By Allan Muir, SI.com
DETROIT -- Young teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins need to learn a lesson or two along the way to becoming championship caliber. It's just that the first game of the Stanley Cup finals is a lousy time to pick up a few pointers.
After being schooled 4-0 by the Detroit Red Wings in a game coach Michel Therrien called, "our worst performance of the playoffs," the Eastern Conference champs find themselves trailing in a series for the first time in these playoffs.
"We didn't compete like we're supposed to," he said to the press after the game. "This was a good lesson for us."
It's also one they could have avoided if they'd only paid more attention to what these Wings did to Dallas in the previous round. Detroit is a team that has the talent to beat anybody. But as the Stars learned, Detroit doesn't win on talent. They win on effort, on intensity through all three zones.
The Pens lost Saturday night because they got outworked, plain and simple. Especially in the second and third periods when Detroit completely controlled the play, holding Pittsburgh's star-studded offense to just seven shots, and maybe, maybe, three decent chances.
Still, the game was there to be won, or at least controlled, in a first period that should serve as the one positive to be taken from a nightmarish loss. While the veteran Wings stumbled out of the gate (not quite as literally as did Marc-Andre Fleury as he came out to start the game), the Penguins were flying. Their speed had the Wings back on their heels, their forecheck was creating turnovers and forced Detroit to take four straight penalties. Late in the period, the Pens were a man up for six minutes over a span of 7:18.
For a power-play unit that came into this series clicking at nearly 25 percent, that should have been just enough chances to get them on the board. That might have turned the game in their favor, given that the Pens are 10-0 when scoring first this spring. They managed nine shots and at least three more close misses with the extra attacker, but not one eluded Chris Osgood.
And that was pretty much it.
What the Stars finally learned, too late as it turned out, is that these Wings don't give you much. When they control the puck much of the night, as they did Saturday, they're going to get a lot of shots. Conversely, you're not. And that means when you see an opening early on, as Marian Hossa did, and Sidney Crosby did twice, you have to cash them in and then try to weather the storm. That's lesson No. 1. When you get a chance, you better bury it.
Instead, it was the Wings who scored first. Twice, actually. Pavel Datsyuk, easily the most dangerous man on the ice with five hits to match his five shots, found Nick Lidstrom strolling in from the blue line, allowing the veteran defender to blast one past Fleury at the 15:20 mark of the first. But after another brutal goalie interference call on Tomas Holmstrom -- whose reputation is more a liability than his actions -- negated the goal.
After that, the Wings began to assert themselves physically, led by the 5-foot-10, 180-pound Datsyuk and Niklas Kronwall, who looks more and more like Vladimir Konstantinov with each passing game. They finally notched one that counted midway through the second period after four consecutive dominating shifts culminated in an unassisted Mikael Samuelsson wraparound. And as they began to dictate the play, the Pens game began to crumble. They started chasing the puck. They started taking penalties. And while the Wings scored on just one of six chances, they benefited from each opportunity. All that time on the power play ensured that both Crosby and Evgeni Malkin would remain planted on the bench, a place from which they can do very little harm.
That meant Jordan Staal, who fattened his stats on the penalty kill, spent more time on the ice than any other Pittsburgh forward. And with all due respect to the impressive 19-year-old pivot, that's pretty much a guarantee of a loss right there. And that's lesson No. 2. You have to stay out of the box, and you do that by keeping your feet moving.
Lesson No. 3? This team isn't just Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and a cast of drones. While the Pens managed to keep them off the scoreboard until Zetterberg scored a meaningless goal in the game's final seconds, they were beaten by depth players like Samuelsson (who doubled his playoff goal totals with another unassisted goal early in the third) and Daniel Cleary, who outlegged Kris Letang to a loose puck for a shorthanded goal late in the period. With that kind of depth, you can't let up for a second just because 13 and 40 are catching their breath.
Giving away a Cup finals game is an expensive price to pay to learn those lessons. We'll know by Game 2 whether it was worth it.
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Comments (47) Add A Comment
media = bias towards the Wings. Prime example: "And with all due respect to the impressive 19-year-old pivot, that's pretty much a guarantee of a loss right there."
you actually said, "a guarantee of loss." why don't you disrepsct the Penguins a little more. Experience doesn't mean having an average age of 45. The last time I checked, the Pens made it thru 3 rounds without previous "experience."
Bottom line is the Pens had their chances and didn't capitlize. It will be a different story in Game 2. You can't hold down Malkin, Crosby, and Hossa for two games in a row.
Good luck Detroit, you've woken a GIANT.
LET'S GO PENS.
66 Buries It
Total Comments (11)
The Pens havent faced a team like Detroit all year. How confident did Therrin look in the press conference. He looked like he didnt have any answers. He looked like a beaten man. And crying about bias is stupid. Its the Wings that are getting goal's taken from them, not the Pens. The NHL wants Crosby to win the cup, not the Wings. No matter, The Mule is coming back now and it's only going to get worse for the flop around kids. Your Pens are the one's that got "OWNED"
eljefe247
Turlock , CA
Total Comments (42)
The wings don't have an average age of 45. Give it a rest already. As for the "guaranteeing a loss" comment, I don't get that one either. Noone is biased toward the Wings except Wing fans. Melrose is the only national commentator to give the Wings a chance at beating the Penguins. Everyone else talks about Crosby and Malkin. As good as those guys are, it's getting old. The Penguins are facing a team unlike their opponents in the first three rounds and they need to accept that fact. It's a long way from over though. I do agree that the refs tried as hard as they could to steer the game in favor of the Penguins. 4 unanswered powerplays for Pitt and a disallowed goal AGAIN! It was disallowed for no other reason than it was Holmstrom screening Fleury. Bettman wants Crosby to win the cup for marketing purposes and that is pathetic. Hopefully the refs will clean it up but who knows.
germanhammer
Waterford , MI
Total Comments (5)
i'm a huge PENS fan and i hope crosby and co. can pull it off but to be honest if last nights game was any indication of what the rest of the series will be like then Pittsburgh is in deep trouble. hopefully they will make a series out of it and steal away two games.
Pittsburgh Fanatic…
Johnstown , PA
Total Comments (1)
Don't follow hockey much, enjoy the playoffs, but that's just about it for me. I'm from the Detroit area which makes me a Wings fan, but even I get the "guarantee a loss" comment. It's simple, when Crosby and Malkin are on the bench and Staal has the most time of any forward on the Pens, (don't know if Cros and Malkin are forwards, that's how much I follow hockey), your chances of winning are slim to none. Not a slam on Staal as much as a fact of your best players have to play to win. Stay out of the box, lesson 2.
coolbishop
Cooleemee , NC
Total Comments (15)
what the writer measn is that when staal has more time on the ice then crosby and malkin, it doesnt look good for ur team. ur 2 best players have to be out there and produce. not a slam against the pens or a media bias. its just the honest truth, they need to make plays.
DET_hearts_Millen
Washington, MI
Total Comments (59)
Anyone who was at that game last night saw how the Pens were taking it to the Wings early on. As a Wings season ticket holder, it was a bit unnerving, and only because I've seen the Wings turn a game on its ear with incredible talent was I able to stay grounded.
The Pens were better represented at the Joe than any team I have ever seen come into that arena. It was quite shocking to hear 'Lets Go Pens' in our own arena.
I've been to thousands of NHL games now, and I'll tell you that it was one of the fastest, most chippy and intense games I've seen in years -- even for the Finals. Pittsburgh will stay in this until the very end (which the Wings will win), and I hope we'll look back on this series as the one that brought the NHL back into the nation's sports psyche.
baphoto
Detroit , MI
Total Comments (1)
First of all the Penguins are not as good as the MEDIA has tried to make them sound. The teams in the East are no match for the grit and style of the western teams, oh yaeh and the west has a puck control, defensive, in your face style of play and the Red Wings are the best of the west and the East is a mess..... I give credit to the pens for making it this far, but they really didnt face any good teams on the way up. The west side of the NHL is a nother story, all the western teams have a pretty good style of play. The only truble the Wings had all year long was just against the our Devision. The Western Conference is the better half of the NHL... Im not knocking the East but its the truth. I know the Reg. season dont mean squat in the post season but the Habs finished 1st in the East and when Detroit played them it was a major blow out, In fact we have not had any truble beating the Teams in the east this year at all. Its the National Hockey Leagues fualt the league is so split, they need to re-do the scheduling so the teams can say hi to each other and learn from each other...... This series is going to be like a Blue belt in a fight with a Black belt, the Pens are going to be awestruck!!!! Its no accident that the Red Wings have the best records from the 90's until now. The Penguins have no idea what they've gotten themselves into. The Depth is another thing, Detroit is like a ocean and the penguins are a shallow lake, looks deep on the surface but............................. Red Wings in 4, that is my opinion. Not only do we own the little penguins, we own the NHL.. Moo Hoooo Hooooo Ha Ha Ha (EVIL LAUGH)
"Anyone who was at that game last night saw how the Pens were taking it to the Wings early on. As a Wings season ticket holder, it was a bit unnerving, and only because I've seen the Wings turn a game on its ear with incredible talent was I able to stay grounded." ???????
Yeah, until the Refs laid off the Wings for a bit.... The only reason they had any chances at all was becouse of the penalties. I saw 2 teams feeling out one another for the first period, also I saw NHL refs trieing to give a weak team a head start. Sure Pens have some good young talent and you want to see them not get blown out, but darn, you dont try to cheat and give a game away becouse its A Cinderella Story!!! or should I say Sid-orella story? I can tell you the truth if Sid was on the Wings he would be just another player on a second or third line ;) ..... A few players with some skill cant overcome a HOLE TEAM WITH SKILL,...... ALL 4 LINES OF THE RED WINGS HAVE A TON OF SKILL :)
jtred31
Kaleva , MI
Total Comments (3)
Pens are done, they might get lucky and steal one game but they are overmatched and outclassed and it isnt going to change. To the "pens own you" poster above.... face it, the only thing your pens own is a seious a** kicking from the best team in hockey...period.
GunnarHH
Total Comments (11)
Do you bother to even read the context? YourPrime example: "And with all due respect to the impressive 19-year-old pivot, that's pretty much a guarantee of a loss right there." means that the penalty killing unit was on the ice a lot. When you're playing shorthanded so much, it does pretty much guarantee a loss.
And the giant won Game 1, and they obviously weren't sleeping. Maybe the pure talent could get the Pens through the east, but this Wings team is too good. Add all the experience, and it's another cup for Detroit. The only thing that can really save the Pens is if Fluery gets hot, since hot goalies really hurt the Wings.
wcdaniels
Mount Morris , MI
Total Comments (12)
wcdaniels for it right. "guaranteeing a loss" was no disrespect to the pens ot stall specifically, he was just saying that a lot of penalty killing is a bad sign. kind of like if your KO return man in football has a good game, it's really a bad sign - it means your opponent is scoring a lot.
zeiss
Total Comments (93)
As a huge Pens fan, I'll openly admit a bias. That being said, I wouldn't read too much into one game. Both teams showed incredible strengths, but each also reveled some weaknesses too. (Yes Detroit showed some weaknesses too--getting back on their heals and taking penalties, allowing Dupis a few rushes on net, and Osgood letting a few juicy rebounds go into scrums in front of the net). I think the Penguins have been shown the type of play it will take to win, and it's up to them to respond. What can be seen, not only from Detroit's lineup, but also from Pittsburgh's Gary Roberts, is that the toughened veterans have the grit and resolve that younger players need to develop. But the speed and skill of the Pens could become an increasing factor later, especially if they can steal a game early. Look at what Jagr said after losing in five games--he expected the Penguins team to slow down, but instead they just kept getting faster. That's much easier to do at age 20, than at 30. Whether or not it's enough, I don't know. But all I'm taking away from game one is Detroit needs 3 wins for the cup, Pittsburgh needs four.
raptor759
Pittsburgh , PA
Total Comments (1)
for = got. ot = or. oops.
zeiss
Total Comments (93)
Media bias toward the Wings? you've GOT to be kidding, right? Have you read the other SI.COM writers' stuff? Kostya Kennedy and Michael Farber wrote some sappy Crosby-love pieces a couple days ago that about made me hurl! Kennedy's Crosby-man love bit dubbed the Stanley Cup Finals as "The Sidney Crosby Show" and didn't once mention the Detriot Red Wings--indeed, he proclaimed that "American Idol" was the only thing that could possibly stop Sidney Crosby from demonstrating his super-stardom!
Muir just gets it, that's all. Now that there's no Canadian teams left for Muir to love on, he becomes the unbiased voice of reason on SI.COM. I give him credit for NOT falling into the Crosby-hype-a-thon that's been going on. He sees the obvious that many others east of the Great Lakes seem to have missed - that the West is best and the 07-08 Detroit team is, front-to-back, first line to fourth line, one of the most dominating hockey squads to come out of the West in many years. The Western Conference is way ahead of the East in terms of complete two-way team play. That's why the final is a foregone conclusion. No matter which teams got through, the West has it big over the East right now--just look West v. East in head-to-head over the last few years. This "dream final" is an anti-climactic blow-out.
mnwild18
Saint Paul , MN
Total Comments (18)
The Penguins were outplayed and outmatched last night. Would any of you Pittsburgh folks like to argue with me on that? Fluke or not, you guys got your butts handed to you last night in what should have been a 5-0 embarrassment. You have two forwards and a goalie who's hot streak seems to have fizzled into oblivion. I think the fact that they didn't meet during the regular season helps the fact that you guys had no idea what you were getting yourselves into. C'mon Pens, please at least make game 2 less one-sided. And Crosby needs to stop pretending to act tough, he only makes himself look stupid. Wings in 5, 4 if the Pens keep this up. Your time will come soon enough Pens, it just won't be this year.
ShinyPup
Farmington , MI
Total Comments (136)
The Penguins did get schooled last night. It remains to be seen if they learn from the schooling or not. As far as the whole Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference thing, there hasn't been much interconference play but the Penguins were 8-1-1 against Western conference teams they faced in the regular season this year, and yeah that includes the Kings (W), the Coyotes (W) and the Oilers (W) who didn't make the playoffs but it also includes the Flames (W), Ducks (W), Avs (L), Wild (W), Stars (W), Sharks (O) and Canucks (W). Two of those wins were ShootOut wins, so they played close games, but I'd say that they held their own. Of course, the playoffs are another animal altogether. I figured that of the teams they faced the one with they style closest to Detroit's was the Rangers, but I also knew that Detroit does it better than the Rangers, too. If the Pens had come out of Game 1 with a victory it would've been a steal because Detroit outclassed them for that game. I'm holding out judgement as to whether that's a one-game outclassing or a series outclassing until games 2 and 3 are in the books.
eve11
Total Comments (1)
Detroit typically struggles against teams that play a physical style. I'm a Wings season ticket holder, and it was evident early that Pittsburgh is even more of a finesse team than the Wings. Malkin shys away from all contact, and Crosby, while talented, did look silly trying to look aggressive physically. Datsyuk is among the Wing's leaders in hits, so it's part of his defensive style. Crosby looked lost and Malkin looked like he didn't belong. Game 2 will be worse for the Pens. Go Wings!!!
GZeke
Macomb, MI
Total Comments (1)
I guess that the Wings have had much tougher competition during the season rather than the Penguins, so that might have helped. I mean, playing the Stars and the Sharks probably helps prepare you for more later on in the year rather than playing against, say, the likes of the Leafs and the Lightning. I'm not trying to seem biased against the Penguins, but it seems like they really haven't played exceptionally competitive teams during the year while the Wings have.
conesy
Springfield , VA
Total Comments (206)
If there's a media love bias in yesterday's game its the announcers love fest. (Mike Emerick and I forget who's his commentator partner). Every f'in time they would talk about somebody it would end with "well you know Sidney crosby blah blah blah". Example: They had some stupid graphic early on about how they were going to follow Draper and what his weekend hobby, dress, and ice time will be. Well **** right after that it was blah blha blah crosby. THEN after Samuelson scored his first goal and they talked about his parents here it turned to "oh yeah crosby has parents and they are here too".
Now I TOTALLY understand why they are whoring out crosby b/c the league needs a face. Frankly I can't see it expanding while on that **** child network called Versus. Hockey needs to be back on ESPN and we need Barry "The Mullet" Melrose on NHL 2 Night every night.
Wings in 6.
lewdogg21
Fair Oaks , CA
Total Comments (19)
I understand the point of the article and the Wings outplayed the Pens for sure. They're obviously the best team the Pens have faced...but you don't go 12-2 in the playoffs for no reason. I don't think the 4-0 score was indicative of the game. Pens had their chances and just didn't bury it. Not to mention Osgood was solid as usual.
The Pens looked a little nervous and hesitant, and maybe that's where all of the "experience" I've been hearing about for a week comes into play. Either way, it's only one game. Insert Gary Roberts into Game 2 and all hell breaks loose...and I'll be there to witness it.
Let's go Pens.
66 Buries It
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