The Pittsburgh Penguins looked like they might be down for the count after Game Two, but got off the deck and scored a blow of their own with a big Game Three win. We’ll do a quick series review in this abbreviated edition of The Eye.
For the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals, Detroit did..well, pretty much what they did the first three rounds, operating with machinelike precision, outshooting and outchancing the Penguins by wide margines, and generally dominating play. Pittsburgh made turnover after turnover trying to enter Detroit’s zone, while Detroit seemed to be able to hit long outlet passes at will. Pittsburgh did get several quality scoring chances in borh games, but if they didn’t miss the net, Chris Osgood was coming up with big saves. Pens’ goalie Marc-Andre Fleury was solid but not spectacular, and the Pittsburgh forwards were all but invisible for long stretches.
What changed in Game Three? For starters, Pittsburgh managed to force a few turnovers of their own, and Sidney Crosby played a sensational game. The Pens used an aggressive forecheck to great effect, and were able to dictate play much more over the first 2 periods than they had in any of the first 2 games. Detroit did come on strong in the third, and once again outshot Pittsburgh rather handily, but Fleury came up with big saves this time. In addition, Evgeni Malkin, while held scoreless once again, appeared to be breaking out of his 5-game funk. His passes were crisper, he played a physical style, and he had several quality scoring chances.
Pittsburgh took too many silly penalties in Game Three, and their exceptional penalty killing can only hold the Wings off for so long. Detroit should have been called for a few more penalties of their own, I agree with Pens’ coach Michel Therrien that the Wings are getting away with subtle interference plays quite often.
So, what’s next? What do the Pens need to do to win Game Four and make this a really interesting series? My keys: Take four penalties or less in the game; exploit the Detroit defensemen’s tendency to pinch in the offensive zone; and continue to play a very physical game with the Red Wings.
Let me explain my point about the defenseman a little further: Detroit is doing a fantastic job of clogging up the neutral zone by having their forwards backcheck with speed. This action also allows their defensemen to pressure in Pittsburgh’s zone, since they know a forward will cover up for them. Often times Pittsburgh gets the puck in their own end, only to be faced with 3 or 4 Wings back to defend. Pittsburgh must recognize when a forward rotates back to cover for a defenseman, and aggressively move the puck up-ice to pressure that out-of-position forward. It won’t be easy, because the Wings are so adept at defense, but every chance the Penguins get to attack, they must take advantage of.
Sidney Crosby scored the first two goals Wednesday night, showing the leadership many of us have come to expect. To win Game Four, and potentially the series, the rest of the team must follow The Kid’s lead. Detroit is a formidable opponent, one that I definitely underestimated, but I believe the best part of this series is yet to come.
