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Penguins struggling mightily with man advantage

Bob McKenzie
6/1/2008 12:57:37 AM
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What Sidney Crosby left unsaid about the Penguins power play during his post game comments following the loss in Game 4 was the fact that the Pens executed so poorly with the man advantage.
 
When you look at Pittsburgh's power play with Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marian Hossa, Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Malone in front of the net, it's like a murderer's row. 
 
Unfortunately in Game 4, that unit had trouble stringing passes together.  While Detroit deserves some credit for that, it also seems to be the lack of experience that is hurting the Penguins.
 
I think that the little bit of difference that was there in Game 4, and it's not huge, is that the Red Wings have been pressure treated over the last four or five years not winning the Stanley Cup even after winning the President's Trophy, while the Penguins are just beginning to experience that type of pressure now.
 

Anyone seen 71  
 
Evgeni Malkin's a young player and there's an inexperience factor there. People are going to say, well it's the Stanley Cup final, he's an MVP candidate, he's got to do better than that and yes, absolutely he does.
 
But think of how much pain and suffering and criticism Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg got over the last four or five years when the Wings were unsuccessful in playoffs and they weren't getting the job done. Malkin's just a young player, a neophyte when it comes to the Stanley Cup final and this is almost predictable.

Bob McKenzie

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Dave is joined by TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie, head coach of OKC Barons Todd Nelson, Tim Lieweke, and Dan Shulman of MLB on ESPN.

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TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie joined from Saskatoon at the Memorial Cup and previewed some of the NHL prospects.

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