Penguins/NHL
Penguins have found another gear to put Senators on the brink
The Pittsburgh Penguins are now one win away from a consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Final and five wins away from doing something no team has done in 19 years, win back-to-back Stanley Cups.
The Penguins in putting the Ottawa Senators on the brink of elimination with a 7-0 shutout win in Game 5, have found that extra gear since Game 3 and today were a club possessed to put the Senators out of their misery.
It was men among boys out there today in the Penguins favor. The Penguins were so good last postseason in being able to smell defeat from an opponent where they just overwhelmed the opposition with speed and aggressiveness.
That was the Penguins this afternoon in Game 5 from the drop of the puck.
This series was going to play out with the Penguins either hitting a wall due to fatigue and injuries that looked to might be happening after Game 3 that could lead to an upset or the more talented hockey club being the Penguins would eventually start putting pucks in the net and take over the series.
It’s the latter on what’s played out.
The Senators are not a mediocre team, but they’re also not a very good team. Playing structured, disciplined hockey with strong puck management in all three zones is what they have to do to compete and having Craig Anderson play well above his ability was going to have to continue but it was always dicey that Anderson in particular could keep it up as the series progressed.
Where this series turned, though, was the big saves by Matt Murray in the early minutes of Game 4. Coming off the 5-1 win in Game 3, if Ottawa converts one or two of those grade-A chances on Murray and gets the first goal in Game 4, who knows where this series would have gone.
Since about the five minute mark of the first period in Game 4, Pittsburgh flipped a switch to take this series over and Ottawa has gone in a completely different direction.
The superior team has emerged.
Pittsburgh has outscored Ottawa 10-2 since the goaltender change and everything about the Penguins these last two games looks like the 2016 Penguins once again.
The swagger, speed game and calmness in their game is back.
No better sign of that than the first 10 minutes of the second period.
Up 4-0 after 20 minutes, there was no letting off the gas from the Penguins. They opened up an 11-3 shot advantage in the first 10 minutes of the second period and they never let up.
Game 5 Takeaway: Key Line Adjustments overwhelm Senators
— What the Penguins did with their lines for Game 5 was something the Senators couldn’t handle. The coaching staff balanced out a mix of grit, speed and skill with all four lines.
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Speed and pressure without the puck demolished the Senators puck management game.
On the top line, Chris Kunitz has added that needed grit element since moving up to the Crosby line in Game 4, Scott Wilson the same with Malkin and Kessel.
Unfortunately for Wilson, it remains to be seen if he escaped Game 5 without a concussion after a cheap shot late in the game.
As for The Rust Factor …..
Bryan Rust returning to the lineup, finally gave the Penguins a third line that was difficult to play against.
The speed of Rust overwhelmed Ottawa all game and the Rust – Bonino – Rowney line was a nice combination that gave Ottawa fits along the wall and below the dots.
Depth Scoring in Game 5 win
Carter Roweney – 3 Assists
Bryan Rust – Goal, Assist
Nick Bonino – 2 Assists
Scott Wilson – Goal
Matt Cullen – Goal
Trevor Daley – Goal
Olli Maatta – Goal
On the 4th line, the coaching staff coming around to playing Josh Archibald has had a positive impact the last two games.
From a speed standpoint, it doesn’t get much better than having Carl Hagelin and Josh Archibald as your two fourth line wingers.
Archibald had a really strong game, especially in the first period where he was active and creating chaos with his speed game.
Meanwhile, defenseman Mark Streit returned to the lineup by default with Chad Ruhwedel having a concussion but his presence to the lineup in Game 5 also had an impact in the Penguins driving play on the breakout and contributing offensively.
A great setup to Matt Cullen to push the Penguins lead to 5-0 and even though it was garbage time, Streit’s hockey IQ showed on the Trevor Daley power play goal as he rotated into a rover position in the middle of the slot and created a screen on the goal.
Game 6 is Tuesday night.
Goal Summary
1st Period
PIT 8:14 OLLI MAATTA (2, EV) Slap, 49 ft.
Assist: #17 RUST(1)
PIT 12:03 SIDNEY CROSBY (7, PPG) Tip-In, 9 ft.
Assists: DALEY(2), MALKIN(15)
PIT 16:04 BRYAN RUST (6, EV) Tip-In, 13 ft.
Assists: BONINO(2), ROWNEY(1)
PIT 18:17 SCOTT WILSON (2, EV) Backhand, 10 ft.
Assists: ROWNEY(2), BONINO(3)
2nd Period
PIT 1:54 MATT CULLEN (2, EV) Wrist, 13 ft.
Assists: STREIT(2), ROWNEY(3)
3rd Period
PIT 0:50 PHIL KESSEL (7, PPG) Wrist, 8 ft.
Assists: CROSBY(12), MALKIN(16)
PIT 8:49 TREVOR DALEY (1, PPG), Slap, 50 ft.
Assists: KESSEL (11), Malkin (17)[/hide]
Related posts:
Game 4 Analysis: Penguins Show Game 7 type mentality with an elite ‘tracking the puck game’ to even-up series
Game 1: Pens show 2016 Cup run type prowess in one critical area
Game 1 Analysis: What We Learned – Speed, physicality of Penguins too much for Islanders to handle
Morning Pens Buzz: On Jagr’s big night; Flyers team speed was the difference in win; Post-Game tidbits, Analysis
