Carolina’s D are undersized, and not physical enough to really make an impact against the Pens. But it might be Carolina’s forwards that aren’t able to handle the two-headed monster, and are causing the ‘Canes problems. Crosby, Malkin are too strong with the puck, and have been given a lot of space on the ice to work with. Plus, and you can tell me if I’m wrong, Carolina doesn’t have a shut down centerman that can frustrate Crosby. Last year in the SCF, Zetterberg and Datsyuk were able to dog Crosby, and take him off his game. Rod Brind’Amour might have been that guy a few years ago, but he’s too slow to keep pace nowadays. Maybe the matchups will be better in Carolina? Staal might be able to neutralize Crobsy?

I totally agree with the assessment that it is not the time to get over-confident. But I’d rather be up 2-0 than down 0-2. I’d rather be up 2-0 than tied 1-1 going into Carolina. Right now, Game 3 for the ’Canes is a must win game. And the ’Canes have a whole lotta questions, and very few answers.

"…There’s only a few guys in the league that can make that shot. And two of them are on this team."

That’s the truth. As we all do, I obviously watch more Penguins than any other team. Ovechkin’s got the best shot in the league but he has no backhand (thanks to the curve stick blade)…I’ve never seen anyone else try the curl-away-blind-backhand other than Crosby and Malkin. Maybe a guy like Kane or Zetterberg have the skill and creativity to do it, but I haven’t noticed them trying it. The two Penguins make that play it regularly.

And as I said, most of the time it doesn’t pay off. But every once in a while they can pull it off and it’s a thing of beauty.

Nothing scares me more than watching Fleury stickhandle. Luckily, Fleury doesn’t have to keep the goals against under 2 in order for the Pens to win games. Fleury just needs to make timely saves which he has done over and over again throughout the playoffs. As far as other parts of his game are concerned, I think Fleury’s rebound control has improved significantly over the last year, as well as his positioning. The kid is only 23. He has plenty of time to work out the kinks in his game.

As Hooks said above task one is over. The Pens have a ton of confidence going forward, your stellar goalie, who was going to neutralize this series has not looked close to a neutralizer.

But as you said it is far from over, but it is looking better all the time.

Dude you must be kidding yourself. When the Pens were down 0-2 vs. the Caps the Pens could have won both those games. In this case the Canes MAY have been able to win game 1 but were outclassed in game two.

Staal is not as good as you think he is, Jordan is shutting him down
Canes D is undersized and is getting pushed around
Cam Ward is human
There is no secondary scoring on that team

I have been told that Canes tailgating is legendary and that their home ice environment is tough to match. That might get them one game. But the Pens present problems the Canes don’t have answers for. I originally had the Pens in 6, I am thinking it may be 5 now, maybe even a sweep.

It looked more like a crosscheck than a highstick to Letang’s face.

Apparently our guy Bayda got a match penalty at the end of the game for a high stick with intent to injure…I didn’t see the hight stick, but I saw him lead with his elbow….anyone here see the stick come up?

Bayda did get Letang in the face with a cross-check.

I’m not sure if the NHL will or should suspend him, it may be a case of the refs trying to throw the rule book at him in order to quell tensions and get everyone out of the game with out more chippy play, cheap shots and fights.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Bayda gets 1 game. If only because the play was so reminiscent of the high crosscheck that cost Milan Lucic a game in the Montreal series.

I did not, but doesn’t that mean he is out for a game. Who do you think will take his place, assuming Ruutu is still out?

Or are the Pens, as we have seen at Philly, and Washington, capable of going into a hostile environment and wining again?

That’s my opinion. The Pens have won 2 games in Washington (a loud building) and they also won 2 games in Philadelphia (a very loud crowd that spews a lot of venom). If they can win in those two venues, there’s no reason they can’t win anywhere on the road.

Carolina has a loud crowd and a good crowd, “Redneck Hockey” and all of that. And they’ll surely be jazzed up for a conference finals game.

But if the Pens hold on through that first 5-10 minute burst and get a goal or two lead early, that takes the air and energy right out of a building.

….will be a factor. I think the Pens have more poise than the Bruins. I actually think the Pens play better fundamental hockey on the road because they focus more.

They play a more frenetic (sp?) pace at home that leads to wins, but often sloppy play.

The Canes will be tough to beat at home, no doubt….Saturday will be a classic.

Philly and Washington are real rivals that have amazing atmospheres. I am not saying that the RBC Center can’t put on a show but in the Flyers and Caps fans don’t scare us I just don’t see the Caniacs doing it.

The first two games have been played at a lightening fast pace. However, the Pens have played 4 lines, and Carolina has played only 3 lines. Carolina has relied on Eric Staal to save them, but Eric has been a non-factor the last 6 games or so. Maybe he’s worn out? Staal has logged a ton of ice time already in this series, too. He was on the ice 23 minutes in game 1 and 24 minutes in game 2, and didn’t look dominant in either game. By comparison, Crosby and Malkin have averaged about 3 minutes less per game.

Carolina might be able to channel the RBC arena early on, but that initial jolt will die out at some point. Then fatigue will set in. It might be who has the fresher of the two clubs when the 3rd period rolls around that decides game 3.

about that when the Devils took a 3-2 lead in the series over the ’Canes. Nobody, they meant nobody, could beat Brodeur twice in a row, especially with the second having to come in his own house.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are not winning this series 2-0, Carolina will beat them back with old shoes! Everything is falling into place perfectly. Cam Ward is just lulling them into false confidence you see.

bad things about the ’Canes PP.

The more they need to score, the more they play on the outside looking for that perfect shot.

As far as all the parallels between this series and those in earlier rounds, I’ll just paraphrase a certain football coach and say I don’t buy into all that hocus pocus. What’s done is done. If Pittsburgh goes down there and brings their A game and grinds out two wins, all of Carolina’s comebacks won’t matter, and nothing that happened against Washington will matter. The only thing that’s important is focus and execution.

So yeah, it’s a horrible thing that Pittsburgh has won two games in the series. It’s only going to make the inevitable comeback that much more dramatic. Once we’ve won four, the Canes will have us right where they want us.

Remember that the Caps had the third most wins in the NHL during the regular season at home. It’s where Ovaries felt most comfortable dancing around and soaking up the spotlight. Games 1 and 2 could have been won by either team. However, the Caps were outshot both games, and would have been down 0-2 except for the stellar play of Varlamov.

To put it another way, the Caps needed home-ice advantage, and a hot goaltender to stay competitive. The Pens just needed to play their own game like they have the entire playoffs. When the series shifted back to Pittsburgh, the Pens didn’t have to change a thing. The Caps, on the other hand, had serious issues they needed to address and overcome. Winning the first two games sorta masks the things you didn’t do well, no matter how much a bouncing weevil harps on them during the morning skate. In that case, being up 2-0 is a curse.

As far as this series is concerned, Carolina desperately needs to change their gameplan against the Pens. They were badly outshot both games, were forced to play with 3-lines, didn’t get production from Staal, had a wonky PP, etc. Crosby and Malkin are running wild, They have a to-do list a mile long. Unlike the Caps, the Canes have motivation, internal leadership/coaching assets, and overall talent/skill to turn this series around. It’ll be interesting to see what happens in Game 3. The Pens are up 2-0 for all the right reasons, and the Pens do not have to change their game to win the series at this point. The Canes are down 2-0 for all the right reasons.

Game 3 is going to be a monster game.

get really, really, really over confident.

Don’t worry, the ‘Canes aren’t that good, wink-wink, so just play your “B” game and slip into a coma.

Excellent point (and welcome to Pensburgh)