Thursday night they put up a spirited effort against a Devils team that seems to have finally figured out how to win.  But they came up short and shut down by the one thing that hasn’t changed in New Jersey this year.  That would be Martin Brodeur.  Oh, they had their chances.  They just could not finish.

Last night the Hurricanes came to town.  A mediocre team this year, the Penguins built a 3-0 lead on an even strength goal by Dustin Jeffrey (2), a power play goal by Mark Letestu (10) and a short handed goal by Pascal Dupuis (10).  Good thing too because Carolina scored twice in the final five minutes to make the game look respectable.

This may be the way the Penguins have to cope until the two headed monster returns.  Without those two they are as good, still, as your average team sitting at 8th or 9th in the Eastern Conference and they are better than teams like the Islanders who they will play to end things out before the All Star Break and to start things up afterwards.

Win the games against the bottom feeders.  Pull out a couple among the better teams.  Then when the team gets healthy make the final run for the playoffs.

However, Pittsburgh struggled. However, so did Carolina.

Both teams found the net four times during regulation and overtime and Fleury looked stronger than that record as his defense let him down a couple times. Fleury stopped 30 of 34 shots and kept the Penguins in the game despite a teamwide collapse that let the Hurricanes tie the game with just 0:52 left in regulation. Pens fans no doubt had visions of the game against the New York Rangers dancing in their heads. In that game the Penguins down 0-1 late scored twice to take a 2-1 lead only to give up a late goal in regulation and then lost in overtime.

But not last night. After goals in regulation by Chris Kunitz (6, 7), Tyler (Mr.) Kennedy (4) and Sidney Crosby (14) the Penguins shut the door in overtime despite playing much of it in their own end. Then came the shootout.

In the shootout it was not even a contest. Kris Letang scored on the Penguins first shot. Fleury stones Jeff Skinner. Crosby scored on the Penguins second shot. Then Fleury flipped out his pad and stopped Jussi Jokinen. Game over. Two points.

The win in the shootout moves the Penguins to 11-8-2 on the season and they have won four of their last five and have a point in each of those games.

Pittsburgh produced consistent offense all night tallying 36 shots in regulation and overtime. 10 shots in the first, 12 in the second, 11 in the third and 3 in the five minute overtime show that the Penguins never let off the gas. His Sidness paced the Penguins with four points (1 G and 3 A) while Malkin added three quality assists. Jussi Jokinen had four point for the Hurricanes (2 G and 2 A) and menaced the Penguins all night.

Pittsburgh is now off until Monday night until they face the 8-9-0 Florida Panthers on the road.

With a 3-0-1 record since Fleury got a chance to start following the collapse against the Boston Bruins, Carolina gives a chance to see if the Penguins have finally turned the corner this season. Sure the Penguins beat the stacked Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday but fans want to see if it was luck or skill. The Hurricanes are 9-9-0 this season and another legitimate test for the Penguins.

Despite some important improvements to the play of the team lately, there is still one glaring problem. That problem is the power play. Goligoski has recently been replaced by Paul Martin but I think the problems still run deeper than that. Martin has experience commanding the power play from his days in New Jersey. But we are still talking about a unit clicking at just 12.8% on the season. They look unsure about how to play with the man advantage and how many games they could have won if only they would have scored a goal or two on the power play still is haunting.

The Pens are 10-8-2. They could be much better if someone, anyone, would figure out that the PP needs some serious adjustment. I doubt that Martin is the solution that turns it into the unit it should be.

It was Rupp’s first goal of the season and it won’t be his last.

Malkin (3) scored early in the second to put the Penguins up 2-0 but the Hurricanes answered back in the third with two redirects from Ray Whitney (2, 3) to tie the game up and Cam Ward committed highway robbery on a point blank chance from Bill Guerin. Guerin was standing in the crease when the puck came to his stick and Ward was halfway passed the post but still was just barely able to snatch out his glove hand and put it right where the puck was headed into the net. A video review showed that while close his glove was not completely in the net which would have made the play a goal.

In overtime both teams played up and down the ice trying to end the game to no avail. Fleury was one again solid in goal stopping 27 of 29 shots on the night.

In the shootout it took a while to determine who would earn the extra point for the win. Fleury stopped Samsonov then Ward stopped Letang. In round two both Jussi Jokinen and Sidney Crosby found the net. Then came round three and both Ruutu and Guerin were stopped. Off to round four … Matt Cullen and Alex Goligoski both missed the net. Round five anyone? Fleury redeemed himself by stopping Whitney and Ward answered by stopping Evgeni Malkin who looked less than enthusiastic in his attempt. But it was round six that would decide everything.

Eric Staal was tapped for Carolina and Chris Kunitz got the nod for the Penguins. Fleury stopped Staal but Ward could not do the same against Kunitz. Kunitz buried his shot five hole against the Carolina net minder and the rest, as they say, is history. The Penguins capped a 5-0 road trip record to start the season and moved to 6-1-0 (12 pts) on the season.

They return home Saturday to face the Tampa Bay Lightning who are 2-1-2 and leading the once again anemic South East with just 6 points.

Notes:

- Chris Kunitz has been under a little heat this year for not having scored a goal during regulation or overtime. Although he has registered 4 assists and is a plus one, most people expect him to put the puck in the net playing along side Crosby and Guerin. The truth is that not everyone can score and sometimes players have droughts. It is not like Kunitz has not contributed and hopefully his goal in the shootout last night will silence some of his critics.
- Marc-Andre Fleury continues to make a case that he belongs on Canada’s Olympic team and possibly even be the starter. He is 6-0 with a .917 Sv% and a 2.27 GAA this season.
- -5? Yep that is what Sergei Gonchar is after six games this season. Maybe not that big of a deal you say? Well, he has 5 points himself (4 of which have come at even strength) … that means that he has been on the ice for 9 of the opposition’s even strength goals! The Penguins have allowed 17 goals (6 on the PP and 11 at even strength). That means that Gonchar has been on the ice for 82% (9 / 11 = .818%) of the opposition’s even strength goals which is unacceptable and I am sure Sarge knows that.

To win the Cup again will take a lot of effort. This is a Penguins team with a lot of players who have played a lot of hockey over the past two seasons. They have the experience and they have got the talent. But they also have a big bullseye on their backs as everyone will be looking to prove that they are better than the Stanley Cup Champions. Teams like the Flyers, the Capitals and the Hurricanes will all be looking to avenge play off losses each time they square off against the Penguins. I leave the Red Wings out of that category because the two will meet just once in a non-conference match up that will neither make or break either team’s season.

The names have been inscribed on the cup and what is done is done. Tonight it is back to business and that business is to dance once again with Lord Stanley.

Good luck Pens! Let’s make the last season in the old Igloo a memorable one!

Now with the Redwings up 3-1 in the series and Pittsburgh up 3-0 over Carolina, both teams look to be on the verge of a rematch. When was the last time that happened? I think it was 76-77 and 77-78 when the Canadiens beat the Bruins in consecutive years.

However comebacks do happen. Although from what I saw out of Chicago, it would be more than a miracle for them to rise up and win the series which would spoil a rematch. More likely, yet still improbable, is for Carolina to find itself and beat the Penguins. But the odds favor another show down between Detriot and Pittsburgh.

Carolina drew first blood with a powerful attack early on when Cullen (3) was able to put the puck behind Marc-Andre Fleury. But after that the Penguins put the pedal down but Cam Ward could not make the saves to keep Carolina ahead. Not three minutes later Malkamania ran wild as Malkin (11) buried the tying goal on a powerplay. After back and forth play for the rest of the period, Crosby (14) and Malkin (12) each scored in the final minute of play to dart the Penguins out to a 3-1 lead.

That would be the way the game remained until the third period. Samsonov (5) scored less than two minutes in to draw the Hurricanes to within one. But the Penguins played hard and Fleury made some great saves to keep the lead. Then it turned. Fedotenko (5) scored after Malkin dropped the puck to him in the slot and the score was 4-2. Then Craig Adams (2) scored his second of the playoffs off a face off with Cam Ward pulled. Off the face off the puck raced down the ice and into the net to extend the lead to 5-2 with just under two minutes to play. But it was not over.

Forty seconds later on the power play, Bill Guerin (6) beat Ward again and when it all ended the score was 6-2 and Carolina was down in the series 3-0.

Fleury was both sharp AND lucky at times as pucks that had him beat drifted wide of the goal by inches a couple times. However he did made 32 of 34 saves. Cam Ward stopped just 34 of 39.

Game 4 is Tuesday night and the Hurricanes are far behind the eight ball now.

The Penguins win if …
1) They keep throwing pucks at the net
2) Jordan continues to play well against his brother in the face off dot
3) Pittsburgh’s defense tightens up early and doesn’t allow Fleury to get peppered.

While Cam Ward was busy robbing the Penguins at one end of the ice and keeping the Hurricanes alive in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Fleury was putting on a clinic at the other end as well. And when the dust settled after 20 minutes of play it was Fleury who stood tall stopping all 12 shots he face while Cam Ward, the man you have to beat to beat the Canes, was only 7 of 9. Goals by Satan (1) and Malkin (7) put the Penguins up heading into the locker room.

Satan’s goal looked almost like it had been drawn up on the chalk board with Bylsma telling the much maligned winger to purposefully take a penalty then telling the Penguins to kill it flawlessly allowing then to spring Miroslav on a breakaway attempt as the penalty expired. He completely undressed Ward to give the Penguins the lead.

LaRose would finally solve Fleury halfway through the second to cut the lead to one goal but Boucher (1) extended that lead to 3-2 midway through the third. Only a late goal by Corvo and the Canes due to a silly penalty by Brooks Orpik for elbowing made the game close.

Most of the game was fast paced and up and down the ice with both teams having their chances but time and again it was Carolina that appeared outmatched in both speed and grit. Although they did have some golden opportunities that were wasted and put good pressure on Fleury at times, the defense of the Penguins smothered rebounded, cleared pucks and blocked shots. And let’s be honest, the Hurricanes were lucky to come out of the first period down only 2-0. By my count the Penguins misfired and missed the net on some half dozen or so shots that were by Ward and wide of the net before his hands even moved. They must have missed on some dozen shots altogether in the frame.

The Penguins also, once again also did an excellent job staying out of the penalty box in Game 1. A holding call against Satan (right before his opening goal) and the late call against Orpik were all that they got called for.

Now it is time to rest … and rest. Game 2 does not take place until Thursday night in Pittsburgh so there will be lots of time for both teams and the media to dissect Game 1 ad nauseum.

Each team eliminated one of the top two seeds in the East in the last round to advance.

The schedule features, for better or worse quite a few days off compared to the more typically every other day schedule for hockey.

The match up starts Monday, April 18th. Then the teams have two days off before resuming on Thursday, April 21st. Then one day off and a game on the 23rd. Then two days off again until game 4 on the 26th. Then another two days off until, if necessary, game 5 on the 29th.

Talk about stretching things out!