PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, April 17, 2008
The Penguins' Jarkko Ruutu put the puck past Ottawa Senators' goaltender Martin Gerber in the second period at Scotiabank Place in Game 4 of first-round Stanley Cup action, April 16, 2008. The Penguins won, 3-1, and swept the series, 4-0.
Chaz Palla/Tribune-Review
OTTAWA -- Senators coach Bryan Murray was wrong when he charged the Penguins with tanking their final regular-season game in order to ensure a first-round playoff matchup with his team.
The Penguins played their No. 1 goaltender, Marc-Andre Fleury, in the 2-0 loss at Philadelphia and used all of their best players not named Sidney Crosby.
Still, any rational observer could see the truth: The Penguins, having clinched the Atlantic Division, abandoned their previously stated goal of earning the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and put a premium on avoiding injuries.
They didn't try to lose, but if losing meant a first-round date with the sickly Senators, well, who needs the top seed in the East, anyway?
Wednesday night, 11 days after their Philly flop, the Penguins swept Ottawa out of the playoffs with a 3-1 victory at Scotiabank Place -- the same building that saw the previous season end, 363 days earlier, with a bitter handshake.
This time, the post-series shake had a different feel for the Penguins.
"A little more smiling," said Fleury, who was sublime in the series, stopping 107 of 112 Senators shots.
Credit the Penguins for delivering a playoff kill shot, a new experience for most of them. They maintained their focus and intensity for most of the game last night, even though Murray's crew had clearly lost interest.
If you listened hard enough, you could hear the Senators' golf carts firing up (not that they tanked the game or anything).
The Penguins' Evgeni Malkin scores on Senators goaltender Martin Gerber in the second period of Game 4 in first-round Stanley Cup action at Scotiabank Place, April 16, 2008. The Penguins won, 3-1, and swept the series, 4-0.
Chaz Palla/Tribune-Review
Finishing the job so swiftly and decisively was a testament to the Penguins' newfound maturity. Coach Michel Therrien liked what he saw afterward.
Rather, what he didn't see.
"They're happy about winning the series," Therrien said. "But one thing I know with that group -- and I went into the dressing room after the game - they're not overexcited."
The potential downside to having played the Senators isn't so different from the upside -- the fact they were such an easy out.
The Penguins should not be misled by that. Ottawa was a badly banged-up club that had posted the NHL's worst record after Jan. 1. Any of the other 14 playoff teams (and probably a bunch who missed out) would have beaten the Senators in a best-of-7 series.
Sometimes, a good first-round test is necessary to steel a team for stiffer competition.
On the other hand, you have to believe the Penguins will adjust quickly to a radical upgrade in competition in the second round, whether it be the New York Rangers, the Washington Capitals, the New Jersey Devils or even the Boston Bruins.
At this point, anything less than a trip to the Stanley Cup final would be considered a major disappointment, and anything less than advancing to the conference final would be a massive underachievement.
When Murray congratulated Therrien after the game, he told him, "You have a real good team and very definitely a chance to win the East."
Penguins Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin celebrates Malkin's second-period goal against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Place in Game 4 of first-round Stanley Cup action, April 16, 2008. The Penguins won, 3-1, and swept the series, 4-0.
Chaz Palla/Tribune-Review
No less an authority than Senators winger Martin Lapointe, a two-time Cup winner with Detroit, believes the Penguins have the goods to win it all.
"What can you say about (Sidney) Crosby and (Evgeni) Malkin? They really showed up," Lapointe said. "It's all about confidence, and obviously, the Penguins have a lot of confidence right now.
"I think if they keep playing hard like that, they have a really good shot at it. It's not out of the question, in my mind."
The instant management traded for Marian Hossa at the trade deadline, the mandate was clear: Win now. Given the constraints of the salary cap, this group is unlikely to return in its current form, which only underscores a seize-the-moment mentality.
In acquiring Hossa, Pascal Dupuis and Hal Gill, the Penguins appear to have made some shrewd moves at the deadline.
It looks like they took the right approach in the regular-season finale, as well. In drawing the Senators, the Penguins were able to gain a massive dose of confidence and survive reasonably intact.
They will be well-rested whatever lay ahead.
Joe Starkey can be reached at jstarkey@tribweb.com or 412-320-7810.
No comments:
Post a Comment