Today is Sidney Crosby’s birthday and the Penguins wanted to give him a victory as his present. However, they were unsuccessful as they fell to the Montreal Canadiens 2-0 in Game 4 of the best of 5 Stanley Cup Qualifying Round.
The Penguins poor playoff performances resulted in them being sent home early after losing the series 3-1. Many Penguins fans are heartbroken by their early exit, which is understandable since the Penguins have some of the best players in the league. However, after the Penguins being knocked out of the playoffs, I’m just like “meh whatever”.
Typically when the Penguins get knocked out of the Playoffs I am super disappointed, however this year is a little different (Maybe cause I fell asleep and missed the game winning goal).
I’m not super upset about the early exit, because this season is unlike any other. Before this qualifying round we haven’t seen NHL hockey for about four months. That means every thing that previously happened in the season basically means nothing. The “Covid” playoffs basically is a whole new season, in which any team can win. I mean come on, the Montreal Canadiens finished 31-31-9. They are a team who shouldn’t have even sniffed the playoffs but ended up playing in the qualifying round, and beating a Stanley Cup favorite in the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Penguins just didn’t want to be there, it was quite obvious. Turnovers, poor defense, and stupid penalties were just some examples of this. It felt like the Penguins were just trying to get back into the groove of things during this series, which after four months off is fair. However, every team had the same amount of time off so there is really no excuse there. Honestly, the Penguins playoff run seemed like preseason games more than playoff hockey games. The only guy who seemed to play his heart out in Game 4 was Patric Hornqvist as he battled in front of the net shift after shift. Taking cross checks from defenders and goalie Carey Price, who was an absolute brick wall this series.
Kudos to the Canadiens for sneaking their way into the qualifying round and taking down the Penguins pretty easily. If Carey Price keeps performing like this he can lead them pretty far into the playoffs. As for the Penguins the only positive of these qualifiers is with the early exit we still have a chance at the number one overall pick. Alexis Lafreniere come on down!
I’m sure as time goes on I will reflect on the early exit to the Canadiens and get upset, but right now it’s whatever. Even though the Penguins are out, I will still tune into playoff hockey because it is obviously the best. Now I can just enjoy games and not worry about having a panic attack on every shot that Matt Murray or Tristan Jarry face.
I’d love for the Colorado Avalanche to be crowned champions by the end of the playoffs, but it’s 2020 and this year is full of terrible events. I wouldn’t be surprised one bit if somehow the Philadelphia Flyers win the Stanley Cup… Pretty scary thought, I know.
thoughtsfromthebench.com 