Pens-Canes Game 1 Review

After the game last night, I went upstairs to see what the wife was up to. She asked me if the Pens won, I said yes, and then she asked me if I still thought they'd win in five. I said yes, but how quickly I said yes got me thinking... did I just say yes because that was my defensive reaction? That I didn't want to be wrong on my prediction (at least so quickly), so I immediately backed myself up?

Well, upon further review, I still think they win in five.

We had a two goal lead for most of the game. Their power play is dreadful (although their penalty is kill is as good as advertised, even if we got one home). Even though they cut the lead to one goal and came awful damn close to tying things up, the goal that they got was with a 6-4 advantage in the last minute and a half of the third period of a playoff hockey game. With stakes that high and the odds stacked so thoroughly in their favor, it was almost a sure thing that they score -- although we did fail to clear the puck three times before they got their goal.

Basically, I'm saying that I still don't fear their offense, I still trust Fleury, they're not as dangerous as the Capitals, and I think we can get to Cam Ward. For those reasons, I still feel confident about my prediction. Not as confident as I felt going into the first intermission with a 2-0 lead, but confident.

A few other things:

1. As if special teams weren't already enough of a non-factor, it looks like the refs have pretty much put their whistles in their pockets and will let the players decide the games. I was very nervous during the first ten minutes of the game, seeing as how they called three penalties during that span, but they only called three the rest of the game. Actually, the refs calling the games loosely hurts the Penguins, since the Canes power play sucks and ours is coming on, but it helps the games, helps the sport, and, ultimately, I feel we can win regardless of how the games are called. As long as the penalties aren't too flagrant.
2. Speaking of flagrant penalties, I was listening to the local broadcast (with the mighty Mike Lange) when Ovechkin took out Gonchar with that highly questionable "knee check." Lange was livid and thought that Ovechkin should've gotten a five minute major, faced a possible fine and suspension, and be immediately checked into Allegheny Penitentiary, where the boys there would show him a new definition of "five hole." No call was made, however, so that only fueled Lange's fire. I was listening to the Versus guys last night (the one dude sounds like Booger from Revenge of the Nerds) and when Matt Cooke knee-checked Erik Cole, they didn't really say anything. To me, it looked like the same play. Are they just not calling that? Was that a make-up non-call for the non-call on Ovechkin? Either way, that sets a dangerous precident. They should call that, lest either team -- or any team left in the playoffs, for that matter -- makes knee checking a part of their strategy.
3. It's true that we won, in large part, because Fleury made some absolutely ridiculous saves. That is obviously something that is not sustainable. But, Cam Ward made about an equal number of equally ridiculous saves, so I think it will come down to who flinches first. Guess who flinched first in the Capitals series? In the Flyers series? Once again, still confident in my Pens in Five prediction.
4. I still can't believe we have to wait until Thursday for the next game. Everyone's already in Pittsburgh. What are we waiting for? People to lose interest?
5. I had never heard anyone announce Phillippe Boucher's name before. I had assumed that he would've changed the pronounciation to "booch-er" instead of "boo-chay" in order to keep idiots like me from calling him "Bobby" or "Waterboy." Nope. Should've seen it coming, though. He's French-Canadian.