Business as Usual

Empties Crushed is simply not worried about tonight's looming Game 7.

In most cases, the better team wins in a 7 game series. Dirty intent-to-injure hits aside, usually all other things such as puck bounces and referee whistles even out...and the better team wins. The Pens have been the better team for the majority of this series. They've been the better team in 5 of the 6 games, and Game 2 wasn't that much tilted in the Caps favor.

Simeon Varlamov is hot, and has been incredibly fortunate thus far. Let's remember he's the same goaltender that gave up 6 goals to our Baby Pens from Wilkes-Barre earlier in the season. If he is SO good, why did he come into the playoffs as the back-up to Jose Theodore?! Varlamov has been exposed in the past 3 games, and I'll take 4 goals on 42 shots as was the case on Monday. Marc-Andre Fleury had a bad Game 6, no doubt. But he is the better goalie with the supreme pedigree, and I expect a dominant performance tonight. The Flower will be on top of his game. Don't you worry.

The one thing that concerns me is Disco Dan's incessant rotation of the blue-liners. Ever since Serge was intentionally injured by Ovie, and we've done the 7 d-men thingy, it appears there's a different duo on the ice every other shift. #55's injury has hurt them more from this standpoint, because let's face it...Serge wasn't playing that great to begin with. But I like the consistency and chemistry of the following pairs:

Scuds / Gill
Tanger / Eaton

If Serge dresses tonight to QB the PP only, let's let Boucher play with Orpik and roll the dice. It's gotta be better than mix-matching these guys non-stop. Throw Gonch out for the PP. That's my sofa coach tip for the night.

The Pens role out the two best players in the world every other shift, and both Sid and Geno will put the Beloved on their backs tonight. Ovie will try to put the Caps on his back, but he'll be stuck cherry picking at Centre Ice, while the Pens fore checkers continue to wear down a soff Capital D.

Don't fret, kids:

PENS. WINNERS.