Anaheim is second overall in the league. They haven't lost in regulation yet. They're pretty unusual in that two defensemen lead them in scoring (Pronger and Niedermayer). They have two great goalies (the Pens will probably see Giguere tonight). They have balanced scoring. Yet despite all of that, I think they're beatable for the Penguins. Here's why:
- The Ducks (don't call them Mighty) play four defensemen heavily, and don't really use the other two more than 11 or 12 minutes. That will be difficult against a team with good offensive firepower like the Pens.
- The Ducks have more penalty minutes than every team but one (Phoenix). Their PK is good, but when you take more penalties than most, you're still going to give up the goals.
- Their power play has been somewhat sporadic, netting at least one goal in only four of the previous 10 games, after starting with goals in 4 straight games.
In short, the Penguins need to come out and play a good road game - play fast, draw penalties and convert on their chances.
I'm looking for a Penguins win, or at least on OTL. That would give the team 3 points on their West Coast swing, and (in my book) make the trip a success.
Let's Go Pens!
1 comment:
Tough game... Pens played really flat but lucky for them Anaheim was just as bad. Crosby and Malkin looked ok, and T-bound looked ok but kind of wild. I don't think any of the goals were really his fault, they all were set up off turn overs or just good passing. Really nice to see them get a point out of a game they should have lost. Looks like the Pens have lost that jump to their step here the last two games of the road trip, hopefully getting back to the igloo will get them going on Wednesday.
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