Sens vs. Pens Pre-Series Articles: Penguins face tough road against Senators
April 22, 2005

Posted by: Bob Howard
Credit: Karen Price of the Tribune-Review

Penguins face tough road against Senators

http://pittsburghlive.com

By Karen Price

TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Friday, April 22, 2005

On paper, the Binghamton Senators vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins first-round playoff series matchup looks like Mike Tyson vs. Mini Me.

The Senators finished in first place in the East Division with 106 points, the Penguins in fourth with 92 points.

The Senators have the AHL's regular season leading scorer and MVP in Jason Spezza, who scored 32 goals and 85 assists for 117 points in 80 games, and their goalie, Ray Emery, hasn't lost in his last 12 starts. He was named goaltender of the month after posting a perfect 6-0 record in April.

And last, but not least, the Senators won seven of eight games in the regular-season series against the Penguins. The Penguins' one win came the first time they met, almost six months ago.

But Senators coach John Paddock isn't too keen on the label of favorite for the series, which opens tonight in Binghamton.

"I think we've played good against them because we respected them from the very start," said Paddock, whose team finished with a 47-21-5-7 record. "We were always prepared to play because we have utmost respect for their ability. We know we have a battle ahead."

That may be true, but one could hardly classify it as an uphill battle when the Senators appear to be peaking at the right time, winning nine of their last 10 games and 16 of 22 since March 1.

The Penguins, meanwhile, went from contending for the No. 1 spot in the division in early March to nearly falling out of the race altogether. They've won three of their last four games, but only four of their last 12.

And three of those losses came to Binghamton, by a combined score of 14-5.

Penguins defenseman Ryan Whitney said the team's earlier matchups against the Senators were different from games of late.

"At the beginning of the year, we both played real tough, and the games they won were in overtime," he said. "At the end of the year, they completely outplayed us. We weren't playing well, and we have to play better than we did. I know we can be at the same level, it's just a matter of doing it."

Penguins coach Michel Therrien said he was pleased with the way his team played under pressure, clinching the final playoff spot over the Hershey Bears in a do-or-die weekend April 8-10.

And, he pointed out, the Penguins were often underdogs last year as well, went all the way to the Calder Cup Finals and have 14 players from last year's team back this year.

In other words, the underdog role is fine with him.

"We're going into the playoffs with no pressure at all," he said. "Nobody expects that we're going to win that series. There's no pressure. We're going to enjoy the playoffs. This is the best time of year to play hockey."

Karen Price can be reached at kprice@tribweb.com.