The Penguins came out and did a great job 5 on 5. In fact, they looked like they were going to dominate this hockey game. Unfortunately for them, that wasn't the case. They overpassed the puck and tried to get too fancy on numerous occasions. They made some mistakes that ended up in their net and Marc Andre Fleury did not look sharp. Overall, they looked a lot like a team that didn't play a hockey game in a week.
The Capitals were far from perfect in this one themselves. They were sloppy with the puck in their own zone and allowed the Penguins too many odd man breaks. Though the Penguins didn't capitalize on those opportunities, the Caps had better get a bit more disciplined with the puck moving forward.
Simeon Varlamov took round one and looked good in making 34 saves. It is worth noting that the two goals he did allow in this one were far from stellar, especially the one scored by Mark Eaton. He does look very calm in the net and does a nice job of controlling his rebounds. The Penguins are going to have to get more traffic and misdirection in front of him if they are going to be successful in this series. They didn't do that near enough today and most of his saves were on first opportunities. Also, the save he made on Sidney Crosby is going to end up being an ESPN play of the night. Amazing...
Marc Andre Fleury has got to be better. The first goal he allowed was off of a huge rebound right in front of the cage...he has got to do a better job of controlling that puck. The second was a situation in which he was way to far out of his net, especially with the traffic that was in front of him. The entire team, including Fleury, seemed to lose Alex Ovechkin and he made no mistake of burying a pass in behind Fleury. The third goal is one that just can't happen. I realize that the Capitals got themselves into an odd man situation, but Sergei Gonchar took himself out of the play by leaving his feet. Backstrom made a very nice pass, but Fleichmann did not get good wood on the shot and Fleury was in position as he slid across...he should have had it.
The Penguins power play was again their Achilles heal. They went 0-5 with the extra man, including two huge opportunities in the third period when they were down 3-2. They did manage 6 shots, but they wasted far too much time during each opportunity just trying to secure the zone. Their inability to score with the extra man is definitely going to continue biting them in the backside. Today's outcome could have been a lot different had they been able to cash in a couple times on the power play. If I am not mistaken, they have not picked up a power play goal since game four against Philadelphia.
Petr Sykora was back in the line-up but I didn't see much difference in his game. He just cannot seem to get his shot on net or control the puck effectively. He had better find a way to get on the board quickly, as Bylsma has shown that he will not hesitate to put Miro Satan in the line-up.
Chirs Kunitz did pick up an assist today, but he is also mired in a playoff slump. He had multiple opportunities to get the puck to the net today and did not. He has got to start scoring some goals or else the Penguins should consider moving him off of the top line. He is still playing a very good physical game, but he has got to upgrade in the offensive department if this team is going to be successful.
Evgeni Malkin didn't have a great game, but he did upgrade his play in the face-off circle -- he won 63% of his draws today. He only put two pucks on the net and too often looked for a pass. He was guilty of multiple back passes...he is got to keep the puck moving North and getting it on the net to be successful.
Alex Ovechkin picked up the Capitals second goal of the game, but I don't feel that it was one of his greatest performances. He did attempt 17 shots in the game, with 9 going on the net. He was also very physical in all zones. I am sure that he will only get better moving forward.
Sidney Crosby scored a big goal to get the Penguins off and running, but seemed to be being held back by the play of his wingers. His line didn't to generate the pressure it could have because of the wingers inability to get the puck to the net. Crosby did get 6 shots on goal and came close to cashing a couple of times.
Mark Eaton played another good game for the Penguins. He picked up another goal, blocked 3 shots and was a steady player on the Penguins blue line.
As I and many others have said leading up to this series, secondary scoring would be the difference and it was for the Caps today. They picked up 4 points and 2 goals from players not names Ovechkin, Semin or Backstrom. That is huge...
Overall, the game was fairly even and each side could have won. However, the Capitals did what was necessary to push themselves ahead in this one. The Penguins still have history on their sides as the Capitals have led 6 of the previous 7 series after one game only to have lost 6 of them. This is sure to be one of the best battles between these two teams yet...
More later...
Answering Ek’s Six Questions – Pens v Caps Game 1
I was sitting down to write the game one preview and I noticed Ek’s blog featuring six questions about Pens v Caps. I figured that it would be as fitting a way to preview game one as any. In a way, I am a bit sick of the hype that this series has brought...not because it is warranted, but because I am ready for the stinking games! Thankfully those games are upon us and the series kicks off this afternoon at 1:00 pm! With that, here is a look at Ek’s six questions regarding Pens v Caps.
1. Who is going to win? Pittsburgh or Washington?
Either team has the ability to win this series, though at the end of the day I think will be the Pittsburgh Penguins. They possess a bit more playoff experience and might be a bit deeper through their forward ranks, but especially on the blue line. I also feel that the Penguins will have an edge in the goaltending department. Varlamov has been great for the Caps, but he has faced an average of just over 23 shots per game. He will face a lot more rubber in this series.
2. How many games?
6 hard fought games.
3. Who is going to be the best player in this series?
I have a feeling that it will be anyone other than Crosby, Malkin or Ovechkin. Those guys will show up and play well, but it will be the secondary scoring that decides this series. Look for someone like Ruslan Fedotenko, Tyler Kennedy, Jordan Staal, Sergei Fedorov, Brooks Laich or Matt Bradley to score more than one huge goal in this series.
4. What will be the biggers factor in this series?
The secondary scoring that I mentioned above will be very important, but I think goaltending becomes an even bigger issue. This series might just come down to the match-up of Simeon Varlamov and Marc Andre Fleury. Fleury possesses an edge coming into the series, based on the fact that he has been around the block and has a lot more playoff experience. That could all change if Varlamov continues to blossom as he has during the first round. The Penguins will look to expose him with a lot more shots than he has faced to this point. Rookies have shown in the past that they carry a team to the Cup Final, I am not yet convinced that will be the case here.
5. Does this series pay any role in solving the Crosby vs. Ovechkin Debate?
Unfortunately, no -- though a series between them ultimately tips the scales slightly based on the fact that winning counts for an awful lot. However, it is worth noting that until this season, the Penguins all but owned the Washington Capitals in the all-time series between Crosby/Ovechkin and that didn’t seem to sway anyone’s opinion. This will go a long way towards building the debate more so than solving it.
6. Are you looking forward to this series...and why ot why not?
Definitely looking forward to this series, how could you not be? It matches up three of the top players in all of hockey, plus there is a built in rivalry to consider. This is going to be a treat for hockey fans in both cities and has the potential to be a great series!
Game Notes
The Penguins will meet the Capitals for a franchise record eight times and first time since 2001.
The Penguins have won six of the seven career post-season meetings between the two clubs.
The Penguins are 21-24 all-time in the first game of a seven-game series, including a 7-14 mark on the road.
The Penguins have outscored the Capitals 137 to 121 in 42 career post-season matchups.
The Penguins and Capitals have gone to overtime on six different occasions during the post-season with the Penguins holding a 5-1 record. The last time the two teams needed overtime to decide a game was 04/23/01 with Martin Straka’s tally at 13:04 into the extra frame.
Sidney Crosby recorded seven points (1G-6A) in four games versus Washington this season.
Alexander Semin leads all Capitals with seven points (3G-4A) in four games versus Pittsburgh.
Bill Guerin has 37 points (24G-13A) in 48 career games against the Capitals while Crosby has 26 points (8G-18A) in 15 career games.
Marc-Andre Fluery is 8-3-0 with a 2.90 goals-against average in 11 career regular season appearances against Washington.
Crosby ranks second in the NHL winning 99 of 156 draws (63.5 %) over six games. Crosby finished last season with a 49.0 percent success rate through 20 post-season games.
Penguins Youtube of the Day:
Highlights of the Penguins/Capitals 4 OT Match-Up From 1996
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