Round 2 Game 7: Pens v Caps (W 6-2)

This is it, folks.

Do or die.

Win or go home.

Will our Boys of Winter be hitting the rinks or the links next week? Only time will tell.

I have faith. They've staged numerous epic comebacks before; I have no doubt they can do it again. It's redundant to say they've got elite talent, finesse, skill, and leadership in Siddo and Geno because we all know that. But it bears repeating that they've got guys like Talbot and Fedotenko who have a special knack of being absolutely clutch at exactly the right times. We've quietly found a solid defensive answer for A-hOle™ in Scuderi. Bylsma's coaching has been smart, saavy, and (most importantly) successful. Fleury is the kind of goalie that can shut the door on a team completely. Satan picked the best possible time to blossom, and Eaton's performance in this playoff series has been nothing short of spectacular.

DO IT

The Pens are the kind of team that, when they go out there and lay it all out on the line and leave everything on the ice, there's absolutely no stopping them. Make no mistake - we're at our Captain's first playoff Game 7 because of one man: Simeon Varlamov. But last year's championship loss has given our team the experience they need to know what it takes to end this series with a win.

I believe in Sidney Crosby. I believe in our Penguins. I absolutely believe that we are the better team.

Even so, I cannot deny that you can cut the tension in this house with a dull plastic butterknife. Such is the stress of a Game 7 because tonight someone's season ends...

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First Period
I gotta start this with a non-game related statement that simply must be said: Jeff Jimerson > Bob McDonald. No question.

We had been hearing rumblings that it might happen, but when we saw it, it was the most welcome sight. Gonch was in the lineup. His right leg was wrapped to more than double the size, but he was back. The tension on the ice for the first half of the period was as tight as the knot in my stomach. A scrum broke out in front of Flower in the first minutes, and shortly thereafter, Tank hit the post at the other end of the rink. People have been saying that Flower has been good but not great in this series. He answered the call with an stunning save on A-hOle,™ who had cheated up ice behind Scudsi. A-hOle™ was able to rifle a shot off because he was just out of the reach of Scudsi's backcheck, but Flower robbed him blind. It set the tone for the remainder of the game.


Adams nearly got his first playoff goal, but Varlamov scrambled back in time to keep it out. Scuds blocked a shot with his ankle, left the ice, went down the runway to walk it off, and, like the warrior he has been, returned for his next shift. Steelers owner Dan Rooney was shown enjoying the game from Mario's box. We were told that A-hOle™ tried to reserve a box when they won Game 6 only to be told there weren't any available. Geno, Tank, and Superstar had an epic shift but no goal. Then Morrisonn was nailed for slashing. On the ensuing power play, Gonch fired a shot from one leg. It went right to Siddo, who collected the puck from his skate to his stick and put it into the net. [Pens 1, Caps 0]







EIGHT SECONDS LATER, the Pens won the faceoff and went 3-on-2. Adams would simply not be denied his first playoff goal twice. [Pens 2, Caps 0] This isn't the Pens' record - it was 7 seconds between Stackhouse's goal and Kehoe's goal on 04-13-80.


A few minutes after that, the Pens got another odd man rush when Superstar went 2-on-1 with and passed the puck to Satan. He fired a shot that Varlamov denied. Federov crosschecked Brooksie in the small of the back in the Pens' zone. He was called instead for interference. Satan had another fantastic look at the net, but it seems like he just can't buy a goal right now. The Pens didn't score on their advantage. Just before the period ended, Green fanned (hard) on a centering pass to keep the Caps scoreless going into the second.


Second Period
If a 2 goal lead didn't take that knot out of my gut, the first 2+ minutes of the second period did. It took only 28 seconds for Guerin to get the puck to Siddo, who carried the puck in and passed it back to the trailing Guerin for a wicked 1-timer into the net. [Pens 3, Caps 0]


One minute and 46 seconds after that, no one - not even Bibster, who sees everything - realized it until the puck went missing that it was Legame who had sent the puck into hiding with an authoritative shot that ended up getting stuck between the net and the back support bar. [Pens 4, Caps 0] With that, Varlamov was pulled and Theodore was put in between the pipes.



Theodore was tested early when Sid made a sweet centering pass to Satan. The resulting shot looked nice, but didn't get the Pens anything. Frustrated Caps fans began booing their own team, specifically Green. Things got even better for us. Satan stole the puck from A-hOle™ in the Caps' zone. A-hOle™ once again refused to play defense and as he coasted listlessly (← that's not even an exaggeration) towards the blueline, he watched Satan throw it in front of Theodore to the ready and waiting Staalsy for the goal. [Pens 5, Caps 0]



Brooksie was victimized by a highstick from Laich. There was no call as the Pens iced the puck. Bleeding a steady stream from his nose, he could have went to the bench with his injury, but Beastly Brooks stayed out on the ice - after he confronted an official, who shrugged as if to say, "Oh well. I didn't see it." (What a d-bag.)

Then what should have been the hit of the game happened. A-hOle™ took a full-on run at Geno. Unfortunately for Backstrom, Geno has an uncanny knack of seeing A-Ole™ heading straight for him. So Geno ducked out of the way at exactly the right time, and A-hOle™ instead plowed shoulder-to-face into Backstrom. The center had to go to the bench to recover. Eaton prevented A-hOle™ from getting a shot on an open net.


With just under 2 minutes left in the period, A-hOle™ capitalized on a terrible play by Flower behind the net. A-hOle™ stole it and used the illegal curve of his stick to guide the puck into the empty net. [Pens 5, Caps 1] As the period ended, the puck nailed a ref in the head, so that classy (← definite sarcasm) crowd responded with a gleeful cheer.

Third Period
Early in the 3^rd, Laich AGAIN highsticked a Penguin, AGAIN there was blood, but this time, the victim was our Captain and the infraction was seen. On the resulting 4 minute power play, the Caps had control in their own zone. Green went to go to A-hOle™ but Siddo was there to take the puck away and go for a breakaway. He had miles of open ice and made a slick little move to go 5-hole on Theodore. [Pens 6, Caps 1] The still had a 2 minute power play to work with, and the crowd responded with a "CROSBY SUCKS!!" chant. (Again, I think you mean "CROSBY SCORES!!")



The Caps didn't give up, I'll say that for them. Flower kept the puck out of the net, and when he wasn't available, it seemed like Eaton was right there. They struck again when Fleischmann shot the puck, Gill blocked the initial shot by going down, and Laich pushed the rebound into the net. [Pens 6, Caps 2]

Before the halfway mark, Bibs and Steigy openly mocked Semin for the "What's so special about Crosby?" quote. It was glorious. THIS is what's so special about him. He moves on to third round while you're moving onto the third hole. Errey and Steigy kept it up for a while. :) Cooker drilled A-hOle™ while Siddo played D like it was his job. And while I've had more than my share of differences with Caps fans, I admired them for standing, applauding, and chanting "LET'S GO CAPS!!" at the 2 minute mark. Their gesture almost makes up for booing their own team.


Superstar was shown hugging Flower just seconds before the 0:00 mark. The entire Penguins team was named the FSN / McDonald's Players of the game. Mario was shown celebrating his team's win with a kiss from his wife, Nathalie. The Pens and the Caps were civil, even classy (← no sarcasm meant this time) at times during the final handshake, but no amount of hugging and joking will erase the "what's so special" comments, the "he talks too much" jabs, and the knee-on-knee B.S. Look for this rivalry to only intensify next season following this commanding and decisive Game 7 domination.




We've got to wait a day to find out who we'll be facing in Round 3 - and where the puck will drop. Take a break and get rested. We're going back in.

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS, HERE WE COME!!!!!

GO PENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GO PENS GO!!!!!!!! The Round 2 TSCS "Pep Rally"

It's time to break out an oldie but goodie that will sum this entire post up in three words...

Is this actually from the Captain himself? Who knows? But I'd lay money on the fact that this is EXACTLY what he's thinking right now!

The matchup of Siddo & Geno v Semin & A-hOle™ certainly has the makings of one of those playoff rounds that we'll be talking about for years to come. After coming back with five unanswered goals to take out the Flyers in Game 6, the Boys will face a team that beat very big odds to comeback after being down in the series 1-3 to go on to win it in Game 7. The Flyers games were extremely contentious, and if you were looking for a break from the intensity, you won't be getting that in this series. Prepare for more. Maybe much more. But it's just one more team to knock out of our way on our QUEST FOR THE CUP!!!

In honor of the occasion, I've got two treats for you. First, here's a sweet wallpaper featuring highlights from Round 1 that good Friend of The Show Jaime made for us:


And second, I just ripped and edited an mp3 of Mike Lange's goal call for Siddo's empty netter from Game 6. Just in case you missed out, I also provided the link to the other mp3s I uploaded for Round 1. :)

[ Download Game 6 Goal Call ] | [ Download mp3 files from last Pep Rally ]

Tomorrow. 1:00pm. NBC. It begins.

FYI: If you don't live in Pittsburgh or Washington and the game goes into more than one overtime, make sure you switch to Versus because NBC has announced that they will end their broadcast because abusing racing ponies > hockey.

LET'S

GO

PENS

!!!!!!!!!!!!

Penguins 4 - Capitals 3: Into the Playoffs!

(AFP/Getty Images/Mitchell Layton)

While Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin haven't been lighting up many of the Caps/Pens games this year, the Penguins have been lighting up the Capitals like a Cuban cigar.

Last night saw both kids do some magic, but the Penguins prevailed, once again, by a 4-3 score.

The win gave the Penguins their first playoff spot since 2001, capping off a great season in which the youthful crew meshed with the cagey vets to provide one of the stronger clubs in the Eastern Conference.

Sidney earned 3rd Star honours with 1 goal, 1 assist, -1, and 6(!) shots on goal in 21:28 of ice time.

From Yahoo! Sports:

Even though the Pittsburgh Penguins are in the playoffs for the first time since 2001, there was no champagne in the winning locker room.

The Penguins' 4-3 win over the Washington Capitals on Tuesday guaranteed postseason action for the once-beleaguered franchise, with help from two second-period goals by Ryan Whitney. It was Whitney's second two-goal game of the season.

"It's a great accomplishment. We're proud of clinching the playoffs, but we want more," said Pittsburgh coach Michel Therrien.

"It's pretty exciting to get in the playoffs. That's been our goal all season," Whitney said. "Just to know we would be playing in April, that's one of our goals and we reached it tonight."

Whitney scored the second and fourth Penguins goals, but it was Sidney Crosby's second-period goal past a stickless Olaf Kolzig that was the most memorable.

Crosby, the NHL's leading scorer with 113 points, took the puck behind the net and tipped it past the sprawling Kolzig to give Pittsburgh a 3-2 lead at 6:21 of the second period. Moments before, the Penguins' Gary Roberts slammed into Washington's goalie causing Kolzig's stick to sputter out of his hand, and settle to the right side of the goal.

"You just start to get low to the ice. I didn't panic too much. I've played like that in practice," Kolzig said. "I thought I had a chance to freeze (the puck), but it just got away from me. I've got to be a little tougher in front in those circumstances."

In his second season, Crosby led his team to its fourth straight win this season over Alex Ovechkin's Capitals. Crosby, the No. 1 pick in 2005, who assisted on Whitney's first goal, scored two goals and assisted on three others against Washington this season. Ovechkin, the first pick in 2004, did not score a goal in four games against Pittsburgh this season, but had three assists.

Pittsburgh spotted the Capitals a 2-0 lead and then quickly called a timeout.

"We're not playing right. I don't think the focus was there," said Therrien.

"(Therrien) just said that we're not playing with enough desperation," Crosby said. "We weren't ready. He wanted to make sure we just got back to work."

Penguins 3 - Capitals 2: The Streak Continues

14-0-2 has a nice ring to it, eh?

The Penguins extended their points-gained streak with a 3-2 'balanced' win over the Washington Capitals.

Just like the last meeting, Ovechkin and Crosby really didn't steal the show. Ovechkin went pointless, and Crosby had just a lone assist (though he did have 4 shots on goal).

Since I'm sick with the flu, here's the game recap...

From Yahoo! Sports:

Alexander Ovechkin didn't do much offensively, a commonplace event lately. Instead, it was the runner-up Russian who created a goal out of nothing, keeping the Pittsburgh Penguins' most successful stretch in 14 years going.

Evgeni Malkin scored a bad-angle goal to give Pittsburgh the lead in another tightly played game against Washington and the streaking Penguins won their sixth in a row, beating the Capitals 3-2 Sunday.

The Penguins have gained at least a point in 16 consecutive games, going 14-0-2 -- their longest run since they won a league-record 17 in a row and tied one to end the 1992-93 season. The surprise is that NHL scoring leader Sidney Crosby, who has 91 points, is slumping with only one goal in 10 games.

Malkin has keyed the Penguins' first playoff run since 2001 with 10 goals and 16 assists in 17 games. His teammates are convinced that Malkin, the No. 2 pick in the 2004 NHL draft to Ovechkin, is more than a little motivated any time he goes against his Russian rival. It was the first and only time two Russians were picked 1-2.

"They're very competitive, good hockey players and good friends so there's definitely a little bit of something with him," Mark Recchi said.

Of Malkin's 29 goals as a rookie, perhaps none was more creative than his score late in the second period. With the score tied at 1, Malkin carried the puck out from behind the Capitals' net and fed it up the right wing boards to Sergei Gonchar -- at this time a year ago, Malkin's Russian Olympic teammate.

Malkin took Gonchar's giveback pass and, from along the goal line, one-timed a perfectly placed left-handed shot inside the far post, almost before Washington backup goalie Brent Johnson could react.

The goal reminded Recchi of some of those scored by a former Penguins teammate named Mario Lemieux.

"With his size and his hands, Geno looks like him," Recchi said. "Mario was one of those guys who can score from that angle, and only a few guys can. A lot of guys don't even try that."

Malkin, speaking through interpreter George Firman, called it a "lucky goal." But he acknowledged having a little something extra any time he goes against Ovechkin, who was leading the NHL in goals before being held to one goal and one assist in his last seven games.

"Yeah, of course, I'm enjoy playing against him especially when we win the games -- and he's getting pretty mad," Malkin said.

Penguins 2 - Capitals 0: "Crosbechkin" MIA

The Capitals/Penguins tilts are usually exciting and hyped for the Sidney/Ovechkin angle, but both stars failed to show up in a game that turned out to be an offenseless snorefest.

Ovechkin: 0 points, 3 Shots on goal, and -2
SIdney: 0 points and 2 Shots on goal

Thanks to Marc-Andre Fleury's fine netminding, and a goal from the suddenly kinda-warm Ronald Petrovicky, the Penguins pulled off another big victory. The playoffs are looking more like a real possibility with each win. It's nice to see the Penguins can win a game without relying so heavily on Crosby. Sid can't possibly score a point every single game, as awesome as he is.

Game recap from Yahoo! Spots:

Sidney Crosby's linescore had all zeroes, and that usually means a loss for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury's strong play against Alexander Ovechkin and the rest of the Washington Capitals meant it didn't.

Scoring stars Crosby and Ovechkin were shut out in an unexpected defensive duel, with Pittsburgh's Ronald Petrovicky scoring the pivotal goal and Fleury making 30 saves as the Penguins won a season-high sixth in a row by beating Washington 2-0 Saturday.

The Penguins had been 0-30-1 when Crosby didn't score in his two-year NHL career, but Fleury turned in his second shutout in three games and fourth of the season. The No. 1 pick in the 2003 draft has stopped all but four of 106 shots in his last three games, and has a 10-1-2 record in his last 13 games.

"The guys were blocking shots and clearing rebounds and that's always a big help for me," said Fleury, who shut out Florida 3-0 Tuesday. "The team did a great job on him (Ovechkin), they were always close to him and he didn't get too many shots on net."

Ovechkin's 13-game scoring streak, the NHL's longest this season, and Crosby's eight-game run ended in a game that featured excellent penalty-killing and goaltending. Crosby leads the NHL with 82 points and Ovechkin went into the game with a league-high 33 goals.

Ovechkin was visibly agitated, apparently because he felt the Capitals played well enough to win but didn't in their third straight loss and eighth in 10 games.

"We lost the game, we had our chances but they have a great goalie," said Ovechkin, whose only three shots came in the third period. "We have to score and we didn't score. I was just very mad. I think it was a good game for us. We just lost."

Ovechkin had scored in every Capitals game this calendar year, getting eight goals and 12 assists in 13 games. He was last scoreless Dec. 30 against the Rangers. Crosby hadn't been shut out since Jan. 10 at Florida.

"It's not too often Sid doesn't get a point, but when he does, it's good that other players step up and take the game under control," said Jordan Staal, who scored an empty-net goal with 38 seconds remaining for his 17th. "That's what happened and it's a good feeling. He (Fleury) was amazing."

Aww, poor Ovechkin. It's OK to be second best, ya know.