Final
Penguins poised to reach conference finals
May 1, 2008 - 1:39 PM Pittsburgh at NY Rangers 7:00 pm EDT Eastern Conference semifinals Penguins lead, 3-0NEW YORK (Ticker) - The Pittsburgh Penguins have been unstoppable.
The second-seeded Penguins try to close out the seventh-seeded New York Rangers when the teams meet for Game Four of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Thursday.
Hart Trophy finalist Evgeni Malkin scored a pair of power play goals, including one that snapped a tie late in the second period, as Pittsburgh took a commanding three-games-to-none lead over the Rangers with a 5-3 triumph in Game Three on Tuesday.
Malkin added an assist, Marian Hossa scored a goal and set up another and Marc-Andre Fleury made 36 saves for the Penguins, who became the first team since the 1994 Rangers to win their first seven games of a postseason.
"When you get to the playoffs, it's tough," Pittsburgh coach Michel Therrien said. "We're not thinking about winning the first seven games. We're taking it game to game."
"We are in a great position," said Hossa, a trade-deadline acquisition from Atlanta. "Nobody would think we would be in this position after three games, but right now, we are greedy. We want to win another one."
The Rangers outshot the Penguins, 39-17, but had no answer on special teams as Pittsburgh went 2-for-3 with a man advantage.
"As much as anything our special teams have to be better," New York coach Tom Renney said. "As a team what is impressive about them is that they are bending but not breaking. ... We have certainly found some things that work for us - as we anticipated it would. We needed it three games ago."
Only two teams have overcome a three-games-to-none deficit in the Stanley Cup playoffs - the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, who accomplished the feat against Detroit in the Finals, and the 1975 New York Islanders in the quarterfinals - against the Penguins.
Renney said the biggest key for his team in Game Four is to stay calm.
"We cannot panic," he said. "We can't allow Pittsburgh to come into our building and think they have (the series) wrapped up."
- PLAYOFFS
NHL FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
PITTSBURGH 0 0 0 0
NY RANGERS 0 1 2 3 FINAL
GOAL SCORING:
1ST PRD: NONE
2ND PRD: NYR - JAROMIR JAGR 4 (BRANDON DUBINSKY, FEDOR TYUTIN) 12:45
3RD PRD: NYR - (PP) BRANDON DUBINSKY 4 (MARTIN STRAKA, JAROMIR JAGR)
0:44
NYR - (PP) JAROMIR JAGR 5 (BRENDAN SHANAHAN, CHRIS DRURY)
May 1 9:46 PM - PLAYOFFS
NHL PITTSBURGH 0
NY RANGERS 3
3RD PRD: NYR - (PP) (EN) JAROMIR JAGR 5 (BRENDAN SHANAHAN, CHRIS
DRURY) 19:46
Penguins 0, Rangers 3 3rd - 0:14May 1 9:42 PM - PLAYOFFS
NHL PITTSBURGH 0
NY RANGERS 2
3RD PRD: NYR - (PP) BRANDON DUBINSKY 4 (MARTIN STRAKA, JAROMIR JAGR)
0:44
Penguins 0, Rangers 2 3rd - 19:16May 1 9:01 PM - PLAYOFFS
NHL END OF THE 2ND 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
PITTSBURGH 0 0 0
NY RANGERS 0 1 1 END OF THE 2ND
GOAL SCORING:
1ST PRD: NONE
2ND PRD: NYR - JAROMIR JAGR 4 (BRANDON DUBINSKY, FEDOR TYUTIN) 12:45
MISSED PENALTY SHOTS: PIT - EVGENI MALKIN, 17:53 2ND.
SHOTS ON GOAL: 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
May 1 8:42 PM - PLAYOFFS
NHL PITTSBURGH 0
NY RANGERS 1
2ND PRD: NYR - JAROMIR JAGR 4 (BRANDON DUBINSKY, FEDOR TYUTIN) 12:45
Penguins 0, Rangers 1 2nd - 7:15May 1 8:25 PM - PLAYOFFS
NHL END OF THE 1ST 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
PITTSBURGH 0 0
NY RANGERS 0 0 END OF THE 1ST
GOAL SCORING:
1ST PRD: NONE
SHOTS ON GOAL: 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
PIT 8 8
NYR 6 6
GOALIES: PIT - MARC-ANDRE FLEURY
NYR - HENRIK LUNDQVIST
May 1 7:44 PM
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