GAME TWO RECAP (Penguins 7, Hurricanes 4)

Another non-recap here for the most part. I covered a client meeting in Washingon County, and by the time I got into my car and turned the radio on, Malkin had just scored his second goal and put the Penguins up 5-4. I've sort of liked revisiting the experience of radio being my only access. Of course, it's significantly easier to take when I'm sure I can see the highlights later.

And what highlights they were. Evgeni Malkin's hat trick was compressed into a neatly-digestible youtube within an hour or so of the game ending, and if the Penguins don't win another game this postseason, this game alone will keep fans warm until next spring. His first and second goals were scored on the doorstep, which is great for lots of reasons. Malkin's usually at his deadliest when he's taking a hard wrist shot, one-timer or slap shot from the slot or the circles. There's been a lot of mention this year about how Sidney Crosby has reinvented himself as a goal-scorer by hanging around the net for jam-ins and other short-range garbage goals. They all count the same, right? Geno apparently got the memo, and got two of those Thursday night.

The first goal is a pretty neat example of a timely personnel change. For about the millionth time in these playoffs, the Staal-Cooke-Kennedy line was controlling the puck deep in the opponent end on a steady forecheck, but then Staal realized he was gassed and went to the bench for a quick change. Malkin hopped over the boards and immediately went full bore, turning quickly to avoid the blueliner at the point and then beelined straight for the right post. He'd been on the ice for less than ten seconds and was there for a rap-in. As an aside, if there's a Pittsburgh-Detroit rematch in the Finals this year (and I'm way, way ahead of myself), here's reason #1 why one might expect the result won't be the same: the chemistry and consistent forecheck of the Staal line. They won't fill the net, but they'll wear out five of your players for fifteen minutes a game, and then you get to stop Crosby and Malkin.

The best thing about the second goal is that when the Penguins began to sustain possession in the Carolina zone, the crowd-- sensing that it was one of those nights for Malkin-- started chanting "Geno, Geno" and, almost as if to make it so, Malkin responded with more great rebound work to turn a tied game into a lead the Penguins wouldn't relinquish.

The third goal will deservedly get all the attention. Malkin takes the faceoff and pushes it forward, where it hits off the boards and waits for him to gather it in. The still photo at the top of this post is a pretty good indication of how close the defensive coverage was on him as he skated behind the net and out the other side. There wasn't a lot of room there, and Carolina had been burned enough by Seventy-One that he was going to be shadowed in the defensive end. Even so, he turned quickly to get a sliver of space and threw a nearly-blind backhand on net, and put it right where it had to be. Good stuff. Am I gonna dwell on the lackluster defensive end work that led to the Penguins giving up four goals? Not at all. Maybe the firewagon hockey of the 1980s isn't dead yet.