Sports

One of the most notable statistical differences in this series is team scoring by defensemen, as Pittsburgh's rearguards have now outscored Montreal's 6-1 in the series, after goals by Gonchar and Kris Letang. While superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have largely been held in check by the Canadiens, the Penguins have had success with shots coming from the point through traffic in front of the opposition net, which is one of the biggest reasons why that stat is so lopsided, with the other being the loss of top defense pairing Andrei Markov and Jaroslav Spacek for Montreal. The 36-year old Gonchar was the only player to register multiple points in the game, and with 10 points in 11 postseason contests in 2010, has done an excellent job proving how valuable he can be, which will only increase his worth when he becomes a free agent after this season. The Pittsburgh defense wasn't just solid offensively, they also did a tremendous job on the back end.