The Confluence
Penguins are Eastern Conference champions again, sweep Canes 4-1
by Tony on 05/26/09 at 11:31 PM ET
Comments (0)
The Hurricanes threw everything they had at the Penguins tonight in Raleigh.
They outshot the Pens, were the more physical team, and for the most part, were the quicker team.
But it was the Penguins who were able to light the lamp at a higher frequency once again, as they downed the Canes 4-1 for a 4-0 sweep and a return trip to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Marc-Andre Fleury certainly weathered the storm, which didn’t really calm down for most of the night. The Canes pressured Fleury all game long with 31 shots on goal. That included a goal finally from Eric Staal on a wraparound only 1:36 into the game. But despite the early goal, Fleury was solid the rest of the way.
As they did in Game Three, the Penguins bounced right back to tie the game about eight minutes into the period. Philippe Boucher fired a slapper that Canes’ defenseman Dennis Seidenberg purposely lifted his leg to avoid. That allowed Ruslan Fedotenko to score the easy tap-in goal to make it 1-1.
Late in the first period came the prototypical goal of this series. Max Talbot fired a wrister that deflected off Canes defenseman Anton Babchuk then fluttered off the top of Cam Ward’s glove and into the net to make it 2-1 Penguins with only 1:29 left in the period.
The only tally in the second period came as a result of a 2-on-1 break when Sidney Crosby floated a great saucer pass to the stick of Bill Guerin for tap-in past Ward making it 3-1 at the 12:10 mark.
The Penguins clamped down on the defensive end for the remainder of the game. Craig Adams got the empty netter with 1:10 remaining to close out the scoring.
Now it’s a waiting game to see if the Red Wings can close out the Blackhawks tomorrow night, or if Chicago can extend the series.
Filed in: | The Confluence | Permalink
Tags: Carolina+Hurricanes, NHL-Hockey, Pittsburgh+Penguins,
Comments
Be the first to comment.
Add a Comment
Please limit embedded image or media size to 575 pixels wide.
Add your own avatar by joining Kukla's Korner, or logging in and uploading one in your member control panel.
Captchas bug you? Join KK or log in and you won't have to bother.
Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.
Most Recent Blog Posts
Turn Out The Lights, The Party’s Over: I’m Stepping Down
Bill Cowher’s Daughter to Marry Kevin Westgarth
Penguins Sign Forward Steve MacIntyre
Penguins Re-Sign Forward Dustin Jeffrey to Two-Year Deal
Crosby Donation Leads To Renovation at Children’s Hospital
About Kukla’s Korner
Kukla’s Korner is updated around the clock with the work of our own talented bloggers, plus links to the best hockey writing around the internet. We strive to bring you all the breaking hockey news as it happens.
The home page allows you to see the latest postings from every blog on the site. Subscribe here. For general inquiries and more, please contact us anytime.
Get the top online sports betting bonuses available to sports betters!
Kukla’s Korner is always a free service for readers, but it costs some money to maintain. If you’re ever in a position to donate a few dollars to help out, we’d be very appreciative.