Before the opening game of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series between Pittsburgh and Ottawa, Pens coach Mike Therrien said, “If Ottawa wants to run around and take cheap shots and stupid penalties that’s fine, but the Penguins have weapons to counter attack.”

Was Therrien talking about weapons of mass destruction? Well, we all know where this is going. I think Therrien was referring to the "Secret Weapon” in Gino Malkin!

Ottawa is going to have to redirect a little bit of their focus from Sid the Kid to pay more attention to Malkin. Last night, this guy was on a tear.  A shut-out win for Fleury was just what this kid needed to build his confidence.

It looked like Fleury and a bunch of other Pens were relaxed and having a lot of fun out on the ice. The shut-out was Fleury's first in the postseason.

I knew having Gary Roberts back in the lineup would be huge for the Pens, but I never expected a two-goal night. The fourth line for Pittsburgh was one of the best for most of the night, and Coach Therrien rewarded them with extra ice time. Georges Laraque played the best game I think I have ever seen him play.

This is what a team needs to do in order to make a run deep into the playoffs.

Excellent play by the Pens; keep up the hard work on all four lines, and maybe steal a game in Ottawa, and this series should be in the bag for the Pittsburgh.