Short Series Sets Second Straight Stanley Showdown

It’s a great time to be a hockey fan, especially if your team is the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Pens undressed and ousted the Carolina Hurricanes with a Game 4 road victory good for a spectacular series sweep. Pittsburgh is headed back to the Stanley Cup Finals for the second consecutive year. Tuesday night’s 4-1 rout in Raleigh concluded the Eastern Conference four game Penguin romp.
Carolina’s Eric Staal got the first goal of the game, and the only one of the series for the franchise player. The Hurricanes bolted to a 1-0 lead on Staal’s wrap-around chance and Carolina was hoping for similar results in games when he scored (7-0 in those post-season situations) Pittsburgh’s offense would take over from there. Ruslan Fedotenko scored for the Pens 8.21 into the first period and Max Talbot slapped a wrister in the goal ten minutes later. Bill Guerin, the 16 year veteran, skimmed a netter in the second on a Sidney Crosby assist. Crosby burst out of the penalty box, worked the puck up the ice and dished the puck right to Guerin’s stick. Bill made contact and slapped the puck past Hurricane goalie, Cam Ward. Craig Adams fired an empty netter for the fourth and final goal, on assists from the exceptional Crosby and Talbot. Pittsburgh’s Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 30 shots on goal, and Ward had 21 saves for Carolina. The Hurricanes struck five penalties to the Pens’ four. The series loss was the first playoff one of Ward’s successful NHL career. He was previously 5-0 in elimination games, but the Penguins bucked the odds and put to rest an overextended Hurricane team.
The Penguins played another classic Pittsburgh-style hockey game last night. With the score tied at 1-1 in the first period, Talbot tricked Carolina defenseman, Anton Babchuk. Talbot swing hard and Babchuk got his stick and skate on the puck. The black oval undulated airborne, floated and flipped over a waving Ward in net. What looked like an easy save became a freakish fluke. The stroke of luck shot was good for a goal and the first Penguin lead of the night. Any Carolina home ice edge was subdued with Talbot’s tormenting tally.
In the series, Pittsburgh outscored the spent Canes 20-9, netting at least three goals in each game. Not one Carolina player scored more than two points as they entered Game 4, and they were unable to overcome the talented Penguin team. Pittsburgh sabotaged Carolina’s chances of capitalizing on their early momentum again. Even when the defense controlled the play down low, Pittsburgh’s depth players stepped up with four unanswered goals. Fleury slammed the door on any quality attempts to his territory by stopped captain, Rod Brind’Amour, Matt Cullen, Ray Whitney and Sergei Samsonov from scoring. Carolina lost because their passing was hurried, goaltending was shoddy and the offense was flat in the end.
The return trip to the Stanley Cup Finals marks the Pens’ fourth in history and sets up a potential re-match of last year’s contest with the Red Wings. This Penguins team can handle the pressure inflicted from any team on the ice. Pittsburgh outworks and out hustles opponents with the flashy skating of Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. The above-average Malkin did not factor into Tuesday night’s clinching contest, but came of age during this playoff series. He broke out in the opening games as the hottest player on the frozen ice. Malkin and Crosby both played out of their minds and are going to be a disruptive force in the Stanley Cup Finals. Crosby wouldn’t cooperate with Carolina’s cut-throat defense and Cam couldn’t control Malkin’s corruptive carousing. The indiscreet Fedotenko is a bright spot, always seeming to have it at the right time. He chips in with brilliant passing and execution on offense. Thorough fourth-line players, like Adams and Miro Satan, allow Crosby and Malkin to remain fresh on the bench. Satan and Philippe Boucher added an assist a piece in Game 4. Pittsburgh is moving on because they got secondary scoring when they needed it. Adams had two goals and three points this series. Guerin and Chris Kunitz add a spine to this Penguins team. They combined for ten points against the Hurricanes. The mindset in Pittsburgh is different this year, and was on full display during their latest sweep of Carolina. Sergei Gonchar and Jordan Staal provide even more fight and fuel on the ice for Pittsburgh. Staal, the 6’4” center, was skating against his brother Eric. The 2006 draft pick Jordan will be the brother moving on to the final round of the playoffs. Ward is a former playoff MVP for Carolina, but Fleury showed him up this series. Marc now has 26 playoff wins in the past two seasons. Fleury was reliable in protecting the net and the defense provided a consistent effort against a wobbly and withered Hurricane offense.
The Penguins didn’t allow Carolina a game and proved they are the best team in the NHL with their smothering style. Their five-man defensive system knows how to adjust and clog the neutral zone. They create opportunities for the offense by forcing turnovers and chasing down the puck. Hal Gill and Rob Scuderi are unsung defensive heroes, but it’s the Penguin offense that makes this team flow and glow. The Penguins have outscored their opposition by a lopsided margin of 26-11 this post-season. New head coach, Dan Bylsma, has a solid core poised to capture the NHL title. Since he took over the team, the Penguins have gone 30-8-4 and he played a role in their return trip. Bylsma’s outlook has helped establish a stable, well-blended and balanced team. They got a deserving series win after being dominant on all dimensions. Objective observers may disagree, but the Penguins have the goods to take down the Red Wings. Detroit is particularly good up front because they have more depth and their back end sports the best blueline in hockey. But the Penguins are strong in goal and have experienced stars with ability to dissipate any minor advantages. They have asserted themselves as another premier Pittsburgh professional organization. I’m crossing my fingers for a Penguin championship because I truly enjoy Crosby more than any other player in the game. Pittsburgh works wonderfully well as a team with the unconscious young talent and aggregate veteran presence. Although I considered them a legitimate contender, never did I expect the Penguins to reach back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals. I now believe this is the team to beat in 2009. Most Penguins waddle but these NHL stars sure don’t. Go Pens!

Parting points: Hump Day humming: “We Didn’t Start The Fire” by Billy Joel

“Losing feels worse than winning feels good”- Vin Scully