|
|
Bloggers 
My HockeyBuzz
Cap Central
Fantasy
Rumor Chart
Forums
Store
Chat
RSS
|
Season Ticket Login Free Registration! |
Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 |
 |
|
Pittsburgh Penguins Blogger •
A new series, a new opponent, but it is business as usual for the Pittsburgh Penguins. The flightless bird just continues to win on home ice in these Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, regardless of who won this game, the series has started in a way that lives up to the hype. Here are some musings, observations, notes and thoughts on this evening’s affair.
First of all…what can I say about Evgeni Malkin that hasn’t already said? He is amazing and proved it once again tonight. He is on a different level right now and is getting better by the shift. He is playing like a hybrid of Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr. He is getting to every loose puck, powering through the defense and scoring magical goals. The first of the evening was a thing of beauty as he took a break out pass from Ryan Whitney and coasted down the right wing before lashing a wrist shot past Marty Biron as time ticked away in the first period. But the second was the one that has everyone talking. Malkin, who had just recovered from a huge Mike Richards hit and had gotten back onsides, took a short handed feed and found himself waaaaay behind the Philadelphia defence. At that moment I am sure much was going through Geno’s, but he decided to hit the hash marks and open fire. Malkin unleashed a slap shot that might have gone right through Marty Biron had he been able to get a body part on it.
“In this situation, I didn't have a lot of time to think about what to do,” Malkin said. “It's not really a penalty shot when you think how you're going to make the move. Once again, I just had those two few seconds to think, and I decide to shoot as hard as I can.”
Mike Richards did his best to will the Flyers to victory tonight. He scored two huge goals to go along with his 6 hits. He will be a huge factor in the series before it is all said and done. If Chris Drury is captain clutch for the New York Rangers, Richards is that guy for the Flyers.
The loss of Kimmo Timonen really hurt the Flyers, but nowhere more so that the power play. The Flyers did generate some scoring opportunities, but it just wasn’t what it could have been with Kimmo back there. He was also missed when Coach Therrien worked the Malkin and Crosby line on back-to-back occasions.
Hal Gill was again huge…no pun intended. He is playing very big out there and his reach has been a great addition. He has paired with Rob Scuderi to become a great shut down unit, one that has been doing a great job against every opponent they have faced.
RJ Umberger continues to haunt the Penguins…he just always finds a way onto the score sheet and plays some inspired hockey in his hometown. He was also getting feisty out there tonight, especially against Ryan Whitney. The two were yapping at each other and exchanging stick work throughout the evening.
Marc Andre Fleury shrugged off a couple of iffy goals and played another solid game. His transformation from raw talent to potential blooming flower has been one of he best stories of this season.
Marian Hossa is a beast on the ice, especially on the backcheck. He is hounding puck carriers, creating turnovers, laying hits and getting scoring chances.
The physical play was nowhere near what I expected coming into tonight. I am sure that it will pick up in game two. In fact I know it will. Each team had its moments where big hits were being landed, but at the end of the day they finished 36-33 respectively. The two squads were also dead even in face offs…27 up and 27 down on each side.
Overall, it was a very entertaining game to watch and I am anxiously awaiting game number two. I will be live at Mellon Arena with a bunch of the Hockey Buzz crew…
I will have more on the game tomorrow…
* * * * *
Evgeni Malkin/Sidney Crosby Transcript:
EVGENI MALKIN and
SIDNEY CROSBY
THE MODERATOR: Questions for for Evgeni Malkin.
Q. I'm really confused. Should I ask in English or in Russian this question? Your second goal was amazing when you got the puck from the blue line. It was so strong shot that I couldn't see where did you shoot between the legs or?
EVGENI MALKIN: It was really last?second decision. All my penalty shots wasn't that great all the time, pretty much. So in the last second I just decided to shoot that puck as hard as I can. I didn't think about it, where to shoot, and to make any moves. Just as hard as I can.
Q. Gino, the lack of success on penalty shots and shootouts this year wasn't on your mind when you decided to take the "Slap Shot"?
EVGENI MALKIN: In this situation, I didn't have a lot of time to think about what to do. It's not really a penalty shot when you think how you're going to make the move. Once again, I just had those two few seconds to think, and I decide to shoot as hard as I can.
Q. In the scrum at the end of the game, was he injured or was he reaching for a chain or what happened there at the end of the game?
EVGENI MALKIN: No, I wasn't injured. Buggsy just told me I lost my chain, and I know I have very important for me, cross, so I just tried to find the chain and the cross.
Q. Did you find it?
EVGENI MALKIN: Yeah.
Q. You got it?
EVGENI MALKIN: Yeah.
Q. Sid, you ever seen anyone take a "Slap Shot" from that close in on a breakaway before?
SIDNEY CROSBY: No.
Q. What were your thoughts?
SIDNEY CROSBY: Hey, it worked. If I had the shot, I'd do the same thing, I think. With that amount of time and I think at the end of the shift like that, you know, he was pretty tired. Probably coming from the blue line in, having to come back and come back on that breakaway, so, whatever works.
Q. That was hash marks.
SIDNEY CROSBY: Even lower, I'd say. But whatever works.
Q. You talk about your team capitalizing on those scores chances when they started coming when the Flyers broke down a bit on their back end?
SIDNEY CROSBY: Yeah, we did a great job especially early on it was kind of weird how that first period went with so many goals. You know, usually that's uncharacteristic of the playoffs to make mistakes like that early on. But like you said, we did a great job of capitalizing. I think as the game went on, we maintained that speed and probably wanted to get a little bit more on that, and that is something we'll look to next game. But we certainly do a better job of that early on.
Q. When you came here a few years ago, the talk at the time was you're going to have to save this franchise. Now it looks like two of you are doing it, and not just saving it, but it's flourishing. Can you talk about what it's like not to be just the guy, but to sort of have two of you in that position now?
SIDNEY CROSBY: Yeah, I think, when that was brought up, I don't think I put the pressure on myself to do that because I knew the group we had. So as a team I don't think we thought it was up to one guy. We knew that we had to make sure that we improved and gained experience and had the right attitude if we wanted to learn quickly.
I don't think I ever had that pressure with anyone else, put that pressure on themselves or on me in particular. We knew we had a special group, and a young group that just needed to get experience. We're still learning a lot. We have to keep going. But we definitely have a great group.
FastScripts by ASAP
First of all…what can I say about Evgeni Malkin that hasn’t already said? He is amazing and proved it once again tonight. He is on a different level right now and is getting better by the shift. He is playing like a hybrid of Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr. He is getting to every loose puck, powering through the defense and scoring magical goals. The first of the evening was a thing of beauty as he took a break out pass from Ryan Whitney and coasted down the right wing before lashing a wrist shot past Marty Biron as time ticked away in the first period. But the second was the one that has everyone talking. Malkin, who had just recovered from a huge Mike Richards hit and had gotten back onsides, took a short handed feed and found himself waaaaay behind the Philadelphia defence. At that moment I am sure much was going through Geno’s, but he decided to hit the hash marks and open fire. Malkin unleashed a slap shot that might have gone right through Marty Biron had he been able to get a body part on it.
“In this situation, I didn't have a lot of time to think about what to do,” Malkin said. “It's not really a penalty shot when you think how you're going to make the move. Once again, I just had those two few seconds to think, and I decide to shoot as hard as I can.”
Mike Richards did his best to will the Flyers to victory tonight. He scored two huge goals to go along with his 6 hits. He will be a huge factor in the series before it is all said and done. If Chris Drury is captain clutch for the New York Rangers, Richards is that guy for the Flyers.
The loss of Kimmo Timonen really hurt the Flyers, but nowhere more so that the power play. The Flyers did generate some scoring opportunities, but it just wasn’t what it could have been with Kimmo back there. He was also missed when Coach Therrien worked the Malkin and Crosby line on back-to-back occasions.
Hal Gill was again huge…no pun intended. He is playing very big out there and his reach has been a great addition. He has paired with Rob Scuderi to become a great shut down unit, one that has been doing a great job against every opponent they have faced.
RJ Umberger continues to haunt the Penguins…he just always finds a way onto the score sheet and plays some inspired hockey in his hometown. He was also getting feisty out there tonight, especially against Ryan Whitney. The two were yapping at each other and exchanging stick work throughout the evening.
Marc Andre Fleury shrugged off a couple of iffy goals and played another solid game. His transformation from raw talent to potential blooming flower has been one of he best stories of this season.
Marian Hossa is a beast on the ice, especially on the backcheck. He is hounding puck carriers, creating turnovers, laying hits and getting scoring chances.
The physical play was nowhere near what I expected coming into tonight. I am sure that it will pick up in game two. In fact I know it will. Each team had its moments where big hits were being landed, but at the end of the day they finished 36-33 respectively. The two squads were also dead even in face offs…27 up and 27 down on each side.
Overall, it was a very entertaining game to watch and I am anxiously awaiting game number two. I will be live at Mellon Arena with a bunch of the Hockey Buzz crew…
I will have more on the game tomorrow…
* * * * *
Evgeni Malkin/Sidney Crosby Transcript:
EVGENI MALKIN and
SIDNEY CROSBY
THE MODERATOR: Questions for for Evgeni Malkin.
Q. I'm really confused. Should I ask in English or in Russian this question? Your second goal was amazing when you got the puck from the blue line. It was so strong shot that I couldn't see where did you shoot between the legs or?
EVGENI MALKIN: It was really last?second decision. All my penalty shots wasn't that great all the time, pretty much. So in the last second I just decided to shoot that puck as hard as I can. I didn't think about it, where to shoot, and to make any moves. Just as hard as I can.
Q. Gino, the lack of success on penalty shots and shootouts this year wasn't on your mind when you decided to take the "Slap Shot"?
EVGENI MALKIN: In this situation, I didn't have a lot of time to think about what to do. It's not really a penalty shot when you think how you're going to make the move. Once again, I just had those two few seconds to think, and I decide to shoot as hard as I can.
Q. In the scrum at the end of the game, was he injured or was he reaching for a chain or what happened there at the end of the game?
EVGENI MALKIN: No, I wasn't injured. Buggsy just told me I lost my chain, and I know I have very important for me, cross, so I just tried to find the chain and the cross.
Q. Did you find it?
EVGENI MALKIN: Yeah.
Q. You got it?
EVGENI MALKIN: Yeah.
Q. Sid, you ever seen anyone take a "Slap Shot" from that close in on a breakaway before?
SIDNEY CROSBY: No.
Q. What were your thoughts?
SIDNEY CROSBY: Hey, it worked. If I had the shot, I'd do the same thing, I think. With that amount of time and I think at the end of the shift like that, you know, he was pretty tired. Probably coming from the blue line in, having to come back and come back on that breakaway, so, whatever works.
Q. That was hash marks.
SIDNEY CROSBY: Even lower, I'd say. But whatever works.
Q. You talk about your team capitalizing on those scores chances when they started coming when the Flyers broke down a bit on their back end?
SIDNEY CROSBY: Yeah, we did a great job especially early on it was kind of weird how that first period went with so many goals. You know, usually that's uncharacteristic of the playoffs to make mistakes like that early on. But like you said, we did a great job of capitalizing. I think as the game went on, we maintained that speed and probably wanted to get a little bit more on that, and that is something we'll look to next game. But we certainly do a better job of that early on.
Q. When you came here a few years ago, the talk at the time was you're going to have to save this franchise. Now it looks like two of you are doing it, and not just saving it, but it's flourishing. Can you talk about what it's like not to be just the guy, but to sort of have two of you in that position now?
SIDNEY CROSBY: Yeah, I think, when that was brought up, I don't think I put the pressure on myself to do that because I knew the group we had. So as a team I don't think we thought it was up to one guy. We knew that we had to make sure that we improved and gained experience and had the right attitude if we wanted to learn quickly.
I don't think I ever had that pressure with anyone else, put that pressure on themselves or on me in particular. We knew we had a special group, and a young group that just needed to get experience. We're still learning a lot. We have to keep going. But we definitely have a great group.
FastScripts by ASAP
Join the Discussion:
More from Brian Metzer
 |
 |