Devils: 3, Penguins: 1
For the fifth time this season, the Penguins found themselves on the losing end of a game with their Atlantic Division foes, the New Jersey Devils.
The game was filled with up and down action and had the intensity of a playoff game, but a pair of shoddy calls by the officiating crew left a sour taste in the mouth of Pens fans.
The Devils got off to a quick start in the game, scoring only 1:43 in. Andy Greene fired a shot wide, and it took a hard bounce back in front of the net, right to the stick of Patrick Elias. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was unable to recover, and Elias buried a shot into an open net.
However, the Penguins responded only 42 seconds later when Sidney Crosby put a shot through the five-hole of Martin Brodeur on a 2 on 1 rush. Brodeur had shut out the Penguins in their previous two meetings this year, so the early goal was a relief for the Penguins’ offense. Unfortunately, Brodeur would be perfect for the rest of the game.
The 2nd period was scoreless for both teams, but it was an eventful period. 4:10 in, there was an officiating controversy when Craig Adams checked former Penguin Martin Skoula into the boards slightly after the whistle was blown for a high stick on the puck. As a result of the hit, Skoula suffered a small cut to his face.
Adams was given a 5 minute major penalty and a game misconduct for charging for a play that was barely deserving of a 2 minute minor.
The NHL rulebook is in serious need of some revisions. Last Sunday, Matt Cooke ended Bruins’ forward Marc Savard’s season with a shoulder to the head, and did not even receive a 2 minute minor. In this game, Adams was kicked out of a game for drawing a small amount of blood on a slightly late hit.
Luckily, the Penguins did an incredible job killing off the penalty, even without one of their top PK guys in Adams. Fleury made 7 saves during the PK, and then shortly after, stopped an Ilya Kovalchuk penalty shot.
The Devils took control of the game in the 3rd period. Only 2 minutes in, a Fleury rebound found its way to Andy Greene, who blasted a slap shot to the top corner of the net to give the Devils the eventual game winner.
Around the halfway mark of the period, the Devils added some insurance on yet another controversial play. Ilya Kovalchuk put a wrist shot on net from the point, and it seemed to easily find its way past Fleury’s glove. Upon closer review, it turned out that Travis Zajac’s stick pushed Fleury’s glove out of the way of the puck before he had the chance to make the save. The play is not reviewable, so the insurance goal stood.
From that point on, Brodeur stole the show for the Devils, who cruised to a 3-1 final. New Jersey has now won all five contests against the Penguins this season, outscoring them 17-3 in the process.
The Penguins will head to Tampa Bay to take on the Lightning on Sunday evening at 5 PM.
Goals
Pittsburgh: Crosby (45)
New Jersey: Elias (12), Greene (6), Kovalchuk (35)
Assists
Pittsburgh: Kunitz (18), Dupuis (15)
New Jersey: Greene (24), Kovalchuk (33,34), Salvador (9), Zubrus (12), Zajac (37)
Shots on goal
Pittsburgh: 13 - 7 - 15 - 35
New Jersey: 8 - 19 - 5 - 32
Powerplay
Pittsburgh: 0-4
New Jersey: 0-5
3 Stars
1. Andy Greene: GWG, A
2. Ilya Kovalchuk: G, A
3. Martin Brodeur: 34 saves on 35 shots
Eastern Conference standings/points
1. Capitals: 99
2. Penguins: 85
3. Sabres: 81
4. Devils: 83
5. Senators: 79
6. Flyers: 74
7. Canadiens: 74
8. Bruins: 72
9. Rangers: 69
10. Lightning: 68
11. Thrashers: 66
12. Panthers: 64
13. Hurricanes: 64
14. Islanders: 61
15. Maple Leafs: 56
Comments
1. Bill McCreary can't possibly retire soon enough.
2. Same as #1, but replace "Bill McCreary" with "Martin Brodeur."
Mike - you sound like a child crying and mad fan of penguins. Devils are just a better match up! There is now way you go past us in playoffs unless you win division and Washington takes care of devils for you (doubt it). Anyway you do not stuck up with Devils and Capitals, face it!
LK: Evgeni Malkin's English is better than yours.
Playoff hockey always changes everything. Although I think the devils and the capitals are playing better as of right now, we'll see what happens in the playoffs. As history shows, it's not always the "best" team that wins, it's the one who gets on a roll at the right time.
LK: A child crying? Because I feel that a headshot that knocks someone out for the season should warrant more of a penalty than the Adams play, or because I don't think that someone should be allowed to knock a goalie's glove out of the way of a puck? Nowhere did I say that the Devils are not the better team, nor did I say that those plays cost the Pens the game.
But I guess you're right, the Pens just don't stuck up (?) with the Caps and Devils.
CD: Agreed on all accounts. Especially the guy who can't write a simple sentence in English.
TP: Very true. The Caps owned the Pens last year during the regular season, but the Pens showed up when it mattered. Regular season stats are pretty much thrown out the window once the playoffs start.
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