During the first round, all it took was a glance at the crest on opponents’ sweaters.
Round 2 was pretty much the same. And, if the logo on the front of the jersey didn’t do it, a few of the nameplates on the back surely did.
But that won’t necessarily be the case when the Pittsburgh Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes meet in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Mellon Arena.
Not immediately, anyway, for this is not one of those rivalries in which participants’ teeth begin grinding at the very thought of the other team.
That doesn’t mean passions won’t rise quickly — with sticks and elbows to follow — once the series begins. For now, though, emotions haven’t been rubbed raw and the teams are lobbing nothing more nasty than compliments at one another.
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The sneers and slurs will have to wait a while.
The closest thing to a ready-made villain on either team is Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik, whose hit from behind on Carolina winger Erik Cole three years ago broke two vertebrae in Cole’s neck.
Orpik was suspended for three games and the two fought, at Cole’s behest, Feb. 2, 2008. That scuffle might have closed out the incident for those involved, but Penguins left winger Matt Cooke estimates that it should take about 20 minutes for the teams to begin developing a serious dislike for each other, and that seems like a reasonable prediction. Here are some others:
STREAKING
Penguins centers Sidney Crosby (nine goals, five assists) and Evgeni Malkin (two goals, 10 assists) have at least one point in seven of their last eight games, while left winger Chris Kunitz does not have a goal in his last 21 playoff games. Carolina left winger Sergei Samsonov has gotten on the scoresheet in four of the last five games, with four goals and one assist, and center Eric Staal has points (four goals, two assists) in four of his last six.
DIFFERENCE-MAKERS
Crosby and Malkin are the driving forces behind the Penguins’ offense and they ? along with their linemates — must produce for the team to have success. The real key, though, might be the work of the defense pairing of Rob Scuderi and Hal Gill, who presumably will be matched against Hurricanes center Eric Staal’s line. Staal is one of the league’s elite forwards, and three of left wing Jussi Jokinen’s six goals have been game-winners — the most for anyone in these playoffs — so he obviously has a knack for scoring when it matters most. But the play of goalie Cam Ward, who does some of his best work against the Penguins, will be the most important variable for Carolina’s chances of reaching its second Stanley Cup final in four years.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The Penguins’ penalty-killing was fairly solid through two rounds (81.6 percent), while Carolina’s power play has sputtered badly, scoring on just five of 48 chances. Staal and Jokinen are the only two Hurricanes to score on a man advantage during the first two rounds. Carolina’s penalty-killing, conversely, is the second-best in these playoffs, with a success rate of 90.7 percent.
While the Penguins’ power play has come to life lately, going 9-for-29 while getting at least one goal in each of the last six games, it still owns a middle-of- the-pack conversion rate of 19.7 percent for these playoffs.
INTANGIBLES
The Hurricanes may be excused for feeling like a team of destiny after winning Game 7 in the opening round against New Jersey on two goals in the final 80 seconds of regulation and Game 7 in Boston in the conference semifinals on Scott Walker’s only goal of the playoffs. The Penguins have avoided that kind of drama but, with the experience gained from a trip to the Stanley Cup finals last spring, should be able to handle any that comes along.
Prediction: PENGUINS IN 7
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The schedule
Game 1: Monday at Pittsburgh, 6:30
Game 2: Thursday at Pittsburgh, 6:30
Game 3: Saturday at Carolina, 6:30
Game 4: May 26 at Carolina, 6:30
Game 5: May 29 at Pittsburgh, 6:30*
Game 6: May 31 at Carolina, 6:30*
Game 7: June 2 at Pittsburgh, 6:30*
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All games on Versus; *-if necessary