FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-It’s just one win. But man oh man, what a win. After two days worth of clearly uninformed discussion from the national media about the “boring Ottawa Senators”, this team showed exactly why they are the exact opposite of that. Throughout these playoffs, the Senators have had an ability to dictate the pace of the game- slowing it down on the road to try and keep games close and then cranking it up at the CTC. Last night, the Penguins met the home ice Ottawa Senators up close and personal. That first period was as dominant a 20 minutes as we’ve seen from this team all year.
-Don’t let the Sportsnet announcers fool you. That opening frame wasn’t about what the Penguins were doing wrong. It was about the Senators coming out and sending a strong message that they belong in this series. From the moment the puck was dropped in this one, you could tell the Senators wanted to put a whole lot more pressure on a banged up Penguins blueline and they did it for the entirety of the first period. All four lines were rolling. Players were doing a much better job of supporting the puck. Breakouts were better. Offensive zone pressure was excellent. And they were still forcing a ton of turnovers in the neutral zone. Just a perfect period of hockey.
Full credit to the 20,000 fans that packed the Canadian Tire Centre last night. Pittsburgh’s rink sounded like a big ol’ library in Games 1 and 2 but in Game 3, Sens fans showed them what playoff hockey is supposed to look and sound like. Talking to people who were in the building last night, it was apparently as loud as it’s ever been in that rink, especially after the fourth goal of the period and third in 2:18. Expecting more of the same from Sens fans on Friday night.
-Sort of had a feeling we’d see Matt Murray before these series was over although I’ll admit, I was hoping it would take a little bit longer. Marc Andre Fleury has played a huge part in getting the Penguins to this point but it’s pretty clear that Matt Murray is the better goalie. Fleury has a history of imploding from time to time and that was on full display in the 12 minutes and change he played last night. Four goals on nine shots isn’t exactly a recipe for success. Mike Sullivan wouldn’t say who he plans to go with in Game 4 but I know who I’m hoping for.
-With only one Canadian team left standing, the Senators are finally getting the “best” announcers Sportsnet has to offer. Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson are considered the top play by play and colour guys for that network and they always get the assignment for the most important games. You see the problem is they’re huge Penguins fans. Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration but it felt like those two were tripping over themselves to look for good things to say about the Penguins and to downplay Ottawa’s dominance in this game. And at times it felt like they were practically begging the Penguins to get back in the game. Oh and the whole “Sid Crosby” and “Geno” thing is a bit much, Jim. I’ll take Bob Cole over Jim Hughson any day.
Boucher’s Post-Game Comments
Boxscore
Advanced Stats
Playoff Bracket
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