Showing posts with label Penguins 2011-12. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Penguins 2011-12. Show all posts
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Evgeni Malkin's MVP season might be the first of many
By Nicholas J. Cotsonika
http://sports.yahoo.com/
June 20, 2012
LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 20: Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins poses after winning the Hart Trophy, the Art Ross Trophy and the Ted Lindsay Award during the 2012 NHL Awards at the Encore Theater at the Wynn Las Vegas on June 20, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS – Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin won his first Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player Wednesday night.
Yes, first.
Because even on a team with Sidney Crosby, Malkin has the ability to stand out. Even in a league with Crosby and Steven Stamkos and Claude Giroux and so many other stars, Malkin could win the Hart again – maybe even should win the Hart again. The way he's training, the way he's talking, he seems more committed, confident and comfortable than ever before, and that has already made a great player even greater.
"I hope it's not last one," said Malkin after the NHL Awards, standing behind a table packed with hardware – the Hart, the MVP chosen by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association; the Ted Lindsay Award, the most outstanding player chosen by the NHL Players' Association; and the Art Ross Trophy, which goes to the NHL scoring champion.
At another point, he added: "I love this sport. I like my team. I want to be best next 10 years."
That ought to make the rest of the NHL shudder. The Penguins lost in the first round of the playoffs this spring, and this is a salary-capped league of parity in which an eighth seed just won the Stanley Cup for the first time. But the Penguins were the favorites heading into the playoffs for a reason, and they are the favorites heading into next season. The sports book at the Wynn Resort and Casino has them at 7-1 odds, best in the league.
No team is a sure bet, but no team is a better bet than Pittsburgh.
"Every year it's different," said Malkin, who turns 26 at the end of July. "Sometimes Crosby have injury. It's tough. But if all players healthy, we have great chance to win."
Crosby came back late in the season, but he had missed most of the previous year-and-a-half with concussion and neck problems. He wasn't totally himself. His teammates had to adjust to his return. They opened up defensively in a goals-galore series with the potent Philadelphia Flyers, and instead of covering up for their mistakes as he did in the regular season, goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury exacerbated them.
[Related: Complete NHL Awards voting breakdown]
The Penguins need to improve their defense. They need to solve their cap crunch, with Crosby and Jordan Staal scheduled to become unrestricted free agents next July 1, and Malkin the following year.
But Crosby is likely to sign a cap-friendly long-term deal. General manager Ray Shero has said he wants to sign Staal, not trade him. And Malkin wants to stay, not go somewhere he can hog the spotlight. He doesn't just want to be the best for the next decade. He wants to be the best in Pittsburgh.
"I hope they sign me, too," he said.
Imagine if the Penguins have their three elite centermen – Crosby, Malkin, Staal – all healthy and ready in training camp for the first time in forever. The Penguins can be better defensively than they were against the Flyers, especially if they don't have to adjust to a Crosby comeback. Fleury can be better than he was against the Flyers, especially now that he has a backup, Tomas Vokoun, who can assume some of the workload in the regular season.
Now imagine if Malkin continues to play at an MVP level. Good luck. In a league where talent is so evenly distributed, it is an incredible advantage to have arguably the game's two best players along with Staal, Kris Letang and company. Listen to Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron, who won the Selke Trophy as the NHL's best defensive forward.
"My job is to play against [Malkin] when we play Pittsburgh …"
Bergeron laughed.
"Well, or Sid."
One theory is that Malkin rose to the fore because of Crosby's absence, and there is truth to that. Malkin's numbers historically have been better when he has had the responsibility and opportunity to be the No. 1 guy. But the key here really wasn't Crosby's absence. It was Malkin's.
"It wasn't necessarily that we didn't have Sidney Crosby," said Penguins coach Dan Bylsma. "It was, I think, that [Malkin] was really motivated to come back and help our team, and he knows, feels, that him at an elite level is a big part of the success of our team."
Malkin missed most of the second half of the 2010-11 season and the playoffs because of torn knee ligaments, with Crosby already out. Malkin rehabbed and wanted to come back in the playoffs. Bylsma said he had never seen him more motivated. But the Penguins lost in the first round to the Tampa Bay Lightning, and Malkin went home for the summer.
This was a player who had won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year, who had won a scoring title, a Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP, a Stanley Cup, and who had been a runner-up for the Hart – twice. But he admitted to himself, as he did to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, that he was "lazy before."
And he decided not to be lazy anymore and to reach an even higher level. Penguins strength and conditioning coach Mike Kadar traveled to Moscow and worked with Malkin for two weeks in the off-season. He came to camp in top shape. He dominated the league much of the 2011-12 season.
Though he wasn't his best in the playoffs – trying too hard at times and taking penalties, not making enough of an impact at others – he still produced three goals and eight points in six games. Then he went to the world championships and dominated again, winning the tournament MVP award as Russia went 10-0 and claimed gold.
The best part: He's still hungry. Bylsma said Malkin is doing even more this summer. Kadar is working with him in Moscow for a full month.
"He's a bully on the ice," Bylsma said. "He does it with speed. He does it with finesse and hands. But he also does it with power. He goes through and around, and I think he's motivated by a lot of things. He wants to be a great player. He wants to help our team. And I think that motivation right now, it's going to be there for a long time."
Don't discount Malkin's comfort, either. He came from Magnitogorsk, Russia, unable to speak much English. He lived with teammate Sergei Gonchar as a rookie. He learned the language watching TV with Gonchar's daughter, Natalie, and Gonchar translated for him.
Malkin is still low-key by nature, still shy in front of cameras, still no orator in English. He spent most of his wild Vegas days relaxing by the pool and hanging out with friends. When he accepted the Lindsay Award, he read from a prepared card and stumbled over his words.
[Related: NHL Awards photo gallery]
But he has a better grasp of English now. He even has a Twitter account. He is more at ease in a starring role. And when he accepted the Hart at the end of the evening, he joked that he had lost his prepared card and spoke from the heart. He seemed much more natural as he dedicated the trophy to Gonchar, with whom he has remained close, even though Gonchar moved on to the Ottawa Senators two years ago.
After the show, he laughed about how far he had come – and hinted again about how much farther he expects to go. He remembered how bad his speech was when he accepted his first Art Ross in 2009.
"I think this year a little bit better," he said with a laugh. "Maybe next year a little bit better, too."
He said "next year" casually, as if there were no doubt.
http://sports.yahoo.com/
June 20, 2012
LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 20: Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins poses after winning the Hart Trophy, the Art Ross Trophy and the Ted Lindsay Award during the 2012 NHL Awards at the Encore Theater at the Wynn Las Vegas on June 20, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS – Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin won his first Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player Wednesday night.
Yes, first.
Because even on a team with Sidney Crosby, Malkin has the ability to stand out. Even in a league with Crosby and Steven Stamkos and Claude Giroux and so many other stars, Malkin could win the Hart again – maybe even should win the Hart again. The way he's training, the way he's talking, he seems more committed, confident and comfortable than ever before, and that has already made a great player even greater.
"I hope it's not last one," said Malkin after the NHL Awards, standing behind a table packed with hardware – the Hart, the MVP chosen by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association; the Ted Lindsay Award, the most outstanding player chosen by the NHL Players' Association; and the Art Ross Trophy, which goes to the NHL scoring champion.
At another point, he added: "I love this sport. I like my team. I want to be best next 10 years."
That ought to make the rest of the NHL shudder. The Penguins lost in the first round of the playoffs this spring, and this is a salary-capped league of parity in which an eighth seed just won the Stanley Cup for the first time. But the Penguins were the favorites heading into the playoffs for a reason, and they are the favorites heading into next season. The sports book at the Wynn Resort and Casino has them at 7-1 odds, best in the league.
No team is a sure bet, but no team is a better bet than Pittsburgh.
"Every year it's different," said Malkin, who turns 26 at the end of July. "Sometimes Crosby have injury. It's tough. But if all players healthy, we have great chance to win."
Crosby came back late in the season, but he had missed most of the previous year-and-a-half with concussion and neck problems. He wasn't totally himself. His teammates had to adjust to his return. They opened up defensively in a goals-galore series with the potent Philadelphia Flyers, and instead of covering up for their mistakes as he did in the regular season, goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury exacerbated them.
[Related: Complete NHL Awards voting breakdown]
The Penguins need to improve their defense. They need to solve their cap crunch, with Crosby and Jordan Staal scheduled to become unrestricted free agents next July 1, and Malkin the following year.
But Crosby is likely to sign a cap-friendly long-term deal. General manager Ray Shero has said he wants to sign Staal, not trade him. And Malkin wants to stay, not go somewhere he can hog the spotlight. He doesn't just want to be the best for the next decade. He wants to be the best in Pittsburgh.
"I hope they sign me, too," he said.
Imagine if the Penguins have their three elite centermen – Crosby, Malkin, Staal – all healthy and ready in training camp for the first time in forever. The Penguins can be better defensively than they were against the Flyers, especially if they don't have to adjust to a Crosby comeback. Fleury can be better than he was against the Flyers, especially now that he has a backup, Tomas Vokoun, who can assume some of the workload in the regular season.
Now imagine if Malkin continues to play at an MVP level. Good luck. In a league where talent is so evenly distributed, it is an incredible advantage to have arguably the game's two best players along with Staal, Kris Letang and company. Listen to Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron, who won the Selke Trophy as the NHL's best defensive forward.
"My job is to play against [Malkin] when we play Pittsburgh …"
Bergeron laughed.
"Well, or Sid."
One theory is that Malkin rose to the fore because of Crosby's absence, and there is truth to that. Malkin's numbers historically have been better when he has had the responsibility and opportunity to be the No. 1 guy. But the key here really wasn't Crosby's absence. It was Malkin's.
"It wasn't necessarily that we didn't have Sidney Crosby," said Penguins coach Dan Bylsma. "It was, I think, that [Malkin] was really motivated to come back and help our team, and he knows, feels, that him at an elite level is a big part of the success of our team."
Malkin missed most of the second half of the 2010-11 season and the playoffs because of torn knee ligaments, with Crosby already out. Malkin rehabbed and wanted to come back in the playoffs. Bylsma said he had never seen him more motivated. But the Penguins lost in the first round to the Tampa Bay Lightning, and Malkin went home for the summer.
This was a player who had won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year, who had won a scoring title, a Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP, a Stanley Cup, and who had been a runner-up for the Hart – twice. But he admitted to himself, as he did to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, that he was "lazy before."
And he decided not to be lazy anymore and to reach an even higher level. Penguins strength and conditioning coach Mike Kadar traveled to Moscow and worked with Malkin for two weeks in the off-season. He came to camp in top shape. He dominated the league much of the 2011-12 season.
Though he wasn't his best in the playoffs – trying too hard at times and taking penalties, not making enough of an impact at others – he still produced three goals and eight points in six games. Then he went to the world championships and dominated again, winning the tournament MVP award as Russia went 10-0 and claimed gold.
The best part: He's still hungry. Bylsma said Malkin is doing even more this summer. Kadar is working with him in Moscow for a full month.
"He's a bully on the ice," Bylsma said. "He does it with speed. He does it with finesse and hands. But he also does it with power. He goes through and around, and I think he's motivated by a lot of things. He wants to be a great player. He wants to help our team. And I think that motivation right now, it's going to be there for a long time."
Don't discount Malkin's comfort, either. He came from Magnitogorsk, Russia, unable to speak much English. He lived with teammate Sergei Gonchar as a rookie. He learned the language watching TV with Gonchar's daughter, Natalie, and Gonchar translated for him.
Malkin is still low-key by nature, still shy in front of cameras, still no orator in English. He spent most of his wild Vegas days relaxing by the pool and hanging out with friends. When he accepted the Lindsay Award, he read from a prepared card and stumbled over his words.
[Related: NHL Awards photo gallery]
But he has a better grasp of English now. He even has a Twitter account. He is more at ease in a starring role. And when he accepted the Hart at the end of the evening, he joked that he had lost his prepared card and spoke from the heart. He seemed much more natural as he dedicated the trophy to Gonchar, with whom he has remained close, even though Gonchar moved on to the Ottawa Senators two years ago.
After the show, he laughed about how far he had come – and hinted again about how much farther he expects to go. He remembered how bad his speech was when he accepted his first Art Ross in 2009.
"I think this year a little bit better," he said with a laugh. "Maybe next year a little bit better, too."
He said "next year" casually, as if there were no doubt.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Trade the league MVP? Be serious
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
June 20, 2012
LAS VEGAS — The Sunset Strip is set to shine the brightest of spotlights on one Evgeni Vladimirovich Malkin: By the time dusk blankets the Nevada desert Wednesday, barring some collective brain seizure among voters in the Professional Hockey Writers Association, the Penguins’ megastar will be the runaway winner of his first Hart Trophy as the NHL’s MVP.
Could be quite the gala, especially in a grand setting, no?
“I don’t know. Very hot. I don’t like this,” No. 71 was saying yesterday inside the extravagant Wynn hotel, where the NHL Awards will be held tonight at 7. Outside, it was 106 degrees. “In here, it’s OK, I guess.”
And what of that trophy, on display nearby?
“Of course, I think everyone wants to win. I know the other guys want to win, too. But if I don’t win, it’s all right.”
Malkin was playing it cool, I’d have to guess, respectful of the other finalists, the Lightning’s Steven Stamkos and the Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist.
But be sure this will mean plenty. Neither Malkin nor anyone with a sliver of competitive spirit enjoys spending his or her life considered No. 2, whether it’s being selected right behind lifelong rival Alexander Ovechkin atop the 2004 draft, or even, yes, riding eternal shotgun with Sidney Crosby.
I brought those up, and it was as close as Malkin came to confessing anticipation.
“You know, it’s good for me. Always second,” he said with a smile. “Maybe this time, it’s my first chance to be No. 1.”
Validation or not, nothing about Malkin is No. 2 anymore, nor a 1A or 1B or whatever other designations were assigned to him over the years. Certainly not when compared to Ovechkin, who can’t sniff Malkin’s vapor trails anymore. Maybe not even when compared to Crosby.
(Stops typing and ducks for cover.)
Fact is, Malkin wasn’t anyone’s No. 2 in 2011-12, even after Crosby returned. He raised his game to a fresh level with a career-best 50 goals and a league-best 109 points, this despite the slow start caused by a surgically repaired knee, plus incessantly facing opponents’ checking lines. His skating, stickhandling and shooting were at top-shelf form. He saw the ice and passed better than ever, having finally found chemistry mates in James Neal and Chris Kunitz. He even led the Penguins in defensive takeaways.
And it followed, in no coincidence, Malkin’s most diligent offseason of conditioning.
As he put it yesterday, “I had a good season, but I worked at it. I didn’t want to stay at the same level. I wanted to be better.”
He added that he’ll be engaged in intensive workouts again this summer in Russia with Mike Kadar, the Penguins’ strength coach. It’s not unthinkable he could come back even better.
And some hockey fans in Pittsburgh are debating whether or not Ray Shero should trade this extraordinary player?
Seriously?
Over one playoff series?
Let me step back here and state clearly my preference for the Penguins related to their big three centers: Keep all of them. Crosby, Malkin and Jordan Staal. I know it’s easier said than done, but it was good to hear Shero tell reporters yesterday that his only priority related to Staal right now is re-signing him. Let’s hope Staal feels the same way. I believe he does. All he wants is more power-play time and to be paid his worth. Both look to be workable.
Malkin’s stance: “I hope we keep him. Jordan Staal’s a great player.”
But if they can’t, there is no way you move Malkin instead. It’s stunning that this gets suggested even in jest.
Yes, Staal was better in the playoffs, but not nearly as much as some think. Staal had six goals and three assists in the six games against the Flyers. Malkin had one fewer point on three goals and five assists, but he also outshot Staal, 26-12.
Most complaints I hear are about the boneheaded penalties Malkin took. It’s a valid criticism. I get that it lingers.
It still bugs him, too.
“I learn something from every season,” Malkin said. “I didn’t play in the last playoffs, and I was nervous for this one. It’s not like the regular season.”
So big deal. Turn the page.
This franchise holds the rights to the player about to be honored as the best in the world. He’s 25, he wants to play “in Pittsburgh for a long time” as he reiterated yesterday, and he’s only getting better.
Good luck sifting through sports history and finding examples where trading guys like that worked out for the sellers.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
For Malkin, Hart of the matter
By Rob Rossi
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
June 17, 2012
Finally winning the Hart Trophy, awarded annually to the NHL’s most valuable player, an honor for which Vladimir Malkin’s youngest son has twice finished as runner-up, would “mean a lot.”
“But it is a lot of pressure,” the elder Malkin said through an interpreter. “Evgeni thinks if he wins MVP for the last year, he has to win it next year and the years after.”
Vladimir Malkin raised his right hand above his head and lowered his left hand to his chest. His eyes followed the top hand to the bottom.
“Very fast you can go from here to there,” he said.
The comeback story of Penguins center Evgeni Malkin, who in September told the Tribune-Review his “motivation was very good” to again be considered an elite player, could end Wednesday night in Las Vegas at the NHL Awards Show, where he is favored to win the Hart.
His reputation already has been restored, though.
“Evgeni is a unique player,” said Vladislav Tretiak, Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender for the former Soviet Union. “He cannot be compared to anyone.”
Awaiting history
Malkin, 25, is days from potentially joining Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and Sidney Crosby as Penguins to have won the Hart Trophy.
His competition is New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist and Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos, but the MVP race was over long before the Penguins’ played their final regular-season game.
When Malkin tallied 13 points in the final seven games before the All-Star break, Jesse Spector of The Sporting News, and a Hart voter, had seen enough.
“If it was a horse race, it wasn’t quite the 1973 Belmont but only because the other guys raised their games,” said Spector, referring to Secretariat’s 31-length victory. “Malkin got to a stratospheric level and stayed there for pretty much the entire season.”
Actually, lost among strong goal-scoring starts by center Jordan Staal and winger James Neal and the seemingly endless wait for Crosby’s return was the early-season uneven play of Malkin, who in the second game aggravated a knee surgically repaired eight months earlier.
Malkin was at nine goals and 27 points after a home loss to Boston on Dec. 5, which marked the last game Crosby played until March. 15. Malkin registered 28 goals and 59 points over the next 40 games. He failed to post a point in only eight contests, and the Penguins went 26-13-1.
He had never looked stronger, Penguins coach Dan Bylsma suggested, not even during the 2009 playoff run to the Cup and Malkin’s postseason MVP. This was proof that a summer commitment to improved fitness had paid dividends.
“Other guys have rehabbed and not come close to being at their same level,” Bylsma said. “He got back and in less than 12 months was the best player in the world.”
One performance from a standout season truly stood out.
Jan. 15, at Tampa Bay: Malkin turned a natural hat trick in the third period to give the Penguins consecutive wins for the first time in nearly three weeks.
Two days earlier the Penguins had won at Florida to snap a six-game skid. They were rolling at Tampa Bay until the Lightning erased a three-goal lead.
“I think if we had lost that (Tampa Bay) game, it would have been devastating,” Bylsma said.
Penguins winger Pascal Dupuis recalled a tense feeling on the bench.
“He looked at us on the bench and basically, without saying a word, said, ‘Follow me, boys, and buckle up,’ ” Dupuis said. “You could just see that he was about to do something that only guys like him, the best players in the world, can do.”
Best in the world
The Penguins have fairly owned this category since 1988, when Lemieux won the franchise’s first Hart. A Hart win by Malkin will give the Penguins a fourth player chosen as league MVP. Their three honorees are already the most of the post-1967 expansion era.
Malkin finished this past season with 109 points — and a career-best 50 goals — to join Lemieux and Jagr as the only Penguins players to win multiple scoring championships.
A Penguins player has won the Art Ross Trophy 14 times, and Malkin is the only two-time scoring champion since the 2004-05 NHL lockout.
“The hardware he’s collected already is awesome, but maybe it gets taken for granted because the Penguins have had three other players do those things,” said Bob Grove, a Penguins broadcaster and the franchise historian.
Only 14 players have averaged at least 1.20 points per game during their career. Malkin, at 1.234, ranks 11th among that group. Players holding the second (Lemieux), fourth (Crosby), 12th (Jagr) and 13th (Alex Ovechkin) spots on that list have cast shadows that he cannot escape.
Malkin has offered more of his personality as his comfort with English, his third language, has improved since arriving here six years ago.
“I actually think he’s more comfortable in the shadows than most great players would be,” said Eddie Johnston, who has spent most of the past three decades with the organization in some capacity.
Neal, whose first 40-goal season came with Malkin as his center, described Malkin as a rarity among elite players.
“His competitive nature is to be the best player in the league, the best player on the ice,” Neal said. “But he also doesn’t care about being the big star or being on a billboard. He just wants to be himself.”
That means the same player who takes the first open seat on a charter bus after road games and quietly dives into an electronic book is also the practical joker who routinely targets teammate Matt Cooke. He commanded not a dollar less but also not a penny more than Crosby, behind whom he serves as first alternate captain for the Penguins — but Malkin also has consistently called the Penguins’ “Sid’s team.”
There is no simple read on Malkin, former teammate and NHL mentor Sergei Gonchar said.
Malkin could not be reached for comment. He has spent the past two weeks vacationing, his first significant time away from hockey-related activities in more than a year.
Nothing he has said suggests the Hart will complete him any more than the Ross, Conn Smythe or the MVP he won at World Championships for leading that tournament in scoring as Russia won gold.
Natalia Malkin, his mother, said she enjoys hearing her son mentioned “like Crosby, (as) maybe the best player.” However, she said nothing Evgeni Malkin accomplished this past season will leave him satisfied. Mama Malkin knows what her boy really wants isn’t stature or individual hardware but simply more pictures to hang on his walls.
“Even at home,” she said, “the only pictures up are of the Stanley Cup.”
Rob Rossi is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at rrossi@tribweb.com.
Tuesday, May 01, 2012
Pens' off-season a Staal tale
By Mark Madden
Beaver County Times
http://www.timesonline.com/sports/
April 30, 3012
BOSTON, MA - APRIL 03: Jordan Staal #11 of the Pittsburgh Penguins takes the puck in the second period against the Boston Bruins on April 3, 2012 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Penguins general manager Ray Shero once told me, quite definitely, he would not trade Jordan Staal.
But three straight disappointing playoff exits can change a lot.
Assuming the NHL's new CBA still has a salary cap, the Penguins may conclude they can't keep all three of their star centers. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are going to want cap max when their deals come due in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Staal won't get that, but may be a $7 million player.
All it takes is one team.
The Penguins won't trade Crosby. He's the face of the franchise and hockey's best player.
The Penguins won't trade Malkin. He's got some maddening traits, but he provides superstar insurance should Crosby's concussion problem recur. The Penguins have had the game's top player virtually non-stop since 1984. It's a nice marketing tool. It sells tickets and merchandise. Wins games, too.
That might make Staal odd man out.
If Shero isn't loath to deal Staal, he should be. Two-way behemoths like Staal win championships. His shorthanded goal vs. Detroit in Game 4 of the 2009 Stanley Cup final was a pivotal moment in that series. He was the Penguins' best player in this year's first-round loss to Philadelphia.
Staal is a big-game performer. But the Penguins can't stand pat after what happened. They might, but they shouldn't.
Staal won't fetch great return, not with just one season remaining on his contract. His biggest value might be enabling the Penguins to ditch defenseman Paul Martin, an excruciating bust since joining the team via free agency in 2010.
Want Staal? You've got to take Martin, too. The Penguins might get nothing much in return besides cap space.
Two interesting rumors are out there:
One moots the idea of trading Staal to Edmonton for the first pick in the draft. The Oilers have a promising young team, and Staal - still only 23 - would be the perfect cornerstone: A talented, youthful leader with countless veteran qualities.
The likely No. 1 choice is high-scoring Russian winger Nail Yakupov. The Penguins would get a monster talent at a position of need on a three-year entry-level contract.
For the deal to make sense for Edmonton, the Oilers would have to negotiate an extension with Staal before the fact. It's mindless speculation, but there would be benefit both ways.
The other scenario holds that the NHL's three Staal brothers -- Jordan, Carolina's Eric and the New York Rangers' Marc -- want to play on the same team and will soon begin pursuing that. Intriguing, but unbelievable. It's not like the Staals to indulge fantasy and ego. Such a possibility might be fun beer talk during summers in Thunder Bay, Ontario, but nothing more.
For a star athlete, Jordan Staal's ego is minimal. But he has ambition.
If that ambition went beyond being a third-line center, would you blame him? If he declined the chance to play between Matt Cooke and Tyler Kennedy in perpetuity, would you blame him?
When Staal played second-line center in Crosby's absence, he produced. When Crosby returned, Staal was a third-liner again. His place in the pecking order was clear. Discouraging? You bet. There's no denying the talent of Crosby and Malkin. There's also no denying Staal deserves a chance at better.
But that chance may never come in Pittsburgh.
Then again, would it be much fun to be first-line center in, say, Columbus? Be careful what you wish for.
Beaver County Times
http://www.timesonline.com/sports/
April 30, 3012
BOSTON, MA - APRIL 03: Jordan Staal #11 of the Pittsburgh Penguins takes the puck in the second period against the Boston Bruins on April 3, 2012 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Penguins general manager Ray Shero once told me, quite definitely, he would not trade Jordan Staal.
But three straight disappointing playoff exits can change a lot.
Assuming the NHL's new CBA still has a salary cap, the Penguins may conclude they can't keep all three of their star centers. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are going to want cap max when their deals come due in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Staal won't get that, but may be a $7 million player.
All it takes is one team.
The Penguins won't trade Malkin. He's got some maddening traits, but he provides superstar insurance should Crosby's concussion problem recur. The Penguins have had the game's top player virtually non-stop since 1984. It's a nice marketing tool. It sells tickets and merchandise. Wins games, too.
That might make Staal odd man out.
If Shero isn't loath to deal Staal, he should be. Two-way behemoths like Staal win championships. His shorthanded goal vs. Detroit in Game 4 of the 2009 Stanley Cup final was a pivotal moment in that series. He was the Penguins' best player in this year's first-round loss to Philadelphia.
Staal is a big-game performer. But the Penguins can't stand pat after what happened. They might, but they shouldn't.
Staal won't fetch great return, not with just one season remaining on his contract. His biggest value might be enabling the Penguins to ditch defenseman Paul Martin, an excruciating bust since joining the team via free agency in 2010.
Want Staal? You've got to take Martin, too. The Penguins might get nothing much in return besides cap space.
Two interesting rumors are out there:
One moots the idea of trading Staal to Edmonton for the first pick in the draft. The Oilers have a promising young team, and Staal - still only 23 - would be the perfect cornerstone: A talented, youthful leader with countless veteran qualities.
The likely No. 1 choice is high-scoring Russian winger Nail Yakupov. The Penguins would get a monster talent at a position of need on a three-year entry-level contract.
For the deal to make sense for Edmonton, the Oilers would have to negotiate an extension with Staal before the fact. It's mindless speculation, but there would be benefit both ways.
The other scenario holds that the NHL's three Staal brothers -- Jordan, Carolina's Eric and the New York Rangers' Marc -- want to play on the same team and will soon begin pursuing that. Intriguing, but unbelievable. It's not like the Staals to indulge fantasy and ego. Such a possibility might be fun beer talk during summers in Thunder Bay, Ontario, but nothing more.
For a star athlete, Jordan Staal's ego is minimal. But he has ambition.
If that ambition went beyond being a third-line center, would you blame him? If he declined the chance to play between Matt Cooke and Tyler Kennedy in perpetuity, would you blame him?
When Staal played second-line center in Crosby's absence, he produced. When Crosby returned, Staal was a third-liner again. His place in the pecking order was clear. Discouraging? You bet. There's no denying the talent of Crosby and Malkin. There's also no denying Staal deserves a chance at better.
But that chance may never come in Pittsburgh.
Then again, would it be much fun to be first-line center in, say, Columbus? Be careful what you wish for.
Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WXDX-FM (105.9).
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Things to Consider When Criticizing the Pittsburgh Penguins
By
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 22: Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins leads the line of his team as they give the traditional handshake to memebers of the Philadelphia Flyers after the Flyers defeated the Penguins 5-1 in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals to eliminate the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center on April 22, 2012 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images)
The Pittsburgh Penguins, a
favourite to win the Stanley Cup, have been eliminated in the first round by the
Philadelphia
Flyers.
Fans and the media are quick to criticize the Penguins and
their stars for not getting the job done in the playoffs. While some of the
criticism is justified, it’s important to acknowledge the play of the
Philadelphia Flyers and remember how the NHL seeds its playoff teams.
Give the Flyers Credit
No one should be shocked by the Flyers series win.
They are one of the only teams in the NHL who can score as
much as the Penguins.
The Penguins and Flyers finished first and second in
scoring in the regular season and had almost identical power play percentages.
The Flyers boast a lineup full of offensive talent; they just don’t have the
household names the Penguins do.
Daniel Briere leads the NHL in post lockout playoff points
with 104 in 103 games. While Claude Giroux is one of the best players in the
league right now, finishing with 93 points in 77 games this season. He also
leads all playoff scorers with 14 points.
Scott Hartnell is a physical force, but has also left his
mark on the score sheet with five points in the playoffs. Jaromir Jagr is a
savvy veteran who has six assists in the playoffs and adds depth to the power
play. Max Talbot adds experience to the lineup having won the Cup with the
Penguins, scoring the Penguins two goals in Game 7 of the 2009 final.
Finally, young players such as Brayden Schenn, Wayne
Simmonds and Sean Couturier add depth to the Flyers scoring.
The Flyers outplayed the Penguins in all aspects of the
game.
Their best forwards were as good if not better, than
Crosby and Malkin. Their special teams were far superior to that of the
Penguins, highlighted by a power play that scored on 52 percent of its
opportunities.
Goaltending was shaky at the best of times for both teams,
but in the end Ilya Bryzgalov managed a better performance when it really
mattered.
NHL Playoff Seeding Format
Before criticizing the Penguins specifically for not
making it out of the first round, consider the NHL’s format for playoff seeding.
Perhaps they deserved an easier first round opponent?
The NHL’s format rewards division winners with a
guaranteed spot in the top three. The New York Rangers won the
Atlantic and earned the top seed (109 points), while the division winning Boston Bruins (102 points)
and Florida Panthers
(94 points) took the second and third seeds.
This left the Penguins and Flyers to play in the first
round as the fourth and fifth seeds, even though they had higher point totals
then the other division winners.
The Penguins finished with 108 points, second most in the
Eastern Conference. The Flyers weren’t far behind finishing with 103, good
enough for third in the East. No format should allow for the second and third
best teams in the conference to play in the first round.
Take the NBA’s playoff seeding format for example. It
gives division winners a top four spot by reseeding them and the next best team,
based on their point totals. Essentially, it offers talented teams who play in
competitive divisions the opportunity to be rewarded for their efforts.
The NHL’s format does not, as it forces the Penguins and
Flyers to play in the first round. Again, even though they amassed more points
playing in a tougher division than the Bruins and Panthers did playing weaker
divisional opponents.
This isn’t an excuse for the Penguins, but rather another
explanation why this is hardly a big first round upset.
It’s a very small upset. It was a series that easily could
have been played to determine the conference champion.
The Penguins had the second best record in the East and
lost to the team with the third best record. A Philadelphia squad who happened
to be the one team in the NHL who can match the Penguins offensively.
The NHL’s playoff seeding format has given us an amazing
first-round series.
Unfortunately, it might compromise the level of play and
excitement in the second and third rounds.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Pens can't allow this trend to continue
By Mark Madden
The Beaver County Times
http://www.timesonline.com/sports/
April 23, 2012
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 22: Evgeni Malkin #71 and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury of the Pittsburgh Penguins look down after a goal by Scott Hartnell of the Philadelphia Flyers in the first period of Game Six of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center on April 22, 2012 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Flyers won the game 5-1 to eliminate the Penguins from the playoffs. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images)
Valiant efforts are for high school teams. The Penguins accomplished zero by "battling back" from a three games-to-none deficit in their playoff series against Philadelphia. A first-round loss is a first-round loss.
Yinzer Nation acted like getting #PensIn7 to trend on Twitter would have some kind of magical effect. Admire optimism, but know history. When something happens just three times in a league's 95 years, two victories are nothing to get overly excited about.
The Penguins' core must now be considered underachievers. Losses in three straight playoff series don't lie. Final in '08, Stanley Cup in '09, but nothing close since. Too disappointing, too early, too often. The Penguins lost to Philadelphia for many reasons.
But three overwhelm:
-- The abject collapse of the Penguins' penalty-killing unit. Third in the NHL during the regular season with a success rate of 87.8 percent, the Pens' PK ranks last in the playoffs with a mark of 47.8 percent. You can't win a series when your foe's power play is 12 for 23. It's impossible. Tack on three shorthanded goals allowed, and special teams were a bloodbath for the Penguins.
--The inconsistency of Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury allowed at least one bad goal yesterday, but that loss wasn't his fault. The pace-setting first-minute goal by Claude Giroux was just a great play, and Philadelphia never lost momentum. Fleury played spectacular in Game 5. But Fleury was so brutal in Games 2 and 3 that the Penguins never had a chance in those contests. That's a deep ditch to dig.
-- The inconsistency of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Each had eight points. Those numbers were doubtless inflated by the series' high-scoring nature. Crosby netted the first goal in each of the first two games. He gave the Penguins a chance to win.
But Crosby and Malkin combined for one point over the series' final two games. Neither was ever a force for an extended period. The Penguins needed more from their two superstars. They didn't get it. As Mario Lemieux used to say after losses, "I make the most. I need to do more." That's how goats are determined in big-money sports.
The off-season is upon us. General manager Ray Shero has some hard decisions to make, especially given that the team that vanquished his blew up its foundation last off-season, peddled two of its best players, and somehow came out the other side even better. Flyers GM Paul Holmgren took big risks, but has reaped big reward.
The Penguins won't trade Crosby. He's hockey's best player and the face of the game. The Penguins won't trade Malkin. He led the league in scoring and besides, what if Crosby gets hurt again?
Jordan Staal's contract is up at the end of next season. His overtime gaffe in Game 1 aside, he was the Penguins' best player against Philadelphia. But can Shero fit him in under the cap? Does Staal want to be a third-line center forever? I would never trade Staal. But is it possible to keep him?
One change is necessary: The coaching staff needs a power-play specialist and a bad cop. The players aren't lazy, but signs of entitlement are certainly present. And there's no excuse for not molding Crosby and Malkin into a killer power play after years of inconsistency.
Hire ex-Pen Rick Tocchet. He'd provide both elements required. He'd also be a head coach-in-waiting if the Penguins further falter under Bylsma.
This is the first off-season in many where the fertilizer is really going to fly. The Penguins were coming off a Cup when Montreal upset them in 2010. They were wracked by injury when Tampa Bay upset them last season.
But now the Penguins have again lost early. They lost to their bitter rival. They're easy to play against. They have significant contracts soon coming due. They're saddled with some deals that are potentially crippling (Paul Martin, three more years at $5 million per and Zbynek Michalek, three more years at $4 million per). The further the Penguins get away from their previous coach, Michel Therrien, the more their discipline lapses and the worse Bylsma looks. It doesn't seem a team on the brink of success.
Tough questions must be asked ... and answered.
The key? Get something trending on Twitter, of course.
Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WXDX-FM (105.9).
The Beaver County Times
http://www.timesonline.com/sports/
April 23, 2012
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 22: Evgeni Malkin #71 and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury of the Pittsburgh Penguins look down after a goal by Scott Hartnell of the Philadelphia Flyers in the first period of Game Six of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center on April 22, 2012 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Flyers won the game 5-1 to eliminate the Penguins from the playoffs. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images)
Valiant efforts are for high school teams. The Penguins accomplished zero by "battling back" from a three games-to-none deficit in their playoff series against Philadelphia. A first-round loss is a first-round loss.
Yinzer Nation acted like getting #PensIn7 to trend on Twitter would have some kind of magical effect. Admire optimism, but know history. When something happens just three times in a league's 95 years, two victories are nothing to get overly excited about.
The Penguins' core must now be considered underachievers. Losses in three straight playoff series don't lie. Final in '08, Stanley Cup in '09, but nothing close since. Too disappointing, too early, too often. The Penguins lost to Philadelphia for many reasons.
But three overwhelm:
-- The abject collapse of the Penguins' penalty-killing unit. Third in the NHL during the regular season with a success rate of 87.8 percent, the Pens' PK ranks last in the playoffs with a mark of 47.8 percent. You can't win a series when your foe's power play is 12 for 23. It's impossible. Tack on three shorthanded goals allowed, and special teams were a bloodbath for the Penguins.
--The inconsistency of Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury allowed at least one bad goal yesterday, but that loss wasn't his fault. The pace-setting first-minute goal by Claude Giroux was just a great play, and Philadelphia never lost momentum. Fleury played spectacular in Game 5. But Fleury was so brutal in Games 2 and 3 that the Penguins never had a chance in those contests. That's a deep ditch to dig.
-- The inconsistency of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Each had eight points. Those numbers were doubtless inflated by the series' high-scoring nature. Crosby netted the first goal in each of the first two games. He gave the Penguins a chance to win.
But Crosby and Malkin combined for one point over the series' final two games. Neither was ever a force for an extended period. The Penguins needed more from their two superstars. They didn't get it. As Mario Lemieux used to say after losses, "I make the most. I need to do more." That's how goats are determined in big-money sports.
The off-season is upon us. General manager Ray Shero has some hard decisions to make, especially given that the team that vanquished his blew up its foundation last off-season, peddled two of its best players, and somehow came out the other side even better. Flyers GM Paul Holmgren took big risks, but has reaped big reward.
The Penguins won't trade Crosby. He's hockey's best player and the face of the game. The Penguins won't trade Malkin. He led the league in scoring and besides, what if Crosby gets hurt again?
Jordan Staal's contract is up at the end of next season. His overtime gaffe in Game 1 aside, he was the Penguins' best player against Philadelphia. But can Shero fit him in under the cap? Does Staal want to be a third-line center forever? I would never trade Staal. But is it possible to keep him?
One change is necessary: The coaching staff needs a power-play specialist and a bad cop. The players aren't lazy, but signs of entitlement are certainly present. And there's no excuse for not molding Crosby and Malkin into a killer power play after years of inconsistency.
Hire ex-Pen Rick Tocchet. He'd provide both elements required. He'd also be a head coach-in-waiting if the Penguins further falter under Bylsma.
This is the first off-season in many where the fertilizer is really going to fly. The Penguins were coming off a Cup when Montreal upset them in 2010. They were wracked by injury when Tampa Bay upset them last season.
But now the Penguins have again lost early. They lost to their bitter rival. They're easy to play against. They have significant contracts soon coming due. They're saddled with some deals that are potentially crippling (Paul Martin, three more years at $5 million per and Zbynek Michalek, three more years at $4 million per). The further the Penguins get away from their previous coach, Michel Therrien, the more their discipline lapses and the worse Bylsma looks. It doesn't seem a team on the brink of success.
Tough questions must be asked ... and answered.
The key? Get something trending on Twitter, of course.
Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WXDX-FM (105.9).
Thursday, April 19, 2012
If Fleury is back, so are Penguins
By Dejan Kovacevic, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/?_s_icmp=nav_sports
Thursday, April 19, 2012
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 18: Marc-Andre Fleury #29 of the Pittsburgh Penguins slides over and kicks the puck away from Jaromir Jagr #68 of the Philadelphia Flyers in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center on April 18, 2012 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Penguins defeated the Flyers 10-3. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA — Anyone doubting whether the Penguins remain alive in these Stanley Cup playoffs, no matter how faint the pulse, really shouldn`t have paid too much heed to the franchise-record-tying offense, tough as it was to miss in the 10-3 all-out annihilation of the Flyers in Game 4 on Wednesday night.
Yeah, Jordan Staal was rewarded with a hat trick after he`d been one of the few steady performers all series.
Evgeni Malkin broke through with his first two goals.
Steve Sullivan, in addition to almost singlehandedly restoring sanity to the power play, found top shelf on a rink-length rush.
And, in what I`d bet was most satisfying inside a palpably sighing locker room, Sidney Crosby essentially wrapped up the Philadelphia Daily News` cheap-shot cover – he was amateurishly photo-shopped as the "Cowardly Penguin" – and used it swat the Flyers for three points.
It was a ton of fun, all of it.
At the same time, we knew Crosby could do that.
And we knew the Penguins could score in big bunches. They`ve been doing it all along.
To me, the moment that should mean the most — to the Penguins and even the Flyers — was, of all things, a save.
I`ll wait until you check a hockey glossary for the term.
Rewind the clock to 14:38 of the second period: Claude Giroux, Philadelphia`s finest forward, darted to the left hash and — just as uncontested than most Flyers have been all series — fired a bullet for the far post.
Except this time, Fleury jutted out that big left pad, rock-em-sock-em-robots style, and got the better of the battle.
You know, like he used to.
"It felt good, I know that," Fleury said. "I`ve been giving up some goals, and it felt good to stop a player like that."
It wasn`t exactly a brilliant showing. Not with Fleury giving up three goals on 11 shots — a bad-angle Giroux stuff and two that found the five-hole — in a first period that looked as shaky as his 18 goals over three-games.
But be sure that Fleury stopping his final 14 shots and enjoying two periods of silence is precisely what the Penguins can use to turn this single staving-off into much more.
Brooks Orpik had gone out of his way to defend Fleury to wave after wave of reporters, and he didn`t stop afterward.
Citing the save on Giroux, Orpik said, "It`s nice when he only has to make one of those a game. I mean, we`ve given him five breakaways, five two-on-ones and five tap-ins every game. He hasn`t been his best, and he`d be the first to tell you that. But we`ve been terrible."
What`s funny is that Fleury might not even need to be at his best to beat Philadelphia.
Did you see Ilya Bryzgalov continuing to look like he lost his contact lenses in the ice?
Five goals, 18 shots.
And how about replacement Sergei Bobrovsky?
Five goals, 18 shots.
Bryzgalov probably will be the Flyers` choice for Game 5, despite 17 goals in four games. I don`t think they have a choice.
"He has to have confidence in himself," Jaromir Jagr said. "Nobody`s going to help him but himself. I think he`s OK."
Reassuring, huh?
Fleury`s capable of being far better than OK.
He made another eyepopping save at 5:52 of the third, snagging Braydon Coburn`s point-blank backhander, then raising it high enough for the grumbling sea of orange to see.
That`s the real Fleury.
That`s the one who flashed the boyish grin when I asked if this had lifted him up a bit.
"Well," he answered, "I`m looking forward to Game 5."
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/?_s_icmp=nav_sports
Thursday, April 19, 2012
PHILADELPHIA — Anyone doubting whether the Penguins remain alive in these Stanley Cup playoffs, no matter how faint the pulse, really shouldn`t have paid too much heed to the franchise-record-tying offense, tough as it was to miss in the 10-3 all-out annihilation of the Flyers in Game 4 on Wednesday night.
Yeah, Jordan Staal was rewarded with a hat trick after he`d been one of the few steady performers all series.
Evgeni Malkin broke through with his first two goals.
Steve Sullivan, in addition to almost singlehandedly restoring sanity to the power play, found top shelf on a rink-length rush.
And, in what I`d bet was most satisfying inside a palpably sighing locker room, Sidney Crosby essentially wrapped up the Philadelphia Daily News` cheap-shot cover – he was amateurishly photo-shopped as the "Cowardly Penguin" – and used it swat the Flyers for three points.
It was a ton of fun, all of it.
At the same time, we knew Crosby could do that.
And we knew the Penguins could score in big bunches. They`ve been doing it all along.
To me, the moment that should mean the most — to the Penguins and even the Flyers — was, of all things, a save.
I`ll wait until you check a hockey glossary for the term.
Rewind the clock to 14:38 of the second period: Claude Giroux, Philadelphia`s finest forward, darted to the left hash and — just as uncontested than most Flyers have been all series — fired a bullet for the far post.
Except this time, Fleury jutted out that big left pad, rock-em-sock-em-robots style, and got the better of the battle.
You know, like he used to.
"It felt good, I know that," Fleury said. "I`ve been giving up some goals, and it felt good to stop a player like that."
It wasn`t exactly a brilliant showing. Not with Fleury giving up three goals on 11 shots — a bad-angle Giroux stuff and two that found the five-hole — in a first period that looked as shaky as his 18 goals over three-games.
But be sure that Fleury stopping his final 14 shots and enjoying two periods of silence is precisely what the Penguins can use to turn this single staving-off into much more.
Brooks Orpik had gone out of his way to defend Fleury to wave after wave of reporters, and he didn`t stop afterward.
Citing the save on Giroux, Orpik said, "It`s nice when he only has to make one of those a game. I mean, we`ve given him five breakaways, five two-on-ones and five tap-ins every game. He hasn`t been his best, and he`d be the first to tell you that. But we`ve been terrible."
What`s funny is that Fleury might not even need to be at his best to beat Philadelphia.
Did you see Ilya Bryzgalov continuing to look like he lost his contact lenses in the ice?
Five goals, 18 shots.
And how about replacement Sergei Bobrovsky?
Five goals, 18 shots.
Bryzgalov probably will be the Flyers` choice for Game 5, despite 17 goals in four games. I don`t think they have a choice.
"He has to have confidence in himself," Jaromir Jagr said. "Nobody`s going to help him but himself. I think he`s OK."
Reassuring, huh?
Fleury`s capable of being far better than OK.
He made another eyepopping save at 5:52 of the third, snagging Braydon Coburn`s point-blank backhander, then raising it high enough for the grumbling sea of orange to see.
That`s the real Fleury.
That`s the one who flashed the boyish grin when I asked if this had lifted him up a bit.
"Well," he answered, "I`m looking forward to Game 5."
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
A confession: Jagr was right
By Dejan Kovacevic, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/?_s_icmp=nav_sports
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 13: Jaromir Jagr #68 of the Philadelphia Flyers handles the puck against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Consol Energy Center on April 13, 2012 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
VOORHEES, N.J. — Jaromir Jagr was right.
For all else that will pain Pittsburgh`s passionate hockey fans once the Penguins complete their epic collapse in these Stanley Cup playoffs, either Wednesday night in Game 4 or later this week, nothing should cut deeper than those four words.
Jagr was right, and we were wrong.
Well, I was wrong, speaking for myself.
It was just last summer, amid all the fuss of "Jagr Watch" and folks staking out Pittsburgh International with dusted-off No. 68 sweaters and turtles delaying his flight out of JFK and endless nonsense from loopy agent Petr Svoboda, that I criticized Jagr once he signed with the Flyers.
In this space on July 2, 2011, the day after Jagr accepted the Flyers` $3.3 million offer over the Penguins` $2 million, I called him greedy. Called him a mercenary. Pointed out that he`d amassed $101 million over his career and still went for the extra million.
"This wasn`t about greener pastures," I wrote that day. "It was about going for the green."
I`ll say it again: I was wrong.
Oh, sure, it can never be known what would have happened had the Penguins countered with, say, $4 million. Jagr might have looked at the whole scene — renewing his bond with the franchise, the city and Mario Lemieux — in a wholly different way.
But that part about greener pastures ... well, kind of hard to argue that now, isn`t it?
The first three playoff games have powerfully illustrated that Philadelphia is the better team to this point, and there`s also no question that the Flyers have been an exemplary fit for what he needed.
I spent some time with Jagr, whom I`ve known since 1997, after the Flyers` practice here last Wednesday, primarily for the purpose of fessing up. Told him what I wrote last summer, the terms I used, the whole deal.
Not surprisingly, he laughed.
"Well, what do you think now?" Jagr came back with a chuckle as he unlaced his skates. "For me, it was never about the money. If it was about the money, I could stay in Russia and make twice as much. I wanted to come to the NHL, play with great players and have the chance to win the Cup again. I`m very happy here."
Happier, no doubt, than he would have been in Pittsburgh.
Remember when Jagr wondered if the Penguins were "serious" about signing him?
That was legit. I have no doubt Lemieux and Dan Bylsma wanted it to happen. But I also have no doubt that general manager Ray Shero, who has every right to build his roster as he sees fit, really didn`t. And Jagr acknowledged Wednesday for the first time that he sensed Shero`s trepidation during the talks.
"For sure," Jagr said. "I knew there were some people there that wanted me, others who didn`t. I know Mario did."
Remember when Jagr said he`d prefer playing with Claude Giroux over Sidney Crosby?
Oh, we howled at that one. Not anymore.
Giroux isn`t Crosby. No one is. But Giroux raised his status to one of the game`s unquestioned top five forwards with a 93-point season, shining as Jagr`s centerman. The two also became good friends.
"He`s a special player, a special kid," Jagr said.
Remember when Jagr worried he wouldn`t have a spot on the Penguins` top two lines, or the first power-play unit?
We scoffed at that, too. But what would have become of Jagr once James Neal began busting out as a 40-goal sniper?
As for the power play ...
"They can`t even have Sid on the power play," Jagr said, with the trademark devilish grin. "Where would they put me?"
Remember when we saw Jagr joining the rival Flyers as a direct shot at the Penguins?
Well, this was what he had to say about being up, 3-0, in this series against his former team and the city that boos him with each touch of the puck: "All I know is that I appreciate every time I`m on the ice. I don`t know how many playoff games I have left in my career. If I`m happy about beating Pittsburgh — if we do — it`s because they`re the best team in the league. That`s special."
Jagr is openly talking about coming back for another NHL season, and he`s told the Flyers he`d prefer to stay put. I can see that happening, especially if he goes on to play a productive-mentor role similar to Mark Recchi`s with the champion Bruins last spring.
I`m guessing No. 68 would happily take a third Cup over that statue outside Consol Energy Center.
It was the right call.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/?_s_icmp=nav_sports
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 13: Jaromir Jagr #68 of the Philadelphia Flyers handles the puck against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Consol Energy Center on April 13, 2012 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
VOORHEES, N.J. — Jaromir Jagr was right.
For all else that will pain Pittsburgh`s passionate hockey fans once the Penguins complete their epic collapse in these Stanley Cup playoffs, either Wednesday night in Game 4 or later this week, nothing should cut deeper than those four words.
Jagr was right, and we were wrong.
Well, I was wrong, speaking for myself.
It was just last summer, amid all the fuss of "Jagr Watch" and folks staking out Pittsburgh International with dusted-off No. 68 sweaters and turtles delaying his flight out of JFK and endless nonsense from loopy agent Petr Svoboda, that I criticized Jagr once he signed with the Flyers.
In this space on July 2, 2011, the day after Jagr accepted the Flyers` $3.3 million offer over the Penguins` $2 million, I called him greedy. Called him a mercenary. Pointed out that he`d amassed $101 million over his career and still went for the extra million.
"This wasn`t about greener pastures," I wrote that day. "It was about going for the green."
I`ll say it again: I was wrong.
Oh, sure, it can never be known what would have happened had the Penguins countered with, say, $4 million. Jagr might have looked at the whole scene — renewing his bond with the franchise, the city and Mario Lemieux — in a wholly different way.
But that part about greener pastures ... well, kind of hard to argue that now, isn`t it?
The first three playoff games have powerfully illustrated that Philadelphia is the better team to this point, and there`s also no question that the Flyers have been an exemplary fit for what he needed.
I spent some time with Jagr, whom I`ve known since 1997, after the Flyers` practice here last Wednesday, primarily for the purpose of fessing up. Told him what I wrote last summer, the terms I used, the whole deal.
Not surprisingly, he laughed.
"Well, what do you think now?" Jagr came back with a chuckle as he unlaced his skates. "For me, it was never about the money. If it was about the money, I could stay in Russia and make twice as much. I wanted to come to the NHL, play with great players and have the chance to win the Cup again. I`m very happy here."
Happier, no doubt, than he would have been in Pittsburgh.
Remember when Jagr wondered if the Penguins were "serious" about signing him?
That was legit. I have no doubt Lemieux and Dan Bylsma wanted it to happen. But I also have no doubt that general manager Ray Shero, who has every right to build his roster as he sees fit, really didn`t. And Jagr acknowledged Wednesday for the first time that he sensed Shero`s trepidation during the talks.
"For sure," Jagr said. "I knew there were some people there that wanted me, others who didn`t. I know Mario did."
Remember when Jagr said he`d prefer playing with Claude Giroux over Sidney Crosby?
Oh, we howled at that one. Not anymore.
Giroux isn`t Crosby. No one is. But Giroux raised his status to one of the game`s unquestioned top five forwards with a 93-point season, shining as Jagr`s centerman. The two also became good friends.
"He`s a special player, a special kid," Jagr said.
Remember when Jagr worried he wouldn`t have a spot on the Penguins` top two lines, or the first power-play unit?
We scoffed at that, too. But what would have become of Jagr once James Neal began busting out as a 40-goal sniper?
As for the power play ...
"They can`t even have Sid on the power play," Jagr said, with the trademark devilish grin. "Where would they put me?"
Remember when we saw Jagr joining the rival Flyers as a direct shot at the Penguins?
Well, this was what he had to say about being up, 3-0, in this series against his former team and the city that boos him with each touch of the puck: "All I know is that I appreciate every time I`m on the ice. I don`t know how many playoff games I have left in my career. If I`m happy about beating Pittsburgh — if we do — it`s because they`re the best team in the league. That`s special."
Jagr is openly talking about coming back for another NHL season, and he`s told the Flyers he`d prefer to stay put. I can see that happening, especially if he goes on to play a productive-mentor role similar to Mark Recchi`s with the champion Bruins last spring.
I`m guessing No. 68 would happily take a third Cup over that statue outside Consol Energy Center.
It was the right call.
Monday, April 16, 2012
James Neal Cheap-Shots Sean Couturier and Claude Giroux
By
The Pittsburgh Penguins showed little class in a Game 3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers that put their team one loss away from elimination.
In addition to Sidney Crosby punching Claude Giroux with a linesman between them, Arron Asham cross-checking Brayden Schenn in the throat, and Craig Adams jumping Scott Hartnell from behind, James Neal took part in two dirty plays.
The first happened with just under 5:30 to play in the third period.
Philadelphia's Sean Couturier touched the puck near the boards (which were to his left), roughly five feet into his offensive zone. He was skating up-ice to Pittsburgh's end when the play occurred. The puck went deeper into the Philadelphia zone after he touched it.
At this point, Neal was skating toward the Pittsburgh end of the ice at the blue line in the center of the ice.
Couturier glided out of his zone and looked back at play. A full two seconds after he made contact with the puck, Neal leapt into him, hitting him high in the chest and sending Couturier down to the ice.
Not only was this a very late hit, Neal leaving his feet made it dirty, regardless of where the puck was. Neal had plenty of time to avoid Couturier, but skated right at him instead.
A little over 40 seconds later, the Penguins forward went after Giroux.
Giroux was in his offensive zone at the right faceoff circle, facing across ice. Neal came from outside of the zone toward Giroux.
Neal not only aimed his left elbow at Giroux's head, but left the ice as well—again. Had Giroux not ducked under the attempted cheap shot, the Flyers could have a disaster on their hands with an injured superstar.
Giroux missed time earlier this season due to a concussion; Neal aiming at his head with an elbow is completely irresponsible.
Does Neal want the Flyers aiming elbows at the head of Sidney Crosby? Because that's the only fair way for Philadelphia to respond his cheap-shot attempt.
Hartnell told reporters after the game,
The Penguins were pathetically cheap in the game that may very well seal a first-round exit this year.
The NHL has been very strange in their supplementary discipline decisions this postseason (even the New York Rangers say so), but it would be absurd for the Penguins to escape this game without at least one suspension.
Jason Sapunka covers the NHL and Philadelphia Flyers. He is available on Twitter for updates, analysis and commentary.
Related:
Sidney Crosby, from Prodigy to Punk -
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1146515-nhl-playoffs-2012-sidney-crosby-from-prodigy-to-punk
The Pittsburgh Penguins showed little class in a Game 3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers that put their team one loss away from elimination.
In addition to Sidney Crosby punching Claude Giroux with a linesman between them, Arron Asham cross-checking Brayden Schenn in the throat, and Craig Adams jumping Scott Hartnell from behind, James Neal took part in two dirty plays.
The first happened with just under 5:30 to play in the third period.
Philadelphia's Sean Couturier touched the puck near the boards (which were to his left), roughly five feet into his offensive zone. He was skating up-ice to Pittsburgh's end when the play occurred. The puck went deeper into the Philadelphia zone after he touched it.
At this point, Neal was skating toward the Pittsburgh end of the ice at the blue line in the center of the ice.
Couturier glided out of his zone and looked back at play. A full two seconds after he made contact with the puck, Neal leapt into him, hitting him high in the chest and sending Couturier down to the ice.
Not only was this a very late hit, Neal leaving his feet made it dirty, regardless of where the puck was. Neal had plenty of time to avoid Couturier, but skated right at him instead.
A little over 40 seconds later, the Penguins forward went after Giroux.
Giroux was in his offensive zone at the right faceoff circle, facing across ice. Neal came from outside of the zone toward Giroux.
Neal not only aimed his left elbow at Giroux's head, but left the ice as well—again. Had Giroux not ducked under the attempted cheap shot, the Flyers could have a disaster on their hands with an injured superstar.
Giroux missed time earlier this season due to a concussion; Neal aiming at his head with an elbow is completely irresponsible.
Does Neal want the Flyers aiming elbows at the head of Sidney Crosby? Because that's the only fair way for Philadelphia to respond his cheap-shot attempt.
Hartnell told reporters after the game,
"They were going after a couple of our guys' heads. It's scary when it comes down to that level," he said. "You ask the best player in the world, Sidney Crosby, what they're thinking over there: 'That's playoff hockey?'
"For me, that's not playoff hockey, that is dangerous hockey. They were just trying to hurt people."
The Penguins were pathetically cheap in the game that may very well seal a first-round exit this year.
The NHL has been very strange in their supplementary discipline decisions this postseason (even the New York Rangers say so), but it would be absurd for the Penguins to escape this game without at least one suspension.
Jason Sapunka covers the NHL and Philadelphia Flyers. He is available on Twitter for updates, analysis and commentary.
Related:
Sidney Crosby, from Prodigy to Punk -
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1146515-nhl-playoffs-2012-sidney-crosby-from-prodigy-to-punk
Crosby puts series into gutter
By Phil Sheridan
Philadelphia Inquirer
http://www.philly.com/inquirer
April 16, 2012
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 15: The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers battle during the first period in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center on April 15, 2012 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA -- Justice may or may not come from the NHL office in Toronto. History suggests it would be ill-advised to hold your breath waiting.
The Flyers got their justice on the scoreboard Sunday, beating the surly Penguins, 8-4, and virtually assuring themselves of a berth in the second round of the playoffs.
"We've been talking about that the whole series," said Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen, who was uncharacteristically ejected for fighting. "We're not going to get any favors from the referees or league or whatever. We have to be the ones to stay disciplined. ... If they think they're going to win that way, it's not working for them."
It's a shame, really. Games 1 and 2 of this series were thrilling, memorable hockey games. There was little of the expected extracurricular idiocy, and that was something to applaud.
Then Sidney Crosby changed the channel to a WWE steel-cage match. The feeling here has always been that Crosby's reputation outside the 'Burgh is overblown, as much a product of his success as his reputed cheap shots and referee-lawyering.
But Crosby earned every epithet that has been hurled at him in the first period of Game 3. Incapable of leading his choking team to wins despite early leads, Crosby the captain resorted to leading this series into the gutter.
Crosby started a scrum behind the Flyers net by chopping at goalie Ilya Bryzgalov's glove after he had covered the puck and the whistle had been blown. Then he reignited things into a full-blown melee by flicking Jakub Voracek's glove away as Voracek leaned over to pick it up.
Timonen took exception, so Penguins defenseman Kris Letang went after Timonen.
"If he gets in a scrum, they're obviously going to be all out there," Timonen said. "They're going to make sure he's not the one [who fights]."
Except Claude Giroux made sure, this time at least, that Crosby did. The Flyers' best player dropped his gloves and engaged Crosby. If Giroux wasn't already beloved by Flyers fans, this would have sealed the deal.
It would have been one thing if that had been the end of it. But it was the start. Taking a cue from their captain, the Penguins took a series of cheap shots at various Flyers targets. Arron Asham cross-checked Brayden Schenn up high, then pounded his head into the ice. James Neal launched himself at Sean Couturier in the third period, then took another shot at Giroux.
If there is a sentient being in the Toronto offices, perhaps he has noticed that more than 1,000 former NFL players have filed lawsuits against that league for its handling of concussions over the decades. That hasn't happened in hockey yet, but it's only a matter of time.
So here's the test for commissioner Gary Bettman and his czar of discipline, Brendan Shanahan. Saturday's playoff games were marred by similar dangerous cheap shots. Now here were the Penguins, all but finished in this series, trying to disable some of the league's future stars with outrageous head shots.
Precedent is mixed. Nashville's Shea Weber skated, literally, after a dangerous head shot. Sunday, the NHL suspended the Rangers' Carl Hagelin three games for a nasty head shot to Ottawa's Daniel Alfredsson.
If Asham or Neal play again in this postseason, it will appear the league considers player safety secondary to satisfying the blood lust of some fans. That's going to look bad when the class-action suits are filed.
"If you look around, the whole playoffs, it's been like that," Timonen said. "It's not just our game. I watched games last night, and it's been like that."
Let's be clear here. The Flyers aren't dewy innocents competing for the Lady Byng instead of the Stanley Cup. This is a violent game, and who knows what misdeeds they might have gotten up to had the situation been reversed? But this series had been a compelling case for hockey as a contact sport, not a cheap-shot sport, until Crosby changed the temperature.
"They've got to do what they've got to do, I guess," Giroux said.
During the long stoppages, while the referees sorted out the 148 penalty minutes, Flyers fans chanted, "You can't beat us," at the Penguins.
It was true, and it was sweeter justice than any hit the Flyers could deliver.
Philadelphia Inquirer
http://www.philly.com/inquirer
April 16, 2012
PHILADELPHIA -- Justice may or may not come from the NHL office in Toronto. History suggests it would be ill-advised to hold your breath waiting.
The Flyers got their justice on the scoreboard Sunday, beating the surly Penguins, 8-4, and virtually assuring themselves of a berth in the second round of the playoffs.
"We've been talking about that the whole series," said Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen, who was uncharacteristically ejected for fighting. "We're not going to get any favors from the referees or league or whatever. We have to be the ones to stay disciplined. ... If they think they're going to win that way, it's not working for them."
It's a shame, really. Games 1 and 2 of this series were thrilling, memorable hockey games. There was little of the expected extracurricular idiocy, and that was something to applaud.
Then Sidney Crosby changed the channel to a WWE steel-cage match. The feeling here has always been that Crosby's reputation outside the 'Burgh is overblown, as much a product of his success as his reputed cheap shots and referee-lawyering.
But Crosby earned every epithet that has been hurled at him in the first period of Game 3. Incapable of leading his choking team to wins despite early leads, Crosby the captain resorted to leading this series into the gutter.
Crosby started a scrum behind the Flyers net by chopping at goalie Ilya Bryzgalov's glove after he had covered the puck and the whistle had been blown. Then he reignited things into a full-blown melee by flicking Jakub Voracek's glove away as Voracek leaned over to pick it up.
Timonen took exception, so Penguins defenseman Kris Letang went after Timonen.
"If he gets in a scrum, they're obviously going to be all out there," Timonen said. "They're going to make sure he's not the one [who fights]."
Except Claude Giroux made sure, this time at least, that Crosby did. The Flyers' best player dropped his gloves and engaged Crosby. If Giroux wasn't already beloved by Flyers fans, this would have sealed the deal.
It would have been one thing if that had been the end of it. But it was the start. Taking a cue from their captain, the Penguins took a series of cheap shots at various Flyers targets. Arron Asham cross-checked Brayden Schenn up high, then pounded his head into the ice. James Neal launched himself at Sean Couturier in the third period, then took another shot at Giroux.
If there is a sentient being in the Toronto offices, perhaps he has noticed that more than 1,000 former NFL players have filed lawsuits against that league for its handling of concussions over the decades. That hasn't happened in hockey yet, but it's only a matter of time.
So here's the test for commissioner Gary Bettman and his czar of discipline, Brendan Shanahan. Saturday's playoff games were marred by similar dangerous cheap shots. Now here were the Penguins, all but finished in this series, trying to disable some of the league's future stars with outrageous head shots.
Precedent is mixed. Nashville's Shea Weber skated, literally, after a dangerous head shot. Sunday, the NHL suspended the Rangers' Carl Hagelin three games for a nasty head shot to Ottawa's Daniel Alfredsson.
If Asham or Neal play again in this postseason, it will appear the league considers player safety secondary to satisfying the blood lust of some fans. That's going to look bad when the class-action suits are filed.
"If you look around, the whole playoffs, it's been like that," Timonen said. "It's not just our game. I watched games last night, and it's been like that."
Let's be clear here. The Flyers aren't dewy innocents competing for the Lady Byng instead of the Stanley Cup. This is a violent game, and who knows what misdeeds they might have gotten up to had the situation been reversed? But this series had been a compelling case for hockey as a contact sport, not a cheap-shot sport, until Crosby changed the temperature.
"They've got to do what they've got to do, I guess," Giroux said.
During the long stoppages, while the referees sorted out the 148 penalty minutes, Flyers fans chanted, "You can't beat us," at the Penguins.
It was true, and it was sweeter justice than any hit the Flyers could deliver.
Don't bother showing for Game 4
By Dejan Kovacevic, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/?_s_icmp=nav_sports
Monday, April 16, 2012
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 15: The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers fight during the first period in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center on April 15, 2012 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Flyers defeated the Penguins 8-4. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA — Within a couple hours of maybe the most pathetic playoff performance in Penguins history, the sloppy, senseless and stupid-beyond-words 8-4 loss to the Flyers in Game 3 on Sunday, the tattered remains of this team boarded an aircraft for Pittsburgh. That`s where they`re set to practice the next two days, then return here for Game 4.
Do us a favor, gentlemen: Don`t come back.
No, I mean it.
Just fold the sweaters like you`ve folded mentally in these Stanley Cup playoffs. Pack up like you`ve packed it in, and head off to Moose Jaw or Magnitogorsk for the summer.
But don`t come back here.
Not until you`re ready to use — and keep — your heads. Not until you`re prepared to take the ice with some semblance of dignity, discipline and, yeah, maybe even a shift or two of defense.
Want to send a busload of call-ups from Wilkes-Barre?
Go nuts. It`s right up the road.
Those kids, even the full-time knuckle-draggers, wouldn`t soil the franchise`s reputation like Arron Asham did with his disgraceful stick assault on Brayden Schenn, that before jabbing Schenn while face-down on the ice. The NHL`s suspension should be fierce.
Those Wilkes-Barre kids wouldn`t waste half the afternoon petulantly chasing personal grudges, either. Kris Letang killed the Penguins` early momentum with his stupid, selfish cross-check, then saw fit to get tossed for fighting while another fight was going on. Chris Kunitz was no sharper when slashing a Flyer in the attacking zone when the Penguins again had something going in the third. James Neal`s later hit that wiped out Sean Couturier wasn`t nearly as bad as folks here fussed about, but it was well away from the puck.
Even Sidney Crosby lost his cool, inexplicably risking his health by fighting Claude Giroux — though Crosby assured me nothing landed — and whacking his way all over the rink.
Afterward, too, despite assurances that "we`re not frustrated," he uncharacteristically raised eyebrows by saying of the Flyers` mega-pest Jakub Voracek, "I don`t like him. Why? Because I don`t like him. I don`t like any guy on their team."
That`s Crosby?
These are the Penguins?
You shouldn`t wonder what Mario Lemieux was thinking. I saw No. 66 shaking his head outside the locker room like a disgusted parent, and he had every right. He speaks out for the NHL to clean up its act, and his team pulls this garbage?
And yet, amazingly, the defense was still ugliest of all.
In all seriousness, do you suppose those Wilkes-Barre kids could hold the Flyers to fewer than 20 goals in three games?
Jordan Staal — who, along with Neal, Craig Adams, a gutsy Matt Niskanen and only a couple others, performed at an actual playoff level on this day — looked me in the eye and said the effort was there. I believe him. There are 11 ring-bearing champions on this roster.
But there`s a colossal difference between working hard and working smart, and the Penguins fell laughably shy of the latter — yet again — when it came to preventing goals.
The breakdowns spanned the length of the Turnpike, but nothing stood out like Pascal Dupuis failing to dump the puck on a penalty-kill late in the second, leading to Wayne Simmonds` breakaway goal that put the Flyers up, 6-4. This after relentless reinforcement about moving forward all week.
Dupuis is smarter than that.
The Penguins as a whole are far, far better than this. Or at least they should be.
They still sound determined, minus any bold declarations.
"We`ll be fine," Staal said.
They still sound together, too, with Crosby and Brooks Orpik offering — wholly unsolicited — that there`s "no finger-pointing" in the locker room.
But none of that matters with Evgeni Malkin being outclassed by 19-year-old Couturier, with Marc-Andre Fleury fishing rubber out of his net every five minutes, with the citizenry still waiting on Dan Bylsma`s first strategic adjustment and, above all, with dumb turning dumber.
Figure it out, fellas, or save the airfare.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/?_s_icmp=nav_sports
Monday, April 16, 2012
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 15: The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers fight during the first period in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center on April 15, 2012 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Flyers defeated the Penguins 8-4. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA — Within a couple hours of maybe the most pathetic playoff performance in Penguins history, the sloppy, senseless and stupid-beyond-words 8-4 loss to the Flyers in Game 3 on Sunday, the tattered remains of this team boarded an aircraft for Pittsburgh. That`s where they`re set to practice the next two days, then return here for Game 4.
Do us a favor, gentlemen: Don`t come back.
No, I mean it.
Just fold the sweaters like you`ve folded mentally in these Stanley Cup playoffs. Pack up like you`ve packed it in, and head off to Moose Jaw or Magnitogorsk for the summer.
But don`t come back here.
Not until you`re ready to use — and keep — your heads. Not until you`re prepared to take the ice with some semblance of dignity, discipline and, yeah, maybe even a shift or two of defense.
Want to send a busload of call-ups from Wilkes-Barre?
Go nuts. It`s right up the road.
Those kids, even the full-time knuckle-draggers, wouldn`t soil the franchise`s reputation like Arron Asham did with his disgraceful stick assault on Brayden Schenn, that before jabbing Schenn while face-down on the ice. The NHL`s suspension should be fierce.
Those Wilkes-Barre kids wouldn`t waste half the afternoon petulantly chasing personal grudges, either. Kris Letang killed the Penguins` early momentum with his stupid, selfish cross-check, then saw fit to get tossed for fighting while another fight was going on. Chris Kunitz was no sharper when slashing a Flyer in the attacking zone when the Penguins again had something going in the third. James Neal`s later hit that wiped out Sean Couturier wasn`t nearly as bad as folks here fussed about, but it was well away from the puck.
Even Sidney Crosby lost his cool, inexplicably risking his health by fighting Claude Giroux — though Crosby assured me nothing landed — and whacking his way all over the rink.
Afterward, too, despite assurances that "we`re not frustrated," he uncharacteristically raised eyebrows by saying of the Flyers` mega-pest Jakub Voracek, "I don`t like him. Why? Because I don`t like him. I don`t like any guy on their team."
That`s Crosby?
These are the Penguins?
You shouldn`t wonder what Mario Lemieux was thinking. I saw No. 66 shaking his head outside the locker room like a disgusted parent, and he had every right. He speaks out for the NHL to clean up its act, and his team pulls this garbage?
And yet, amazingly, the defense was still ugliest of all.
In all seriousness, do you suppose those Wilkes-Barre kids could hold the Flyers to fewer than 20 goals in three games?
Jordan Staal — who, along with Neal, Craig Adams, a gutsy Matt Niskanen and only a couple others, performed at an actual playoff level on this day — looked me in the eye and said the effort was there. I believe him. There are 11 ring-bearing champions on this roster.
But there`s a colossal difference between working hard and working smart, and the Penguins fell laughably shy of the latter — yet again — when it came to preventing goals.
The breakdowns spanned the length of the Turnpike, but nothing stood out like Pascal Dupuis failing to dump the puck on a penalty-kill late in the second, leading to Wayne Simmonds` breakaway goal that put the Flyers up, 6-4. This after relentless reinforcement about moving forward all week.
Dupuis is smarter than that.
The Penguins as a whole are far, far better than this. Or at least they should be.
They still sound determined, minus any bold declarations.
"We`ll be fine," Staal said.
They still sound together, too, with Crosby and Brooks Orpik offering — wholly unsolicited — that there`s "no finger-pointing" in the locker room.
But none of that matters with Evgeni Malkin being outclassed by 19-year-old Couturier, with Marc-Andre Fleury fishing rubber out of his net every five minutes, with the citizenry still waiting on Dan Bylsma`s first strategic adjustment and, above all, with dumb turning dumber.
Figure it out, fellas, or save the airfare.
Pens abandoned system, then hope
By Mark Madden
The Beaver County Times
http://www.timesonline.com/sports/
April 16, 2012
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 15: Claude Giroux #28 of the Philadelphia Flyers celebrates a goal against Marc-Andre Fleury #29 of the Pittsburgh Penguins by Maxime Talbot #27 (not shown) at 6:44 of the first period in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center on April 15, 2012 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Flyers defeated the Penguins 8-4. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
When the Penguins deal with injuries, they're a good hockey team. They master fundamentals, stick to their system.
But when all their vast talent is at their disposal, the Penguins stink. They play with a sense of entitlement, like glory is their birthright. No humility. When their rattle is snatched away, the Penguins react like any baby: They scream or they pout.
Say what you might about blowing a 3-1 series lead to Tampa Bay in last year's first round, at least the Penguins never abandoned their framework. Their structure was sound. With Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin out and their power play dysfunctional as ever, the Penguins just ran out of goals.
That was disappointing, but noble.
There's nothing noble about what's going on now.
The Penguins are not only being slaughtered by Philadelphia, they're stooping to embarrassing levels of mayhem. The Flyers aren't innocent, but they're not instigators. Not this time.
The Penguins' organization has often taken a stand against abhorrent behavior. That doesn't mean their players have to be angels. But sticks to the face? Leaving their skates to hit?
The frustration is understandable. I've never seen a playoff series with worse goaltending at both ends. Marc-Andre Fleury has imploded. Scoring 12 goals in three games should be enough to be on the verge of a sweep, not being swept.
But between Fleury's collapse, anemic defensive play and horrific special teams, the Penguins simply can't score enough. Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov merely has to outplay Fleury. It's not hard. Fleury played so badly in Games 2 and 3, it was impossible to overcome, although Bryzgalov did his best.
But the problems go beyond goaltending. They can be traced back to March 15, the day Crosby returned to the lineup.
At that point, the Penguins became a flying circus. The Penguins have since averaged 4.5 goals per game, but have gone just 9-8.
Crosby's return was a catalyst for the negative. But don't blame Crosby. No player has a bigger commitment to two-way hockey than the Penguins' captain. Crosby hasn't been great in this series, but he scored the first goal in Games 1 and 2. He gave the Penguins a chance.
When Crosby returned, however, it seemed to give the Penguins a feeling that success was inevitable. They got intoxicated by whiffing high octane. Give up a goal? No problem. Go score two. Give up four goals? No problem. Go score five.
But what if you don't? And what if you give up eight?
Last season's Penguins could bleed out low-scoring wins. The current Penguins don't want to bother.
The Penguins' defensive malfeasance has been thorough and despicable. Defensive-zone coverage is pathetic. The Penguins frequently leave the zone without the puck. Too many odd-man breaks allowed, especially by the third and fourth lines.
The Penguins' defensive problems too often start with neutral-zone turnovers created by arrogance, stupidity or the always deadly combination of both.
When their stars are injured, the Penguins win via systematic play. In 2009, the Penguins won the Stanley Cup via systematic play. They didn't dazzle Detroit. They frazzled Detroit.
Now, their system exists only in theory. That's what causes blown leads. That's what causes blowouts. There's no structure. Can't go back to square one when you forget where it is.
When the Penguins eliminated the Flyers in 2008, it was the handshake line Pittsburgh had waited four decades for.
But yesterday, there was no denying the chant that rang around Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center and made its way back to Pittsburgh via television: "YOU CAN'T BEAT US!"
Loud, clear and true. It's a nightmare.
The Beaver County Times
http://www.timesonline.com/sports/
April 16, 2012
When the Penguins deal with injuries, they're a good hockey team. They master fundamentals, stick to their system.
But when all their vast talent is at their disposal, the Penguins stink. They play with a sense of entitlement, like glory is their birthright. No humility. When their rattle is snatched away, the Penguins react like any baby: They scream or they pout.
Say what you might about blowing a 3-1 series lead to Tampa Bay in last year's first round, at least the Penguins never abandoned their framework. Their structure was sound. With Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin out and their power play dysfunctional as ever, the Penguins just ran out of goals.
That was disappointing, but noble.
There's nothing noble about what's going on now.
The Penguins are not only being slaughtered by Philadelphia, they're stooping to embarrassing levels of mayhem. The Flyers aren't innocent, but they're not instigators. Not this time.
The Penguins' organization has often taken a stand against abhorrent behavior. That doesn't mean their players have to be angels. But sticks to the face? Leaving their skates to hit?
The frustration is understandable. I've never seen a playoff series with worse goaltending at both ends. Marc-Andre Fleury has imploded. Scoring 12 goals in three games should be enough to be on the verge of a sweep, not being swept.
But between Fleury's collapse, anemic defensive play and horrific special teams, the Penguins simply can't score enough. Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov merely has to outplay Fleury. It's not hard. Fleury played so badly in Games 2 and 3, it was impossible to overcome, although Bryzgalov did his best.
But the problems go beyond goaltending. They can be traced back to March 15, the day Crosby returned to the lineup.
At that point, the Penguins became a flying circus. The Penguins have since averaged 4.5 goals per game, but have gone just 9-8.
Crosby's return was a catalyst for the negative. But don't blame Crosby. No player has a bigger commitment to two-way hockey than the Penguins' captain. Crosby hasn't been great in this series, but he scored the first goal in Games 1 and 2. He gave the Penguins a chance.
When Crosby returned, however, it seemed to give the Penguins a feeling that success was inevitable. They got intoxicated by whiffing high octane. Give up a goal? No problem. Go score two. Give up four goals? No problem. Go score five.
But what if you don't? And what if you give up eight?
Last season's Penguins could bleed out low-scoring wins. The current Penguins don't want to bother.
The Penguins' defensive malfeasance has been thorough and despicable. Defensive-zone coverage is pathetic. The Penguins frequently leave the zone without the puck. Too many odd-man breaks allowed, especially by the third and fourth lines.
The Penguins' defensive problems too often start with neutral-zone turnovers created by arrogance, stupidity or the always deadly combination of both.
When their stars are injured, the Penguins win via systematic play. In 2009, the Penguins won the Stanley Cup via systematic play. They didn't dazzle Detroit. They frazzled Detroit.
Now, their system exists only in theory. That's what causes blown leads. That's what causes blowouts. There's no structure. Can't go back to square one when you forget where it is.
When the Penguins eliminated the Flyers in 2008, it was the handshake line Pittsburgh had waited four decades for.
But yesterday, there was no denying the chant that rang around Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center and made its way back to Pittsburgh via television: "YOU CAN'T BEAT US!"
Loud, clear and true. It's a nightmare.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Penguins live and die with team identity
By
PITTSBURGH — Nobody expected the ledge to come this quickly, but here it is. The Pittsburgh Penguins had the fourth-best record in the National Hockey League this season, sported perhaps the two best players in the game, and were the betting favourites to win the Stanley Cup. What could be better?
And now they are down 2-0 to the Philadelphia Flyers and heading back to Philadelphia after two games in which they watched an early lead slip away, in pieces or in bursts. They haven’t just lost; they have been beaten. And much like the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Vancouver Canucks, two games into the post-season it has become a question of identity and trust, and whether the Penguins can hold onto either one.
“I mean, I think if you really watched the game closely it’s not like they’re carrying the play and all of a sudden it’s five shifts that they’re wearing us down and then they’re putting one in,” said Sidney Crosby, who had a goal and an assist in each of the first two games.
“It’s the other way around. We have possession for most of the time and we make one mistake, and it ends up in our net. Unfortunately that’s the way the game goes sometimes — it doesn’t seem fair, but that’s the way it goes. So we really, really have to focus on not making those mistakes, and we all believe we we have the guys to score goals.
“I think eventually, we keep doing good things, we keep going hard to the net, keep doing the things that we’re doing, hopefully we get some bounces too.”
Bounces is one thing; free-range defensive play is another. Philadelphia didn’t luck its way to eight goals in Game 2 — they did it on a rebound off a breakaway, a power play, an open rebound, an open shot from the slot extended, a defensive zone giveaway for a breakaway, a contested wrist shot from near the faceoff circle, a 3-on-1, and an empty netter. The Flyers had acres of room, and came flying at Fleury as if he was standing in the middle of an expressway. In Game 1 Philadelphia came back from a 3-0 deficit; in Game 2 Pittsburgh led 3-1, 4-3, and 5-4, and lost going away.
“If you’re asking does it affect the mindset, I think it does,” says Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma. “You can say that losing 4-3 is a 4-3 loss no matter how it goes down, and an overtime game is painful for anybody who’s losing 4-3. But I think we understand we had leads, 3-0 leads and two-goals leads, and they were able to come back … It’s difficult to deal with those losses but at the same time, we have to put it behind us.”
The question is what is wrong, and how to fix it. Down the stretch holes opened up in Pittsburgh’s defensive ice — an 8-4 loss to Ottawa, two 5-3 losses to the Islanders, a 6-4 loss to this same Philadelphia team in which the Flyers scored four third-period goals. Marc-André Fleury started three of those games, and finished two of them.
As Penguins defenceman Paul Martin puts it, “when you think of playoff games, and it being tight, the last couple of games I think for the most part have kind of caught us off guard as to what you expect, some of the chances given up … But I think we know the type of team that we are. I think the hardest part is we spend too much time trying to figure out why we let the lead slide.”
Pittsburgh was 32-0-3 this season when leading after two periods, tied for the sixth-best winning percentage in the league in that situation. But they were tied at the end of two in Game 2, and were only 19th in the league when leading after one period. They were 17th in goals-against, and 24th in save percentage. In their final 14 games with Sidney Crosby in the lineup, they went 1-4-1 when scoring fewer than five goals, and 8-0 when they scored five or more.
They have become, it appears, a sort of run-and-gun team, and against the Flyers — third in the league in scoring this season, two slots behind Pittsburgh — they have proven incapable of turning off the spigot once they race out in front.
But the Penguins believe this is wholly uncharacteristic. Maybe they’re right. Maybe they have no choice.
“This is who we are, this is our team, this is our identity, then as it unfolds down the stretch and you end up going goal for goal or you end up giving up some goals late — it can definitely be frustrating for teams,” said Martin. “For us, I think we still believe in who we are. We know who we are.”
Who are the Penguins? They think they know, but it’s time to find out again. And in Game 3 they can either peer into the abyss, or pull themselves away from it. We’ll see who they are. They will, too.
“We faced a lot this year. We had a lot injuries, a lot of media questioned our team, how fragile it was, and we always responded well,” says Pittsburgh defenceman Kris Letang. “We have a lot of character, I think, we have a lot of leaders in that dressing room. I’m really confident in this group.
“A good rivalry like that, you just want to live for those games. It’s fun to be part of, and we’ll see the true face of our team. And I think we’ll see if guys have character, and we’ll prove a lot.”
• Email: barthur@nationalpost.com
Related:
Flyers follow comeback script to take 2-0 series lead over Penguins
Jaromir Jagr’s evolution comes full circle
PITTSBURGH — Nobody expected the ledge to come this quickly, but here it is. The Pittsburgh Penguins had the fourth-best record in the National Hockey League this season, sported perhaps the two best players in the game, and were the betting favourites to win the Stanley Cup. What could be better?
And now they are down 2-0 to the Philadelphia Flyers and heading back to Philadelphia after two games in which they watched an early lead slip away, in pieces or in bursts. They haven’t just lost; they have been beaten. And much like the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Vancouver Canucks, two games into the post-season it has become a question of identity and trust, and whether the Penguins can hold onto either one.
“I mean, I think if you really watched the game closely it’s not like they’re carrying the play and all of a sudden it’s five shifts that they’re wearing us down and then they’re putting one in,” said Sidney Crosby, who had a goal and an assist in each of the first two games.
“It’s the other way around. We have possession for most of the time and we make one mistake, and it ends up in our net. Unfortunately that’s the way the game goes sometimes — it doesn’t seem fair, but that’s the way it goes. So we really, really have to focus on not making those mistakes, and we all believe we we have the guys to score goals.
“I think eventually, we keep doing good things, we keep going hard to the net, keep doing the things that we’re doing, hopefully we get some bounces too.”
Bounces is one thing; free-range defensive play is another. Philadelphia didn’t luck its way to eight goals in Game 2 — they did it on a rebound off a breakaway, a power play, an open rebound, an open shot from the slot extended, a defensive zone giveaway for a breakaway, a contested wrist shot from near the faceoff circle, a 3-on-1, and an empty netter. The Flyers had acres of room, and came flying at Fleury as if he was standing in the middle of an expressway. In Game 1 Philadelphia came back from a 3-0 deficit; in Game 2 Pittsburgh led 3-1, 4-3, and 5-4, and lost going away.
“If you’re asking does it affect the mindset, I think it does,” says Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma. “You can say that losing 4-3 is a 4-3 loss no matter how it goes down, and an overtime game is painful for anybody who’s losing 4-3. But I think we understand we had leads, 3-0 leads and two-goals leads, and they were able to come back … It’s difficult to deal with those losses but at the same time, we have to put it behind us.”
The question is what is wrong, and how to fix it. Down the stretch holes opened up in Pittsburgh’s defensive ice — an 8-4 loss to Ottawa, two 5-3 losses to the Islanders, a 6-4 loss to this same Philadelphia team in which the Flyers scored four third-period goals. Marc-André Fleury started three of those games, and finished two of them.
As Penguins defenceman Paul Martin puts it, “when you think of playoff games, and it being tight, the last couple of games I think for the most part have kind of caught us off guard as to what you expect, some of the chances given up … But I think we know the type of team that we are. I think the hardest part is we spend too much time trying to figure out why we let the lead slide.”
Pittsburgh was 32-0-3 this season when leading after two periods, tied for the sixth-best winning percentage in the league in that situation. But they were tied at the end of two in Game 2, and were only 19th in the league when leading after one period. They were 17th in goals-against, and 24th in save percentage. In their final 14 games with Sidney Crosby in the lineup, they went 1-4-1 when scoring fewer than five goals, and 8-0 when they scored five or more.
They have become, it appears, a sort of run-and-gun team, and against the Flyers — third in the league in scoring this season, two slots behind Pittsburgh — they have proven incapable of turning off the spigot once they race out in front.
But the Penguins believe this is wholly uncharacteristic. Maybe they’re right. Maybe they have no choice.
“This is who we are, this is our team, this is our identity, then as it unfolds down the stretch and you end up going goal for goal or you end up giving up some goals late — it can definitely be frustrating for teams,” said Martin. “For us, I think we still believe in who we are. We know who we are.”
Who are the Penguins? They think they know, but it’s time to find out again. And in Game 3 they can either peer into the abyss, or pull themselves away from it. We’ll see who they are. They will, too.
“We faced a lot this year. We had a lot injuries, a lot of media questioned our team, how fragile it was, and we always responded well,” says Pittsburgh defenceman Kris Letang. “We have a lot of character, I think, we have a lot of leaders in that dressing room. I’m really confident in this group.
“A good rivalry like that, you just want to live for those games. It’s fun to be part of, and we’ll see the true face of our team. And I think we’ll see if guys have character, and we’ll prove a lot.”
• Email: barthur@nationalpost.com
Related:
Flyers follow comeback script to take 2-0 series lead over Penguins
Jaromir Jagr’s evolution comes full circle
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Penguins throwing it all away
By Dejan Kovacevic, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/?_s_icmp=nav_sports
Saturday, April 14, 2012
PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 13: Sean Couturier #14 of the Philadelphia Flyers scores hat trick against Marc-Andre Fleury #29 of the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Consol Energy Center on April 13, 2012 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Flyers defeated the Penguins 7-5. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
If someone had told you Sidney Crosby would score 15 seconds after the opening faceoff, that he'd make a moving show of leadership by giving up his place on the power play, that it would reap a reward right away, that his sweet setup would bring a two-goal lead in the first period ... would you take it?
If someone had told you Tyler Kennedy would snap a tie in the opening minute of the third period ... would you take it?
If someone had told you the Penguins could enter these Stanley Cup playoffs richly healthy, with the exception of defenseman Matt Niskanen, for the first time in three years ... would you take it?
Don't ask these Penguins. They're too busy throwing it away.
They should be capitalizing on more talent than they've had up front since the early '90s, more good fortune than they've known since Crosby raised that Cup in Detroit. But instead of stamping out a Philadelphia team they've had under their foot countless times, they've crumbled again and again.
Flyers 8, Penguins 5.
"We're down, 2-0," coach Dan Bylsma said of the score that really counts. "There were some crazy situations, a lot of back and forth. The bottom line is that they came into our building and won both games."
How sad.
And, really, how ugly it all looked: Every rush up ice by the Flyers brought a cringe, every rebound seemed to find an unguarded opponent, and every shot felt like it would find a hole. Marc-Andre Fleury gave up a touchdown on 30 shots, even though he really only could be faulted on the final two goals, and the defensive play — forwards and defensemen included — fluctuated only from porous to pathetic.
The day after Bylsma stressed moving forward — skating and passing — defenseman Ben Lovejoy maddeningly flicked a puck across the middle of the Penguins' zone, right at Philadelphia's Sean Couturier. That resulted in a breakaway and the goal that made it 5-5 just 17 seconds after Kennedy struck.
Seventeen seconds!
As if it didn't occur to anyone on the home side to preserve a lead for, oh, a minute or so.
How about Brooks Orpik going for a big hit in the neutral zone to set the stage for Philadelphia`s last-second goal in the second period?
Or Zbynek Michalek passing the puck laterally through the neutral zone in the third … to a linesman?
Seriously, there wasn`t a teammate within 30 feet, and he still went sideways.
Small wonder most Penguins sounded mostly eager to erase this and get on with Game 3.
"We've got to be a lot better, and that's all that we can control from this point," Crosby said. "The mistakes that we've made have ended up in our net. It's not like mistakes have gone by without any consequence."
"We made some mistakes, and they capitalized" Orpik said. "But there are 20 guys working as hard as they can. No one's pointing fingers in the room. Everybody's giving max effort."
He'd better be right. If things are going to change, it will be in performance and not personnel.
I'd been calling since mid-winter for the Penguins to promote Simon Despres and prepare him for the playoffs. But he's still in Wilkes-Barre, and that ship likely has sailed.
Odd how Niskanen, a third-pairing guy, has been so terribly missed in this setting, huh?
While I'm asking questions, here are others the Penguins might want to ponder ...
Will Evgeni Malkin, the league's imminent MVP, continue to be outshone by the 19-year-old Couturier, who not only shut down Malkin again but also netted a hat trick? Or will Malkin stop trying to stickhandle through the world?
Will the power play score or allow more goals by series' end?
Will the penalty-killing ever expand from its tiny box against the Flyers' killer power play?
Will Fleury flat-out dominate, because that's now critical?
Was Chris Kunitz really a minus-5 with two goals?
It's very much worth praising the Flyers. They've been relentless in bouncing back, furious on the forecheck and deadly on the finish. They found a way to hold their only lead in the third.
But sorry, I can't accept that this Philadelphia roster is the '80s Oilers reincarnated. It's a good group of forwards, but it's not eight-goals good. Nobody is in today's NHL. That takes two.
Alas, it takes only one to blow a beautiful opportunity.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/?_s_icmp=nav_sports
Saturday, April 14, 2012
If someone had told you Sidney Crosby would score 15 seconds after the opening faceoff, that he'd make a moving show of leadership by giving up his place on the power play, that it would reap a reward right away, that his sweet setup would bring a two-goal lead in the first period ... would you take it?
If someone had told you Tyler Kennedy would snap a tie in the opening minute of the third period ... would you take it?
If someone had told you the Penguins could enter these Stanley Cup playoffs richly healthy, with the exception of defenseman Matt Niskanen, for the first time in three years ... would you take it?
Don't ask these Penguins. They're too busy throwing it away.
They should be capitalizing on more talent than they've had up front since the early '90s, more good fortune than they've known since Crosby raised that Cup in Detroit. But instead of stamping out a Philadelphia team they've had under their foot countless times, they've crumbled again and again.
Flyers 8, Penguins 5.
"We're down, 2-0," coach Dan Bylsma said of the score that really counts. "There were some crazy situations, a lot of back and forth. The bottom line is that they came into our building and won both games."
How sad.
And, really, how ugly it all looked: Every rush up ice by the Flyers brought a cringe, every rebound seemed to find an unguarded opponent, and every shot felt like it would find a hole. Marc-Andre Fleury gave up a touchdown on 30 shots, even though he really only could be faulted on the final two goals, and the defensive play — forwards and defensemen included — fluctuated only from porous to pathetic.
The day after Bylsma stressed moving forward — skating and passing — defenseman Ben Lovejoy maddeningly flicked a puck across the middle of the Penguins' zone, right at Philadelphia's Sean Couturier. That resulted in a breakaway and the goal that made it 5-5 just 17 seconds after Kennedy struck.
Seventeen seconds!
As if it didn't occur to anyone on the home side to preserve a lead for, oh, a minute or so.
How about Brooks Orpik going for a big hit in the neutral zone to set the stage for Philadelphia`s last-second goal in the second period?
Or Zbynek Michalek passing the puck laterally through the neutral zone in the third … to a linesman?
Seriously, there wasn`t a teammate within 30 feet, and he still went sideways.
Small wonder most Penguins sounded mostly eager to erase this and get on with Game 3.
"We've got to be a lot better, and that's all that we can control from this point," Crosby said. "The mistakes that we've made have ended up in our net. It's not like mistakes have gone by without any consequence."
"We made some mistakes, and they capitalized" Orpik said. "But there are 20 guys working as hard as they can. No one's pointing fingers in the room. Everybody's giving max effort."
He'd better be right. If things are going to change, it will be in performance and not personnel.
I'd been calling since mid-winter for the Penguins to promote Simon Despres and prepare him for the playoffs. But he's still in Wilkes-Barre, and that ship likely has sailed.
Odd how Niskanen, a third-pairing guy, has been so terribly missed in this setting, huh?
While I'm asking questions, here are others the Penguins might want to ponder ...
Will Evgeni Malkin, the league's imminent MVP, continue to be outshone by the 19-year-old Couturier, who not only shut down Malkin again but also netted a hat trick? Or will Malkin stop trying to stickhandle through the world?
Will the power play score or allow more goals by series' end?
Will the penalty-killing ever expand from its tiny box against the Flyers' killer power play?
Will Fleury flat-out dominate, because that's now critical?
Was Chris Kunitz really a minus-5 with two goals?
It's very much worth praising the Flyers. They've been relentless in bouncing back, furious on the forecheck and deadly on the finish. They found a way to hold their only lead in the third.
But sorry, I can't accept that this Philadelphia roster is the '80s Oilers reincarnated. It's a good group of forwards, but it's not eight-goals good. Nobody is in today's NHL. That takes two.
Alas, it takes only one to blow a beautiful opportunity.
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