I was absolutely giddy with anticipation of yesterday's drop of the puck and the game didn't disappoint. If you're one of those fans who's really only a fan of their team and not the game and chose not to watch this game...shame on you!
After the Red Wings cliched the West, someone asked me if the Pens could beat them. I replied:
They have to be willing to play dirty and knock them out of the crease. Detroit shoots everything - even from a bad angle - because they ALWAYS have a guy parked in front to bang home the rebound and their puck possession is ridiculous...but so is the Pens'. If they can knock them around in front and don't allow them to cycle they should be good to go and Staal's line will need to come up big. The bottom line is they can't let them get set up and definitely can't give them the man advantage! To quote Herb Brooks - you don't defend them...you ATTACK. You take their game and shove it right back.
It would appear that only a few Pens got the memo...
The Good
Sergei Gonchar - Dude is a rockstar...played monster minutes (27:51 to be exact); had two giveaways (neither of which resulted in a goal), but also attempted 6 shots (2 on record, 2 blocked, 2 wide) and always seemed to be in the right spot at the right time to block a shot or take his man out of the play, effectively shutting down Detroit's top scorers. Way to play!
Brooks Orpik - I knew I liked him for a reason...seven hits later, I remembered why :) He hit/shoved/nudged/irritated everyone even remotely close to the crease and used the body to block 6 shots. Big game for him, I hope he keeps it up.
Ryan Whitney - 4 shots on record, 1 attempt blocked and 2 that went wide; no giveaways and 2 blocked shots...One of his best performances this post season.
Marian Hossa - Seemed to be the only forward with confidence in his shot, as he took 4 and missed 2. He was always moving his feet and trying to find the open space. Still looking for more from him though.
Jordan Staal - He didn't have any impact offensively (didn't even register a shot), but he played the body hard and got the job done on the defensive side of things, especially on the PK. Next game, I hope to see the two-way player we all know he's capable of being.
Props also go out to Adam Hall for winning some key faceoffs and Tyler Kennedy for banging people around all night long.
The Bad
Sidney Crosby - He didn't necessarily play poorly, but he tried to play outside of his game. He tried to do too much and wasn't nearly as effective as he could have and should have been. He needs to focus on his own game and not worry about picking up other people's slack. Lead by example, Sid. The rest will follow.
Marc-Andre Fleury - He should be kissing the post this morning because it could have been a lot worse. Overall I wouldn't say that he played poorly, just not up to the standards that we're used to seeing from him this postseason. I blame it on SCF jitters and fully expect him to bounce back in Game 2.
Pascal Dupuis - I debated putting him on this list because he had some excellent scoring opportunities, but opportunities mean nothing until you capitalize and he did not. He was a physical presence that generated some offense because of it...he needs to keep playing with that much intensity, but next time...finish the job!
The Ugly
Evgeni Malkin - was he even there? All the talk about him not showing up on the road is rearing it's ugly head and I am sooooooo not a fan.
Hal Gill/Rob Scuderi - what the hell happened to this shutdown pair? They were effective against the Rangers and the Flyers, but are not playing the same against Detroit. Not sure what it is but they need to figure it out ASAP. They're not hitting, not playing the body, not containing Detroit's speed...all in all - no bueno! Makes me wonder if Therrien will shake things up on the blueline...
Ryan Malone - What happened to the guy who crashed the net and got his nose dirty? One shot and one hit...that's all you got? in the Stanley Cup Finals?? You are much better than that and everyone knows it...park it in front of Osgood, create havoc and get the dirty goals. Doesn't matter how they go in as long as they do.
Clearly, it is my opinion that the Pens defense did not lose this game...a lack of offense did. The Pens weren't able to get anything going even strength and didn't cash in on their PP opportunities. They were out hit and out shot. The good news is that they know they can do better and I expect nothing less Monday night.
On the Detroit side of things, their best players were their best players and they did everything we expected them to do...
Pavel Datsyuk - 5 shots, 1 attempts blocked, 2 missed and 6 hits while logging 23+ minutes
Henrik Zetterberg - 8 shots, 2 attempts blocked, 2 missed with 22+ minutes
Chris Draper - dominating the faceoff circle with 13 wins
Chris Osgood - I'd like to say he was stellar in the shutout, but let's be real...the Pens didn't exactly make it difficult for him as he faced only 19 shots with only 7 in the final two periods
Mikael Samuelsson - not tops on the list of best players, but he got the job done in every way possible
I see Game 2 as an opportunity for the Penguins to show the strength of their character...They need to battle hard in the corners, establish position in front of Osgood, play smart and, for crying out loud, SHOOT THE DAMN PUCK! It's time to get dirty...
Till then!
Jules
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