DEAN JACOBS – OVATHLETICS.COM
The NHL playoffs are here. The Pittsburgh Penguin’s finished the regular season last Sunday in New York, and before that game, they already knew their opponent in the first round: The Ottawa Senators. For teams still in the hunt, the time has come to put up or shut, the time for talking gone. When these hockey teams take the ice, beginning tonight, to start the 2009-2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs, all bets are off and it’s time for business. But before that, let’s quickly take a look back and see how the Pens finished their regular season.
Last Tuesday against the Washington Capitals, Evgeni Malkin was a scratch for the Pens, but the Guins would persevere. At the start of the game, both teams were playing with a lot of energy on both sides of the puck, and creating several chances with in the first couple minutes of play. It was a fast moving and high-flying 1st period. The null score and perhaps Goligoski’s skate were broken at 13 minutes of the 1st when Alexander Semin skated down the right side of the ice, beat Goligoski and ripped 1 upstairs on Fleury. That quickly the score was 1-0 Washington. The Guins got a late period power play but couldn’t convert, and the period ended.
Not even a minute into the 2nd period, Knuble shot a puck, which should have been blocked by Fleury but managed to squeak through his legs. It was the 2nd Capitals’s goal and the Penguins were deep in the hole early in the 2nd period. A bit later in the 2nd a quick wrister from Sidney Crosby on the power play brought Pittsburgh to within 1 goal, halfway through the period. But just seconds later the Caps answered for their 3rd goal of the game, and immediately re-deflated the crowd at Mellon Arena. Marc Andre was pulled from the net after the goal. To continue the flurry of scoring, at 9:55 into the 2nd the Guins turned around and got back within 1 on a redirected goal from Jordan Leopold with an assist from Sidney Crosby and Goligoski. The scoring wasn’t over; at the 2-minute mark Matt Bradley got the puck through the legs of Johnson and put Washington back up by 2. The Guins had a puck go in the net shortly after, but the Refs had already blown the whistle, and the period ended 4-2 in favor of Washington.
In the final period, the intensity mounted even more. Everyone in Mellon was on the edge of his or her seat, and early on they got something to cheer about. Just 49 seconds into the 3rd, Jordan Leopold received a great pass from Dupuis from Crosby, and whipped it past the Washington goalie. It was Leopold’s 2nd goal of the game, Crosby’s 2nd assist, and the 3rd goal for the Guins. The lead for Washington was back down to 1, and the Pens and the crowd was again pumped up. Everyone should have known that the Caps would respond, and they did at 2:37 of the final period. The goal came from Alex Ovechkin, and the Caps again had the 2 goal lead. There was still most of the period left to play, but as time dwindled down, the crowd at Mellon Arena fell silent, again. And in the final minutes, with Johnson pulled, Pittsburgh failed to score, thus losing the game 6-3 with an empty net goal from Alex Ovechkin. It was disappointing for Pittsburgh, Washington swept the season series, and it didn’t help the Pens in the standings either, as it did Washington.
The next game took place Thursday, it was the Penguin’s last game at home for the season, finishing the 6-game home stand, but more important and memorable than anything else, it was the last time the Pittsburgh Penguins would ever play a regular season game in the Civic/Mellon Arena. It was a perfect send-off for the old Igloo. There was a bittersweet and heartwarming tribute to the Arena before the game, and all the stars of teams past made an appearance for the occasion. There were more than a few moist eyes in the house.
As far the gameplay goes, the Penguins stomped the Islanders 7-3 in front of the capacity crowd. Marc Andre Fleury played spectacular, blocking 35 shots on net, while the rest of the team blocked 20 more before they could even get to Fleury. It was a great showing all around for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and a good effort put out by everyone on the ice. Just 23 seconds in, Bruce Orpik ripped 1 into the net, and then just minutes later on a power play, Alex Goligoski scored to put the Guins up by 2. The 3rd goal came from Evgeni Malkin at 15: 15 of the 1st. Sidney Crosby got his 49th of the season right at the end of the opening period, for the Penguins 4th goal of the game. The final 3 goals for the Guins in the final 2 periods went Geurin, Kennedy, Geurin, and the game was over. Sidney Crosby had a 5-point night, Malkin had a goal on his return to the ice, and Bill Geurin notched 2 goals and an assist in the Penguins final game at the Igloo.
Saturday against the Atlanta Thrashers wasn’t a good showing for the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was literally the “black eye” on the week. In Atlanta, the Pittsburgh Penguins dropped a 1-0 shutout to the Thrashers. Bryan Little scored for Atlanta at 9:26 of the 2nd period, for the only goal of the game. It was a defensive and goalie oriented contest, with Johan Hedberg making 33 saves. The highlight or the lowlight of the game came when Matt Cooke dropped his gloves against rookie Evander Kane early in the 2nd period, and got knocked out with 1 punch.
Overall it was a bad showing for Pittsburgh, especially with so much on the line. With the lose Pittsburgh lost all hope of a 2nd seed, and secured their position as a 4th. They played unfocused and actually childish during Saturday’s game. They chased around and bullied Kane for checking Crosby, thus causing 2 penalties 1 to Rupp 1 to Goddard, and causing the knock out of Matt Cooke. They let little things distract them and didn’t focus on winning the game.
The regular season came to an end on Sunday April 11, 2010. Their last game was away against the New York Islanders, and it was a great way to go out for fans and Penguin’s players alike. The final score was 6-5 Guins in Overtime, and it was a wild ride on the way to getting there. The Penguins had a somewhat comfortable lead for most of the game, but ended up squandering it in the 3rd because of sloppy and lackadaisical play.
In the 1st period Pittsburgh got the scoring started within the first couple minutes of the game. At 3:09 Evgeni Malkin scored off a Crosby assist and the Guins jumped out to a 1-0 lead. The scoring continued shortly after with what looked to be Pascal Dupuis getting the Pen’s 2nd goal but was actually Eric Goddard. And then with 3 minutes left in the 1st, It happened. Sidney Crosby got his 50th goal of the 2009-2010 season, the yearly high-water mark for all scorers throughout the league. Crosby got there and then went a step further. But the 50th came late in the opening period off a perfectly positioned Malkin pass right in front of the net. Crosby ripped it in for his 50th goal of the season, 2nd point of the game, and the Pittsburgh Penguins led 3-0. The Islander’s finally broke the ice with just: 43 left to play in the 1st on a 5 on 3 opportunity and the period ended 3-1 Pittsburgh.
The 2nd period was more of the same, a lot of scoring. Sidney Crosby had the 3rd goal for the Pens and he also had the 4th. The Cros started the scoring again early in the 2nd period, with his 51st goal of the season. Shortly after, New York got their 2nd goal from Moulson at 1: 55 on the 2nd, on a Power play. To return the favor, on a Power play of their own, midway through the period, Malkin got his second goal, and Pittsburgh’s 5th.
The score was 5-2 Pittsburgh, heading into the final 20 minutes of play, so the Penguins thought they were sitting comfortably. They got too comfortable, because they allowed the Islanders to creep back into the game. New York notched 2 goals in the first 5 minutes of the period, and got the tying goal at 15:47. Just like that the lead was gone and the Penguin’s had to regroup to stay in and win the game. They did. In Overtime Jordan Leopold got the goal, which propelled Pittsburgh to victory. At 4: 25 in extra time, Leopold slipped 1 in the net, and the Pens ended the season with a Win.
Just hours before the Penguin’s first postseason game at home against the Ottawa Senators, fans and players alike are already about to burst, and if they were in their seats, they’d be on the edge of them. The City is absolutely a buzz, and the Penguin’s are chomping at the bit to take the ice inside Mellon Arena. Ottawa turned it on towards the end of the season and is heading into the postseason feeling pretty good about themselves. The Pittsburgh Penguins intend to make them feel a completely different way. There is a rich history between these 2 teams, so the intensity should be high and the skating fast. Tune in just after 7pm for the Penguin’s face-off and watch the excitement of postseason Penguin’s hockey. Only time and games will tell how they’ll fare. It’s playoff hockey time, what could be better than this?!
