Eastern Conference Finals: Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Ottawa Senators

[pilldoc]

All discussion Pens vs Sens goes here.

 

CONFERENCE FINALS

Eastern Conference

VS.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Ottawa Senators

Game 1: Senators at Penguins, Saturday, May 13, 7 p.m.
Game 2: Senators at Penguins, Monday, May 15, 8 p.m.
Game 3: Penguins at Senators, Wednesday, May 17, 8 p.m.
Game 4: Penguins at Senators, Friday, May 19, 8 p.m.
*Game 5: Senators at Penguins, Sunday, May 21, 3 p.m.
*Game 6: Penguins at Senators, Tuesday, May 23, 8 p.m.
*Game 7: Senators at Penguins, Thursday, May 25, 8 p.m.
*if necessary

[Samifan]

GO SENS!!!!

[B21]

Any word on Daley? I know he was day to day.  I'm a lot more confident with him in the line-up. I don't want to rain on the Pens' parade after list night but they got by on smoke and mirrors (and grit and hustle) in Game 7. We saw how things changed after Daley went down. Not sure they can do without him for a full series.

[Samifan]

The Pens still have Streit waiting in the wings. Put me in coach 

[Puck_Pun]

My heart wants to say the Sens will win, but my head says the Pens are more likely to win.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

1 hour ago, Samifan said:

The Pens still have Streit waiting in the wings. Put me in coach 

 

Ahh, yes.

The forgotten man, Streit.

[Poulin20]

Sens have been fun to watch but lets get real here, they don't have the firepower to match the Pens.  Barring a return of the MAF that we all know and love (excluding Pens fans from this "we" of course) the Pens should take this in 5.  

[hf101]

I voted for the Penguins in 5 also.  I think the Senators luck runs out in this series even though Anderson will keep these games close.  

[ruxpin]

I really enjoy watching the Sens.   They've become kind of my adopted 2nd team over the last couple years.  That started largely because of fantasy hockey, but I picked up watching them and enjoy it.

 

Anyway, I picked Pens in 6.  I have a little bit of concern for the Pens.  I agree with @B21 regarding the smoke & mirrors thing.  Fleury stole a couple games there.    But then again, that's often the way you have to accomplish beating the #1 regular season team in the league.   Maybe -- I said maybe -- the Capitals were actually better than other years and that's simply what it took to beat them.

 

The Senators are not the Capitals.   Anderson can steal some games and he can get hot.  So the Sens have that.   The Sens also have better forwards than most want  to give them credit for.     And they have a world-class defenseman.   But that world-class defenseman is playing on not one, but two fractured feet.   So far, so good, but how long does that last?   And there may be a difference playing on 2 broken feet and playing against Crosby and Malkin et al., rather than whatever meh the Rangers put out there.

 

I picked Pens in 6 and winning in Ottawa.   But this has potential upset hiding in there.

[nossagog]

I'm going with the Pens in 6.  I hope they are not going to take the Sens too lightly after going through Columbus and Washington so far.   The Pens have been able to win against two of the Vezina trophy candidates so far, but Fleury has been standing on his head.   Could be quite the different story if Daley cannot play.  I just don't think without Letand and Daley that they can keep up this style of game. 

 

@B21   Are you really THAT superstitious?

[B21]

4 hours ago, nossagog said:

@B21   Are you really THAT superstitious?

 

Insanely. 

 

Wife is out of town for work so as part of my fatherly duties I have to apparently put our boys (2 and 4) to bed. That includes brushing teeth and baths as well. I have to leave their shows on TV otherwise it would take all night....so no Pens game on. After all that was done it was 1-0 Pens (I had been checking my phone). Since they were winning without me watching I refused to put the game on TV. I didn't watch a single solitary second of Game 7 as it happened for that reason. That's why they we won.

[yave1964]

The Rangers outplayed the Senators in at least two games won by the Sens who were opportunistic and overmatched much of the time but took advantage time and again when the Rags had lapses.

 

  The Pens were badly outshot by the Capitals and in a lot of ways you could say the same about them as the Senators. Not picking on the Pens because a) they are still the champs and b) they just defeated the reigning President Trophy team for the second year in a row but they have been less than stellar.

 

 I took the Penguins in six because they are the champs and they have home ice, Plus I have been a bit disturbed by Boucher patting the team on the back to the media for making the conference finals. Yeah it is a big deal that a team not expected to do much has went so far, but he seems somehow complacent.

 

Pens in 6.

 

[B21]

52 minutes ago, yave1964 said:

The Rangers outplayed the Senators in at least two games won by the Sens who were opportunistic and overmatched much of the time but took advantage time and again when the Rags had lapses.

 

  The Pens were badly outshot by the Capitals and in a lot of ways you could say the same about them as the Senators. Not picking on the Pens because a) they are still the champs and b) they just defeated the reigning President Trophy team for the second year in a row but they have been less than stellar.

 

 I took the Penguins in six because they are the champs and they have home ice, Plus I have been a bit disturbed by Boucher patting the team on the back to the media for making the conference finals. Yeah it is a big deal that a team not expected to do much has went so far, but he seems somehow complacent.

 

Pens in 6.

 

 

This is a good read.

 

https://www.nhl.com/news/despite-success-penguins-know-they-can-improve/c-289396388?tid=287345758

 

Statistically, speaking - the Pens are the worst team remaining in the playoffs yet somehow took out the teams ranked 1st and 4th in points during the regular season.  Can they continue this way? Maybe. I'd prefer they get back to being the "old" Pens which they did in Game 7 and really did in the 3rd period of Game 7. If they do, they repeat. If not, they might repeat...but I wouldn't bet the farm on it.

 

 

[vis]

Not sure the Sens are getting enough credit.  I can see Boucher devising a defensive system that stifles the Pens.  Dude is a defensive genius and not afraid to layer and clog things up.  And they get away with it more in the POs.  

 

That said, I could easily see the Pens winning this in 5 games.

[nossagog]

16 hours ago, vis said:

Not sure the Sens are getting enough credit.  I can see Boucher devising a defensive system that stifles the Pens.  Dude is a defensive genius and not afraid to layer and clog things up.  And they get away with it more in the POs.  

 

That said, I could easily see the Pens winning this in 5 games.

He's brought the dreaded 1-3-1 trap from Tampa to Ottawa to slog things up.   It will slow up the neutral zone, take away stretch passes and make dumpins harder if the officials "let em play" and interfere with zone entry.   It is REAL important to get the lead against them, as they'll make it extremely to come  back late in games. 

[nossagog]

Game one to Ottawa in OT.  I'll have to dredge up my Olli Maatta thread and remember my displeasure with Olli's speed.  Man Ryan made him look like a pylon. 

 

Thought both teams played the games that they wanted, and both teams had a lot of opportunities tonight. 

[FD19372]

Great win by Ottawa. Solid team D and great goaltending by Craig Anderson. They'd better be more disciplined and stay out of the penalty box in Game 2 and the rest of the series.

[Puck_Pun]

5 hours ago, FD19372 said:

They'd better be more disciplined and stay out of the penalty box in Game 2 and the rest of the series.

 

Oh this definitely. Their PK team and Anderson really won this game, and they can't rely on having the same good fortune in future games as the Pens work a way of beating the Sens defence.

[Samifan]

Huge win for the Sens!!!!! They played a solid road game and were able to survive all those PKs. I still think with everything Anderson has been through, it's amazing the way he has been playing. I think this win gives them even more confidence that they can hang with the big bad Pens in this series. Pageau has had a great playoff, could he be a dark horse for the Conn Smythe ? 

 

Go Underdog Go!

[hf101]

Phaneuf kinda left his feet here as this hit kinda looks like something the league would take a 2nd look at especially in the regular season.  Probably no suspension though.

 

[hf101]

some good animation of Kessel, lol

 

 

[nossagog]

12 minutes ago, hf101 said:

Phaneuf kinda left his feet here as this hit kinda looks like something the league would take a 2nd look at especially in the regular season.  Probably no suspension though.

I didn't really have too much of a problem with that as he had his elbows in.  I had more of a problem with the hit that took out Shultz.  It wasn't much of a push into the boards, but Shultz never had the puck on the play, how is that not interference?   Not that it was dirty, but it IS a penalty. 

[nossagog]

Hornqvist, Rust and Shultz ruled out for game three.  From the sounds of it, Daley will be back in the lineup, and Mark Streit is also going to be in there.  Playing with seven on defense tonight, probably as a precaution, and also for Streit to play the power play point. 

[Puck_Pun]

Hot dog that's a big start to the game, 4-0 Sens. They've just kept pressing the Pens defence and getting payoff for it. Now let's see if they can maintain that lead...

[pilldoc]

Wow ... did not see this coming..... 5-0 Sens over Pens.  Looks like Game #4 is a must for Pens.  If there is one thing to learn in these playoffs is that the team on the short end of a lopsided score came back to win the following game. I would expect a 3-2 Pens in Game #4 .....just my guess....