Цитата:
Penguins – Flyers Post Game
It wasn’t just the usual suspects who were setting the tone with a strong work ethic for the Penguins in their 4-1 win on Saturday afternoon. Even Phil Kessel was doing more than just giving out love taps in the corners. Kessel created a big turnover with pressure on Ryan White in the offensive zone leading to Carl Hagelin’s second period goal to give the Penguins a 2-1 lead.
Hagelin’s go-ahead goal ended up being the game winning goal, his 4th game winning goal as a Penguin.
— Another area where the Penguins improved speed can take the life out of the opposition is on the penalty kill. What the Penguins do very effectively is stand the blueline and from there they look to pressure on the outside and along the wall.
What the Penguins want the opposition to do is throw the puck around the boards. The Flyers just had no idea on how to deal with the Penguins pressure. Pittsburgh would stand the blueline and make the Flyers dump the puck in, then just provide constant pressure in eliminating the puck from getting to the slot.
— As dominant as the Penguins were in this one, the Penguins start was similar to the Rangers game last Sunday in that if the Flyers buried some chances they probably should have, who knows how this game ends up.
The Flyers were buzzing just moments into the game with the Penguins again playing sloppy defensively and dangerous in the early minutes of the first period for the third time in four games.
Pittsburgh gave up three odd man rushes just four minutes into the game with Brayden Schenn somehow failing to covert on a glorious pass from Claude Giroux off a 2-on-1 rush which should have been an easy goal.
Giving up type of chances the Penguins gave up often even up throughout a game and they did today, but there’s a little more significance in a bad way when those type of chances against are coming just minutes into a game. Can dramatically set the tone for a game.
How does this game play out if Schenn scores moments there and the same with the Rangers game Sunday where they failed to capitalize on a number of grade-A chances in the opening minutes?
Mike Sullivan downplays it being issue. “It seemed like early in the game, the puck was bouncing all over the place,” Sullivan told reporters of the Flyers getting grade-a chances.
Still, it’s a dangerous game to be playing.
With an Islanders loss, Pittsburgh moved into third place into the division and just two points behind the Rangers for second place in the Metro.
The big thing with the Penguins current five game winning streak is they’re getting some breathing room from having to play the Capitals in round 1. Pittsburgh could go out tomorrow night and beat the Capitals 5-0 and you still shouldn’t want them having a first round matchup against Washington.
Take your chances anywhere else and hope to get hot at the right time for a second or third round matchup with the Capitals, depending on where the Penguins finish.
