Penguins Power Up Past Canadiens In Game One, 6-3

You ain't in Washington anymore, Dorothy.

After game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinal last night at Mellon Arena, it should be pretty clear to the Montreal Canadiens that the Pittsburgh Penguins don't share that much in common with their arch rival Washington Capitals, who the Habs just dispatched in round 1 in seven games.

After Montreal was able to hold the vaunted Capitals' power play to only 1 goal in 33 chances throughout their entire series, they promptly went out and got scortched 4 times in 4 tries by the Penguins man-advantage to the tune of a 6-3 defeat last night.

The Pittsburgh power play was literally, figuratively, and every way in between, unstoppable last night.

And this after the Penguins spotted the Canadiens a 1-0 lead about 5 minutes into the game on a shot by rookie defenseman PK Suppan that somehow -- but probably shouldn't have -- eluded Penguins' netminder Marc-Andre Fleury.

After that, it was an onslaught.

Pens' defenseman Sergei Gonchar ripped a shot from 50 feet at the center point past Canadiens' goaltender Jaroslav Halak with the first power play goal to tie the game about 4 minutes later , and center Jordan Staal made it 2-1 about 4 minutes after that as another man-advantage was expiring by cutting to the slot, faking a shot and getting Halak to go down, then tossing it high-corner glove side.

Pens' blueliner Kris Letang made it 3-1 by blowing one by Halak from 40 feet on the power play at the top of the hash marks just a few minutes into the third period, although Montreal kept things interesting when they got a goal from Mike Cammalleri with 5 minutes to go in the 2nd.

Cammalleri got open just for a second from about 10 feet out to Fleury's left as forward Max Talbot strayed from him, and that gave him just enough time to take a pass from teammate Scott Gomez behind the net and flick one by Fleury to make it 3-2.

Playoff warrior Craig Adams then restored the Penguins 2-goal lead when teammate Pascal Dupuis capitalized on a turnover and fed a streaking Adams down the right side. Adams made no mistake and one-timed it through Halak to make it 4-2 before the 2nd period ended.

Pittsburgh rearguard Alex Goligoski was next to get into the power play act just a few minutes into the 3rd period when he took a cross-ice pass from Sidney Crosby and one-timed the biscuit past Halak from the left wing circle to make it 5-2 and, a few minutes later, chase the Canadiens' supposed Demi-God to the locker room.

GoGo's goal made it the first time since 1986 that a team had 3 different defensemen score power play goals in the same playoff game.

While Habs' forward Brian Gionta scored with about 7 minutes to go to keep everyone in their seats, Montreal was never a real threat, and Bill Guerin finished them by scoring an empty netter with 50 seconds left for a 6-3 final.

Aside from questions about what the Canadiens are going to do differently on the penalty kill going forward, the game ended last night with other potential meaningful implications for the rest of the series.

Montreal defenseman Andre Markov left the game in the first period after a hard -- but clean -- hit into the boards on the forecheck from Pens' LW Matt Cooke.

Markov was writhing on the ice in pain after the hit and did not return to the game. He was said to have suffered a lower-body injury -- believed to be a knee problem.

Meanwhile, the injury news wasn't all good for the Penguins either.

Staal -- their ironman -- left the game in the 2nd period and did not return after a strange play in which he collided with, and had his feet taken out from under him by, Habs' defenseman Subban, and appeared to suffer an ankle injury.

Craig Adams moved up and centered the 3rd line in his place the rest of the game -- and that's when he got the Pens' 4th goal.

Basically, Pittsburgh played with only 10 forwards last night with Staal out and surprise 4th liner Ruslan Fedotenko only getting a few shifts in the game.

It probably was easier for them to do that on 6 days rest than it was for the Canadiens to have to roll the rest of the game with only 5 rearguards after their taxing 7-game series win over Washington.

While there's no word about the severity of the injury to Markov at this point (or Staal either for that matter), it certainly won't get easier for them having to play game 2 on Sunday afternoon so quickly.

Still, Montreal will probably come with a better game in that one than they did last night, and the Penguins need to be better because of it, too. For as good as their power play was last night, Pittsburgh needs to be better 5-on-5. They actually were outshot by Montreal 31-24 in the game, and that isn't Penguins' hockey.

I'll update the status of Staal when I find out anything. Initial rumblings seem to suggest it might be a high-ankle sprain, but take that for what it is at this point.

More later.