Home Ice Advantage Isn't a Myth, Pens Win Game 5

Quick Notes:

- I think it’s hilarious that the most popular hashtags lately are PensIn7 and RememberTheIgloo.  If the Pens took that attitude, they would be out by now; it’s gotta be one game at a time - no looking ahead.  Also, the Pens couldn’t win a cup in the igloo and had some difficulty there aside from 2008 and 2009, but that’s what we push?  I realize they are just in fun, I just find them amusing for different reasons.

- Five games, Five times the team that scored first lost the game.  Who’s excited for the inevitable 0-0 game going to OT as neither team wants to score?

- #PensInGame6 now.

Result:

Pens  3  Flyers  2

Goals:  Sullivan (2) (PP) from Letang, Neal

            Staal (6) from Kennedy, Letang

            Kennedy (3) from Cooke, Staal

TK's been working on his vertical.

               

Interesting Stats:

- Crosby went a staggering 16 for 22 in the faceoff circle.  Despite this, Jordan Staal took the last 2 faceoffs of the game in the D zone against Giroux.  I have no clue what Bylsma was thinking on that (Staal lost both faceoffs).

- The Flyers haven’t scored a 5 on 5 goal since midway through Game 3.  The Pens should perhaps adjust to that and keep it 5 on 5 a little more.

The Good:

- Start with the easy one yet again, PENS SEASON ISN’T OVER!!!  Half way to a series win, but still a ways to go.

- This was finally a playoff type game with a playoff atmosphere in the arena.  Both teams were much better in terms of fundamentals and pace which made a huge difference in overall gameplay, as reflected in the score.

Marc-Andre Fleury – You had to assume Fleury would need to steal at least a game for the Pens to comeback in this series and he certainly put in his work in this one.  The last 3 PKs that the Pens dealt with were full of beautiful saves by Fleury.  He looked strong all game, proving that the end of Game 4 wasn’t just a fluke because of the score.  Two biggest changes in his game compared to the start of the series: 1) He challenged shooters much more and was at the top of his crease for most shots, cutting down the angles completely and 2) he allowed his athletic ability and reaction time do the work rather than overthinking and overplaying pucks.  His confidence will only go up after that game, so that is a great sign for the Pens.

What are the odds Staal is yelling "WOO!"?

Jordan Staal (with Cooke and Kennedy) – Staal put together another wonderful game, scoring on his only shot and making an impact on almost every shift he took.  Staal and the rest of the 3^rd line were by far the most successful group when it came to stretching the ice and powering through the neutral zone.  They gave the Flyers’ defensemen fits deep in the zone, which is what led to TK’s goal as all 5 Flyers dropped down to Staal and Cooke on the crease.  This line is in 2009 Cup Finals form, where they became the huge difference makers for the Pens.

Steve Sullivan – Sullivan only played 11:52 in this game, and less than 8 minutes were at even strength, but I was very impressed yet again with his defensive zone coverage when he was on the ice.  He is leading by example with just how badly he wants this playoff run to continue and how hard the team needs to work to keep it going.  His goal was of course a nice touch as he continues to help the powerplay click, but his general awareness of what is going on around him on the ice is what impresses me the most about his game right now.

Sullivan looks so tiny in Neal's arms.

Other notable performances: Despres, Niskanen, and Michalek played very very well, especially with Michalek on the PK.  It was nice to see Kunitz go a game without taking a horrendous penalty.  Dupuis had another great game in the defensive zone.

The Bad:

- The Pens REALLY need to eliminate the stupid/unnecessary/pointless penalties they are taking.  Engelland got called for a roughing penalty, mostly because he gave Briere an extra unnecessary shove down while Briere was already going down.  Malkin’s penalty on Schenn was after the play and absolutely needless.  The team knows that penalties will be called tight, so they need to adapt for how poorly the PK is playing.  Some claim Schenn dove, but in my opinion, it’s pretty hard to dive sideways when your skates are perpendicular to where you are being hit from.  He was off-balance, so it looked worse, but that was hardly a dive.  Finally, TK took an awful retaliation penalty as he broke his stick on a slash.  The team needs to show more discipline to survive right now.

Hitting? okay.  Driving him into the ice?  Probably a penalty.

Kris Letang – Letang did have 2 assists and has looked pretty good in the offensive zone, but his defensive zone coverage and especially his puck movement has been off.  His pass up to Staal was simply brilliant to set Staal on a 2 on 1 which he scored on.  For that one play though, Letang countered it with at least 3 or 4 turnovers and bad plays in his own zone.  Letang is smarter and better than he is playing right now; we’re all just waiting to see it.

Evgeni Malkin – Malkin simply played one of his worst games of the series and the season.  He took 2 completely unnecessary penalties and had an astounding 5 giveaways.  To put that into perspective, most box scores have players with at most 2 or 3 giveaways.  I already discussed how the Schenn hit was needless; his second penalty was after he lost the puck and interfered with Couturier.  Everything Malkin did in Game 4 he did not follow up on in Game 5.  He went back to selfish puck possession and trying to skate through 2 or 3 guys.  He needs to give the puck up more to earn more space from the Flyers D if he wants to keep playing this style.  The stupid penalties just have to stop.  Also, it'd be awesome if he didn't steamroll Crosby, whoops.  More on Malkin later as well.

The Ugly:

- The penalty kill needs to stop leaning on Fleury completely to survive.  He was brilliant at the end of the game, which was necessary because the PK was pretty much useless.  The first goal that the PK allowed was because of nice Dupuis screen which had Fleury leaning the wrong way.  The second one came during a 5 on 3, where Orpik was essentially caught on a 2 on 1 at the crease and the Flyers made some nice plays to score there.  The Pens still look a little too passive on the PK (5 on 3 aside) and really need to start challenging the points as hard as the Flyers have done to the Pens PP.  No matter how bad anyone is playing, this kill rate is pathetic.  This is all with the PK actually improving in this game to stopping 3 out of 5 instead of the usual 2 out of 5.   

Help this man!!!

Thoughts:

- Don’t expect the lineup to change at all.  Bylsma will stick to what’s working as long as it works, he hates changing his lineups during winning streaks.  So it’s pretty safe to say 7 D, Tangradi still in (and he has earned it) for Game 6.

- Both goalies played much better in Game 5, but Bryzgalov can still be beaten more than he was in Game 5.  He looked very shaky with his rebounds and the Pens didn’t test him as much going side to side in this game.  I was rather disappointed with the low shot total for the Pens, the need to attack Bryz harder with his rebound control as shaky as it is right now.

- The reffing was inconsistent as usual.  But my problem with it was actually how the Flyers were screwed over.  Brooks Orpik held JVR for a solid 20 seconds late in the 3^rd period in front of the net, and then knocked him over from behind.  Easily could have been one, if not 2 penalties.  When JVR was knocked over, he ended up hitting Letang in front of him and people clamored that Letang showed great restraint.  Letang showed great restraint?  JVR should have attacked everyone for the abuse he took on that play.  I have no clue how Orpik got away without being called for all kinds of penalties on that shift.

Orpik was getting away with murder on the crease all night.

- Though the Malkin hit on Couturier was clean, the Flyers are still quite upset about his elbow on Grossmann and many people started talking about Malkin’s track record.  If you have been reading these posts, you probably know my thoughts, if not, check out Game 2’s recap.  Malkin isn’t the cleanest player by a longshot, he is very sneaky about getting hits in and tends to do a lot behind the play.  He’s a brilliant player, but he’s very emotional and that’s going to catch up with him eventually.  I think it’s safe to say that the league will be watching for it right now, so he needs to be careful moving forward and tone it down a bit.  He’s probably overdue for supplemental discipline already.

- That brings me to the Torres suspension.  25 games is quite a bit, but I honestly don’t care about this suspension one way or another.  The key will be how the next 2-3 suspensions turn out.  If the next few are 1 game apiece, then players won’t learn anything.  The NHL’s inconsistencies in this department make the next few rulings incredibly important in regards to taking them seriously.

- Finally, so glad that Hartnell scored and we didn’t lose – making me both right from my last game recap and happy that it didn’t hurt us.

Keep quiet...

Keys to Game 6:

- Fleury is looking sharp, so the team simply has to help him out by taking fewer stupid penalties and strengthening up the PK.  It’s time for the special teams to actually take over a game on both sides because it’s damn tough to win a series while losing the special teams battle.  The PK MUST pull its weight to survive Game 6 in Philly.

Flyers lead series 3-2.  Next Game: 4/22 @ Phi, 12pm, NBC

Dear Playoff Beard,

Happy Birthday my dear playoff beard!  It was just one week ago today, on 4/11/2012 that you came into existence.  You came into this world quiet and shy, hardly wanting to be seen, but you were excited for the playoffs and could hardly wait to grow up and earn some attention for yourself.  But alas, playoff beard, though young as you are, we have experienced some horrible and rough times together.  On the day of your birth, we experienced great joys – a first period of the playoffs that was like no other!  But that very same day brought us great sadness as well, a comeback that could not be foreseen and some early hardships for your life, even a moment of questioning whether your existence was worth it! 

You were young and resilient though and we continued towards Game 2, excited by our first chance to guarantee you a longer life!  We enjoyed great highs again, another great 1^st period, and EVEN PAUL MARTIN SCORED!!!  But yet again, young playoff beard, you and I were disappointed by another comeback and a rather humiliating loss in the end.  At the age of just 3 days old, you were forced to witness 2 hat tricks against the home team, a feat that very few playoff beards in history have ever had to deal with, let alone one at your age. 

Things were looking bad, but you continued to grow and mature as the team hit the road.  You had your first experience of watching the game on tv instead of at the arena.  Had I known what would happen, perhaps you would not have had that experience, for a playoff beard as young as yourself should never have been exposed to such humiliating and embarrassing displays of “hockey.”  That experience changed you.  You grew from scruff into grizzled beard overnight as you were forced to handle the rigors of disappointing, and frankly, disgusting performances.  I could quickly tell that you became tougher and had grown thicker from the experience.

Now, on your one week birthday, we get ready for another game on tv, and perhaps the last chance to extend your life. We must cherish this time together, playoff beard.  Unlike most of your predecessors, who had at least 2 weeks to blossom and grow (and quite often much more time than that), it does not appear that you and I will get the same opportunity to fully bond.  No one knows for sure, and I certainly hope we spend many more weeks together, but I must prepare you just in case.  I want you to know, playoff beard, that this was not your fault.  You have done nothing wrong over the course of this week and I have enjoyed our time together just like I enjoyed my time with all of your predecessors.  In this unfortunate world of unprepared and poorly executing teams, there are often casualties amongst the bystanders and fans.  Sadly, this means you, playoff beard.

It is my greatest hope that we spend this wonderful day together celebrating your first playoff win, and that you can learn to grow through happy experiences after all of the disappointment this series.  So far, you have dealt with higher expectations and less success than any playoff beard I have ever had, and you have done it with more dignity and pride than the sport for which you came into existence.  If things do go awry tonight though, I hope you will go out with that same dignity and pride, and not the lack of such shown by the team in Game 3.  I hope you accept a razor’s fate, and go out proudly.  With any luck, this will not be an issue, and I promise to spill some beer into you to celebrate if we get that magical first win tonight.

So good luck playoff beard, and have a wonderful day, for it is a great day for hockey.  Just remember, if our run together ends tonight, it was not your fault.  It was due to the inability of a team to adjust, prepare, and execute against their fiercest rival.  This is a hard lesson to learn, but sometimes, the team you put your faith in just doesn’t perform.  I hope that you get the chance to see them perform at their best, just once, because they can be pretty amazing when they play up to their talent.  And after all, every playoff beard deserves a chance to see greatness at least once in their lives.

Podcast #3: Discussing the Mess that was Game 3

One day I'll find a better way to do this rather than wasting posts.  But until then, here's the link (30 mins)!

http://chirb.it/mOdgNm

Meet the #5 Seed, 2012 Philadelphia Flyers

We all hate Philadelphia, and especially the Flyers.  For Pittsburghers, it’s genetic; for Pittsburgh fans, it’s an acquired taste; but one thing is simple, Philly’s loss is our gain.  So as the Pens head into their first round rivalry matchup against the hated Flyers, let’s take a look at why you hate this specific 2012 Philadelphia Flyers team and a brief look at what you should know about them individually:

Let’s start with the suits really quick:

GM Paul Holmgren – Give Holmgren credit, he is decisive and fearless, albeit a little unstable sometimes, when he decides he needs to make a move.  He traded away Jeff Carter and Mike Richards this summer, and followed it up with giving Ilya Bryzgalov a 9 year, $51 million contract.  He may not win it all with this team, but he certainly has the guts to do anything necessary to have a chance at the Cup.

Coach Peter Laviolette – Lavy may also be crazy based on his tirade a week and a half ago that landed him a $10,000 fine, but he knows how to get results.  He has a Stanley Cup ring from coaching the 2006 Hurricanes to a Cup win and he was just one vote shy of winning the Jack Adams award in the same year.  He has the credentials, and the intelligence, but the question is does he have the team and the patience to handle them this year.

Laviolette might want to curb this demeanor a little.

Now on to the roster!

The Talent:

Claude Giroux – Hate him because he’s a Flyer, but you have to respect his game.  He missed 5 games with a concussion and finished 3^rd in scoring with 93 points.  He led the NHL with 38 powerplay points but puts in short-handed time as well.  Giroux has the hands, the skill, and the vision, so expect him to be a threat at all times.

Girls love him for some reason too.

The Former Pens:

Jaromir Jagr – Started by helping the Pens to Stanley Cups in ’91 and ’92, and then spurned them for their biggest rival in his NHL return just last summer.  Jagr still has a wicked wrist shot, but may have durability issues, and will draw the ire of Pens fans whether for his “dying alive” statements long ago or his decision this past summer.  One thing is clear, if he has time and space, he’s beating you glove side.

Max Talbot – The folk hero that brought the Stanley Cup to Pittsburgh in ’09 left for Philly this past summer to the chagrin of Pens fans everywhere.  He put together a revival season for his career, scoring 19 goals, and is always dangerous in his checking role.  You already know he can be a spark plug…but just imagine how he can incite his former fans and teammates.  He probably knows a little too much about how to irritate the Pens than I would like.

How many people just vomited in their mouth?

The Second-Hand “Stars”:

Danny Briere – Little Danny Briere can be a star or a flop, all in the same period.  He’s an overpaid, undersized veteran at this point, but he has never shown the ability to lead his team on his own.  Given room, he can be dangerous with some stellar passing abilities, but as Joe Vitale demonstrated, a hard check can knock him down quickly.

Jakub Voracek – While Briere above will be hot or cold by period, Voracek will likely be hot or cold for the whole series.  Keep him down in Game 1 and he may drift away quietly, but if he scores a big goal, he will put up big numbers throughout the series.  He finished the season hot with 10 points in 7 games (including a 3 point game against Pittsburgh).  Often overlooked due to a lack of physical play, Voracek was still 4^th on the team in takeaways, so the Pens need to beware of him in the neutral zone.

The Young Up and Comers:

Matt Read – Read was red hot for the first 2 months of the season before getting a little lost in the Flyers depth chart after a slump.  He is another takeaway specialist and had a knack for coming up clutch as he led the team with 6 game winning goals.  He’s a solid role player as a rookie and will likely improve as he gets his feet wet in his first playoff experience. 

He scored his 1st goal quickly and added over 20 more in his rookie year.

Sean Couturier – Making the team unexpectedly out of camp, Couturier was drafted in the 1^st round this past summer and made a great impression with Philly very fast.  He played a big part on their penalty kill and was the 2^nd best takeaway guy on the team to Giroux, despite getting much less ice time.  The Pens will have a chance to take advantage of him in the faceoff circle, where he only won at a 47% rate despite taking over 800 faceoffs this season.  At 6’3, he doesn’t even weigh 200 lbs, so the Pens will want to use their big bodies on him heavily to wear him down.

The Talented Agitators:

Scott Hartnell – He led the team in hits, was 2^nd in shots, and led the team with 37 goals in an all-star season.  We all hate Scott Hartnell.  He’s a dbag, but he knows how to succeed.  Hartnell is an expert at getting under the opposition’s skin and placing himself around the crease at all times, where he is very adept with his stick.  Pittsburgh will have to avoid playing his mind games and make sure he doesn’t get in Fleury’s way.

Wayne Simmonds – Simmonds is just a true hockey player in every sense.  He can hit, has a scoring touch, and will do everything necessary to win a game.  He has a great hockey sense, especially around the net, and he isn’t afraid of getting involved with anyone.  Really, Simmonds is a blue collar guy that will get under your skin through goals and timely plays.  Keeping him to the outside and away from the front of the net will be paramount.

If you can't respect this, I can't respect you.

The Sometimes Idiotic Muscle:

Jody Shelley – Who knows if Shelley even touches the ice, but if he does he won’t be doing much.  He registered 1 point this season and is exists more as a preemptive strike than to do anything in the game.  Don’t worry yourself with this goon, any shift he takes in this series will be an opportunity for the Pens to make him look like a fool.

Zac Rinaldo – Rinaldo however, comes with a much better skating ability though far less brains in how he uses it.  He almost led the league in penalty minutes this year.  He will attempt to be a spark plug with big, though often borderline hits.  If he crosses the line, the Pens have to let him be punished and stick to their game.  Just like Hartnell, Rinaldo will try to draw their focus and distract them from playing systematic hockey.

Best part of the season?  Letang knocking over Hartnell,
who then high-sticked Rinaldo in the teeth.

The Annoying Energy: 

Eric Wellwood – Wellwood has had an impressive ability this season for elevating his game against the Penguins.  He is a very quick skater who did not play much during the season but has enough skill to warrant a look.  He was a +12 in just 24 games this season, posting 9 points and only averaging 10 minutes of ice time per game.  Think Joe Vitale with more of a scoring touch.

Brayden Schenn – Schenn is a kid with a very bright future as a former 1^st round pick in ’09 but for now he just plugs holes for the Flyers when necessary.  With depth up the middle already pretty strong, the Flyers use Schenn for about 13-14 minutes per game as a 3^rd line center.  He has a scoring touch, can play gritty (and crosscheck people in the back) and generally has a very versatile game to match his opponents.

Harry Zolnierczyk – Zolnierczyk is another energy type guy, though at a -11 on the season, the Flyers will refrain from using him much.  He is more of a throw away guy for smaller fights or short shifts to give the big guys a rest.  He only managed 6 points in 37 games and was mainly a liability when he couldn’t find his way to the penalty box.

The Points from the Point:

Kimmo Timonen – My best memory of TImonen will always be Kunitz trying to kill him back in 2009.  But more to the point, he’s a veteran defenseman that has made many playoff runs at this point and will keep this group calm and focused.  He has a solid shot from the point and won’t be intimidated by Pittsburgh’s skill. 

Keep your head up there Timonen.

Matt Carle – Carle has missed usual defensive Chris Pronger greatly this season, but he has survived well enough to still put together a strong season.  He has a great passing presence from the blue line and rushes pucks up through the neutral zone very well.  He is also very capable in his own end and quick to make slides for coverages.  He will be a big help to the Flyers PP as well as handling the 2^nd and 3^rd lines likely.

The Shut Down Men:

Braydon Coburn – Coburn does not receive enough credit for how strong he actually is defensively.  He can hold his ground against anyone and is very smart about his positioning, especially when covering around the crease.  He may give a little space to the Pens quicker forwards because he doesn’t want to get beat, so the Pens will have to try to exploit that with Dupuis and Sullivan especially.

Andreas Lilja – Lilja is already very familiar with the Pens and demonstrated it against them over the past week.  He knows how to play Malkin, like really knows how to do it.  Expect him to do his best to be physical on the Pens big 3 centers because I will tell you something, Lilja isn’t afraid of them after his time in Detroit.

Most priceless experience anyone on Philly could possibly have.

The New Comers:

Nicklas Grossmann – Grossmann was laughed at as a fix for the Flyers defense, but it turns out the kid can actually play.  He won’t do anything flashy, but he has good hockey sense in the defensive zone and generally knows to be in the right places.  His knee may still be sore from Vitale’s rage a couple of weeks ago, but Grossmann should hold his own just fine.

Pavel Kubina – Apparently we shouldn’t expect to see Kubina play.  He has been around the league a bit; he’s a big body with some skill, though he hasn’t looked strong for the Flyers at all since arriving from Tampa Bay.  There are rumors flying that he will be healthy scratched for Game 1, so I guess he doesn’t fit in quite as well as Holmgren wanted.

The Wild Card:

Marc-Andre Bourdon – Bourdon has a lot of talent though I’m not sure he is quite ripe for playoff hockey against the best offensive team in the league yet.  The skills are there, but the Pens forwards should be able to have their way with him just based on their vision and speed.  If he plays wiser than his age though, he may be a big equalizer in depth for the Flyers.

The Injured:

Chris Pronger, James van Riemsdyk and Andrej Meszaros – Pronger is out for the season and the latter 2 are not expected to be back in for this series, so don’t worry about it.  Be very happy actually as Meszaros is a veteran on that blue line and JVR had a great playoff run last year.  The Pens are lucky to not be facing these 3 as the Flyers will be tough already.  Pronger may have made them the Cup favorite.

The Crazy Russian Goalies:

Ilya Bryzgalov – No one knows what to expect out of Bryzgalov with the humongous universe on his shoulders.  He has faltered in the playoffs before with Phoenix, but has also been quite successful with Anaheim.  Really, you can flip a coin to determine what he will provide for the Flyers.  The key will be getting into his head…if the Pens can play some games with his head, mainly around the crease and taking surprising shots, Bryz may be out early.

HUMONGOUS 

Sergei Bobrovsky – Bobrovsky FINALLY lost at Consol after some great games there over the past 2 seasons.  He is a solid goaltender when facing a heavy workload, but seems to struggle a little more in light games.  I don’t expect to see him unless Bryz falters multiple times, but if he does come in, his confidence will be the key.  Beat him early and he will falter, but he definitely gets better as the game goes on.