Penguins jump out to early lead against Carolina

Though you should never expect a second chance in life, it’s a beautiful thing when one comes… Though you should never expect a second chance in life, it’s a beautiful thing when one comes along. That second chance for the Pittsburgh Penguins is now just three wins away.

The Penguins, who lost last year in the Stanley Cup Finals to the Detroit Red Wings, lead the Carolina Hurricanes 1-0 in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Finals.

With the winner earning a trip to the championship round, the Penguins couldn’t be happier with how the series stands. Pittsburgh handled the Hurricanes in Game 1 Monday night, winning 3-2 and taking control of the matchup.

Penguins players owe goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury dinner after he stymied Carolina early and often in the series opener. His performance — filled with magnificent glove saves — ended with a superb blocker rejection off a bad dump-in bounce and preserved the win.

Fleury’s Carolina counterpart, Cam Ward, carries his team the same way Fleury led Pittsburgh in Game 1. Ward started all but two games after the All-Star break, which ended Jan. 27. His return to 2006 Conn Smythe Trophy-winning form mirrors Carolina’s climb from the playoff bubble to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Even with Ward, though, exhaustion stands in the Hurricanes’ way. Carolina took the full seven games in the first two rounds to defeat New Jersey and Boston, and the fatigue showed in Game 1 against Pittsburgh. Ward saved a Carolina defense that was out-hustled on more than one occasion.

Nonetheless, teams perform on adrenaline in the playoffs, and the Hurricanes have momentum. Their surprising semifinals upset of top-seeded Boston one-upped an opening round defeat of New Jersey that was as impressive as Erik Cole’s playoff beard.

The win against the Bruins sealed a family reunion in the conference finals, with Carolina’s Eric Staal facing his brother Jordan Staal of the Penguins.

The meeting of the Staals marks the first time that brothers have faced each other this late in the playoffs since Phil and Tony Esposito 35 years ago. And with Eric, the Hurricanes’ top playoff scorer, and Jordan, the Penguins’ shutdown center, the two should run into each other on the ice a few times.

Pittsburgh and Carolina share more than members of the Staal family. The Penguins helped dig themselves out from 10th in the East the same way as the Hurricanes revived their season: They both fired their coaches.

Carolina fired Peter Laviolette in December after the Hurricanes lost four of five games, dropping their record to 12-11-2. Carolina then rehired Paul Maurice, who was fired in 2003 after leading the Hurricanes to the finals the previous year. In February, Pittsburgh canned Michel Therrien and hired Dan Bylsma, under whom the Penguins are 27-8-4.

Give the front office credit for the revival, too. Each franchise made all the correct moves to take it deep into the playoffs.

In November, Penguins general manager Ray Shero traded for Phillippe Boucher, who scored the game-winning goal in Game 1. Preseason addition Miroslav Satan also scored in Game 1, and trade deadline arrival Bill Guerin has tallied two game-winning goals this postseason.

Carolina, meanwhile, wouldn’t have gotten this far without Jussi Jokinen. The Hurricanes acquired him in February from Tampa Bay. After scoring seven goals during the regular season, he has six tallies in the playoffs, all in the third period or overtime.

As Jokinen propelled Carolina past New Jersey and Boston, Penguin Sidney Crosby’s play propelled him closer to history. Crosby, with 12 goals so far, might top Kevin Stevens’ 17-goal postseason of 1991 — the best output in Pittsburgh playoff history.

Crosby and Pittsburgh received a boost in Game 7 of the second round against Washington with the return of defenseman Sergei Gonchar from a knee injury. Though he isn’t fully healthy, his veteran presence against Carolina helps the Penguins’ defense as well as the power play.

Beating Carolina would give the Penguins their second consecutive Stanley Cup Finals appearance. And with Detroit taking on the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference Finals, the Penguins might not only get a second chance at the Stanley Cup, but a second chance to beat the Red Wings.