Crazyrebel(l)s ist umgezogen! » Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night

PITTSBURGH (AP) The chase began nearly a year ago Gordie Howe Jersey , when Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan addressed hundreds of thousands of fans following a second Stanley Cup championship parade through choked downtown streets in as many summers.Rather than run from the challenge of trying to become the first franchise in 35 years to win three consecutive Cups, Sullivan embraced it.”I wonder if we can repeat, or three-peat, should I say,” Sullivan said.Following an occasionally rocky regular season, the Penguins begin their pursuit in earnest Wednesday night when they host cross-state rival Philadelphia Flyers to open their first-round series. Asked Tuesday if he remembers openly talking about a three-peat – last accomplished by the New York Islanders in 1983 – Sullivan just shrugged. He wasn’t so much predicting another mid-June celebration as he was stating the obvious.”We believe that we have a group that’s capable,” Sullivan said. ”And we’ve shown an ability to have success in a high-stakes environment.”For proof, look no further than the most recent names etched on hockey’s most coveted chalice. The Penguins have won series in all kinds of ways over the last two years. They’ve dominated. They’ve rallied. Mostly, they’ve survived. And the Flyers have noticed.”They have all the pieces,” Philadelphia center Claude Giroux said. ”On paper they’re a really good team and in the playoffs they always find a way.”The Flyers Authentic Gustav Nyquist Jersey , however, present a unique challenge. Philadelphia hasn’t won a playoff series since it beat the favored Penguins in six sometimes chaotic games in 2012. The Flyers pulled off the upset thanks in part to a meltdown by Pittsburgh. The Penguins lost their composure at times, leading to a string of power plays that Philadelphia rode to victory.While the majority of the faces that will take the ice at PPG Paints Arena are different, the history of antagonism between the two clubs remains. Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby understands things are likely to get chippy. He’d prefer they not get out of hand.”I don’t think we’re looking to fight,” Crosby said. ”It will definitely be an intense series, we know that.”One in which the erratic Flyers, who endured a 10-game winless streak around Thanksgiving, know they are the underdogs. That’s fine. In some ways, they’ve been one all season.”In reality, when you have to earn your way and your margin of error is pretty short all the way along Womens Henrik Zetterberg Jersey , it tests you,” Philadelphia coach Dave Haksol said. ”Sometimes you pass the test. Sometimes you fail the test. It tests you and pushes you to get better.”Some things to look for as Philadelphia tries to put an abrupt end to Pittsburgh’s bid at winning a fourth Cup during the Crosby Era.POWER HOUR: The Penguins and their star-laden power play led the league and set a franchise record by scoring 26.2 percent of the time with the man advantage. Their number this season was just a touch better than the 26.0 the 1995-96 club posted, a group that included Hall of Famers Mario Lemieux and Ron Francis and future Hall of Famer Jaromir Jagr. The Flyers understand their best chance to pull off the upset will be by staying out of the penalty box.”They got special players that make special plays,” Giroux said. ”For us it’s to make sure we minimize those chances.”HOW SWEEP IT IS? The Penguins took all four meetings between the teams during the regular season, scoring five goals each time. Look closer, however, and things are tighter than they seem. Both games in Pittsburgh ended with the Penguins escaping 5-4 following goals during the three-on-three overtime. There are no extra-period gimmicks in the playoffs.”I don’t think we’ve played our best game or a full 60 minutes against Pittsburgh yet,” Flyers forward Sean Couturier said. ”But I like our chances if we play some good hockey for 60 minutes, maybe even more.”BRASSARD BONANZA: Pittsburgh’s big move at the trade deadline was to bring in Derick Brassard from Ottawa to center the third line. Brassard appeared to be hitting his stride in late March before suffering a lower-body injury. He should be good to go in Game 1, and his presence gives the Penguins perhaps the best depth down the middle of any team in the league.”I’m just going to try and keep it simple early and go from there Jimmy Howard Jersey ,” Brassard said.— ST. LOUIS — Desperation and frustration permeated the St. Louis Blues‘ locker room after Thursday night’s loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.The Blues had blown their second straight two-goal lead in the 7-4 blowout, drawing audible boos from what was left of the 17,068 in attendance at Enterprise Center as the players left the ice.It was a season high in goals allowed. Starting goalie Jake Allen was pulled in the second period after allowing four goals in 21 shots and backup Chad Johnson didn’t fare any better, allowing three goals in 16 shots.Article continues below ...“We’re giving up odd-man rushes; we’re giving up chances that just are uncharacteristic of this group,” Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said. “Small things make a difference in the game now, especially with the way every team is built, every team can score, so we’ve got to make sure we’re taking care of our end. I’m tired of leaving our goalies out to dry.”Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko went as far as apologizing to the fans.“It (stinks),” Tarasenko said. “If I had more English words I would explain this, but not much. It feels (bad) to be doing this in front of our fans. This is not the most fun time in our life and in my life personally. I don’t know if you can (stink) more and then you get out of it.”The Blues fell to 2-4-3 and are in last place in the Central Division.The locker room was closed for 23 minutes after Thursday’s game Jonathan Ericsson Jersey , but the players and head coach Mike Yeo declined to comment on what was discussed. It was clear that they are all feeling the heat.“I still believe that we’ll be looking back at this as a turning point,” Yeo said. “Heck, my job should be in question right now. Of course, that comes with the trade, but I’m not going to coach to save my job, I’m going to coach to win a Stanley Cup. I believe in this group.”The Blues hope to turn it around when they host the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night. It will be the third meeting already this season between the division rivals and the Blackhawks came away with overtime wins in the first two.The Blackhawks are coming off a 4-1 win over the New York Rangers on Thursday night. Chicago (6-2-2, 14 points) has won three of its last four.“Didn’t really give up too many chances or too much defensively,” Blackhawks right winger Patrick Kane told NHL.com. “We played pretty rock solid. Two games in a row where we kind of stayed patient. … We had control of the play most of the time and it was nice to finish it off with a couple insurance goals.”Blackhawks center Nick Schmaltz said the team did a good job of controlling play.“I think check pressure and swarming them right away when they get in the offensive zone,” Schmaltz told NHL.com. “Not giving them any zone time and then on offense I think we’re doing a good job spending time with the puck and making them play in their own end.”