Many of the Penguins players will be facing their favorite childhood team in a game seven playoff game that they’ve played over and over in their younger heads scoring the game winning goal for the Canadiens. It’s time to trample the ghosts of their childhood heroes, it’s time to spit in the face of 100 years of hockey history, It’s time to get down and dirty.
The Penguins need to play hard hitting, fore checking and shot blocking hockey. They have been letting the Canadiens dictate the style of play that must come to an end.
To win tonight’s game the Penguins defense has to be aggressive, not passive. Attack the Montreal players before and all the while they are coming into the zone. Montreal has great snipers but they are all small, get in their face and hound them, stop letting them get in close enough for a good shot. Block the shots. The defense needs to do more than bend over, they need to lay down or dive if need be.
Hit Somebody. In the three games the Penguins have won, they have averaged 31 hits per game. In the three games they lost they averaged 23 hits a game. Brooks Orpik didn’t even register a hit last game and the Penguins as a team only had 20 total hits. The Pens averaged 36 hits a game in the Ottawa series.
Get to their net, get in front of their net, poke Halak a few times. Adams is the only Penguin player that has touched Halak all series, take Halak off his game, rattle him a little. Put the shots on net, stop worrying about picking corners, if there are Penguin players in front just get the puck there and let them get the puck into the net.
Today’s Lines, Ponikarovsky is back in, Letestu is out:
Kunitz-Crosby-Dupuis
Guerin-Malkin-Ponikarovsky
Cooke-Staal-Kennedy
Talbot-Adams-Rupp
Who cares if the Montreal Canadiens were the first team the Penguins played at the Civic Arena, the Penguins were the first expansion team to beat an “Original Six” team, that was in the Civic Arena and that team was the Chicago Blackhawks. That will be the fitting end to the Igloo, Crosby picking up the Stanley Cup for the Penguins on the Civic Arena ice.
I’m sure coach Bylsma has his game plan set but tonight is about the hockey you can’t teach what the players need to do tonight in one afternoon skate, game 7’s are what it is all about. So get out your rally caps, your good luck charms, sit in your lucky chair, it’s going to be a fun one.
Tonight’s game is a must win for a chance at history. A team hasn’t gone to the Stanley Cup finals three years in a row since the Edmonton Oilers did the first year Mario Lemieux was in the NHL, 25 years ago. All of the Penguins that have worn the uniform skating on the Civic Arena’s ice have built their own history, have their own ghosts and tonight as fans it’s time to awaken them the way only Penguins fans can.
It’s Crosby Time!
whats with the moderation !!!!! jeez can’t a guy give his fantastic unbiased opinions anymore .
I love reading the comments of before the game and thanking us for the warm up. I also like the comments about the Habs being a fluke team when the Stanley Cup is specifically designed to not have fluke wins. I also love the recurring comments about how the teams didn’t show up for a 7 game series (which is pretty much the definition of a bad/inconsistent team). The truth is that you and Washington got outplayed by an underdog team with more desire. Just stop your excuses and admit it. The Habs deserve to be where they are and have a great shot at the cup this year because of their teamwork and heart (and Halak). Personally I think it looks better for you guys to just say hey: “We are a better team on paper, and yes we’ve had more success lately, but they played damn well, it was close and they came out on top” than to say: “Yea, was a fluke, our team didn’t show up, that’s why you won and have fun wasting your time you’re just going to lose to the west”. If that’s what you think, then your team just doesn’t care and doesn’t have guts which I find way worse than a team lacking raw talent.
That being said, Crosby is indeed a cry-baby.
The Pens didn’t show up. At least you all acknowledge that. If we did, you all wouldn’t be happy today. You all do have a great goalie, however, will lose to either the Sharks or Blackhawks. Not your year either. So what I am feeling now, you all will be feeling the middle of June. Prolonged unhappiness.
Hi everybody yes I did cry yesterday of hapinness!!!
So proud of my team, you did a good job but we where better….. and a special thanks for Crosby for the beautiful penalty at only 10 sec in the game that did change everithing for us see you next year
GO HABS GO
Thanks Crosby for your stupid penalty only 10 sec in the game. Fatal error, Mr. Crybaby.
HGrunstein
Refs were crap and we still smoked you! Sorry the NHLs prodigy son couldn’t do anything!
looks like pens forgot to show up tonite. WAY TO GO HABS! WHOOO
Headed over to the Red Light by the Arena right now!!! We just need to check them a few times, they’ll surrender! LET’S GO PENS!!!!!
You Hab fans should start working on your “the refs did us in” stories now. It will save you a lot of time later.
The refs did an OK job last night. As long as the Habs continue to work as a team, the refs can’t kill us.
Go Habs Go!
with all the tears shed from their idiotic fans tonight its gonna be called watermellon arena !
spoken like a true idiot.
Not an Idiot like Crosby though! Tears shed in WaterMelon arena YES! Much thanks to Crosby for acting like an idiot and setting the pace for the Habs so ear;y in the game with an ididic penalty that ended up in a goal.
The Habs will have a huge psychological edge tonight, they will be pumped up and the Pens will be VERY nervous in front of their dummy Pitts fans ! like with Washington it gonna be deja view all over again
Pens have been there done that. Habs celebrated after beating the Caps like they just won the cup. Children.
well those children just kicked your ass
get lost dude it was a very restrained celebration ! they showed a lot of class for an 8th place team who just disposed of the defending champs .
right as usual !
Overconfidence will be your undoing
Wow, you Habs fans are pretty cocky having a team that hasn’t made it past this round in 17 years.
Fact: Before this series the Canadiens only won 3 of the last 19 games they played in this round since they won the cup in ’93
Hey Habs, thanks for the warm up going into the semi’s, it was fun.
2 best players in the world will help get the job done tonight.
Hit Somebody!
ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THE BIG BABY?
Boston Celtics forward Glen Davis? Your in the wrong sport my friend.
BIG BABY? Do you mean the guy that won the gold for your country – the last big win your city will ever see?
LOL
Baby or not, I hope we can cry past this fluke team and get on with the next series.
You are right we will be on final againts Chicago and for sure I will cry tonight of happiness
the 25th coupe it’s comming
GO HABS GO
HABS – I KNOW YOU ARE GOING TO BE A BIG BABY TONIGHT WHEN WE KICK YOUR ASS! DON’T CRY TOO MUCH!
Us? Crying? No, you’re thinking Crosby’s voice cracking during the interviews after Wednesday’s massace… *ahem*game.
No matter, he can cry it all out in bed. After all, he’s gotta work on that golf swing.
Wait a second…were you talking about Ovechkin and Mike Green (or Semin, or Backstrom).
That was last series. This series, we’ll take out 2 more good players.
Mike Green and Semin? did they even play in the playoffs? Try and shut down AO and your good to go to exploit that D and goalie. May the better team win.
Two best players in the world = Halak & Cammalerri. You’re right, they did get the job done last night!
The Habs & reHabs were sitting on a fence, the Habs fell off who was left.
Have fun in reHabs.
The first game played at the Mellon arena was against the Montreal Canadians, Habs won 2-1. Tonight is going to be the last game at the Mellon arena, sadly for the history of the Pens, and they are going to lost to the same team that they lost to in the first game at the igloo. Its been a great series to watch!
GO HABS GO
Montreal will beat the Pens tonight
We did the first game at the civic arena and we will do for your last game
GO HABS GO
Tonight will be Montreal’s last game played at Mellon. We need to put tons of pressure on Halak, hit, and score goals. Montreal is good, but not as good as the Pens when we are on our game.
60 minutes guys!
GO PENZ!
If the Pens want to win this they will. I agree – get back to the basics. I haven’t been this nervous since game 7 against Detroit.
If you’re nervous, imagine how the Pens are feeling.
Anybody have Crosby’s phone number? I got a Big Bertha for sale!