The Penguins knew going into their qualifying-round series against Montreal that the Canadiens' team speed was one of their greatest assets.
They prepared for it, and have done a pretty good job of neutralizing it through the first two games of the series, which resumes at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto sometime after 8 o'clock this evening.
The keys, Mike Sullivan said today, have been the Penguins' puck-management and decision-making.
"The biggest thing we've done to this point, and that we have to continue to do, is just make sure we take care of the puck, and we don't turn into a high-risk team just because we're not scoring a lot of goals," he said. "I think we're generating scoring chances, which is the important aspect that we can control.
"The best way to try to limit their speed game, or their counter-attack game, is by making sure we take care of the puck and we don't give them an opportunity to play (on just) three-quarters of the ice, or half the rink. We have to make them play goal-line-to-goal-line, and I think it starts with our own puck possession and making the right decisions in the critical areas of the rink."
• Sidney Crosby, who scored the Penguins' first goal in each of the first two games, enters Game 3 tied with Joe Sakic and Doug Gilmour for eighth place on the NHL's all-time playoff scoring list, with 188. Crosby is just two behind Brett Hull, who is in the seventh spot.
• Montreal coach Claude Julien has floated the possibility that his line combinations will be reconfigured for Game 3, but it doesn't sound as if Sullivan will spend too much time or energy contemplating any such switches until they actually are made.
"We'll have to adjust, accordingly," he said. "That's just the nature of playing (in the postseason). Quite honestly, our main focus has been on our team and just trying to get to our game as quickly as we can. ... Not that we're not paying attention to the Canadiens. Certainly, we have a lot of respect for the skill they have. We'll look for certain matchups and we'll make those adjustments on the fly."
• First-line right winger Conor Sheary had a strong performance in Game 2, including a deft feed to set up Jason Zucker's game-winning goal, but was bumped from his spot alongside Crosby and Jake Guentzel a few times during the third period.
That was not because of any displeasure with his play, Sullivan said, but because his replacement, Patric Hornqvist, is a more effective defender, and the Penguins were trying to protect a 1-0 lead for much of the period.
"(Hornqvist) is a different player than Conor Sheary is," he said. "(Hornqvist) is just a heavier body on the (boards). He's a good shot-blocker. He brings a defensive dimension, as well."
• Sullivan reiterated that he wants to have a stronger showing from his third line, which has Jared McCann between Patrick Marleau and Hornqvist.
"We think they're capable of having more of an impact," he said. "That was the discussion we had with that particular line. We think they have the makings of being an important line for us. Our hope is that we can get that line going in the right direction."
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