Dissecting the Epic Battle that will be Game 7
by Malsby on May 12, 2009 5:31 PM EDT
52 comments
(Promoted from Fanposts - FrankD)
It's been said ad nauseum: 'Anything can happen in a Game 7.' Yes, I suppose that's true, any number of things could happen. Alexander Ovechkin may be held shotless. Jordan Staal could complete a pass. Alexander Semin might remain vertical for more than nine seconds. Craig Adams might score a goal this season. Will any of those things happen? Doubtful.
If nothing else, this series has been tremendously consistent. Pittsburgh has outshot the Capitals in every game, generated more man-advantage chances, and generally appeared to be the slightly better team in a stream of nail-biters. Alexander Ovechkin has been disgustingly good every night and Merriam-Webster might as well paste his picture next to the term 'MVP'. Sidney Crosby has shown a level of competitiveness and heart that any true hockey fan should respect. There's been goaltending quality stretching from 'Save of the Playoffs' to 'Glove as Leaky as a Teabag' and so much scoreboard mayhem that I'm wondering if having a lead is going out of style.
Let's talk turkey though. What will it take for each team to come out of the Verizon Center victorious?
1. Marc-Andre Fleury must be better. He backstopped the Pens through their first-round series against the Flyers with huge, timely saves and has since looked shaky and porous. While it's true that he's facing one of the league's premier offenses and a very dangerous Alexander Ovechkin, MAF must be great in Game 7 if the Penguins are going to win.
2. Evgeni Malkin needs to play a solid 60 minute game. I'm not saying he needs to score a goal necessarily, but he must be a dominating factor on the ice. If he can't find a way to get to the net with power and manufacture a goal or two, the Pens will be spending next week on the golf courses.
3. The Penguins need to stay out of the penalty box. 5-on-5 is where the Pens have looked best this series, and the Capitals power play is clicking at over 30%. The Pens' Tuesday practice should probably include a 30-minute session on how to complete legal line changes.
4. Ovechkin must not take the game over. This is sort of a given, but if AO gets the crowd rolling with a vintage goal or two the Pens are in huge trouble.
1. Ovechkin must take the game over. This is sort of a given, but if AO gets the crowd rolling with a vintage goal or two the Pens are in huge trouble.
2. Their depth players must be better than that of their opposition. The battle between the teams' third and fourth lines has been an important undercard in this series. For the Caps, when the Steckel line has produced, they've won. It will be interesting to see if the momentum from scoring the game-winning goal in Game 6 will carry through for David Steckel and his line in Game 7. If it does, the Caps will cruise into the third-round.
3. The Caps D must be sharper. Outshot in every contest, the Caps must find a way to slow down the Pens top forwards. They did so in the 2nd period and OT of Game 6 and must continue to do so. Cutting down on the defensive turnovers and limiting the Pens forechecking will be crucial to a Caps victory in Game 7.
4. See #1.
All in all, I expect a close-fought game and I honestly can't predict a winner, other the fans, of course. I only hope that regardless of the outcome, both fanbases can respect the tremendous hockey we've been lucky enough to witness and handle losing and winning with dignity and respect.
The content expressed in fanposts does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the staff here at Pensburgh.com. FanPosts are opinions expressed by fans of various teams throughout the league but may be more Pittsburgh-centric for obvious reasons.
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nothing more furstrating
then being outhustled in an elimination game. a fluky bounce i think we can all live with. being out worked and out hustled is something entirely different.
" I AM CAPATIN CHAOS, and this is my trusty Sidekick cato. Say hello Cato"
Dom Deluise 1933-2009, Cannonball run
by oldtimehockey09 on May 12, 2009 4:16 PM EDT reply actions
i'm already sick to my stomach over this one
the anxiety of game 7 is building. oye.
Great post Malsby and thanks for contributing. Hope you don’t mind but I went in and added the team logos when I promoted to the front page.
I think Fleury will be the biggest deciding factor for Pitt. He’s made me nervous this entire series. Both goalies have let in a few soft goals, but Fleury has definitely given up more than a few flukes. Both teams have proven that offense can get it done. But all it takes is one of these goaltenders to step it up in G7.
Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.
The logos look great. Very cool and humbling to see this on the front page, so, thank you.
There’s no question that Varlamov has been a key factor at times in this series. Early in the series he stifled the Pens at every turn, and even last night in Game 6 his play in the first period was top-notch stuff that kept his team in the game. I don’t believe the same case can be made for Fleury. I suppose you could call his mediocrity consistent, with goals allowed of 3, 4, 2, 3, 3, and 5 respectively. He just hasn’t shown the confidence and bigtime play in this series that he’s capable of.
excellent article. as a caps fan i have to agree i cant pick a winner to this game at all and this game will come down to ovechkin taking over and MAF playing better, best of luck to the pens and although i dont like them, they do have my respect
Thanks
It’s a credit to a fan base when a member comments on a rival’s page in a classy manner.
Washington has earned some respect around here as well.
If Varlamov can live up to his potential he’s shown this series will get plenty of replays in the following years.
Sure he can score goals, but can he cook?
by Phantaskippy on May 12, 2009 8:22 PM EDT up reply actions
I think Fleury knows he was not tip-top in game 6, and I think he will step it up.
With respect to the OP, I’d like to add a few things to the Pens “to-win game 7” list:
Defense- the Scuderi/Gill pairing has done a fine job neutralizing AO as much as can be asked of them, with some special emphasis on Scuderi. I’ve always respected his workmanship and guts, but he’s really come out in this series. My hat is off to him and he’s my series MVP thus far. Gill had a couple miscues in game 6. I think he should have been trying to get underneath Laich on Semin’s goal, trying to tie up his stick. And the more obvious being the instance when he was in the crease behind Fleury obscuring Fleury and not allowing him to make the move that was necessary to stop the shot by Kozlov.
Crosby needs to show the sport why he’s here. He’s not always going to be a flashy player like Ovechkin or Malkin. He does take it upon himself sometimes to split the D when gaining the zone, sometimes yielding some beautiful results, but that doesn’t need to be in his game-plan for this one. He needs to be the C on his Jersey, not let Ovechkin’s shenanigans or the crowd get to him, and just manage his team. Sid’s not a kid anymore, and this team really does look up to him.
Put the puck in front of Varlamov. Early in the series, he seemed to be stopping every first shot, either swallowing it or directing the rebound to a safe place. As the series has progressed, though, the Pens have gotten the puck to him more often, and eventually getting the bounces, some great trash goals on 2nd and 3rd chances. As they’ve gotten further down that road, he’s gotten a little shaky on the first shot, i.e. goals by Guerin and Letang last night(in SV’s defense, both were marvelously placed shots). The trick is not the same every time, but the more often you put the puck in front of him, the better chance they are going to have to crack him.
-David
sixminutecynic.blogspot.com
www.piratesmix.com.
by pascaldupweevil on May 12, 2009 6:06 PM EDT reply actions
I agree with you regarding Scuderi and Gill. I’ve been a longtime Scuds supporter ever since the Pens acquired him. Credit Therrien for sticking with him and making him a top-notch defenseman. I think Scuds is due a big raise and the Pens had better pony up the dough to keep him. Gill has looked tired at some moments of this series. He’s still been a good defenseman though. The guy on the blue line who deserves some praise is Mark Eaton. He’s been saddled by injuries the last few seasons and it’s great to see him able to show what he can do.
Its not just Eaton’s defense but the man has 4 goals! Honestly, who here saw that coming? As for Scuds, if the Pens lose and I will be honest I think they are going to, say good-bye to Scuds. He is going to see his salary jump from $700,000 to about 3.5 to 4 million. I don’t think the Pens can match that. Gill makes about 2.1m and can probably be resigned for around that amount and with Lovejoy and Gogo in the system I think tonight might be Scuds last game in the Black and Gold
Life is about one simple choice, get busy living or get busy dying
You forget to mention that Hal Gill should stop trying to play goalie ;-) Still can’t get that goal out of my mind.
Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.
I agree with most of what you said. I think Varlamov has been shaky with his rebound control the entire series, the Pens just have done better getting to those rebounds as the series has gone on. I think Varlamov was over-aggressive playing the Guerin shot and took himself out of position and Guerin made him pay. Letang’s shot… Damn. I don’t think many goalies have a chance at that. Letang knew where he was going with that shot from the second he saw that carom off the boards and he made no mistake.
I’ll give props to Scuderi, he’s had a great series (and he’s another LI boy). But to call him the series MVP is just crazy talk. He’s earned a raise but series MVP? His job has been to control AO and AO has 13 points in 6 games. That’s well above his season average and above his pace against the Rags. It’s hard for me to give a series MVP to a guy that can’t keep his check under 2 points per game. I guess I’ll just have to accept that as the closest thing to a compliment that AO is gonna get around here.
by Fehr and Balanced on May 12, 2009 9:31 PM EDT up reply actions
one thing to look at
fehr one thing that may be worth considering is how many points, shots and goals ovie has on the road. that when the pens are able to get that last change in and get the defensive matchup they want. my feeling is that he has been an unsung hero but not the mvp of the series for the penguins.
" I AM CAPATIN CHAOS, and this is my trusty Sidekick cato. Say hello Cato"
Dom Deluise 1933-2009, Cannonball run
by oldtimehockey09 on May 12, 2009 10:55 PM EDT up reply actions
Very good point. He has 1G, 5A at Mellon. 6G, 1A at VC. Take from that what you will.
by Fehr and Balanced on May 12, 2009 11:14 PM EDT up reply actions
i.e. keeping him contained at the igloo, at dc…not so much
" I AM CAPATIN CHAOS, and this is my trusty Sidekick cato. Say hello Cato"
Dom Deluise 1933-2009, Cannonball run
by oldtimehockey09 on May 12, 2009 11:52 PM EDT up reply actions
or he adapts his game to the coverage and puts up points regardless.
by Fehr and Balanced on May 13, 2009 12:27 AM EDT up reply actions
this is infact pointless
one could argue that changing his game is the exact prupose of scuds role. we would much rather have someone other then ovie beat us. however the simple answer to that is “he’s still beating you”. Just like one could argue that he has shown a propensity over the years to injur players through quesitonable hits. Then it could be said that “well so and so shouldnt have moved” or " he had no other choice". i am officially throwing up the white flag for the time being on discussions with you about ovie. its kinda like polotics right now, niether side wants to admit that what the other side is saying is infact true….
" I AM CAPATIN CHAOS, and this is my trusty Sidekick cato. Say hello Cato"
Dom Deluise 1933-2009, Cannonball run
by oldtimehockey09 on May 13, 2009 1:15 AM EDT up reply actions
disregard epic spell check fail
" I AM CAPATIN CHAOS, and this is my trusty Sidekick cato. Say hello Cato"
Dom Deluise 1933-2009, Cannonball run
by oldtimehockey09 on May 13, 2009 1:16 AM EDT up reply actions
I’m just trying to get you to be consistent. I’m going to give AO the benefit of the doubt on every boarderline hit until you show something egregious, which I haven’t seen. Further, I’m trying not to let you base an opinion on AO on one or two questionable hits when his body of work demonstrates something far greater (the same as Sid and Geno).
As for his points, I don’t see why it’s pointless. Sid gets credit for racking up As with fewer Gs but when AO does it you want to credit the D for controlling him? Isn’t the stock Pensfan answer that “points are points and As count the same as Gs?” I’m just trying to get you to acknowledge his game goes beyond a hard shot that he uses 20x a game. He’s a more well rounded player than he gets credit for.
by Fehr and Balanced on May 13, 2009 12:27 PM EDT up reply actions
sid and geno have consistently shown a pass first game. hard to say that AO has shown that given he came so close to breaking the SOG record for a single season. it doesnt get more agreagous then that elbow in the worlds two years ago, but you dont seem to think it was an elbow. but thats ok, still a good discusion…although highly frustrating….
" I AM CAPATIN CHAOS, and this is my trusty Sidekick cato. Say hello Cato"
Dom Deluise 1933-2009, Cannonball run
by oldtimehockey09 on May 13, 2009 12:39 PM EDT up reply actions
It gets way more egregious than that elbow at the Worlds. Type “Tie Domi Scott Neidermayer” into youtube and you will see egregious.
by Fehr and Balanced on May 13, 2009 1:07 PM EDT up reply actions
or do a tie domi ulf samuelsson search
" I AM CAPATIN CHAOS, and this is my trusty Sidekick cato. Say hello Cato"
Dom Deluise 1933-2009, Cannonball run
by oldtimehockey09 on May 13, 2009 1:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Do you think Scott Stevens was dirty? His elbow popped out late like AOs did but most people recognize that he wasn’t a dirty hitter and he led with his shoulder. I think Stevens was mean and took advantage of vulnerable players but I don’t think he’s dirty. He rarely got called for Elbowing despite the little elbow flair you want to condemn AO for.
by Fehr and Balanced on May 13, 2009 1:17 PM EDT up reply actions
im not condeming him for the elbow, im condeming him for the history of shots like that.
" I AM CAPATIN CHAOS, and this is my trusty Sidekick cato. Say hello Cato"
Dom Deluise 1933-2009, Cannonball run
by oldtimehockey09 on May 13, 2009 1:20 PM EDT up reply actions
OK, but Stevens has a history of way more borderline hits than AO. What are your thoughts on Stevens?
by Fehr and Balanced on May 13, 2009 1:29 PM EDT up reply actions
scott stevens was everything you want in a defenseman. some of his hits were questionable, but he didn’t go out of his way to take a run at a guy. he was one of those cats that you wouldn’t want to go against because you knew every game he would make you pay phsycally. but because of that you wanted him on your team. on elbowing:
there are certain times where elbowing isnt a big deal, you rarely see some guy get concussed in a scrum in a corner. when you chuck one out there at full speed thats dangerous.
" I AM CAPATIN CHAOS, and this is my trusty Sidekick cato. Say hello Cato"
Dom Deluise 1933-2009, Cannonball run
by oldtimehockey09 on May 13, 2009 1:34 PM EDT up reply actions
he didn’t go out of his way to take a run at a guy.
Ask Lindros, Kariya, and Francis about that. I don’t see how what AO does is different. AO does it on the forecheck, Stevens did it in his own end. They are both punishing hitters that occassionally end up in grey zones.
by Fehr and Balanced on May 13, 2009 1:48 PM EDT up reply actions
The question is, how many times does one get the benefit of the doubt. And for the record I think Stevens was waaaaay worse than Ocho.
I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt until he does something that can’t be reasonably interpreted as a legitimate play, like Domi on Niedermayer.
by Fehr and Balanced on May 13, 2009 6:10 PM EDT up reply actions
Speaking of Niedermayer, did you see his elbow on Datsyuk at the end of last night’s game? Ugly shot, that.
pretty good bow there
" I AM CAPATIN CHAOS, and this is my trusty Sidekick cato. Say hello Cato"
Dom Deluise 1933-2009, Cannonball run
by oldtimehockey09 on May 13, 2009 6:23 PM EDT up reply actions
And Corey Perry ends up with the guy with a bum shoulder. Shocking.
by Fehr and Balanced on May 13, 2009 6:54 PM EDT up reply actions
Ocho gets beat on for taking all those shots, but I really don’t see it as a dig against him. It’s his role and BB’s game plan. Crosby sets up plays by passing, Ocho sets up plays with his shot by attracting defensemen way out towards the blue line and goalies leaving juicy rebounds for his teammates. There was a goal Ocho had earlier in the season where he was falling down and still scored. Everyone was talking about how awesome the goal was but to me the best part of the play was how Ocho set it up. He made a beautiful pass to himself (isn’t that fitting ; } …) off the boards and a spinorama to get around the defenseman. He gets short changed for his other skills because they aren’t often highlighted like his goals. I think the same happens to Sid. All of the little things that, in my mind make him leaps and bounds better than Geno, really go unnoticed.
one more thing...
drop the 7th defenseman. I think you scratch Boucher and dress Dupuis or Godard.
-David
sixminutecynic.blogspot.com
www.piratesmix.com.
by pascaldupweevil on May 12, 2009 6:14 PM EDT reply actions
I disagree, Gogo looks great on the PP but shacky in his own end. Now is not the time to have Gogo try and prove he can play D at this level in the playoffs. Boucher has been OK in his own end, better than Gogo, but that was Boucher not covering that man in front of the net and lead us to a game 7.
If Gonch gives it a go tonight you sit Gogo, but no Gonch means you have to dress the left-handad offensive d-man.
I can see Dupuis getting a jersey tonight if Gonch is 100%, but Godard, really?!?
Life is about one simple choice, get busy living or get busy dying
nice job malsby, and rec’d. but just from my interpretation of your use of the word “must,” it seems you think AO will in one way or the other be the decisive factor in the game? good game, caps win, bad game, pens win?
that’s probably been the case for much of the postseason, but it wasn’t the case last night, and i certainly think many of these lurking capitals players (semin and green, especially) have it in them to win a game for us.
Line changes
Good point, those are terrible penalties to take. If the Pens can push the pace they would have a huge advantage. The Caps shifts are too long and we need to expose it. Its hard to expose it with 11 forwards, but when you have Crosby Malkin Staal up the middle, they can all easily play 20 minutes a night and alternating the Wingers. I thought the Pens get momentum from switching the lines up, they always have even in the Therien days. Dump it in wear them down, when you lose the puck back check like a bat out of hell get it back dump it in get off the ice; How the average shift needs to go on the road in game 7.
Phili B
From a Caps fan reading this good, honest evaluation of game 7 and the series...
Here’s hoping for a good, hard fought game 7 that isn’t ultimately decided by the referees in any way, shape or form. Nothing but the most egregious fouls need be called tonight IMHO because this series and these players deserve to settle things between themselves. This has been a fun series to watch, and I have to say that Sidney Crosby has earned a measure of respect from at least this Caps fan for his play in this series. Seems The Kid has grown up and as good as Alex Ovechkin is (and he is a treat to watch every single game) Crosby has earned his way into the Top 3 players in this league, and not just because Gary Bettman deemed it so. He is simply a great hockey player. Good for him and (obviously) good for Pens fans everywhere.
Rocking the Red…Let’s go Caps!
Fair Analysis
You also forgot KEEP IT PHYSICAL as a Caps point (and no I’m not talking about fighting or making some dig about Gonch’s knee). But the Capitals are physically one of the biggest teams in the NHL and we can out muscle and out hit any opponent we play.
Pens are still a finesse team, as demonstrated by the quick transition, bang-bag passes and ability to cycle so well in our zone while 5 guys in red shirts stand there watching the Skate and Stick Clinic and hope some 21-year old Russian kid can make the save for them.
Crosby has shown he has more then enough strength, smarts and skill to camp out in front of the net and make things happen, but aside from that (and maybe the walking monolith that is Hal Gill) we should be able win every one-on-one toughness battle thnat doesn’t involve Alexander Semin.
The Capitals, as cordial hosts, should be constantly facilitating intimate high-speed introductions between anyone wearing white and the nearest side board.
Sorry mate but the Pens are far more physical than the Caps and hopefully hitting the D-men everytime they touch the pucks pays its dues tonight with a forced sloppy turnover that the Pens turn into a goal.
Life is about one simple choice, get busy living or get busy dying
Like Sid said...
….just play hard and fair and leave it all out on the ice.
This will be a classic.
Best of luck to everyone.
Let’s Go Pens.
WE ARE.......PENN STATE!
Kudos to you Pens fans...
Die hard Caps fan since 78! I lived through the horror of the 90’s and the devastating losses you all handed us. Your fellow fans on Yahoo articles are giving you all a bad name. I have come to this site a few times, and respect what you have to say! Great article here, and it is truly gonna be an epic battle…this series will already be played on “Classics” for years to come. We better find a way to stop Sid the Kid or my feelings from the 90’s will be re-visited. I will be at the game, and my stomach is churning also…gotta go find something to do to make the time go by quicker. Again…Kudos to the fans on this site for their class…I can’t take the ignorance I’m hearing in other blogs, and it was nice to find this one.
Amen brother. I have just started blogging hockey back around the trading deadline but have followed the game since i was 9 years old, 1988. Getting to watch Mario made watching hockey fun not to mention the back to back Cups and being close another couple times in the 90’s. This site offers quality insight from fans who know and most of all love this game.
I don’t know what I going to do to pass the time at work when the season is over?!?
Life is about one simple choice, get busy living or get busy dying
PS...good luck
And no offense, but I hope you all have to feel the dejection you made us feel in the 90’s…Good Luck!
Concerning Sarge
After seeing the interview on the Tribune-Review and footage of him skating, I would be surprised if Gonchar doesn’t suit up for Game 7. Let’s not forget that Sarge gutted out a spot in the lineup in the Pens 3OT victory last year in Game 5 of the Cup Finals. He played very little – only on a few power plays – but he was out there when Sykora fired home the game-winner. Even if he can only play for a few minutes tonight, Sarge deserves to play.
An interesting side note: I dreamt last night that Jeff Taffe scored the game-winning goal in overtime. I have absolutely no idea what that’s supposed to mean; make of that prophetic vision what you will.
lol
i had a nightmare that brooksie had been traded to the…Phillies…dont knnow why but yeah it was wierd
" I AM CAPATIN CHAOS, and this is my trusty Sidekick cato. Say hello Cato"
Dom Deluise 1933-2009, Cannonball run
by oldtimehockey09 on May 13, 2009 12:40 PM EDT up reply actions
The closest Penguin that matches Mr. Hockey’s game (Minnesota high school hockey players of the year, i.e. Jeff Taffe) is Craig Adams. Wouldn’t that be crazy if a guy like him scores the game winner?
For what it is worth I hope Satan gets the game winner to vindicate the disappointment he has been this year!
Life is about one simple choice, get busy living or get busy dying
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