2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs Blog - Conference Finals

Carolina winger Erik Cole, injured late in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final on a hit by Pittsburgh’s Matt Cooke, participated in the Hurricanes’ morning skate Thursday, but injured teammate Tuomo Ruutu did not.

Coach Paul Maurice would not say whether either, or both, will be in uniform for Game 2 against the Penguins at Mellon Arena this evening, describing their status as “a game-time decision.”

Cole declined to speak with reporters after the skate, while Maurice said, “Erik looked like he does in most morning skates and we’ll see how he feels at the rink tonight.”

If Cole and/or Ruutu doesn’t dress for Game 2, Dwight Helminen and Patrick Dwyer appear to be the front-runners to go into the lineup.

Maurice did nothing during the skate to indicate what the makeup of his lines will be.

Sticking with seven?

Pittsburgh coach Dan Byslma declined to divulge whether he’ll dress seven defencemen for the fifth consecutive game, although he did say something after the morning skate that suggested he likely will do it again.

“We dressed seven for specific reasons and things haven’t changed dramatically since then, but we’ll go game-time with what our lineup will be,” he said.

The reason he cited was a right-knee injury that forced Sergei Gonchar to miss Games 5 and 6 of Pittsburgh’s second-round series against Washington.

Gonchar, though, showed no ill effects after logging nearly 22 minutes of ice time during the Penguins’ 3-2 victory in Game 1 of the East final and said Thursday, “there’s a chance I’ll be able to play more.”

Indeed, Gonchar suggested that logging additional time might help to minimize the in-game problems he experiences with his knee.

“I have usually, in my career, played a lot,” he said. “I believe it’s a little easier when you’re involved in a game more.”

If Bylsma sticks with seven defencemen, it won’t be because he has any reservations about tampering with a lineup that was successful in the previous game.

“I have changed a winning lineup before,” he said. “I’m not a coach who will say to the players, ‘I’m not going to change anything. We won the game.’

“We’ll make the decisions we think are best and that give us the best chance to win, given the circumstances we’re in. The last few games, it’s been (using) seven defencemen.”

Delay of games

Some players insist they didn’t mind having two days off between Games 1 and 2, or that there are two-day breaks scheduled between Games 3 and 4 and Games 4 and 5.

Hurricanes defenceman Joe Corvo isn’t one of them.

“It’s pretty senseless to have to sit around a city for two whole days,” he said. “The whole thing might as well last until July. Let’s play all year ‘round. It’s pretty ridiculous.”

Just one goal

Chris Kunitz, who plays on Sidney Crosby’s left side, entered Game 2 with no goals in 14 playoff games this spring.

While Pittsburgh wants to have every forward filling a top-six role to contribute a goal every now and then, Kunitz’s slump obviously hasn’t jeopardized the Penguins’ playoff run so far. And the way he’s handling his other duties has convinced Bylsma that there’s no need to put Kunitz in a reduced role, although he has slipped from the No. 1 power play to the second unit.

“Kunitz is a guy who will end up on the scoresheet – should end up on the scoresheet – occasionally, but his role is straight-line, aggressive hockey,” Bylsma said. “(Go to the) front of the net. (Play) physical. If things aren’t going well for him, he should always make sure he returns to that foundation.”

Kunitz acknowledged the need to contribute an occasional goal, but said his inability to do so through the first two series and the opener against Carolina hadn’t caused him to lose focus on the other facets of his job.

“Obviously, you want to score and help offensively, but I know I have other responsibilities,” he said: “Going to the net, recovering pucks, being physical. If I stay on my game, hopefully the chances will come and I can bury one.

“I don’t think I’m lacking confidence. It’s just one of those things where we keep winning and doing well, it’s not something I think about.”

The stopper

Carolina has made a habit of bouncing back from losses in Game 1, and goalie Cam Ward – who enters Thursday night’s contest with an all-time record of 5-0 in Game 2s – has been an important part of that success.

Ward stopped 32 shots during the Hurricanes’ 2-1 victory at New Jersey in the second game of the opening round and recorded a 36-save shutout in a 3-0 victory at Boston in Round 2.

“He bounces back,” centre Eric Staal said. “He’s the type of goalie you want in there after a loss. He’s been phenomenal for us this whole playoff run and the last two months of the (regular) season. He needs to be huge for us (in Game 2).”

Take your best shot

Pittsburgh enters Game 2 having outshot the opposition in 10 consecutive games, and 12 of 14 through the first two-plus rounds. That’s a by-product of the attacking style Bylsma introduced after he replaced Michel Therrien as coach in mid-February, and Gonchar believes it’s a major factor in Pittsburgh winning nine of those first 14.

“We’re shooting a lot, putting a lot of pressure on their goalies, spending a lot of time in their zone,” he said.

Subhead

Neither team was completely satisfied with its performance in Game 1 and the Hurricanes seem convinced that they must exploit more of the scoring opportunities they generate against Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury.

“We’re going to have to create a few more scoring chances and the ones we do get, we have to bury them,” centre Rod Brind’Amour said. “We have to find ways to get those opportunities by him.”

Left-winger Sergei Samsonov, meanwhile, believes it’s imperative that Carolina limit the number of times it is forced to play shorthanded.

“Obviously, staying out of the penalty box would help,” he said. “They have one of the best power plays in the league, so it helps to stay out of the box and play five-on-five.”

Steady as she goes

Pittsburgh’s line combinations and defence pairings get a bit scrambled when the Penguins dress seven defenceman and 11 forwards, but if Byslma reverts to a more traditional 6-12 arrangement, the groupings figure to look like this:

Chris Kunitz-Sidney Crosby-Bill Guerin.
Ruslan Fedotenko-Evgeni Malkin-Max Talbot.
Matt Cooke-Jordan Staal-Tyler Kennedy.
Pascal Dupuis-Craig Adams-Miroslav Satan.

Hal Gill-Rob Scuderi.
Brooks Orpik-Sergei Gonchar.
Mark Eaton-Kris Letang.

If the Penguins dress only 11 forwards, Dupuis is the favourite to be scratched. Veteran Philippe Boucher, who scored the game-winner in the opener of Round 3, likely would be the seventh defenceman.