After losing Sidney Crosby to a targeted headshot by the Rangers: now it's war.
2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs Round One, Game Six: Penguins vs. Rangers
This is now a war.
Sidney Crosby is out of Game Six tonight. He’s been concussed for at least the fifth time in his career by a targeted headshot by New York's Jacob Trouba during Game Five. There’s not much left to say about the despicable act that hasn’t been said already. It’s been addressed in detail on our Twitter @PensReport.
All I can say is this is war. I hope the Pens come out and make this disgusting franchise that is the New York Rangers and their star thug Trouba head home with their year done tonight in Game Six and that they win this for Sid. They owe him that much.
To potentially end the Crosby/Malkin/Letang era with Sid sidelined yet again to a head injury that was done deliberately is almost too much to think about. The bitter taste it would leave would make for some truly disappointing history And all because New York and their subpar players, their incapable coach, and their paper tiger, playoff choke artist of a goalie are such a fraud of a post-season team they can’t even beat the Pens while Pittsburgh is down to #3 goalie, now without two of their top six forwards, lacking both top two goalies, and their top pair defensemen. It's all because the New York Rangers are a joke. It's mind-boggling. It’s repulsive. It’s today's NHL. A place where one rule reigns supreme because of the league's apathy: If you can't beat them, beat them.
I hope the Pens make the Rangers regret ever throwing the first hit in Game One with their play tonight. Let alone the high head that took out Sid, or the one that took out Rickard Rakell, or the knee hit that took out Brian Dumoulin, or the stick to Casey DeSmith’s midsection that caused his surgically repaired core muscles to be retorn.
We all know this was New York’s only game plan from the word go in Game One and now they’ve been successful at not only taking out four Pens players in five games but taking out the greatest player in the game today in Crosby. A man who can change a series on his stick alone.
Retribution needs to be had. And some pathetic orchestrated on-ice fight isn’t going to cut it in that department.
The Pens need to humiliate the Rangers and send them packing- it’s paramount. This has gone too far. It's gone too far in the last game, in this series, and throughout Sidney Crosby’s nearly 20-year NHL career.
This is too far. A league where the only strategy every team uses to succeed is to immediately hit the best player in the head to cause a brain injury is obsolete. (And without ANY punishment!) Especially when hockey is a skill game and without that skill you have nothing. But without headshots you still have hockey. Unfortunately, in this league headshots are endorsed by lack of penalty calls and suspensions.
That's why the NHL is mostly history in today's sporting landscape. It's going extinct just like the dinosaurs did.
And things must change one way or another for the sport itself to survive. The Penguins need to take action to make it change.
For now, here are the currents stats behind this appalling series:
Game Info:
Pens Playoff Game #6-
Matchup: Pittsburgh Penguins (3) vs. New York Rangers (2)
Date: Friday, May 11, 2022
Time: 7 PM (ET)
Place: Pittsburgh, PA
Venue: PPG Paints Arena
TV Broadcasts: National- TNT | Local- ATTSN (PIT), MSG (NYR) | Canada- CBC, SN, TVAS
Radio Broadcasts: Local- 105.9 The X & The Penguins Radio Network | National- SiriusXM
Streaming Broadcasts: Broadcast TV over select streaming services, next day on ESPN+
App Updates: Penguins App
Social Media Hashtags #⃣: #Pens #NYR #LetsGoPens #StanleyCup
Team Matchup:
Series: 3-2 PIT
Streaks: PIT- 1 Loss, NYR- 1 Win
Power Play % (Rank): PIT- 26.7% (5th), NYR- 25% (6th)
Penalty Kill % (Rank): PIT- 75% (11th), NYR- 73.3% (12th)
Faceoff % (Rank): PIT- 57.8% (1st), NYR- 42.2% (16th)
Goals For/Game (Rank): PIT- 3.80 (12th), NYR- 4.60 (15th)
Player Matchup:
Stat leaders by team comparisons-
Penguins Leaders-
Goals: Jake Guentzel, 7.
Assists: Sidney Crosby, 7.
Points: Sidney Crosby, 9.
Shots: Jake Guentzel, 30.
Plus/Minus: John Marino, +4.
TOI/G: Kris Letang, 30:34.
FO%: Teddy Blueger, 72%.
Hits: Mike Matheson/Jason Zucker, 15.
Blocks: Kris Letang, 16.
Takeaways: Sidney Crosby, 9.
Rangers Leaders-
Goals: Andrew Copp/Adam Fox, 3.
Assists: Mika Zibanejad/Artemi Panarin, 4.
Points: Artemi Panarin, 6.
Shots: Ryan Strome, 23.
Plus/Minus: Jacob Trouba, +5.
TOI/G: Adam Fox, 29:10.
FO%: Kevin Rooney, 47.2%.
Hits: Ryan Reaves/Jacob Trouba, 21.
Blocks: Jacob Trouba, 9.
Takeaways: K’Andre Miller, 11.
Goalie Matchup:
Projected starting goalies-
#70- Louis Domingue, Penguins-
Series Record: 3-2-0, 3.56 GAA, .900 SV%
Career Playoff Record: 3-2-0, 3.32 GAA, .904 SV%
Career Record vs. Rangers: 3-1-0, 2.73 GAA, .906SV%
Last 5 Games Record: 2-3-0
~VS~
#31- Igor Shesterkin, Rangers-
Series Record: 2-2-0, 3.99 GAA, .905 SV%
Career Playoff Record: 2-3-0, 3.84 GAA, .905 SV%
Career Record vs. Penguins: 5-3-1, 2.11 GAA, .924 SV%
Last 5 Games Record: 2-3-0
That's about all I'm in the mood for today, folks. Let's just hope they win this for Sid.