Boston Bruins vs. Pittsburgh Penguins: Game 2 Preview, TV Info and Predictions

For the first time in either the Boston Bruins’ or the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2013 Stanley Cup playoff run, one of these teams is trailing in a series.

That was inevitable after Game 1 of the NHL’s Eastern Conference Final. But what is most surprising about Pittsburgh trailing is that it became Bruins backstop Tuukka Rask’s first playoff shutout victim Saturday night.

The Pens now face the task of kicking ice chips over their 3-0 defeat and pulling even Monday night when the rivals reconvene for Game 2 at the Consol Energy Center. The Bruins have already usurped home-ice advantage, but they can be of service to themselves by taking a two-game lead rather than a 1-1 deadlock back to TD Garden, where they have won four straight matches.

With the help of what the contesting parties put on display Saturday, here is a glimpse of what to look for in the next chapter of this series.

Viewing Info

Time: Monday, June 3, 8:00 p.m. ET

TV: NBC Sports Network, CBC, RDS

Key Storyline: Goaltenders Looking for a Follow-Up or a Bounce-Back

They were both embarking on their first-ever conference final as an NHL starter, and both were coming off at least a full week’s worth of rest dating back to the conclusion of the second round. But now the common threads have given way to a key difference as the aforementioned Rask holds the upper hand on Pittsburgh netminder Tomas Vokoun.

Vokoun, who supplanted Marc-Andre Fleury for Game 5 of the conference quarterfinals against the Islanders, authorized three goals in a single outing for the fourth time in eight appearances this spring. Each of the previous three times, he bounced back to confine the opposition to one or two strikes in the following game.

Rask is entitled to some healthy, levelheaded confidence after he blanked the most potent strike force in the league. But “levelheaded” is the key term, which means neither hugging that confidence too tightly nor cradling it too carelessly in the inevitable event of a Pittsburgh player beating him.

In short, with the comparative shortage of stability in the Penguins' goalie guild, Vokoun can give way to Fleury at any time. Likewise, with the overwhelming capabilities of the Pittsburgh offense, which in fairness still has another level to go to after Game 1, Rask could give way to Anton Khudobin any moment.

Key Matchup: Patrice Bergeron vs. Sidney Crosby

Bergeron won 75 percent of his Game 1 faceoffs against the Pittsburgh captain, raking away six out of eight. He drew Boston’s first power play on the night at the expense of Crosby, who would finish the game pointless on four shots with a minus-two rating and two minor penalties.

Of those four shots on net, Crosby landed only one while Bergeron was on duty.

If need be, Pittsburgh skipper Dan Bylsma may use the last change while he still has home ice to let his Hart Trophy finalist circumvent Boston’s Selke Trophy finalist as much as possible. Otherwise, Crosby will simply need to step up to another level like he is capable of.

Injury Report (via TSN.ca)

Boston Bruins

Adam McQuaid: Questionable for the game with an upper-body ailment.

Pittsburgh Penguins

No injuries.

Projected Lineups

Bruins’ Projected Lineup

Forwards

Line 1: Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Jaromir Jagr

Line 2: Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Nathan Horton

Line 3: Rich Peverley-Chris Kelly-Tyler Seguin

Line 4: Shawn Thornton-Daniel Paille-Gregory Campbell

Defensemen

Line 1: Zdeno Chara-Dennis Seidenberg

Line 2: Andrew Ference-Johnny Boychuk

Line 3: Torey Krug-Adam McQuaid or Wade Redden

Goaltenders

Tuukka Rask

Anton Khudobin

Penguins’ Projected Lineup

Forwards

Line 1: Chris Kunitz-Sidney Crosby-Pascal Dupuis

Line 2: James Neal-Evgeni Malkin-Jarome Iginla

Line 3: Brenden Morrow-Jussi Jokinen-Craig Adams

Line 4: Matt Cooke-Brandon Sutter-Tyler Kennedy

Defensemen

Line 1: Mark Eaton-Kris Letang

Line 2: Paul Martin-Brooks Orpik

Line 3: Douglas Murray-Matt Niskanen

Goaltenders

Tomas Vokoun

Marc-Andre Fleury

Boston Will Win If…

It continues to clog up the passing lanes in its own end, stall the Pittsburgh offense and throw things back in the other direction.

The Bruins must deny the Penguins as much flow as they can, preferably by getting sticks and bodies on the puck when they have a chance and corralling the loose biscuit to initiate prompt counterattacks.

In addition, despite their perfection on the penalty kill in Game 1, they will want to cut down on the minutes they accumulate in the sin bin. Even if Pittsburgh’s power play still fails to break through, too much short-handed time can take a toll on one’s stamina—a toll that the Bruins will want to minimize as this series wears on.

Boston will also need production from more than just Horton (three points in Game 1) and Krejci (two goals). The likes of Jagr, Marchand and Seguin can elevate their team’s odds of sculpting a commanding series lead by elevating their personal output.

Pittsburgh Will Win If…

More of its stars compete at a level that is at least satisfactorily close to Malkin’s from Game 1.

The 2009 Conn Smythe Trophy winner brought back his best form on Saturday, piloting one threatening end-to-end rush after another. Typically, he pounced for the puck and made the rushes happen rather than let the opportunities come to him, and he also drew each of Pittsburgh’s first three power plays on the night.

Malkin should not have to go all out in Game 2 to quite the same extent if his celestial teammates bring at least a substantial serving of the same competitiveness. The Penguins all need to rush in droves and settle the play on Boston property so as to drain the opposing backcheck, open more seams and have time to discharge a higher quantity of quality shots.

Remember: Pittsburgh hit a pair of goal posts in the second period Saturday (Kunitz at the 11:13 mark, Malkin at 19:40). A little more precision can go a long way.

Prediction: Penguins 3, Bruins 2

Pittsburgh knows it can ill afford to go to Boston facing a 2-0 deficit, having done the same in the first round last season when it went into Philadelphia en route to a six-game loss.

At one end, Crosby is nearly impossible to contain for too long. Only the New Jersey Devils, in a home-and-home set Feb. 9 and 10, have managed to slap him with two consecutive pointless games this calendar year.

At the other end, seeing as Krejci’s line made all the difference on Saturday’s scoreboard, the Penguins should be better prepared to stifle the top 2013 playoff point-getter. They will not be perfect in their own zone, but they will at least cultivate enough offense to retort as needed and eventually keep at least one stride ahead of the Bruins.

Both teams will need to flaunt their depth as this series progresses. Count on the Penguins to get a jump-start on that before the Bruins do.

Unless otherwise indicated, all statistics for this report were found via NHL.com