By Allan Muir, SI.comThe Pennsylvania Cold War has turned into something of a rout.
In a series that's starting to look eerily similar to the one in the West, the Pittsburgh Penguins all but punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup finals with a convincing 4-1 victory over the battle-scarred Flyers in Philadelphia Tuesday night. With their first win of the season at the Wachovia Center, the Pens now hold a crippling 3-0 series advantage.
While the result wasn't all that surprising, the Pens' means to the end was. Deviating from the script, the Penguins aren't running away with this thing, thanks to their jet-fueled offense. It's a strict adherence to a defensive style that evokes the late-90s New Jersey Devils more than the run-and-gun Edmonton Oilers of the early 1980s, that's made the difference.
"It's a trap, and they execute it very well," said Flyers coach John Stevens of the Pens' approach. "They pounce on turnovers. They're very committed to their checking game. They're creating all their offense from the checking side of the puck.
"They're checking us into turnovers and feasting on them."
After a choppy start made rougher by a series of borderline penalty calls, the Pens made it their game by being the first to settle into their comfort zone, establishing their defensive posture and waiting to create chances off their transition game.
After Ryan Whitney counted the game's first goal on the power play at 5:03 when he bounced a shot past Martin Biron off the leg of defender Jason Smith, the Pens went on auto-pilot, choking off the passing lines, lining up the body and laying down in front of 14 shots.
That number is significant because it almost equals the number of shots that required the immediate attention of Marc-Andre Fleury (right). In a game that should have been colored by the Flyers' desperation to get back into the series, it was instead a case study in Philly frustration, as they failed to force the young netminder to make a difference. Five measly shots in the first. Three -- three! -- in the second, a period during which they were just one lucky bounce from tying it up.
After those feeble efforts, the 10 shots launched in the third might indicate a furious comeback. It was anything but. Fleury was rarely tested, with none of the shots taken from a distance of less than 25 feet.
That's really been the story of the series. Unable to establish a presence down low against a surprisingly sturdy Pittsburgh defensive corps led by the splendid Sergei Gonchar, it's little wonder the Flyers have managed just five goals through the three matches. The absence of injured defenders Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn cripples their transition game, but there are still players wearing black and orange who should be capable of making an impact. It's no wonder they're nearly buried when Daniel Briere, Vinnie Prospal, R.J. Umberger and the like are being outhustled, outplayed and outscored by the big guns of the Penguins.
It's not all their fault, of course. As a team, the Flyers are shooting themselves in the foot, giving away the puck too often -- 19 times, by the perhaps-generous home accounting in Philadelphia. Three of those giveaways led directly to Pittsburgh goals on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the confident Penguins are being far less generous. Simple, smart plays minimize the risk of turnovers, and keep the Pens out of trouble. It's not as fun as their swing-for-the-fences approach of 2006-07, but it's proving far more effective. And in combination with the quick-strike capabilities of Sidney Crosby (two assists), Evgeni Malkin (one assist) and Marian Hossa (two goals), it has established them as worthy opponents for the best of the West.
When this series is over, likely sooner than later, Stevens will probably have some advice for those thinking the Red Wings will roll over the Eastern champs. The Pens may be young, but they're ready to challenge for the Cup. Not soon. Now.
Allan Muir is the senior editor of Beckett Hockey magazine and serves as the NHL's official scorer for Dallas Stars home games.
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Comments (66) Add A Comment
sorry flyers, no amount of bitching will help u win. i honestly thought u guys would give us a little more of a run than this. my first guess was we would win in 6 but i guess i gave u too much credit. and those "why not us" shirts you guys got were hilarious. Philly blows, go pens
steelydogg320
Cranberry Twp , PA
Total Comments (13)
Have fun now pens, The Wings are gonna pick this defense apart.
eljefe247
Turlock , CA
Total Comments (42)
the least of the east is in for a rude awakening come finals time.PITT BLOWS, GO WINGS!
diks23
Harmony , PA
Total Comments (12)
To say we blow is the funniest thing I've ever heard! If 11-1 in the playoffs is blowing then ya ok we blow. And if we stink what does that say about Philly? One thing I've recently found out is that there are no men in Philly, just childish boys. That is including fans as well as players. At least go down with dignity.
JoeyT33
Salix , PA
Total Comments (5)
Here come the bandwagoners........
T Rocks
Mysterious, PA
Total Comments (2574)
Where are all the comments about the Pens "tanking" the last game of the season to "avoid" the Flyers?
If this is "tanking" and "avoiding" I'd hate to see what would have happened if the Pens weren't so "afraid".....
T Rocks
Mysterious, PA
Total Comments (2574)
It must really kill the Flyers and therir fans that they are not only being outplayed but out hit as well They can't even muster up enough energy to goon it up like they usually do
As for the Red Wings, they are very good but to dismiss this team by anyone would be a huge mistake
Flightless Bird
Total Comments (18)
So the Wings fans want to start taking shots at the Pens? You might want to take care of Dallas before your goalie does something to get himself suspended. Simply because you think you're from a stronger conference that it makes you superior. You Michigan people do that all the time with college sports too. You're in for a rude awakening next week. Malkin, Crosby, Hossa, Gonchar, Malone, Sykora, Whitney... The Pens & Wings have clearly been the most dominant teams in the playoffs this year. The Wings haven't seen a team that can both score and play D like this. Pens in 6.
JohnnyPolo24
Pittsburgh , PA
Total Comments (73)
Being a diehard flyers fan, I must say they have impressed me with a 180 on this season vs last year. We played 2 great rounds and have NOTHING to be ashamed about. Injuries, youthful mistakes and a tight Penquins team are taking their toll in this series. Hats off to the penquins who have accomplished what we hope the Fleys will do next year. One thing for sure was this years playoffs have been very exciting to watch and I will look forward to the Pens taking the cup. I would rather see this happen and know we lost to a team of destiny... Hopefully this will make me sleep better. Hats off to you Flyers for a tremedous season and a Stanley Cup run for next year. (after we beat the Pens in the first round of 09) :)
PhillyClass
Philadelphia , PA
Total Comments (11)
PhillyClass......you couldn't have chosen a better name. You're a breath of fresh air amongst some of the stink that's been going on in here.
Class........................
T Rocks
Mysterious, PA
Total Comments (2574)
Agree with PhillyClass and kudos to the worst-to-almost-first Flyers this year. As a Pens fan I feel lucky the Flyers were hit with the key injuries (Kimmo, Coburn) and not the Pens. The Flyers have NOTHING to feel bad about -- they have played a tremendous run and simply ran into a Pens team peaking at the right time with all their keys players intact. And as for the Wings fans -- shouting nonsense about sweeping the Pens is nice but we played pretty well against the West this year. The Wings look awesome...and so do the Pens. Should be an incredible Cup with no clear favorite. Lidstrom checking Crosby? Orpik fighting off Zetterberg? Fleury vs Osgood?! Bring it on! This could bring hockey back into the limelight it deserves in the USA!
LemieuxForever
Pittsburgh , PA
Total Comments (1)
PhillyClass, I like your admissions and think you are a true sports fan, but there is no way that you will be beating us in any series for some time to come. These Penguins are the beginning of a dynasty. They are only getting better.
hockeynut
Pittsburgh , PA
Total Comments (58)
All the Flyers fans are gone...they're not around any more...its just us guys! They cant show their faces and talk anymore...they dont have anything to say.
All I know it's call "opening up a can of whoop_ss" I was wrong... I thought the flyers would have just a bit more and in would go "maybe" to game 6...I was thinking game 5, but never was thinking a sweep!!!!! All this talk about playing in Philly, ya..and guess what? "Whoop_ss!!! LOL
GO PENS!!!!!!!
oode
Brandon, FL
Total Comments (20)
Phillyclass, thank you for being diplomatic with your comments. As much as I love to engage in the hotblooded hatred my city has for yours, there is a fine line between carefree trashtalking and outright ignorance.
I'm a Penguins fan and yes, you couldn't put a gun to my head and make me a Philly fan, but I want to congratulate the Flyers on a splendid season and more splendid seasons to come. This was no fluke. The Flyers' management was genius. Biding their time, suffering one of the worst seasons in NHL history to sign the right guys and develop the right chemistry.
The Penguins should have a playoff dynasty ahead. I expect the Flyers to challenge us every step of the way and continue to fuel the fire of this great rivalry. And hey, can we agree that we both hate the Rangers/Devils/Isles collectively more than we hate each other?
Despite a probable sweep, kudos to Philly. Cheer for us against Detroit. We need that PA brotherly love.
pantherfan0728
Pittsburgh , PA
Total Comments (188)
Wonder if the Pens are going to break the record of going 13-1, need to win the next 2?????
The big question is how do we match up with detroit? Is it going to come down to a game 7 in OT?
How many OT games are there going to be??? A lot of questions???
I think the Pens are going to be the underdogs.
Go PENS!!!!
oode
Brandon, FL
Total Comments (20)
Actually, I would not rather have any other rivalry that the Pens and Flyers. I think we have the best hcokey rivalry. It is as spirited between the fans and the players as any teams, even the canadien teams. I do think both teams will be as competative as any other teams for some time. Should be fun.
hockeynut
Pittsburgh , PA
Total Comments (58)
The Wings gave up 2 games to Nashville. It's pretty safe to say the Pens are better than Nashville. You can cry all you want about Hasek, but the Wings should have been able to outscore Nashville every night with me in goal.
The articles have been mostly right, though. The Flyers just can't match up well without Timonnen and Coburn. While I hate to see injuries help decide a series, it should allow the Pens the legs to keep the energy up against the Wings.
silars
Total Comments (1642)
I love all these Penguins fans talking so much smack. You should be on your knees thanking the Hockey Gods that your team didn't move away when they couldn't even get the Igloo 1/3 full for a decade and the having Fleury, Malkin, and Crosby fall into your laps after sucking for so long. Kudos to you, but act like you've been there, jeez...
Ribtoe
Glenmont , NY
Total Comments (2)
Ribtoe, we should be thanking nothing. The igloo was full numbnuts. Unless you were there you would not know. All teams go through trials and tribulations. Our team happened to use moving as their bargaining tool to get a new building. by the way noone fell into our lap, especially Fleury. We traded our picks down to get him. But I guess you omit facts in all of your posts.
hockeynut
Pittsburgh , PA
Total Comments (58)
Thats in the past dude....were talking smack about this series...now!!! If it were the Flyers winning 3-0 and go to the cup, I would want the Flyers to win, so I hope you flyer fans back us when we do go!!!!!!
oode
Brandon, FL
Total Comments (20)
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