Brad Marchand and the Bruins have a clear mental edge and that bodes poorly for the Penguins. (Credits: Gene J. Puskar/Boston.com) |
There's almost always a play, a moment that defines a series, that shrinks a week or two's worth of play into 10 seconds. That instant usually comes in a swing game such as Game 5 or 6, sometimes even Game 3. But in this year's Eastern Conference Finals it may have happened in Game 2, smack dab in the middle of a blowout. Not exactly the time you'd think it would take place. It was a moment that made you laugh if you were a Bruins fan, shake your head in disgust if you were a Penguins fan and it simply wowed you if were neutral to it all.
Brad Marchand straight up punked Matt Cooke. He took every ounce of toughness, cockiness and grit he had and flipped it on its head. Cooke was trying to be a tough guy, attempting to throw him off his rhythm. Instead Marchand gave him a light push, laughed and turned around flying into a fast break. Jaromir Jagr found him on a nice lead pass and Nose Face Killah launched the puck into the Vermont Cheddar section of the net. But what really made it all click was after the goal, when Marchand found Cooke and just yelled at him, "What? What? That's right." And the Bruins winger couldn't be anymore right.
That goal put the B's up 4-1 in the first period. They were dominating the game on the scoreboard and on the ice, well on their way to sweeping the Penguins in the Consol Energy Center. What could Cooke or any of the Penguins say? They were getting embarrassed on their home ice. The Bruins were completely dictating the play and the Penguins were wrongly trying to emulate their ECF foe. The Bruins are in the Penguins head. Matt Cooke, Sidney Crosby, Marc-Andre Fluery and every fan in Pittsburgh is going to wake up tomorrow in a cold sweat after having a nightmare about guy with a hooked nose and a wicked wrister.
Since this series started people have been praising the Penguins electric offense, calling it an unstoppable machine. How could you argue against that? They had scored 48 goals in their previous 11 playoff games. They have two of the best offensive players in the league in Evgeni Malkin and Crosby as well as a goal scoring machine in James Neal. But it hasn't mattered, they haven't dictated the play. Pittsburgh is far too concerned with being tough, with trying to imitate the Bruins and that has the B's sizzling. There is nothing worse than a team faking toughness. Guys like Matt Cooke don't intimidate, they embarrass your team. His ejection in Game 1 for a silly, unnecessary hit is just one of the many reasons why being "fake tough" is a deterrent, not a game changer.
Can Pittsburgh come back and win this series? Sure, they have the explosive offense to change a series in an instant. Yet, if they're hellbent on proving their "toughness" they won't make it back from TD Garden. They need to push the pace, they need to forget about getting revenge. You win the game on the scoreboard right? Well then don't go in the corner's looking to prove something, just find the puck. Pittsburgh has been outscored 9-1 by the Bruins. 9-1. One goal. One measly goal. It's not like Tuukka Rask is some god-like figure standing in there like a wall, he's only faced 56 shots. 55 saves in two games isn't going to blow anyone away. They're losing the psychological battle and the on-ice mortification of the Penguins has turned ugly.
I said before the series that if the Bruins get in there, control the tempo and dictate the style of play they'd win this series. Well, the Penguins are overwhelmed. They've forgotten who they are and it looks like the Bruins are stealing their identity. I predict this series to head back to Pittsburgh for Game 5, but unless they're is a change of mentality in Crosby's locker room, this series won't reach six games.
Bruins, Blackhawks looks mighty juicy doesn't it?
0 comments:
Post a Comment