Penguins were ready to be taken

"Watching the Penguins in first 20 minutes was ... a horror show."

By RED FISHER, The Montreal Gazette
http://www.montrealgazette.com/sports/index.html
May 5, 2010 3:02 AM

Hoo boy! Is there no end to this wild and crazy ride in the Eastern Conference playoffs? The Washington Capitals, a team that finished 33 points ahead of the Canadiens and with 101 more goals during the NHL regular season, fell in seven.

The No. 2 New Jersey Devils finished 15 points ahead of the No. 7 Philadelphia Flyers - a team that sneaked into the playoffs only because of a shootout victory over the Rangers in the final game of the season.

Still, they sent the Devils packing in short order.

The No. 3 Buffalo Sabres, regarded by many as candidates to get to the Stanley Cup final, were eliminated by the No. 6 Boston Bruins.

Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury(notes) makes a pad save against the Montreal Canadiens during the third period of Game 3 in an NHL Eastern Conference semifinal series Tuesday, May 4, 2010, in Montreal. Pittsburgh won t2-0 to take a two games to one lead in the series. (AP)

The No. 4 Pittsburgh Penguins got it right in their series with No. 5 Ottawa. And they're still getting it right with their 2-0 victory over the Canadiens on a night when it appeared they they were ready to be taken.

I suspect even the Penguins, to a man, would admit they missed the team bus for the first 20 minutes, but the reason they got the job done is that after a horrid first period, the Stanley Cup champions not only outplayed the Canadiens in the final two periods, they also out-smarted them.

Watching the first-period Penguins was nothing less than a horror show. If you don't think so, tell me this: When was the last time a Penguins team in the playoffs had only three shots in the first period, none on its only power play and fewer than three minutes remained in the period before they had their third shot? You look at the numbers, and the best that can be said about them is that they don't add up.

Evgeni Malkin had one of the three shots - a miracle, really, when its considered he was on a cruise in the first period during the 5:45 he logged, including 1:35 on the power play. I mean ... we're talking about a guy who was the talk of the NHL last season for his industry en route to capturing the Art Ross and Conn Smythe trophies.

Pittsburgh: three shots on Jaroslav Halak! Five blocked! Five missed! I ask you: Is that any way for a Stanley Cup team to perform in a series tied 1-1? Trouble is, the Canadiens bought into it - hook, line and stinker - particuarly in the second period.

Perhaps it's because even though they were held to only seven shots in the first period, they had 11 blocked and seven missed the Pittsburgh net, which adds up to a good period's work.

Alas, they had only 11 shots in the last two periods and teams don't win many games with that. And while you're in a counting mood, consider this: Of the 18 Canadiens shots, Brian Gionta had seven and Mike Cammalari had four.

Add this: Even though Marc-André Fleury faced fewer than 20 shots, he was on top of his game. When the game's first goal isn't scored until the second minute of the final period, you have to bring it all to the table - and Fleury surely did, particularly when his colleagues weren't delivering.

Put it this way: it wasn't until the Penguins went on the power play midway through the second that they looked even remotely threatening - or even interested. It was during that two-minute stretch they showed what they're made of putting several dangerous shots on Halak.

It was the Penguins best offence of their first two periods, but the Canadiens didn't learn anything from it. It appeared they felt that not only could they outplay the Penguins based on their first-period performance, they could also intimidate them.

I swear I saw several of the tougher Penguins shiver and shake when Maxim Lapierre went after them and earned three of the six Canadiens penalties in the process.

Sadly, big-time names on the Pittsburgh roster weren't biting - even though all of the players on the ice got into it at the end of the second period.

The Canadiens came out of this rumble with the extra minor, and wouldn't you know it: Malkin got the longshot on the power play 76 seconds into the third period - one of the six shots he had in the last two periods.

It's what great players do.

rfisher@thegazette.canwest.com

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