Game 1 Preview: Penguins Host Flyers

Matt Bodenschatz | National Hockey League

May 9, 08:20 AM | Hype this story!
 

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Pittsburgh Penguins (2) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (6) Game 1
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Series Score: Penguins 0 – Flyers 0
Game Time: 7:30 EST
Location: Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh
Television: Versus, CBC, TSN

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Preview
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Two years removed from a disastrous season in Pittsburgh and one year removed from an equally bad season in Philadelphia, the cross-state rivals will meet in a much-anticipated Eastern Conference showdown that begins tonight at Mellon Arena.

“We look at it as just another series,” Marian Hossa said to Gene Collier of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “but the fans will be crazy in both cities.”

For those in Pittsburgh who were unable to get a ticket, the Penguins will, once again, provide outdoor viewing around the arena.

“It’s become a phenomenon itself. People are coming down with beach chairs, picnic baskets. It’s just great Pittsburgh stuff,” Penguins President David Morehouse said to Mark Belko of the Post-Gazette.

“It’s an extension of the 17,000 inside. It’s basically indicative of what we’ve seen around Pittsburgh, which is basically this region, Western Pennsylvania, has embraced this team in a way we haven’t seen before.”

Inside, the arena, the atmosphere will be even more intense, as fans will be given white t-shirts for yet another “white out night.”

But once the puck drops and play begins, all of the focus will shift to the ice, where these two rivals will duke it out to prove who is the best in the east.

The Flyers come into this series as underdogs, and they like it that way. But with top defender Kimmo Timonen out of the lineup with a blood clot, their task just got much more difficult.

The keys to the game are simple:

1. Match lines at every opportunity. The Flyers have three lines that can do it all, but if they have one weakness, it is when Daniel Briere’s unit is on the ice at even strength. Coach Michel Therrien should look to put Malkin’s unit on the ice to capitalize on this mismatch.

2. Stay out of the penalty box and, on the same token, play in the offensive zone to lure the Flyers into taking penalties. Both teams have solid power play units that could be difference makers when it’s all said and done.

3. Stay composed. The Flyers are known for playing a physical game that often intimidates opponents (see Montreal Canadiens). The Penguins must match the Flyers’ physicality from the opening faceoff to show their opposition that they will not be pushed around.

For a complete list of team leaders and statistics, click here.

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Injuries
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Penguins: Talbot, DTD (Broken Foot); Eaton, IR (Knee)
Rangers: Timonen, IR (Blot Clot); Gagne, IR (Concussion)

Comments

  1. Ashley Gallant

    May 9, 11:51 AM

    I’d also like to see the Penguins get traffic in front of Biron so that he doesn’t see every shot coming at him.

  2. DaBich

    May 9, 01:01 PM

    YOu got it Ashley. We hve to do that and take advantage when we can. I can’t wait till puck drop!

  3. Tom

    May 9, 03:58 PM

    Matt and Ashley, The key to this game is, as always, defense. The Fleas have three good scoring lines. With Timonen out, They have no great defensive pairing. It looks as if they will pair Hatcher with Coburn. Coburn is a good, fast skater who is large enough to clear the crease. Hatcher is an old, large, slow pylon who is a penalty magnet. Coburn will spend the night covering for him or cutting down Hatcher’s coverage area. The second pairing will be Smith and Jones (sounds like a bad TV western). Jones is adequate and young. He is not particularly good with the puck when pressured. Smith is old, slow and is only a good shot blocker. The final pairing is Kukkonen and Modry. Both have had streaks of adequacy and horrible periods. Coburn is their only first rate defender. I should think that our first two lines and the others ought to have a relatively fun series.

    The Pens top pairing is Gonchar and Orpik. Despite Gonchar’s rather timid play on defense, he is mobile and is a good stick man with fast hands. Gonchar has a good clearing shot and is a good passer when not pressured. He tends to turn the puck over. Orpik, an aggressive defender, is not only a devastating hitter who can clear the crease, but also covers well for Gonchar. Orpik has adequate exit passing and clearing shots. The second pairing may be Gill and Scuderi or Letang. Gill is large and slow. He hits or envelops opponents and can clear the crease. He has greater reach than Hatcher and is not a penalty magnet. He has a good clearing shot and is a decent passer with somewhat limited vision of prospective forwards who will be open targets for passes. He is a good defender when paired with a faster skater who can cover for him. Scuderi is a solid, passive defender and shot blocker. He is also less than fleet of skate. OK for a PK but suspect in a 5 on 5 situation. He infrequently hits or clears the crease and has a weak exit pass and weaker clearing shot. Letang is fast, agile and aggressive. He has quick hands and good stickwork and is a decent shot blocker. He seems to believe that the best way to prevent a shot is to be proactive and attack the forward. He is a great hitter who is good at clearing the crease, but does not take himself out of position to get a highlight hit. He has the best clearing shot and is the Pens’ best exit passer with great vision for open forwards to whom to pass. The third pairing will be Whitney and Letang or Scuderi. Whitney has great offensive potential, a decent shot and good puck moving skills. However, he is our weakest defender. He is a passive defender. He is not a shot blocker. He does not frequently hit for any effect. He is relatively slow and seems to play soft. He turns over the puck when pressured and makes blind passes to the opposition. The burning question is who plays with Whitney? Conventional wisdom says play one offensive defenseman (Gonchar, Whitney and Letang) with a defensive defenseman (Gill, Orpik and Scuderi) — this is a flawed concept as Letang exceeds all defensive defensemen in defensive ability and really avoids the basic question. Who plays with Whitney? Although the Gill / Letang pairing is far better than the Gill / Scuderi combination, only the aggressive and fleet Letang can cover for Whitney’s inadequacies against the three good lines of the Fleas. Leave the pairings the same way as they were for the Rags.

    Since the Fleas are talking violence, hopefully Little Debbie (Briere) will have an early meeting with Mr. Orpik.

  4. Eric

    May 9, 05:42 PM

    Cliche warning: Defense wins championships.

    As you all have mentioned above, the defense is the key here. If they play as well as they have thus far in the playoffs, the goals will come.

    I like the Penguins chances, but it won’t be easy. Hopefully, Scott Hartless doesn’t try to intently injure penguin players again, and not get called for it.

    Let’s get two at home so I can watch them pick up #3 in person while soaked in beer.

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