Penguins need scoring from more than 2 guys
PITTSBURGH — Bill Guerin, no goals in the series. Chris Kunitz, one goal in the playoffs — and he plays on Sidney Crosby's line. Miroslav Satan, one goal in the playoffs.
Clearly, the Pittsburgh Penguins aren't getting much offense from anyone not named Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, who have set up or scored eight of their 10 goals against Detroit in the Stanley Cup finals.
When the Penguins don't get any contribution from their secondary scorers, it's obvious what can happen when their primary scorers don't produce: a 5-0 loss like that in Game 5 on Saturday.
No matter, coach Dan Bylsma isn't putting any pressure on those forwards who aren't producing — and they are many — going into a win-or-else Game 6 tonight. The Penguins have only four goals during even-strength play in five games.
"Do we need those guys to score a goal? We don't need them to score a goal," Bylsma said Monday. "We need our team to play well, we need our special teams to be better than their special teams. If we do that, we're going to give ourselves a chance to win the game."
Even if Crosby and Malkin don't score?
"We don't need Sidney Crosby to score tomorrow," Bylsma said, repeating a theme. "We need our team to play well."
Bylsma might not need Crosby and Malkin to score in Game 6, but their past play suggests they will.In three NHL Game 6s, Crosby has three goals and two assists, and Malkin has one goal and six assists. They have combined for five multiple-point games out of a possible six.However, the Penguins are 1-2 in those Game 6s, losing to Detroit last year and to Washington in the second round this year, both in Pittsburgh, and beating Philadelphia in a road Game 6 this year.
Until their second-round series against Anaheim, the Red Wings had won 13 consecutive Game 6s when they had a chance to end a series. They recovered from that defeat to beat the Ducks in Game 7 at home, and they needed only five games to eliminate Chicago in the Western Conference finals. They swept Columbus in the first round."I think the experience that we have on our team has really helped us in those situations when you're going into a Game 6 on the road," defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom said. "I think we've been able to kind of play the patient style that we can play when we have to, and take advantage of our chances. I think that's the way we're approaching this game, too. We know they're going to be a desperate hockey team."
In the Original Six days, the Stanley Cup finals often ended in late April. On Tuesday, the Red Wings — by Babcock's count — will be playing their 114th game since September, counting exhibitions.The Penguins and Red Wings will have had only two calendar months without hockey, July and August, when they report to camp in mid-September. They also had only two calendar months off last year."You can't tell me some of you guys ain't worn out," Babcock told reporters on Monday. "A let's-go-home kind of thing is what you're thinking. So it's the same for these athletes. Game 114? It's crazy."
Game 4 earned the Stanley Cup final's highest cable television rating since 2002.The Penguins' 4-2 win over the Red Wings on Versus last Thursday drew a 2.8 rating and averaged 3.45 million viewers.The network said Monday that the average 2.7 rating for Games 3 and 4 was up 42 percent over the two games it aired last year. Versus showed Games 1 and 2 in 2008.The 2.8 rating was the highest on Versus, beating the previous record set by Game 3.
