Rest .... or Rust?

Let the debate begin.

Will the Penguins be more advantaged by sweeping Ottawa because of the rest they will get, or will they be more disadvantaged because they may not be as sharp when they play again?

This isn't an easy call. I've always been of the opinion that when a team is playing well, you just want to keep rolling out there. You want to keep the momentum going. On the other hand, I've also always been of the opinion that a team really increase its chances of winning the Cup if it has a short round somewhere in the run. Ideally, this happens in rounds 2 or 3 (or 4, in the best case scenario, of course), when a team has already been playing a bit and therefore isn't subject to get out of sync as much when play resumes. However, anytime you have a short round, there certainly is some benefit. A 5-gamer is almost always the ideal series to win -- long enough to give you a rest, but not long enough to let you become rusty before the next series starts.

As I reflect back on some of the prior instances when the Penguins have swept their opponent, the results are mixed. Of course, they swept the Bruins in the 92 conference finals, only to finish an 11 game playoff record winning streak by taking the Cup in another 4 game sweep of the Blackhawks in the next round. Meanwhile, in 1989, Lemieux's 199 point season, the Penguins swept the Rangers in round 1, only to lose a seven game series to Ken Wregget and the Flyers. But I don't recall the Penguins having a noticably slow start in the Flyer series. In fact, they were up 3 games to 2 in it before losing the last 2.

The rest will help the team, but it's not like we absolutely need the time to help players recover from notable injuries. Roberts should be well enough to play (hopefully) when round 2 starts. Malone will be able to recover from some bumps and bruises he's dealing with, but he would have continued to play anyway. Certainly, Crosby's ankle won't be worse off from the extra time away from game action, but the same thing can be said about him -- he's be playing regardless.

All in all, it's hard to say what will happen. I certainly think it's possible that our favorite waterfoul could be subject to a little rust when they get going again. I believe the team will have to work harder to start off the series with intensity. The good thing is that the Penguins have demonstrated that they know how to play that way --- they know what it takes. It's just a matter going out and doing it. And even if they start the series a little slow, they should be able to kick things in gear quickly enough that the rust won't be a major impediment for them. Mentally, they seem to be there. They probably will be challenged more in the next round, though, and that may force them to get into the series quickly as well.

On a final note, it's looking more and more like the Rangers will be our next opponent. Although the Bruins did a great job winning game 5 on the road in Montreal to make their series 3-2 going back to Boston for game 6, it's hard to see them winning the final 3, especially against an opponent that has their number. With Washington going down in double OT in game 4 last night, it's also hard to imagine the hated Flyers not knocking them off (and probably soon). If Montreal and Philadelphia win, we'll draw the Rangers/Devils winner. Brodeur certainly can steal a game or two, but I don't think he'll steal the next 3 in a row to help the Devils overcome the 3-1 series deficit they are facing. That means the fans will soon get another chance to boo the man who once said of his time in Pittsburgh, "I'm dying alive".

Until the next time ....