NHL PLAYOFFS : Penguins Not Panicking After One Defeat

The Pittsburgh Penguins knew exactly what the Washington Capitals would do--pressure them, agitate them, irritate them. What they didn’t count on was the Capitals beating them.

Capitals coach Jim Schoenfeld called it “abrasive, aggressive hockey” -- taking chances but not taking penalties, perplexing the talented Penguins without provoking them. It worked even better than planned.

Using some of the same tactics employed by the New York Islanders to eliminate the Penguins from the Stanley Cup playoffs last May, the Capitals beat Pittsburgh 5-3 on Sunday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. Game 2 is Tuesday night at the Civic Arena.

The Capitals’ game plan -- Schoenfeld openly revealed it -- was to chase down the loose pucks, match aggressive defender Kevin Hatcher against the Penguins’ top line, limit Pittsburgh’s breakout passes from the neutral zone and be physically aggressive.

Mario Lemieux scored twice, but the Capitals dictated the tempo to beat Pittsburgh in a playoff series opener for the third time in four years. The Penguins rebounded from Game 1 losses to Washington in 1991 and 1992 to win two Stanley Cups.

“Let’s hope that holds up, right?” Penguins coach Eddie Johnston.

Still, the home-ice loss puts the Penguins on the defensive -- and at a disadvantage -- unexpectedly early in the first-round series. And it did nothing to dispel their image of a team that needs a significant motivational challenge to get excited about the playoffs.

Maybe the Rangers or the Canadiens, perhaps?

“I think we know the Penguins pretty well, and we know their tendencies,” said goaltender Don Beaupre, who stopped 27 of 30 shots. “They have a lot of individuals who can step up and win games, and we’ve got to play our system and we did.”

Lemieux and Joey Mullen scored in a span of 2:04 to put Pittsburgh up 2-1 in the first period, and the Penguins were probably only one more goal from forcing the Capitals out of their conservative but not passive style.

“It’s human nature to kind of look at the Penguins in awe a bit, and I think our guys may have been in awe in the first period,” said Schoenfeld, 20-12-6 since replacing Terry Murray at midseason.

“We knew it would take a real commitment, and we got that commitment. Kevin Hatcher looked like I could have left him on the ice all night,” he said.

Peter Bondra and Mike Ridley restored the Capitals’ one-goal lead by scoring 2:22 apart in the second period, and the Penguins were held scoreless until Lemieux scored his second of the game with 44 seconds remaining.

Joe Juneau had put Washington up 4-2 at 10:34 of the third, beating goaltender Tom Barrasso on a breakaway after defensemen Ulf Samuelsson and Larry Murphy collided at mid-ice on a shift change.

“Our guys were very alert all night because we were making changes on the fly to get the matchups we wanted,” said Schoenfeld, 20-12-6 since replacing Terry Murray at midseason.

Once again, the Penguins found themselves explaining why they looked so disinterested against a team they were supposed to beat.

“They won on the intangibles,” winger Rick Tocchet said. “We’re professionals and we should have been ready to play but ...”

“We were flat ... we didn’t have the intensity we should have had,” Lemieux said. “This is playoff hockey, and we’re going to have to fight through it.”

At times, the Penguins seemed less motivated than their fans. For the first time since a 1982 series against the Islanders, the Penguins didn’t sell out a home playoff game. Of course, the $68 ticket price -- up $21 from the regular season -- didn’t help, either.

“It’s no time to panic -- yet,” Samuelsson said.

He didn’t say when it would be time to panic, but a loss in Game 2 would probably would be a good starting point -- after all, the Capitals are 3-0-1 in their last four against Pittsburgh.

The Penguins. however, aren’t talking like a team with intentions of going to Washington down 2-0.

“We’ve had our wakeup call,” Johnston said.

“They’d better not start celebrating too early,” winger Kevin Stevens said. “They’ve still got to win three. ... And we’ve still got to win four.”