Joe Starkey: Did Sens rub Pens wrong way?

The Penguins' Sergei Gonchar is checked into the boards by the Senators' Christoph Schubert during first-round action at Scotiabank Place, April 11, 2007.

PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, April 13, 2007

OTTAWA -- Workers must have arrived Thursday morning at Scotiabank Place wondering if they would have to pry Sergei Gonchar from the end boards.

Fortunately, Gonchar wasn't still embedded there -- but would you have blamed anyone for checking?

If you closed your eyes and listened, you could practically hear echoes of all the spine-rattling hits the Ottawa Senators dispensed a night earlier. Their 6-3 victory over the Penguins has folks ready to compare them to the Soviet Red Army.

Can they possibly be as good as they looked?

That question was one of several to emerge from the wreckage. A few others were addressed yesterday, after both teams practiced:

1. Did the Senators go out of their way to humiliate the Penguins in the third period by taking reckless runs at everyone in sight?

2. Where on earth was Georges Laraque?

Penguins coach Michel Therrien answered no to the first question, but defenseman Brooks Orpik absolutely believes it was the case. He says the Senators were taking cheap shots.

"A couple of their guys got carried away towards the end," Orpik said. "I mean, a couple of those guys ... they know no one's going to jump them because of the instigator penalty. A couple of them, like (Christoph) Schubert, he just runs around, leaves his feet.

"If they want to run guys like me and (Rob Scuderi) and Georges, guys who play physical, fine. But they're taking shots at (Evgeni) Malkin and Gonchar. If they're doing it in a clean way, hey, that's part of the game. But when guys are leaving their feet going after guys' heads, I think that's when guys have problems with it."

As well guys should. You wonder if this was a case of Senators coach Bryan Murray - who never met a playoff situation he couldn't mangle - not leaving well enough alone. His team was leading, 6-2, as the clock wound down. Maybe it was time to tame the dogs.

Or maybe that's crazy thinking.

I asked Gonchar if he thought the Senators were aiming for abject humiliation (well, not exactly in those words):

"Yes, but at the same time, it's normal for the playoffs," he said. "They didn't surprise me with that. Obviously, we don't appreciate it, but the best thing to do against that is put yourself in a position where you're winning."

As for Laraque, the impression here is that he was acquired to make his presence felt in situations where, say, the Penguins are losing big and a team is taking liberties with their best players.

If he's not going to fulfill that role, he shouldn't be on the ice. Add a little speed to the lineup with Ronald Petrovicky. Or get real crazy and insert Nils Ekman next to Sidney Crosby for a possible spark.

At the very least, Laraque should have thrown his weight around more, even if he did play only five minutes. Therrien obviously thought so, as became clear in the following exchange:

Reporter: "As physical as it was, would you have liked to see Laraque be more of a physical presence - or a presence - in that game?"

Therrien: "No doubt."

Reporter: "Why wasn't he?"

Therrien: "Ask him."

Remember what the Flyers did late in Game 2 of the 2000 playoffs, when it became clear the Penguins were going to take a two-games-to-none lead? They fought back. They created a scene - and won the next four games.

Laraque explained why he didn't initiate some sort of disturbance.

"It's not like the regular season, where you can afford to take a penalty, or guys will (fight) with you," he said. "That's why there's no fighting. The only way to respond is by being physical against their players, too. But for that to happen, we have to be playing more 5-on-5."

Actually, he could have taken a penalty - even an instigator - at that point. The big guy apparently needs a refresher course in how to protect and serve, rather than neglect and swerve.

In any case, the Senators sure left the Penguins with something to chew on.

"It's something we can definitely carry over to the next game," Orpik said.

It'll be mighty interesting to see how they respond.


Joe Starkey is a sports writer for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He can be reached at jstarkey@tribweb.com