Amphibious Sports Duo: Pittsburgh Penguins

Thursday, May 14

Game 7 Is A Letdown, But Sid Again Has What It Takes

I would liken the Washington Capitals performance to our performance at trivia night last night: Not in it from the start and it became progressively uglier as the night went on. Hours later, after 6 Pittsburgh goals and missed questions on Sojurner Truth and robots in movies, both our hopes of $25 dollars off our tab and the Caps hopes of reaching the Eastern Conference finals were laid to waste. It was not pretty and Crosby answered any questions about who has the edge in the rivalry right now. Sid had 8 goals and 13 points in the series including two last night. I was expecting big things for the game but as your learn in life, you are never guaranteed a good time.

Crosby raises his game -- again [NHL.com]

Tuesday, May 12

Capitals and Penguins Enter Epic Territory

While there actually has been attention on the series between the Capitals and Penguins, most of the sports viewing public probably has not been watching the games. If you haven't, shame on you because you are missing one of the most entertaining playoff series in recent memory. This series is on par with Bulls-Celtics tussle that the NBA pundits fawned over last week.

This has not just been a contest of rockstar Ovie versus straight-laced Sid, even though both have had their moments, but both teams fighting ferociously for the right to move on. Last night's game was played at a frenetic pace with the Caps fighting tooth and nail to stay alive while the Pens sought to end the series at home. Perhaps because tensions were so high, there were a lot of dives and questionable penalties, including one with 2:02 left in regulation with the score tied. The biggest goal up until the game-winner in my mind was Mark Eaton, no not that Mark Eaton, scoring with :34 seconds left in the second period to tie it at 2. In the end a deflection by Dave Steckel in overtime forced the game 7 on Wednesday. Even if you tune in for the conclusion, you have already missed an incredibly entertaining battle between the two teams. If it ultimately comes down to Crosby or Ovenchkin netting the game-winner we could be talking all-time series here if not discussing it already. Perhaps this will be remembered as the sports year of epic early-round playoff series.

There really is no argument against how great the series has been. Both superstars have played brilliantly (including dueling hat tricks in game 2), only one game so far has been decided by more than a goal, 3 games have gone OT, and the supporting cast have played tremendously on both sides. Is it just me or is it weird how there has been zero focus on Segei Federov? I know he is past his best days but he can still move on the ice and he is one of the all-time greats still contributing at age 39.

Hockey gods bless us with 7th game of this Caps/Pens madness [Puck Daddy]
You Should Really Be Watching The NHL Playoffs [Deadspin]
Capitals-Penguins Blog [NHL.com]