{"id":62884,"date":"2018-04-12T07:49:36","date_gmt":"2018-04-12T07:49:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=62884"},"modified":"2018-04-12T07:49:36","modified_gmt":"2018-04-12T07:49:36","slug":"you-can-call-it-a-statement-sidney-crosby-evgeni-malkin-show-why-penguins-are-chasing-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/sports\/you-can-call-it-a-statement-sidney-crosby-evgeni-malkin-show-why-penguins-are-chasing-history.html","title":{"rendered":"‘You can call it a statement’: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin show why Penguins are chasing history"},"content":{"rendered":"

‘You can call it a statement’: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin show why Penguins are chasing history<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

On a night when you can\u2019t decide whether Sidney Crosby\u2019s goal or Evgeni Malkin\u2019s tally was more spectacular, you aren\u2019t going to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins.<\/span><\/p>\n

On a night when Crosby records his third career playoff hat trick you aren\u2019t going to beat the Pens.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Penguins put on a magic show Wednesday to down the Philadelphia Flyers 7-0 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal. While it\u2019s too early to draw any conclusions about how this series will play out, the dynamic performance is a reminder that the Penguins, despite several roster changes, still boast the offensive might and defensive commitment necessary to win a third consecutive Stanley Cup.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can call it a statement,\u201d said Penguins center Derick Brassard, who joined the team at the trade deadline. \u201cI\u2019ve seen this from the other side. There are a lot of guys who are trying to be first on the puck, using their speed and they are hard to handle.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Crosby and Malkin were near-impossible to handle in this game. They remain the top two reasons why the Penguins have a shot at a three-peat.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the first period, Malkin, fresh from serving a two-minute penalty, roared down the ice and beat Philadelphia goalie Brian Elliott cleanly with a precision backhander to make it a 3-0 game. It was a magnificent dash and memorable shot.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the second period, Crosby scored his first goal by backhanding the puck into the net with a baseball-like swing.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey are two highlight-type goals by elite players,\u201d Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. \u201cThere aren\u2019t too many guys who can make those plays.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Malkin looked more dazzling in the second period when he stickhandled through multiple defenders to fire a shot off the post.<\/span><\/p>\n

The level of play displayed by Crosby and Malkin, particularly because it came in Game 1, makes one wonder whether they see themselves on a special mission to dramatically lead the charge to a third title.<\/span><\/p>\n

Crosby knows the history of the game, maybe he is trying to do what Mark Messier did in 1990 when he made it his personal mission to lead the Edmonton Oilers, then without Wayne Gretzky, to their fifth Stanley Cup title in seven seasons<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes we marvel at what (Crosby and Malkin) do out there,\u201d Sullivan said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTheir talent level. Their instincts. Those two goals are an indication of how talented they are. As coaches, sometimes you take it for granted because we\u2019ve seen it a number of times over the course of a few seasons. Every once in a while they come up with the highlight reel goals. They are exciting to watch and they are certainly inspirational type goals for our team. That\u2019s what these guys bring.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Crosby registered four shots, was plus-5 in this game and won 57% of his faceoffs.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Flyers weren\u2019t at their best, and they will undoubtedly play better in Game 2. But this game was more about how well the Penguins played than how poorly the Flyers performed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Elliott, Philadelphia’s starter, was pulled after giving up five goals, but coach Dave Hakstol said after the game that his \u201cfirst instinct\u201d is to say that Elliott will be in the net for Game 2.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not as if this Pittsburgh offensive display is a surprise. The Penguins posted a 27-11-3 record in the second half of the season, and scored three or more goals in 33 of those 41 games. They scored five or more in 17 games.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Penguins beat Philadelphia four times in the regular season and scored five goals a game in all four victories.<\/span><\/p>\n

On a night when 12 different Penguins recorded points, the secondary story was that they limited the Flyers\u2019 scoring opportunities. Team defensive play is supposed to be the Penguins\u2019 weakness, but they only gave up 24 shots on goal.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think it was a commitment to defend the right way,\u201d Sullivan said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sullivan said there\u2019s risk that goes with the Penguins\u2019 creative playmaking skills. \u201cWe don\u2019t discourage our guys from playmaking because we think it\u2019s the identity of the group,\u201d Sullivan said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sullivan said what he liked about his team\u2019s defensive performance was when the Penguins turned over the puck \u201cthere was urgency and effort from the puck to track and recover.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hakstol said his team\u2019s undoing was the inconsistency of their efficiency.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t play in spurts against this hockey team at this time of year,\u201d Hakstol said.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Penguins have 33 playoff wins over the last 24 months to prove the validity of that statement.<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-\u00a0https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/nhl\/columnist\/allen\/2018\/04\/11\/sidney-crosby-evgeni-malkin-pittsburgh-penguins-game-1\/509472002\/<\/span><\/p>\n

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