing on the Habs, good first minute for the Pens.
18:14 - Good chance for the Habs which Flower saves and turns into a nice scoring chance for Crosby and Malkin who are playing together, at least to start the game.
17:19 - Good chance by Rupp, who is a welcome addition to the lineup after missing last game with an illness...and Halak seems to be injured..his pose after being hit was kind of funny, looks like he'll try to stay in.
13:56 - LaPierre of the Habs just gets nailed while he blocks a Brooks Orpik shot. Ouch, he barely made it off the ice.
11:41 - Crosby's playoff beard = pathetic.
11:00 - Crosby and Malkin line is getting good opportunities, but they need to finish better.
7:45 - Things are starting to get a little chippy, with Orpik exchanging words with the Habs' bench.
5:26 - They show a hit from Crosby on Hal Gill...nice, glad to see the lil guy taking on their biggest hitter.
3:35 - Dupuis misses two excellent opportunities set up by Geno. Come on fella.
2:45 - Power play Pens.
1:42 - Goal Letang!!!! It was like a shooting gallery for the last minute, I'm surprised it took that long. 1-0 Pens.
:15 - Craig Adams levels somebody. I mean absolutely obliterates him.
End of First - The Pens are looking good, things are very, very chippy and the Arena is jumping. And No Fedotenko. Praise Jesus. Go Pens, see you in the second.
Kunitz also took a penalty at the end of the period...Oh boy...
2nd Period
20:00 - Puck drops, Jordan Staal wins it back, we're on the PK.
18:38 - Max Talbot makes a nice play to get it out of the zone.
18:00 - PK is over, but the Habs are still in our faces.
PS - The Habs nearly put on in, there was huge scrum in front of the net and things got a lil crazy, including a shot hitting the post from very close range.
16:14 - And we're back in their face, great shift from Rupp, Dupuis and Malkin.
14:35 - Great set up from Talbot to Dupuis. Halak is playing well, and we could definitely use another goal or two.
13:45 - Great save from Flower turns into 2 on 1 for Pens which Halak escapes. We're up in their business, we just need to seal the deal.
10:10 - Gonchar Shoots and scores!!!!! 2-0 Pens WHOOOO HOOOOOOOO!!!!!
8:44 - Geno tries to take over a shift, ends up shooting on Halak but he coulda passed it. I hope these guys don't start getting cutesy with the way they play now that they got the lead...
7:03 - Geno does his song and dance again, this time setting up a nice one timer.
5:26 - Crosby is now firing away. One more goal and this thing could be over, we're killing them right now but you know how it is when a goalie doesn't get many shots...Flower better stay sharp...
3:25 - Power play Pens, Letang gets tripped.
1:25 - Power play ends, rather uneventful. Lots of passing, not much shooting.
End of second period - It was a good period for us, expanding the lead and all, but I'd like to see a little more killer instinct. We've been beating them silly and are up by only two goals. It's time to send these Canucks packing. See yinz in the third...
3rd Period
20:00 Puck drops, Jordan Staal wins it again.
17:25 - Halak ROBS Letestu on a semi breakaway. I hope this doesn't bite us in the behind later on...not a great couple of minutes for the Pens.
14:29 - Power play Pens, a dumb, dumb, dumb delay of game on the Habs.
13:33 - Weak roughing call on Malkin. It was either a helluva sales job by Gorges or a make up call. Either way, WEAK.
11:30 - PK and everything is over, and boy were the Pens under fire. But Flower shut the door and kept the Habs scoreless. An insurance goal by the Pens would be a very, very welcome addition right about now.
7:28 - Dupuis almost gets that insurance goal on a spinning shot, but Halak turns it aside. Montreal put a little pressure on for the past couple of minutes, but all in all the Pens have handled it OK. Not great, but well enough for now. They need to find that other gear and finish this thing off the right way, and the need to do it soon.
6:00 - Big face off win for Staal in his own zone...and he follows it with a nice play to keep the puck in Montreal's zone. Guess his foot is OK after all.
3:36 - Rupp crushes someone with a double fist to the face over by our bench. The Habs will be pulling their goalie soon, no doubt.
2:26 - Penalty called on Dupuis for slashing. Come on PK.
1:50 - Timeout Habs. And the Pens are playing the Steelers' traditional fight song, Renegade by Styx. Classy. Oh and the Habs have pulled their goalie.
1:16 - We JUST miss an empty netter. Crap.
:53 - Strike 2. Poop.
:30 - The Habs score. 2-1 Pens, we better get this finished off.
:30 Pens win faceoff thank god.
End of the third - Rupp makes a diving play to clear the puck and keep the Pens in front. The finish was as wild as last year's Stanley Cup Finals Game 7, which says alot. The Pens now lead the series 3-2, and win the game 2-1. Much needed victory for the home team, and it puts ALL the pressure on Montreal to perform in Game 6.
Rupp and Malkin looked incredible this game, and both were noticeably fast and aggressive from the get go. No one really looked too bad, and Flower played about as well as one could expect.
Game 6 will be Monday, which is troublesome for me because I will be attending the final Monday Night RAW ever at Mellon Arena, so a live blog is out of the question. Just think of it this way; worst comes to worst, I'll blog Game 7 and we'll be fine.
Hope you enjoyed the blog, I'm taking off the rest of the night. Stay classy Pittsburgh.
Until tomorrow...
Hope you guys enjoy the blog, and, as always, GO PENS!!!!
PS - I'm going to write the time left in the period as opposed to the actual time...figure that makes a little more sense...
1st Period
20:00 - Puck drops, Jordan Staal wins it.
19:07 - Icing on the Habs, good first minute for the Pens.
18:14 - Good chance for the Habs which Flower saves and turns into a nice scoring chance for Crosby and Malkin who are playing together, at least to start the game.
17:19 - Good chance by Rupp, who is a welcome addition to the lineup after missing last game with an illness...and Halak seems to be injured..his pose after being hit was kind of funny, looks like he'll try to stay in.
13:56 - LaPierre of the Habs just gets nailed while he blocks a Brooks Orpik shot. Ouch, he barely made it off the ice.
11:41 - Crosby's playoff beard = pathetic.
11:00 - Crosby and Malkin line is getting good opportunities, but they need to finish better.
7:45 - Things are starting to get a little chippy, with Orpik exchanging words with the Habs' bench.
5:26 - They show a hit from Crosby on Hal Gill...nice, glad to see the lil guy taking on their biggest hitter.
3:35 - Dupuis misses two excellent opportunities set up by Geno. Come on fella.
2:45 - Power play Pens.
1:42 - Goal Letang!!!! It was like a shooting gallery for the last minute, I'm surprised it took that long. 1-0 Pens.
:15 - Craig Adams levels somebody. I mean absolutely obliterates him.
End of First - The Pens are looking good, things are very, very chippy and the Arena is jumping. And No Fedotenko. Praise Jesus. Go Pens, see you in the second.
Kunitz also took a penalty at the end of the period...Oh boy...
2nd Period
20:00 - Puck drops, Jordan Staal wins it back, we're on the PK.
18:38 - Max Talbot makes a nice play to get it out of the zone.
18:00 - PK is over, but the Habs are still in our faces.
PS - The Habs nearly put on in, there was huge scrum in front of the net and things got a lil crazy, including a shot hitting the post from very close range.
16:14 - And we're back in their face, great shift from Rupp, Dupuis and Malkin.
14:35 - Great set up from Talbot to Dupuis. Halak is playing well, and we could definitely use another goal or two.
13:45 - Great save from Flower turns into 2 on 1 for Pens which Halak escapes. We're up in their business, we just need to seal the deal.
10:10 - Gonchar Shoots and scores!!!!! 2-0 Pens WHOOOO HOOOOOOOO!!!!!
8:44 - Geno tries to take over a shift, ends up shooting on Halak but he coulda passed it. I hope these guys don't start getting cutesy with the way they play now that they got the lead...
7:03 - Geno does his song and dance again, this time setting up a nice one timer.
5:26 - Crosby is now firing away. One more goal and this thing could be over, we're killing them right now but you know how it is when a goalie doesn't get many shots...Flower better stay sharp...
3:25 - Power play Pens, Letang gets tripped.
1:25 - Power play ends, rather uneventful. Lots of passing, not much shooting.
End of second period - It was a good period for us, expanding the lead and all, but I'd like to see a little more killer instinct. We've been beating them silly and are up by only two goals. It's time to send these Canucks packing. See yinz in the third...
3rd Period
20:00 Puck drops, Jordan Staal wins it again.
17:25 - Halak ROBS Letestu on a semi breakaway. I hope this doesn't bite us in the behind later on...not a great couple of minutes for the Pens.
14:29 - Power play Pens, a dumb, dumb, dumb delay of game on the Habs.
13:33 - Weak roughing call on Malkin. It was either a helluva sales job by Gorges or a make up call. Either way, WEAK.
11:30 - PK and everything is over, and boy were the Pens under fire. But Flower shut the door and kept the Habs scoreless. An insurance goal by the Pens would be a very, very welcome addition right about now.
7:28 - Dupuis almost gets that insurance goal on a spinning shot, but Halak turns it aside. Montreal put a little pressure on for the past couple of minutes, but all in all the Pens have handled it OK. Not great, but well enough for now. They need to find that other gear and finish this thing off the right way, and the need to do it soon.
6:00 - Big face off win for Staal in his own zone...and he follows it with a nice play to keep the puck in Montreal's zone. Guess his foot is OK after all.
3:36 - Rupp crushes someone with a double fist to the face over by our bench. The Habs will be pulling their goalie soon, no doubt.
2:26 - Penalty called on Dupuis for slashing. Come on PK.
1:50 - Timeout Habs. And the Pens are playing the Steelers' traditional fight song, Renegade by Styx. Classy. Oh and the Habs have pulled their goalie.
1:16 - We JUST miss an empty netter. Crap.
:53 - Strike 2. Poop.
:30 - The Habs score. 2-1 Pens, we better get this finished off.
:30 Pens win faceoff thank god.
End of the third - Rupp makes a diving play to clear the puck and keep the Pens in front. The finish was as wild as last year's Stanley Cup Finals Game 7, which says alot. The Pens now lead the series 3-2, and win the game 2-1. Much needed victory for the home team, and it puts ALL the pressure on Montreal to perform in Game 6.
Rupp and Malkin looked incredible this game, and both were noticeably fast and aggressive from the get go. No one really looked too bad, and Flower played about as well as one could expect.
Game 6 will be Monday, which is troublesome for me because I will be attending the final Monday Night RAW ever at Mellon Arena, so a live blog is out of the question. Just think of it this way; worst comes to worst, I'll blog Game 7 and we'll be fine.
Hope you enjoyed the blog, I'm taking off the rest of the night. Stay classy Pittsburgh.
Until tomorrow...
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Live Blog
I decided to try and live blog the game tonight...not too sure how it will go, but hey, how will I know if I don't try? Anyway, enjoy the show...I'll try and post the time I make the comment next to the post, but be forewarned I may get lazy by the end if it's a route...lol
And with that, enjoy the game...puck drops in about 30 minutes!
7:16 - Puck drops...Let's go Pens!!!
7:24 - Go Go gets a tripping minor for the Pens...not exactly the start we were looking for boys. Come on PK!!!
7:27 - Good PK by the boys, although we're still not looking very sharp...hopefully that works itself out soon...
7:34 - The Pens literally have one shot through eleven minutes of action...you gotta be kidding me.
7:38 - Pens power play on a cheap shot by LaPierre..cheating Canadiens....lol
7:41 - Our power play stinks...we couldn't get the puck in the zone, let alone get a shot. All in all, pretty poopy start for the Pens. Only six total shots in the game, although Montreal looks a lot busier then that.
7:51 - The period ends, mercifully, at 0-0. The Pens played some very uninspired hockey, but luckily the Canadiens couldn't put the biscuit in the basket. There was pretty much no offense to speak of coming from the Pens' side of the ice, and those crazy Canucks finished very strong. I'm thinking "Awww" Craig Adams will get his gray beard in a bunch and start inspiring the boys Herb Brooks style, but only time will tell. See yinz in the second...
8:08 - Puck drops on period 2. God I hope this goes better then the first...
8:18 - Cooke had a break away, but it's Cooke, so he misses. Still 0-0, but the pace has picked up a little bit for the Pens. I think we still only have five or six shots though, and Halak made that last save look easy...
8:25 - Pens power play...boy do we need a goal
8:28 - No goal on the PP, but at least the Pens are showing some signs of life. And this Letestu has been a pleasant surprise thus far in his first playoff game.
8:34 - Great chance by Go Go to net the opening goal, but Halak says no. We're starting to get our game going, throwing more pucks at Halak and taking the body more often. Now we just need to get on the board.
8:41 - There's only eleven seconds left in the period but the Pens have earned a power play. They just kept the puck in the zone for about two minutes which made the Canadiens tired and brought about the penalty.
8:43 - The period is over, still no score. Things get a bit chippy at the end of the period, with a lot of pushing and shoving after the whistle. Still don't know if there's any penalties resulting, but I have to think this game is starting to turn towards the Pens' liking..all they need to do now is put the puck in the net!!!
9:03 - The puck drops on period three with the Pens on the power play for almost a full two minutes. This PP is key - if we can get a goal it may just be the series, but if not...well let's just say we need this goal.
9:05 - WHOOOO HOOOO Goal Malkin!!!! It's a power play goal, and the Pens' showed great patience. Great one timer. 1-0 Pens
9:07 - I failed to mention it was Hal Gill in the box when Geno scored. I think that may have helped the cause...
9:10 - Steigerwald's first reference to Hal Gill's big stick. Hahaha
9:23 - Flower just robs Cammellari on a one timer. My goodness, what a save. The Canadiens are pushing hard for the tying goal, we really need to keep it simple and just get the puck out of our zone.
9:26 - Crap, the Canadiens just got a call on Jordan Leopold. Huge PK upcoming.
9:30 - Halfway through the PK, so far so good, Montreal just called timeout. I'll let ya know how the PK ends up...
9:32 - PK is over, and Flower just made another crazy save to keep it that way. He's playing an excellent game thus far...
9:37 - Pascal Dupuis throws in an empty netter. 2-0 Pens and as Mike Lange would say, "Elvis has just left the building!!!" Be back shortly with some observations.
Go Pens!
Observations - Well, first and foremost, Flower was amazing in net. In the third period he made two spectacular saves to keep the Pens ahead, and if he continues to play like this it's going to be very, VERY difficult to beat us. As for which skaters impressed me, I'd have to say Mark Letestu played very well for his first NHL playoff game. He put a couple shots on net and was very responsible defensively, which is always your first concern with rookies. I also thought Alex Ponikarovsky had a little more speed and grit then he's showed thus far in playoffs, which is certainly an added bonus.
As for who didn't impress, I'd have to go with Ruslan Fedotenko. I don't know if he's injured, old or both, but he's not nearly the player he was last season when we won the cup. I realize he's in because of injuries to Jordan Staal and Bill Guerin, but there has to be a better alternative somewhere on the taxi squad. He's played very uninspired hockey, rarely finishing checks off and not contributing at all in the offensive zone. Not only is he not getting shots, but it seems like he's losing his place in the cycle, and that's the Pens' bread and butter.
I certainly think the Pens earned this one, and Montreal is on their heels. A win on Thursday could cause the Habs to pack it in, and a close defeat like this (hopefully) will make a little doubt creep into Montreal's head. We need to play more then two solid periods of hockey to win a championship, and I'm sure that's something that will be adressed, but all in all it could've been a lot worse, and a win is a win.
Go Pens!
Until lata...
And with that, enjoy the game...puck drops in about 30 minutes!
7:16 - Puck drops...Let's go Pens!!!
7:24 - Go Go gets a tripping minor for the Pens...not exactly the start we were looking for boys. Come on PK!!!
7:27 - Good PK by the boys, although we're still not looking very sharp...hopefully that works itself out soon...
7:34 - The Pens literally have one shot through eleven minutes of action...you gotta be kidding me.
7:38 - Pens power play on a cheap shot by LaPierre..cheating Canadiens....lol
7:41 - Our power play stinks...we couldn't get the puck in the zone, let alone get a shot. All in all, pretty poopy start for the Pens. Only six total shots in the game, although Montreal looks a lot busier then that.
7:51 - The period ends, mercifully, at 0-0. The Pens played some very uninspired hockey, but luckily the Canadiens couldn't put the biscuit in the basket. There was pretty much no offense to speak of coming from the Pens' side of the ice, and those crazy Canucks finished very strong. I'm thinking "Awww" Craig Adams will get his gray beard in a bunch and start inspiring the boys Herb Brooks style, but only time will tell. See yinz in the second...
8:08 - Puck drops on period 2. God I hope this goes better then the first...
8:18 - Cooke had a break away, but it's Cooke, so he misses. Still 0-0, but the pace has picked up a little bit for the Pens. I think we still only have five or six shots though, and Halak made that last save look easy...
8:25 - Pens power play...boy do we need a goal
8:28 - No goal on the PP, but at least the Pens are showing some signs of life. And this Letestu has been a pleasant surprise thus far in his first playoff game.
8:34 - Great chance by Go Go to net the opening goal, but Halak says no. We're starting to get our game going, throwing more pucks at Halak and taking the body more often. Now we just need to get on the board.
8:41 - There's only eleven seconds left in the period but the Pens have earned a power play. They just kept the puck in the zone for about two minutes which made the Canadiens tired and brought about the penalty.
8:43 - The period is over, still no score. Things get a bit chippy at the end of the period, with a lot of pushing and shoving after the whistle. Still don't know if there's any penalties resulting, but I have to think this game is starting to turn towards the Pens' liking..all they need to do now is put the puck in the net!!!
9:03 - The puck drops on period three with the Pens on the power play for almost a full two minutes. This PP is key - if we can get a goal it may just be the series, but if not...well let's just say we need this goal.
9:05 - WHOOOO HOOOO Goal Malkin!!!! It's a power play goal, and the Pens' showed great patience. Great one timer. 1-0 Pens
9:07 - I failed to mention it was Hal Gill in the box when Geno scored. I think that may have helped the cause...
9:10 - Steigerwald's first reference to Hal Gill's big stick. Hahaha
9:23 - Flower just robs Cammellari on a one timer. My goodness, what a save. The Canadiens are pushing hard for the tying goal, we really need to keep it simple and just get the puck out of our zone.
9:26 - Crap, the Canadiens just got a call on Jordan Leopold. Huge PK upcoming.
9:30 - Halfway through the PK, so far so good, Montreal just called timeout. I'll let ya know how the PK ends up...
9:32 - PK is over, and Flower just made another crazy save to keep it that way. He's playing an excellent game thus far...
9:37 - Pascal Dupuis throws in an empty netter. 2-0 Pens and as Mike Lange would say, "Elvis has just left the building!!!" Be back shortly with some observations.
Go Pens!
Observations - Well, first and foremost, Flower was amazing in net. In the third period he made two spectacular saves to keep the Pens ahead, and if he continues to play like this it's going to be very, VERY difficult to beat us. As for which skaters impressed me, I'd have to say Mark Letestu played very well for his first NHL playoff game. He put a couple shots on net and was very responsible defensively, which is always your first concern with rookies. I also thought Alex Ponikarovsky had a little more speed and grit then he's showed thus far in playoffs, which is certainly an added bonus.
As for who didn't impress, I'd have to go with Ruslan Fedotenko. I don't know if he's injured, old or both, but he's not nearly the player he was last season when we won the cup. I realize he's in because of injuries to Jordan Staal and Bill Guerin, but there has to be a better alternative somewhere on the taxi squad. He's played very uninspired hockey, rarely finishing checks off and not contributing at all in the offensive zone. Not only is he not getting shots, but it seems like he's losing his place in the cycle, and that's the Pens' bread and butter.
I certainly think the Pens earned this one, and Montreal is on their heels. A win on Thursday could cause the Habs to pack it in, and a close defeat like this (hopefully) will make a little doubt creep into Montreal's head. We need to play more then two solid periods of hockey to win a championship, and I'm sure that's something that will be adressed, but all in all it could've been a lot worse, and a win is a win.
Go Pens!
Until lata...
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