Pens roll, 6-2, to sweep Senators. Wait. It wasn't a sweep?

By Finesse (follow me on Twitter)

Because the most memorable moments in sports are usually the most unexpected, it's easy to forget that so much of what happens is exactly what's supposed to happen.  And the Pens' dispensing of the Senators, seemingly with very little difficulty, was exactly what was supposed to happen.

It was obvious after Game 1 that the Pens were a superior team to Ottawa, and once the Pens put up another 4-spot on Craig Anderson in Game 2, the concerns about getting stoned by this year's "hot goalie" dissipated.  Game 3 was about as encouraging of a game as the Pens have played all playoffs until an epic brain-fart at the end that didn't really put the series in doubt, but confirmed the doubt in your head that as great as this team is, there is still the capacity for bad mental mistakes.  That doubt was re-suppressed during the Pens' sustained domination throughout Games 4 and 5.

Make no mistake about it.  This was a 5-game sweep.  The Pens were dominant for long stretches, and brilliant for others.  It was every bit the mismatch that Pens-Hurricanes was in 2009.  The only times the Senators had sustained pressure, the Pens kept it to the outside and gave up very few quality scoring chances.

It's hard to say how much of the Pens' performance this series was due to the Pens being great or Ottawa simply being overmatched and running out of gas after a season played almost entirely on fumes.  But I lean toward the former.  Everything about the Senators' body language -- and even their captain's actual language -- screamed "this team is better than us."  Professional athletes don't usually play with such resignation unless they know that they know they have no chance.  Ottawa had no chance, and they knew it.  In fact, they knew it a long time ago.

After the Pens stole Jarome Iginla from the Bruins in the middle of the night, Paul MacLean was asked the next day about all the Pens' moves. "I don't even know why we'd bother playing the playoffs," he joked. He should have listened to himself.  Ottawa should never have bothered.

Mr. Mom knows.

We'll be back tomorrow morning with a full recap of Game 5, including thoughts on Neal's hat-trick, Vokoun's steadiness, and ... gasp! ... Kris Letang's Conn Smythian level of play.

MacLean: "I hope they don't bill us for the clinic."
— Sean Gentille (@seangentille) May 25, 2013

Go Pens.

Jonathan Toews: Who are you, and what are you doing?

By Finesse (follow me on Twitter)

I tuned in last night to the second and third period of Hawks-Wings Game 4 just in time to witness Jonathan Toews take three consecutive minor penalties, fail to get a shot off on a breakaway, and have a pass intercepted on a 2-on-1.  Sprinkled in among these offensive failures were signs of an obviously frustrated player, from wild stick swinging to an absolute death stare on the bench to berating officials.

I haven't seen a captain act out his frustrations in such an immature manner since ..... oh.  Right.



It's no easy task facing the Red Wings.  Even if they aren't as talented as they used to be, beating them requires more patience and more discipline than is required to beat any other team. You simply have to work harder than you usually do.  When the Pens played the Red Wings in the 2008 Finals, the Pens didn't even score a goal until 3 minutes remaining in the first period.  Of Game 3.  The last four games of that series were split 2-2 and were all one-goal games (including Game 5, which is easily in the conversation for best-played playoff game in Penguins history).  But by then it was too late.  The Wings, deservedly, closed out the series.





Things came easy for Chicago this season.  They're probably finally realizing that it won't come that easy against the Red Wings.  It just might be too late.

Some stats on the Pens, just because

By Finesse

Before the Internet, when the Pens had a bad period or game you only had a few options: take a walk, sit on the toilet and play Tetris, or drink profusely before passing out and calling into a sports talk radio show the next morning.  But now when the Pens play, it's so easy to vent on Twitter, text message, or even the arguably pointless period-by-period recaps we've been doing.  The ability to react to everything means that the forest often gets lost in the trees.  With the Pens up 3-1 on Ottawa, let's look at the forest.  Some interesting Pens stats presented without comment (mostly) after the jump...

A 7-3 victory sounds about right; Pens push Sens to the brink in Game 4

By Finesse (follow me on Twitter)

We opened our podcast last night asking the question: Was Game 4 the game we've been waiting for the Pens to play all postseason?  Our answer was a definitive 'no.'  Game 3 was the game we had been hoping the Pens were capable of -- a tight, 1-0 win, with scoring from an unexpected place, and an ability to overcome a hot goalie with a hot goalie of our own.  But you know, shit happens.


[Listen above or click here to subscribe on iTunes]

Game 4 was the game we knew the Pens had in them, and the Pens teased us with it a few times in the Isles series (Games 1 and 5) and even early in this series (Game 1).  But they never got all the way there like they did last night.  Game 4 was total domination.  The Pens OWNED the first period and probably should have been winning 5-2 after 20 minutes.  With all due respect to Dejan Kovacevic, who is having himself a hell of a playoffs, the Pens were not "awful" in the first period.  In fact, it was arguably the Pens most dominant period offensively in the whole playoffs; it just took a few minutes more of play in the second period to reap the benefits on the scoreboard.  What happened in the third period -- 4 goals in 10 minutes -- was not the product of 10 good minutes of hockey, something which has often been enough for the Pens to win games.  It was the well-earned payoff from two excellent overall performances in Ottawa in Games 3 and 4.

The Pens went into Ottawa and scored 8 goals in 2 games -- it's just a matter of bad fortune that they weren't spread out more evenly to come home with two wins.  Because one thing is clear this morning and it's that this series should already be over.

Read on for more...

Podcast: Pens explode for 7-3 win, let's talk about it

Can any other team in the NHL do what the Pens did tonight -- get stymied by a "hot" goalie for a period, then run him out of the building in a third period so dominant it bordered on embarrassing?

We discuss on the GTOG Podcast.

(If you're new to the podcast, the quality is usually much higher. One of us (Artistry) decided to go on a family vacation during the NHL playoffs)

Click here to subscribe on iTunes

**If you're listening on your smartphone, the best ways to make sure that you have an uninterrupted experience are: 1) download the podcast from iTunes OR 2) download the Spreaker app by going to the App store and searching for "Spreaker" then "Get To Our Game"**

Second Period Recap: Pens up 3-2, Equilibrium restored

The first 3 minutes were a market-correction for a first period that the Pens dominated.  Rarely do you see a pass that either of two guys could have taken for a breakaway.  Hands has some serious finish.

Strong period from Vokoun.

We know Ottawa will come hard this period, so the Pens will get their chances.  Put the first few away and zip it up.

You've already gotten to your game. Now stay there. 

First Period Recap: Pens down, 2-1. But now the good news.

The good news is that the Pens are playing REALLY well offensively.

The bad news is that Anderson is finding a groove and the Pens wasted a ton of chances to score.  Sid should could have 4 goals.

The main takeaway from the first period is it's another 20 minutes that hasn't changed the script.  The Pens are better than Ottawa, and the difference is significant at times.  But whether the Pens have the capability to take advantage of that fact and not break down mentally?  That was -- and remains -- an open question.