So here were are, the NHL's second season has begun, and it's time for:
#4 Pittsburgh Penguins
vs.
#5 Tampa Bay Lightning
A quick look at the season series:
Oct 27: Tampa Bay 5 Pittsburgh 3
Nov 12: Pittsburgh 5 Tampa Bay 1
Jan 5: Pittsburgh 8 Tampa Bay 1
Mar 31: Tampa Bay 2 Pittsburgh 1
Note: Each team won both of their home games in this series. Also, Jan 5th's 8-1 blowout was one of only two games this season in which the Penguins had Crosby, Malkin, and Staal in the lineup.
Playoff schedule:
Wed, 4/13 @ Pit, 7pm
Fri, 4/15 @ Pit, 7pm
Mon, 4/18 @ TB, 7:30pm
Wed, 4/20 @ TB, 7pm
Sat, 4/23 @ Pit, TBD*
Mon, 4/25 @ TB, TBD*
Wed, 4/27 @ Pit, TBD*
*if necessary
Keys To the Series for Pittsburgh
1. A Series Without Crosby. As the media will speak of incessantly throughout the next 2 weeks, this is the first time the post-lockout Penguins enter the playoffs without Sidney Crosby to lead them. Add Evgeni Malkin to that list, and you have to wonder if this team has enough firepower and focus to get past this series. Credit Dan Bylsma and Ray Shero for creating a defense first team because those signings of Zbynek Michalek and Paul Martin in the offseason look like pure genius now. Pittsburgh will have to play flawless defensively and find scoring from every body in the lineup to survive.
2. Introducing Consol to the Playoffs. This might seem like a weird one, and there are many arguments about the pros/cons to home ice advantage (see: the Pens have lost five Game 7's on home ice), but I believe home ice in general has been valuable to the Penguins. If you want to doubt that, please youtube Brooks Oprik's infamous 4 hit shift against Detroit and just listen to the crowd. If you look up the Red Wings' post-game comments, they all spoke of how the arena had taken over the game and they couldn't hear themselves on the bench. Consol has not had the close and loud atmosphere that Mellon had through the regular season, but hopefully it will come through in the playoffs. Ask any player in Phoenix, a quiet arena is a bad arena for playoff hockey.
 |
| I'm either going to love or hate this building in 2 months. |
3. Special Teams. The Penguins finished the season with the best penalty kill in the league and a horrible powerplay (though it showed signs of life at the end). These 2 factors become even more important against a Lightning team that can dominate a powerplay and has a decided advantage in offense. The Penguins will have to continue this series without the services of Matt Cooke, a 2nd line penalty killer and the top forward on the 3 man PK unit. Expect Michalek to be keeping a close eye on Steven Stamkos when the Lightning have the advantage. On the other side, now that the Penguins have turned into a low scoring team, every powerplay makes a massive difference. Kris Letang has not played his best hockey as of late, and Paul Martin doesn't seem to have an urge to quarterback the powerplay unit. The Penguins will need Alex Kovalev and James Neal to start producing heavily on the powerplay, especially since their shootout contributions no longer matter.
Keys to the Series for Tampa Bay
1. Get Stamkos the Puck. Steven Stamkos and Sidney Crosby paced the league in goals for the first half of the season by a tremendous margin. Since the half way point, Crosby got hurt and Stamkos went into a major slump. Stamkos scored 2 goals in his last 13 games that saw Tampa go through a mini-losing streak, but then turn it around with the play of Martin St. Louis. If the Lightning can attack the Penguins penalty kill, utilizing the hard, quick shot of Stamkos, this series may end far quicker for Pens fans than they realize. The key for Tampa is going to be stretching out the penalty kill unit of the Penguins on the perimeter and then looking for an open Stamkos on the back door of the net.
2. Protect Roloson. When the Penguins lost in 7 to the Canadiens in last year's Semifinals, much of the credit went to Jaroslav Halak, a young unproven goalie. Not nearly enough credit was given to the Canadiens defense, a bunch of no-name guys who dropped in front of every shot to protect Halak to the end. The Lightning will need a similar effort to move forward in the playoffs. Goalie Dwayne Roloson is 41 years old and has had trouble with the Penguins in his career. Tampa Bay will need a significant effort from their defense to keep the workload light on him. Expect Montreal to provide the blue print.
 |
| Is that the face of leadership? No, it's not Mike Richards, my bad. |
3. Lecavalier. The Lightning won the Cup back in 03-04 before the NHL lockout occurred. Their captain at the time? - Vincent Lecavalier. Lecavalier has had a decent season, fighting through some injuries, but will be more valuable in the locker room than on the scoreboard, regardless of his production. This is a younger team, with an even younger coach. Lecavalier is going to have to step up any time 1st year coach Guy Boucher gets questioned or makes a mistake. This team does have veterans in St. Louis and Ryan Malone to provide playoff experience, but Lecavalier is going to have to team up with Boucher to make this transition into a playoff team as smooth as possible.
Prediction
This Penguins team has played fantastically on defense without their captain and still seems to have enough to at least get through a round of the playoffs. Tampa Bay is certainly a worthy opponent, and this will not be an easy series. I expect many 1 goal games, maybe even all of them. I have to give the edge to Pittsburgh in this one on account of goaltending and coaching. Bylsma has been there and has guided this team through issues that we never imagined we would have (Fleury's early collapse, the losses of Staal, Malkin, and Crosby, the Islanders fiasco). Between him and the matchup of Fleury in net vs. Roloson, I will stand by defense wins championships, and gets the Penguins past Tampa Bay in this first round
Pens in 6.
No comments:
Post a Comment