Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals in the NHL Playoffs takes place tonight between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Boston Bruins. The game is scheduled for an 8:00 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on the NBC Sports Network. Currently the odds for the game have the Penguins heavily favored to win.
Boston was able to pick up a solid road win in the opening game of this series. That game was the first time the Penguins failed to score a goal in the playoffs and now they find themselves in a pretty tough hole. Tonight's game isn't necessarily a must-win for Pittsburgh, but if they drop both of their games at home to open this series, they'll certainly have a lot of work to do the rest of the way.
The NHL is wanting Pittsburgh to get back into this series and even it up tonight. If they had their way the Penguins and Blackhawks would play in the Stanley Cup Finals because they were the two best teams in the league during the regular season. It's very cool that the past four teams to win the Stanley Cup are the final four teams left in the playoffs.
Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask made 29 stops in the Game 1 shutout for Boston. They also got two tallies from David Krejci, who leads the Bruins in goals with seven and points with 19.
The rumor floating around this morning is that Tomas Vokoun said he's starting tonight's game, based on what he was told by coach Dan Bylsma. The Penguins haven't been able to commit to either of their goalies right now and Marc-Andre Fleury has been up and down in the games he has played this playoff season. It's no wonder he has had tough games, knowing he's going to be on thin ice (literally) any time he is between the pipes. Certainly seems like it would be tough to get in a groove when he's always looking over his back.
There's no secret that Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have to get it going in this game tonight. Boston's Patrice Bergeron did a great job of getting the Pittsburgh stars out of their comfort zone in Game 1, roughing it up with Malkin. The Pens don't want to play a very physical game like the Bruins do, and Boston was able to dictate what was going to happen in the opener.
Tonight we like the Penguins to win. They're at home, where they were dominant all season. Even if Vokoun starts in net tonight, we're looking for the Penguins to get the victory.
Free Pick: Penguins 3, Bruins 1
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