Should the NHL decide to pivot and begin awarding goals based on hits delivered, the Penguins’ first-round series against the Columbus Blue Jackets could take a decided turn.
Doubtful that happens, however.
Doesn’t seem to be much of a precedent for that sort of seismic change, especially in the middle of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Assuming there are no major rule alterations made within the next week or so, and assuming this sort of stuff keeps up, the Penguins’ 4-1 victory in Game 2 Friday at PPG Paints Arena has them staring at a sizable series edge while employing a strategy that’s tough to stop.
Get timely goals and solid goaltending. Block shots. Protect your net. Forget the … stuff. Hard to argue with any of it, especially the last part given the rock ‘em, sock ‘em approach many Penguins expected from Columbus in this one.
“You don’t win the game after the whistles,” defenseman Ian Cole said. “You don’t win the game in the scrums. You win the game between the whistles, and you win the game scoring goals and preventing goals.
“That’s what we’re going to continue to concentrate on. We’ve had a good, singular mindset here so far. We’re going to try and continue to do that.”
The Blue Jackets again tried to blast the Penguins to smithereens, accumulating a 51-30 edge in hits. The Penguins barely noticed, let alone retaliated. Not even when Matt Calvert snapped his stick by checking Tom Kuhnhackl from behind in the final minute.
The Blue Jackets certainly tried to ratchet up the offensive pressure, too, following coach John Tortorella’s directive of doing a better job trying to pump shots through. The Penguins responded by blocking 23.
For those of you scoring at home, that’s a hits advantage for Columbus of 101-65 through two games and 45 blocked shots for the Penguins, an average of 22.5 per game that’s actually way, way better than their season mark (15.9).
“There’s a sense of desperation in everything that we do in the playoffs,” Cole said. “They’ve been trying to shoot a lot of pucks, which will inevitably lead to blocked shots. We’re going to keep trying to be competitive and keep trying to get in shot lanes. If the blocked shots happen, that’s great.”
The same for stellar goaltending, which the Penguins got. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 39 of 40 shots to earn his second win in the series and his 55th all-time in the postseason.
As the series shifts back to Columbus for Game 3 Sunday night, what do you do? Fleury has been terrific in two games, stopping 70 of 72. Even if Matt Murray makes a miracle recovery from his lower-body injury, it’d be tough to yank Fleury.
Especially not if you rewind your DVR to 10:43 of the third period, when Fleury made his biggest save of the night, robbing Pine’s Brandon Saad to keep Columbus from gaining any shred of momentum.
“Our guys did a great job covering the middle of the ice, keeping it to the outside and blocking some shots for me, too,” Fleury said.
Another development two games into this series can explain the Penguins’ first two goals. The line of Jake Guentzel, Sidney Crosby and Sheary was dynamic after a so-so performance in Game 1.
Sheary’s forecheck forced Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky into a turnover that led to Crosby’s goal and a 1-0 lead. Crosby now has 50 playoff goals in his career, the 57th player in NHL history to reach that milestone.
After Saad beat Fleury from the left circle at 7:00 of the second period, Guentzel and Crosby executed a two-on-one break with precision, Guentzel using his quick release to score his sixth goal in seven games counting the regular season.
Malkin stretched the Penguins’ lead to 3-1 at 2:01 of the third, scoring from a severe angle to give the Penguins some much-needed insurance before Patric Hornqvist tacked on an empty-netter late.
The Penguins will take the Malkin and Hornqvist tallies, but this night belonged to Sid and the Kids, driving possession and creative scoring chances nearly every time they hopped over the boards.
"When they’re in that offensive zone, they’re as dangerous a line as there is in the game right now,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said.
The first two games of this series should tell you that the Penguins as a team are pretty darn dangerous, too. They don’t get sucked into stupidity. They block shots like they get commission for each one. They appear dead set on clearing the crease for Fleury.
It’s an airtight formula for winning playoff games.
“I think we’re doing fine,” Sullivan responded when asked to assess his team’s adherence to his “Just Play” mindset. “It’s everything we expected it to be. We knew we were going to play a physical team.”
Perhaps the Penguins didn’t know they would take all that punishment and repurpose it on the scoresheet, but through two games, that’s exactly what they’ve done.
“I think our discipline is important throughout this series,” Sheary said. “In the playoffs, it can get a little heated.
“If we can stay away from that, we’ll continue to be successful.”
Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.
First Published: April 15, 2017, 1:48 a.m.
Updated: April 15, 2017, 3:02 a.m.
