Not Time To Panic

[B21]

Yes - it bites the big one being 30 seconds from 3-0 and coughing it up but...not time to panic.

I hoped the Isles series showed the Pens the danger of taking teams "lightly" but when it was all said and done, I think the Isles were good enough (and a bad enough match up for us) that 4-2 seemed about right...especially with the way Fleury played in games 2, 3 and 4.

Now I hope that the Pens letting up...even just for 30 seconds...teaches them that final "lesson". 60 minutes. Even with that, it's a Pens win if a few posts don't get in the way.

Still have the home ice. Still had great chances to beat a desparate Senators team in their barn. Weren't taking this one 4-0.

Win Game 4 and they are back in the driver's eat.

[Polaris922]

Back in the driver's seat? More like still in it. All that desperation, Spezza's return, and Anderson playing great and it still took Malkin to get lazy playing a stupid prevent he shouldn't have even been on the ice for to save the Sens with 30 seconds to go?

This series is over, they're just helping me with my predictions.

[nossagog]

Yes - it bites the big one being 30 seconds from 3-0 and coughing it up but...not time to panic.

I hoped the Isles series showed the Pens the danger of taking teams "lightly" but when it was all said and done, I think the Isles were good enough (and a bad enough match up for us) that 4-2 seemed about right...especially with the way Fleury played in games 2, 3 and 4.

Now I hope that the Pens letting up...even just for 30 seconds...teaches them that final "lesson". 60 minutes. Even with that, it's a Pens win if a few posts don't get in the way.

Still have the home ice. Still had great chances to beat a desparate Senators team in their barn. Weren't taking this one 4-0.

Win Game 4 and they are back in the driver's eat.

I'm not panicing, yet. But the dissappointment of the game yesterday has not yet subided.

We were clearly the dominent team, but 1 minute of time I still cannot really fathom. So many thing were just not right.

But that sequence that created Alfie's goal was like the keystone cops. Where to begin.

1) Bylsma - It had to be his decision not to press the Power Play, and try to simply run the clock. Sid's line started, but as soon as we lost the zone, the team went into to mode of getting to the red line, dumping to the corner AND NOT PRESSURING.

2) Bylsma - After the second lost possession(really just another dumpin), Bylsma takes off Sid, and leaves on the ice Malkin, Kunitz and Sutter as the forwards with Martin and Letang at D. Why? First off Malking Kunitz and Sutter at foward is like picking out numbers from a hat, they NEVER play together. Second, if from all I could see we weren't going to score, and simply defend, PUT YOUR FRIGGIN DEFENSIVE LINE OUT THERE!!!! Third, you are going to defend with your two offensive defenders, HUH?

At this point we are approaching 40 seconds left, and Letang has the puck behind the Pens net, with both teams changing. Anderson still in net.

3) Bylsma(seeing a pattern?) -after 40 seconds of time on the PP Kill(Yes, we were killing our power play), Malkin is still out there. A normal coach, if trying to run out the clock, puts fresh troups out there. Heck, he gave a rest to Sid, WHO IS ONE OF THE DEFENSIVE FORWARDS!!!

4) Letang - With no pressure whatsoever, he decides to come out from behind the net and start up ice. Why? Sit there and make Ottawa commit. Spread two forwards at the half walls and play keep away. But no, he comes up ice on a rush and gives the puck to Kunitz.

5) Kunitz - Gets to center, then dumps the puck in the Ottawa zone, AND DOESN'T CHASE. Why, with almost no pressure, and the Sen's ready for retrieve mode, they could have simply sent the puck back to our own zone, and killed more time. There was NO reason to simply had the puck to the Sens. You're simply daring them to score on the rush. Which is what they did, with no one forechecking, it was an easy retrieve, and they were coming out of the zone with speed.

6) Kunitz/Sutter - So the Sens rush the puck up ice, and the're supposed to slow them up in the Neutral zone, well they don't, they weave laterally in the neutral zone as the Sens gather speed, with one Senator stationary at the blue line. At this point Anderson heads for the bench, but the Pens are still up 5-4 on the rush. So Alfie rush up the center of the ice, and sends a pass Gonchar through the middle to enter the Pens Zone.

7) Sutter/Martin - In true prevent defense mode, Sutter and Martin back off into the zone as Gonchar comes in, and drops a pass to Micalek on the blue line. At this point Gonchar continues to the towards to corner. Martin AND Sutter now stop backing off and try to go to Mikalek.

8) Kunitz- Ah, how about a back check and track either of the two. , after alfie's first pass, he's just cruising into the zone as Alfie and I think Spezza are bolting for the net, who'd have thought. Dupuis would have been tracking Alfie HARD.

9) Letang - follows the flow of Gonchar towards to the corner, leaving the center of the ice. What's the more dangerous area, the corner, or the slot, hummmmm, thinking, thinking. ( my thought is he figure he had help on the back side, but see 8)

10) Malkin, now probably gassed since he's not been on the ice for almost 50 seconds of the PP kill, is just coasting back to the middle watching the puck and is oblivious to TWO players coming behing him to the net. AGAIN, the dangerous area is the slot and front of the net, go to help your goalie.

Mikaled puts a beautiful straight towards the goal, and Alfie puts in a beautiful defelection.

Honestly, I can't fathom what the players on the ice were thinking. And I don't understand Bylsma thoughts either. He astounds me sometimes.

Sigh, rant off.

It took Anderson standing on his head, and a brain cramp by the Pens, for the Sens to win that game. I'm still confident.

[B21]

Back in the driver's seat? More like still in it. All that desperation, Spezza's return, and Anderson playing great and it still took Malkin to get lazy playing a stupid prevent he shouldn't have even been on the ice for to save the Sens with 30 seconds to go?

This series is over, they're just helping me with my predictions.

Good point. Win Game 4 to stay in the driver's seat. I was thinking the same...just didn't come out that way.

[B21]

I'm not panicing, yet. But the dissappointment of the game yesterday has not yet subided.

We were clearly the dominent team, but 1 minute of time I still cannot really fathom. So many thing were just not right.

But that sequence that created Alfie's goal was like the keystone cops. Where to begin.

1) Bylsma - It had to be his decision not to press the Power Play, and try to simply run the clock. Sid's line started, but as soon as we lost the zone, the team went into to mode of getting to the red line, dumping to the corner AND NOT PRESSURING.

2) Bylsma - After the second lost possession(really just another dumpin), Bylsma takes off Sid, and leaves on the ice Malkin, Kunitz and Sutter as the forwards with Martin and Letang at D. Why? First off Malking Kunitz and Sutter at foward is like picking out numbers from a hat, they NEVER play together. Second, if from all I could see we weren't going to score, and simply defend, PUT YOUR FRIGGIN DEFENSIVE LINE OUT THERE!!!! Third, you are going to defend with your two offensive defenders, HUH?

At this point we are approaching 40 seconds left, and Letang has the puck behind the Pens net, with both teams changing. Anderson still in net.

3) Bylsma(seeing a pattern?) -after 40 seconds of time on the PP Kill(Yes, we were killing our power play), Malkin is still out there. A normal coach, if trying to run out the clock, puts fresh troups out there. Heck, he gave a rest to Sid, WHO IS ONE OF THE DEFENSIVE FORWARDS!!!

4) Letang - With no pressure whatsoever, he decides to come out from behind the net and start up ice. Why? Sit there and make Ottawa commit. Spread two forwards at the half walls and play keep away. But no, he comes up ice on a rush and gives the puck to Kunitz.

5) Kunitz - Gets to center, then dumps the puck in the Ottawa zone, AND DOESN'T CHASE. Why, with almost no pressure, and the Sen's ready for retrieve mode, they could have simply sent the puck back to our own zone, and killed more time. There was NO reason to simply had the puck to the Sens. You're simply daring them to score on the rush. Which is what they did, with no one forechecking, it was an easy retrieve, and they were coming out of the zone with speed.

6) Kunitz/Sutter - So the Sens rush the puck up ice, and the're supposed to slow them up in the Neutral zone, well they don't, they weave laterally in the neutral zone as the Sens gather speed, with one Senator stationary at the blue line. At this point Anderson heads for the bench, but the Pens are still up 5-4 on the rush. So Alfie rush up the center of the ice, and sends a pass Gonchar through the middle to enter the Pens Zone.

7) Sutter/Martin - In true prevent defense mode, Sutter and Martin back off into the zone as Gonchar comes in, and drops a pass to Micalek on the blue line. At this point Gonchar continues to the towards to corner. Martin AND Sutter now stop backing off and try to go to Mikalek.

8) Kunitz- Ah, how about a back check and track either of the two. , after alfie's first pass, he's just cruising into the zone as Alfie and I think Spezza are bolting for the net, who'd have thought. Dupuis would have been tracking Alfie HARD.

9) Letang - follows the flow of Gonchar towards to the corner, leaving the center of the ice. What's the more dangerous area, the corner, or the slot, hummmmm, thinking, thinking. ( my thought is he figure he had help on the back side, but see 8)

10) Malkin, now probably gassed since he's not been on the ice for almost 50 seconds of the PP kill, is just coasting back to the middle watching the puck and is oblivious to TWO players coming behing him to the net. AGAIN, the dangerous area is the slot and front of the net, go to help your goalie.

Mikaled puts a beautiful straight towards the goal, and Alfie puts in a beautiful defelection.

Honestly, I can't fathom what the players on the ice were thinking. And I don't understand Bylsma thoughts either. He astounds me sometimes.

Sigh, rant off.

It took Anderson standing on his head, and a brain cramp by the Pens, for the Sens to win that game. I'm still confident.

Hate to respond to such a grant rant with something so simple but.....agree.

[mojo1917]

I thought Pgh played a really good road hockey game last night.

The Senators play much better at home than they do on the road, and for most of the night the Sens looked over-matched their scoring chances were few and far between and brief.

i guess 58:15 doesn't get it done in the playoffs.

I don't think the Scotia Bank crowd gets them another W i think the Pens close this out without much drama.