Posted by Scott Burnside
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Holy shockers, Batman.
I'm not sure what is more incredible, the fact the Pittsburgh Penguins scored two goals in the last 42.2 seconds of the first period to take a 3-1 lead, or the fact there is a strong Pittsburgh presence in the jam-packed RBC Center.
When Evgeni Malkin cruised in from the corner and deftly jammed home his second of the period, a throng of Penguins fans, many carrying Pittsburgh Steelers terrible towels, took up a chant far more familiar at Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh: "MVP, MVP, MVP!"
And with Malkin boosting his goal total by two in the first and Sidney Crosby adding another to his league-leading total, maybe the chant should be: "Conn Smythe, Conn Smythe, Conn Smythe!"
But for which Penguins star?
The Crosby & Malkin Show rolls on. The two have now combined for 13 points in the first seven periods of this series.
Wouldn't you love to be in the Carolina dressing room to see what the mood is now?
The Canes did exactly what they wanted. They took advantage of a rabid home crowd (well, except for the Pens fans who managed to score tickets up high near the press box) and scored first with Matt Cullen putting home a nifty pass from Patrick Eaves from in close, where virtually all of the Canes' goals in this series are being scored.
A nice rebound for Eaves, who suffered the greatest shame known to a hockey player, being pummeled by Miroslav Satan in a late Game 2 fight. He did later take a slashing penalty for breaking Craig Adams' stick in half. He must have seen highlights of Adams' goal in Game 7 of the Pittsburgh/Washington series (either that, or mistook him for Malkin).
Throughout this postseason, we have talked glowingly of the Canes' bounce-back factor. Well, this will be a monumental test. Down two after giving up three unanswered goals in the first, and knowing that if they can't come back, this series is as good as over.
ESPN.com Stanley Cup playoffs blog
