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The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the New York Rangers 3-0 in Game 2 of their second round matchup. If not for the brilliance of Henrik Lundqvist, it would have been worse. The Penguins dominated the game.
Lundqvist could not have played any better but the Penguins were relentless in their offensive attack. Even the greats like Lundqvist can't stop all the pucks when they are consistently under siege.
New York had its opportunity early and often on the power play to try and seize the game but the Rangers power play did what it has done since Game 2 vs the Flyers, it failed. The Rangers power play is 0 for its last 29 and while you can win in the playoffs without a top notch power play (as proven by 2011 Bruins), it sure makes life a hell of a lot harder when the other team owns even strength flow of play.
After the Rangers received their run of power plays in the 1st period it was all downhill for them in the possession department
At even strength during this series the Rangers have 68 shots attempts and the Penguins have 101. That gives the Penguins a CF% of 59.8%, that is excellent. Much was made about the Rangers forward depth before the series and how that would play into the possession department, so far it has yet to make a dent. The Penguins forward unit hasn’t been this healthy all season long and with Brian Gibbons coming back from his injury, it allowed Dan Bylsma to bury one of the worst anchors in the Penguins forward grouping, Tanner Glass. Gibbons speed was evident all night long and his inclusion in the lineup was a definite improvement over Glass. Gibbons should be a mainstay from here on out, Glass and/or Adams should not.
It is no surprise that the Penguins played their best game of the season when they had their healthiest forward lineup on the ice. Their bottom 6 forward grouping went from being a complete utter embarrassment that anchored down the top 6, to a group that can tread water and sometimes push the play themselves. That is a huge shift in the dynamic of the Penguins roster. The Penguins top 6 can now be slotted into more favorable matchups. This was not realistic nor prudent for much of the year.
Sidney Crosby was awesome. Anybody worried about goal scoring if he strings a few more games like that together? This was Sid’s first game of the playoffs where he came close to hitting his ceiling as a player for the entire evening. I don’t know how he did it, or why he wasn’t doing it before, but if it continues the Penguins just got a lot better than they have been up to this point in the playoffs. Crosby was buzzing around the ice with the jump in his step that Pittsburgh faithful have been accustomed to seeing for the better part of 8 seasons.
Crosby went from looking “sluggish” and bumbling plays on his stick, to full flight, using his feet like Pele, and making tape to tape passes. There was a pass in the 1st period where CBC showed a unique angle from Kunitz’s perspective, it showed Crosby barely zipping the puck by the goal cage in what was a geometrical thing of beauty. That kind of play is easy to overlook, but a sign of Sid being on his game. Sid was on his game.
With Ryan McDonagh banged up and Dan Girardi absorbing an insane workload, the table is set for Crosby to catch fire, assuming the standard from Game 2 continues on. The Blue Jackets had Brandon Dubinsky to lean on in an effort to slow Crosby down, the Rangers don’t have that guy. Can Crosby string together back to back high quality games? We shall find out tonight.
Kris Letang played his best game in a long long time. Letang had a goal and 2 assists on the evening. Since being paired with Paul Martin he has been a much better player. Letang might not be able to carry guys like Brooks Orpik and Rob Scuderi around the ice, but that doesn’t mean he can’t play good hockey anymore. Orpik and Scuderi have been a drag on what is an extremely gifted hockey player. Paul Martin is the Penguins best defenseman and the biggest reason why is because he gets the best out of every single one of his partners. Letang is what he is, nurture it, don’t suppress it. When Orpik is healthy again it would be a mistake to put him back with Martin, leave Letang there. Maximize your assets.
Jussi Jokinen continues to rack up playoff points. He scored the Penguins huge insurance goal in the 3rd period to help solidify the Penguins victory and make the final minutes a lot less stressful than they would have been. Jokinen now has points in 6 straight games.
Don't look now but Evgeni Malkin has 4 goals and 10 points in 8 playoff games. He is only 3 back on the playoff scoring lead and he looks like he is just starting to heat up. Geno Machino is always a welcomed site in the playoffs.
Marcel Goc return to the lineup has been a terrific addition. He leads Penguins in even strength CF% at 65.4%. That certainly helps out what was an under performing bottom 6 forward group.
Kunitz generated some quality scoring chances, he went hard to the net on Letang’s goal, had a breakaway, and came extremely close to finishing off a tic tac toe play from Crosby and Malkin before puck sailed over the cross bar on his tip. Kunitz has been relatively quiet so far in these playoffs, but so has his center. With Crosby in full swing Kunitz was a lot more noticeable.
Last but not least Marc Andre Fleury recorded his 7th career playoff shutout and that breaks the Penguins team record for the playoffs. Fleury improved his EVSV% to an impressive .943% in the 2014 playoffs. His overall save percentage is a pedestrian .914% but never being able to see shots while on the penalty kill has not made his job very easy. If not for the Penguins total lack of regard for Fleury’s sightlines on the PK that percentage would be higher right now too. Fortunately for Fleury and the Penguins the Rangers power play has made life easy on them, for now.
Game 3 is tonight and if the Penguins own the puck again, they will take ownership of this series. The schedule is what it is, it’s up to the Penguins to take advantage by running the Rangers ragged. Making them chase the puck around the ice for 60% of the game will do just that. The series is on a platter right now, take it.
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Jan Levine recaps Game 2 and previews Game 3,
you can read his piece from today here
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This week's Hockey Hurts podcast is up on iTunes, give it a listen and then a review
You can find it here. This week's topic is all about the playoffs and what should the Sharks and Blues do?
Thanks for reading!
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