After scoring 13 goals in their last two games of the second round, the high-octane Pittsburgh Penguins have mustered a total of one in the first two contests of the Eastern Conference final. The top-seeded Penguins will need to flip the switch on Wednesday at TD Garden or be pushed to the brink of elimination by the fourth-seeded Boston Bruins. Boston painted quite the picture in the Steel City, outscoring its foe by a 9-1 margin to claim a 2-0 advantage in the series.
"Right now, we're not liking the picture, down 0-2. They're in control," Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma said. "I don't think we're frustrated by the fact that we haven't scored as much as they're getting leads, especially in Game 2." Brad Marchand needed all of 28 seconds to give Boston the advantage in Monday's 6-1 triumph. Marchand tallied again to cap the Bruins' four-goal first period and never looked back.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCSN, CBC, RDS
ABOUT THE PENGUINS: Pittsburgh's offense wasn't the only thing missing in Game 2, as its goaltending followed suit. Tomas Vokoun, who had won six of his previous eight games since replacing Stanley Cup-winning netminder Marc-Andre Fleury, yielded three quick goals to earn a seat on the bench. Given an opportunity for the first time since May 7, Fleury fell flat on his face as well - allowing a goal on the first shot he saw. Bylsma didn't divulge the identity of which man will be in net for Game 3.
ABOUT THE BRUINS: David Krejci would be well within his rights to pat himself on the back. After all, he is the league's postseason points leader and has three goals in two games in this series. Krejci, however, knows it's too early to start celebrating. "We know we played some good hockey in the regular season, but it wasn't even close to the way we're playing right now," Krejci said. "But we've still got a long way ahead of us, so we've got to keep it going."
OVERTIME
1. Captain Sidney Crosby and reigning Hart Trophy winner Evgeni Malkin have yet to record a point and are both minus-3 in this series for the Penguins.
2. Boston G Tuukka Rask has stopped 55-of-56 shots versus Pittsburgh.
3. The Penguins have overcome 0-2 deficits to win a series on five occasions since 1991.