The series continues in Pittsburgh on Monday.
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The Pittsburgh Penguins tweeted a photo before Friday’s game thanking The Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau for providing the yellow and black rally towels you may have seen being waved during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Against the Islanders in Game 5, Callahan took a stupid double minor for roughing – one of the minors being for a juvenile face wash – and last night he obliterated Pittsburgh’s Kris Letang with a unsafe hit from behind, for which he was assessed a five-minute major penalty but, to the surprise of many analysts, was not ejected. Ben Bishop was stretchered off the ice in the first period with a leg injury.
And that was just the first period! Johnson was assisted off the ice but returned in the second period. Late in the third period, Brian Dumoulin was boarded hard by Palat and dropped. And they looked that way right from the start. Although the Penguins were beaten in many aspects, they still weren’t far from making it a much more interesting game.
Added Bishop, “It was just the feeling, and then there’s just pressure and pain right away, just kind of the way that it nearly felt like somebody had slashed me on my – slashed me”. Yes, Crosby has 10 points in 11 games, but only had 2 during the second round series against Washington… and was a minus player.
“That’s tough, (when) guys go down in that much pain….” Jonathan Drouin has also been big surprise for the Bolts, acting as a really physical force.
Hornqvist and Ian Cole have been valiant in their efforts to step up and hold other players accountable; however, neither are real fighters (which is a benefit, most of the time). “We’re just going to play hockey”. A lot of their errors last night came from extended passing sequences or trying to get too fancy with stickwork.
NOTES: Cooper said Lightning D Anton Stralman (fractured leg) practiced and is “looking good” but Cooper remains uncertain when Stralman will be cleared to play…. It’s absolutely a cliche, but putting pucks on net is never a bad thing.
“Haven’t ruled him out”, Cooper said.
Coming in, I would have thought that the Penguins would win in six games, but now I am not so sure.
Without Bishop, both these teams are in a unique place with their goalies – both are fairly unexperienced 21 year olds with talent beyond their years. “We need to start every game on time”.
I will go to my grave advocating for Justin Schultz to get back in the lineup.
“I don’t think [there was a letdown]”, center Matt Cullen said. Personally, I know that he can go in there and do the job.
“Bishop’s injured”, said one dejected fan.
It’s not like this series was ever going to be a sweep.
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The opening game of the Eastern Conference Final between the Lightning and Penguins was bound to be filled with emotion, but this was a whole different matter entirely.
