Faceoff Factor

Best Of Seven Or Best Of Three?

Jesse Marshall | Pittsburgh Penguins

May 27, 09:59 AM | Hype this story!

In an angry rage, I clicked the T.V. off last night as time expired in the Penguins 3-0 game 2 loss at the Joe. I hate to see the opposing team celebrate, and even more so, I hate “Hockey Central”.

But, apparently, unbeknownst to little ol’ me, they awarded the Stanley Cup to the Detroit Red Wings on the ice after the game.

Why didn’t someone call me?

Okay, you caught me. Obviously I’m being facetious. Although, the general sentiment around these parts is that the series is over and there’s no reason to play the games in Pittsburgh.

Wait, isn’t this the same Red Wings team that blew a 2-0 lead to Nashville? Isn’t it the same team that let Dallas win 2 straight in the face of elimination? Isn’t the Stanley Cup a trophy that takes four wins to lift? Aren’t the Penguins undefeated at home in the playoffs?

The answer to all those questions is a resounding yes.

So what’s on the agenda for the Penguins? Easy. It’s speed. The Penguins simply aren’t moving the puck out of their own zone quick enough.

When defensemen corral the puck, they need to skate it out of danger and provide some immediate support to the offense.

When you slow the play down against the Red Wings, two things happen. Number one is that the Red Wings have time to get into their lock position. Number two is that the Penguins forwards have to slow down, stop completely at the blueline, or circle back towards center ice to avoid being offsides. The result is a deadly combination of stifling neutral zone hockey.

The Penguins decision making needs to be better and they need to out-man the Red Wings at every opportunity.

A lot of people seem to be upset with the antics of goaltender Chris Osgood, and rightfully so. However, when you’re getting hardly any tests from the opposing team in terms of quality shots and you’re making easy save after easy save, you’re probably going to feel like you can take liberties with diving.
There have been several times this series where the puck has been loose in the crease and Osgood hasn’t had a beat on it.

If the Penguins can get the puck to the point and force some juicy rebounds, they’ll get the goals they crave so badly.

The bottom line is this: the Penguins have to start doing things differently and make the game faster. Don’t forget that the Penguins haven’t lost at home since February. If they can win game 3 at home, the entire landscape of the series could change during game 4.

Keep the faith. It’s what makes us great fans.