Penguins look to change luck against Flyers
Associated Press
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Penguins now go from playing
the team they are always confident of beating in the NHL playoffs
to the team they can never seem to beat.
In the playoffs. Or this season.
The Penguins were thankful they finished seventh in the Eastern
Conference regular season standings because it meant a first-round
matchup against second-seeded Washington rather than top-seeded
Philadelphia.
|  | | Jaromir Jagr and the Penguins have had trouble against the Flyers. |
The Penguins seem to take out Washington every year in the
playoffs -- and did so again Friday, winning 2-1 to win the
first-round series in five games. But they always seem to flounder
against the bigger, more physical Flyers.
Not only are they 0-2 in playoff series against the Flyers,
losing in seven games in 1989 and five in Mario Lemieux's last
series in 1997, they were 0-4-1 against them this season.
They also have a 13-game losing streak in Philadelphia, where
the Eastern Conference semifinal series is expected to start
Thursday or Friday.
Everything the Penguins had going for them against the Capitals
-- history, tradition, confidence, intimidation -- seemingly is
against them in this series.
Well, almost everything. At least the Penguins have NHL scoring
champion Jaromir Jagr and his knack for scoring tricky and
improbable game-winning goals.
Jagr scored one for the second time in four games Friday,
wristing a bad-angle shot off Capitals defenseman Calle Johansson
for the game-winner at 7:56 of the third period. Jagr also ended
Game 2 in overtime with an equally unexpected goal from a similarly
difficult angle.
"They say great players are lucky," Penguins goaltender Ron
Tugnutt said. "Maybe that's one reason why they're great. You
always see the same guys scoring them."
The Penguins always seem to have the same disadvantages against
the Flyers, too.
With a roster filled with playmaking Europeans who prefer to
make flashy plays rather than absorb big hits, the Penguins
traditionally have not matched up well against the Flyers.
Philadelphia's size, toughness around the net, physicality and
ability to support the puck quickly wore down defending conference
champion Buffalo in five games in their first-round series. The
Flyers also dominated the season series against Pittsburgh, which
failed to beat the Flyers during the regular season for the first
time since 1985-86.
"They're big guys, heavy guys and it's not easy to skate
against them every other day for 60 minutes," Jagr said. "No
matter how good of shape you're in, sooner or later you're going to
be tired."
There's the intimidation factor, too. The Penguins were upset
with what they perceived to be an unnecessarily punishing hit to
Jagr's upper back by defenseman Dan McGillis during the Flyers' 3-2
victory at Philadelphia April 1.
Following that game, Flyers center Keith Primeau said, "We feel
really good (playing) against this team."
"Against Philly, I don't think anybody gives us a chance,"
Jagr said. "I feel like the longer the series goes, the better
chance we'll have."
Jagr won the scoring title despite missing nearly a quarter of
the regular season with injuries, and the Penguins probably would
have been seeded higher if Jagr had stayed healthy.
"I don't think we're a No. 7 and I don't think anybody
considers us a No. 7," forward Matthew Barnaby said.
Another factor: the Penguins are 13-5 since general manager
Craig Patrick altered one-quarter of the roster with a series of
trading deadline deals that brought in, among others, Tugnutt,
defenseman Janne Laukkenen and forward Josef Beranek.
"We made some trades that made us a much better team," Jagr
said.
As a result, Jagr believes this Penguins team is better
positioned to make a Stanley Cup run than any he has played with
since Lemieux retired following the 1997 loss to Philadelphia.
"This year, we've got a lot better team," he said. |
