Penguins filed onto the ice quietly at Mellon Arena late yesterday morning. Some walked casually, others moved with a purpose.
The Devils have towered over the Penguins and goalie Johan Hedberg, who has had zero offensive support the past two games. (Matt Freed, Post-Gazette)
All understood that it might be months before they do it again.
Through the early stages of the 50-minute practice that followed, the arena was as jovial as a crime scene. Few words were spoken, and even fewer smiles flashed.
And while things loosened up a bit as the practice moved along, the mood was strikingly subdued for most of the time.
"I don't think anybody expected to be too upbeat out there," defenseman Andrew Ference said.
Perhaps it was a show of determination, evidence that the Penguins are committed to extending their season by winning Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final today at 7:08 p.m. at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J.
Or maybe it was a sign of despair, a tacit acknowledgment the only thing separating the Penguins from the off-season is the ceremonial handshake that will follow the New Jersey Devils' next victory in this series.
Of course, there always the possibility that some of the forwards opted to stay quiet simply because they didn't recognize one or two of the guys skating alongside them.
That's because Coach Ivan Hlinka reconfigured his lines yet again yesterday, a move that was not entirely unexpected. After all, lately Hlinka has operated like a lottery player who dabbles in different combinations of numbers every day, hoping against hope that one will hit.
Yesterday, he cobbled together these units: Martin Straka-Mario Lemieux-Alexei Kovalev, Josef Beranek-Milan Kraft-Jaromir Jagr, Kevin Stevens-Wayne Primeau-Aleksey Morozov and Jan Hrdina-Ian Moran-Rene Corbet.
"When a team's struggling, you just try to mix it up a little bit," Lemieux said.
Actually, thanks to New Jersey, the Penguins were quite mixed up already. They have to feel as if the Devils have come at them from every angle.
The only thing more impressive than the game plan devised by Devils Coach Larry Robinson and his staff is the way their players have carried it out.
"They have a great system," Lemieux said. "That's what makes them so much better than the other teams. They've played together, and know exactly what they're doing."
Jagr said that, as of midday yesterday, the Penguins hadn't discussed their game plan for tonight. Lemieux said simply that, whatever tactical revisions they make won't be discussed publicly before the game.
While the Penguins scramble to revise personnel combinations and tactics, there's little reason for New Jersey to change anything. The Devils were in near-perfect sync during Games 3 and 4.
Ference described it as "pretty good textbook hockey," but New Jersey likes to think of it as "Devils hockey," and that's not as smug as it might sound.
Mostly because it is the style that Robinson has preached from the start of training camp, thus allowing his players to act almost instinctively as situations develop.
"[New Jersey] has been working on something the whole year, to be good at it," Jagr said. "It looks like they know exactly what they're doing on the ice.
"I'm not saying it's coaching. Those guys have played that style for a long, long time. That's why everything [New Jersey does] looks faster."
The importance of the half-step or so advantage that New Jersey has been getting cannot be overstated.
"We have to wait, then react," Jagr said. "They react before something happens. ... In a game as fast as hockey, that makes a big difference."
Whether the Penguins' new-look lines can have a similar impact remains to be seen.
Jagr said, "we might as well try something else," and putting him with Beranek and Kraft qualifies on that count. He has played with both before, although never at the same time. Not that Jagr seems preoccupied with the identity of his linemates.
"I didn't pay any attention to that," he said. "I'm getting ready for [tonight]."
There were no conspicuous openings up front during practice yesterday, which suggests the Penguins don't expect center Robert Lang, who is believed to have a strained back muscle, to be available tonight. That Moran, who has played primarily on defense lately, practiced as a forward reinforces that idea.
Dressing Moran as a forward has another element of logic: Defenseman Darius Kasparaitis, who has two broken toes on his left foot, is expected to try to play tonight, but if he cannot go -- or is hurt during the game -- Moran can shift back to defense, so the Penguins would not be undermanned there.
While few observers give the Penguins much hope of winning tonight, there is no consensus on whether that frees them from whatever pressure they would be under if the series were tied.
Straka expressed a sentiment that was echoed by several teammates -- "We have nothing to lose" -- but goalie Johan Hedberg offered a perspective that probably was a bit more realistic.
"We have everything to lose," he said. "The end of the season."
Nothing shy of a victory in Game 5 can stave that off. Oh, simply scoring a goal might seem like a major accomplishment after what the Penguins have gone through lately, but no moral victory really matters at this point.
"There's no satisfaction if we play good and lose," Jagr said. "That's not what I'm looking for. You have to win. It can be the ugliest hockey ever, but we have to win."
And if the Penguins somehow find a way to do that, well, the dynamics of the series would change quickly. And dramatically.
"They don't want to come back [to Mellon Arena]," Hedberg said. "So if we can steal one [tonight], who knows? The pressure's on them again. Then you have a pretty good chance."
The Devils have towered over the Penguins and goalie Johan Hedberg, who has had zero offensive support the past two games. (Matt Freed, Post-Gazette)
All understood that it might be months before they do it again.
Through the early stages of the 50-minute practice that followed, the arena was as jovial as a crime scene. Few words were spoken, and even fewer smiles flashed.
And while things loosened up a bit as the practice moved along, the mood was strikingly subdued for most of the time.
"I don't think anybody expected to be too upbeat out there," defenseman Andrew Ference said.
Perhaps it was a show of determination, evidence that the Penguins are committed to extending their season by winning Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final today at 7:08 p.m. at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J.
Or maybe it was a sign of despair, a tacit acknowledgment the only thing separating the Penguins from the off-season is the ceremonial handshake that will follow the New Jersey Devils' next victory in this series.
Of course, there always the possibility that some of the forwards opted to stay quiet simply because they didn't recognize one or two of the guys skating alongside them.
That's because Coach Ivan Hlinka reconfigured his lines yet again yesterday, a move that was not entirely unexpected. After all, lately Hlinka has operated like a lottery player who dabbles in different combinations of numbers every day, hoping against hope that one will hit.
Yesterday, he cobbled together these units: Martin Straka-Mario Lemieux-Alexei Kovalev, Josef Beranek-Milan Kraft-Jaromir Jagr, Kevin Stevens-Wayne Primeau-Aleksey Morozov and Jan Hrdina-Ian Moran-Rene Corbet.
"When a team's struggling, you just try to mix it up a little bit," Lemieux said.
Actually, thanks to New Jersey, the Penguins were quite mixed up already. They have to feel as if the Devils have come at them from every angle.
The only thing more impressive than the game plan devised by Devils Coach Larry Robinson and his staff is the way their players have carried it out.
"They have a great system," Lemieux said. "That's what makes them so much better than the other teams. They've played together, and know exactly what they're doing."
Jagr said that, as of midday yesterday, the Penguins hadn't discussed their game plan for tonight. Lemieux said simply that, whatever tactical revisions they make won't be discussed publicly before the game.
While the Penguins scramble to revise personnel combinations and tactics, there's little reason for New Jersey to change anything. The Devils were in near-perfect sync during Games 3 and 4.
Ference described it as "pretty good textbook hockey," but New Jersey likes to think of it as "Devils hockey," and that's not as smug as it might sound.
Mostly because it is the style that Robinson has preached from the start of training camp, thus allowing his players to act almost instinctively as situations develop.
"[New Jersey] has been working on something the whole year, to be good at it," Jagr said. "It looks like they know exactly what they're doing on the ice.
"I'm not saying it's coaching. Those guys have played that style for a long, long time. That's why everything [New Jersey does] looks faster."
The importance of the half-step or so advantage that New Jersey has been getting cannot be overstated.
"We have to wait, then react," Jagr said. "They react before something happens. ... In a game as fast as hockey, that makes a big difference."
Whether the Penguins' new-look lines can have a similar impact remains to be seen.
Jagr said, "we might as well try something else," and putting him with Beranek and Kraft qualifies on that count. He has played with both before, although never at the same time. Not that Jagr seems preoccupied with the identity of his linemates.
"I didn't pay any attention to that," he said. "I'm getting ready for [tonight]."
There were no conspicuous openings up front during practice yesterday, which suggests the Penguins don't expect center Robert Lang, who is believed to have a strained back muscle, to be available tonight. That Moran, who has played primarily on defense lately, practiced as a forward reinforces that idea.
Dressing Moran as a forward has another element of logic: Defenseman Darius Kasparaitis, who has two broken toes on his left foot, is expected to try to play tonight, but if he cannot go -- or is hurt during the game -- Moran can shift back to defense, so the Penguins would not be undermanned there.
While few observers give the Penguins much hope of winning tonight, there is no consensus on whether that frees them from whatever pressure they would be under if the series were tied.
Straka expressed a sentiment that was echoed by several teammates -- "We have nothing to lose" -- but goalie Johan Hedberg offered a perspective that probably was a bit more realistic.
"We have everything to lose," he said. "The end of the season."
Nothing shy of a victory in Game 5 can stave that off. Oh, simply scoring a goal might seem like a major accomplishment after what the Penguins have gone through lately, but no moral victory really matters at this point.
"There's no satisfaction if we play good and lose," Jagr said. "That's not what I'm looking for. You have to win. It can be the ugliest hockey ever, but we have to win."
And if the Penguins somehow find a way to do that, well, the dynamics of the series would change quickly. And dramatically.
"They don't want to come back [to Mellon Arena]," Hedberg said. "So if we can steal one [tonight], who knows? The pressure's on them again. Then you have a pretty good chance."
