Pens-Bruins Game 1 Fall-Out: Room for Improvement

Dynamite reactions from the fans along the boards.  Kudos to Beard Kid and Pointing Lady.

 

Saturday night's game gave us a taste of what the Pens are in for in this series: they won't be shut out in every game, but they will have to work for every inch of ice and every scoring chance, game after game.  We knew that the Bruins were no joke, and now we've seen how hard it will be to play against them.  It's not likely to be a very fun series, but let's not jump to conclusions and liken this to Pens-Flyers last year, as I heard a few people do.  The Bruins weren't in the Penguins' heads, and the Pens didn't unravel; they were outplayed by an elite team, showed some frustration, and tonight we'll see how they respond.  Some notes and observations from Game 1 after the jump.

Previewing Pens-Bruins: It's About Time

Gee, it seems like only a month ago that the Penguins were dispatching the Ottawa Senators.  I hope you all made as good use of your eight-day layoff as I did - I got engaged, so you probably didn't, but that's okay - and are well-rested headed into the Conference Finals.  The only thing standing between the Pens and a shot at the Cup are the Boston Bruins, a match up that just seems right.  You've got Jarome Iginla facing the team he spurned at the trade deadline, and you've got Jaromir Jagr hoping to torment his former team, but - beyond the tale of two Jaroms - you've got the cream of the Eastern Conference going head to head.  There will be no Cinderella story this year (like last year's Devils), only two heavyweights sizing the other up.

After the jump, my three questions and three statements for the Pens-Bruins series, and my predictions for the series.

Joe Vitale's First Goal of the Season Looked Mighty Familiar...

Last night, the Pens extended their winning streak to nine games with an impressive win over the Bruins.  Captain Crosby set the tone, but it was Joe Vitale, as unlikely a source as any, who potted the game-winner at the end of the first period.  Vitale carried the puck into the Bruins zone, dropped the puck to Craig Adams and set a nice little pick, giving Adams room to line up a wrister.  Tuukka Raska made the initial save, but left a juicy rebound sitting to his left.  Vitale saw the rebound and in his excitement launched himself into the air, simultaneously lifting the puck over Rask's shoulder.  It was a clutch play that must have felt very familiar to any Bruins fan watching the game:

 

Deja vu, amirightguys?