Follow me on twitter Follow @GunnerStaal
The Pittsburgh Penguins will look to close out the New York Rangers tonight in Game 5 on home ice. A Penguins victory will provide them the opportunity to rest and wait for the winner of the Montreal/Boston series.
The Rangers won’t go quietly but they are going to have to get more out of their main guys if they want to stay alive.
Rick Nash has been playing good hockey, much like Sidney Crosby had, but it is that time where his team needs some tangible results from him.
Nash leads the Rangers in possession at even strength with a CF% of 57.9%, that is a great number. Puck possession is important, it leads to the potential of more chances, but right now Nash is not taking advantage of the chances he is getting. Nash has 0 points in his last 8 playoff games. A lot is made about his goalless streak but the fact he is also pointless is a bigger concern. Goals are goals, racking up assists means goals are being scored. When Crosby was goalless there were still goals being scored, he still had assists. Nash needs to find a way for the Rangers.
Derek Stepan is in the same boat as Nash, great possession numbers (54.0%) but he too is struggling to produce any tangible offense. He is pointless in the Rangers last 6 playoff games.
Martin St. Louis was brought in to be an offensive presence that the Rangers were lacking, he also has a 6 game pointless streak in the playoffs.
The Rangers can’t put everything on Henrik Lundqvist’s doorstep like they have.
On the Penguins side of things it is very likely that Robert Bortuzzo will return to the lineup and join Rob Scuderi as the Penguins bottom pairing after the Brooks Orpik knee injury. The Penguins having a full game with 6 defensemen should help out immensely.
Marc Andre Fleury has a save percentage of .980% at even strength when the Penguins are leading by 1 goal. Not bad when you are trying to hang on to a victory in the playoffs. He has allowed 1 goal, that goal was his puck handling blunder in Game 4 vs the Blue Jackets.
Paul Martin has been given many accolades for his play, specifically his possession numbers but he is also causing other teams to take penalties. Martin actually leads the Penguins in penalties drawn this postseason with 5.
Sidney Crosby has drawn 2 penalties and Evgeni Malkin has only drawn one penalty this postseason. I wouldn’t call that preferential star treatment, especially considering they have owned the puck all playoffs. Crosby leads the NHL postseason in possession with a CF% of 62.6% at even strength and Malkin is #3 at 61.2%. The Penguins two horses are getting it done and it is resulting in victories.
In the give credit where credit is due department both Craig Adams (71.9%) and Rob Scuderi (63.6%) were both positive possession players in Game 4. This was probably Scuderi’s best game in the playoffs and it came when the Penguins needed it most with the team down to 5 defensemen for two periods because of the Orpik injury.
Probably not a good sign for the Rangers if those two players are killing it in the possession department.
The Penguins are the best possession team in the playoffs currently. They have CF(close) percentage of 58.1%.
The bottom 4 playoff possession teams are all gonezo (Philadelphia, Tampa Bay, Colorado, Columbus).
In the first round the team who scored the first goal in the Pittsburgh Columbus series was not guaranteed anything, in the 2nd round things have significantly shifted
Teams that score first in the 2nd round of this years playoffs are 15-0.
— Jesse Marshall (@jmarshfof) May 9, 2014
****
The Buffalo Bills have been a boring ass franchise for a long time. They overpaid for Sammy Watkins but he is an exciting player. Sports are an entertainment business, it is time the Bills finally entertained their fans.
****
Condolences to the St. Louis family. France St. Louis, Martin’s mother, died of a heart attack unexpectedly.
As of now St.Louis is “questionable… for tonight’s game against the Penguins. It doesn’t matter what choice is made, as long as it is the one that makes sense for him and his family.
Thanks for reading!
Follow me on twitter Follow @GunnerStaal