Game 2 Recap: Caps 4 - Crosby 3....Washington takes 2-0 series lead
by Hooks Orpik on May 4, 2009 10:06 PM EDT
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"A playoff series doesn't begin until the home team loses a game". So says Barry Melrose anyways, and whether you agree or not with the disposed coach's philosophy, he's got a point. You gotta take care of your home-ice. And try as Sidney Crosby may, he just couldn't do enough to take his team over the top against another sensational effort by Alex Ovechkin.
- Physically speaking, business definitely picked up for Game 2. Even though technically the hits were 27-20 in favor of the Caps, both teams got several big shots across and bodies may be starting to pile up. Kris Letang got taken into the boards cleanly (but awkwardly) by Mike Green and Letang instantly doubled over grabbing his shoulder and wasn't seen from again. Brooks Orpik hacked at Alex Semin and the Russian was flexing his hand/wrist.
- Ovechkin 3 goals, Crosby 3 goals. The difference being David Steckel (quickly becoming a Penguin killer) got on the board, and no other Penguin was able to match.
- 36 shots again for the Penguins for the second consecutive game on Simeon Varlamov. Credit the young Russian for answering the bell with several great stops, especially when the Pens had a 5 on 3. But again, even though Crosby got 2 power-play goals, the power-play still let down the Pens as they couldn't score on it when it really counted.
- Hard to blame Marc-Andre Fleury for the goals. Ovechkin was ripping shots and when you give him the time and space--like Matt Cooke did by trying to support a faceoff instead of covering the point on the PK, or like Sergei Gonchar did when he let AO step to the side and rip a shot in full stride, it's hard to expect the goalie to get it. I thought Fleury did his part to get the pucks he reasonably had a chance on, but if you don't consciously make the effort to take Ovechkin's shot away, he's gonna hurt you more often than not.
- I'm not going to say Evgeni Malkin didn't show up, but it seems like he's spinning his wheels. Ovechkin's putting on a show, Crosby's putting on a show, Malkin isn't holding his end of the bargain up. Is it a lot to ask to take over playoff games? Yes, it is. But Malkin is a world-class player and the Pens need him to play like such. Namely by getting the puck in the net, like the other two top dogs are doing. It's true that Malkin's linemates aren't giving him a lot of help, but Sid and AO are putting their lines on their backs, the Pens need the same from Malkin.
All in all, this is playoff hockey. The Caps are obviously a solid team with a front line player. But, from the Penguins perspective, the Caps take two at home, now we go to Pittsburgh. If Pittsburgh takes care of their home ice, it's suddenly a new series. And given how competitive and hotly contested both the games have been, it could have gone either way. But the Caps pulled through.
Now Pittsburgh has to take the energy from the home crowd and pony up. One game at a time. Is it going to be an uphill battle to win 4 out of 5? You better believe it. But it doesn't have to be 4 out of 5. It just has to be win one game at home. And then win another game at home.
The Penguins should be able to take heart in that it hasn't been guys like Alex Semin, Mike Green or Nicklas Backstrom that's been primarily sinking them. It's been Ovechkin. And credit Ovechkin for what he's done, don't get me wrong, but I'd be a lot more discouraged if it was team skill that had beat the Penguins twice. Crosby's more or less matched Ovechkin's production. The Pens need guys like Malkin, Gonchar, Jordan Staal and somehow Petr Sykora to step it up and outdo the other Caps players like Green, Semin, Steckel and Brooks Laich. So far the Pens players haven't and that's why they're down 2-0.
But we're a long ways from curtains here. History doesn't smile on teams in a 0-2 hole, but history isn't going to lace up the skates for the Capitals, they're going to have to do it for themselves and do it the next two games in PIttsburgh.
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white flag
Where did this goalie from Washington come from. If he didn’t make the save on Gonchar it would have been a whole new game. I didn’t think he would be this good, but damn. Much like Apollo’s corner in Rocky 4 I think I am throwing the towel in for this series. The Pens just can’t figure this kid out, and Fleury isn’t standing on his head like he did with the Flyers.
by paps35 on May 4, 2009 10:18 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
The pens have figured him out well enough to win these games. Again, it was defensive breakdowns that did them in. A team shouldn’t have to score 3 or more goals to win a playoff series especially when Fleury is playing as well as he is. The D needs to step up and so do the backcheckers, then its a different series
by jeremystyle on May 4, 2009 10:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
All the credit in the world to Varlamov, he is playing great. Fluery is playing just as well I would say though, if not, then close. I don’t care who the goalie is, he isn’t going to stop a wide open slap shot 1v1 from a accurate Ovechkin shot. The pens really just aren’t showing up to play. The game turners in both games have been terribly stupid penalties when the pens have had momentum to put the caps up 1. Between the bad timed penalties, terrible defensive play and the lack of even average forwards, an outsider would be wondering how the pens even made it into the playoffs.
by BurtonSB on May 4, 2009 10:31 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
White flag?
Are you kidding me? Throwing in the towel? I am sick of all the hype on this goalie. He shut down a low scoring Rangers team. The announcers went crazy on some of his “great saves” when they werent even shots on net. Letang’s breakaway went over net. Another shot hit the outside of the net. The best save of the night was made by Fleury, completely over looked by the announcers cause the Capitals scored 15 secords later.
Dont get me wrong, Varlamov has had some great saves and played well in this series. However, I do not think he is in the Penguins head. I am at a unusual mindset after losing games 1 and 2. I am not upset with how the Penguins have played. In fact, I feel like they could easily have won both games.
Malkin has been missing but I am not worried. He is too good not to get his. I think with similar efforts, the Penguins win at home. My one fear is they are discouraged wth not getting a victory after playing good games. There is no room for a letdown now. Winning both games in Pittsburgh are a must. The have come back before down 0-2 more than once in their history. It is no time to throw in the towel…
by grizzard on May 4, 2009 10:54 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
It ain't over...
Till it’s over. 2-0 sucks, but if we win two at home, it’s anybody’s series and we would have the momentum
go pens!
by cyroose on May 4, 2009 11:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I hope you guys take one at home (so I can see the clincher on Saturday night, Game 5!)
by red army line on May 4, 2009 11:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The most encouraging thing in this series is the fact that the Pens are not being severely outplayed by the Caps. There were times tonight when the Pens were thoroughly controlling the pace of play and maintained puck possession incredibly well. However, there have been numerous mental lapses by a variety of players in different positions and during playoff hockey you need to be sharp almost 100% of time. But a 2-0 deficit is not an impossible task to overcome
by pretty boy floyd on May 4, 2009 10:54 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
The problem
If you ask me (not that anyone is asking), Sergei Gonchar is getting too much ice time. I think he is a great defenseman, and the Pens need him at the top of his game to succeed, but if he is spending just shy of half the game on the ice, he can’t possibly be at his best. He looked flat almost all game, especially towards the end. I honestly believe that he would have a much better game if you give him another 3 minutes on the bench.
by jackm on May 4, 2009 11:08 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Did you see Sarge during the last power play we had? Granted the entire team looked flat out there, but Gonch looked especially tired, and was carrying the puck with little/no speed out of the zone. Maybe just taking him off the ice for some of the PP time would help him rest up a bit.
go pens!
by cyroose on May 4, 2009 11:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Sarge for us = Jeff Schultz.
We have a similar concern, in terms of ice time. Green and Ovechkin tend to get too much, and Semin and Backstrom have long shifts. But yeah, I remember at the end of one of your PPs (the one immediately preceding Ovechkin’s go-ahead PPG), Gonchar looked beat carrying the puck through the neutral zone. Was that because Letang was too hurt to get a ton of ice time on the PP?
by red army line on May 4, 2009 11:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I hate to blame Malkin, because he considerably stepped up his game tonight, and didn’t get fortunate. But I’m putting that on him. He gets paid millions to make those plays, and even he dominates the puck and gets good chances, he needs to make the puck go into the net one way or another. That was a back-breaking penalty he took that turned the tide of the game in the third. He’s playing better than the second tier guys – Kunitz, Staal, Guerin, TK…. but he needs to step it up even further if we have a chance of taking 4 of 5
by Okaye777 on May 5, 2009 12:34 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Re: Malkin,
To be fair, he’s been matched up against the best d pairings on the team down here (the first two games it’s been Poti and Jurcina). In 4 games down here this year, he’s got 3 assists and is a -5, but at least he’s starting to shoot more (6 shots in Game 2 equals his total for the first 3 games down here total). I’d suspect that with last line change up there the next couple games, he’s going to see some more advantageous matchups and possibly get off the schneid.
We've got a goalie who's playing pretty good right now, while you've got one who can't get onto the ice without falling on his ass.
by Bald Pollack on May 5, 2009 1:06 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
He’s also been playing against Bradley-Steckel-Laich and sometimes Ovechkin-Fedorov-Kozlov.
by red army line on May 5, 2009 11:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
How often
does your star player score a hat trick and you lose the game? Helluva 3rd goal by Sid and I’d say Fleury was to blame for the 3rd goal by Ovechkin.. I mean AO ripped it, but you shouldn’t get beat by a shot from the top of the circle.. anyways..
The Pens problem in my opinion is that they start out awesome, throwing the body around.. but as the 1st period goes on, they stop being physical… I’m not sure if it’s that they get tired or what, but they are just a different team. They need to keep the physicality up for 60 minutes… instead of the first 5 minutes of the game and the last 5 minutes.
by Stros Bro on May 5, 2009 1:05 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I remember in Ovechkin’s first 4 goal game, at Ottawa in late December 2007, Mike Fisher also had a hat trick. Not the star player, but that’s the last time I recall a hat trick in a losing effort involving the Caps.
by red army line on May 5, 2009 11:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
i’ll deal with malkin not having his best games. i’ll deal with him not helping out offensively, but i will not deal with him hurting the team. that penalty lost the game for the pens. it took the momentum from the pens.
boudreau wants to complain about calls? how about the 2 interference calls on the caps PP. first on staal then on cooke. how about calling OV for diving?
by lakem86 on May 5, 2009 2:40 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Neither of those plays on the PP were interference. That was all incidental contact. For Cooke to take that Green to AO passing lane away he needed to commit to it from the drop of the puck. He didn’t, he went into the circle to battle for the puck and took himself out of position. Similar situation last game when Staal initiated contact with Green to stop his cut to the net. I haven’t seen a good replay of the AO dive but my initial reaction was that he did dive, though I have heard that he did get a stick in the head.
by Fehr and Balanced on May 5, 2009 7:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Malkin must be scared of Ovechkin or something
I thought they hated eachother, where has he been all series!?
Well the Caps overcame a huge deficit against the Rangers, so perhaps we can do the same to them, but Sid’s gonna need some help
Okay, just so I understand it... in your wildest fantasy, you are in hell. And you are co-running a bed and breakfast with the devil.
by bren on May 5, 2009 9:51 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
A Conspiracy?
Someone please tell me if it is me but I think the Caps are a team that goes around hurting people by aiming for any of their potential scorers. I also like the Bolts and I think it rang true when Cooke went after Lecavalier last year as well as these ding dongs going after Sid in the last minutes of yesterday’s game. My friends and i think its Oven Chicken.
by Vickiep44 on May 5, 2009 10:22 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Someone please tell me if it is me
It is you.
by Cluster on May 5, 2009 11:26 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
You’re off your rocker. Which star did AO try to hurt? What about Orpik spearing Semin in the balls, or the several whacks he gave him late in the game? Or Kunitz cross-checking Varlamov in the neck? Cooke is on your team now and has always been a dirty player, the Caps didn’t make him dirty. It’s playoff hockey. Stuff happens. Liberties are taken. It’s not just my team. It’s not just your team. Get over it.
by Fehr and Balanced on May 5, 2009 7:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well after downing 4 more beer and coming to terms with the second lost. I realized it was a great showing by Crosby and i hope it motivates the rest of the slackers on the Pens squad. So Crosby was frustrated and wanted to get the game going again. Can you blame him? Sure. That time could have been better used talking to his teammates and getting a game plan going. As for the dive. What can i say. I don’t like it.
Lifes rough, wear a helment
by lambofgad on May 5, 2009 10:43 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
The TV guys won’t talk about this, but the Pens have got to be ecstatic that they should be able to get the Crosby line away from the Steckel line. Steckel (and to a lesser extent his mates) have been the difference so far.
by TylerG on May 5, 2009 11:47 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Steckel line...
….although the Steckel line has been good and impressive…
…I don’t think they have contained the Crosby line. The big plus if get the Crosby line away from the Steckel line would be in the faceoff circle. Otherwise, I am fine with Crosby getting a goal a game (even strength).
WE ARE.......PENN STATE!
by Nick7 on May 5, 2009 1:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I agree that referring to lines can be… a little complicated because stats for one player don’t necessarily extend to his line.
But: The data on Steckel is clear. PIT has not scored a 5-on-5 goal with Steckel on the ice, and Steckel has almostly exactly matched-up with Crosby shift-for-shift. PIT has scored only one PPG with Steckel on the ice, and that was during last night’s 6-on-4, which is an unusual circumstance. Peruse the data here and become a Steckel convert.
by TylerG on May 5, 2009 3:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The Penguins should be able to take heart in that it hasn’t been guys like Alex Semin, Mike Green or Nicklas Backstrom that’s been primarily sinking them. It’s been Ovechkin. And credit Ovechkin for what he’s done, don’t get me wrong, but I’d be a lot more discouraged if it was team skill that had beat the Penguins twice.
I don’t know, but if I am a pens fan (I am a die hard Caps fan) I’d be worried about the fact that Semin, Green and Backstrom haven’t really turned it on just yet.
by Sombrero Guy on May 5, 2009 2:30 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
In the same respect you should be worried that Malkin and Gonchar haven’t turned it on yet.
by PensFan024 on May 5, 2009 3:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I was going to say the exact same thing until I saw your comment. Well played.
Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.
by FrankD on May 5, 2009 3:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
PensFan024 and FrankD, you should be worried about the fact that you have had leads in both games and lost them both.
And Backstrom, Green and Semin are better than Malkin and Gonchar
by skd4 on May 6, 2009 4:41 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
And Backstrom, Green and Semin are better than Malkin and Gonchar
“My guys are better than your guys. My team is better. Wah wah wah.”
That’s what I translate from that line. The fact you’re trying to say that any of those players are better than the league’s leading scorer is laughable, not to mention one that stoops to the level of biting another player during a scrum. And you’re right. Backstrom is a MUCH better player than Gonchar and Malkin. After all, they haven’t scored on their own net yet.
Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.
by FrankD on May 6, 2009 10:51 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’m pretty sure it has been clarified for you at this site already, but in case I am wrong, it was Morrissonn that allegedly bit Dubinsky. Not Green. Move on.
Malkin won the Art Ross. He must be the best player in the league. How’s that trophy helped him so far this series? About as much as Theo’s trophies have helped him.
Nah, Malkin hasn’t scored on his own net yet, he’s just made some terrible defensive mistakes (or taken bad penalties) to allow us to score on your net. He’s such a nice guy he’d prefer to let us take the glory.
by Fehr and Balanced on May 6, 2009 4:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The I guess I should savor the time Varlamov is near the top of the league in playoff SV% and GAA.
by red army line on May 5, 2009 11:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
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