Game 3 Preview: Penguins At Flyers
Matt Bodenschatz | National Hockey League
May 13, 09:34 AM | Hype this story!
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Pittsburgh Penguins (2) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (6) Game 3
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Series Score: Penguins 2 – Flyers 0
Game Time: 7:30 EST
Location: Wachovia Center, Philadelphia
Television: Versus, CBC, RDS
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Preview
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The Flyers are entering game three of the Eastern Conference Finals in worse shape than they entered game two — and not just because of their 4-2 loss.
Braydon Coburn, widely considered the team’s best available defenseman, will miss tonight’s game and potentially the rest of the series after suffering a broken orbital bone and receiving 50 stitches in his eye region as a result of being hit by a deflected shot.
Even so, Flyers coach John Stevens believes his team can win.
“That’s what we have to get back to. The ‘Why not us?’ There’s a lot more we have to do to be the ‘us’ we want to be.”
GM Paul Holmgren added that, despite his disbelief in the officiating and the “dirty” play of the Penguins, there is no room for nonsense.
“We’re in no position to go after retribution,” he said to Phil Sheridan of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “We need to win games.”
Regardless, the Flyers plan to ratchet up their intensity and physicality.
“Pedal to the metal,” Stevens said to Sheridan. “We’ve got to play. Our players, if they take penalties with the right intention and effort on a play, we’ll live with the call. . . . “
In other words, though the Flyers aren’t looking to injure, they are looking for blood.
The Penguins, however, won’t be intimidated. Just ask Tyler Kennedy, who fought and defeated Scottie Upshall in Game Two. Or Jarkko Ruutu, who has been all over the ice. Or Georges Laraque, Brooks Orpik, or Gary Roberts who are known for their physical ways. Or even the skilled guys such as Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Marian Hossa, who have taken the body as much as some of the checking line players.
For the Penguins, the goal should be to absorb whatever the Flyers dish out and watch the parade to the penalty box. So far, the Flyers have taken 15 penalties for 41 minutes, while the Penguins have taken 11 for 25. The significant difference has played a huge role in why the Penguins have a 2-0 series advantage.
But they must remain physical, especially on defense. As the Flyers seek their first victory, they will do everything possible to crowd the goal crease and rattle Marc-Andre Fleury. The hit count (78-69 in favor of the Flyers) has been relatively even so far, and the Penguins have to keep it that way.
Lastly, with both Coburn and Kimmo Timonen out of the lineup, the Penguins’ superstars must target the slower and less-talented Flyers defensemen, such Derien Hatcher and and Jason Smith, as well as the young and inexperienced defensemen, such as Ryan Parent, who will be playing his first playoff game. Sustained pressure will result in power plays, which should result in goals.
For a complete list of team leaders and statistics, click here.
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Injuries
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Penguins: Eaton, IR (Knee)
Flyers: Coburn, DTD (Broken Orbital Bone); Timonen, IR (Blot Clot); Gagne, IR (Concussion)
Comments
DaBich
May 13, 09:54 AM
What goes around comes around…te Flyers had better beware.
The Pens must continue to practice discipline as much as possible to keep our penalties to a minimum.
Bring on Game 3!
DaBich
May 13, 09:55 AM
Oh and if the officiating is so terrible, WE should be the ones complaining about it. WE are the ones who had a valid goal disallowed.
Head Coach Michel Therrien
May 13, 11:27 AM
Running wit de devil is what I ‘ave been doing.
I type dis on my blackberry on de plane to de Philadelphia.
Sign, sign, everywhere de sign. No smoking. But no fear, I ‘ave de gum dat I chew on. Geno say it make me look like a horse. I say no. Bulldog maybe, but horse no.
But tonight is game tree. We will be in de Philadelphia and playing a team dat will be desperate for de win.
But our player will match de desperation of de Flyer. Our player know what is at stake here. We will maintain de discipline and de attitude dat has gotten us to where we are now. Our focus will be on de Penguin hockey, not de Flyer plan.
But de fan mus’ know dat tonight will be a challenge for both dem an’ de player. We mus’ both be on de same page an’ play an’ cheer within de system.
For de player dis mean we mus’ continue to attack and create de turnover. We mus’ continue to frustrate de Flyer and not let dem any free entry or exit from zone to zone. An’ we mus’ not be tempt to get too involved wit’ de post whistle scrum.
For de fan dis mean dat you mus’ rachet up de intensity. You mus’ not allow de support you ‘ave given de team to waver. An’ you mus’not ‘ave de fear of de fan of de Flyer. You mus’ outclass dem in your behavior an’ support for de Penguin.
Your team is prepare.
I will tell de Geno to be ready wit de salt and budder on de bench after he score tonight. He like lots of budder an’ salt wit his popcorn an’ so do I.
Focus. Discipline. Sacrifice.
Michel
Chris
May 13, 12:35 PM
With the passing of his grandfather…will Staal play tonight? Last I heard…he was.
Matt Bodenschatz
May 13, 01:07 PM
I think he will, then fly out immediately after the game. If he did miss, however, he certainly couldn’t be blamed.
DaBich
May 13, 03:16 PM
Oh I didn’t know Staal’s grandfather had passed away. How sad.
Michel, please pass de popcorn!
Tom
May 13, 03:53 PM
Matt, Dabich, HCMT, If the Pens are to win they need to be aware of the shortcomings of each of their defensive pairings and plan accordingly. Well, there’s a platitude for you! Truthfully, each pairing has its strengths and shortcomings. Gonchar and Orpik are playing well so far this series. They are well balanced. Gonchar is a fine passer and a fast skater. He is a great stick man on defense (lift check, press check). He also can be aggressive and proactive when he is playing well. Orpik is a hitter and crease clearer. He has adequate speed and is aggressive. When both are playing well, they need no special consideration. They have given up no goals to the Fleas. Gill and Scuderi are both slow skaters, good shot blockers and Gill can clear the crease. Gill has a good shot out of the zone and can pass very accurately. Scuderi is a fine passive defender who is rarely out of position. He is at best an average skater and has little shooting or passing skills. This pair needs a strong back check so that they can maintain position as neither has the speed to recover from mistakes. The pairing has given up two even strength goals and one on the PK. They need special attention due to their lack of speed. Whitney and Letang are both young defensemen. Whitney has adequate speed and a good passing or clearing shot when he is not pressured. Since being paired with Letang, he has shown a new aggressiveness and improved coverage due, in part,to the smaller coverage area left to him. He is a good but not extremely fast skater. He has cut down on his turnovers. Letang is the Pens’ best defenseman. Although he possesses great offensive capabilities, he is being used primarily as a defensive defenseman. His speed, aggressiveness, quickness and great shooting and passing abilities complement his desire to hit and good solid stickwork. He is the perfect compliment to Whitney. A good backcheck to the Pens’ left side would help Whitney. Few forwards seem to like the left wing boards as Letang is a difficult and aggressive obstacle.
A good, backchecking line would help the Gill / Scuderi line (Dupuis, Crosby and Hossa or Ruutu, Staal and Kennedy). With a strong backcheck, the Pens blank the Fleas.
Matt, Still not worried about breakouts for shorties?
Matt Bodenschatz
May 13, 04:40 PM
Nope, still not worried. One shorty in 11 playoff games plus however many regular season games does not worry me at all. I don’t care who was on the ice at that time, Malkin’s errant pass would have led to a goal. That was a poor play on Malkin’s part and there is not a defenseman on the team (or even the league) who could have compensated for it — unless he was positioned outside of the offensive zone.
Tom
May 13, 05:46 PM
Matt, Had Letang been where either Malkin or Gonchar wasa, he would have easily caught Richards. He is that fast.
Matt Bodenschatz
May 13, 09:09 PM
Kind of the way Gonchar did tonight?
DaBich
May 14, 04:56 AM
Oh Matt I LOVED that play by Gonchar! Awesome indeed!
Tom
May 14, 02:27 PM
Matt, Gonchar made a wonderful sliding play on a puck Flower probably would have stopped. However, Letang is faster than Gonchar and may have made the play standing. You all fail to credit this kid’s raw abilities. He is the fastest skater on the Pens’ blue line and, excepting Staal, on the team. He is also quick (fast start and stop and change of direction) and has great vision of the ice. The Richards shorty could have been somewhat anticipated by either Gonchar or Malkin and was stoppable with sufficient anticipation and speed.
That said, Gonchar would have had my vote for first star for Game 3.
Matt Bodenschatz
May 14, 03:19 PM
Tom, I don’t fail to credit Letang’s abilities — I agree he’s probably one of the fastest/best skaters on the team, if not the best and I agree he’s been a spectacular defenseman for this club and is a huge reason they have emerged as such a solid defensive/transitional/skating team — but I also don’t blindly worship the kid. I have no problem with differing opinions — after all, they are what drive the discussion portion of Faceoff Factor — but what gets me is the singling out of specific players/coaches, both in positive and negative ways.
At one point it was Michel Therrien. Everything he did was wrong. If the Penguins won, it was in spite of him. If they lost, it was because of him. Something tells me their was quite a bit of blind judgment there.
Then it was Ty Conklin. Everything he did was spectacular. When he gave up a goal, it was because someone else made a mistake. When he made a save, it was a remarkable individual effort. It even went as far as contract talks, suggesting Conklin is the future in goal for Pittsburgh and that not locking him up to a longterm deal immediately would be a huge mistake.
Now it’s Kris Letang, who, by your comments, the best defender in the NHL and should have been a Norris candidate. When a mistake is made and he is on the ice, it’s his partner’s fault. When a mistake is made and he’s not on the ice, it’s because he wasn’t on the ice. When his partner makes a good play, it’s because he did something to set it up. When he does something well, it’s in spite of his partner’s poor play.
Sensing a trend? I realize you’ve picked up only on the Letang issue and that the others have come from other contributors to our discussion forum, but what I am getting at is that Letang is a solid player, as are at least 20 others on this team. The Penguins are 11-1 in the playoffs, and I can guarantee you it has more to do with the team effort night in and night out than it does with any individual performances — and that includes Letang’s, Malkin’s, Crosby’s, Fleury’s, etc — on their own.
Very clearly, Tom, you’re a quite knowledgeable hockey fan, and we’re thrilled to have your insight as part of Faceoff Factor. So this is, in no way, me saying you don’t know what you’re talking about — just me saying to watch the whole team. There are no fewer than 20 players playing unbelievable hockey. The fact that the Pens have the best goals-against average (1.83) among all 16 playoff teams with Letang logging the least minutes among the team’s defensemen (17:10 per game), suggests that, while he has been great, so have his defensive partners.
The team has had such tremendous success because of the team, not any individual player.
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