PITTSBURGH VS OTTAWA
PPG PAINTS ARENA – PITTSBURGH, PA
3:00 PM EST. NBC
SERIES TIED 2-2
The Pens overcame another attempted murder, another dogshit anthem, and waded through a sea of Erik Karlsson’s tears to even the series at 2. We now have ourselves a good ol’ best of 3 situation with the Pens holding home ice once again.
You have to admire the performance this team is turning in right now. The blueline is so beat down the Pens will most likely ice 6 lefties tonight. No Rust or Hornqvist, two of the teams best forwards by any measure in the playoffs. The forward group that is taking the ice is obviously battling through shit too, Conor Sheary looks like he’s forgotten how hockey works, that doesn’t just happen. Both games in the series the Pens have won they did so with only 5 defensemen.
This will be the year all our forward talent will be able to carry the worst D in the entire NHL into the playoffs, I can feel it.
— HF Bot (@HFBoardsBot) May 20, 2017
This is a gutsy fucking team.
There’s more work to be done though. Game 6 is going to be an elimination game; we’re just waiting to see who’s head is going to be on the chopping block.
Lines: Rumors floating around that Jultz might be ready to go, that would be huge obviously with the loss of Ruhwedel. If Schultz can’t go, it’s probably the Mark Streit show which, lol. A Cole-Streit pairing is gonna be like if we let Hal Gill play shitfaced.
Seems likely that 17 & 72 are out again.
Alex Burrows skated today and is a possibility for Game 5. Mark Borowiecki could also return in what would be his first game since Round 1.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) May 20, 2017
Really good news for the Pens if Borowiecki cracks the Sens lineup because he sucks. No one cares about Alex Burrows.
Pittsburgh:
Guentzel-Crosby-Sheary
Kunitz-Malkin-Kessel
Hagelin-Bonino-Wilson
Archilbald-Cullen-Rowney
Dumoulin-Hainsey
Maatta-Daley
Cole-Streit
Murray-Fleury
Ottawa:
MacArthur-Turris-Hoffman
Dzingel-Brassard-Burrows
Ryan-Pageau-Stone
Pyatt-Smith-Stalberg
Methot-Karlsson
Phaneuf-Ceci
Harpur-Wideman
Anderson-Condom
And now a text my brother sent me when he got off work after game 4.
The Pens have shown, particularly in games 2 and 4, that they have a gear the Senator just can’t reach. They’ve also shown that through injuries and a battered defense that they have no way of sustaining that level of play either. They sprint and then they jog, fuck at times they gotta walk it out for a bit.
The Pens are the only elite team left in the playoffs but the injuries they’ve incurred have leveled the playing field. Home ice tonight and last change should help but the margin for error is so razor thin that every game can hinge on one play. The playoffs are always close but the position the Pens have climbed to in spite of the roadblocks set in front of them is almost unprecedented.
Basically you either believe this team will in spite of all the reasons they shouldn’t or you listen to the logic.
Spring is a good time of year to play dumb.
Do it.
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