Round 2 Game 2 Preview: Penguins/Capitals

I wish our fan base would get off of his case. He is a great individual and seems to be an even better teammate.

I don’t think MAF outplayed Varlarmov, but he didn’t give up any soft goals, regardless of what NBC wants you to think. He just might need to be better than what he did in G1 to help the Pens get a road victory.

Also I really believe Varlarmov’s bubble is about to be burst. He has played well, but he made a desperation save on a shot that Crosby should have buried instead of laying back on. If he doesn’t have that save (take that whole sequence out of the equation, no shot, no rush, no save act like it never happened) I don’ t think people are excited about his game 1 performance. I think the save wasn’t as tough as people think, it was more desperation, luck and a lack of finish from Crosby.

The Caps recalled Tyler Sloan and Karl Alzner, one or both might play tonight….John Erskine barely skated this morning and there are rumors that Tom Poti or Mike Green might be a little dinged up too. (It’s up on the WaPo and Japers)

If Pittsburgh can keep up the forecheck and guys like Kunitz, Guerin and Cooke keep finishing checks that could be a great advantage if the Caps defense can’t hold up. We’ll see who goes for them tonight.

Wee! I don’t know if I’m still on a high from the awesomeness that was the triple OT Anaheim/Detroit game (59 saves, 29 of which came during OT? Jonas Hiller is nuts!) or I’m getting swept up in the excitement of the Penguins bandwagon, but I can’t wait for tonight’s game. Gotta go for the split on the road.

By the way, the other day I saw guy in an old school Mario Lemieux jersey in a Target parking lot. I yelled ‘Go Pens’ and rather than looking at me like I was crazy he was like, ‘Stanley Cup or Bust!’ Are all Penguins fans this awesome?

Fleury was great in game 1. Two goals were from players left alone in front by the Pens defense (who were not so great) and the the other was a 5-on-3 Ovechkin one-timer off a slap pass by Semin…not the easiest play to stop for anyone.

Alzner, if he plays tonight, is not someone the Pens can easily exploit. He’s as tough as they come, and he’s also a very cerebral player. He takes his defensive responsibilities very seriously and almost never ends up in the penalty box. In 30 NHL games, he has 2 PIM (the penalty was delay-of-game off the rink, which can happen to anyone at Verizon Center due to the ice quality), and in 48 games in Hershey, he had 10 PIM.

I really think the Pens played well enough to win in game one. If they can keep out of the box the Pens should be able to win this in 6 or 7. But, what a game to watch.

There were a variety of factors including the power play and the defense. I thought they played well enough to win but sometimes thats not good enough on the road. Also, I think people would be remiss in thinking Varlamov is somehow going to stop playing well. I agree that the odds favor his performance tailing off, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if he continued his strong play. Look at Hiller for the Ducks, another rookie playing extremely well in the playoffs. Goalies of varying degrees of experience have gone on streaks in the playoffs (Ron Tugnutt and Johan Hedberg come to mind) so whose to say that he won’t continue to be strong. However, I still think the Penguins are going to win regardless of how Varlamov plays

Good luck tonight, guys.

Looking forward to a good game tonight. After the dreary style of the Rangers, the last game was a lot of fun. Hoping for more of the same tonight.

Just for the record, Fleury let in no soft goals in Game 1.

Given the replacements on the blue line for the Caps and the increased stakes for the Pens, I think the odds are the Pens tie it up tonight. Doesn’t really phase me, though.

Caps need to take fewer penalties – can’t make a living for long giving the Pens 6 PP opportunities – and generate some PP chances of their own, if they’re going to advance.

Should be a good one. Enjoy.