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The BIG awards come Saturday night from the NHL, but already there is a speculation about the MVP winner that will lead to a lot of chatter between fans of the league’s two top stars.

A report Friday by TSN indicated Washington’s Alex Ovechkin will be named winner of the Hart Trophy (MVP). That would give him three, as many as Mario Lemieux.

Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby finished tied for third in the NHL with 56 points.

Crosby missed the final 12 games because of a broken jaw that required surgery. At the time of his injury, he held a double-digit lead in scoring for a team that was second overall in the NHL, a team that had won 15 consecutive games, and a team that had the reigning MVP, Evgeni Malkin, with all of six goals.

Ovechkin did not miss a game, though his first 16 games resulted in five goals and 10 points. Ovechkin did finish fantastically, and his Capitals did rally from the depths to win the Southeast division, which placed only Washington in the playoffs.

The Atlantic division, where the Penguins play, placed three teams in the playoffs, including the Penguins.

The other MVP finalist is John Tavares of the Islanders, who returned to the playoffs after a long drought.

The Awards are what they are, and I’ve stated before that I do not believe any one group – writers, broadcasters, GMs, coaches, players – should have exclusive say over who wins, as is the case; nor should we stray at all from the specific criteria upon which we are to vote.

Any winner is a deserving winner, as is any finalist. That will be the case no matter who wins the MVP.

I will be interested to see which player wins the Ted Lindsay Award, voted on by the players.

I am a voting member of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association. Here is my ballot for ALL awards upon which the PHWA votes:

Cheers,

Rossi

= HART TROPHY (“to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team”) — Five selections.\

1 Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh

2 Patrick Kane, Chicago

3 JohnTavares, NY Islanders

4 Alex Ovechkin, Washington

5 Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit

= NORRIS TROPHY (“to the defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position”) — Five selections.

1 Kris Letang, Pittsburgh

2 Ryan Suter, Minnesota

3 P.K. Subban, Montreal

4 Dion Phaneuf, Toronto

5 Shea Weber, Nashville

= CALDER TROPHY (“to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition”) — Five selections.
(Note: An eligible player cannot have played more than 25 NHL games in any single preceding season nor in six or more games in each of any two preceding seasons. A player must not have attained his 26th birthday by Sept. 15 of the season in which he is eligible.)

1 Justin Schultz, Oilers

2 Jonathan Huberdeau, Panthers

3 Brandon Saad, Blackhawks

4 Nail Yakupov, Oilers

5 Cory Goncaher, Senators
= LADY BYNG TROPHY (“to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability”) — Five selections.

1 – Patrick Kane, Chicago

2 – Matt Moulson, NY Islanders

3 – Matt Duchene, Colorado

4 – Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit

5 – Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay
= SELKE TROPHY (“to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game”) — Five selections.

1 Jonathan Toews, Chicago

2 Patrice Bergeron, Boston

3 Pascal Dupuis, Pittsburgh

4 Ryan Callahan, NY Rangers

5 Eric Staal, Carolina

=  NHL All-Star Team

CENTER — Three selections.

Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh

Jonathan Toews, Chicago

Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay

RIGHT WING — Three selections.

Patrick Kane, Chicago

Alex Ovechkin, Washington

Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay
LEFT WING — Three selections.

Chris Kunitz, Pittsburgh

Rick Nash, NY Rangers

Zach Parise, Minnesota
DEFENSE — SIX selections.

Kris Letang, Pittsburgh

Ryan Suter, Minnesota

P.K. Subban, Montreal

Dion Phaneuf, Toronto

Shea Weber, Nashville

Duncan Keith, Chicago

GOALTENDER — Three selections.

Henrik Lundqvist, NY Rangers

Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus

Antti Niemi, San Jose

= NHL All-Rookie Team

FORWARD — Three selections, regardless of position.

Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida

Brandon Saad, Chicago

Nail Yakupov, Edmonton
DEFENSE — Two selections.

Justin Schultz, Edmonton

Jake Muzzin, Los Angeles

GOAL — One selection.

Jacob Markstrom, Florida

Shock takes a while to shake off.

A lot of people are still shaking after the Penguins being swept from the playoffs by Boston.

It WAS shocking.

They scored two goals.

The offensively deficient New York Rangers had that many goals in Game 1 of Round 2 against Boston.

This was always going to be a busy offseason for the Penguins. What happened in the East final will make a hot summer even hotter.

A primer to get you ready, including a look at roster going forward as it pertains to free agents and extension-eligible players: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4152992-74/penguins-million-shero#axzz2VjSKJL00

= Columnist Joe Starkey makes a call on coach Dan Bylsma: http://triblive.com/sports/joestarkey/4144842-74/bylsma-goals-game#axzz2VjSKJL00

= Sunday is locker-clearing day for the Penguins, some of whom will set foot inside Consol Energy Center for the final time.

Normally, GM Ray Shero speaks to the media – a sort of season-in-review session – on this day. As of now, Shero is not scheduled to speak.

That is intriguing in itself.

As always, the #TribHKY team will have all the news as we hear it – and, heck, even some stuff that isn’t officially news yet – as A Great Summer for Hockey Fires gets going.

Also, finally, a sincere thanks for your readership and following on many platforms. Josh Yohe and I appreciate it. Josh maybe a bit more. (He’s the Human One, but you never heard that commercial.)

Cheers,

Rossi

BOSTON — It is over.

The Penguins will not win the Stanley Cup.

They barely scored a goal in the Eastern Conference final, which they lost, 4-0, after a 1-0 loss in Game 4 on Friday.

The Last Chapter: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/pensgalleries/4151711-74/penguins-cup-crosby#axzz2ValrEd5a

Here is what players had to say after this shocking series defeat:

= SIDNEY CROSBY

“It didn’t feel good. But it was OK. Knocked the wind out of me. It was way out of the play. I think it’s a penalty. It may have been so far from the play that they didn’t see it.”

“I didn’t have any problems.”

“I think for whatever reason we just weren’t able to capitalize tonight. We had open nets. They blocked shots. Tanger had one hop over his stick. There was never a time when we felt like we couldn’t score or that we were being dominated. Other than the second game we felt like we were getting chances consistently. They capitalized and we didn’t.”

“If you look back, the chances were there. You try to fight, try to get rebounds. Sometimes they come to you, sometimes they don’t. We scored two goals all series and I didn’t score any points. It doesn’t sit very well.”

“They’re solid. They make you earn your chances. I don’t feel like they totally shut us down. We had some chances. Rask made some big saves. But they’re consistent. They don’t give you chances. You have to earn them.”

“That was the expectation. To come up this short does not sit well with anyone. Three of the four games, I felt like we probably could have come out with wins. We just missed those big moments. We needed to come up with big plays and we didn’t.”

= CHRIS KUNITZ

 “Maybe we should have scored some power play goals.”

“Definitely not. Not with the efficiency that we had been scoring with. We knew he was a good goalie, but to get two goals in the entire series is something we never could have imagined.”

“The key to the last two series was being able to score big power play goals.”

“They just have good structure. They’re willing to battle. They are so good defensively.”

= DAN BYLSMA

“We considered ourselves a team capable of winning the Stanley Cup. That was our expectation from day one. That’s how we build through the season. We certainly feel that we were a team that was capable of winning the Stanley Cup. So, coming up short, there’s no question it’s disappointing. No question we feel like with the expectations that we had on ourselves, there’s no question we’re going to look at this as a missed opportunity.”

“I don’t think there’s a player in there that is going to feel like they didn’t struggle at a certainly part of his game in this series.”

“We didn’t get the goals we needed. You can say that about Jarome (Iginla). You can say that about a lot of guys on our team.”

“Tomas, I thought, was two goals short of brilliant. Two goals short of Tuukka Rask in these two games. He was great. Not as many saves as Rask in Game 3, but he was equally up to the task and he was again tonight. He was outstanding.”

= BROOKS ORPIK

“It was just Game 2. I think that will be tough to get over. Maybe you don’t win the game, but if you had a better effort maybe you do win it. The fact that we didn’t play better in Game 2 is the toughest part of the series to digest.”

“The last two games I don’t think we could have battled any harder than we did. We just couldn’t get anything by Rask. You saw it last year with L.A. They squeeze in on last day, ride a hot goaltender. Sometimes that happens.”

“For me, personally, the way Game 2 unfolded is probably the toughest part to stomach.”

“It’s tough being on this team because it’s Stanley Cup or a fail. Guys on this team welcome that opportunity. They wouldn’t want it any other way. You win two series and lose to a team that maybe will win the Stanley Cup… I know we’ve got a lot of talent. It’s tough to do every year. You see that now. I think the guys in here – we realize the pressure on this team, the expectations. I wouldn’t want it any other way. It’s fun.”

= JAMES NEAL

“Bounces, goalie – wasn’t a lack of chances. Point-blank chances where their goalie came up big. You see that right at end of the game, tops it off with a glove save.”

“Series would have been different. If we’d played the first two games at home like we played the last two games it would have been a different series. It’s tough.”

= JAROME IGINLA

“The conference finals, it’s a great opportunity. You want those. It stinks being out now, watching the Bruins move on. They played great hockey.”

“Not being able to contribute and be good in this series. I wasn’t very good in this series. These close games you want to find a way to contribute on that extra goal and stuff. Everybody in here feels that way. It (stinks) not moving on. We had a good team with a good shot.”

“I thought (Malkin and Crosby) played very well. They power play moved around and they had great chances. You tip your hat to Rask. There was great goaltending on both teams in this series, close games. I’ll be you it goes on and they get more games and (Malkin and Crosby) get three and four points. Unfortunately as a team we went cold at the wrong time, and four quick games and you’re out. Sid gives great leadership. That got us to this point. You come in here and you want to have a chance. It’s a great opportunity. There was only four teams left. It (stinks) that we’re out and stuff. Definitely stinks.”

= EVGENI MALKIN

“It’s tough to think right now, but it’s … we (lost) this series at home. We lost two games at home. Big mistake. Last two games we played very well. I’m glad how team played last two games. It’s tough in there. The goalie played very well.”

“I tried. I tried. If you’re not (shooting), you’re not scoring goals. Sometimes I’m not scoring and I’m nervous and I have good chances – I don’t know, try shoot quicker? Sometimes I can wait and get an empty net. It’s tough. I’m (confident). You know, zero goals.”

“I’m doing my job. I try. I do what I can. Sometimes better, sometimes not. We play conference final. It’s good year, but we lose 4-0 – it’s very bad. We scored two goals in four games. It’s not enough. It’s my mistakes. We scored zero goals. It’s not good for me.”

“My job is not to look at how to play goal. My job is to score goals. If you shot that many times and zero goals it’s not very good. We have lots of chances. Sometimes bad luck. It’s tough to say right now.”

= TOMAS VOKOUN

 “Obviously it’s a shock. I don’t think words can describe it. You go through the season with a team like we had, it’s very disappointing. I really don’t know what to say. It’s a tough moment. Unfortunately that’s sport, only one team can win. It’s not going to be us”

“It’s too early. Obviously the easy was is to say we didn’t score enough, but I think we have to give it a little bit more time. You lose four nothing, it’s tough. Except one game all the games were close, but we just weren’t able to make it count when we needed it.”

“When you lose four nothing I don’t think it’s about turning points. If it was 4-2 or something, then… my head is still in the game and it’s really hard to judge everything that happened in the last two weeks. It’s really disappointing. We had a great team, we just didn’t get it done.”

“For me, obviously, I think for all the guys here. You look at the personnel we have and what the ownership did at the deadline and all that… we just didn’t get it done. I don’t think we can be satisfied with losing in the conference finals.”

–

Cheers, and thanks for reading.

Josh and I will be here all summer. You’ll want to keep reading.

Rossi

BOSTON — The road map to a comeback exists.

There are a lot of what ifs, though.

Still, there is a way the Penguins rally in the Eastern Conference final, which they trail, 3-0, with Game 4 at Boston’s TD Garden on Friday.

Win that, obviously. It does not really matter how.

A performance similar to the one from Game 3 – certainly a performance topping it – would get the series back to Pittsburgh for Game 5 on Sunday. There, a power play that is 0-for-12 in the series figures to show some sign of life. It has to eventually, right?

It is not inconceivable that the Penguins could win the next two games and force a pressure-packed home Game 6 for the Bruins. Of the nearly 11 full periods of hockey played in this series, the Bruins have owned four. The Penguins have dominated two. The rest have been 50/50.

A clunker from the Bruins would be needed for this Boston squad to become the second Boston squad four years to blow a 3-0 series lead.

However, over the last few years, the Bruins have had a bit of Penguins in them in that they sometimes surprise with how quickly they cooperate with making themselves look bad.

So, basically, were the Penguins to get it to a Game 6 – with a Game 7 the next night – and their superstars-in-silence Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin still due. By then, those Bruins defensemen will be worn and, well…

OK, getting ahead of ourselves, clearly.

This feels like a Big (maybe Bad) night for the franchise.

Coach Dan Bylsma is not treating it like such, however.

= What may be on the line for him: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4144759-74/bylsma-coach-penguins#axzz2VXQ1BD00

Check out that fact box on the side of the screen. You, as a GM, would ignore all of that?

Dejan Kovacevic’s accompanying column on the topic of what lay ahead for these Penguins, including Bylsma: http://triblive.com/sports/dejankovacevic/dejancolumns/4144756-74/bylsma-coach-really#axzz2VXQ1BD00

= Josh Yohe looks at the carousel of partners for Kris Letang during these playoffs, and why having only three heavy-minutes men on the backend may be catching up with the Penguins:  http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4144771-74/letang-minutes-martin#axzz2VXQ1BD00

= The #TribHKY Penguins notes has an update on Brooks Orpik, kind of: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4144775-74/game-penguins-orpik#axzz2VXQ1BD00

= Bob Cohn with a look at LARGE television ratings in Pittsburgh and Boston, a couple of killer hockey markets: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4151026-74/game-conference-final#axzz2VXQ1BD00

OK, that is about all for this AM.

Twenty-four hours from now a lot of this may feel different.

Cheers,

Rossi

BOSTON — Ray Shero should say something Thursday.

Five words would do.

Five words are necessary.

Dan Bylsma is my coach.

And Shero should say those words to Mario Lemieux, who has looked awfully disappointed after losses by the Penguins in Game 2 and 3 of the Eastern Conference final.

There will be enough to do this offseason as the Penguins move into the unofficial second half of the Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin Era. A coaching search is not necessary, and it would not be productive.

Speaking of that era, it looks a lot different today than it did four years ago – and, as columnist Dejan Kovacevic opines, it’s not dark yet, but… http://triblive.com/sports/dejankovacevic/dejancolumns/4138047-74/malkin-crosby-done#axzz2VPxRwUBi

= A 2-1 loss to the Bruins on Wednesday night – actually, the game ended Thursday morning – pretty much ended this East final.

For what it’s worth, and it’s probably worth nothing to fans, this was the second greatest playoff game I’ve covered of the 98 I’ve reported on since 2007.

I really – really – thought going into Game 3 that I would get to at least 100 this postseason. Now, well, I am far from confident.

The Game 3 recap: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/pensgalleries/4138042-74/penguins-game-bruins

= Josh Yohe looks at the power play that has is more Prince Adam than He-Man against the Big Bad Bruins: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4146527-74/power-penguins-letang#axzz2VPxRwUBi

= Another Yohe gem, about the visors coming to the NHL: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4138058-74/adams-penguins-wear

= Tuukka Rask is a lot better than at least one idiot (Yours Truly) thought: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4138098-74/rask-game-penguins#axzz2VPxRwUBi

= Bylsma promised changes, and made some – because, well, it wasn’t him who made these Penguins slower: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4138088-74/game-winger-penguins#axzz2VPxRwUBi

Will close with this, and it is not intended as a shot; but it is also not second guessing, either.

My column from March 16: http://triblive.com/sports/nhl/3655870-74/rob-rossi-iginla#axzz2VPxRwUBi

Think about it.

Cheers,

Rossi

A good Friday morning to the dear readers.

Starting off, a suggestion to follow @ptrphoto and @412jasmine on Twitter.

Joining the #TribHKY team for our expanded Stanley Cup playoffs coverage is Trib photographer/videographer Jasmine Goldband – and she will be doing some really cool interactive stuff starting at the Penguins rally at noon Friday.

Don’t want to give too much away, but you’ll want to keep checking Twitter for what Jas has coming. This is all about the fans, getting more of yinz involved n’at.

= Finally – finally! – the Stanley Cup playoffs are coming back to Pittsburgh. Indeed, Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final is set for Saturday night at Consol Energy Center. Penguins and Bruins and the Prince of Wales Trophy, oh my!

The 4-1-2 is going to party like it’s 1991 this weekend with the Penguins and Bruins meeting in the playoffs for the first time since their back-to-back conference final series in 1991 and 1992, and the Pirates – THE PIRATES – bringing baseball’s second best record to a showdown with those Red Coats from Cincinnati at PNC Park.

Fun stuff for all.

Here, though, we are all about pucks – and before the series prediction, a look at some tidbits, which have been hard to come by during this week-long break between Rounds 2 and 3.

• The Penguins had five days, and three full practices, during a shortened training camp. Since Round 2 ended, this will be a seventh day without a game and a fifth full practice.
• Twenty-three playoff games have gone to OT this postseason, and all but one have ended within the first 20 minutes of extra play.

The Super Bowl Week-like run up to the East final has been brutal for players, fans and media, but it basically ends Friday.

The Bruins will arrive in Pittsburgh in the afternoon after a practice in Boston.

The Penguins are holding another practice at Consol Energy Center.

Any news will be posted here, of course.

= Kevin Gorman, who has something special coming for Saturday, turned a column about the Western PA ties for hot-start Bruins defenseman Torey Krug: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4111282-74/krug-carey-hockey#axzz2UsWBwZ8x

= A couple of good reads by Josh Yohe.

The first on local stud Brandon Saad’s weird Game 7 experience in Round 2: http://triblive.com/sports/nhl/4105598-74/saad-blackhawks-chicago#axzz2UsWBwZ8x

The second is on this final four of recent Cup champions, and what is on the line for all involved clubs: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4105584-74/cup-team-penguins#axzz2UsWBwZ8x

= Matt Cooke leads the Penguins notes from Thursday: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4105593-74/cooke-penguins-boston#axzz2UsWBwZ8x

= News columnist Eric Heyl with a sudsy look at the East final: http://triblive.com/news/editorspicks/4109251-74/adams-howlers-beer#axzz2UsWBwZ8x

And, now, about that prediction:

Penguins in six, though I really want to go five. Really, really.

The reasons the Penguins advance:

1)      Simply, this is a terrible matchup for the Bruins, who need the puck for their straight-line, zone-pressure game to work best. The Penguins – partly because of their system, mostly because of their personnel – force opponents to chase the puck. They’ll do that enough to deny the Bruins momentum, and that will contribute to Boston’s struggle to generate offensive chances.

2)      Patrice Bergeron is a wonderful two-way center, perhaps the best in the NHL. The Bruins are assuredly thinking of matching him against Sidney Crosby. This makes sense upon initial thought because limiting Crosby – there is no way to stop him – is the best bet for any opponent to usher the Penguins from a seven-game series. However, the Bruins need goals in this series, and they will need Bergeron to either score some or set some up. He cannot do that if he is chasing Crosby all over the ice. Think of Henrik Zetterberg in the 2009 Cup Final. He was not an offensive factor as that series progressed, and it was because his assignment included matching up with Crosby, who had more of an impact than his point total suggested. The same thing should happen in this East Final.

3)      The only goalie on this planet with a chance to consistently stand up to the pressure this Penguins squad will create is still playing hockey. However, he is not playing hockey for Boston. Tuukka Rask is a fine netminder. He is not better than Craig Anderson, and the Penguins wrecked him in Round 2. Great clubs break goalies. The Penguins have done that twice already. It is officially a trend.

But, hey, what do I know?

Cheers,

Rossi

Game 1: Saturday, at Consol Energy Center, 8 p.m. (NBC)

Game 2: Monday, at Consol Energy Center, 8 p.m. (NBC Sports Network)

Game 3: June 5, at TD Garden, 8 p.m. (NBC Sports Network)

Game 4: June 7, at TD Garden, 8 p.m. (NBC Sports Network)

*Game 5: June 9, at Consol Energy Center, 8 p.m. (NBC Sports Network)

*Game 6: June 11, at TD Garden, TBD (NBC Sports Network)

*Game 7: June 12, at Consol Energy Center, TBD (NBC Sports Network)

*If necessary

Keep the weekend open.

That is the best advice anybody associated with #TribHKY can provide about when the Penguins-Bruins Eastern Conference final will begin.

There were reporters, very late on Monday, that the series will open Saturday night with a prime-time broadcast on NBC. That may prove true, but as of very late Monday neither the Penguins nor NHL were sure of anything.

In fact, the NHL still is not sure.

There are several factors that are reasons for the long break between Rounds 1 and 2:

1. The Western Conference semifinals will now not wrap until Wednesday night because Blackhawks-Red Wings are going to a Game 7. Had that series wrapped Monday, Game 1 of Penguins-Bruins was likely to be Friday night.
2. Arena availability is a problem in most cities because these buildings were booked for June once the NHL lockout stretched into December and threatened to sack the season. Buildings could not risk staying dark, so in places such as Boston and Los Angeles, where the TD Garden and Staples Center respectively are busy places with multiple sporting tenants, there was bound to be difficulty with scheduling if the Bruins and Kings played in June.
3. TV rules the day, and both NBC and, in Canada, the CBC/TSN, prefers prime-time starts to the series – preferably on a weekend. Remember the 2009 Cup Final, which featured Games 1 and 2 on back-to-back nights over Memorial Day weekend. TV doesn’t care about competitive balance, only potential ratings.
4. Finally, the NHL wants flow to these series. The ideal is not two-day breaks multiple times in a series, as was the case for Round 2 of Penguins-Senators. So, there is a push to start the series only when the series can keep rolling on something close to an every-other-day schedule.

A longer break should not favor either the Penguins or Bruins, because those clubs wrapped their Round 2 series within about a half-day of one another. All this rest could allow Boston’s banged up defense to heal, but that might benefit the Penguins, actually.

The Bruins’ regular backend components are less ideally matched against Penguins forwards than the substitutes Boston played against the New York Rangers. Those substitutes could, well, keep up. The regulars will struggle.

Some factoids to make sense of on this Tuesday:

=  Kris Letang has scored 34.1 percent of his playoff points, 16 of 47, this postseason.

=  In May 2006, Ray Shero broke off talks with the Bruins before accepting the general manager position with the Penguins. The Bruins hired current GM Peter Chiarelli a day after Shero joined the Penguins.

And now for the Tuesday coverage:

• The TribHKY Insider looks at the Penguins’ breakout and that Bruins’ forecheck: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4091392-74/penguins-orpik-rob#axzz2UapvoXiQ
• Jerry DiPaola with a look at Brandon Sutter’s postseason debut, so far: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4083049-74/game-sutter-games#axzz2UapvoXiQ
• Dan Bylsma says Marc-Andre Fleury has practiced sharply since being replaced: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4083081-74/practice-bylsma-series#axzz2UapvoXiQ

The club is off today, and so am I. Enjoy the rain, everybody.

Cheers,

Rossi

The Eastern Conference final marks my 16^th playoff series since joining the Penguins beat for the 2006-07 season. Three opponents have accounted for nine of those series: Ottawa (four), Philadelphia (three) and Detroit (two).

I’ve covered postseason games in the frenzied atmosphere at Montreal and the unique energy at New York’s Madison Square Garden – and, truthfully, the noise inside Nassau Coliseum for Round 1 this postseason was a match for either.

Somehow, even though the return of the Boston Bruins to national prominence nearly coincided with the second coming of the Penguins, the Hockey Gods have steered me away from the Olde Towne during past playoff runs.

So, thanks to the Hockey Gods, for this East final. There is something about Penguins-Bruins – from shared color schemes and blue-collar bindings of the cities to the contrasting identities of the squads – that just makes this impending best-of-seven series seems like it will be special.

These ARE the two best built clubs in the Eastern Conference, and its last two to win the Cup. This should be epic: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4083066-74/penguins-iginla-bruins#axzz2UP541OoR

The #TribHKY coverage kicked off Sunday with these reports:

• Sidney Crosby knows what deep playoff runs are like, which is why he’s glad The New Guys are on his side: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4084787-74/penguins-shero-crosby#axzz2UP541OoR
• Ray Shero assesses his club after two playoff rounds: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4083040-74/shero-series-cup#axzz2UP541OoR
• Our Kevin Gorman with an outstanding look at what Dan Bylsma has had to internalize during a difficult stretch for his family and friends: http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/4075636-74/bylsma-penguins-ryan#axzz2UP541OoR

= A lot of you are asking via social-media sites when the East final will start. The NHL will not announce a schedule until the West Final is set, at least partially. At least, that is what I’m told by the NHL.

The Penguins do hold the home-ice, meaning the series will open with Games 1 and 2 at Consol Energy Center before shift to Boston’s TD Garden for Games 3 and 4. However, TD Garden is booked for June 2-3 – next Sunday and Monday – for New Kids on the Block. (Really, KNOTB might force another two-day break or a back-to-back situation.) Also, the Garden has some other band – “the greatest in the world” – scheduled for June 12-14, if the East Final goes that far.

NBC will want the Penguins-Boston for this coming Saturday afternoon, count on that.

= Appearance No. 3 for me tonight on the “The Final Word,” the Trib’s joint-effort with WPXI to redefine how Sunday-night sports TV is done. All the details are here in columnist Dejan Kovacevic’s blog: http://blog.triblive.com/dejan-kovacevic/

That is all for today. Enjoy the holiday, all.

Rossi

OTTAWA — Don’t look now, but…

Barring something strange happening, the Penguins – IF they close out the Senators in Round 2 – will have an Eastern Conference showdown with the Bruins in the conference final. (Really, hasn’t it seemed like the Penguins and Bruins were on a collision course since winger Jarome Iginla chose one over the other in March?)

The Bruins won at the Rangers on Tuesday night to take a 3-0 lead in their best-of-seven semifinal, putting them on the brink of a conference final berth. This is probably the spot to mention that many of the players on this Bruins squad were there in 2010, when Boston blew a 3-0 series lead to the Flyers.

So, epic comebacks are possible. Still, only three teams have rallied from 3-0 series deficits.

Per information provided by NHL.com, clubs have trailed 3-1 in a best-of-seven series a total of 229 times and have come back to win the series on 20 occasions or 8.7 percent of the time.

So, history would very much be on the Penguins’ side if they were to win Game 4 at Scotiabank Place on Wednesday night.

Some #TribHKY stuff to chew on:

• Sidney Crosby has gone 22 consecutive playoff games without a third-period goal. His last one came in Game 5 of a Round 1 series against Ottawa in 2010.
• The Penguins, held to a goal in Game 3, have not gone two playoff games without scoring at least three goals since Games 6 and 7 of Round 1 in 2011.

And, now, the links to get you ready for Game 4 between the Penguins and Senators:

= Evgeni Malkin said “forwards need confidence,” and he believes James Neal is playing with some despite a goal drought: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4053772-74/games-goal-neal#axzz2U1WCfbE4

= Josh Yohe has the story of Jussi Jokinen’s impending return for the Penguins: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4053726-74/jokinen-penguins-game#axzz2U1WCfbE4

= Columnist Dejan Kovacevic places the improving Penguins under a microscope: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4053726-74/jokinen-penguins-game#axzz2U1WCfbE4

= The Senators’ win in Game 3 was a vote of confidence for the spunky club: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4053779-74/game-senators-ottawa#axzz2U1WCfbE4

= Brenden Morrow’s status leads the Penguins notes from Tuesday: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4053736-74/penguins-morrow-practice#axzz2U1WCfbE4

= The shadowing of Crosby leads the Senators notes from Tuesday: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4053727-74/senators-defenseman-rome#axzz2U1WCfbE4

Off to the AM skate.

Cheers,

Rossi