MYTHS

Myth: The regular season doesn't matter.

Reality: The regular season matters. It just doesn't sometimes matter the way we think it does.

While perhaps nothing would have helped the Pens when it came to an inexperienced team facing a superior opponent, I wonder. What if the team had secured home ice? What if the team had won the Atlantic Division? Surely trading chances with Tampa's stars and throwing shots on the Lightning's goalie would have been a better option than facing a stingy Ottawa team that consistently outshot the Penguins?

In addition to learning how much it sucks to lose in the playoffs, perhaps the players will learn (despite losing two games on home ice) that where they finish in the standings does matter. And that, while no playoff team is a pushover (and surely you never utter that aloud), some matchups (still never say this aloud) are more beneficial for your team than are other matchups.

Beyond the matchups, however, look at the Rangers, who swept Atlanta after finishing sixth in the conference. For much of the regular season, the Rangers didn't appear to be a playoff team. Now I don't expect a team with two Cup-winning, 600 goal scorers to fade away.* At this point, I'd take New York's up-and-down regular season for the Pens next year if the Pens perform as the Rangers did against Atlanta (through 2 or 3 rounds rather than the Ranger's sole round demolishment) next postseason.

From the Rangers, however, the Pens can learn a lesson that doesn't just have to do with matchups. How you win can be just as important as winning. As much as I enjoyed the "Cardiac Kids" thrill a minute comebacks after relinquishing leads or falling behind 4-0 and somehow winning 5-4, goals are much harder to come by in the postseason. Team don't relinquish leads. If you want to win, you can't play a period or two periods; you have to play the entire game.

Despite their youth, the Pens escaped with regular season victories when they failed to play a complete game. The Pens had so much talent that such victories were possible during the regular season. And perhaps someday, the Pens will have enough experienced talent that such comebacks are possible even come the postseason.

More often than not, however, habits stick. Even in the midst of regular season games, the Penguins must begin to do the things they learned this spring are a requirement for playoff success. Habits matter; it's not just about "peaking too soon," but about how you peak. Win with the right habits, and you're not peaking too soon--win with the wrong habits, and despite your talent, expect another early-round playoff ouster.


(*Present Day Note: The Rangers almost took the Sabres to seven games. The Rangers also showed how vulnerable the Sabres were. The Rangers were unable to beat the Sabres, in my estimation, primarily due to lack of blueline depth that Ottawa actually possessed. Despite the Rangers' subsequent 2nd round playoff ouster, I maintain that the Rangers definitely didn't fade away/roll over for the Sabres. And while I still think Ottawa's superior defensive depth would have prevailed in a 7 game series, I think the Rangers could have taken Ottawa the deepest of any Eastern Conference playoff team--primarily because those two 600 goal scorers and future Hall of Famers, laden with experience and talent, would have been the most even matchup for Ottawa's scoring hotshots.)