Facing off against the lowly New York Islanders, the stars looked align for a good night which started with commemorative tickers to all fans in attendance, then a ceremony celebrating all the great players who have skated on the arena’s ice and which fans hopes would end with a victory. Especially considering that there is still a chance for the Penguins to rise in the standings before the end of the season depending on what they and the Devils do.

Just 23 seconds in, Brooks Orpik (2) helped the Penguins stake out a 1-0 lead. At 5:01 Alex Goligoski (8) made it 2-0 on the power play. But the Penguins gave the Islanders a chance with a power play and the lead was cut to 2-1 just three and a half minutes later.

Evgeni Malkin (26) stretched the score to 3-1 with just under five minutes remaining but not even two minutes later the Islanders against scored to make it a 3-2 game. With just 58 seconds left in the first period however Sidney Crosby (49) notched another goal to make it a 4-2 contest.

Fleury, honestly looked shaky in net. When the second period resumed and with just about seven minutes gone the Islanders scored again to once again make it a one goal game and move the score to 4-3.

It took a while but the Penguins put the hammer down. Bill Guerin (20) added his twentieth of the season on the power play and two minutes later Mr. (Tyler) Kennedy (13) added another marker. When the smoke cleared at the end of the second, the score stood at Penguins 6 and the Islanders 3.

Bill Guerin (21) added goal number seven at 1:46 of the third and the Penguins cruised to a victory to put them back into a points wise tie with New Jersey in the Eastern Conference. However New Jersey holds all tie breakers.

Some people have been wondering when the Penguins, who frankly have looked like they were willing to sleep walk through the final month of the season were going to flip the switch and get serious after failing to put up much of a fight against teams like New Jersey and Washington. Well, honestly, it probably still hasn’t happened even though last night was a positive sign. And spare me please the stats about how the Penguins have won more than they have lost over the past thirty some odd days. Their record is not that good.

Since March 1st, by my count, this team is 10-5-4. Which is basically .500 in the win loss department when you properly count the over time and shoot out losses as what they are – losses. This team is 10-9. Not only are they 10-9 but the have lost to both New Jersey and Washington twice in that span. You know, important teams that they will have to face more likely than not come the playoffs?

But there were some good sings that this team actually has their fingers on that switch and are indeed ready to flip it and get serious. After a first period where the Penguins defense and goal tending (yes, Fleury is not playing well and highly at fault so stop making excuses for him about how the defense is letting him down) Fleury played like Fleury on a flurry of shots by the Islanders in the second where he had to stop three point blank shots. The last one he was badly out of position but still defending his net like the man that helped Pittsburgh win the Stanley Cup.

The Penguins put their boots on the Islanders necks after this and never let them get up. Again, another problem the Penguins have had is letting teams stick around and not putting them away.

Two games remain. And neither are cake walks despite them being against Atlanta and the New York Islanders again. The Penguins need to build momentum and win both. Not just to convince fans that they are ready for another run at Lord Stanley’s cup but also to convince their opponents that the Penguins are a threat to win against anyone, anywhere and any time. And besides, there is still the chance to finish even higher in the standing at stake as well.

Last night after the Penguins scored an empty net goal to ice the Eastern Conference Championship, I stood up and declared to my buddy who I was watching the game with that Sidney should skate over to the Prince of Wales Trophy after the game and skate around the ice proudly with it in defiance of “tradition”. Of course I also jokingly suggested that he spike it on the ice and proclaim aloud, “WHO’S NEXT?” Imagine my pleasure when somehow my thoughts were magically read by His Sidness and he defied the gods themselves to try and smite him. He and the team also sent a clear challenge to whomever may win the Western Conference Finals (which will probably be Detroit); do you have the balls to touch the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl?

Essentially the Penguins have challenged the manhood of the Western Conference Champs who are still to be determined. Perhaps they have even spotted them a few goals by granting the favor of the hockey gods upon either Detroit or Chicago should they stick with the “tradition.” We will have to wait and see.

Last night, the Penguins defeated the Carolina Hurricanes in a clean sweep of the Eastern Conference Finals and the record is intact – no team has ever come back from a 4-0 deficit in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The game started like many this spring with the Penguins opposition scoring early on a soft goal. At 1:26 of the first, Staal (10) scored on a wrap around that squeezed under Marc-Andre Fleury’s pad. It gave Carolina fans hope but that was all they had to cheer about as the Penguins rolled the rest of the way with only minor speed bumps put up by a feisty, yet tired, Carolina team.

Fedotenko (6) scored at 8:21 off a Boucher shot pass to the far post that caught Ward way out of the net, a theme for the entire game. Then with 1:29 left in the period, Max Tablot (4) scored off a fluttering pass that Ward half swiped at, bounced off the top of his glove, over his head and landed softly in the net. BLAMO – 2-1 Pens.

Then in the second, Crosby and Guerin stuck. In a reversal of a previous goal where Guerin fed Crosby at the far post in front of ward, it was Guerin’s turn. Guerin popped a puck out of the Pens zone which Crosby picked up. Crosby skated down the wall and had a 1-1 in font of Ward with Guerin following behind him and Kunitz trailing the play in the middle of the ice. Guerin turned on the jets and swept to the far post as Crosby pulled up at the circle to Ward’s right. Crosby flowed the puck over and Ward was not able to move post to post fast enough to stop the dagger from being placed in their hopes for a comeback. Guerin’s goal was his seventh of these playoffs.

Adams (3) added an empty net goal in the final two minutes and it was over and the brooms came out.

Pittsburgh only managed 24 shots on net against Ward which is a far cry from the 40+ they have been putting up. Fleury faced a total of 31 shots including 16 in the second period constantly flashing leather and kicking out a pad to stop pucks fired by the Hurricanes.

Now with the question of who will represent the East settled, the question of who will represent the West remains. And if Detroit has the wherewithal to end the hopes of the Blackhawks tonight will the NHL courageously move the Finals up to this weekend as my sources in the NHL tell me they are considering?

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.

I joke about Alexander Ovechkin being overrated. There is no denying that Ovechkin has one of the best shots in hockey.

There have been a lot of predictions about how Game 7 would shake out. Would the lack of experience among the Penguins in such an elimination game be a factor? Would the Capitals make another comeback and win yet another deciding game like they did in Round 1? How many goals would Crosby and Ovechkin score and who would be the secondary scorer that would be the hero? Could Fleury elevate his game after a lack luster series? Could Varlamov steal yet another win? Would Gonchar be back in the lineup? All these questions started to be answered at the drop of the puck.

No. No. Two, one and Geurin. Yes. No. YES!

The first period started out back and forth. Then it happened. Ovechkin behind the Penguins defense got the outlet and bared down on Marc-Andre Fleury. Ovechkin dragged the puck across in front of the net and flipped it towards the goal. But Fleury flashed leather and every Washington fan behind the net was half way out of their seat before they realized that there was no goal on the play.

That is when the Penguins took control.

Morrison took a slashing penalty to put the Penguins on the power play. Gonchar prowled at the blue line with puck on stick. Wristing it towards the net the puck bounced out to the skate of Crosby. He kicked it to his stick and swatted it into the net.

1-0 Penguins.

Off the face off, the Penguins won control and stormed into the Capitals end again. Just eight seconds later it was Craig Adams that put the puck through the wickets of Varlamov.

2-0 Penguins.

Then came the second period. 0:28 in Crosby lead the rush and pushed the puck to the high slot and the stick of Billy Guerin.

3-0 Penguins.

About a minute and a half later Letang ripped a puck that got stuck in the net behind Varlamov.

4-0 Penguins.

That was all for Varlamov at that point as the Penguins finally got to the rookie and chased him from the net. In came Jose Theodore.

At 11:37 of the second Jordan Staal showed that it did not matter on this night who was in goal for Washington. He scrummed for a puck in front of the net in traffic and BOOM …

5-0 Penguins.

In the waining moments of the second Fleury misplayed a puck behind the net, Ovechkin picked it off the wall and wrapped it into an empty net.

Yawn … 5-1 Penguins.

Enter the third period. After a double minor for high sticking where Laich took the lumber to Crosby’s face, Crosby walked in late on the first of the two and beat Theodore for his second of the game.

6-1 Penguins.

Laich would add another goal a few minutes later to make it 6-2 but somewhere between being down 3-0 and 4-0 the Capitals just lost all will to win.

The Penguins played excellent in front of Fleury who was not test all that much. They allowed only 5 shots in the first, 7 shots in the second and 9 shots in the third. 21 shots is not enough to beat the Penguins.

I have been saying this for the last week since getting a look at Varlamov in the first two games. He’s good. But he is not good enough to steal a series against a team like the Penguins. He tried valiantly though.

Now the wait to see who wins the Boston Carolina series begins. I’ll be watching tomorrow night eagerly.

Knuble (2) and Lupul (1) both beat Fleury in the first period and Briere (1) added a power play goal early in the second to extend the Flyers lead to 3-0. But Fedotenko (1) and the Penguins answered right back scoring 0:29 later to make it 3-1. Eaton (2) added another goal two minutes later to make it 3-2. Eaton swatted the puck out of mid air in front of Biron with the shaft of his stick and then into the net and already has two goals in the playoffs for a defenseman now known for his scoring prowess. But as the saying goes, good things happen when you stand in front of the net.

Crosby (3) then evened the score late in the second, also batting a puck out of the air and behind Biron who began to look like the goal tender the Penguins spanked in Game 1. The Penguins mustered an amazing 20 shots on net in the period.

In the third it was Sergei Gonchar (1) at 2:19 that put the Penguins up for good with a long shot that found the upper corner of the net and Crosby (4) added an empty netter after several furious attempts by the Flyers to tie the game and great saves by Fleury and good defense by the Penguins.

The win earned the Penguins the right to advance to the next round against an opponent to be determined as the league awaits the results of the remaining first round games.

Pittsburgh also got another goal from Tyler Kennedy (2) and the empty net icing goal from Max Talbot (1) en route to taking a 3-1 series lead thanks to the Flower who was in full bloom last night staying square to the shooter and making big saves when he had to. His 45 saves on 46 shots have the Flyers befuddled and wondering how on earth they are going to win three games to take the series with the matchup returning to Pittsburgh for a 7:00 PM showdown Thursday night.

The Penguins however cannot ride Fleury like they have ridden him so far. After a complete team effort in Game 1 of the series the Penguins have put forth three either average or subpar efforts since and still managed to climb to a dominating lead in the series. Too many penalties have plagued the Pens as they have tried to match the Flyers physical play which has gotten overly aggressive at times. Penalty killing has kept them in the games as well while the power play continues to struggle.

Then Penguins want to close out the series Thursday night. They don’t want to give the Flyers and hope in their minds that they could win this series which returning to Philadelphia only down 3-2 certainly would do.

Boucher was obviously overwhelmed in his first shift starting the game and quickly was replaced on the ice after several fumbles and missteps. The Penguins as a team played sloppy as well and took two penalties in the first five minutes which lead to an early 0-1 deficit for Pittsburgh. But Boucher and the Penguins stormed back. Boucher (3) scored off a rebound and, crashing the net late in the first to tie the game and the team never looked back as they rattled off five more unanswered goals from Dupuis (12), Cooke (13), Guerin (21), Crosby (33) and lastly Misterrrrrrrrrrr Kennnnneddyyyyyyyyyyy (15) to end the scoring.

The win keeps the Penguins with an outside chance at home ice advantage in the playoffs however, for that to happen Carolina must lose their final game against New Jersey (a possibility) and Philadelphia must do no better than split their remaining games against the Islanders and Rangers (also possible). But the Penguins must also win Saturday against the Canadiens which would give them, if this scenario plays out, two more points than Carolina, and the either the same or two more points than Philadelphia with the Penguins holding the head to head tie-breaker.

Regardless, the Penguins have the 6th seed locked up and can drop no further. All that is left to be determined is who they will face in round one and where.

Now they will have to dig down deep and beat the Panthers today to work towards locking up a post season birth. Florida will be desperate because heading into today’s game they are on the outside looking in and two points back of the eighth place Rangers.

All the Penguins have to do is play the same way they played yesterday and hope they do not get robbed again by another goal tenders and they can be well on the way to the playoffs after 60 minutes of hockey today.

The Devils put up a fight at points during the first 20 minutes and after the Penguins stormed out to a 2-0 lead just 6:31 in to the game. Matt Cooke (11) and Bill Guerin (20) each scored 36 seconds apart to make that score happen. The Devils got a goal from Gionta (19) midway through the frame to halve that lead but it was all the offense they would muster as the Penguins added another first period goal from Malkin (24) and tallies from Crosby (30), Staal (21) and Kunitz (23) to put New Jersey out of their misery. Fleury made 24 saves and the Penguins once again nearly chased Brodeur from the net. It appeared the only reason he remained in goal was just to not allow the Penguins the joy of knowing that they had gotten to him yet again.

The victory propelled the Penguins (42-27-8, 92 pts) over Carolina in to 5th place in the East and just behind Philadelphia who also has 92 points but a game in hand. Had the Penguins beaten the Flyers last month when the two squared off at the Igloo they would be ahead of them. Pittsburgh won the season series against the Flyers 4-2 and holds an important tie breaker in the standings.

The problem for the Penguins is that despite their incredible streak heading into the playoffs they have failed to separate themselves from the pack in the bottom half of the east and hold a mere 5 point cushion over 9th place Florida whom they play on Sunday. But first they have a showdown with Carolina which can help keep them in 5th place. A loss would mean falling behind the Hurricanes and back into at least 6th.

Today’s game was one of four the against other Eastern Conference teams vying for playoff spots that the Penguins needed to win. Next the Penguins have the take on the New Jersey Devils April 1.

Fleury made 26 saves to earn the win.