Thursday, May 15, 2008
By Dave Molinari, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Peter Diana/Post-Gazette
Marian Hossa: The bad postseason rap is gone.
PHILADELPHIA -- Remember when the Penguins made that stunning deal a few minutes before the NHL trade deadline Feb. 26?
The one that brought Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis from Atlanta? The one everyone figured was done to put an elite goal-scorer on Sidney Crosby's right side?
Well, it turns out that when general manager Ray Shero sent Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, Angelo Esposito and a first-round draft choice to the Thrashers for those two guys, what he actually was looking for was -- who'd have guessed? -- an elite goal-scorer to put on Sidney Crosby's right side.
And now, more than two months after the fact, it's apparent that Shero got one.
Hossa enters Game 4 of the Eastern Conference final against Philadelphia at 7:38 tonight at the Wachovia Center with six goals in the past six games and eight in the past 10.
He's hardly one-dimensional -- Hossa's versatility and well-rounded game make him an asset even when his scoring touch deserts him -- but the dimension he is providing is one the Penguins craved when they outbid a handful of clubs to add him for the stretch drive and playoffs.
"We said all along that when he's not scoring, he does some good things that help us win games, which is true," Shero said yesterday. "But let's be realistic: He also needs to score goals."
Hossa has been doing that -- a lot -- and his production is one of the major reasons the Penguins have moved to within one victory of a berth in the Stanley Cup final for the first time since 1992.
He and Evgeni Malkin are tied for the team lead with eight goals in these playoffs and were part of a six-way tie for fourth in the league before Game 4 between Detroit and Dallas in the Western Conference final last night.
Not a bad contribution (especially when coupled with seven assists) for a guy whose ability to perform under playoff pressure had been the subject of considerable discussion in hockey circles since shortly after he secured steady employment in the NHL with Ottawa in 1998.
Hossa said he doesn't dwell on criticism of his big-game production -- "I try to not pay too much attention to that," he said -- but it's not hard to understand its origins. Before this spring, he had 13 goals and 22 assists in 55 playoff games.
Very nice numbers for a role player. Very ordinary, at best, for a world-class difference-maker.
"A guy like Hossa always has been a little bit criticized about his playoff performance in the past," Penguins coach Michel Therrien said. "Right now, he's playing his best hockey in his career in the playoffs."
Some of the best hockey by anybody in these playoffs, actually. And even though his two-way game is consistently strong, the psychological benefits of scoring goals with regularity are hard to overlook.
"For an offensive player, it's always good for the confidence when the puck is going in for you," Hossa said.
Hossa clearly has benefited from his partnership with Crosby. While injuries prevented them from playing together much during the regular season, they've begun to develop a chemistry, to sense where the other is on the ice, and where he might be headed.
"I think it's getting better every game," Hossa said. "We just have to keep talking and talking and just getting better and better."
No one appreciates what Hossa and Crosby have done -- and what they're capable of doing -- as much as Pascal Dupuis. He's the left winger on their line, and owner of one of the most attractive jobs in hockey.
"I could sell that spot on eBay for a lot of money right now, playing the left side with Crosby and Hossa in the playoffs," he said, smiling.
Although Hossa said "I don't really have an explanation" for why he has scored so often of late, the partnership with Crosby certainly is part of it.
Their ice times are almost identical -- Hossa is averaging 19 minutes and 59 seconds, five seconds less than Crosby -- and their playing styles are complementary.
"It's the right fit to play with Crosby," Therrien said. "He's having a great time right now. You can tell."
Yeah, it shows. In Hossa's smile, which almost never seems to go away. And in his goal-scoring total, which rises just about every night he reports to work.
Dave Molinari can be reached at DWMolinari@Yahoo.com.
First published on May 15, 2008 at 12:00 am
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