Penguins’ fans were treated to a classic two-fer last night in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals. As in two games rolled into one.
The first part? Not so good. Playing with their backs to the wall, the Tampa Bay Lightning employed an aggressive forecheck to snatch the momentum and pile up a 30-22 edge in shots on goal through 40 minutes. Not to mention a commanding 4-0 lead on tallies by Ryan Callahan, Andrej Sustr, Jonathan Drouin, and Tyler Johnson, who overcame a puck to the mouth in warmups to notch the eventual game winner.
The second part? Pure Penguins. With Marc-Andre Fleury replacing harried rookie Matt Murray between the pipes, the black and gold staged an electric third-period rally to narrow the gap to 4-3, courtesy of goals by Phil Kessel, Evgeni Malkin, and Chris Kunitz.
Perhaps Pens coach Mike Sullivan summed it up best.
“We were not the more determined team for the first half of the game,” he noted. “They are a good team, and we knew this was going to be a hard game.”
No, it wasn’t the Pens’ finest hour. Not by a long shot. On the heels of a terrific overall effort in Game 3, they executed an abrupt turnabout and delivered a lumpy, uneven game.
In particular, they left Murray exposed on numerous occasions. Especially on Johnson’s goal, when Kunitz and Patric Hornqvist got trapped behind the play to create a 3-on-2 break for Tampa Bay.
The locals repeatedly were drawn into the scrums and extracurriculars Sullivan implores them to avoid. Culminating in defenseman Kris Letang’s understandable…yet inexplicable…mid-game meltdown.
Frustrated by the abrasive tactics of Callahan and checker J.T. Brown, the passionate Pens’ defender blew a fuse. He fired a puck at Drouin after a whistle, then engaged mammoth Brian Boyle in a prolonged shoving match to earn a double-minor.
More amused than ruffled, Boyle grinned at his antagonist. Meanwhile, “Tanger” watched helplessly from the penalty box as his initial target, Drouin, pounded another nail in the Pens’ collective coffin with a power-play goal.
“I should’ve been more disciplined,” No. 58 confessed.
Perhaps the gravest setback of all came in the form of an injury. Trevor Daley was rammed into the end boards by Callahan midway through the contest and came up lame. Unable to put any weight on his left leg, the Toronto native had to be assisted to the locker room.
A crushing blow if the quicksilver defenseman is out for any length of time.
Okay, deep breath.
There were positives.
Getting Fleury some work, for one. “Flower” hadn’t seen game action in nearly seven weeks. While hardly under heavy fire thanks to the Pens’ third-period surge, he made seven saves and seemed reasonably rust-free before departing in the waning moments for an extra attacker.
Great to see Malkin score, too. Geno hadn’t lit the lamp since the series opener against Washington. Getting No. 71 untracked, production-wise, could reap huge dividends at crunch time.
Bottom line? The Penguins took Tampa Bay’s best punch while playing a decidedly sloppy game. And nearly came back to win.
I still like our chances.
Hey Rick,
Agreed, if Daley is out for any protracted period of time, it is a big blow. Neither Maatta nor Pouliot have look very good lately. On the flip side, the Pens have really responded well to adversity under Sullivan.
Letang’s melt down concerns me too. Being down 3-0 is a lot worse than 2-0. On top of that, when I combine that hissy fit with how long he has been taking to get his shot off lately he has me worried that he may be regressing to the Letang of last year. It may be time for him to have another session with Sarge, to get him back on track. He needs to start shooting the wrist shot sometimes rather than always trying to over-power goalies with the slap shot. And maybe even using his God-given talent, his skating ability, to once in a while skate around the forwards coming out and trying to block his shot. If he starts doing that again, he may not only open up some ice for himself, but for everyone else by putting doubts in the minds of defenders.
I can think of one good reason to play MAF in game 5, Tampa Bay has been gearing itself to take on Murray and that would definitely throw a monkey wrench into their schemes. However, I could iterate a litany on why staying with the man that brung you is the smarter move.
I won’t. Not right now. Not in the play-offs and with 6 wins still to go. I trust Sullivan, he has made all the right moves so far and more than anything else, the team needs to stay focused. And, although, I highly doubt that any Pens care what I think, I am not going to venture something that may be opposite what Sullivan does ……. at least until the Cup Parade.
If the Pens do switch out to MAF, thereby changing team chemistry, it may also be time to put Sprong back into the line-up. Giving Geno a legitimate scoring threat, especially right now with Geno returning to the score sheet with a goal, that move may ignite the Russian Bear!
Go Pens!!
Hey Rick,
Great stuff as always.
Following Friday night’s loss, I initially argued with a hockey buddy for sticking with Murray. But the more I stand back, the more I think the Pens should make a switch (see my latest PP post).
My main reasons? I think the Lightning have gotten into Murray’s head a little. And I think he’s wearing down under the playoff grind. With the notable exception of Game 3, he just hasn’t looked sharp to me for a while.
If it were only one game, I’d say stick with him. But there seems to be a downward trend in his play of late.
Of course, switching to Fleury is no sure thing. Again, just my eye test, but he seemed a tad sluggish when he came on in relief of Murray in Game 4. Perfectly understandable after being out for seven weeks.
Oh well. As you so aptly stated, I trust Sullivan’s judgment. Implicitly.
I really haven’t given Sprong much thought. Love his speed, instincts and release. But I believe there were issues with his defensive play. Again, understandable…we’re talking about a (just turned) 19-year-old kid. But I’m not sure if he’s earned Sullivan’s trust enough to play. Remember, he was sent back to junior shortly after Sully took over.
Rick
PS–I see they just announced Fleury as tonight’s starter.