This series got downright dangerous for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
After four games of this series, the Penguins were stripped bare by the eighth-seeded New York Islanders.
It didn't matter that the Penguins were the best team in the Eastern Conference by a wide margin in the regular season. The Islanders were not intimidated and came out playing fast and hard.
They were putting tons of pucks by goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, and the Penguins were ready to be embarrassed and eliminated in the first round for the third year in a row.
However, Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma made the move he had to to save the series. It was not a move of brilliance; it was driven of desperation.
He replaced the weakened Fleury with Tomas Vokoun. The backup goalie was up to the task. He threw a 4-0 shutout in Game 5 in Pittsburgh, and he helped the Pens survive the sixth game with a 4-3 overtime victory over the Islanders to close out the series.
The Penguins have a few days to catch their breath, regain their confidence and go back to work against the surprising Ottawa Senators.
They don't have to be the gro ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Steve Silverman
Penguins vs. Islanders: Will Tough Series Serve as Wake-Up Call for Pittsburgh?
May 11th, 2013 by Steve Silverman Leave a reply »
Advertisement