Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Furious Fleury: PENGUINS 3 Flyers 1... Pens lead series 3-1

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

After game 3, if there was one Pittsburgh Penguin who needed a huge game it was Marc-Andre Fleury. Tonight, he was simply stellar. He robbed Philly of about a handful of goals tonight and the Pens are just one win away from the second round.

The first period, the Pens seemed thoroughly outplayed, but Fleury stood on his head the entire period. Saving everything, plus getting help from Mr. Post. 0-0 after 1.

The second period gave Pittsburgh an early momentum shift in which Sidney Crosby scored falling down after a penalty kill. Clearly a goal before the net came off. Huge momentum goal there! A few minutes later, the most consistent line of the series so far struck again as Tyler Kennedy scored on a backhanded shot after a pretty feed from Matt Cooke. Once again Fleury stood tall as well as the penalty killing was magnificent. 2-0 Pens after 2.

The third was simply survival mode. I hate that. The Pens need the killer instinct. Fleury had it though, but his shutout ended after a bad clearing attempt by Kris Letang that led to a goal. The final eight minutes was what playoff hockey was all about. Great stick work by the Pens D, a strong goalie, and timely shifts. Maxime Talbot ends it with an empty netter to seal the win. 3-1 Penguins.

The Pens have a chance to close it out on Thursday. There should not be any way this goes back to Philly on Saturday. The Penguins have an opportunity to get some rest and wait for an opponent. However, you can never count this Philly team out. Yes they're annoying and full of assclowns, but they do work hard and a desperate team is a dangerous team.



Plus (+)
Marc-Andre Fleury: AMAZING Performance. Best since Game 5 of the Finals last year.
Staal/Kennedy/Cooke: Line chips in again. Best line thus far in the playoffs.
Sidney Crosby: Faceoff wins plus a huge first goal
Penalty killing units: Philly goes o-fer out of 8 chances. Solid job

Minus (-)
Evgeni Malkin: Where was he tonight?
Power Play: Another disappearing act tonight. Can't let that happen in Game 5.
Petr Sykora: When you're struggling (and get a gaping net and miss) YOU ARE STRUGGLING!

Image and video hosting by TinyPic
Get It Done Thursday!!!