I've heard it said about the Pittsburgh Penguins that they are a nightmare to match up against down the middle.
Last night, in game 4 of the 2009 Eastern Confernece Finals at Mellon Arena, the Penguins' "CENTER DRIVE" was in full effect, leading the Flightless Birds to a 4-2 game 4 victory over the Detroit Red Wings.
This year's championship series is now a compelling 2-2 tie. Game 5 is Saturday night back in Detroit (8 PM EST).
Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal each contributed a goal and an assist, and Marc-Andre Fleury cemented the Pens' performance down the middle last night by stopping 37 of 39 shots for Pittsburgh
After starting out strong again, the Pens' got on the board first, capitalizing on another power play when Malkin took the rebound of a Kris Letang shot off the back boards and backhanded it underneath Osgood before he could spin around and get back to the post. That goal, just a few minutes in, got the crowd rocking early.
The Penguins are now a ridiculous 4-for-9 on the power play in the Stanley Cup Final so far.
The Penguins had several chances to do something which has been far too elusive for them against Detroit -- just like it was against Washington in round 2 -- and that's get a 2-goal lead, but they were unable to do so and, just like game 3 of this series, the Red Wings bounced back.
They tied the score late in the first after an extremely uncharacteristic giveaway in his own zone by Pittsburgh defenseman Rob Scuderi. Detroit forward Darren Helm picked off Scuderi's pass, took a stride or two into the right circle, then wristed one by Fleury on the short side high. LW Dan Cleary did a good job screening Fleury on the play.
Then, early in the second period -- in fact, less than a minute in -- Detroit defenseman Brad Stuart beat Fleury from the point to give the Red Wings a 2-1 lead. Again, Fleury was screened, this time by 2 players, and didn't even see the shot.
Then came the game's turning point.
Detroit was awarded 2 consecutive power plays around the 6 minute mark of the 2nd frame, with the 2nd penalty overlapping the first by 2 seconds. The Red Wings put on some pressure but weren't able to score on the 1st penalty. Then, about halfway through the second penalty, Staal took a pass from Max Talbot and saw a chance to challenge Detroit defenseman Brian Rafalski one-on-one.
Rafalski, who had been out on the ice a long time, was no match for the bigger, stronger Staal.
Staal powered by Rafalski on his backhand, shielded the puck with his body as he went to the net, then made a quick backhand-forehand move before beating Osgood low to the stick side for a huge shorthanded goal to tie the score and whip the Igloo crowd into a frenzy.
Frankly, I don't think Osgood played that very well. He knew Staal's options were somewhat limited with Rafalski being there. Staal made a nice move, but Osgood was beaten cleanly and easily.
The Penguins completely seized momentum after that.
They were skating and pressuring the Red Wings into turnovers all over the ice and, just a few minutes later, Malkin and Crosby broke in on a 2-on-1 against Detroit rookie defenseman Jonathan Ericsson.
Malkin tried to pass it to Crosby at the top of the right circle, but Ericsson actually made an nice play to break it up while sliding on the ground.
Unfortunately for him, the puck came right back to Malkin, who wasted no time trying to pass it to Crosby again.
The second time, it got through, and Crosby one-timed it past a prone Osgood to give the Penguins a 3-2 lead. Osgood had no chance because the Ericsson block of the first pass completely threw off his timing on the play.
Keeping their foot on the gas, that elusive 2-goal cusion finally came for Pittsburgh.
Again, just a few minutes later, the Red Wings turned the puck over again, thanks to more strong forechecking by Pittsburgh. This time it was Henrik Zetterberg turning over the biscuit along the near wall after RW Tyler Kennedy put some pressure on him. LW Chris Kunitz picked up the puck in stride and created a quick 3-on-2, which the Penguins capitalized on just as quickly.
Kunitz found Crosby with a cross-ice pass. Crosby one-touch passed it through defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom's legs and back across the zone in the other direction to Kennedy, who then was all alone to Osgood's right.
Kennedy wasted no time and buried a one-timer into the empty cage behind a stunned Osgood to give Pittsburgh a 4-2 advantage.
The Penguins would not relinquish that lead the rest of the way, and did a good job slamming the door on the Red Wings in the 3rd.
Pittsburgh was outshot 39-31, but I think the shot totals were a bit deceiving for Detroit. Fleury saw a lot of rubber, and was again strong at key times with a few saves, but wasn't severely tested a lot of the time.
The Penguins were also outhit by Detroit in this one, but it was close -- something to the tune of 33-32 or thereabouts.
Pittsburgh continues to bang bodies out there and it seemed to show again last night. Detroit looked fatigued and disorganized, especially from the second period on. The Red Wings were even seen "chirping" and being a little frustrated with one another, as I noticed and as Pens' defenseman Brooks Orpik pointed out in the post-game.
The Penguins definitely had them rattled. And I wasn't the only one to notice how drained and out-of-sync the Red Wings were out there:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs/2009/news?columnist=lebrun_pierre&id=4232533
http://today.sportingnews.com/sportingnewstoday/20090605/?pg=13&pm=1&u1=friend&sub_id=DrFUHajjPWVMU
So now, as the series shifts to game 5, the Penguins have all the momentum. But it's up to them to keep their foot on the gas and be the first team to win a road game in this series. If they do that, they'll have the chance to slam the coffin on the Red Wings back at home in game 6, and that's exactly what they should look to do. That's a much better option than letting Detroit stop the bleeding in game 5 and put them in a position where they have to hold serve at home next Tuesday in game 6 just to force a 7th game in Detroit's barn next Friday.
The Penguins have the momentum and have their confidence; now, they need to do their best to keep it. With their big guns rolling -- particularly Malkin -- Detroit knows it has its hands full:
http://www.freep.com/article/20090604/COL22/90604091/1053/SPORTS05/Right+now++the+stars+are+aligning+for+the+Penguins
http://www.freep.com/article/20090604/COL01/90604092/1053/SPORTS05/Crosby+&+Co.+make+this+series+no+laughing+matter
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs/2009/news?columnist=burnside_scott&id=4232534
Malkin now has 35 points this post-season and is making a strong case for the Conn Smythe trophy as the playoff MVP. Only three players in the history of the National Hockey League have ever scored more points in one post-season than Malkin, and two of them are named Gretzky and Lemieux.
Paul Coffey, who had 37 one year, is the other.
2 other players also have put up 35 in one season -- former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Doug Gilmour and former New York Rangers blueliner Brian Leetch -- but with the way Malkin is playing, it's not a question of whether he'll pass those two completely. He's going to. It's just a matter of when. And by how much.
Despite Malkin's post-season, perhaps the biggest concern for the Red Wings right now is Crosby. Crosby had only contributed one assist in the first 3 games of this series, but most people figured it was only a matter of time before he broke out a little bit.
Game 4 was that game.
Interestingly, Detroit coach Mike Babcock didn't try to match up Zetterberg against Crosby last night, like he did in the first 3 games -- including the last contest, even though it was on the road. Perhaps Babcock wanted to give Zetterberg a breather, because he's certainly been getting a lot of ice time. Regardless, it didn't work out well for the Red Wings. Not only did Crosby contribute, but the guy Zetterberg ended up being on the ice against the most -- Malkin -- also did a good amount of damage.
Malkin was the best player on the ice last night, again.
Meanwhile, the Red Wings have not gotten production from a lot of their top players. Zetterberg has been almost completely consumed with checking Crosby. Despite his goal in game 3, he isn't contributing offensively a great deal at all and, as I mentioned, is starting to look worn down.
The same is true of their offensive powers on the backline -- Lidstrom and Rafalski. The Penguins are checking them hard at every turn. That, combined with having to shut down #87 looks like it's wearing on them some.
Meanwhile, Dan Cleary has gone cold in the Final, after having a strong post-season to-date.
And what of the man who jumped ship to play for the team he felt had a better chance of winning the Stanley Cup?
You remember him, don't you?
#18.
Marion Hossa.
Game 4 was supposed to be his game in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Hossa scored 2 goals in each game 4 in Detroit's first 3 series.
Not last night boys and girls.
Hossa came up empty on the scoreboard again and hasn't contributed more than a measley assist in 4 games so far in the Final.
Pavel Datsyuk -- who I thought would play last night, but did not -- remains the wild card. He proably will return in game 5, and Detroit backers probably can't have that happen quickly enough.
Detroit remains dangerous in my opinion. Datsyuk might make a big impact, and the other players I mentioned can break out at any time. But the Penguins have done a fair job hounding them defensively and trying to wear them down. They just need to keep it up.
Detroit isn't going to go quietly, so the Penguins have to maintain an "all business" attitude as this series moves forward. They can't get caught up in what they've accomplished ... or how Detroit seems fatigued ... or how the Red Wings are losing their composure and turning the puck over. Those things just aren't going to continue to happen automatically. The Penguins have to force Detroit into those uncomfortable and unfamiliar places by continuing to do what they do -- skate, hit, finish, and get timely goaltending. The Red Wings are a veteran team who know what it takes and aren't just going to wilter away into the night and hand the Cup to the Penguins.
It's going to be even harder now than it has been.
But with the Penguins' "CENTER DRIVE", I like their chances.
More tomorrow.
Let's Go Pens!
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