Caps take series lead with OT win in Game 1

The Washington Capitals took the series lead after the first game with a hat-trick goal from T.J Oshie to give the Washington Capitals a 4-3 win. The series has been heavily billed beforehand due to it being the second match-up in the playoffs of Crosby and Ovie but both failed to score and Ovie only managed to pick up a solitary assist.

The Penguins continued to play their style of fast, aggressive hockey and they enjoyed a dominant shot clock taking 45 shots to the Capitals 35. Despite having more shots the Penguins failed to take their chances counts and the Capitals took theirs where it mattered. This was a strong test for Murray and aside from one weak goal he did his job well and continued to make a case for the future goaltending position of the Penguins.

The Capitals enjoyed a bright start to this game and caught the Penguins seemingly, flat footed, out-shooting them 15 to 9 in the first period. The Capitals took the lead through Burakovsky who scored his first goal of the 2016 playoffs with a rebound goal off Murray from a 3-on-1 breakaway by the Caps.

For the next two periods the Penguins controlled the shots and had more chances and they were able to get their first lead in the series with two quick goals together. Bonino and Malkin scored 57 seconds apart. Lovejoy skated down the ice and split the defence before passing it to Bonino who had an open goal. Malkin then gave the Penguins the lead with a backhanded shot over Holtby's shoulder.

T.J Oshie then took control of the game and scored the Caps next three goals, the third being the game winning goal in overtime. The Capitals took the lead again early in the third period after Ovechkin set Oshie free and he finished with ease. The Penguins managed to avoid losing in regulation with Bonino scoring after a quick move behind the net by Kessel to find him in front.

One of the biggest talking points however wasn't a goal. It was Wilson's knee to knee hit on Conor Sheary that left him limping after the game. Wilson took a clear detour when skating to the bench and knee'd Sheary as he was skating past. The NHL's Department of Player Safety dished out the punishment today. A fine. Great deterrent, it won't be long before someone is hurt the way the DoPS have handled cases this year.

Despite losing the first game the Penguins can look at the positives. They put three past a hot goalie in Holtby. They took the leagues best team over the season to overtime and were only beaten by a goal that just crossed the line. With a clampdown on defensive mistakes they should be fine

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Pens will face Capitals in round 2

The Pittsburgh Penguins will face the Washington Capitals in the second round of the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs. This will be the first time that the Penguins will face the Capitals since the 7 game series in 2009 which the Penguins played through on their way to their Stanley Cup win.

The Washington Capitals clinched their place in the second round following a 1-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 6 of their first round match-up stopping the Flyers from winning three in a row and potentially "reverse sweeping" them. The game wasn't the best but the Capitals have the strongest goaltender in the league behind them.

In the regular season the Penguins bested the Capitals in the series 3-2 with 16 goals in those 5 games to the Capitals 13. The second game in the series, a 4-1 loss on the 15th of December, was one of Mike Sullivan's first games as the Penguins coach. The team has improved a lot since that point and really gotten rid of the issues that were prevalent under Mike Johnston.

The goaltenders will be the biggest key in this series with the latest, hot young thing in Matt Murray going up against the leagues best this season in Braden Holtby. Both have been lights out in their respective series so far. Holtby finished with a 0.84GAA and .968SV% through his 6 games whilst Murray finished with a 1.33 GAA and a .955SV%. .

Their is a question about whether Holtby can continue his performance against a stronger offensive team in the Penguins that was one of the top scorers in 2016. There's no denying that Holtby's performances so far have been exceptional in the playoffs. However, the Flyers were anaemic in their offence and only managed to score 6 goals in the whole series. The Penguins a speedy team and have regularly taken over 30 shots in their series.

Even when the Penguins had fewer than 30 shots, like in Game 5 where they had 28, they have taken them. They reduced an elite goaltender in Lundqvist to rubble and had him pulled in two consecutive games so they won't be phased by a stronger goaltender like Holtby.

For the Penguins, the big question is whether Murray can continue his good form and if they need to start Fleury if he is healthy and ready to play. Personally, I would continue to play Murray, even with Fleury is healthy. Keep him as back-up until Murray struggles or needs a rest. Murry has won the last 10 games hes completed and more than shown that he is a competent replacement for Fleury going forward. The Rangers were a big test and he came up trumps.

Special teams will play a big part in this series. For as long as the Capitals have Alex Ovechkin their power play will be deadly. He is dominant on it and if the Penguins want to improve their chances of winning then they need to make sure that if they do give away penalties, they prevent him from getting shots off.

However, the Penguins boast the 5th best Penalty Kill in the play offs so far at 89.5% and they successfully prevented the Rangers for large parts of their games in Madison Square Gardens. A strong PK can really frustrate the opposition and cause mistakes to seep into their games. Their penalty kill will need to continue to be strong.

In all, this series is going to be unpredictable and it is impossible to call as anything could happen. I just hope that the Penguins win it as I think whoever wins this has a superb chance of going to the Stanley Cup as the representative from the Eastern Conference.

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Pens eliminate Rangers in 5 games with dominant win

The Penguins will be advancing to the second round for the first time since the 2014 playoffs, where they faced the Rangers and lost 4-3. The Penguins exacted redemption today, not just for 2014 but also for 2015 when the Rangers beat them in the first round 4-1. The difference between the two series is incredible and the adjustments that Pittsburgh made are why they won.

Last year the Penguins struggled to score on Henrik  Lundqvist. Not a problem this year as he was chased today for the second straight game after giving up 6 goals on 23 shots. It would be easy to look at the goals against column and blame Lundqvist, but that wouldn't be fair. He has been weak on a few goals but the Rangers defence has left him to dry far too much in this series with bad coverage and poor clearing.

The Rangers scored the first goal in this game with a shot by Dan Girardi deflecting in off Ben Lovejoy and past Matt Murray. Murray set a 100 minute shut-out briefly before that goal. The Rangers dominated the first 10 minutes but the Penguins took their chances and levelled on a neat move between Hagelin and Kessel that allowed the former Rangers to pot it in front of the net.

The Rangers determination to avoid elimination was clear as they wasted no time in getting the lead back, a puck pinging in off Hornqvist in front of the net and for the second time, the Penguins had a hand in giving the Rangers a goal. Despite the Rangers having the better of play in the first the scores were tied at Desmond after Kessel ripped Lunqdvist with a wicked snipe.

From that point on the Penguins dominated with Conor Sheary showing particular promise with continued attacking drives and strong body players. Considering Sheary's frame it is incredible to see him pushing people a good deal taller off the puck. Sheary and Rust both started this season in Wilkes-Barre and both were rewarded with goals today on the rush. Bryan Rust had a particularly good game, finishing with two goals and showing good chemistry with Malkin.

Matt Cullen continued his excellent season, making the most of a poor turnover in the Rangers zone to slot the puck through Lundqvist's legs. Cullen's season is reminiscent of Bill Guerin in 2009. The Rangers pushed heavily in the third period in the hope of scoring early and closing the gap to give them a chance to push the game to overtime. They managed to score a goal on the man advantage 5 minutes into the third but it was too late. Murray stood tall and rode it to advance the Penguins.

The Penguins impressed me in this series and aside from Game 2 they never really looked out of it. A bigger test awaits though in either the Capitals or Flyers. But, their series isn't over yet and they have Game 6 in Philadelphia tomorrow. The best we can hope for is that both destroy each other making whoever comes through weaker.

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Murray carries Pens to 2-1 series lead

The Penguins welcomed Matt Murray back to the fold and was greatful for his control of the play and calm presence as the Penguins took a 2-1 lead in the series with a 3-1 win in Game 3. Jeff Zatkoff's job is done and the Penguins looked much better in defence compared to Game 2.

The Penguins first period in this game was disappointing however, their big names in Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby didn't show and looked like they were trudging through mud at times. Connor Sheary was one of the more impressive players in the first 20 minutes. The Penguins were lucky in a way as the Rangers scored on a rush but Skjei's pass to Miller was offside, the Penguins got a lucky break.

Although the Rangers seemed to control the puck most in the game they didn't make the most and failed to really test Matt Murray, finishing with just 17 shots on goal through the whole 60 minutes. That wouldn't be good enough in a regular season game, let alone a playoff one.

The Rangers did get the lead first though on a short-handed breakaway goal by Rick Nash after Chris Kreider spotted him making a break through an open slot. The Penguins continued to chip away at Lundqvist in net and for a long time it did look like they were returning to the team that we saw last year that struggled to score. However, the Penguins got a timely goal by tying it up with just 42 seconds left in the second period on the powerplay.

Yet again this season Matt Cullen contributed a key goal as he stripped the defence of the puck and stormed through to score on Lundqvist's five hole unassisted to break the tie in the third period. The Penguins qualities on the penalty kill were evident throughout the whole game and that confidence in chance suppression was clear as they restricted the Rangers to just four shots in the third period.

Kris Letang wrapped it up with a timely empty net goal and secured a key win for Pittsburgh. Game 4 is on Thursday night and it would be fantastic to win it and go back to Pittsburgh with the chance to close the season out on Saturday night.

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Pens head into Game 3 hopeful of Fleury's return

Jeff Zatkoff has stood up to the challenges thrown at him so far and despite letting in 4 games in the last game he has performed well, not as bad some, including myself, thought he would be. However, you need your best players playing and with the nice three day gap between Games 2 and 3 this will help get injured players back. Malkin has already returned and the Penguins hope that next will be Fleury.

A lot of teams would be worried about splitting their opening two games of the series, especially when they're at both at home. But, considering the Penguins were playing their third string goaltender and missing other key players, they'd take it. I don't think they'll be worried either about playing in Madison Square Gardens considering their performance there in the regular season.

The Penguins relied a lot on the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins call ups in those two games and their depth has relied on them in the past month and a bit. So far, the bottom two lines have helped pen down and frustrate the Rangers, but the Rangers are out-hitting the Penguins so far.

The Penguins encountered a familiar Lundqvist in Game 2. One that was strong in the net and gave nothing up. The Penguins biggest struggle is against even strength, on the man advantage they are more able to crack Lundqvist, but you would expect that. To get back to beating him they need to get in his crease and his head. Perimeter play won't work.

The Penguins failed to control the play in the second game and that is the biggest reason why the Rangers were able to win and tie the series. The Rangers kept the puck and generated more chances than the Penguins by making smart plays to keep the puck in the zone and pressure the defence. Schultz was scratched in Game 2 and it is likely that, after a poor game, Maatta will be scratched in Game 3.

The Penguins can win this series and they can win in New York. They have nothing to worry about. If they control play like they did in the first game then their hockey will do the talking and they'll be able to control it. Repeat Game 2 and it will 2-1 Rangers and I wouldn't want to have to overturn a series deficit against the Rangers. You think Lundqvist is annoying now?

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Jeff Zatkoff stands tall, helps Pens take Game 1 5-2

Jeff Zatkoff played in his first NHL playoff game and won on his debut, the first Penguins goalie to do so on a post season debut since Frank Pietrangelo on April 13th 1991. Zatkoff came into this game with an 0.896 SV% so you could understand why some Penguins fans would be sceptical ahead of the game. The alternative would be to play Tristan Jarry, which would be worse as talented as he is due to his recent performances.

Jeff Zatkoff answered the bell and took the mantle from Fleury for the night and he was called into action early on with the Rangers controlling the play in the first period. They had 10 shots to the Penguins 3 by the half-way mark of the first period and it was clear they had a plan to control the play and take advantage. By taking the puck away from Pittsburgh they could nullify their speed and make it easier for themselves.

Zatkoff put in a strong performance in the Penguins net but there was a worry moment for the Rangers when Staal ended up putting his stick through Lundqvist's face-mask near the end of the first period. He managed to poke Lundqvist in the eye and shortly after the Penguins scored with Hornqvist poking it through the goaltender's legs after Sheary's speculative pass.

Lundqvist didn't return to the game with Antti Raanta taking over for the rest of the game. He did his best but could only stop 16 of 19 shots the Penguins would put on him. For most of the second period he wasn't required but the Penguins struck for the second time near the end of the period. Crosby was sprung through on a breakaway and was left one on one with Raanta. Crosby easily shot the puck over the goaltender and in to give the Penguins a 2-0 lead going into the third.

The biggest moment of the game however was Thomas Kuhnhackl's shorthanded goal with the score at 2-1 after Derek Stepan scored after a nice move on a 5-on-3 powerplay for the Rangers. The Rangers passed the puck around and slotted it to Stepan who was open on the doorstep and had an open goal to score on.

The Rangers still had powerplay time to use but the Penguins managed to extinguish the momentum from the goal by breaking on a 2-on-1 with Bonino and Kuhnhackl the parties involved. Bonino controlled the puck and passed it to Kuhnhackl who slided it into the net past Raanta.

Hornqvist scored a powerplay goal for the Penguins themselves shortly after and although Stepan scored again to cut the deficit to two, the Penguins saw the game out. Hornqvist ended it with an empty net goal for his first playoff hat-trick. The game was slightly below in quality from what I was expecting but with some key players coming back for Game two I would expect that to change. Here's to Saturday.

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Pittsburgh vs New York Rangers: Round 1 will start Wednesday

The Pittsburgh Penguins will face the New York Rangers for the third straight year in the playoffs after the New York Islanders lose 5-2 to the Philadelphia Flyers. This meant that the Islanders would instead face the Florida Panthers and left the Penguins with the Rangers. The previous two playoff series were completely different from each other and I dare say that this one will throw up completely new scenarios as well.

The Penguins faced the Rangers four times in the regular season and ended up winning the series 3-1, with two of those wins coming with Evgeni Malkin out injured. They saw big plays from depth players, something that the Penguins have been missing for years and they now have fully functioning third and fourth lines who are a real threat.

Over the course of the season the Penguins game style has changed from a defensive one under Johnston to a much more offensive one under Sullivan. Sullivan has utilised the speed that the Penguins have in their roster and that has been complimented by the moves that Jim Rutherford has made. Together they completely changed the Penguins fortunes from a team that could miss the playoffs, to one that is a strong candidate to win it all.

The Rangers are no slouches though and they will be hard to beat no matter what the season record says. What matters is the game plan that they employ on the Penguins and if they adapt and change to the situations at hand. If they continue to be a physical team going for the body first against the Penguins then they won't succeed. The Penguins will skate around them. Like they did in the regular season.

Henrik Lundqvist is, as ever, a big part of the Rangers hopes for success. In the past his performances against the Penguins in the playoffs have been the stuff of nightmares. He has been an impossible wall to breach at time and has, over the last 8 playoff games Lundqvist is 7-1 and has a .954SV%. If the Penguins can get into his head like they did in the final three games in the regular season then they can make him more vulnerable and that will make it easier.

One worry for the Penguins will be if last years story repeats itself, with the top 6 shut down and the bottom 6 unable to produce. With players such as Kuhnhackl, Rust and Sheary in the line-up it is entirely possible that they struggle to produce in their first playoff series. Based on the regular season, if the chemistry is kept then they should be okay.

The biggest risk to the Penguins not advancing is themselves. In previous season the Penguins have had games by the scruff of the neck and been close to winning only to shoot themselves in the foot. They have improved under Sullivan and they commit fewer errors on defence and were 39-0-0 when leading after 2 during the season so if they employ the same strategies, they should be fine.

The series starts on Wednesday night at 8pm EST, which I don't like. I hate 8pm games. The series then goes to a Saturday game at 3pm before moving to New York for Tuesday at 7pm. The times for games beyond have yet to be announced. All that remains to be said, is to go Pens!.

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Pittsburgh wins in OT against Washington, clinches home ice

The Pittsburgh Penguins clinched home ice in the 2016 playoffs by defeating the Washington Capitals 4-3 in overtime on a Sidney Crosby breakaway backhand goal. The Penguins clinching home ice means they can only face either the New York Rangers or the New York Islanders in the first round.

The Penguins started the game quickly scoring just 44 seconds into the first frame with Matt Cullen scoring yet again, this time on an early rush before shooting the puck past Holtby's arm. That was Cullen's 15th of the season and has scored the most goals in a season since the 2005-06 season when he was with the Carolina Hurricanes.

One of the big problems that the Penguins have faced in previous years is a lack of depth scoring, it has been a key part as to why they have been eliminated early from the playoffs or struggled to score. With the players they currently have it feels like any line could score and that removes a lot of the burden off Crosby and allows him to play his natural game.

Cullen scored early in the first and then replicated in the second period scoring a short-handed goal with just 28 seconds on the period clock. Connor Sheary scored the Penguins third midway through the period after a nice move by Sestito, yes, Sestito. He collected the puck and slid it across to Sundqvist and over to Sheary who had positioned himself in front of the net. His shot went over Holtby's shoulder and in giving the Penguins a 3-0 lead.

The Penguins dominated the Capitals on even strength play in this game but struggled on the powerplay, going 0-for-4, one of those being a five minute major penalty. The Penguins impotent powerplay has been evident this season and a fix needs to be made as it can be the deciding factor.

The Caps came back in this one and Marcus Johansson had a big hand, scoring twice from range to bring the Caps within 1 with just under 10 minutes left. The Caps took control of the play for a while and peppered Murray with shots who stood strong until Burakovsky scored on a redirect near the net. The game saw no more score in regulation and went to overtime where we saw Crosby win it to extend his point streak to 8 games.

The Penguins had some strong points in this game but some weaknesses where evident and Sullivan should work on those. Malkin and Maatta are scheduled to miss the last game against the Flyers and I would rest Sid and Letang as well. There is no need to play them, let the Flyers play hard if they want to get in. If they lose, then we will have eliminated them as well, which would be great but not at the risk of potential playoff success.

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Pens clinch playoff spot with dominant win over New York Islanders

The Pittsburgh Penguins keep getting challenges thrown at them. They had to navigate a nine game Metro division streak. They came through that 7-2-0, vital points that have propelled them to where they are in the table. They've overcome injuries to key players like Evgeni Malkin and Olli Maatta. Yesterday they overcame another obstacle with Matt Murray playing in place of Marc-Andre Fleury was diagnosed with a concussion.

Matt Murray has been a superb player this season and is the most talked about goaltending prospect in the league right now. His name was mentioned at the trade deadline but Jim Rutherford was rightly adamant in that he wouldn't be traded. He made the right choice, especially when you consider the back-up, Zatkoff and the future.

This was an early matinee game and the consequences were clear. Win and the Penguins would be in the 2016 playoffs and in for their 10th straight year. A huge improvement from when they fired Mike Johnston and were hanging on an edge. The stats all point to improvements across the field, it is a shame they didn't fire him earlier.

The Penguins dominated this game and most of that was due to the glue-like ability Matt Murray had with the puck. After a brief opening wobble anything that was shot at him, stuck to him. The confidence in his game grew and it was clear to see. When you have that belief in your goaltender your defence is able to play easier and relax. They don't have to worry about what the goaltender will do.

The Penguins took the lead on a short-handed goal from Oskar Sundqvist, his first in the NHL. The goal was a bit odd as the Penguins went for a line change and reacted quickest to Berube clearing the puck into the center of the Islanders zone. Berube couldn't get set in time in net and Sundqvist ripped it past him.

Patric Hornqvist hit the 20 goal plateau for the sixth time in his career and he is now only 5 points away from tying his seasons best in points. When you consider the poor start he had it is impressive he is able to potentially reach that record. It also, again, shows how much of an improvement the Penguins offence is under Sullivan. Kessel has also rebounded and is looking like finishing strong after another goal, from the same spot that he scored his second on Rinne.

I still maintain that perhaps one of the best signings in the summer was that of Matt Cullen. He scored his 14th of the season today and picked up an assist on Kuhnhackl's 5th goal. For only $800k you really can't fault it and the Penguins should look to sign him up for another season. His chemistry with the players that have come up from Wilkes-Barre has been superb and really helped them come out offensively.

The Penguins will likely face one of two teams in the post-season. The Rangers or the Islanders. The Rangers have had a bad run of late but I would still expect them to finish in the third Metropolitan division spot. I think I would prefer to play the Islanders though as I believe they would be an "easier" match-up. But, whoever we get, we'll take it. The Penguins host the Flyers later today. We could help eliminate them from the playoffs. Wouldn't that be fun?

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Pens speed gives Predators problems

The Penguins have rebuilt their team since Mike Johnston was fired and one of the key components of that has been the insistence of speed. Phil Kessel was acquired last summer, originally for his shot, but his speed has been a great tool. Especially since he has been paired Carl Hagelin on the second line. That has been the Penguins main speed front but the third and fourth lines comprising of players from Wilkes-Barre Scranton have contributed well too.

The speed was evident in this game too as it gave the Predators fits and caught them flat footed at the start. The Penguins burst out of the gate and took and early control on the game. Kessel, who has been hot lately on the line with Bonino and Hagelin, opened the scoring. The Penguins brought the puck into the zone and Hagelin dished it out to Schultz. The Predators defence left Kessel open and he potted it into the net.

The Penguins were largely in control for most of the period but entered it tied after a late strike by Johansen from Neal and Forsberg. The puck was picked up behind the net and Johansen had an open goal as it completely took Fleury by surprise. Neal would score himself later after taking advantage of Fleury receiving a broken mask from a shot.

However, despite doing his best to get something against his old team the Penguins ran rampant. Kessel scored his second of the game in the second period on the rush down the wing, potting it past Rinne who expected a five-hole shot. For the first time in what feels like a long time, the Penguins powerplay clicked. Not once, but twice.

Letang is having a fantastic serious that should see him coming in the top 4 in the Norris standings. His season continued well as his point shot went through everyone for the first goal on the man advantage. He had a give-and-go play with Trevor Daley for the second before his shot was tipped it by Hornqvist who was sat in front of Rinne.

Rinne was pulled at the end of the second and his stand in, Hutton, had to take over. He did his best stopping 10 of 11 shots but Bonino took advantage of a loose puck in front of the net to make it 5-2 late on. One thing noticeable from this game was how quiet Shea Weber was. The Pens can clinch tomorrow if Boston or Detroit lose in regulation.

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