Playoff Pen Zen: The Final Dagger

Happy Mothers Day Yinzers!

What a beautiful Sunday! and regardless of your weather it is beautiful that the Pens won a crucial game 5 and are now 1 win away from the Eastern Conference Finals. Tomorrow, the Penguins look to end their series against the Montreal Canadiens, and get ready to see the winner of the Bruins v. Flyers series, but there is still one more win...

And Montreal is well aware of what this feels like...

As the hockey world watched the Habs beat the Washington Capitals in 7 games last series, one also had to remember that the Habs were also in a 3-1 series hole. However, they fought back, Halak was enormous in net, and they took out the Caps in 7 games to take the series and play our beloved Pens. So it would be foolish for the Pens to lay back by any stretch of the imagination. The Habs have their backs against the wall, and that's when they are most dangerous.

Thankfully, over the past 2 years, the Penguins have had exceptional success on closing out series on the road. The past 5 series that the Pens have played in the playoffs, they have closed out their opponents in their own building. The Pens have seemed to enjoy making the opposing crowds miserable while the fans in the 'Burgh celebrate for their arrival home.

However, closing out the Habs and the Halakness Monster will be no simple task. However it can be done, and this is how to do it...

1. Score Early: Take out the crowd

The Bell Centre is undoubtedly one of the loudest (and most obnoxious) arena's in the NHL. The fans are rabid and support their team to no end. The wind has to be taken out of their sails early. A goal is critical due to the fact that the Habs will be attacking hard to earn a lead and keep it. Against the Capitals, the Habs managed to take the lead in all of their final 3 wins to take the series. The Habs play a collapse defense, and they can hold a lead. This is why it is critical to stop that initial rush, take the crowd of the game, and score. A 2 goal lead is pretty much death to the Habs in this series.

2. Marc-Andre Fleury has to be dynamite

It's a sort of love/hate relationship with Fleury. Game 3 we love him, Game 4 we hate him, Game 5 we love him again. Fleury has been inconsistent all year long, but has had a great habit of being excellent when he needed to be. It takes a great deal to beat the Flower when a game goes into overtime in the playoffs, only deflections have gone past Fleury in the last few years. Nevertheless, Fleury has slowly made his way to be even better than Halak (as amazing as that sounds). However, to take the spotlight away from an exceptional goaltender in Halak, he needs to oust him one more time.

3. The Rupp and Guerin show

Perhaps the most underestimated roles for teams are the guys that aren't putting the puck in the net, making the big hits, digging in the trenches, or making the big saves, but they are the guys who just get in the way. Let's focus on the 2 goals that were scored last night. Both goals that were scored were from the point from Sergei Gonchar and Kris Letang. Both goals were absolute bombs and screamed their way into the top shelf (where momma hides the cookies). However, one of the announcers from Versus made an interesting comment about one of the goals, "Jacques Martin is seeing red, and Halak isn't seeing anything at all".

So where do Guerin and Rupp come into this picture? They were right in front of Halak blocking his vision. I am unsure if anyone could have found those shots, but as an old hockey coach once told me, "A goalie can't stop it, if he can't see it". Simply stated, find your open lanes and block Halak's (say that 10 times fast) vision. Goals will be scored, and the Pens can win this game, and there are no players on this team that can do it better than Geurin and Rupp.

4. The Goals do NOT have to come from Sid and Geno

Throughout the course of this series, all I have heard is: "Where is Sid?" or "Where is Malkin?" Accumulating only a goal a piece can be a bit tough to swallow, but there are other players on this team. Perhaps, we should be honest with ourselves: is Jaroslav Halak and exceptional goalie? Yes. Have the Habs been putting everything they have had on Sid and Geno? Yes. This leaves 2 very capable lines to play the Habs AHL caliber defense (this is due to injury, not insulting their defense) and pounce all over them. Sid and Geno have had plenty of chances, and plenty of spectacular plays, they just aren't finding the back of the net. Say what you will, but by the end of the day, if we have more goals then the Canadiens at the end of game 6, I won't care if it was Adams, Orpik, and Letestu that find the back of the net (which would be awesome).

I would think of a clever way, to say let's take game 6 and put the final dagger in the Halakness Monster and the Habs, but i think this clip will suffice:

Go Pens.

-Zen