It's A Hockey Night In Pittsburgh !

[The Ole Six-Fiver]

Story in the Trib about all the Vezina trophy winners they've dismantled in the playoffs.
The Louie story becomes more irrelevant when the Pens score 7 a game!

The scary part is, they won't get 7 every game, and can Louie win a really close one all by himself?
If the Pens continue to forecheck like they have been, and clear the zone and stay out of the box, clearly the answer is yes.

No matter what, getting that 4th win is always the toughest one! Most definitely don't want a game 7 in the Garden!!

Yes sometimes the worst thing for the Penguins is the game (or period) immediately AFTER they’ve put a whooping on someone, because they feel their ‘creative’ oats and abandon disciplined play (or more precisely, whatever it is they consider to be disciplined). The second period the other night is a great example.

The positive is that they didn’t allow that to happen in the third period last night, though the Rangers weren’t really trying very hard either.

 

[HOF Coach]

NYR is too dangerous. The Pens have to finish off this team in the next game. Period. If you let them have even a sliver of hope that they might be able to play well enough to win any games, they just might. The Pens need to demoralize their goalies, whoever they play, and score quickly on them.

The Pens have 200 Shots on Goal in 4 games...200! The Rangers, especially Igor, are shell-shocked and demoralized.

The 4th win of a series can be difficult to attain. It is do or die time for the Rangers. They'll have to do a 180 to win a game, not to mention 3 straight.

 

[PittPharm2002]

Pens have a long history over these past few decades of breaking goalies.

Jim Carey.
King Henrik
Varlamalov
Bobrovsky
Holtby

Breaking goalies in the playoffs has been a penguin tradition for 30 years

 

[goalieman]

Some thoughts .......

Wow, what a great game the Pens played last night (Game 4) ..... amazing ! ..... prior to the series starting, I wrote a post comparing the two teams and gave the advantage in almost every category to the Rangers and that post doesn't look very good now, but, of course, I based it on how the two teams played during the regular season especially the last couple months and how they played against each other ...... many hockey people ( a lot smarter than me) expressed similar thoughts to mine so I was at least in good company ...... many of the pundits in the studios during the games are surprised at how the Pens have handled the Rangers so far ...... the Playoffs can be different from the regular season ...... why are the Pens doing so well ....

- The Pens have negated the Rangers speed and transition game advantage which killed us during the regular season by getting pucks in deep, making the Rangers defensemen go backwards, forechecking them hard, taking time and space away from them which has caused a lot of Ranger turnovers and Pens scoring chances ..... that forecheck and keeping 3 men above the puck has also allowed the Pens to greatly decrease the odd man breaks by the Rangers.

- The Pens have also overall been very good in their own defensive zone ....... their back-checking as well as defensive coverage/positioning has been outstanding and so much better then late in the regular season ...... the Rangers have been kept on the periphery most of the time and they haven't been getting high danger shots in the slot, etc. which has helped Domingue a lot (I think the Rangers had 5 HD shots in the last two games combined which is probably a third of usual) .....

- Our breakouts and puck management have been very good, we are getting a lot of traffic in front of the Ranger goalies leading to deflection and rebound goals along with a lot of high danger shots ...... no one has been able to stop the Crosby line and we are getting some needed secondary scoring.

- Some things we might see from the Rangers in Game 5 ...... try to beat our forecheck with better puck management and better puck support on breakouts making quicker simple passes and trying to go more north-south in their game ....... I think they are going to be more physical ....... suspect they will make a big effort to get much more traffic in front of Domingue and get some goals on deflections, screens, rebounds ........ it would not surprise me at all to see Shesterkin come up with a much better game ........ Gallant could consider a line change or two to try and get a line together to play more successfully against the Crosby line which is killing them.

- Teams up 3-1 in Stanley Cup Playoffs end up winning the series ~90% of the time.

- Of the 11 goals given up so far by Domingue in the series, 5 are on deflections where he didn't have much chance, 4 have been over glove side, one over blocker side, and one on a rebound batted into an "open" net ..... suspect Rangers will test his glove hand to see if it is a significant weakness .....

- Rakell practiced today in a regular jersey but Sullivan said later he has not been cleared for contact yet ...... Jarry practiced for 3rd day in a row but don't think his return is imminent ...... it's worrisome that Dumoulin did not practice again today and hasn't practice since he went out of the lineup.

Let's close out the series in Game 5 !!!!!!!!

 

[ShipofFools]

Some thoughts .......

Wow, what a great game the Pens played last night (Game 4) ..... amazing ! ..... prior to the series starting, I wrote a post comparing the two teams and gave the advantage in almost every category to the Rangers and that post doesn't look very good now, but, of course, I based it on how the two teams played during the regular season especially the last couple months and how they played against each other ...... many hockey people ( a lot smarter than me) expressed similar thoughts to mine so I was at least in good company ...... many of the pundits in the studios during the games are surprised at how the Pens have handled the Rangers so far ...... the Playoffs can be different from the regular season ...... why are the Pens doing so well ....

- The Pens have negated the Rangers speed and transition game advantage which killed us during the regular season by getting pucks in deep, making the Rangers defensemen go backwards, forechecking them hard, taking time and space away from them which has caused a lot of Ranger turnovers and Pens scoring chances ..... that forecheck and keeping 3 men above the puck has also allowed the Pens to greatly decrease the odd man breaks by the Rangers.

- The Pens have also overall been very good in their own defensive zone ....... their back-checking as well as defensive coverage/positioning has been outstanding and so much better then late in the regular season ...... the Rangers have been kept on the periphery most of the time and they haven't been getting high danger shots in the slot, etc. which has helped Domingue a lot (I think the Rangers had 5 HD shots in the last two games combined which is probably a third of usual) .....

- Our breakouts and puck management have been very good, we are getting a lot of traffic in front of the Ranger goalies leading to deflection and rebound goals along with a lot of high danger shots ...... no one has been able to stop the Crosby line and we are getting some needed secondary scoring.

- Some things we might see from the Rangers in Game 5 ...... try to beat our forecheck with better puck management and better puck support on breakouts making quicker simple passes and trying to go more north-south in their game ....... I think they are going to be more physical ....... suspect they will make a big effort to get much more traffic in front of Domingue and get some goals on deflections, screens, rebounds ........ it would not surprise me at all to see Shesterkin come up with a much better game ........ Gallant could consider a line change or two to try and get a line together to play more successfully against the Crosby line which is killing them.

- Teams up 3-1 in Stanley Cup Playoffs end up winning the series ~90% of the time.

- Of the 11 goals given up so far by Domingue in the series, 5 are on deflections where he didn't have much chance, 4 have been over glove side, one over blocker side, and one on a rebound batted into an "open" net ..... suspect Rangers will test his glove hand to see if it is a significant weakness .....

- Rakell practiced today in a regular jersey but Sullivan said later he has not been cleared for contact yet ...... Jarry practiced for 3rd day in a row but don't think his return is imminent ...... it's worrisome that Dumoulin did not practice again today and hasn't practice since he went out of the lineup.

Let's close out the series in Game 5 !!!!!!!!

I agree and expect the Rangers to come out with more intensity and physicality. If the Pens can weather an early storm and go into the third period even or ahead, that will put NY into desperate mode taking chances. That's where the Pens could finish them.

 

[The Ole Six-Fiver]

I’ve been surprised the Rangers have not camped more of their bigger bodies in front of Domingue. Maybe psychologically reluctant after Kreider got drilled in the throat. But given the deflections have been so effective for them, and the Penguins D don’t have the bulk to move them easily away, it seems an obvious tactic they were doing but then got away from

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

This tweet is true. That Crosby goal in the 1st period…what if it was ruled “no goal”? Could have been a completely different game. Additionally and of significantly less importance, that review could have been completed in 10 seconds. The technology is there and used in soccer and tennis.

View embedded media

The worst part about that replay was that it was obvious right from the beginning that it was a goal. They showed the low view from the side where Crosby swept the puck as it was below Shesterkin's pad, you could clearly see that the puck was in front of Crosby's stick, Crosby's stick crossed the line and the puck disappeared. Where, exactly, did the refs think it went? Did they think it magically teleported itself to the opposite side of the crease, and then somehow later reappeared? Did they think David Blaine was in the house and he made the puck seem to disappear, even though it was still there sitting on the goal line?

Given what happened and what you could see on the replay, there was one, and only one, place where the puck could have even theoretically been. And that was in the goal. When you can see the goal line where the puck was and the puck isn't in the picture anymore the number of choices for where the puck might be are really limited.

 

[anon_4dfwm2pijbr0a]

I"m so stoked for tonight! Leggo Pens!

 

[NCanton Panther]

The worst part about that replay was that it was obvious right from the beginning that it was a goal. They showed the low view from the side where Crosby swept the puck as it was below Shesterkin's pad, you could clearly see that the puck was in front of Crosby's stick, Crosby's stick crossed the line and the puck disappeared. Where, exactly, did the refs think it went? Did they think it magically teleported itself to the opposite side of the crease, and then somehow later reappeared? Did they think David Blaine was in the house and he made the puck seem to disappear, even though it was still there sitting on the goal line?

Given what happened and what you could see on the replay, there was one, and only one, place where the puck could have even theoretically been. And that was in the goal. When you can see the goal line where the puck was and the puck isn't in the picture anymore the number of choices for where the puck might be are really limited.

Yeah, it was definitely obvious it was a goal, no where for the puck to be but past the line under Shesterkin’s pad.

But the ESPN announcers sure seemed to think it wasn’t going to be called a goal because you could never physically see the puck past the line. Again, obvious it had to have been past the line but if the video never physically shows it, they can’t call it a goal.

Don’t know how true the above is but good thing simple logic prevailed on the goal/no goal decision.

 

[PittPharm2002]

If sid said it was a goal - you can be assured it was a goal

 

[anon_4dfwm2pijbr0a]

Yeah, it was definitely obvious it was a goal, no where for the puck to be but past the line under Shesterkin’s pad.

But the ESPN announcers sure seemed to think it wasn’t going to be called a goal because you could never physically see the puck past the line. Again, obvious it had to have been past the line but if the video never physically shows it, they can’t call it a goal.

Don’t know how true the above is but good thing simple logic prevailed on the goal/no goal decision.

They seemed on board with the no goal stance until right at the end, they closely watched that angle that showed Sid slap it over the line then Shesterkin pull the puck under his pad back out of the net.

 

[NCanton Panther]

They seemed on board with the no goal stance until right at the end, they closely watched that angle that showed Sid slap it over the line then Shesterkin pull the puck under his pad back out of the net.

Yep, that’s correct. They were finally conceding goal on that view showing Sid slap it over the line, or more accurately, his stick head going over the line (the puck was in front of the stick head so common sense says the puck was over as well).

 

[The Ole Six-Fiver]

Yep, that’s correct. They were finally conceding goal on that view showing Sid slap it over the line, or more accurately, his stick head going over the line (the puck was in front of the stick head so common sense says the puck was over as well).

It’s the classic case, like the pitch location functionality in baseball, where the technology has advanced to make something obvious that used to be subjective … but everyone is reluctant to totally yield to it and remove the human element of officiating. So you get these kind of quandaries, with the result that everyone is just waiting and waiting.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

The worst part about that replay was that it was obvious right from the beginning that it was a goal. They showed the low view from the side where Crosby swept the puck as it was below Shesterkin's pad, you could clearly see that the puck was in front of Crosby's stick, Crosby's stick crossed the line and the puck disappeared. Where, exactly, did the refs think it went? Did they think it magically teleported itself to the opposite side of the crease, and then somehow later reappeared? Did they think David Blaine was in the house and he made the puck seem to disappear, even though it was still there sitting on the goal line?

Given what happened and what you could see on the replay, there was one, and only one, place where the puck could have even theoretically been. And that was in the goal. When you can see the goal line where the puck was and the puck isn't in the picture anymore the number of choices for where the puck might be are really limited.

It was obvious it was a goal. But it was all conjecture until the puck was actually seen. I am not bagging too much on the refs here, except after the puck was seen clearly across the line, there was nothing else to discuss.

 

[goalieman]

Yeah, it was definitely obvious it was a goal, no where for the puck to be but past the line under Shesterkin’s pad.

But the ESPN announcers sure seemed to think it wasn’t going to be called a goal because you could never physically see the puck past the line. Again, obvious it had to have been past the line but if the video never physically shows it, they can’t call it a goal.

Don’t know how true the above is but good thing simple logic prevailed on the goal/no goal decision.

There was actually one view that they blew up to show a close up and brightened the picture where you could clearly see the puck physically over the goal line ....... it's the 3rd picture down in the article below (a still picture not a video ).......

Game 4 Recap: Penguins blow Rangers off the ice, take 3-1 series lead

It was all Pittsburgh in this game, as they jump all over Igor Shesterkin and the Rangers by a 7-2 final score

www.pensburgh.com

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Well......big game tonight. I think it is going to be tight. Let's hope Louie has one more in him. He scares me, and I would love to hear what our goalie experts think. He fights the puck a bit as he seems late to react but he is so big so he covers alot of net.

Let's go. Don't give them any hope. Have a nice break between now and Rd 2

 

[Pitt2006]

Well......big game tonight. I think it is going to be tight. Let's hope Louie has one more in him. He scares me, and I would love to hear what our goalie experts think. He fights the puck a bit as he seems late to react but he is so big so he covers alot of net.

Let's go. Don't give them any hope. Have a nice break between now and Rd 2

No goalie expert, but I think experience of Pens outweighs goaltending blemishes tonight. It sort of reminds me of Crosby's first playoffs against the Sens and while talented, just couldn't match the intensity. I am thinking more 6-4 than a 2-1 type of game.

 

[goalieman]

Well......big game tonight. I think it is going to be tight. Let's hope Louie has one more in him. He scares me, and I would love to hear what our goalie experts think. He fights the puck a bit as he seems late to react but he is so big so he covers alot of net.

Let's go. Don't give them any hope. Have a nice break between now and Rd 2

No goalie expert, but I think experience of Pens outweighs goaltending blemishes tonight. It sort of reminds me of Crosby's first playoffs against the Sens and while talented, just couldn't match the intensity. I am thinking more 6-4 than a 2-1 type of game.

Hard to make a detailed evaluation of Domingue based on the few games he has played so far ....... he is big and covers a good bit of net ...... technically he appears relatively sound ....... he does not appear as quick, precise in movement, or athletic as Jarry or DeSmith but for his size is not bad ....... angles and positioning have been satisfactory so far ..... his has played the puck outside the net fine so far, making the simple plays (hasn't really shot the puck up the ice to the forwards much) ....... several goals have gone in over his glove side so I would have some concern about that ....... the Pens have done a good job of keeping the Ranger high danger shot totals down so that has shielded Domingue some. I expect the Rangers to make a major effort to get a lot more traffic in front of Domingue and getting more shots from the slot/high danger areas tonight ...... that is when we will see if he can keep up or gets overwhelmed and if he starts getting tougher shots whether he complicates the picture by playing too deep in the net.

Advanced stats may be a little misleading when he has played so few games but so far in the Playoffs, Domingue's delta save % is minus 0.77 and Goals Saved Above Expected is minus 1.24 which indicates overall he has played worse than the average goalie in the Playoffs at present (with this few games played, however, one really good or one really bad game could change those stats significantly) ...... Domingue's high danger save % for the Playoffs is 0.818 which is slightly below average at this point in the Playoffs.

If Shesterkin plays tonight like he did all year during the regular season, and Domingue doesn't play all that well, goaltending could be the difference ..... Let's hope the Pens continue their domination and Domingue holds up his end !

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

It was obvious it was a goal. But it was all conjecture until the puck was actually seen. I am not bagging too much on the refs here, except after the puck was seen clearly across the line, there was nothing else to discuss.

If you can see the area in front of the goal line and you can see the goal line, and the puck is no where in the picture, there is only one place left that the puck could be. You didn't have to actually see the puck in the net, because you could clearly see that the puck was not not in the net.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

If you can see the area in front of the goal line and you can see the goal line, and the puck is no where in the picture, there is only one place left that the puck could be. You didn't have to actually see the puck in the net, because you could clearly see that the puck was not not in the net.

I know but....................unless they saw the puck it removed any excuses to cop out the call.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

OK. I expect the Rangers to come out hard the first 10 minutes. If the Pens can survive this.......things will start to normalize. And the longer it goes, the tighter the grip on the Rangers sticks and the more pressure on Shesterkin.

Just got to survive the first half of the first period.

I do feel pretty good. Except Domingue's soccer goalie like saves scares me.

Love to win here.

Then Game 1, Round 2 roll out Jarry and the infirmed and lets' get it on.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Except Domingue's soccer goalie like saves scares me.

It seems like a couple times every game he has absolutely no idea where the puck is. Or even where it might be.

Which is a really bad trait in a goalie.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

It seems like a couple times every game he has absolutely no idea where the puck is. Or even where it might be.

Which is a really bad trait in a goalie.

I know. Trust me I see that. He scares me, but he is a career minor leaguer so it is expected to scare you. Great he is big and his catching hand is opposite what is norm which gives him a fleeting advantage.

But hey, get your body in front of the puck any way possible.

I am thinking if there is a Game 6 Jarry is back in. Pens don't need any goalie to win this series, just not lose it.

 

[HOF Coach]

 

[mike 301]

Happy 30th to Ryan Rust ! (Just saw that on the pre-game) .

 

[goalieman]

Pens with 2 minutes of 5 on 3 advantage ...... big chance here !

 

[USN_Panther]

5 on 3 less than 30 seconds in. Need to score here early!

 

[BreakingPitt]

Dumb penalties by Rangers but horrible PP for Penguins.
Worst 5 on 3 I've seen in a while.

 

[Pittisit4me]

Pathetic! Should have given the 2nd unit a chance. Need players who will shoot and the rest go to the net.

 

[mike 301]

Yeah !!!!!

 

[goalieman]

Goal 1-0 Pens !!!!!! Guentzel !!

 

[USN_Panther]

We're getting good chances. It will go in eventually.

 

[BreakingPitt]

Guentzel 6 goals , damn.

 

[USN_Panther]

We're getting good chances. It will go in eventually.

Right on queue!

 

[USN_Panther]

Shesterkin looked lost on that play. He didn't know where the puck was and didn't get to the post in time.
That is a goal that I would be upset with as a Beer Leaguer. He's broken.

 

[HOF Coach]

 

[Fk_Pitt]

Domingue is hockey’s Duck Hodges.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

View embedded media

He sux. Bring John barbaro back from the dead.

 

[HOF Coach]

 

[USN_Panther]

Shesterkin is not looking comfortable in net. He is really fighting off even the easy saves.