In an action-packed Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals Monday night, the Penguins got contributions from the most unlikely of individuals in their lineup to get past the Carolina Hurricanes in their series opener. Miroslav Satan and Phillipe Boucher both scored, while Marc-Andre Fleury outdueled the playoffs’ hottest goaltender as the Pens took Game 1 by a score of 3-2.
Pittsburgh got up on the Canes early last night, with Satan’s goal coming off of a breakaway 9 minutes into the first period. A nifty little fake wrist shot-to-backhand deke was enough to beat Canes goalie Cam Ward and give Satan his first goal of the playoffs. Less than 90 seconds later, Malkin flipped a backhand across his body and beat Ward to give the Pens a two goal lead.
In the second, Chad LaRose finally beat Fleury to pull the Canes within one midway through the period. While the goal was still being announced, LaRose put another shot on net as Erik Cole and Pens defenseman Hal Gill battled for position in front. Cole ended up knocking Gill into Fleury and disrupting him enough that the puck went in uncontested. Unfortunately for Carolina, the goal was disallowed, and the Pens stayed ahead, 2-1.
In the third period, Pittsburgh dominated the Hurricanes, holding them to one shot over the first ten minutes. With about six to play, Philippe Boucher, dressing as a seventh defenseman to lighten the load on the injured Sergei Gonchar, threw a weak wrist shot on net that somehow squeaked through the pads of Ward and gave the Pens another two goal lead. Malkin and Crosby got the two assists on the goal, bringing their league leading playoff point totals to 21 and 22, respectively.
In a frantic last three minutes, Carolina elected to pull Ward early when they got a powerplay near the end of the game. After Eric Staal knocked Fleury’s stick out of his hand, Joe Corvo’s slap shot from the point kicked off his glove and trickled into the net with under a minute and a half to play. The Canes’ best chance to tie it after that came when Eric Staal was fed a one-timer opportunity with the whole net to shoot at. However, the puck bounced right off his stick and into the pads of the sprawling Fleury.
While this series will undoubtedly have its ups and downs for both teams, the most impressive player for the Penguins was Marc-Andre Fleury, who was given no credit coming into this series, with all the attention centered squarely on Cam Ward. However, Fleury made a number of game-changing saves in this one that truly won the game for the Pens. Game 2 will be in Pittsburgh on Thursday night.