Pens Points: ECQF Game 4: Keep the Pedal to the Metal
Pens should stay the course laid out in game 3 with a suffocating forecheck and quick puck movement from the blueline.
Good morning one and all,
Everyone is breathing easier after game 3, in which the Pens returned to the winning strategy that worked so well in the final months of the regular season. Tonight is not the time to step away from that. Superb analysis by Jesse Marshall. [The Pensblog]
Matt Murray has been nothing but stellar so far in his NHL stint, but it didn't always project to be that way. He's had his fair share of struggles in the O, and many scouts thought he'd never make it. Excellent read by Chris Johnston. [Sportsnet]
With Murray back, Tristan Jarry was sent back to Wilkes-Barre for the AHL playoff run. Seth Lakso caught up with him and shared some very informative insights he had from being in Pittsburgh for a bit. [Twitter]
Dan Rosen is sort of trying to put aside his NY fandom (kind of essential for a national hockey writer). While he's not obnoxious like most NY tabloid people, this still reads like a NY beat, but whatever. What the Rangers need to do to succeed. [NHL]
How Sidney Crosby got his power play groove back. He found and took inspiration from the penalty kill. [Trib]
Lots of fun action last night (and a horrible injury to Scott Laughton that was very upsetting). The Flyers staved off elimination by putting Michal Neuvirth in goal and genuinely attempting to play hockey, while the Sharks pushed the Kings to the brink. [SI]
Rob Scuderi again played on the top pairing with Drew Doughty last night in a loss to San Jose. No commentary needed as the jokes are practically writing themselves. [Today's Slapshot]
Looking at tonight's games beyond the Pens-NYR, Blackhawks are looking to climb out of a deep hole. Even my buddy Dan, an insufferable Chicago fan, admits they don't have that next gear they typically have this time of year. [Sportsnet]
And they will be trying tonight without Andrew Shaw, who was suspended one game and fine $5,000 for offensive gestures and homophobic slurs directed at the refs. [NHL]
Also, Red Wings kept their playoff streak alive, but are generally looking quite pitiful against a severely depleted Tampa team. Quite a few decisions seem to be backfiring. [Detroit Free Press]
Jonathan Drouin is on the road to redemption with string play early on. If he keeps playing like that, all will be forgotten. [ESPN]
The Preds are in action tonight again, and now that I've seen this I won't be thinking about ANYTHING else other that the slimy ginormous catfish taped to this guy's back. Ewwww. [CBS Sports]
Metallurg Magnitogorsk, Geno's former team, won its second Gagarin Cup in three years by defeating CSKA Moscow. MVP of the playoffs was of course the incredible Sergei Mozyakin with 11 goals and 25 points in 22 playoff game for Magnitka. Well done. [THN]
And for the end, goalies changing on the fly and five NHL rules you may not have heard of. [THN]