Extra Days off for TV Getting Good Reception

Extra days off for TV getting good reception
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May 16, 2013 12:56 am

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By Shelly Anderson and Dave Molinari / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
There will be two sets of two-day breaks in the second-round playoff series between the Penguins and Ottawa Senators -- one now between Games 1 and 2, another between Games 3 and 4.

Those are designed to accommodate television, not to benefit the teams, but a sampling of Penguins players showed most don't have feelings about the extra time off and those who do like it.

"I don't really care," defenseman Brooks Orpik said. "At first, they told us we had two days off between [Games] 1 and 2, then back-to-back [days] for 2 and 3. That didn't make too much sense to us.

"From a playing standpoint, as long as we're not playing back-to-back, I don't think anyone minds. I don't mind having two days off, that's for sure."

Right winger Tyler Kennedy agreed.

"I think rest is always a good thing right now," he said. "At the end of the year, the more rest you get, the more you can prepare for the game and the better it is for the team."

The Penguins won the opener Tuesday, 4-1. Game 2 won't be played until Friday night.

"You do want to keep playing, keep the excitement going. But, at the same time, guys are dealing with little injuries," Penguins winger James Neal said. "You can rest up and get ready. It's going to be a long series. We know that, so added rest is always good."

Coach Dan Bylsma backed Kennedy and Neal's assessment, but he downplayed the idea that the longer breaks would be momentum-killers.

"You get an extra day's rest, and it means something for injuries and getting some rest," Bylsma said. "But games don't carry over as much as you'd like them to, momentum game to game. That certainly will be the case between [Games] 1 and 2, and 3 and 4."

Both teams held optional practices Wednesday. Bylsma called it a "purposeful" day.

"[In addition to] rest and recover, we treated it as a practice, but a practice off the ice with our [team] meeting," Bylsma said.
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