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Game Night: Pens host Boston in Game 1 of Eastern Conference final Saturday |
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Game Night: Pens-Bruins begin final series to Stanley Cup Saturday night
There’s no truth to the rumor that Kjell Samuelsson will be asked to defend Vladimir Ruzicka on Saturday night, it’s just feels like it’s been that long since the last game.
Fortunately, those kinds of jokes now come to an end and we can all get down to brass tacks, enjoy some Stanley Cup hockey.
On paper, the Pittsburgh Penguins have defeated the Boston Bruins in six of the last seven meetings.
They went 3-0 in 2013, but none of the contests were of the blowout variety.
When the teams first met March 12, the Penguins had won five straight, but there was a segment within the NHL that believed the Bruins were the superior squad and the team to beat. Boston controlled much of the play until Pittsburgh erupted for three goals in the final seven minutes – including two by Brandon Sutter -- for a 3-2 victory.
Patrice Bergeron (13-8) and Rich Peverley (10-3) combined to win 23 of 34 faceoffs. Sidney Crosby went 11-16 in the circle; Sutter, 9-6.
(Both Pittsburgh and Boston want to keep the puck in the other team’s end. Winning draws is the easiest way to do just that. In the playoffs, the Bruins lead all teams by winning 57.5 percent of their faceoffs. The Pens are winning draws at a 50.1 rate.)
Five days later, the Penguins knocked off the B’s, 2-1, in another meeting at Consol. This time the Pens took the lead late in the first period on a Joe Vitale goal and maintained the one-goal lead for the final 40-plus minutes. Brooks Orpik lead both teams with six blocked shots and seven hits.
Boston goalie, Tuukka Rask, gave up two goals on 18 shots. For his career, Rask has compiled a 1-4 mark against Pittsburgh, with a 2.63 GAA and .903 save percentage – not ideal numbers against a Penguins team which has averaged 4.27 goals in the playoffs.
When the third and final game was played April 20, the Pens were missing the likes of Sidney Crosby (jaw), Evgeni Malkin (shoulder) and James Neal (lower body).
The BostonStrong game, delayed three days due to the marathon tragedy, featured Jarome Iginla’s first game against the Bruins in a Pittsburgh sweater. Iginla netted a power-play goal, Milan Lucic surprisingly served as a healthy scratch and Tomas Vokoun stopped 38 of 40 shots for his second win in as many meetings against Boston.
Brenden Morrow led the Pens with five hits. He will be called upon to bang Zdeno Chara at every turn, as will all of Pittsburgh’s forwards.
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My impressions
Comparing the Boston Bruins to the New York Islanders or even the Ottawa Senators does a disservice to a Stanley Cup winner with more rings on their fingers than the Penguins.
The Bruins aren’t going to be intimidated by Pittsburgh’s offense. They might get beat by it, but that’s not going to change their thinking that they can win the series.
Tuukka Rask losing four of five career games to Pittsburgh is an under-reported aspect of the series preview.
Tomas Vokoun doesn’t have to play lights out for Pittsburgh to win, but Rask probably does.
Marc-Andre Fleury has always fared well against the Bruins. If anything happens to Vokoun, then it’s nice to know that the Flower can pick things up confidently in whatever relief capacity he might be needed.
The Pens haven’t lost in Boston since the 2009-10 campaign, going 5-0. I’m not sure what to make of that or how significant that stat is in the playoffs, but it’s an interesting number nonetheless.
Evgeni Malkin missed all three regular season games against Boston. I’m fairly confident that his magic in the offensive end of the ice will more than offset his questionable turnover tendencies in his own end and his faceoff deficiencies. Malkin and his shoulder may have benefited as much or more than any Penguin player from the eight-day layoff.
If Boston’s headlines are about Torey Krug, then I think the Penguins will be okay. If those same headlines are about Zdeno Chara and his exploits, then the Pens could be in trouble.
I don’t think Krug’s magic will a difference-maker against Pittsburgh.
The Bruins’ 81.1 penalty-kill percent in the playoffs is very surprising. Who would’ve guessed that the Pens’ PK unit (89.7 percent) would be better than Boston’s?
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Prediction
Pens beat the Bruins in seven games. Marc-Andre Fleury reliefs Tomas Vokoun midway through the series and plays well against Boston, as he always has.
What’s your prediction?
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Treasure Life!
JT
Pittsburgh Penguins Blogger • 
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