Pengins face elimination Friday
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Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Last night the Penguins lost a heartbreaker in overtime 2-1 to go down in the series 3-1.
The Penguins started off strong by scoring early in the 1st period and they continued to pressure the Rangers for the remainder of the period. This looked like an entirely different team than we have seen in these playoffs. Everyone was making an effort to create traffic in front of Lundqvist and pressured the Rangers defense. The Rangers only had a lousy 2 shots in the 1st period due to the ferocity of the Penguins. The Penguins finally found their speed and agility and were able to beat the opposition to the puck on almost every single play. The 1st period in the 4th game of the series was the Penguins best period since they blew out Calgary. Pittsburgh had hope for a comeback but they started to slip in the 2nd period.
Due to injuries the Penguins have filled some holes with some Wilkes-Barre Scranton players. These are talented guys such as: Defenseman Taylor Chorney, Forward Scott Wilson (who played is second game of the series last night), and Defenseman Brian Dumolin. Yes, there is inexperience backing up Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin but sometimes inexperience can be a good thing? Maybe not. Last night turnovers and penalties continued to be a problem for the Penguins and Steve Downie took an immature interference penalty shortly after the Penguins goal in the 1st period. The big guns are not going for the Penguins. Game after game you can only see a handful of players making an all out effort and one of them is Patric Hornqvist. Hornqvist almost had the game won late in the 3rd period with a diving shot he made on Lundqvist and with Chris Kunitz in the area of the rebound all Kunitz had to do was tap the puck in for the winning goal. Wait, Kuntiz has not been effective for almost the entire season. Kunitz missed the opportunity and the Rangers went the other way with the puck.
What needs to change before Friday night in New York? Let me highlight at least 3 problem areas and see where we are by the end. First: Malkin maybe playing injured but everytime he touches the puck he is a threat, or at least should be, to score. However, last night he was bumped a few times off of the puck and he could not get momentum going. Malkin is one of the league's best players but he continues to skate in circles in the offensive zone and looks for the non-essential pretty pass which ultimately is just broken up. What does Malkin need to do more of Friday night? Shoot. Second: Penalties have become the bane of the Penguins' existence for far too long now and the first year head coach has not done anything to fix the problem. Granted, they only took three penalties in game 4 but how many opportunities do you really want to hand the best team in he league to beat you? The Penguins need to stop flailing about and not get sucked into the Rangers head games. Third: Shoot the puck. That is it. Everyone on the ice does not need to look for the pretty play to score. There have been many moments this season when the Penguins won games by scoring dirty goals by working hard. Get to the front of the net, out check the opposition and put the puck on net. Create second, third and forth opportunities. The constant shooting and loose rebounds will drive the Rangers and their goaltender absolutely nuts.
If the Penguins can accomplish these 3 simple changes for the game Friday night they should be able to make the series more interesting and challenging.
