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Wings Tighten Up Defensively, Pens Lose Composure

One win away. Say it with me, "One. win. away." 

Last night's game was particularly satisfying to me, not just because we spanked the Pens but becaue of how we did it. The defense showed up to play, we got under their skin and forced bad penalties that resulted in powerplay goals, our PK was perfect, and Pavel Datsyuk returned to the lineup and had an impact. 

 

  • The fact that the defense showed up to play made Osgood's night all that much easier. Don't get me wrong, he had to make some great saves but the defense limited the Pittsburgh opportunities and the 0 goals allowed Osgood posted surely will help his confidence heading into Game 6. The defense only got better after the initial flurry that Osgood faced in the first period.
  • Pittsburgh took some pretty awful and unnecessary penalties last night and it came back to haunt them 3 times. Chris Kunitz roughing of Darren Helm, Crosby's two handed whack on Zetterberg, Talbot's slash at Datsyuk's foot, Malkin's crosscheck to Franzen's back, and the numerous misconducts at the end of the game showed how the Pens unraveled. If the Wings were able to survive the rough play of the Ducks (the league's elite in the category) without being rattled, what makes the Pens think they'll be able to ratlle Detroit with play like that?
  • Who would have thought that Niklas Kronwall and Brian Rafalski would have scored 2 of the 3 powerplay goals without much help? Kronwall's goal was more surprising as he took the puck from behind Fleury's net (what?) and skated through the Pittsburgh D with ease and lifted a relatively weak shot past Fleury for a 3-0 Wings lead. Rafalski's goal was the result of Holmstrom's screen. Rafalski ripped a wrist shot past Fleury for a 4-0 Wings lead only 2:15 after Kronwall's goal.
  • The Wings penalty kill also played really well last night as they filled the passing lanes, forced turnovers, and cleared the zone quickly. Not much to this breakdown other than the PK Unit played much better than before and didn't have as much pressure as before.
  • The return of Datsyuk seemed to have an immediate impact on the energy level of the team and the defensive side of the puck as Datsyuk was paired with Zetterberg for most of the night and helped to relieve the pressure Hank had been faced with covering Crosby. Pavel notched 2 assists, a +2 rating, 3 takeaways, and 4 hits int 17+ minutes on 21 shifts. Pavel's legs looked a little slow but his hands never lost a step as stickhandled exceptionally well in the offensive zone. 
  • Did anyone really expect Marian Hossa to get 8 hits last night? Didn't think so. Hossa led all players in hits, got an assist, and registered 2 shots on goal. Midway through the second, the game was pretty much already decided so Hossa was allowed to throw his body around and play well defensively. 
Game 5 was great and hopefully Game 6 will be just as good. Enjoy your Sunday.

 

 

0 recs  |  Comment 15 comments |

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bwaahahahahaha!

seriously, was anyone really THAT surprised with the glaring inmaturity that gushed forth from the pens? starting with the “captain” crysby, that inmaturity took over early in the 2nd period. i was elated watching the beat-down, & proud of the wings for the all-around performance last night. pasha gave the boost the wings needed, albeit not 100%, taking some of the defensive load from zett’s shoulders.
the only thing missing from last night’s game? crysby’s face meeting the boards. :p
woooooooot! go wings!!

by puckyou2 on Jun 7, 2009 10:16 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

as a Flyers fan, no immaturity by the Pens surprises me. Granted, the Flyers can be a somewhat immature bunch, but we have reasons for our Crosby Sucks chants. Im glad you guys are bringing that back, and I hope you close out the series in Pittsburgh so I can use the DVR on the closing seconds to see how many fans are left in the arena (my guess: <5000). Go Detroit, good luck guys, and make me proud by beating those crap Penguins

by CoburnsCuddleBuddy on Jun 7, 2009 12:09 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Exactly--the Pens need to grow up

Don’t get me wrong, there’s A LOT of talent in the Penguins, but if they can’t keep they’re cool (like the Wings do) or behave like grown men (like the Wings), they’re going to shoot themselves in the foot again in G6. Which works out for me, of course

by JenLovesWings on Jun 7, 2009 11:19 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

And if the Pens want to incur penalties ‘til the end of the series, then why waste they’re time with the cheap shots and cross-checks. Come on, Geno, if you’re gonna get your ass in the box, then at least make it worth something, e.g. another fight or something. Stop being stupid.

by JenLovesWings on Jun 7, 2009 11:21 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Maturity an issue sometimes for Pens

Malkin especially. He needs to learn that if he’s going to be a team leader, he needs to rein in his temper and stay on the ice. He’s too good to spend that much time in the box. Crosby can lose composure (like a lot of players), but not nearly as bad as Malkin does.

by Linnaeus on Jun 7, 2009 11:48 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Any word about Joe Vision for Tuesday?

I’ve heard they’re going to have it, but no confirmation from the team yet as far as I know.

Pride of Detroit, SB Nation's Lions Blog

by Sean Yuille on Jun 7, 2009 11:49 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Can I also say...?

I continue to be impressed with Darren Helm’s play. He brings so much energy to every shift he plays – skating hard, finishing checks, etc. I’m glad to see that Babcock is giving him serious ice time, and it will be interesting to see how he develops as a player. Right now, he looks like a Kris Draper-esque grinder, but I could see him growing into more than that.

by Linnaeus on Jun 7, 2009 12:06 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Agree to some extent

Love his almost-limitless energy, the way he’s willing to throw his body around, his fearlessness, etc. But it does seem as if he loses the plot sometimes and plays out of control. I wish I had a specific instance to point to — but it seems to me that his overzealousness on the forecheck sometimes puts him in bad defensive position. For a 22-year-old, though, yeah, he’s good.

"Do not cheat your team or your teammates. Know your plays. Block. Protect. Add to what we are trying to do."
The Only Colors

by LVS on Jun 7, 2009 9:20 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Are the Blackhawks a younger team than the Penguins? If so, they had more composure than the Penguins are showing this Finals. Last year the Pens showed more composure and more maturity. But, I am not surprised by Pittsburgh’s play, the games thy have lost they have been flat out, out played and Saturday nights game they were way out of their league. I also love that Talbot made the claim that he was going for the puck when he whacked Datsyuk’s ankle, but when you look at the replay the puck was a good 20’ from Datsyuk. I’d love to see the Wings win the Cup in Pittsburgh tomorrow night, then watch the Tigers come in for the weekend and sweep the Pirates just to put the exclamation point it.

by jryno on Jun 8, 2009 11:02 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

The pirates are the farm team for the league, you and everyone else beats them, no one cares cares.
But if you think for a minute they’re letting Hossa win that in the Mellon you are crazy. You’ll win it at the Joe this year, it’s going 7 games.

by JasonGoPens on Jun 8, 2009 12:32 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Oh, gotcha.
But if you think for a minute they’re letting Hossa win that in the Mellon you are crazy

Glad to know that the Wings have nothing to do with this series. The outcome depends entirely on whether the Pens decide that they want to win. Hossa & Co. might as well not show up.

"Do not cheat your team or your teammates. Know your plays. Block. Protect. Add to what we are trying to do."
The Only Colors

by LVS on Jun 8, 2009 2:21 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

hahaha

1 more win for back to back on the Pens and a repeat Go Wings!!!

by TuLoRocks2008 on Jun 8, 2009 2:45 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Exactly, they lost on purpose to make this a 7 game series…you don’t know that this is set up in advance? c’mon it’s like wrestling.

by JasonGoPens on Jun 8, 2009 3:03 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Game 6

Should be a great game. Our Wings finally showed up and played Red Wing hockey. Sorry Pens fans, but when the Wings play like they are capable of, which didn’t happened until game 5, NOBODY in the league can beat them. The media should be talking about how the Wings dominated the Pens, instead it’s how the Pens beat themselves. Yes, the Pens lost their composure and embarrased themselves in game 5, but The Wings also destroyed their defense with an offense that was devasting! GO WINGS!

by degrande on Jun 8, 2009 2:21 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Sorry Pens fans, but when the Wings play like they are capable of, which didn’t happened until game 5, NOBODY in the league can beat them.

something tells me you’re not really sorry, are you?

In any case, Game 5 was indeed equal parts Red Wings playing well and Pens playing poorly. Any team could have looked like the Red Wings against the wet paper bag gameplan the Pens employed for 2.5 periods in Game 5.

-David
sixminutecynic.blogspot.com
www.piratesmix.com.

by pascaldupweevil on Jun 8, 2009 3:35 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

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