Jared Crozier: Game Day: Senators @ Penguins - go on or go home

Lets go Pens!

GO SENS!!!!!

Beating the Pens is great
Ruining Pierre and Edzo's final is awesome
Making Bettman miserable with a Sens/Preds final.....(frank)ING PRICELESS!!!!!!!

We need the best 10 minutes they have played yet to open the game. Getting up by a goal early will take the crowd out of it and I suspect it may well be a one-goal game anyway - certainly a low-scoring game. Then we can fall back to the system and just play well. Andy has to be on his game of course and the way they let him see 90% of the shots in Game 6 is a must. Our DZ break-outs have to be tidier with fewer turn-overs. If we can keep it close, I think we have a great chance to beat the Pens.

Otherwise, I've been a fan of this franchise since it was given: through the ups and downs; the heartbreak of 2007... all of it. I love being a fan and supporting this group. Whether they win or lose tonight it's been an awesome fun, entertaining and a completely unexpected run. And this team has a bright future with a new downtown arena on the horizon, great up-and-comers in White and Chabot etc. It's just fantastic. Win or lose, as long as our guys bring their 'A' game, never give up and give it their all I will be more than satisfied.

GO SENS GO!

Fixed!

Lets go Sens!
- MattStrat

It's a lose lose situation for the Pens.

Sens win and they rub it in and get all cocky because they beat the defending champs and poor whiner Crysby.

Sens lose and they claim success because they weren't expected to get this far, and it's an awesome season to build on!

LETS GO PENS!

We need the best first 10 minutes they have played yet. Going up by a goal early will take the crowd out of it and I suspect it may well be a one goal game. Certainly a low scoring game. Then we can fall back to the system and just play well. Andy has to be on his game and the way they let him see 90% of the shots in Game 6 is a must. If we can keep it close, I think we have a great chance to beat the Pens.

Otherwise, I've been a fan of this franchise since it was given: through the ups and downs; the heartbreak of 2007... all of it. I love being a fan and supporting this group. Whether they win or lose tonight it's been an awesome fun, entertaining and a completely unexpected run. And this team has a bright future with a new downtown arena, great up-and-comers in White and Chabot etc. It's just fantastic. Win or lose, as long as our guys bring their 'A' game, never give up and give it their all I will be more than satisfied. GO SENS GO!
- sgoodwin

This can really go either way tonight. Sens scoring early would be very good for them getting to their stingy play game.

Its been a hell of a back and forth series. Best of luck tonight.

GO SENS!!!!!

Beating the Pens is great
Ruining Pierre and Edzo's final is awesome
Making Bettman miserable with a Sens/Preds final.....(frank)ING PRICELESS!!!!!!!
- BiggE

If Bettman really cares who advances then screw him. That is what's wrong with the league. And this isn't a knock against Pittsburgh but really how exciting is it to see the same teams in the finals every year. I mean for Pittsburgh fans sure but the rest of the hockey world not so much.

Sens-Preds just seems much more interesting. All hockey fans would be guaranteed to see a team win the cup that they never have before. It's been 90 years since the Original Senators won their last Stanley Cup. Nashville is in their first final in 18 seasons. How would that not be great drama?

Obviously I don't expect the Penguins to care or help with that and if they take it they deserve it. I'm not blaming them for being a great team.

Nothing better (or worse) then game 7.

Erm, if you haven't noticed, with the possible exception of Boucher, our group are not exactly 'cocky' at the best of times [the Pens on the other hand have some of the worst personalities in the game in Malkin, Cindy and Kessel ].

You're right though, we do have a bright future. Remember, when you're the defending Champ, there is no other way to go except down.

Go Sens Go!

It's a lose lose situation for the Pens.

Sens win and they rub it in and get all cocky because they beat the defending champs and poor whiner Crysby.

Sens lose and they claim success because they weren't expected to get this far, and it's an awesome season to build on!

LETS GO SENS!
- bochangs

It's a lose lose situation for the Pens.

Sens win and they rub it in and get all cocky because they beat the defending champs and poor whiner Crysby.

Sens lose and they claim success because they weren't expected to get this far, and it's an awesome season to build on!

LETS GO PENS!
- bochangs

Just stop ,the Pens were a landslide favorite and rightfully so...You guys are looking for back to back cups ,we are looking for our first .

If the roles were reversed do you not think you wouldnt feel some vindication in a win??Or also understand that losing to a great team like Pittsburgh really doesnt come with , any shame ???

Just stop ,the Pens were a landslide favorite and rightfully so...You guys are looking for back to back cups ,we are looking for our first .

If the roles were reversed do you not think you wouldnt feel some vindication in a win??Or also understand that losing to a great team like Pittsburgh really doesnt come with , any shame ???
- top shelf 15

he also seems to think pens fans aren't going to be all over this board gloating if they win.

Just stop ,the Pens were a landslide favorite and rightfully so...You guys are looking for back to back cups ,we are looking for our first .

If the roles were reversed do you not think you wouldnt feel some vindication in a win??Or also understand that losing to a great team like Pittsburgh really doesnt come with , any shame ???
- top shelf 15

Not really. Not with the injuries and the way they played the first two rounds.

EDIT: not sure why this is bolding...

Let's go boys, get it done!

Not really. Not with the injuries and the way they played the first two rounds.

EDIT: not sure why this is bolding...
- MattStrat

What injuries??The defense??Pittsburgh defense fully healthy doesnt really strike fear into anyone.They are a team built around their forward core and it looks fine to me

It's a lose lose situation for the Pens.

Sens win and they rub it in and get all cocky because they beat the defending champs and poor whiner Crysby.

Sens lose and they claim success because they weren't expected to get this far, and it's an awesome season to build on!

LETS GO PENS!
- bochangs

Interesting how Sens fans feeling ok about losing constitutes a 'loss' for the Pens... You'd think going to the Finals would be a win for the Penguins, but just beating your opponent isn't satisfying unless you also crush their spirits

What injuries??The defense??Pittsburgh defense fully healthy doesnt really strike fear into anyone.They are a team built around their forward core and it looks fine to me

- top shelf 15

Then you really don't know much about the Penguins.

he also seems to think pens fans aren't going to be all over this board gloating if they win.
- Ftown19125

I don't think the majority of Pens fans will, they'll do the same thing they do every series, come over, say congrats, hard series, "xxx player" is a real stud, and the team will come back stronger next year.

Then you really don't know much about the Penguins.
- j.boyd919

HUH??their defense isnt anything special .Letang is a nice part but the others........yeah they arent winning cups because of the blueline dude

What injuries??The defense??Pittsburgh defense fully healthy doesnt really strike fear into anyone.They are a team built around their forward core and it looks fine to me

- top shelf 15

Letang is super awesome when he's healthy (which is like 1/3 of the time)

Pens D is pretty strong even without him

But the goal here is to make sure we feel ashamed about losing this game 7 if we do, which is still ridiculous when you're facing a team with 2 of the 4 most talented players in the league

Letang is super awesome when he's healthy (which is like 1/3 of the time)

Pens D is pretty strong even without him

But the goal here is to make sure we feel ashamed about losing this game 7 if we do, which is still ridiculous when you're facing a team with 2 of the 4 most talented players in the league
- Mr_Clean

The Pittsburgh blueline is sheltered from the great group of excellent possession players they have up front ,they dont have much to do except give the pucks to their forwards and man the points

The Pittsburgh blueline is sheltered from the great group of excellent possession players they have up front ,they dont have much to do except give the pucks to their forwards and man the points

- top shelf 15

And they weren't able to get the puck up to the forwards most of these playoffs... Becuase they are decimated with injuries...

The Pittsburgh blueline is sheltered from the great group of excellent possession players they have up front ,they dont have much to do except give the pucks to their forwards and man the points

- top shelf 15

And they look great doing it! It's amazing how many players they have who can make a clean breakout pass. Even with all these injuries, and the limited Ottawa forecheck, it's still amazing how little the Pens defence fumble the puck.

Have they been perfect? No, and a more talented team could have exposed them better than we have. But when fully healthy, they would be real tough for us to get through given our strats.

HUH??their defense isnt anything special .Letang is a nice part but the others........yeah they arent winning cups because of the blueline dude
- top shelf 15

So a system built around puck moving defensemen that exit the zone by clean breakout passes or skating the puck out of the zone on their own, missing two of their top 4D this season. One being a top 10 Dman in the league, the other finishing 7th in the NHL in scoring among Dman. Yeah there defense isn't anything special. If you actually paid attention to the Penguins, you would know how much they've struggled to exit the zones, and how often they are outshot by the opposition.

When Letang went down, they went from a team that owned the puck, and the shot attempts to a team that traded chances, forcing defensemen to play above their expected role.. then Schultz goes down, and that defensive corp is left in shambles. When Ian (frank)ing Cole is your "top" defenseman after your top 2 go down... yeah your team is going to struggle.

Forwards don't mean poop if they can't do anything because their defensemen can't get them the puck. Which was the problem the 1st 2 rounds and the Pens were lucky to get out of those rounds. They won the cup last year because they had capable puck movers. This year? they aren't exactly there.

And they look great doing it! It's amazing how many players they have who can make a clean breakout pass. Even with all these injuries, and the limited Ottawa forecheck, it's still amazing how little the Pens defence fumble the puck.

Have they been perfect? No, and a more talented team could have exposed them better than we have. But when fully healthy, they would be real tough for us to get through given our strats.
- Mr_Clean

This absolutely was NOT the case in rounds 1 and 2. They struggled HEAVILY moving the puck, and they fumbled the puck ALL the time, giving it up to odd man rushes, breakaways, fumbles at the blue line... and then they started handling the puck like a grenade, just conceding possession back to the other teams.. off the glass and out. Not even to spaces for their forwards to win races. Just out.

This absolutely was NOT the case in rounds 1 and 2. They struggled HEAVILY moving the puck, and they fumbled the puck ALL the time, giving it up to odd man rushes, breakaways, fumbles at the blue line... and then they started handling the puck like a grenade, just conceding possession back to the other teams.. off the glass and out. Not even to spaces for their forwards to win races. Just out.
- j.boyd919

Yeah, I noticed that against Washington. I think Ottawa gave them a bit too much time and space, they got comfortable, they got confident, and now even when we apply more pressure they look solid.