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Who's going to play the Predators? |
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For the second consecutive year the Pittsburgh Penguins will be playing a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals. Last year had a successful conclusion that ultimately led to the franchise’s fourth Stanley Cup. This year they will have to navigate Ottawa’s 1-3-1 trap and Craig Anderson successfully for one more game.
How can they go about doing this?
They could make roster changes. Patric Hornqvist practiced with a normal jersey this morning. However, he skated for a very long time and that is usually an indication that a player will not be in the lineup. Also of note was that Josh Archibald was out with him. This is probably pointing towards a Conor Sheary return to the lineup.
Mike Sullivan said the following:
A lot of times a game-time decision is a likely indicator of a player entering the lineup. These players have been game-time decisions in this series before and did not get in. Justin Schultz did not skate today. Is it more gamesmanship? We will have to wait until warm-ups to see how the lines shake out.
Mike Sullivan should continue to allow his defensemen to be aggressive in the offensive zone. Pittsburgh has shown that they are very capable of hemming in the Senators when they give their defensemen a green light to pinch. The key will be for F3 to work their way back and fill in so that the point is not completely vacated.
Piggybacking off of that concept I believe that the coach should also be looking to play his best skaters on the back end. Trevor Daley has had a terrible 2016-17 season. His return from injury has not been part of that bad sample. He has played well against Ottawa. He owns a CF% of 58.2% in this series which is a far cry from his regular season average of 46.4%. Daley's skating ability is an asset when trying to break through a trapping team. Nothing about Ron Hainsey's skill set is advantageous to defeating a trapping team or creating offense if you do break through the trap.
If the Penguins are trailing in the third period you can't just keep rolling the same lines out there. You have to get creative and shorten the bench while maximizing offensive potential.
If Pittsburgh has the lead remember the success from Game 7 against Washington. Playing it safe is a recipe for disaster. Keep pushing.
Matt Murray will get the start in net. No surprise there. He's been really good since returning from his injury and taking over for Marc-Andre Fleury. It also happens to be Matt Murray's 23rd birthday today.
The guy in the other net will be Craig Anderson. If the last few games are any indication he will be under intense fire this evening. Can he go .970 again? He doesn't have a choice.
Mr. Game 7 will be in the lineup tonight. Can Bryan Rust continue to grow his legend?
A loss tonight could spell the end of Marc-Andre Fleury, Chris Kunitz, Nick Bonino, Trevor Daley, and Matt Cullen's tenure as Penguins, among others.
Pittsburgh has been playing their best hockey of the playoffs lately and they have a great chance to win Game 7. Playing well doesn't always mean you'll win a single game, but I like their chances if they can duplicate the things they were doing in Game 6. The Penguins have four of the top five players in points so far this postseason. I like the odds that they can score some goals tonight.
Here is a look at some probabilities for tonight's game
In some non-playoff news here is some information about potential changes to NHL uniforms next year.
Do not worry the Penguins are not on the list. Their perfect uniforms will stay perfect in 2017-18.
Thanks for reading!
Pittsburgh Penguins Blogger • 
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