I’ve heard a lot of varying opinions as to why the Penguins have gone from shoe in to advance to the Eastern Conference Final, to a team on the precipice of total collapse in the span of a weekend. On Friday night, the Penguins hosted a Rangers squad that seemed devoid of hope, staring at a three games to one deficit and the very real possibility that their season was about to come to an end.
Fast forward a few days later. There’s an undeniable sense that the tables have turned completely, and now the team devoid of hope is the one who on Friday, held a commanding, no, insurmountable three games to one lead.
In the immortal words of Bob Dylan; The times they are a changin’
There’s reason for worry. Heading into tomorrow night’s Game 7 at Consol, the Penguins are not exactly firing on all cylinders. Plus, by now you’ve heard all the gloom and doom stats, horrible record in closeout games, especially at Consol. I’m not going to depress you any more with numbers, we’ve heard them enough.
Oh and you probably heard that Henrik Lundqvist is pretty much impenetrable in deciding Game 7’s. Not good, not good at all.
The question becomes, what happens if the Penguins lose Game 7 tonight? Who gets the blame placed at their feet?
The easy answer is always the coach. If the Penguins falter tonight, there is no question that Dan Bylsma, fresh off of a contract extension that still has two seasons remaining on it, will be in big trouble. If you ask the average Pens fan to determine Bylsma’s fate, there is not much question about it, he’s good as gone.
At the beginning of the playoffs, I made my case for why firing Bylsma might not be such an easy decision. Who do you replace him with? Do you think Lemieux and company are thrilled with the notion of paying the remainder of Bylsma’s contract, while paying his replacement?
These are tough questions. They may not be tough for the fans, but they are going to be for management.
Speaking of management, how much longer will Ray Shero be devoid of criticism? Though he has certainly never been afraid to make moves and do what he can to build a winner, the case can be made that not all of the moves have been good enough. It was Shero who built this team, and if the Pens lose tonight, one would have to think Shero will have to bear some responsibility.
This will especially be the case if Pens fans don’t have Bylsma to kick around anymore.
If someone would have told you that Brooks Orpik and Craig Adams would have as many goals as Sidney Crosby through 12 playoff games, what would you have said? I know I would have questioned that person’s sanity, but all three have one goal, and the Penguins have been winning despite of Crosby, not because of him.
Many have alluded to Crosby being hurt. Maybe he is, but if he is healthy enough to play, he’s healthy enough to produce in the playoffs. The shoe in for the Hart Trophy needs to deliver in a big spot for the Pens, something he has rarely done in his remarkable career. Its hard to even pick out a signature playoff moment when you look back. Tonight could be the night, and lord only knows the Pens could use it.
Unfortunately, a solid stretch of three games against a tired Rangers squad might have given Pens fans a false sense of hope. Even with those wins, including two shutouts by another famous playoff scapegoat, Marc-Andre Fleury, how much to the team dynamic truly change?
Was it really feasible to expect secondary players like Jussi Jokinen and Brandon Sutter to be your top scorers? Is that good enough to keep moving on through round after round in the toughest championship tournament in all of sports?
One can only hope that the Pens can find a way to be great at home in Game 7. I do know this, if the Penguins best players are not at their best, its going to be all the more difficult to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. I also know that if this happens, fans are going to demand answers, along with changes. A loss tonight and the Penguins will have a very different look, and likely a new head coach, going into next season.
(Photo Credit: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
