How the Pittsburgh Penguins Can Beat the Carolina Hurricanes

Just because this series doesn’t have the mainstream marketing appeal of the Penguins/Capitals match-up doesn’t mean that it won’t be exciting, interesting and competitive.  In fact, there is a chance that this series will be even more competitive than the NHL’s marquee match-up.

First of all, a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals is on the line.  That alone will amp up the intensity.   But that’s not all that will make this series another showcase.

The Pittsburgh Penguins had an outstanding record of 15-2-3 in their final 20 regular season games.  The only other Eastern Conference team that ended the season on that kind of a roll was the Carolina Hurricanes.  They went on a 14-4-2 run that included a nine game winning streak.  Both of these teams know how to win when it matters.

The Penguins went 2-1-1 against the Hurricanes in the regular season.  However, it is important to note that the Cam Ward was not in net for either of the two Penguin victories.   Ward has traditionally played very well against Pittsburgh.  In his first start he stopped Mario Lemieux, Ziggy Palffy and Sidney Crosby in a shootout to win the game.

So what will the Penguins need to do to beat the Hurricanes?

Shoot The Puck
The Pittsburgh Penguins have an impressive collection of offensive talent.  In order to beat Ward, the Penguins will need to put a great deal of offensive pressure on him.  In the first two rounds the Penguins were most successful when then fired pucks at the net and generated traffic in front the opposing goalie.  This trend needs to continue.  If Cam Ward can see the shot, he will likely stop it.  The Penguins will need to fire the puck at Ward whenever possible and pounce on rebounds.  Against Washington, the awkward bounces usually worked in the Penguins’ favour.  That is because they went to the net and pressured Varlamov.  Hard work and frequent shots typically result in rebounds and strange bounces.   Rebounds and strange bounces frequently result in goals.

Shadow Eric Staal
The  Carolina Hurricanes have an explosive offense.  For proof, just ask Martin Brodeur about the final 90 seconds of his season.  Sportscasters don’t call them “The Cardiac Canes” just because they enjoy alliteration.  The Hurricanes have the firepower to score repeatedly.  No Hurricane is more potent offensively than Eric Staal.  Staal has nine goals in the playoffs and has the ability to score at key moments.  He is definitely a game changer.  In order for the Penguins to win, Hal Gill and Rob Scuderi will need to be inspired by Zdeno Chara.  Boston had Chara on the ice against Staal as often as they could during the previous round.  This round, the Penguins need to do everything they can to ensure that Gill and Scuderi are on the ice whenever Staal is.  Scuderi had success defending against Ovechkin last round.  He will need to do the same against Eric Staal.

As for the Penguins forwards, Eric Staal should be matched up against his brother.  While Jordan Staal does not have the explosive offensive upside that Eric possesses, his defensive play and aggressive forecheck could be the difference makers in this series.  Staal, Cooke and Kennedy will need to work hard against Staal, Whitney and Cole in order to limit their scoring chances.

Fleury
Marc-Andre Fleury will need to be at the top of his game.  He struggled slightly against Washington and he paid for it. Cam Ward will be at the other end of the ice and he will not make very many mistakes.  Fleury will need to withstand the Carolina offensive onslaught that will unboutably be unleashed at least once or twice a game.  When Fleury plays at his highest level he is capable of stealing games.

Most importantly, the Penguins will need to keep up an aggressive forecheck against the Hurricanes if they hope to defeat them.  If they allow the Hurricanes too many offensive chances, they could find themselves in a hole that will be tough to escape.  Unlike in their series against Washington, the Carolina Hurricanes have more Stanley Cup winners on their roster than the Penguins do.  Ten Hurricanes have rings compared to five on the Penguins.  Carolina’s experience could be the difference in this series.

That said, the difference could be the same thing that was the difference when Pittsburgh played Washington: Sidney Crosby.

Posted by Rick Moldovanyi on May 15 2009. Filed under Carolina Hurricanes, Eastern Conference, Featured Articles, Pittsburgh Penguins. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.