Are these the same guys we watched at the end of the regular season? I'm beginning to feel like the Pens might have been messing with us. Two weeks ago I thought we might be a first round out. Now it looks like we're solid cup contenders, if not favorites, in the East. Fleury has yet to play that great, out of his mind, playoff game, but after game one he's been solid. His numbers in the regular season were way down, bottom third in the league in the major goal tending categories, and I was the first to criticize. But that all goes out the window come playoff time. It is not that I thought he was a bad goalie all season, he just wasn't playing well and no one wanted to admit it. But as they say, the proof was in the pudding. Danny Disco was yanking him once a week and we weren't winning unless we were scoring four or five goals. But it's playoff time now, and its where M.A.F. shines. He has over 30 playoff wins for the Pens and I'm pretty sure he's only like 15 years old. That's a pretty good resume` for a young goalie, considering most goalies actually hit their prime in their late 20s. Oh yeah, he has a Stanley Cup under his belt too. So it's official, I'm off Fleury's back, for now. Next comes the D. Gonchar is a beast on the power play but I think his play is falling off at even strength. Even so, he's one of the best in the league. We found out what happens when Tanger hits the net. Orpik has more hits than Casey Kasem, and is having by far his best season in the black and gold. GoGo hasn't done anything spectacular but he's been solid overall. Mark Eaton is the most underrated player on the team, that's a fact. McKee filled in seamlessly for Leopold, who I'm pretty sure is drinking his dinner through a straw still. I don't even have to talk about our centers, they're three of the best in the league, although it wouldn't kill Staalsy to put on in the net every once in a while. Geno has an extra jump in his step and is mixing it up every shift. I really think he wants to fight someone. Must be the mom's borscht. And don't forget Max Talbot who plays at a whole other level in the playoffs. But I'm most impressed by our wingers. Kunitz has been a buzzsaw the whole series. It's not on the score sheet but he is hitting everything that moves. Ponikarovski finally showed up physically in game two and played even better in game three. Even Craig Adams scored a goal. The guy hasn't scored in 111 regular season games but has four goals in our last 13 playoff games. Talk about good timing. The physical presence the Pens have showed is a complete one-eighty from the way they were playing to close out the season. We are making guys pay the price every time they touch the puck, and that takes a toll on the body over a seven game series. Ottawa is just about beat into submission and if they fall to the Pens again tonight this series is as good as over in my opinion. Man, I just realized I didn't mention Sid in this whole article... He's the best player on earth. Okay, I'm done.
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