#1 Pens vs. #7 Sens---2nd round series thread

[dash]

The scary thing is that Pittsburgh didn't play all that great tonight and they still won quite easily. Ottawa will be much better in game two.

 

[pixburgher66]

Sid and Geno both under 20min TOI. Nice. Fourth line was out there most of the third, I swear.

 

[Winged_Wheel88]

Sid and Geno both under 20min TOI. Nice. Fourth line was out there most of the third, I swear.

That's not like you, Pixie!

 

[forty_three]

Am I watching hockey or soccer?

How I felt watching the game:

Man, I really don't like watching soccer on ice.

That's what you get when they don't call actual penalties. People selling ones that aren't. Not by comparison.

Karlsson and Alfredsson have been bad tonight

You should have tried watching the game instead of playing it in NHL 13.

Alfie had bad luck but was where he needed to be, and Karlsson made one bad pinch.

Well...that was a much closer game than the score indicates.

The Pens were flat footed a lot, Vokoun was spastic and lucky, and the Sens were moving the hell out of the puck for 2/3rds of the game. Pens looked like they were like "eh, we got this. Don't exert yourself boys" for most of the first.

Pens better not come out that way again.

 

[Dacks]

Sens got outplayed, sorry. I don't care how well you neutralize the dump-in in the 2nd period. You win games by outscoring the opponent. Pens did that fairly easily today.

 

[BlueWolfZero]

Sens got outplayed, sorry. I don't care how well you neutralize the dump-in in the 2nd period. You win games by outscoring the opponent. Pens did that fairly easily today.

Pens fans are cute

 

[evolver115]

Pens fans are cute

Says the oilers fan

 

[evolver115]

Geno goes seven straight playoff games with a point, Duper nets a shortie and Vokoun makes thirty-five saves. Not too shabby.

 

[forty_three]

Geno goes seven straight playoff games with a point, Duper nets a shortie and Vokoun makes thirty-five saves. Not too shabby.

You're not concerned that your goalie is facing that many shots in a playoff game?

 

[evolver115]

You're not concerned that your goalie is facing that many shots in a playoff game?

Not overly concerned. Ottawa averaged the most shots on goal in the regular season, and I'm sure they're above 30 shots per in the post-season, as well. It's part of their game to get as many pucks as possible to the front of the crease. They aren't looking for the perfect opportunity, they'll take any opportunity.

Would I like to see that number dip below 30 per? Sure. Probably not going to happen, though. It's part of Ottawa's style. Pittsburgh is averaging around 28 SOG per, yet they lead the postseason in goals per game. It's not always about quantity.

 

[forty_three]

Not overly concerned. Ottawa averaged the most shots on goal in the regular season, and I'm sure they're above 30 shots per in the post-season, as well. It's part of their game to get as many pucks as possible to the front of the crease. They aren't looking for the perfect opportunity, they'll take any opportunity.

Would I like to see that number dip below 30 per? Sure. Probably not going to happen, though. It's part of Ottawa's style. Pittsburgh is averaging around 28 SOG per, yet they lead the postseason in goals per game. It's not always about quantity.

Just seemed to me that for several shifts in the game, the Sens were just moving around the Pens at will and the Pens were flatfooted a lot. Against a fast and hungry team like Ottawa that would worry me. The Sens were making passes they shouldn't even have been attempting, and with relative ease for a while there. Pens locked that down in the third and kept the shots from outside. They need to keep doing that.

Vokoun impressed me with how well he shaped up. He was solid in the third but looked like a lost kid in the first.

No matter what, I think this is going to be the best series of the year. Similar styles of play.

 

[dare2be]

In the first 8 minutes of the game, it appeared just the opposite...Pens controlled the play for extended amounts of time. Like you said, similar styles. My concern is that we have the skill to be controlling the play a lot more than we did.

 

[evolver115]

Just seemed to me that for several shifts in the game, the Sens were just moving around the Pens at will and the Pens were flatfooted a lot. Against a fast and hungry team like Ottawa that would worry me. The Sens were making passes they shouldn't even have been attempting, and with relative ease for a while there. Pens locked that down in the third and kept the shots from outside. They need to keep doing that.

Vokoun impressed me with how well he shaped up. He was solid in the third but looked like a lost kid in the first.

No matter what, I think this is going to be the best series of the year. Similar styles of play.

See, that's the thing which stood out to me, yesterday... Ottawa really isn't that fast of a team. Coming out of the six games against the Isles, watching that game last night made me realize just how damned fast NY really was in the previous series. The difference between the Sens and Isles when comparing speed is like night and day. Especially when you're talking about Ottawa's third and fourth lines, and basically every D-man sans Karlsson. They're considerably slower than what Pitt was facing, last week.

I think that plays to the Pens advantage. They match up with Ottawa a heck of a lot better than they did with NY.

Another area where I think Pitt has a heavy advantage is the difference between the centers Ottawa trots out there. Smith, Pageau, Turris and Zabanejad looked good in the faceoff circle, last night. Other than that, though, they looked outmatched.

 

[element1286]

Not overly concerned. Ottawa averaged the most shots on goal in the regular season, and I'm sure they're above 30 shots per in the post-season, as well. It's part of their game to get as many pucks as possible to the front of the crease. They aren't looking for the perfect opportunity, they'll take any opportunity.

Would I like to see that number dip below 30 per? Sure. Probably not going to happen, though. It's part of Ottawa's style. Pittsburgh is averaging around 28 SOG per, yet they lead the postseason in goals per game. It's not always about quantity.

That's interesting didn't notice that before, they had the most shots per game of any team in the league, and were bottom five in goals per game.

They were also bottom 10 in shots against per game, but second in goals against per game.

 

[Vadered]

Oh boy. Just what I wanted to see. A Penguins team in the playoffs with a goalie who hasn't magically become a sieve. Great.

 

[pixburgher66]

Oh boy. Just what I wanted to see. A Penguins team in the playoffs with a goalie who hasn't magically become a sieve. Great.

It's so nice that you care

 

[pixburgher66]

Just seemed to me that for several shifts in the game, the Sens were just moving around the Pens at will and the Pens were flatfooted a lot. Against a fast and hungry team like Ottawa that would worry me. The Sens were making passes they shouldn't even have been attempting, and with relative ease for a while there. Pens locked that down in the third and kept the shots from outside. They need to keep doing that.

Vokoun impressed me with how well he shaped up. He was solid in the third but looked like a lost kid in the first.

No matter what, I think this is going to be the best series of the year. Similar styles of play.

There were most CERTAINLY moments that the Sens dominated play (heck that happens in every single series), the difference was the guy in net. There was a stark contrast in the team play in the second, but also in Vokoun's play. His rebound control was abysmal in the first, but he shaped up quickly in the second. He stopped what he needed to, didn't have to make crazy saves. The team was also collapsing in the crease to help a lot more. The Pens were very strong in the first sans a bad goal, then the Sens sort of controlled play in the second, and the Pens again with more control for most of the third. Honestly though, the third period was the Pens' third/fourth lines. They got a ton of minutes out there. Dare I say it, I think DB learned a lesson on the importance of those guys.

 

[evolver115]

 

[BlueWolfZero]

Shots, chances, hits, faceoffs, zone time.....all it comes down to is the scoreboard really doesn't it.

 

[forty_three]

Nice. Gif waited a frame or two too long to have Crosby disapparate. Still funny stuff.