Pittsburgh Looking To End Ottawa's Season Tonight

With game 5 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal on tap tonight between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators at Mellon Arena (7:00 PM, VERSUS), the two clubs couldn't have more opposite mindsets.

And both have earned them honestly in this series.

Ottawa is just trying to survive.

The Penguins, meanwhile, are going for the kill.

Which angle plays out tonight is certainly worth watching, and the biggest factor in determining that will probably be Penguins' Captain Sidney Crosby.

With a ridiculous 11 points in 4 contests against the Senators this post-season, #87 is averaging almost 3 points per game in this series (2.75 PPG).

He now has 24 points in 13 career playoff games against Ottawa.

Everyone knows that if he has another strong game tonight, the Senators are probably finished. That's certainly the view from Canada's Capital:

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/Playoffs/Ottawa/2010/04/21/13672371.html

One interesting thing to come out of the Sens' camp yesterday was the comments from their general manager, Bryan Murray.

Murray has been unusually quiet during this series so far, but when talking with the media on the off-day yesterday, he said he thought the Senators had actually been TOO physical with Pittsburgh.

"We've been more interested in running around and hitting people than just playing the way we normally play," Murray said.

"We just went out to crucify people rather than play smart," Murray continued.

More on that can be found here:

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/Playoffs/Ottawa/2010/04/21/13673006.html

Whether Ottawa has focused too much on the physical part of the game is somewhat conjecture, but there's no mistaking that the Penguins have not wilted in the face of their physicality.

But, really --- is that a surprise from a team that's been to the last two Stanley Cup Finals and knows what it takes to win?

Not nearly.

That said, the Pens' defense deserves some extra credit. They've been particularly unfazed by the aggressive forecheck of the Senators. They've done a great job at absorbing punishment in the spirit of getting the puck up to the forwards and out of the zone quickly.

It's nice to know I'm not the only one showing them some love, either:

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/Playoffs/Pittsburgh/2010/04/21/13672446.html

In truth, though, I'm not sure Ottawa's main concern is whether they've been too physical, or whether or not they're playing their game.

I think their main concern right now is between the pipes.

And understandably, so.

Their starter in this series, Brian Elliott, has a miserable goals against average of over 4 per game, and a horrific save percentage that's hovering somewhere around 85%.

For that reason, it's no surprise that there are big question marks as to whether Elliott is going to get the call tonight in game 5.

Sens' Head Coach Cory Clouston was non-committal yesterday on who would start -- at least publicly. He said they have settled on the starter, but wouldn't announce it until game day.

While there has been some talk that Ottawa might stick with backup Pascal LeClaire -- or even go with their 3rd man, rookie Mike Brodeur -- odds are that Clouston will live and die with Elliott again tonight.

That's what I'd do if I were in his shoes. You have to go with who you think your best man is. And even if you lose, you've gained good experience for the next time. I realize that's little consolation for a team who ends up making early golf reservations, but changing goaltenders back and forth in the post-season is nothing more than a sign of desperation.

Of course, Ottawa is desperate, but it's not like they have a lot of other good options. If they did, that's who they would have gone with in the first place, which is exactly the point.

For Pittsburgh, it doesn't look like they're going to have RW Tyler Kennedy in the lineup tonight.

TK suffered a lower body -- believed to be right knee -- injury after being checked hard into the boards on a legal hit from Ottawa blueliner Andy Sutton in game 4.

Kennedy is day-to-day and will probably sit out tonight while he recovers, with veteran Ruslan Fedotenko taking his place in the lineup.

Feds may even play on the 3rd line with Jordan Staal and Matt Cooke this evening, although I'd be more inclined to slot him on the 4th unit and instead move up a guy who's been highly effective in this series so far in TK's place --- Max Talbot.

Meanwhile, defenseman Jordan Leopold is not under any consideration to return tonight, and probably will miss the rest of this series. He's recovering, but isn't even skating again with the team yet.

Leopold has a history of concussions and, assuming the Penguins advance, it's likely to be 10-14 days before there's even a chance of him returing. Jay McKee has looked good in his absence, so there's certainly no rush to get #4 back at this point.

We'll see what happens tonight. Ottawa has never won a playoff series when they've been down 3 games to 1. The Penguins shouldn't be looking past the Senators and instead need to show the killer instinct that Stanley Cup Champions should have. They'll certainly get richly rewarded with a nice dose of rest if they come up with a big "W" tonight.

Recap tomorrow.

Let's Go Pens!