Post Season Play – Part II

Penguins 1 2 – Senators 4 (at the end of Period 2)
Series: 1 - 2 ( I think)

First Period

• I never noticed how really old Mellon Arena is on television until tonight. It seems so small and dinky. The fan noise is unbelievable. I can't imagine how loud it is going to be on Tuesday night, especially if the Penguins take a lead in the series.
• Jeff Jimerson sang both anthems. Jimerson's claim to fame, aside from being the go-to singer for Penguins, Pirates and Steelers games, is his role as “Anthem Singer” in the 1995 film Sudden Death. I have heard him sing many times and have never heard him as flat as he was tonight. It sounded like a combination of bad sound and a bad cold.
• Gary Roberts scores less than a minute into the first period, off a missed shot on the post. Ray Emery is getting pounded by shots, but not enough of them are coming off of rebounds. The team is putting a lot of pressure by collapsing around Emery whenever they get the puck near the Senators net, but I'm not sure that is the most effective way to get Emery off his game. Two of the Penguins goals last night came by distracting Emery, having one of our more high-profile players basically camp right next to the net.
• Is is a good sign or a bad one when the opposing team pulls their goalie with eight and half minutes remaining in the first period? Senators are only down by 1 and a lot can happen in the 2.5 periods remaining.
• Have the Penguins noticed that the referees are not going to call anything against the Senators yet? A two minutes cross-checking penalty on Dany Heatley is nice, but the Penguins are definitely being held to a higher standard.
• Crap, the phone is ringing. Do people not know that there is a playoff game on tonight? Whoever it was did not leave a message.
• Another penalty on the Senators. Penalty count now even, each team with 2 called. Senators penalty killing is very tight. The Penguins are not going getting to much out of them unless they increase the intensity, which does not seem possible.
• Senators score. Marc-Andre caught the puck in his pads, but did not freeze it. Since the play was not whistled dead, the Senators scored by jamming it through. They also knocked the net loose.

Score at the end of first period: Penguins 1 - Senators 1.

Second Period

• Why do I find Dan Potash so annoying? Possibly because I find any sport analyst sent to interview players in between periods annoying. The only interview I ever enjoyed was last year's with Darius Kasparaitis, in which Kaspar walked back into the shot at the completion of the interview, yelled “Go Steelers” and walked back out towards the locker room.*
• Therrien scratched Georges Laraque again and is playing Ronald Petrovicky. A friend joked during yesterday's game that Therrien must be hoping that Petrovicky will take out a Senator by accident. Petrovicky has sat out the majority of games and gave an opposing player a concussion during one of his rare regular season appearances.
• Both teams a bit sluggish at the beginning of the second period. Arena a bit quieter also.
• Senators score at 17:47 due to a defensive breakdown. Penguins left Mike Comrie wide open to score on a deflection.
• Gary Roberts gets into a punching match with Jason Spezza. Jarrko Rutuu helps it along by opening the door and pushing Spezza back towards the ice.
• Penguins get called for another penalty, hooking on Malkin. Current count Penguins 4 – Senators 3.
• Daniel Alfredsson scores the Senators third goal on the subsequent Power Play. The Penguins have to get back into this game. Defense is incredibly weak and the Senators are getting off far too many shots on goal.
• Colby Armstrong legally hits Patrick Eaves and almost knocks him out. A fight ensues between Maxime Talbot and Dean McAmmond when members of the Senators attempt to jump Colby from behind. Unfortunately, Talbot loses the fight. Patrick Eaves is escorted from the ice on a stretcher. Bryan Murray** will be apoplectic tomorrow morning.
• Mario Lemieux in the arena tonight.
• Therrien needs to explain to the boys the concept of rebound – not just for basketball any more.
• Mike Comrie called for Holding. Current count Penguins 5 – Senators 5. I'm not sure which penalties I missed.
• Dan Potash announces that Patrick Eaves has a concussion.
• Daniel Alfredsson scores again. The crowd goes quiet.

Score at the end of the second period: Penguins 1 – Senators 4.

*Kaspar played for the Penguins from 1996 – 2002.
**Bryan Murray is the Senators head coach and known for sniping at and about Penguins players. Earlier this season he exchanged words with Crosby about his foul mouth, provoking an exchange between himself and Therrien.

Third Period

I can't watch period three. Here is the official score sheet. How I went this long as a fan without knowing that they publish the score sheets online, I'll never know.