Pens win.....move on to the second round

I cannot lie....it sure was great to see the Pens roar back from a 3-0 deficit to beat a DEPLETED Senators team in OT, winning the series in six games..........BUT, it was a depleted team, missing Philip Kuba, Alexei Kovalev, and Milan Michalek.......that is two top 6 forwards and top 4 defenseman. The Penguins' inconsistency still just pisses me off....but the fact that they rallied is a look into their overall character. They cannot keep playing lethargic hockey for large chunks of games and then rely on frantic comebacks to win games, and they really need to get NHL level goaltending consistently from their "franchise" goaltender to go deep into this post season. It would also help to not have so many goals overturned.........the Rupp "no goal" was a goal in my opinion, and I thought Malkin was pushed onto LeClaire, which should have made that play a goal also in my opinion. What I loved about tonights game was the fact that the Pens kept coming, even when they were down 3-0. Maybe it was a win reminicent of the Game 6 win against the Flyers last year, that catapulted the team towards the Cup. Or maybe it was just another example of a team that has played like champs at times and like chumps at times all year outlasting a team with significant injury problems. The more I digest this game, and this series, I will go with Door number One. When it was on the line, as they have since the core of this team was built, the Penguins answered the bell.

As I type this, it does come to mind that the Pens have played without Jordan Leopold for most of the series, and Tyler Kennedy, a big piece of their 3rd line.... Time will tell. I personally was very glad to see Matt Cooke be a hero in this game, scoring two goals..those goals were ONLY the quick answer after falling behind 3-0, and the game tying goal...........it was great also to see Staal contribute two huge assists, and of course Duper scoring the series winner in OT, and adding an assist. Duper is a guy who brings his game every night, and plays on every line from the top line to the fourth line with the same fervor. He has been a huge part of the Pens success this year, and it was great to see him make a play that will a big part of the great history of this Pens team. I really loved the play of Adams, Kunitz, and McKee througout the series as well. Hey, no matter how you slice it, winning a playoff series is no small feat, and maybe the Pens can find the consistently strong game that was their hallmark in each of the past two playoff runs! The core of this current team has now played in nine playoff rounds in the past seasons, plus the first round here, losing only one of those series.........pretty nice resume for this group.