Just wanted to quickly check in before hitting the sack for the night...need to get some rest, as I will be making the voyage south to Washington in the morning. That is right, Chanel and I will be taking in the game live from the press box at the Verizon Center. I am looking forward to seeing this spectacle in person. This series has definitely been one for the history books and it will be a awesome to be able to cover the event live. I will be blogging live from the game...so please do tune in!
I am setting myself up for an awfully long day though...I did not book a hotel room. My plan is to drive back to the 'Burgh tomorrow night. Let's hope that if the game heads to overtime, it doesn't go on until the wee hours!
Anyways, enough of that, you are here for some Pens news, not my itinerary for tomorrow!
As reported earlier, Sergei Gonchar participated in practice for the first time since sustaining a leg injury in a collision with Alex Ovechkin. I realize that there have been a ton of different reports swirling around regarding the severity of the injury and the length of time it would keep Sarge down. I really believe in the initial report I received on Friday night as it came from a source close to the situation. However, we all know that the playoffs have a way of healing injuries!
When you get a team in a situation where they might be playing their last game of the year, a lot of things that seem impossible only days ago, become a lot more plausible. It has yet to be announced, but all indications are that Gonchar could possibly go tomorrow evening. I just do not know if it is worth the risk. The morning skate will obviously tell the tale, as the team doesn't plan on making a decisions until the morning.
"It doesn't really matter...tomorrow is the day that we're making the decision," Gonchar said when asked how the leg felt during today's practice. "Tomorrow we will see how my body reacts, tomorrow is the day when we have a game so I'm waiting until tomorrow and then I'm making a decision."
Gonchar, who is normally fairly mild mannered, had sort of a surly demeanor today. You can see that he is very disappointed that this injury occurred. He was asked if he thought the injury was bad right after it happened.
"I expect to be much worse..." Gonchar said.
He also didn't want to talk much about how he felt after the skate. He was adamant about the fact that the decision would be made tomorrow.
"You know, the decision, all of those things that you are asking me right now are going to be based on tomorrow how my body reacts," Gonchar said. "I could be as optimistic as 100% right now, but tomorrow waking up and my knee not bending then it doesn't matter. That's why we have to make our decision tomorrow."
As I said, Sergei seemed almost agitated in answering the questions posed by reporters today. I am sure this has been a very frustrating week for him and he would love nothing more than to advance in this series.
"I think he looked good out there," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. "He's been progressing and we knew at some point he'd be getting back on the ice. This is a first step and we'll see how he reacts. We'll probably see him out there again tomorrow and we'll go from there."
Just as Gonchar was sort of tight lipped about his knee injury, he wouldn't say much when asked if he thought there was intent in the Ovechkin hit that left him laying in agony on the ice Friday night.
"I have my own opinion, but I'm not going to comment on that," Gonchar said.
The rest of the team still seemed to be fairly mild mannered and are just looking forward to getting this game rolling. The entire group realizes that it is a win or go home scenario and they are are still feeling confident. They realize that the entire series has been close and a break this way or that could determine the winner.
"Now, it's coming down to that point where one shot and one situation is going to be talked about as the deciding one," Penguins Coach Dan Bylsma said.
Penguins defenseman Rob Scuderi has the right idea of what the Penguins need to do from the opening face-off tomorrow night.
“It’s really important, especially the first five or 10 minutes, we have to take the air out of the building and make them play our way,” Scuderi said. “I think we’ve been able to do that the three games we’ve played there. We didn’t get the outcome in the first two games but we did it all three and if we can do that maybe we can get into the groove of our game and dictate the play and hopefully get the lead.”
Overall, this series might come down to a coin flip...however, it probably has a lot more to do with the play of the two goaltenders and who can make the final save of the game.
"I think it's like every other game, if the goalie plays well you have a shot to win the game," Marc-Andre Fleury said. "Just try to do my best, make some saves and hopefully we'll get the win."
It is going to be an amazing evening in Washington tomorrow and if you aren't planning on watching it, then in the immortal words of Mike Lange, shame on you for six weeks! I just hope that the AHL series between the affiliates of the Capitals and Penguins isn't a foreboding look at what is due to occur between the parent clubs.
The Hershey Bears knocked off the Wilkes Barre Scranton Penguins tonight and eliminated them in their best of 7 series. To this point, their series mirrored that of their parent teams. However, the home team won every game between these two...
Hershey used good defense and strong goaltending to post a 3-0 win against a Penguins team that lost one of its top defensemen to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Alex Goligoski was called up to replace Sergei Gonchar. Who knew that the Ovechkin hit packed so much power...
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I will try to get you a line-up update before I leave for Washington in the morning, though it might not come until later in the day. If Gonchar gives it a go, I expect the 7 defensemen look again. The forward combinations will most likely be the same...
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