Winning Experience
June 1st, 2008 by Jason ChenThe Pens really looked like birds with their heads cut off last night. If they didn’t have the talent they had, they would’ve been shut out for the third time in four games. The Detroit defense was stifling, and on the penalty kill you’ll notice that all four players collapse hard on Chris Osgood, clogging up the entire slot. Mike Babcock realizes that even if they give Sergei Gonchar or Ryan Whitney the point shot odds are it probably won’t get through considering the traffic, which was why on some powerplays the Pens refused to shoot. Instead, they’d cycle the puck down low, mostly with the big Evgeni Malkin protecting the puck and hoping for a slap-pass opportunity or loose pucks in front.
Marian Hossa has looked dangerous out there, which will pay dividends this summer, no matter what team he chooses to sign with - same goes for Pascal Dupuis, who I thought was their best pick up at the deadline, despite being just the “throw-in” in the Hossa deal. Brooks Orpik has been a monster for the Pens, but the Wings’ aren’t going to be pushed around, and there’s always Darren McCarty and Johan Franzen to mix things up a bit. Marc-Andre Fleury and Chris Osgood both played good games, although neither was particularly sharp, especially on Jiri Hudler’s nifty backhand that just grazed Fleury’s left shoulder, and Hossa’s cross-bar backhand. Take notes, kids, the backhand is the most dangerous shot in hockey. With the curves on the sticks these days it’s impossible to predict which way the puck is going to go. Gordie Howe’s famous advice to Wayne Gretzky when he was a youngster was “practise your backhand.”
Ryan Malone has completely dropped off the face of the planet and hasn’t been the offensive force he’s been this Cup run. He had 4 hits in the first period, and Max Talbot has been just as physical, but the Wings have beaten them at their own game and are finishing their checks.
The Detroit defense is so deep that even when Michel Therrien has last change Sidney Crosby will always inevitably facing one of Brad Stuart, Nik Lidstrom, or Nik Kronwall. The secret to Babcock’s success, he says, is keeping the shifts shorts. He made a mistake when he played Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg too much in game 3, and as a result his players got tired and he couldn’t quite get the match-ups he wanted. He adjusted and it paid off, as neither Crosby nor Malkin were as dangerous as they were previously.
The series goes back to Joe Louis Monday night, and as I pointed out the stat in previous posts, no team has ever won the Cup after being shut out the first two games, although they have pushed the series to 7 games.
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