The Confluence
Consistency? Meh, it’s all about intensity to me
by Tony on 03/22/10 at 10:25 AM ET
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Geezus, lots of talk, I mean LOTS of talk around Penguins Nation about the lack of consistency that your defending Stanley Cup champions have performed under since, well, November.
I don’t believe that’s a false statement, don’t get me wrong. But I think the reasoning behind it is fairly easy to decipher.
You can try to micro-analyze, scrutinize, chew over, beat a dead horse or kick around the reasons behind the Penguins’ inconsistency, such as Marc-Andre Fleury’s play, the Pens’ defensive shortcomings, or even Evgeni Malkin’s “subpar” year. However, to me it’s much a much simpler thing:
Quite simple: The Penguins, like a lot of pro teams, simply have not had the intensity and/or focus against supposedly inferior opponents.
Those of you who are regular readers know that I am a HUGE believer in the psychological aspect of sports. And I’m not even talking solely about team sports. Individual sports, and the players involved, are just as susceptible. If Serena Williams or Phil Mickelson thinks their respective match or round is gonna be a cakewalk, chances are that they may very well wind up on the losing end. That’s just how it works.
And that certainly applies to team sports, hockey definitely included. Ever notice that teams who are involved in a heated battle more times than not play a pretty good game? They may not win, but they’re involved and focused in the game. There are exceptions, sure, but I believe that intensity cures inconsistency, rather than a bunch of line changes.
You saw a perfect example of that in the Penguins’ last two games. This past Thursday the Penguins went into a supposedly-hostile arena in Boston due to the aftermath of the Matt Cooke hit on Marc Savard. Cooke and Shawn Thornton did their little dance, followed soon afterward by Zdeno Chara and Mike Rupp, and Bruins fans booed Cooke on every shift. But the Penguins matched the Bruins’ intensity and dominated play, shutting out the Bruins 3-0.
But then the Pens turn right around on Saturday afternoon and come away with an admittedly poor effort, albeit still gaining a point in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. The Canes have played the Pens tough all year long, but that didn’t give the Penguins any more incentive to play any better.
So for the Pens last 10 games before the playoffs begin, I’m predicting more of the same. You’re gonna see them play some great games, but then you’re also gonna see some duds.
The intensity starts tonight at the Joe in Detroit versus the Red Wings, where the Penguins skated away with the Stanley Cup the night of June 12th. Naturally, it’s not going to take anything at all to stir up emotions on either side, two straight Stanley Cup Finals have already taken care of that.
That is followed by the third game of the Capitals/Penguins series, this time at the Verizon Center. Same thing, no motivation needed. You won’t see any flat effort in this one, either. The Pens then head back home to finish out the season series with the Flyers on Saturday night. Flyers/Penguins, ‘nuff said.
The Pens may not win all of those games, but even if they don’t, it won’t be because of a lack of intensity.
But after that, with the exception of the April 6th matchup against the Caps, I bet you’re gonna some see some other-than-inspired efforts from the Pens against teams like Toronto, Tampa Bay, Atlanta and the Islanders. That’s just the way things work in the course of an 82-game regular season. The two games against the Thrashers specifically will be interesting to watch, with the Thrashers on the verge of getting in the top eight teams in the Eastern Conference.
But rest assured, all this scrutiny comes to an end after the Pens/Islanders on the 11th, when the focus shifts to the playoffs and the Penguins first round opponent.
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Tags: NHL-Hockey, Pittsburgh+Penguins,
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