To be quite honest...this is the Penguins series to lose. If they lose, they will have done it to themselves.
Keys to the series:
1. Marc-Andre Fleury. MF'in MF. He has to out perform Brzy. Plain and simple. The softies...can't happen. We know that more than likely the defense is going to lapse a few times and he has to be at the tip top of his game to bail us out. He has to steal those games and be a rock. No goals on the first shot...no softies...just classic MAF. He has to be our MVP this series.
2. Dan Bylsma. He has to out coach Laviolette. The Flyers know what match ups will work...and he has to get the star players away from those matchups. Couturier has done a decent job against Malkin...DB has to get him away from those shutdown matchups. We can not finesse our way through this. It didn't work against MTL in 10 and its not going to work this time. Play the match up game...and win Dan.
3. Secondary scoring. We know Sid and Geno are going to score...them being them is not a key to the series. We know we need them. We need the secondary scoring from guys like Kunitz, Dupuis, Sullivan, and Cooke. Everyone has to chip in. If the 4th line can chip in a goal every so often, even better. Gotta hurt them on the PK too. If we aren't getting the match ups and guys are focusing on Sid or Geno, the secondary guys have to contribute.
4. Pressure. 0-0...that is the score of the game no matter what the score of the game is. We have to be applying constant aggressive pressure. Relentless on puck pursuit. It's was got us past Detroit and it will get us past the Flyers. Gritty in the corners, busting balls to get back on the backcheck, and quick transitions. Force turnovers boys.
5. Intensity and after the whistle. We know Philly wants to get under our skin...and they do it as well as team possibly can. The boys fall for it every game. We play that chicken **** after the whistle stuff and it gets us off our game. Everyone has to ignore it. Whistle blows, skate away immediately. Lets them chirp. If they see it doesn't get it us...it will get to them. It will get them of their game and thats what we want. We can't fall victim to it. Not pointing fingers...but Malkin in particular! Stay out of it Geno! Hurt them on the score sheet!
6. Minimal defensive lapses. We have a lot of them...a lot of missed assignments and a lot of guys out of position. Tighten up. We need our pairings playing like they are capable of. Now...the one thing concerning the defense that will kill us (and I mean KILL US!) above all else...CLEAR THE MAN OUT OF IN FRONT OF THE NET! All year there has been a complete and utter refusal to clear the opponents from in front of the net and it kills us. We let them camp out like its the friggin KOA on Memorial Day weekend. It simply can not happen...on the PK or at ES...clear them out defense!
Those are my keys to the series...I think we can do it...be prepared for war...
Solid post. I just want to add a little and disagree a little.
- I think Lav has gotten the best of Bylsma with line matching and in game strategy. I agree that Bylsma has to out-coach him, but he will have to do better than he has in the past. Lav, for whatever reason, has Bylsma's coaching strategy down. He knows how to counter it. That's why I want to see the Pens come out with more pressure.
- Can't agree with you more about defensive zone lapses. That's #1 on my list for the Pens. They cannot have issues. You know I'd love to see man defense with more responsibility because this zone concept BLOWS. It's definitely something that needs to be the focal point of the series. Our d-zone needs to be sickening good.
- Also completely agree with you about Fleury. He needs to be the better goaltender.
The only part I think you missed on is our powerplay. We cannot give up a bad timed short-handed goal. We just cannot. It's the one thing that scares the **** out of me. We cannot give that momentum. It could affect our entire series.
Said it earlier, but I have a gut feeling Sully/Sid are going to have a big game tomorrow. A well-rested Sully with Sid is going to have some serious speed for Carle/Timonen to contain.
Wellwood-Read-Voracek is going to be their fourth line, which could be troublesome if we play a four-line game. I think we need to limit the appearances for Asham-Vitale-Adams against them. I know it's a long series (probably) but they are better equipped for the four-line game than we are. I think the key is to get the Staal unit out against the Giroux unit as much as possible, and let the chips fall where they may for the rest. The Couturier unit is going to play against Malkin in all likelihood, so hopefully the Staal/Giroux and Malkin/Couturier match-ups can cancel each other out, so that Crosby can be the difference-maker. Of course, Laviolette will adjust. If Crosby lights them up early, he'll quickly put Couturier and Talbot on Sidney, me thinks. Either way, we have the advantage there (so long as we take full advantage of it).
Briere could also be a huge factor in this series. His line could go head to head with Sid's. Whichever 'second' scoring line outscores the other may win this thing.
Defensively, I want Orpik-Letang reunited. I have zero faith in Paul Martin, especially if he's lining up a lot against Scott Hartnell and Jaromir Jagr. I also would split up Martin and Michalek. Spread the wealth over three units. The Flyers can score with four lines, so the big four approach is counter-productive against them imo.
I don't think either team is going to show much discipline in this series, until the very end. So the power plays and PK units are going to be huge, and there will be goals scored because players will get caught out of position looking to hurt someone.
Finally, Fleury needs to outperform Bryzgalov. Everyone expects him to, and he certainly is more talented, but I don't like how he's played against Philly this season (late in the regular season, in particular). We need him to be at his best. If this series is anything like the Capitals-Penguins series of 2009, he'll need to come up with a few spectacularly well-times saves for us. If he plays anything like the Habs' series of 2010, we're toast.
I'm really nervous about this series. It can go either way. It WILL go 7. I just hope we survive.
Wellwood-Read-Voracek is going to be their fourth line, which could be troublesome if we play a four-line game. I think we need to limit the appearances for Asham-Vitale-Adams against them. I know it's a long series (probably) but they are better equipped for the four-line game than we are. I think the key is to get the Staal unit out against the Giroux unit as much as possible, and let the chips fall where they may for the rest. The Couturier unit is going to play against Malkin in all likelihood, so hopefully the Staal/Giroux and Malkin/Couturier match-ups can cancel each other out, so that Crosby can be the difference-maker. Of course, Laviolette will adjust. If Crosby lights them up early, he'll quickly put Couturier and Talbot on Sidney, me thinks. Either way, we have the advantage there (so long as we take full advantage of it).
Briere could also be a huge factor in this series. His line could go head to head with Sid's. Whichever 'second' scoring line outscores the other may win this thing.
Defensively, I want Orpik-Letang reunited. I have zero faith in Paul Martin, especially if he's lining up a lot against Scott Hartnell and Jaromir Jagr. I also would split up Martin and Michalek. Spread the wealth over three units. The Flyers can score with four lines, so the big four approach is counter-productive against them imo.
I don't think either team is going to show much discipline in this series, until the very end. So the power plays and PK units are going to be huge, and there will be goals scored because players will get caught out of position looking to hurt someone.
Finally, Fleury needs to outperform Bryzgalov. Everyone expects him to, and he certainly is more talented, but I don't like how he's played against Philly this season (late in the regular season, in particular). We need him to be at his best. If this series is anything like the Capitals-Penguins series of 2009, he'll need to come up with a few spectacularly well-times saves for us. If he plays anything like the Habs' series of 2010, we're toast.
I'm really nervous about this series. It can go either way. It WILL go 7. I just hope we survive.
1. You are prophetic.
2. Sid looked a lot better the one shot he got against the Coutorier line with Grossman-Coburn behind. His line's speed exploited them. Conversely, Geno's line generated prime chances pretty much every shift against every line except Coutorier with Grossman-Coburn unit. Too bad the Pens weren't at home . . . otherwise, Bylsma might have gotten these matchups more in the second half of the game. Seriously, one would think that what Bylsma at home would do to get Geno into a favorable matchup would be 10% of what Lavs will do in Philly (or did tonight) to get Giroux away from Staal.
3. On a related note, I see you forgot to mention the possibility that the Pens could be coached out of the playoffs . . .
2. Sid looked a lot better the one shot he got against the Coutorier line with Grossman-Coburn behind. His line's speed exploited them. Conversely, Geno's line generated prime chances pretty much every shift against every line except Coutorier with Grossman-Coburn unit. Too bad the Pens weren't at home . . . otherwise, Bylsma might have gotten these matchups more in the second half of the game. Seriously, one would think that what Bylsma at home would do to get Geno into a favorable matchup would be 10% of what Lavs will do in Philly (or did tonight) to get Giroux away from Staal.
3. On a related note, I see you forgot to mention the possibility that the Pens could be coached out of the playoffs . . .
I think puck possession is a big key. Malkin/Sid performing is critical but the Pens need to apply pressure with their superior cycling skills. The Pens have shown that they are very good at puck possession in the offensive zone so they have to tire the Flyers out with that and get their darn shots on net!
I didn't keep count but there seemed to be a lot of unblocked shots missing the net.
Another key that relates to puck possession is reducing the time the Flyers forecheck and recognizing they open themselves up to odd-man rushes going the other way. The Pens D has to be quick to get the puck out and take advantage. They know the Flyers are looking for turnovers and pressuring the D on the Pens who are either soft or not the best at puck control. Orpik and Martin seem particularly disconcerting.
The other factor is the Penguins' defensive coverage. The OT goal is a prime example of not being aware of where opposing forwards are on the ice. Ditto, the Briere goal. Yes, it was WAAAAAAAAAAAY offside but he went in there between TWO dmen.
It won't always be offside, the Pens dmen AND FORWARDS have to be aware and notice the open man going to the front of the net or trying for open ice. The Pens have speed so most of the time, it will be mental errors. The Flyers are vulnerable to the counter attack so quick outlet passes and coming back to help the D is key.
The Pens have to make some adjustments so it will be a test to see if Blysma is up to the task.
