Game 3: No place for a Kid like home-sweet-home

The first two games at Joe Louis Arena proved to be a challenge for the predominantly young Penguins players. They couldn’t utilize the power play opportunities, failed to spread the puck out to set up some decent shots on goal, and failed to capitalize on the shots that were set up. Is Chris Osgood just that good? Is it the Red Wings defense holding off the likes of Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, Jordan Staal, et al from so much as flicking the puck over Osgood’s shoulder? Or are the young Pens players getting psyched out/intimidated by the mightiness of the “Commie Red”?  Is the Pens underrated defense proving why they are in fact underrated? Is it just Hockey Town helping out their beloved team? Can home ice have the same effect for the Pens?

Those were the questions I had going into Game 3. Just what the HECK is going on here? The Pens were supposed to be the team to give the Wings a run for the money. How could they lose both games, back-to-back, in Detroit, without so much as scoring a goal to defend themselves? And why was I finding myself so emotionally invested in what the PENS (one of my least favorite teams in the league) were doing, or not doing as was the case? Well, they certainly shut me up and restored my faith in Game 3. So how exactly did the Pens turn things around, and do they still have a shot at Lord Stanley’s Cup? In a couple of words, miraculously and yes.

Game 1: 4-0, Wings
The first period was scoreless and after a single goal by Mikael Samuelsson in the second, the Pens looked like they could still pull out the big W on this one—they have played worse and still won. However, the defense floundered, and the offense failed to get anything in the back of the net. Would I blame Marc-Andre Fleury solely? I could, but I refuse to. It doesn’t just come down to the goalie in these types of situations. The team has to be more of a united front, and they disassembled all at once in the third. In fact, they looked more like the Flyers did in the Eastern Finals—tired, out of focus, and discouraged. Just minutes into the third, Samuelsson got another one (both of his were unassisted by the way). Then at the end of the period, Daniel Clearly and Henrik Zetterberg scored goals three and four respectively within a mere minute and a half of each other (Zetter’s coming with just seconds left to play). Crosby’s line was completely shut down by Zetter and Pavel Datsyuk. Malkin was fumbling the puck all over the place. They’re lucky Nicklas Lidstrom’s first goal of the game didn’t count because of goalie interference on Tomas Holmstrom. He went after Fleury’s legs. Holmstrom is known for interfering with goalies because he’s always playing the puck right in front of them. It comes with the territory. I know Wings fans are up in a tizzy about it, but it’s all part of the Wings dynamic. Regardless, the Pens were proving my point about the West having more talent than the East this season because they were nowhere near the same level of play as their opponent. The Wings had 36 shots on goal, while the Pens only had 19. Here are highlights from Game 1*:

Game 2: 3-0, Wings
How many penalties did the Pens have exactly?  FIFTEEN, 11 of which were in the third period alone. Clearly they were getting frustrated, but making stupid penalties is no excuse. Especially against the Wings who are known for selling them like no one’s business. Take for example the goalie interference call against Petr Sykora for interfering with Osgood (see scuffle, to enjoy the proceeding fight). If Ozzie didn’t just topple over on that nudge…talk about annoying. He’s a goalie. He’s gotten hit by the puck harder than that. What’s worse, Ozzie is actually being compared to Martin Brodeur. I all but choked on my water when I read that (I happened to be drinking water at the time). Just because he posted two shutouts in the first two games? PUHLEEEZE! The guy only faced a total of 39 shots both games, where Fleury faced 70. I’m not impressed. If he faced 39 shots in a game and stopped them all, then I’d be impressed. Regardless, the Wings were only called for 8 penalties, 5 being in the third. Obviously, that doesn’t equate. What are Wings fans complaining about after this game? The roughing call against Gary Roberts for his hit on Johan Franzen. No, Roberts should not have to face a fine nor be suspended for a game or two. Franzen was f-i-n-e. He even came back and played in the very next shift. Lesson learned—Franzen could take a few acting lessons from his buddy Osgood. Here are highlights from Game 2:

Game 3: 3-2, Pens
First of all, I’m not a fan of hockey on NBC. Talk about total commercialization of the sport by the media (but it is getting attention, which the NHL needs, so I guess I shouldn’t really complain). “Inside the Ice” would get on my damn nerves if I were a player on either team. I would love to shove Pierre Mcguire, who annoyingly commentates on players SITTING RIGHT NEXT TO HIM, right into the boards because he is nothing short of a nuisance and fails to contribute much of anything the viewers hadn’t already figure out for themselves. Even the questions he asks in his on-ice interviews are painfully obvious and a waste of the precious moments a given player has in between periods. With that out of my system, Game 3 opened with chants of “Let’s Go Pens!”, and instantly I felt things would really go in the Pens favor at the Igloo.

In the first period, the Pens crushed a Wings power play by keeping the puck in Osgood’s corner. While the Pens are known for their power play kills, they were able to play the puck offensively rather than defensively—and the Wings couldn’t figure out how to respond. It was beautiful to watch, especially so early on in the game when everyone “knew” the Wings were going to win number three in-a-row. With around two and half minutes left in the first, Crosby scores the first goal of the game (and the first goal the Pens had in 137 minutes and 25 seconds) off a shot by Marian Hossa. The Wings may have gotten 9 of the first 10 shots on goal, but by the end of the period—the Wings had 9 and the Pens had 6. In the second, during a power play on Kronwall for hooking, Sidney scored again (with an assist by Hossa…again) putting the Pens up 2-0. Franzen managed to answer with a power play goal of his own, keeping the Wings within one. Part way into the third, the Pens pulled away with yet another two goal lead thanks to Adam Hall. The last ten minutes of the third was the fastest hockey I’ve seen all playoffs—the Wings felt the need to score and the Pens felt the need to win in order to stay in the series. With a little more than five minutes left in the game, Samuelsson found the net putting the Wings back within one. At this point I started wondering if the Pens could hold off the Wings in overtime because there was no way the Wings wouldn’t score to tie it up as fast as they were playing and with as much time as they had. Fortunately, my nerves were able to calm themselves as the Pens prevented overtime play and came out with a much-needed win, their first of the series. If I know anything, I know that Wings fans are going to complain about the hit Hal Gill had on Holmstrom late in the third period (there’s always something they complain about, isn’t there?). It was a clean hit and Holmstrom went into the ice (with full padding) and nothing more. But kudos to him for trying to draw a penalty—what an acting job. It’s just further proof the Pens need to hire the Wings’ acting coach. Honestly. Here are highlights from Game 3:

Committing fewer penalties, spreading out on the ice, and the position/line changes made all contributed to the Pens’ win. For starters, when the Wings play a calm and full Pens team, they aren’t nearly as good. Sure some roughing penalties can add to the momentum of a game, but incessant penalties like those seen in Game 2 are more physically and mentally damaging than anything else. I said that spreading out on the ice was a change the Pens had to implement after Games 1 and 2. Why couldn’t the Pens take a lesson from the Wings’ playbook and spread it out and capitalize on their strength of quick passing? Easy, they could, and they did. Instead of sticking to one side of the ice, hovering around the puck like 5-year old soccer players, they spread it out and took advantage of Ozzie’s weak side. It also helped them on defense—they were able to prevent Zetter from being blatantly open for a shot on goal again. The position/line changes made were tremendous. Having Crosby and Hossa on the same line proved effective, as Crosby scored two of the three goals with assists by Hossa. Not to mention, the Pens significantly improved in their shots on goal, getting a total 24 off on Ozzie in this game (the majority coming in the second period) by capitalizing on the weaker players of the Wings defense. Pulling Kris Letang in favor of Darryl Sydor, and finding a way to keep Holmstrom from doing much of anything in front of the net was beneficial to the Pens defense. They needed the experience of Sydor and Gill wouldn’t budge despite Holmstrom’s relentless effort to get around him.

If the Pens continue to play like this, the tides could very well turn in their favor. Fortunately, it didn’t take another Wings’ win for them to realize what was on the line. With the Wings up 2-1 in the series, my bet is it will be two-all after the next game—the Pens are comfortable at home, they have the momentum, they’ve clearly started learning from their previous mistakes. Game 4 is set for Saturday at 8 p.m. on NBC.   

 

Author: Brenda Niemeyer
Contact: bniemeyern@gmail.com
*all videos are courtesy of NHL Video

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