MVN - Most Valuable Network

Game Three: Game of the Year tonight for Penguins

Ya think that Madison Square Garden will a tad bit noisy tonight ??

Even during “normal” gamenights, MSG is a difficult play for opposition teams to play.  The ice is regularly rated the worst in the NHL (although Mellon Arena’s isn’t exactly stellar itself), the crowd is among the most rowdy in sports and often there is a sense of nostalgia playing in the historic arena.

But this isn’t a normal gamenight.

The vitriol that the Rangers’ faithful and media regularly spew has been ratcheted up a couple of notches quickly with their childish diving accusations against Sidney Crosby, as well as the controversial officials’ calls that have gone against the Rangers leading to their 0-2 deficit in this best-of-seven series.

Needless to say, it’s should be a wild night in the MSG stands.

A lot of talk has centered around the Penguins’ 0-3-1 record at MSG this year.  Personally, I’m not putting a whole lot of weight on those games.  I say that because I don’t think that the Rangers necessarily dominated the Penguins during those games, I think it was basically that the Penguins had no jump at all in the majority of their games there, as well as being very complacent and lackadaisical.  Those include a 4-2 loss on November 8th, a 4-0 loss on December 18th, a 5-2 loss on March 18th, and a 2-1 overtime loss on March 31st. 

Those complacency and lackadaisical issues will not be an issue tonight, no way.  These young Penguins will feed off of the frenzied crowd at the Garden, particularly Crosby.  It could be argued that the worst thing for the Rangers could do to Sid tonight would a cheap shot by Avery or someone else.  I would not be surprised at all to see a big game from Sid tonight.

I think the Penguins will play a very smart, disciplined game.  In my view, here are the key items for tonight;

• Survive the initial rush.  You know it’s coming.  The Rangers will come out flying with their home crowd in full force.  A smart defensive game, coupled by a steady Marc-Andre Fleury in the first period is crucial.
• Get the first goal.  If the Rangers get the first goal tonight, their momentum will continue to grow.  The Penguins grabbing the first goal could very well take the crowd out of the game.
• Avoid retaliating.  Sean Avery’s antics are increasing, and he’s sure to keep it up as they head home.  The Penguins need to ensure they defend their turf and their players, but not so much as they give the Rangers more time on the powerplay than necessary.

Tonight could very well be the Game of the Year for the Penguins.  If the Penguins go up 3-0 in this series, put a fork in the Rangers, they’re done.  But, if the Rangers win tonight, especially a big win, they’re right back in it.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 29th, 2008 at 10:32 am and is filed under Game Preview. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.