PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
NEW YORK - APRIL 29: Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins controls the puck against Marc Staal #18 of the New York Rangers during the first period of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the 2008 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on April 29th, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK: Next.
And, more significant, what will the Penguins think of next?
They've won at home and they've won on the road while winning every game they've played this postseason.
Tuesday night, they conquered the self-proclaimed "world's most famous arena."
The New York Rangers' faithful started screaming early at Madison Square Garden, as is their habit, letting loose about the time national anthem singer Daniel Rodriguez got to "and the rockets' red glare ..."
They really got into it when Jaromir Jagr brought the Rangers all the way back from a 3-1, second-period deficit.
But the Penguins have had an answer for such developments ever since the first playoff puck dropped against Ottawa.
In Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Rangers, the answer was Evgeni Malkin.
The freshly named finalist for the Hart Trophy scored a power-play goal at 17:53 of the second period, off an assist from last season's MVP, Sidney Crosby.
The goal, Malkin's second of the game and fifth of the playoffs, stood as the eventual game-winner in a 5-3 triumph.
The Penguins lead the series three games to none.
The future is now.
The play that won Game 3 was made by Crosby's patience and vision, and by Malkin's shot.
With these two, it's always something.
Neither is the player he's going to be at the apex of his career (Crosby is closer to maxing out than Malkin), but both are skilled enough and playoffs-experienced enough to lead a Cup run right now.
NEW YORK - APRIL 29: Evgeni Malkin #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates his goal giving the Penguins a 4-3 lead over the New York Rangers in the second period of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the 2008 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on April 29th, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
This just in -- they're doing it before our very eyes this spring.
The Penguins have more going for them, of course, and much of their adaptability and combustibility was on display throughout their seventh consecutive playoff triumph.
The whatever-it-takes mentality they've adopted included Ryan Whitney and Kris Letang playing the role of tough guy in Game 3 and Georges Laraque becoming an unlikely goal-scorer.
Getting outshot for the first time in the playoffs, outshot badly, in fact, wasn't an issue.
The constants throughout have been the special teams, and Crosby and Malkin.
If the Rangers want an answer for all of that, they're going to have to come up with something better than Ryan Hollweg.
Crosby's feed and Malkin's finish allowed the Penguins to regain their equilibrium after they'd coughed up their first two-goal lead and head to the locker room ahead after 40 minutes.
The pivotal power play began with the Penguins struggling to get across the New York blueline, but they got the puck into the Rangers' end with about 1:26 remaining in the man-advantage and kept it there.
Malkin scored with three seconds left in Hollweg's unnecessary boarding penalty.
Dagger.
At the other end, the Rangers were finding room and opportunity with Jagr and Co. skating against Whitney and Letang rather than Brooks Orpik and Sergei Gonchar, a matchup Rangers coach Tom Renney couldn't seem to avoid at Mellon Arena.
But the Rangers' power play deserted them again, failing on five more chances that ran its futility streak to a most unlucky 13 consecutive 0-fers.
Included in all those wasted opportunities were 33- and 42-second stretches of two-man advantage.
You can't have that against Crosby and Malkin and still have a chance.
Mike Prisuta is a columnist for the Tribune-Review. He can be reached at mprisuta@tribweb.com or 412-320-7923.
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