Ann 22008 NHL Playoffs - Round 2: Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Rangers Game 1 REVIEW
April 26th 2008 14:33
Penguins stage a stunning comeback as they defeat the Rangers 5-4 after trailing by three.
Keeping the lead – it's one of the basics of hockey. To keep a lead, you don't sit back, you keep pressuring the opponent, you play the same way; finally, you have to be consistent in your effort. As veterans, the Rangers players should know that better than everyone.
It was interesting to see the level of play displayed by both teams. They both had short series in the previous round and the resulting time off was a concern for both coaches. The Penguins started the game with jump, forcing the Rangers to take two consecutive penalties. However, Lundqvist was solid in his net and New York survived the initial onslaught. It took a while for the Blueshirts to get started. They seemed to be overwhelmed by the Pens' speed, and the penalties didn't help as they had a line who didn't step on the ice until both penalties were killed. Yet, they were leading 1-0 at the end of the first period.
The Rangers scored two goals at the beginning of the second period and then everything collapsed. The same thing happened in Montreal back in February. The Rangers were leading by five goals halfway through the second period and they decided to sit back. Big mistake. You can't sit back when facing talented teams like Montreal and Pittsburgh. The key to stopping these teams is forecheck. In other words, you have to prevent their defensemen from making the first pass. Sitting back to protect your lead does exactly the opposite. It gives their defense time to make a play, and it gives their forwards the opportunity to enter your zone at full speed and wreak havoc in the O-zone. By the end of the second period, the scoring was reduced to one goal as the Rangers led 3-2.
The third period was the best period of the game. By that time, both teams had their hockey legs firmly under them. It was firewagon hockey, very up-and-down, with the Penguins desperately trying to level the score and the Rangers pushing back at them. Both teams fought to the very last second on the clock. The Penguins had scored two quick goals at the beginning of the third, putting them in lead 4-3. The Rangers equalized halfway through the third and the Penguins scored again with two minutes left to go. Finally, in an act of desperation, Jaromir Jagr struck Fleury's post with three seconds left to the game. Penguins won 5-4.
Like the Montreal-Philadelphia game, this was also a weird contest. Both goalies were solid, the luckiest one – Fleury – won the match. I say 'luckiest' because not only did shots hit posts, they were also some own-goals (one on each side) which led to the goalies not trusting any puck that came in their crease. Because of those fluke goals, the forwards spent the night shooting the puck at impossible angles hoping to get a deflection in front of net. All in all, it was a fun game. Let's hope the next contests will be as exciting as the third period.
Out west, the Dallas Stars defeated the San Jose Sharks in OT by the score of 3-2. Stars lead the series 1-0.
Keeping the lead – it's one of the basics of hockey. To keep a lead, you don't sit back, you keep pressuring the opponent, you play the same way; finally, you have to be consistent in your effort. As veterans, the Rangers players should know that better than everyone.
It was interesting to see the level of play displayed by both teams. They both had short series in the previous round and the resulting time off was a concern for both coaches. The Penguins started the game with jump, forcing the Rangers to take two consecutive penalties. However, Lundqvist was solid in his net and New York survived the initial onslaught. It took a while for the Blueshirts to get started. They seemed to be overwhelmed by the Pens' speed, and the penalties didn't help as they had a line who didn't step on the ice until both penalties were killed. Yet, they were leading 1-0 at the end of the first period.
The Rangers scored two goals at the beginning of the second period and then everything collapsed. The same thing happened in Montreal back in February. The Rangers were leading by five goals halfway through the second period and they decided to sit back. Big mistake. You can't sit back when facing talented teams like Montreal and Pittsburgh. The key to stopping these teams is forecheck. In other words, you have to prevent their defensemen from making the first pass. Sitting back to protect your lead does exactly the opposite. It gives their defense time to make a play, and it gives their forwards the opportunity to enter your zone at full speed and wreak havoc in the O-zone. By the end of the second period, the scoring was reduced to one goal as the Rangers led 3-2.
The third period was the best period of the game. By that time, both teams had their hockey legs firmly under them. It was firewagon hockey, very up-and-down, with the Penguins desperately trying to level the score and the Rangers pushing back at them. Both teams fought to the very last second on the clock. The Penguins had scored two quick goals at the beginning of the third, putting them in lead 4-3. The Rangers equalized halfway through the third and the Penguins scored again with two minutes left to go. Finally, in an act of desperation, Jaromir Jagr struck Fleury's post with three seconds left to the game. Penguins won 5-4.
Like the Montreal-Philadelphia game, this was also a weird contest. Both goalies were solid, the luckiest one – Fleury – won the match. I say 'luckiest' because not only did shots hit posts, they were also some own-goals (one on each side) which led to the goalies not trusting any puck that came in their crease. Because of those fluke goals, the forwards spent the night shooting the puck at impossible angles hoping to get a deflection in front of net. All in all, it was a fun game. Let's hope the next contests will be as exciting as the third period.
Out west, the Dallas Stars defeated the San Jose Sharks in OT by the score of 3-2. Stars lead the series 1-0.
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