The Pittsburgh Penguins are facing two circumstances that they have not faced all postseason. They are trailing 2-0 in a series and they are being massively outplayed in the process.
The Penguins looked terrible throughout the series against the New York Islanders, but they were able to win thanks to their superior offensive ability. The team then outclassed Ottawa in every facet of the game. However, the Penguins have been tremendous outplayed in every possible way by the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference finals. Here are reasons why the Penguins, once considered the Stanley Cup favorites, are down 2-0 in the Eastern Conference finals.
Goaltending
Marc Andre Fleury was awful against the New York Islanders and was promptly replaced by Thomas Vokoun. The veteran stepped in and took down the Islanders singlehandedly. He was superb throughout the series against the Senators. However, that team lacked the speed and power of the Bruins. When faced with power and quickness of Boston, Vokoun looked lost and insecure. He played decently in Game 1 and none of the goals could be seen has his fault. However, his play in the first period of Game 2 gave many Penguins fans visions of Fleury's play against the Islanders. The first goal he allowed was a well place breakaway shot from Brad Marchand. However, the second was the result of a poor rebound allowed by the netminder. The third goal was another weak goal in which Vokoun was simply unable to track the puck. Fleury came into the game but continued where he left off against the Islanders by allowing a goal on his first shot. Both goaltenders have proven to be major weak points for Pittsburgh and should help the Bruins finish off the series in the next three games.
Fool's Gold
Sidney Crosby. Evgeni Malkin. Jarome Iginla. James Neal. Brandon Sutter. Chris Kunitz. Pascal Dupuis. Brenden Morrow. Kris Letang. What do all of these players have in common? They are elite stars that share offensive skills and top rate leadership qualities. This cast of characters was considered too good for other NHL squads to compete against. However, none of them have shown up for the series against the Bruins. Each one of them has had strong moments but they have always been outplayed by the Bruins own cast of star players. Another thing they all share in common? They have proven that a star-studded offense is completely useless when the team's backend is weak and overexposed by a team that plays the same style. The Penguins may have tremendous offensive depth on paper, but it is not enough to win a championship. The Penguins are proving the old adage that defense wins championships; the problem is that they are not the championship caliber team when compared to their opponents.
A Superior Opponent
No disrespect intended toward the New York Islanders or Ottawa Senators, but neither squad is on the same level as the Boston Bruins. Both sides are in the midst of a rebuild while the Bruins are only two years removed from a Stanley Cup championship. The Bruins have the speed to keep up with the Penguins and they are also a brutally physical team that can wear down Pittsburgh's top stars. More importantly, the Bruins have an elite goaltender in Tuuka Rask, something that the Penguins have yet to face in the playoffs. Evgeni Nabokov had a poor showing for the Islanders and has rarely been considered an elite playoff goalie. Ottawa goalie Craig Anderson played well against the Montreal Canadiens but imploded against Pittsburgh. Rask has steadily improved throughout postseason after a rocky performance against Toronto. He has only allowed one goal in this series and has looked confident against the Penguins superstars.