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Survive and advance. That is all that matters in the playoffs. The Penguins did survive and they will advance to the second round where they will either face the New York Rangers or the Philadelphia Flyers.
It didin't matter that the Penguins were god awful on the penalty kill against the Blue Jackets or that they had a propensity to play it safe and sit back while Columbus mounted multiple comebacks after being down by multiple goals.
I didn’t matter, but now it does. The teams will get better and the Penguins will not survive.
The Blue Jackets certainly deserve all the accolades they are receiving and the fans were great in Columbus, but that doesn't change the fact that they were a bottom level playoff team that the Penguins consistently let off the mat.
Some people will confuse the above statement as a jab at Columbus when it is not. Columbus was good, but so are all the other playoff teams, after all it’s the playoffs.
Columbus is going to be very very good, they have the right pieces in place and the proper management team to take them to the next level, but they weren't at that next level quite yet. This isn't a flash in the pan Islanders team from 2013. This version of the Blue Jackets is not unlike the 2007 Penguins who were humbled by the Ottawa Senators. A team that you can see is legitimately on the rise but not quite ready for prime time yet.
The Pittsburgh Penguins were able to avoid elimination against a young and upcoming Blue Jackets team but I suspect that if they continue to show an inability to kill penalties and protect leads, a team like the New York Rangers aren’t going to let them off the hook.
I thought Pittsburgh played great at even strength throughout the series against Columbus, their Fenclose of 57.7% is absolute proof of that. This was an area of their game that was in shambles for much of the latter portion of the season. It is great news to see that they have the ability/potential to drive possession again. It helps to have healthy puck moving defensemen and a modicum of forward depth. Quality possession is imperative if they run up against a team like the New York Rangers. The Rangers have been humming along at an impressive possession clip since January 1 and the Penguins will have to bring their A game at even strength. Here is a chart courtesy of Mr. Travis Yost
You can see just how good the Rangers have been, Columbus too for that matter.
You may notice that I have brought up the Rangers and not the Flyers. This is because I don’t believe the Flyers are a bad matchup for the Penguins, I believe the Penguins can be quite successful against them. The 2012 series against Philadelphia is still something that is fresh in a lot of people’s minds, but the reasons for failure in that series were turned into a position of strength against the Blue Jackets.
The Blue Jackets, specifically Brandon Dubinsky, tried their best to get underneath the Penguins skin. The Penguins ignored the extra-curricular nonsense and maintained a proper level of discipline for much of the series. Brandon Dubinsky was as annoying as a player could be and the Penguins did not give in to temptation. I see that as a very positive sign and believe the Penguins could continue that in a potential series with the Flyers. A disciplined Penguins team is a definite favorite against the Flyers this year.
As for the game last night the Penguins did exactly what I said couldn’t happen, playing it safe. They dumbed down the game and chipped the puck all over the ice instead of controlling it. They voluntarily gave possession away as the 3rd period wore on. One of the biggest glaring examples of this was a play where Sidney Crosby had full access to the offensive zone. The Columbus defenseman literally had no gap control and the controlled zone entry was there for the taking. Instead of carrying it in, Crosby did a hard rim. I’m not trying to pick on Sid because he is far from the only guilty party. I’m just highlighting an example of why playing it safe is so stupid on so many levels. Why is the best player in the world “getting it deep…? Maintain that killer instinct and go for blood. Don’t dumb down play that effectively neutralizes your best skilled players.
You can see where the Penguins line on the chart starts to flat line in the 3rd period, you can also see that is about the time Columbus started loading the Penguins goal up with pucks. This is a direct result of all those "safe" high off the glass, "get it deep" plays the Penguins shifted towards. Safe is death.
I believe Marc Andre Fleury is deserving of whatever legitimate criticism comes his way, I don’t believe he played poorly last night. I am still fearful of his ability to mix in absurd gaffes, but I found the team at fault more than Fleury for the 3 Columbus goals in the 3rd period. Pittsburgh gave up its 3rd shorthanded goal of the playoffs, they gave up another power play goal where a Columbus player set up shop unmolested in front of Fleury, and then there was a wide open tip/deflection goal that he had no chance on. I’m more than capable of taking Fleury to task, but I won’t do it when it isn’t appropriate. Fleury currently has an EVSV% of .948%. That is excellent. However, it all comes undone with the monster gaffes. He can’t have any more of those. Games 5 and 6 were a good bounce back for him after the blunders in Game 4.
Evgeni Malkin was terrific. I love watching him play when he is at the top of his game. It wasn’t just the goals last night, it was his ability to work hard and provide excellent puck support both offensively and defensively.
The difference between a slumping Malkin and Geno Machino can be highlighted on his hat trick goal. When he is slumping he would have deferred to Neal. When he is Geno Machino he keeps the puck himself and buries the puck short side after cleverly leading the goalie to the middle of his net. It was only a matter of time before Malkin scored, he was playing well.
Sidney Crosby still hasn’t scored, Sidney Crosby is still playing very good. The goals will start to come for him as well. His monster effort on the boards is what set the table for Malkin’s 1st goal (still don’t know why he wasn’t awarded an assist there). Crosby also had the primary assist on Malkin’s PP goal and hit the post on a slap shot. Crosby much like he has all series long he crushed it at even strength with a 69.6% possession rate.
Brandon Sutter has played great in these playoffs. This is his best hockey as a Pittsburgh Penguin. The Penguins desperately need him to continue playing like he has. Sutter allowed the 2 headed monster to dominate Columbus. If Sutter was playing poorly the Penguins never would have had the option to pair their superstars together. Sutter looked to be injured last night but there might be some promising news on that front, maybe:
Sutter tells me he’s ‘good’ as he passes by. Didn’t look/sound concerned at all. Moving a bit gingerly.
— Dejan Kovacevic (@Dejan_Kovacevic) April 29, 2014
One thing that I noticed during the handshake line that I think went unnoticed was the fact Jussi Jokinen was shaking hands with his left hand. Could he have an injury to his right hand? We will find out more in the coming days.
Marcel Goc has an underrated presence in the lineup. When he is healthy and available it gives Bylsma the option to put Crosby and Malkin together more often. This is something that led to the Penguins dominating play in Games 5 and 6 for a majority of the time. Marcel Goc made a tremendous play at the end of the game with the Columbus goalie pulled. He won his puck battle with James Wisniewski and was able to burn off valuable seconds on the clock. It was a great display of how to play the body in control. His presence allows Sutter to hold down the 2nd line while Goc can slide into that 3rd line center role when the Crosby/Malkin duo is being utilized. A healthy Penguins lineup is night and day from the bare bones lineup witnessed in March and early April.
Kris Letang has played really well. Paul Martin is a freaking rock. Anybody who plays with Martin looks good. Not everybody who plays with Martin has as high of a ceiling as Kris Letang. This can be a terrific #1 pairing for the Penguins moving forward. Matt Niskanen and Olli Maatta can continue to provide solid play as a 2nd pairing. This leaves a decision about the 3rd pairing. I think the Penguins should use Bortuzzo and Orpik in sheltered, limited minutes. Rob Scuderi hasn’t earned his playing time, I think it is time for him to sit if Orpik is healthy.
Penguins fans should be rooting hard for the Flyers, at least for tonight’s game, the more carnage the better for the Penguins. If the Flyers win it will force a Game 7, that 7th and deciding game would be played the next day. Talk about a grueling end to a series. The Penguins earned their right to rest for a little bit, the team that will face Pittsburgh in Round 2 has yet to earn that right.
Nobody from the Penguins is meeting with the media today, there will be no updates on injuries or anything else.
Thanks for reading!
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