When this series began, a tangible advantage the Penguins had over the Capitals was in the area of experience. The bulk of the Penguins' roster was in the Stanley Cup final less than a year ago. Additionally, the team added players such as Craig Adams, Bill Guerin and Chris Kunitz who have been through the meat grinder of the playoffs and have Stanley Cup rings to show for it.
But entering tonight's contest, the team with all the experience wears red. The Capitals have an immense advantage in Game 7 experience:
CAPITALS
| Player |
Game
Sevens |
W-L |
G-A-Pts |
| Sergei Fedorov |
8 |
4-4 |
3-3-6 |
| Nicklas Backstrom |
2 |
1-1 |
1-1-2 |
| Alex Ovechkin |
2 |
1-1 |
1-1-2 |
| Alexander Semin |
2 |
1-1 |
1-0-1 |
| Mike Green |
2 |
1-1 |
1-0-1 |
| Mike Green |
2 |
1-1 |
0-1-1 |
| Viktor Kozlov |
2 |
1-1 |
0-1-1 |
| Brooks Laich |
2 |
1-1 |
0-1-1 |
| Matt Bradley |
3 |
1-1 |
0-1-1 |
| Tomas Fleischmann |
1 |
1-0 |
0-0-0 |
| John Erskine |
2 |
1-1 |
0-0-0 |
| Eric Fehr |
2 |
1-1 |
0-0-0 |
| Boyd Gordon |
2 |
1-1 |
0-0-0 |
| Milan Jurcina |
2 |
1-1 |
0-0-0 |
| Shaone Morrisonn |
2 |
1-1 |
0-0-0 |
| Brian Pothier |
2 |
1-1 |
0-0-0 |
| Tom Poti |
2 |
1-1 |
0-0-0 |
| David Steckel |
2 |
1-1 |
0-0-0 |
| Donal Brashear |
3 |
1-2 |
0-0-0 |
| Chris Clark |
3 |
2-1 |
0-0-0 |
| Goaltenders |
Game
Sevens |
Minutes |
W-L |
GAA |
SO |
SV% |
| Jose Theodore |
1 |
60 |
1-0 |
0.00 |
1 |
1.000 |
| Simeon Varlamov |
1 |
60 |
1-0 |
1.00 |
0 |
.933 |
PENGUINS
| Player |
Game
Sevens |
W-L |
G-A-Pts |
| Petr Sykora |
5 |
2-3 |
1-3-4 |
| Pascal Dupuis |
2 |
2-0 |
3-0-3 |
| Ruslan Fedotenko |
2 |
2-0 |
3-0-3 |
| Matt Cooke |
4 |
1-3 |
2-0-2 |
| Bill Guerin |
4 |
2-2 |
2-0-2 |
| Philippe Boucher |
4 |
2-2 |
2-0-2 |
| Hal Gill |
1 |
0-1 |
0-0-0 |
| Chris Kunitz |
1 |
0-1 |
0-0-0 |
| Miroslav Satan |
1 |
0-1 |
0-0-0 |
| Craig Adams |
2 |
2-0 |
0-0-0 |
| Sergei Gonchar |
2 |
0-2 |
0-0-0 |
That's all find and dandy, but we're not sure any of these numbers really mean anything. Not in this series which has defied logic in so many instances yet has lived up to expectations.
Teams aren't supposed to have rookie goaltenders see upwards of 30 or more shots a game and not see them not wear down.
Teams aren't supposed to lose their power-play quarterbacks and then gain three goals with the man advantage the next two games.
Players like Miroslav Satan aren't supposed to come off the bench or a demotion to the AHL and contribute two pretty assists.
Players like Mike Green aren't supposed to be nominated for the Norris Trophy then become non-factors in the playoffs.
You're not supposed to see two players score hat tricks in the same series. Let alone in the same game.
And we could dig into the Penguins' or the Capitals' histories in these games. Yes the Penguins have an edge in Game 7's against the Capitals. But when those games were played, only one team had MVP-caliber talent on the roster. Tonight, there will be players fitting that description on both sides of the ice.
Petr Nedved, Kevin Stevens, Joe Juneau or Dale Hunter? None of those names matter. As Gene Collier points out, None of the history between these two franchises has anything to do with what will happen tonight. With the exception of Sergei Gonchar's wonky knee, almost nothing that has happened in the first six games of this series matters.
We can't offer a prediction for tonight's game. Leads have not been safe in this series. And no deficit has been too much to overcome. And far too often, the unexpected or the unfortunate has happened. A bad deflection of a defenseman's stick or a broken stick in a faceoff circle during have helped dictate winners and losers in these first six games. Why would the seventh be any different?
Things are far too even between these two teams to say David Steckel's faceoffs or Rob Scuderi blocked shots will concretely impact the game one way or another. Heck, Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, who have played some of the greatest hockey of their splendid careers, haven't been able to turn this series in any one direction for more than a few moments.
We fully expect something like Tom Poti's unlucky deflection or Maxime Talbot's faulty stick to be the difference in tonight's game. Each team is so evenly matched, mistakes or just simple bad luck will be the determining factor.
(Photos: First-Len Redkoles/Getty Images; Second-Nick Wass/Associated Press)
Posted
May 13 2009, 12:42 AM
by
Seth Rorabaugh