How did that happen?
Remember way back on Monday when fans and, surprisingly enough, some in the media, had the Eastern Conference over because the Penguins lost Games 4 and 5 and had to go to Tampa Bay facing elimination?
Have these people never seen a seven game series before?
One columnist wrote that it might be time to forget about the Crosby-Malkin era – that it appeared to be over.
I did some research and discovered that, in every series that went seven games, in every sport, after five somebody was up 3 games to 2.
And I was shocked to find that, in every series that went seven games it was tied 3-3 after six.
If you know your Pittsburgh sports history you know the Pirates fell behind the Orioles two games to none in the 1971 World Series and 3 games to one in the 1979 World Series and won Game 7 in Baltimore both times.
And you know the Penguins fell behind the Capitals 3-1 in the 1992 Patrick Division playoffs.
And here’s what Ron Cook wrote in his Post-Gazette column before Game 5 :
“Don’t get the idea that Kevin Stevens wasn’t ashamed late Saturday night just because he was man enough to stand front and center of hockey obituary writers while most of his teammates hid like bad little boys.”
“He is very much ashamed because he has played like dog meat against the Washington Capitals.”
Cook went on to say that Stevens’ teammates had played just as poorly if not worse.
The Penguins didn’t just lose Game 4. They were blown out 7-2 and Cook and everybody else had the series over:
“But beat a highly skilled, supremely confident Washington team three in a row? At this point the possibility is too remote to even consider.”
And not only was the series over, but the Penguins had been exposed as a fraud and the Stanley Cup win a year earlier was probably a fluke.
“No, there’s not much reason to believe that this flock of Penguins will be remembered as a superior team. It’s tempting to say their playoff flop is an aberration but is that accurate?”
“Or was their playoff magnificence last spring the aberration?”
“Well the playoff party is almost over and there is an enduring feeling around the National Hockey League that the Penguins Championship season was a bit of a fluke.”
Of course the Penguins won the next three games and the next three series, and won their last 11 games in a row on the way to their second straight Cup.
They were even better the next season, but were upset in the playoffs by the New York Islanders.
Now that the Penguins have won the Eastern Conference Final, here are some things everybody who has followed Pittsburgh sports should have learned about seven game series: You have to win four games but you can lose three.
The order in which you win your four doesn’t matter.
Other than injuries to key players, what happened in the previous game will have nothing to do with the next game.
And if the Penguins lose to San Jose, can we please stop the talk about how disappointing the Crosby-Malkin era has been?
They just played in their fourth Eastern Conference Final. Crosby has been a Penguin for 11 years.
They are four wins away from winning their second Stanley Cup.
Mario Lemieux played in three conference finals in his first 11 years and won two Cups in 17 years.
Crosby and Malkin are playing in their third Stanley Cup Final.
Lemieux played in two.
And when you hear about how Sidney Crosby doesn’t step up in big games – and you’ll hear it if he doesn’t put up any points in a Game 1 loss to the Sharks – keep Game 7 vs the Lightning in mind.
It’ll show up on his game log as one of those games when he didn’t show up because he had no points.
He was the best player on the ice.
[hide]
Now, all the Penguins have to do is win four more games against a team that’s better than the one that just took them to seven games.
Enjoy the ride. The chance to play for a championship is almost as rare as winning one.[/hide]
I picked Tommy Kuhnhackl to score the first goal tonight. Whats your prediction?
Super pumped we get to begin misspelling Spaling again. Over/under on “Spalding” is 8.5
So you are super pumped to begin again over spalding and not under since he has 8.5inch
That was fast lol
How bad is Sam at this? Seriously.
Thats 1. Fn idiot haha
Penguins defenseman Ben Lovejoy said. I won’t make eye contact with him. I won’t text him. He has been a huge supporter of me throughout my young career when I was here and I love him to death.I knew those 2 Americans were Queer
This is like a retard post.
Great Tale of the Tape provided by @NHL on #SJSharks vs #Pens #StanleyCup
Avg Height
PIT 6’1 SJS 6″2
weight
PIT 197 LBS SJS 207lbs
AGE
PIT 27..8 SJS 29.2
Birthplace PIT Canada 9 USA 9 Sweden 3 Finland 1 Germany 1 Russian 1
Birthplace SJS Canada 11 USA 5 Czech 2 Finland 1 Sweden 1
Your stats aren’t even right you moron. Last I checked we have three Swedes you forgot to add.
It’s encouraging to see they have more Canadians and less Americans than the Pens.
how would you feel if kessel wins the Conn Smythe and yet not good enough for team USA
Id probably say “I told you so” like I have been since you told me Marty St. Louis was a better option and then he retired.
…the very next day
Tonight is the night, the legend of Thomas Jamal Kuhnhackl begins.
The German Gretzky about to breakout
Spaling v Kuhnhackl. Break it down NPL.
The entire world vs the Penguins gets underway tonight. I know I posed the question in regards to the Pens chances.. it was curiosity more than anything. Taking the pulse of the page. I cannot fathom how the Sharks became such overwhelming favourites in the eyes of the public. Are the Pens really that hated? I can’t recall the last time a cup final approached where there was such a significant portion of the public and media that had one team so heavily favoured… compound that with I really can’t recall such a one sided POV FOR the lower seed… Read more »
The entire world sans the Vegas odds makes for what its worth anyway lol
Guess Vegas has done what no one else seems to be doing… understanding the importance of Cullen, Kuhnhackl and Fehr in a series where the top 3 lines will cancel each other out!
wait didnt same said that last week too ? about the top 3 lines
LOL, you’re so fucken stupid you don’t even know when you are being made fun of LMMFAO. Thanks for all the thumbs down dipshit!
http://www.lhebdodustmaurice.com/ugc/photos/biz/webusers/Photo%20Blogue0_b304cf9850e74de6aeb2df77830bfa53.jpg
Wow.
Cmon DePaoli, where is my Kuhnhackl update? Its up to him to bring #4 home. How’s he handling the pressure?
Key matchup. Cullen vs Zubrus. Discuss.
I am raving about MAF. He is an above average goalie who has had an up and down playoff career.
It all makes sense now NPL.
http://theundefeated.com/features/mission-impossible-african-americans-analytics/
Zero, it’s only a 3-4 hr flight from your god forsaken hometown to San Jose. Let’s meet up for a game.
Ill be in Vegas, can I come?
Why they are missing Drag Queens
Is that a statement?
http://www.lhebdodustmaurice.com/ugc/photos/biz/webusers/Photo%20Blogue0_b304cf9850e74de6aeb2df77830bfa53.jpg
Nice pull… Lmmfao
Who’s that tard?
Is that NPL ?
Post of the year! I think we all found our new avatar.
Lookin’ good Sammy!
Is that the visualization of the next amazing ball hockey trick?
Josh Yohe and Dk will differ because as good as sid was geno was just alittle better-
They both sucked until game 6
@deigo, i nearly pissed my pants when i read your comment on rossi’s infatuation with fleury on the trib’s site today. lol!
It’s almost like you two are gay for each other. Fraud.
We are not gay for each other. However we are only a handful of people in Pgh who look at st bleury without the yinzer black and gold brainwashed goggles.
I’d like to see a post on here where someone is raving about maf. He is an above average goalie who has had an up and down playoff career.
Don’t hold your breath
You’re gay for each other.
It’s funny how the same 3 people agree on everything. They all join each other in support when one makes an absurd comment.
Jealous
I bet yoda enjoys your “fat fingers”
So… Old and senile, or young and no dlck control?
Where’s the 4th line vs 4th line analysis article. You know. Since that’s all that matters.
Who said it:
“Tom Kuhnhackl is the most important player in this series”
A) Mike Milbury
B) Keith Jones
C) Samuel Duranceau-Cloutier
D) Jeremy Roenick
E) Probably all of the above because they are all morons
E
Who said it:
Npl is the most important poster on this site ”
A) Stan
B) ZeroTool
C) Samuel Duranceau-Cloutier
D) Gaydogg
E) Probably all of the above because they are all morons
Any chance Kunitz retires if we win the cup? Would be a nice chunk of cap space to get back.
He might be old but still better then sheary and bennett they should retire before him
The way bennett is going he will retire by the age of 28 I don’t see him on this league for a long time and when I say 28 I am being very generous about him
One thing I know about Sam is, hes a very generous lover
Just ask Michael Sam.
I think St. Louis might retire before Kessel, what do you think?
Sheary is no Louie LeBlanc. Or Tinordi. Or David Fischer.
I was on kunitz allot this year, but the guy has looked in form and that has been absent since he was injured awhile ago. If he can play that way this series, 3 equally dangerous lines
Does anyone else have the feeling that Team USA held a giveaway to allow a fan to help pick the roster and Kingpuck won the giveaway?
That roster is in serious trouble and I won’t be surprised if they’re 1 of the worst teams in the tournament. Heads better roll in Colorado Springs when this debacle ends.
With a HC like tortorella, did you expect anything different?
This is way more Burke than Torts
Better then shero and DB when they were part of the olympics
Burke was involved then too. You fucking idiot.
The US has done its best Canada impressions the last couple best v best… I know my country has laid a few eggs on roster selections, badly overthinking things. Muzzin over Seabrook for instance lol. #zamunernagano98
Phil kessel left off of team USA’s World Cup roster. That dude floats during the regular season, but I’ll take him in a big game any day. Bad move for the Americans.
Clearly their plan is to have Callihan and Dubinsky injure as many people as possible and then win games by forfeit when their opponent doesn’t have enough healthy bodies to finish the games.
Typical Americans
Team blown up yet?
How did this happen mr Steigy asks, simple, st bleury, the smiley faced ADHD clown is on the bench.
Any goaltender in the league, including Fleury, is going to win games when the team in front of them plays stifling defense and limits teams to 5-6 shots a period. That’s not to take anything away from Murray but it’s pretty easy to look good when you only have to stop 2-3 decent shots and 10-15 weak shots every game.
Yup I bet fleury could’ve have won game 7
Lol
I seem to remember Fleury winning a few big game 7s….
Fleury had well over a half decade to win a game 7
Agree but didnt have a good team in front and more scratched system. He was playing with bunch of washed up rental players and pee wee coach DB that had no clue what was defense and in game adjustment
Way too much over analysis going on in Pitt. It’s simple. No fleury=playoff success.
Very true. Murray can steal victories for this team like he did in the caps series. That is something that was never even a possibility in years past.
Murray has stolen a grand total of 1 game through the first 18 games and was just badly outplayed by Vasilevskiy in the last series, how the team plays in front of Murray is the factor that will determine whether they have success in the SCF or not, same as it’s always been.
Murray has given the most soft goals in 2016 playoffs and if Murray would’ve been as busy as Tampax goalie pens would’ve have lost conference finals in 5 games. How many 40+ shots did he face vs Tampax. ?
Pens had every game game a lot shots in order to win with I goal imagine I Tampax had same amount of shots they would’ve won vs pens with wide margin
Not only that but, imagine if Murray would have faced the same amount of shots as Vasilevskiy. Pens would have lost the series.
AND, dont forget that Murray didnt face as many shots as Vasilevskiy. If he did, i dont think they move on.
But it’s important to remember, Vasilevskiy faced way more shots than Murray.
I agree on the over analysis even though your personal analysis couldn’t be farther from the truth. It’s really quit simple, if the Pens play the same great D and limit the Sharks to 5-6 shots per period they will win, if they lose that structure and give up a bunch of quality scoring chances they will lose. No more analysis needed.
Yep. Just like when Vokoun was in.
This column guarantees Malkin will be traded
I can’t believe I signed up for this crap! John Steigerwald give me a break… Coverage is crap. Everyone sign up for DK, 1000 X better coverage and columnist.
Does anyone even realize the Pens have played more playoff games than any other team in the last decade?
The Pens chances begin and end with Tom Kuhnhackl. Tell em Sam.
In the cap era the key is getting contributions from elc guys. Doesn’t matter if you have a highly paid supporting cast surround by elc Malkin and Crosby or highly paid stars surround by cheap youngsters and appropriately paid vets either works
Chicago has created a dynasty off of adding cheap guys, most through their system. Granted they didnt have the choke hold of 18 million in 2 names until recently but it was the ability to add solid depth that had them sitting on top of the world. It’s exciting to see it 1st hand here. Imagine if Wilson was healthy? Rust, Wilson, Sheary and Kuhnhackl… all contributed, all doing a good job and all cheap.
Wow, I love this guys articles. The writers are bipolar when combined. Depoli thinks the sky is falling most days and John here must wear his cheer leader outfit with each article. “He was the best player on the ice” in relation to Crosby? Ya he was good… Rust was better The “in your face doubters” write up is cute. So #johnknew that we would get the guys to step up despite 7 years of a sample size to be concerned along with a few weeks of spotty play from the big names sans Kessel. I also commend your use… Read more »
“They were even better the next season but lost to the islanders” – How does this help your case?
I do agree that if they win another cup, there’s no way their era can be viewed as a disappointment. With the parity in the league, cap etc., to win 2 cups in a 7 year span is an extreme success. Just ffs, be real about it.
Also, there is absolutely no correlation between them and a team playing a different sport 40 years ago. It’s almost like he just throws it in there to try and gain some credibility in his sports knowledge. The pens have a really solid team but it’s apparent their stars are showing their age. They are still stars, but they’re human and they’ve been playing in the nhl for over a decade. It happens.
Oh I agree, there will definitely be a stigma slowly removed. We know that bad personnel decisions which may also include throwing 9 million at Sid and Geno right away was part of the issue as depth was hard to attain. Bylsma did a great job taking the pressure off but was badly out coached too often. Injuries to Sid and Geno shortly after played a role and yes.. MAFs breakdown for a couple years was also a bit of a fact albeit far from the only factor. The team is silencing doubters, even a loss in the finals should… Read more »
Actually scratch that… I think most of the ball washing was his own HAHA
Well said
Thank you, i really mean that.
*factor
Sam is the prototype for French Canadian weirdo roles in romantic comedies, that provides comic relief with hilariously stupid quotes and over the topic weirdness.
Was that Crosby in a Bryan Rust jersey last night? Not bashing Sid by any stretch, but that’s some intense ball washing claiming he was the “best player on the ice.”
Really. I’m not knocking Sid or anyone for that matter, but it’s absurd to say he was the best player on the ice, especially when another player had two goals in a 2-1 win.
Sid was the best player on the ice last night, rust had a special night, but crosby held the puck the whole night, other than a few career saves from vas sid could have had a hatty
So the best player on the ice was a guy who didnt finish? Sid had a great game, but ill take the guy who put the puck in the net twice – who also created a lot of chances while he was on the ice.
if any of you Curious how kessel was after the game there is a link in the news of his audio
http://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/1034039
Sam is a terrorist.
Lay off the enter button, John. There is no rule against two sentences being in the same paragraph.
Breaking news dustin Brown will no longer be the kings captain about time they found out he is a fraud
What are you into sexually? I bet its weird.
Hahahahha too good..
Honestly, I think Yodles, Same, Et al., are children and probably have very little of their understanding of their sexual desires, at this point.
I mean, that’s the only way I can rationalize their behavior on this board.
All this makes us the idiots because these children, literally, have hijacked the comment section of every single article.. I hate them, to say the least.. Even knowing that they are most likely to be children..
preach
This article somehow makes me sad the Penguins won. You feeling ok, John?
LOL, I was thinking the same.
Sid wasnt the best player on the ice he didnt score ask Stan and npl those Fat kids will tell you
https://media.giphy.com/media/46tK2bSL87C/giphy.gif