The Confluence
Despite Game One win, Penguins must play better
by Tony on 05/19/09 at 06:10 PM ET
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Hey, a win is a win is a win. Trust me, I get it.
The Penguins got some much-needed contributions from Miro Satan and Philippe Boucher and turned that into a 3-2 win in Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Hurricanes.
But don’t let that final score skew things: Yes, the Pens won. Yes, the Pens controlled play for certain periods of the game.
But if you ask the Penguins today, to a man I betcha they’d say that they did not play a very good game last night, win or no win.
Let’s review: Up until the Satan goal midway through the first period, the Canes controlled play, outshooting the Penguins and putting several good scoring chances on Marc-Andre Fleury. The Canes certainly were the stronger team in the second period, to include the goal to cut the Pens’ lead to 2-1. And they threw everything but the kitchen sink at Fleury for the last half of the third period. If it weren’t for several outstanding saves by Fleury during those hectic last few minutes of the game, it could have been a much different outcome.
Now you could also use the same argument with the Penguins and Cam Ward. His saves, especially the one-timer from Bill Guerin, prevented a potential blowout early on. But the point of the matter is that while the Penguins had scoring chances throughout the game, they did not control the puck for nearly as long as they’ve become used to, nor did they have as many shots (31) as they usually have been getting.
I’ve read several articles, both from mainstream hockey writers and bloggers alike, that Ward “is human” or “came down to Earth”. Certainly, the Boucher goal, which turned out to be the game-winner, is one that Ward would want back and could easily be considered a softie. Some also questioned Malkin’s backhander in the first period. I give Ward some slack for that one, those backhanders from that kind of angle always give goalies some extra trouble.
But if you’re the Penguins, it would be a big mistake to sit back and expect that Ward will continue to allow those types of goals. He’s proven many times in the past that he probably won’t. Maybe a questionable goal here and there, much like Fleury, but probably not multiple softies in one game again.
In addition, even though the Penguins got Boucher’s goal on the powerplay, you also have to acknowledge what an impressive job former Penguin goaltender Tom Barrasso has done with the Canes’ penalty kill. Since taking it over late in the year, the Canes are among the best in the NHL. They were extremely aggressive last night, not giving much room to anyone to operate. It seems that the only Penguin to get open looks at the net were left point shooters Boucher and Kris Letang.
The teams were even with hits, even on faceoffs, and close with shots on goal. The difference in Game One was the ability of Fleury to make the key saves, while Ward didn’t. Ward won’t continue to have “off” nights, so it’s up to the Penguins to step up their game. I’m sure the Pens have already noticed the speed of the Canes’ defensemen. They’ve done a better job than Philly or Washington at clearing dump-in’s and transitioning the other way, not allowing for the Penguins to forecheck quite as well as they have been in previous series. And if the Canes continue to possess the puck as they did in Game One, the law of averages tells you that they’re going to eventually score more goals.
One thing’s for sure: The multiple days off that this series has provides a lot of time for adjustments. So who the hell knows, we could see a completely different game on Thursday night.
Filed in: | The Confluence | Permalink
Tags: Carolina+Hurricanes, NHL-Hockey, Pittsburgh+Penguins,
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