So Sidney Crosby Finally Woke Up For A Game Against The Rangers...Big Deal.

Gift-wrapping Game 2 isn’t exactly the ideal way to go about advancing in the playoffs. In a series many thought could be the most lopsided, splitting a couple of 1-goal games & handing over home ice ain’t the way it was supposed to start. We can pump the brakes on a full-fledged panic though. Besides the inept power play Rangers fans are used to, Saturday’s performance was far from the norm. Yeah, Crosby woke up and had himself a game for once in the last 9 meetings. Of course I’d rather not see arguably the best player in the world catch fire but recent history suggests it’s just a blip on the radar.
I had said in my pre-game post that the Blueshirts needed to avoid giveaways & protect the middle of the ice in front of Lundqvist – they failed miserably at both. They handed the puck over 3x as much as Pittsburgh & surrendered the slot often. It was ugly at times, and the Penguins earned the W by cashing in on their opportunities. They even dominated the Rangers at their own strength with a 22-7 blocked shots advantage. Still, this the same New York Rangers team that have dropped 2 consecutive games ONCE in over 2 months and finished as the best road team in the NHL. I’m fully confident AV will have his squad fully prepared to right the ship & take back the series lead tonight.
Did the Penguins really play better throughout the entire game Saturday? The only period they won on the scoreboard was the second (handily) but chances were even. Both teams kept each other in check for the first while the third was owned by the Rangers in full catch-up mode. Yes, they won the game and that’s all that matters – but I’m not ready to shit myself in fear of Pittsburgh taking over the series. I will say this though. If I’m gonna keep the shit out of my pants, Kevin Hayes is gonna have to bounce back in a big way from what was a pretty rough game for the rook.
NHL playoffs have a funny way of exposing inexperience, and Hayes has fallen victim early. A poor attempt at possessing/clearing the puck resulted in a Crosby finish with just over a minute left in the second, then a lazy hooking penalty deep in the offensive zone allowed the Pens to regain a two-goal lead halfway through the third. Kid’s simply gotta be better, as a big Blueshirts advantage should be Hayes’ line against a weak bottom six.
No team goes 16-0 on their way to a Cup. Whether or not the Rangers get there remains to be seen – but I know this squad has done nothing all season to warrant any doubt because of one loss. Maybe it’ll be tougher than everyone thought. Maybe the Penguins have a little resolve after all & can muster the ability to put up a fight. That doesn’t make them a better team. It’s a best-of-seven series. A 3-1 advantage wasn’t enough for them to put the Blueshirts away last year, so excuse me if being knotted at 1 doesn’t have me rattled. After the Rangers put Game 3 in their back pockets with the top-notch effort we’re used to, we’ll laugh about how silly it was to act like the sky was falling.