Playoff Game #7 - vs Montreal Canadiens

Playoff Game 7

Montreal Canadiens at Pittsburgh Penguins

First game of Round 2

Why does it matter?
The Pens caught a break in getting to face the 8th seed. Time to get the series off on the right foot.

What has been happening lately?

• Pens - Take a deep breath after the Sens pushed them further than you thought they could.
  
• Canadiens - A magical win over the Caps made history on Wednesday night.

Questions to be answered

• Will the longer layoff for the Pens affect their start in tonight's game? The Pens have been plagued with slow starts several times recently.
• Can Fleury hold the fort while the Pens try to get to Halak? Flower can be great at times, but he really needs some consistency to his game against the Habs.
• Can the Pens walk the delicate "quality not quantity" line? Given that Halak can stonewall a strong offensive team like the Caps, the Pens will try to be a bit more patient. Will that patience turn into a reluctance to shoot that we've seen at times this year? It will be a head game, for sure.

Keys to the game

• Watch out for match ups. You don't want to see Jay McKee as the last defense trying to slow down one of the quick Montreal forwards (like Cammalleri, Gomez or Gionta).
• Start out strong. The Habs played well on the road in Round 1. Get the legs going early and take control of the series from the outset.
• Score on the power play. The Habs completely dominated the Caps power play. The Pens can take the air out of their sails with a few tallies on the man-advantage.