Crosby Injured in Penguins 4-1 Loss to Phoenix

As if the Penguins weren't going through enough offensive woes.

Penguins center Sidney Crosby left what turned into a 4-1 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes last night early in the 3rd period with an undisclosed injury and did not return. After the game, he said he was unsure what caused the injury and declined to indentify it, but the speculation is that it may be a rib injury.

On the bright side, Crosby did describe whatever he's going through as something "day-to-day".

Let's hope so because the last thing the Penguins need right now is to lose him.

The Penguins simply can't score goals right now.

They started off last night's game as poorly, or worse, than they were in San Jose, putting only 2 shots on Coyotes goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov.

They played much better in the second period, however, ringing up 18. Malkin had 9 of those and finished the game with a career high 10. Miroslav Satan scored for the Penguins on the power play in that frame, beautifully smacking a puck out of mid air off the back boards and behind Bryzgalov.

But there were 2 turning points in succession in the 3rd period in what was then a 2-1 Phoenix lead. Then, the Penguins' fate was sealed.

The Coyotes took 2 penalties, setting the Penguins up for a 5-3. The Penguins had great chances, but failed to score. 75 seconds into the penalty, Satan took a hooking minor and then got slapped for a 10 minute misconduct.

He shouldn't have been arguing. The call on him was the right one. But I can't blame him for being frustrated.

With him gone and Crosby already out of the game, the Penguins failed to capitalize the remainder of the game, while Phoenix added a goal with 5 minutes left and later an empty netter to seal it.

Here are what I see the Penguins ills right now:

1) They aren't skating and working hard enough for 60 minutes. Mainly, this is on the offensive end.

2) Their support players aren't scoring. Talbot, Kennedy (who took Dupuis' spot with Crosby for last night until #87 was injured), Staal and Sykora aren't getting on the board. In particular, Sykora only has 1 goal this season (although he missed the first 3 games), while Staal -- who I've been critical of several times here the first month -- continues to go scoreless after missing a golden scoring opporunity in front of the net on that 5-3 last night.

3) Their transition game isn't as good without injured defenseman Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney.

There's one other thing, too, although this is less of a major problem and more just a little thing. I think they are running their power play around Malkin too much at the point. They also need to move him around some -- to the side boards, for example. The penalty killing units on opposing teams are overloading towards him to keep him from getting off his wicked shot.

There's no question that, unless the Penguins improve in at least some of these areas, they're going to struggle to score goals. It's a good thing they're playing well defensively and getting good goaltending or who knows where they'd be.

If they don't improve their play in St. Louis Saturday night, they're going to limp home next week winless on their road trip. I hope that doesn't happen.

I'm tired of staying up late to see losses.

In Search of Offense in Phoenix

It's hard to imagine the Penguins as a team in the lower rung of the goal-scoring teams in the NHL.

Sure enough, going into tonight's game in Phoenix against the Coyotes (10:00 PM EST), they sit 23rd overall with 2.40 goals per game.

That's not good enough for anyone, especially coach Michel Therrein, who has reconfigured his lines for tonight's matchup.

Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin will be on separate lines tonight. Malkin will be paired with his usual linemate, Petr Sykora, and they'll skate with Matt Cooke.

Meanwhile, Crosby practiced yesterday with Ruslan Fedotenko and Pascual Dupuis. At least before Dupuis left practice with an injury.

There has been no word on Dupuis' status.

Meanwhile, Staal will still anchor the 3rd line, with Miroslav Satan and Tyler Kennedy on his flanks.

Hal Gill practiced with the team yesterday and he's closer to returning to the lineup, although there's no official word as to whether he'll be inserted tonight.

Even if he is, it won't be to jump-start the Penguins offense.

They need to generate scoring chances and penalties against a Coyote team who ranks 21st in the league in goals against, and 22nd in killing off man-advantage situations. Only one team in the NHL -- the New York Islanders -- has less points than the Coyotes.

The Penguins can definitely use tonight to try and kick-start their game. I'm anxious to see how they do.

Notes:

- I have neglected to mention the last few days that the Penguins recently signed defenseman Alex Grant to a 3-year entry level contract. Grant, currently the team captain for the Saint John Sea Dogs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, was drafted 118th in the Penguins bumper crop draft of 2007. Grant is a good prospect who has raised his stock since Pittsburgh picked him. He has 12 points in 10 games this year and 105 points in 190 overall games in the "Q".

- The Penguins have been rated the 18th most valuable franchise in the NHL, with an estimated worth of 195 million (Now, I only need 194.9 million more dollars to try and buy the team). They had the largest percentage in increase in value: 26%. The Toronto Maple Leafs are the most valuable team -- at 448 million.

Sharks Beat Punchless Penguins, 2-1

And I thought goaltending might be the Penguins problem last night.

As it turned out, in the Penguins lifeless 2-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks at the Shark Tank, Dany Sabourin was the least of the Penguins worries. Sabourin looked pretty good in stopping 32 of 34 San Jose shots.

Too bad the Penguins couldn't put up even 1/3rd of that number.

The Penguins launched 11 whole shots at Sharks netminder Evgeni Nabokov, and only put one behind him -- by Ruslan Fedotenko in the 3rd period. Sure, Sidney Crosby hit a crossbar and Evgeni Malkin missed the net on a glorious chance after a Sharks giveaway in the first period. But the Penguins simply aren't going to win many games generating that little offense.

In some ways, the game last night reminded me of the first 2 games of the Stanley Cup Final last year against Detroit. The Sharks are a good team. They skate very well and are skilled enough to play a puck-possession game. They're also good defensively, though. They deserve some credit for stifiling the Penguins. They made it hard for the flightless birds to generate offense. It wasn't until the late stages of the game when the Penguins turned up the intensity. When they did, they showed they can cause problems for the opposition. When they don't, their talent means nothing.

The Penguins' failure to bring their lunch pails last night also cost them power play chances. They only had 2 for the entire game -- one of which was partially negated by a penalty of their own. When it's a struggle to generate 5-on-5 offense, you can't make those mistakes. You have to work hard to earn penalties and when you do, you have to capitalize. Let the power play and your goaltending win you a game like that.

Hal Gill missed his 3rd straight game last night. Surprisingly, center Max Talbot also missed the contest. His injury was not disclosed. Coach Michel Therrein moved Tyler Kennedy to center and inserted Paul Bissonette into the lineup.

The Penguins will practice in San Jose today before departing for Phoenix, who they play Thursday.

For as much as I love late night games, I hate late night losses.

Let's hope we don't see another one then.

Penguins v. Sharks Preview

The Penguins continue their 4-game road trip tonight on the west coast against the San Jose Sharks at 10:30 PM EST.

There's no secret this will be another good test for the Penguins. The Sharks lead their division at 7-2, accumulating 14 points this year so far, and the Boys of Winter will have to contend with San Jose's usual collection of talent -- Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and company. This year, they've added defenseman Dan Boyle to the mix and he's gotten off to a good start with the club. The Sharks are also getting good production from some other defenseman, though -- Christian Ehrhoff and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. They have 8 and 7 points respectively. Throw in Boyle's 9 and that's 25 points this year already from only 3 members of the backline.

By comparison, the Penguins top 3 scorers from the blueline -- Kris Letang, Alex Goligoski and (gulp) Rob Scuderi have combined for 9 points this season.

It doesn't look like Hal Gill will be back in the lineup tonight. He's still dealing with a hand injury.

Dany Sabourin has been slated to start in goal for the Penguins, which I don't think is a good move by Therrein.

Sabourin had a real nice game in his last outing -- a 2-1 (SO) win over the Boston Bruins. But after coughing up a 2-0 lead and losing 3-2 (SO) to the New York Rangers Saturday night, the Penguins need to get back on the winning side of the ledger tonight and the Sharks are a tough test. I'd want Fleury in there for this one.

I'm not saying the Penguins won't win, but this is exactly the type of situation where Sabourin has stumbled in the past. He gives you one great game, but comes out in the next contest and looks average -- or worse.

If Therrein wants to play Sabourin on this road trip, fine --- play him Thursday in Phoenix or Saturday in St. Louis. Not tonight against the toughest opponent on the trip.

Jordan Staal is a guy that really has to start putting the puck in the net. He doesn't have a goal in 9 games this year, and the last 3 of those have come with him centering the 2nd line. He's played pretty well the last few games; it's time he contributed more on the scoresheet.

Personally, I love west coast games. Nothing makes me happier than going to bed after a late night win.

On the other hand, the losses are tougher to take after you've been up that late.

I should be able to post a recap tomorrow.

Penguins Blow 3rd Period Lead (Again) -- Lose Shootout to Rangers, 3-2

Well, what's good (bad) for the Penguins at home is also good (bad) for the Penguins on the road.

In an awful way to start a 4-game roadtrip, the Penguins 3 game winning streak ended today at the hands of the New York Rangers who came back from a 2-0 third period deficit to tie the game with 8 seconds left and then win it in a shootout, 3-2.

The Penguins were in command of the game on the strength of goals by Darryl Sydor and Sidney Crosby until the 3rd period when, much like games at home in the first few weeks of the season against New Jersey and Washington, they blew a lead. To make things worse, they were only 8 seconds away from gaining the 2 points on the division-leading Rangers until Nikoli Zherdev scored by getting a shot over Penguin netminder Marc-Andre Fleury's shoulder with just seconds to play.

In the shootout, Kris Letang, Petr Sykora and Sidney Crosby all came up empty. Of all people, Frederick Sjostrom scored for the Rangers on their 3rd attempt.

With that, the Rangers got 2 points and the Penguins got one.

It's hard to fault Fleury since the Rangers threw 44 shots on him in regulation and he stopped 42 of them. Still, the one Zherdev got past him is one he has to have.

Overall, it's just a tough way to lose.

I will say that it didn't seem the Penguins got much help from the zebras tonight. They had only 2 power plays, while the Rangers had the last 5 of the game. The lack of man advantage time helped the blueshirt cause, although Ranger goaltender Henrik Lundqvist played pretty well.

With the loss, the Penguins slipped back to 5 points behind New York.

More importantly, they lost a chance to keep their momentum going ... and lost, essentially, 3 points to the Rangers that could become critical as the season goes on. Together with the points the Penguins have left on the table in games against New Jersey and Washington, it adds up. And it's still October.

The Penguins face the Sharks next. They need to come up with a good effort against a strong San Jose club to get back on the winning side of the ledger.

Penguins Storm Hurricanes: Win 4-1

Last night's game against the Carolina Hurricanes at Mellon Arena showed why I would fear the Penguins if I coached any other team in the NHL.

Going into the 3rd period, the Penguins were down 1-0. They hadn't generated much offense up to that point, and Hurricanes netminder Michael Leighton quickly slammed the door on anything they did generate.

Then the floodgates opened and, in the blink of an eye, the Penguins drove a nail in Carolina's coffin, scoring 4 third-period goals in route to a 4-1 victory before a 73rd consecutive sellout crowd at the Igloo.

Sidney Crosby started the scoring by tipping in a point shot by Evgeni Malkin. Within 3 minutes and 36 seconds, the Penguins added 2 more goals, one by Ruslan Fedotenko -- his first this season and first as a Penguin -- and another by Maxime Talbot, also his first this season.

The Fedotenko goal came before the fans celebrating Crosby's goal could sit down -- 32 seconds later.

Fedotenko, by the way, played his best game this season. His game has been better the last few contests, but contributing on the scoreboard was something he -- and the team -- needed.

Jordan Staal, who assisted on Fedotenko's goal, also had his best game this season.

Meanwhile, the Talbot goal was really a killer. Mad Max made a great play to push the puck past Carolina defenseman Dennis Seidenberg, skate by him, hold off a sweep check with his skate and make a quick backhand deke before shoveling the puck between Leighton's legs.

Malkin scored in an empty net to polish the Hurricanes off, about 30 seconds after Fleury missed a length-of-the-ice shot by about 10 feet after Carolina had pulled Leighton when the game was 3-1 late in the 3rd.

Boy have Fleury's stickhandling skills come a long way.

Fleury, it should be noted, stopped 24 of 25 Carolina shots to record his 4th win of the season and improve on his .924 save percentage. He looks really solid between the pipes.

The Penguins just overwhelmed Carolina with their firepower in this one. They played competitively early on, but when they turned up the volume in the 3rd period, the Hurricanes just couldn't compete with them. The Penguins got the momentum, captured the lead, and used their 1-2-2 system to build that lead --- a formula used to such great success last season.

Daryl Sydor played last night for Hal Gill, who sat out with an unspecified upper body injury. Gill may return for the next game, along with winger Matt Cooke, who is poised to return to the lineup after missing a few games with a rib injury.

Sydor played fairly well, by the way. I've always been impressed with his low panic threshhold out there. That's what you're going to get from a veteran like him. He's a nice insurance policy for our defense corps, albeit a difficult one to afford.

With the win, the Penguins (5-2-1) moved to within 2 points of the Atlantic Division leading New York Rangers (6-2-1), who they happen to play Saturday night in Madison Square Garden. That evening, for the first time in league history, 30 NHL teams will be in action.

The Penguins sit 4th overall in the NHL standings. Only the New York Rangers, San Jose Sharks (who the Penguins will face off against next Tuesday in San Jose) and Buffalo Sabres have more points than our flightless birds. They're on a good streak. Let's hope they can keep the ball rolling.

Go Pens.

Is Jordan Staal a Piece of the Penguins Future?

Seems like a fair question, right?

Should Jordan Staal be a Pittsburgh Penguin long-term, like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are?

Perhaps the better question is ... will he be?

Although this writer believes he probably should be, I feel more and more with each passing day that he very well may not be.

Let's face it. Jordan Staal is a good young player with decent skills. He's only 20 years old and has many years in front of him to develop his talents. Every team in the NHL would love to have him.

Like most Penguin faithful, I'm a big Jordan Staal fan.

BUT .....

I think circumstances may be lining up against him staying with the Penguins.

For Jordan to have a role on this team, he either has to play center on the 3rd line or play wing in a top-6 role because, for as good as he can be, he's not going to leapfrog Crosby and Malkin on the depth chart even if he takes three steps forward as a player this season.

More on that in a minute.

Staal has gone on record as saying that he feels he is a top-6 forward who can and should play on the top 2 lines. But does his track record back that up?

Sure, it's early in his career, but looking at some numbers doesn't necessarily bear out a guy fully worthy of a spot on lines 1 and 2.

In his first year, he scored 29 goals playing a fair part of the season on Malkin's left wing. Last year, back in his "natural" position as a Center, he had only 12 goals and 28 assists in all 82 games. He also was -5 on a team that scored a fair number more goals than it let up, and that's not something to brag about for a guy who is supposed to be one of the better "2-way" hockey players on the team.

And let's not forget something else --- Crosby missed about 30 games last year. That gave Staal a chance to center a 2nd line. Although it's true that Staal didn't have a guy like Hossa patrolling his wing, he didn't take full advantage of the opportunity to put more pucks in the net or otherwise generate more offense on his own.

That's something that top-2 centers are supposed to do.

This year, with the departure of winger Ryan Malone to the Tampa Bay Lightning, Staal again started the season with Malkin. After playing the better part of the first 5 games with #71, Staal was moved back down to center the 3rd line. In those games, he had 1 assist and was -3, while Malkin shot towards the top of the league lead in scoring.

And those paltry numbers were earned all while getting some more time on the 1st power play unit.

So much for those three steps forward .... so far, anyway.

Despite the fact that Staal will certainly continue to develop as a player, it is not unreasonable to question how high his offensive ceiling really is.

All of this might not be as much of an issue if it weren't for 2 things:

1) This is the last year of Staal's entry level contract, after which time he'll be a restricted free agent subject to an offer sheet from another team; and
2) Despite the good play from new acquisition Miroslav Satan this season, the Penguins still need a high scoring winger.

Those 2 factors have Staal the subject of more and more trade rumors throughout the league. Panthers players David Booth, Jay Bouwmeester and, yes, Minnesota Wild star winger Marion Gaborik -- due to be an unrestricted free agent after this season -- have all been linked to the Penguins.

Gaborik is the most interesting case. I'll probably talk about him more in subsequent weeks, but he's certainly the type of star sniper the Penguins (and every other team in the league -- the Wild included) could use.

Certainly, the salary cap comes into play here. The Penguins are fairly close to the cap ceiling (although they are saving some money because of the longer-term injuries defensemen Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney are dealing with). Now, the cap could again increase, which would allow the Penguins to spend more. But that would probably be offset by the raise Malkin will get when his 8.7 million dollar extension kicks in next year.

Back to the rumors. Certainly it's true that talk is cheap in the NHL rumor mill, but there probably is some truth to them in this case. And the Penguins would be foolish to not explore their trade possibilities with Staal, and explore them now. As I mentioned, he's still highly regarded around the league. He's a guy that could easily fetch the Penguins a high-scoring winger. If he continues to have another subpar offensive season, however, is stock could drop some.

In the end, that could make it easier for the Penguins to keep him around. If Staal isn't worthy of a 5 million dollar contract, he's certainly more affordable.

The question at that point is -- would Staal believe he's worth more? That may be a moot point. Although Staal will contend that he is capable of being a top-6 forward and needs regular duty at center on the top 2 lines to thrive, we'll never really know if he can be a leading man in those circumstances.

As long as Crosby and Malkin are wearing a Penguin uniform, Staal will continue to be a support player.

For that reason, it's fair to question whether he will -- or should -- be a part of the Penguins future.

Dany Gets The Job Done: Malkin, Pens Beat Bruins in Shootout, 2-1

Regular readers of my work in this forum know that I have my doubts about Penguins' backup netminder Dany Sabourin.

I have been critical of his consistency and his penchant for letting up soft goals.

Last night, in his first start of the season on the road against the Boston Bruins, Sabourin not only was consistently excellent in stopping 35 of 36 Boston shots, the only goal he let up in regulation and overtime was a top corner shot from Bruins' sniper Phil Kessel.

It's not a stetch to say that the Penguins' 2 points earned last night were attributable solely to Sabourin, Evgeni Malkin's winner in round 5 of the shootout notwithstanding.

With the win, the Penguins were able to keep things rolling a little bit. They've won 3 of their last 4 and come back home to play the Carolina Hurricanes Thursday night before embarking on a 4-game road trip, including some games out west.

The New York Rangers also lost in regulation to the Dallas Stars last night. The Penguins currently sit 3 points behind them in the standings, with a game in hand.

A few other notes:

Malkin -- historically poor in shootouts (3 for 19, I believe) made a great move to beat Thomas for the winner, faking a shot and getting Bruins' goaltender Tim Thomas to drop, before a quick shot to the far side. Even though I don't expect Therein to call upon him in the top 3 in future shootouts, hopefully that goal will give him some confidence when he is needed in subsequent rounds.

Miroslav Satan scored the other Penguin goal, giving him 4 in the Penguins' first 7 games. That works out to about 47 goals over the course of the year.

As I said yesterday, the Satan critics should be quiet.

F-Hossa.

Letang, Sykora, Crosby and Satan took the other shootout attempts for the Penguins. Only Sykora scored. He buried a quick backhander behind Thomas.

The only Bruins' player to beat Sabourin in the shootout was --- sound familiar? --- Kessel.

I still can't believe Bruins coach Claude Julien actually benched him in 3 straight games early in their 7-game playoff series loss to the Canadiens last year. Had he played Kessel, the Bruins could have won that series.

Anyway, more later this week before the Staal brothers go head-to-head. Jordan actually is a player I've been planning on talking about a little.

Until then ....

Crosby goes 100:200:300 -- Pens Beat Leafs, 4-1

Penguins center Sidney Crosby certainly knows how to collect milestones.

Last night, he scored his 100th NHL goal, 200th NHL assist and 300th NHL point in pacing a 4-1 Penguins victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Center Evgeni Malkin added 4 assists for the Penguins. Malkin now is tied for the NHL scoring lead with 10 points.

Crosby and Malkin did what they were supposed to do in this one. Paired together on a line, they led the team offensively.

Marc-Andre Fleury was again solid for the Penguins in the pipes. Petr Sykora and Miroslav Satan scored the other Penguin goals. I believe both were power play markers.

Like I said, lay off Satan.

The biggest thing for the Penguins last night was playing 60 minutes. They had a 2-1 lead going into the third period and, aside from taking a few too many penalties, looked pretty solid out there. Then, rather than blow the lead like they have been in recent games, they turned up the volume in the final frame, adding 2 goals and locking the Leafs down.

Really, that could only be expected against a Toronto team that has only scored 9 goals this season and is among the worst in the league. But to the Penguins credit, they buried a team they should have buried. Good teams do that.

The Penguins visit Boston Monday night in their next contest. We'll see if they can keep it going in their first North American road game this season.

Line Changes Set The Stage for Penguins/Maple Leafs

After scoring only one 5-on-5 goal in the last five games, Penguins coach Michel Therrein has reconfigured all 4 of his forward lines for tonight's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Mellon Arena.

I'd set forth all the new lines but if I did that every time Therrein made a change, I'd never be able to talk about anything else. So, that said, I'll just focus on the important changes.

The first, and by far most important, move Therrein made is to move Malkin up to Crosby's right wing. Aside from trying to generate more even-strength offense, Therrein also is sending a message to the rest of the team that they need to start generating more on the scoreboard.

As he said, "they're not paying the price to score goals".

The other noteworthy changes involved Jordan Staal moving back to center the 2nd line with Petr Sykora and Ruslan Fedotenko, and to slide right wing Miroslav Satan all the way down to the 3rd line with Mad Max Talbot.

Speaking of Satan, I think he's taking some unjustified criticism right now. The season is 5 games old. I took a good dozen for Crosby and Marion Hossa to start clicking last year. After 5 games thus far, Satan has 2 goals. He's on a 32 goal pace. I bet the Penguins would take that from him.

I know I would.

Give Satan a chance. He'll come around. Be critical if we're sitting at the 20 game mark and he's only got 5.

Post-game report tomorrow ...

Capital Targets: Penguins Stand By While 3-0 Lead Evaporates, Ovechkin Targets Malkin All Night

"Unacceptable"

Those were Penguin coach Michel Therrein's words following last night's meltdown at the Mellon Arena, where the Penguins blew a 3-0 lead and lost to the Washington Capitals, 4-3.

Although the words were certainly applicable to the Penguins play in the final period, when they were outworked, outhustled, outshot 21-6, and gave up 3 unanswered goals, they also were applicable to the way the Penguins team reacted to the way center Evgeni Malkin was being treated by Capitals star and defending league MVP/scoring champion Alexander Ovechkin.

All game long, Ovechkin went out of his way to take runs at Malkin. Some were legitimate hits. Some, however, were late, borderline and the type of hits that cause long term injury -- particularly one where A.O. took a dangerous shot on Malkin in front of the Capitals bench. Clearly, Ovechkin was headhunting Malkin out there. In fact, he was focused on Malkin so much, he didn't have a piont the entire game.

What did the Penguins do in response?

Nothing.

Their reaction reminded me of a game 2 years ago on Long Island when current Toronto Maple Leafs and then Islander Jason Blake speared Sidney Crosby near the end of the game. The Penguins did nothing in response, and there wasn't nearly enough outcry about it.

It's the same thing here. They did nothing, and I think the Penguins let it go in this case for 2 reasons, both of which are meritless:

1) Because they were, eventually at least, in a close game; and
2) Because Ovechkin was the one doing the hitting.

I don't care whether it's Donald Brashear or Alexander Ovechkin running around, that conduct must be addressed, close game or otherwise. You don't allow your superstar player to get run and potentially be subject to severe injury like that. Besides, if you allow that kind of conduct to go on, you set a precdent for other teams in the league. Whether it's Eric Godard or Sidney Crosby, someone should have gotten in Ovechkin's face and made it clear to him -- physically -- that they won't permit that to go on. And I'm not talking about someone maiming Ovechkin or doing anything like that. I'm just saying that he should have been sent a message.

It's untolerable.

Period.

To Malkin's credit, Ovechkin's antics didn't seem to rattle him a great deal. He had 3 points and a career high 9 shots. But you still can't let that go on.

Did I mention that the guy who was making these cheap shots is supposed to be an ambassador for the game?

Things started last season between A.O. and Geno, and it was plain they had a healthy distaste for each other. Last night, Ovechkin took things to a whole new level.

It has to be dealt with. Starting the next time the teams play: January 14, 2009 at the Mellon Arena.

Mark it down.

It probably will be forgotten about by then, but it shouldn't be. The first time Ovechkin is on the ice, business should be taken care of.

As far as the game goes, the Penguins lost because they didn't show up in the 3rd period. Some might wonder about Fleury's performance, but he was mostly blameless on every Captials goal. The first Washington goal (in the second period), was the result of a lucky bounce. The 2nd one was the result of a clean faceoff loss by Malkin and a laser shot by Semin over the right shoulder of Fleury into the top corner.

On their 3rd goal, the Capitals made a nice play to create -- and capitalize on -- a short odd-man break situation that defenseman Kris Letang handled poorly. He didn't have a good game at all. Then, the 4th goal -- which was not ruled a goal until video review after a play stoppage confirmed it was in -- was another top corner shot by Boyd Gordon.

Boyd Gordon?

Please.

If referree Rob Shick had called the high-sticking penalty he should have called on that rush -- Gill was clipped in the face (something not easy to do for a guy that tall, which makes it even more obvious) -- the Capitals would not have gotten that goal.

Still, after their goals from Goligoski, Satan and Malkin, the Penguins just didn't come to play in the 3rd period. They coasted beacuse they thought they had the game in the bag -- a mistake against a Capitals team that, Ovechkin notwithstanding, deserves a lot of credit for coming back they way they did.

The Penguins have a lot of work to do. Aside from the fact that they blew a lead at home in the 3rd period for the 2nd time in the last 3 games, they haven't scored a 5-on-5 goal in FOUR GAMES.

That's right.

4 games.

All of their goals since then have been special teams or 4-4 goals. I believe Malkin, Sykora and a few other star players last night were -4 for heaven's sake.

The only bright spot for the Penguins in the game was the TKO by Paul Bissonette over Capitals winger Matt Bradley in the 2nd period. After Bissonette dominated the first few seconds of the fight by landing an initial flurry of punches, the players fell to the ice. Right after the linesman allowed them to get up, Bissonette just one-punched Bradley and he went down. Bissonette immediately let him go and went straight to the box with a clear win. Bradley, bloodied, went straight somewhere, too. To the locker room.

I've seen a lot of fights in my 26 years of following hockey and I'd say less than 1% end in one-punch knockdowns. Just outstanding stuff by Bissonette. See for yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqTITLna11I

Hopefully the Penguins can regroup on Saturday against the Maple Leafs. They better or they're going to get left behind in the division early this year. They need to rally around each other. Like coach Murray Chadwick said in one of my favorite all time movies, Youngblood:

"You're in this together ... a team ... a family. You want to win? Start acting like one."

Dupuis Sends Flyers Crashing in OT: Penguins Win 3-2

Jean Beliveau he isn't, that's for sure.

But Pascal Dupuis showed a similar flair for the dramatic, scoring on a laser slap shot from the left wing circle into the top corner over Flyers goaltender Antero Niittymaki with 11 seconds left in overtime to give the Penguins a 3-2 win and send the Flyers out of Mellon Arena still winless this year.

With the win, the Penguins raised their record to 2-1-1 on the season and helped bring some optimism to a team that hasn't been feeling all that good about itself since Saturday's lifeless loss to the New Jersey Devils.

In all frankness, Dupuis owed the rest of the boys on the bench. His center last night, Sidney Crosby -- you might have heard of him? -- set him up for 3 glorious scoring chances on one shift earlier in the game. Each time he hit Niittymaki in the Flyers logo.

Where's Marion Gaborik when you need him?

(F-Hossa).

I promise a post talking more about Gaborik sometime soon.

Anyway, the Penguins played a much better contest last night. They probably had the better play for more of the game. The second period in particular was one of their best. That's when they got their 2 goals.

Not from Crosby.

Not from Evgeni Malkin.

Not even from Petr Sykora, who was making his first appearance in a game this season.

Nope.

Instead, Mike Zigomanis scored his first goal in a Penguin uniform. And if that couldn't be topped, Brooks Orpik also scored. It was Orpik's 5th career goal.

With him and Scuderi scoring already this year, who needs Gonchar and Whitney?

Okay. I'm kidding.

That said, Orpik's goal came on a nice power-play slap shot that went far side passed a screened Niittymaki, while Zigomanis wasted no time whipping a snap shot to the far post passed the Flyers goaltender after nicely slipping into scoring position in front of the net and one-timing a good pass from winger Matt Cooke.

Zigomanis sure looked like he knew what he was doing there.

The Penguins had a brief lapse late in the second period when the Flyers scored both of their goals to tie the game -- one resulting from a bad bounce that Jeff Carter made the Penguins pay for, and another on a tip from a point shot. Hard to fault Fleury on either one. He again played strong and made 28 saves.

Other notes from the game:

The power play went 1-6. It continues to be a work in progress, but the Penguins had better scoring chances on the man-advantage in this one. They continue to use Goligoski as the only defenseman on the first unit and, in truth, he still looks good out there. He did a good job distributing the puck last night and kept it in the zone several times when the Flyers tried to clear. He also has shown a patience under pressure that all good point-men must have.

Eric Goddard and the Flyers Riley Cote had a spirited bout in the first period last night. Goddard got the decision 65/35. See for yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbjdd_wHsXw



The Penguins need to try and build some momentum from this game. They won without meaningful contributions from Crosby or Malkin, and that's a good sign. But they have to get those 2 guys and some other members of the offense going. There's no better time with Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals coming to town for the next game Thursday night. A.O. usually brings out the best in Crosby and Malkin, so we'll see.

I'll be at the game, so should have even more insight than usual when I post my game recap.

Let's Go Pens.

Game Day: Pens' v. Flyers

Just a short post today.

Despite it being early in the sesason, the Penguins have a big game tonight on home-ice against Philadelphia. The flightless birds are already 7 points behind the division-leading New York Rangers, who have started the season 5-0. The Flyers are coming into the Igloo tonight after having fallen to the Montreal Canadiens last night. It's a good chance to catch a team on the back end of back-to-back games, although New Jersey was in the same situation on Saturday and still dominated most of the game. Pittsburgh definitely needs to rebound in a good way.

The Flyers will be missing defenseman Randy Jones and Ryan Parent tonight due to injury, so that won't help their cause. They also are missing Derian Hatcher, too, but if you ask me, that's an advantage for them. Unlike in last year's Eastern Conference Final, the Penguins will have to deal with Kimmo Timonen, and they'll also have to contend with right winger Simon Gagne, who has returned after missing most of last year with concussion-like symptoms. Maybe Brooks Orpik can dish out some FREE CANDY and send him back to IR,

The Penguins need to focus on getting their offense going tonight. To do that, they'll have to do it the old fashion way. Work down low, get pucks to the net, and make it miserable for whoever tends goal for Philadelphia. I'm not sure if Martin Biron will start because he played last night and hasn't looked all that great to start the season so far.

I'll post a game recap tomorrow.

Penguins Lose to Devils: Weekend Recap

My apologies for failing to post more promptly over the weekend. I was buried in paint and other things.

I did, however, watch the misery that was the Penguins performance on Saturday night in their wretched home-opening 2-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils. The Penguins' play on the ice made me seethe. The Baby Penguins would have put forth more effort in the last 2 periods. As it was, the Penguins were fortunate to get a point thanks to Marc-Andre Fleury's outstanding work between the pipes.

Let's see ... the Penguins were outshot by about .... what? 83-6?

Okay, it was only 49-15.

Close enough.

The sad part about it is that Pittsburgh almost stole TWO points out of the game. Fleury had the shutout going until just about 3 minutes left when a Patrick Elias centering pass went off defenseman Hal Gill's skate and behind Fleury. The Penguins didn't do much in overtime other than let the Devils continue to ring up more shots and just about had the opportunity to take their chances in the shootout with Crosby, Letang and company, only to have the Devils win it with about 30 seconds left in the OT when a "Larry-Murphy" dump by a Devils' defenseman allowed Travis Zajac to break down the wing and ring a top-shelf wrister off the post/crossbar for the winner.

With that, reality was (mostly) served, becasue the Penguins didn't deserve to win. They looked like they didn't belong on the ice against New Jersey.

I don't buy what some people are saying ... oh, it was their first game back after their overseas trip. That's garbage. The team was off all week. They were able to practice and re-acclimate themselves. They played at home. Those are all excuses. The Penguins just left their hard hats in Sweden and didn't come to play.

Other notes from the home opener -- and the weekend.

Miroslav Satan scored his first goal as a Penguin -- on a first period power play, no less -- picking up a lose puck next to Devils' goaltender Martin Brodeur after a nice point shot. It was good to see him get on the board. I'd like to see him involved off the rush more with Crosby, though.

Speaking of the Penguins' power play, it went 1-4. That's an improvement over the opening 2 games against the Senators, but the Penguins had several opportunities to go up 2-0 on the power play in the first 20-25 minutes of the game, but failed to capitalize. As it turns out, that would have made the difference.

Penguins coach Michel Therrein dressed veteran defenseman Daryl Sydor and played him on the wing. This concept is not foreign to Penguin fans with Brooks Orpik and Ryan Whitney both seeing a few games there last year. However, this was the first time he put Sydor up there.

I actually didn't mind the move. I figured from the beginning he was doing it so he could have Sydor on the power play, and that's mainly why he did what he did. It couldn't help to have his experience out there on the man advantage, even if Therrein wouldn't use him a whole lot on the backline at even strength. I'm not sure how long the Coach will stick with that arrangement, if at all, but I wouldn't expect it to go on for long. Eventually, I think the Penguins have to sink or swim with Letang and GoGo on the man-advantage. I believe things will be fine in the end. It's just taking a little time to get going.

New acquisition Mike Zigomanis got his first action as a Penguin, centering the 4th line. I learned very quickly in the aftermath of the trade why we probably brought him into the mix -- his near 60% rate on faceoffs last season. I knew he was a defensive player with size, but didn't know he was that good on the draw. Nice move by GM Ray Shero. The Penguins definitely needed a player like him.

One last thing -- the Penguins new marketing plan for the season. Great work here:


http://penguins.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?catid=-6&id=22298


Now only if we can recapture some of that play. Soon. Like starting Tuesday when the arch-nemises Flyers come to town.

Penguins Acquire Mike Zigomanis from Phoenix

In an out-of-the-blue trade today, the Penguins acquired forward Mike Zigomanis from the Phoenix Coyotes for future considerations.

The 6' 1" Zigomanis split time between the Coyotes and the AHL last season, putting up 3 whole points during 33 games in Phoenix. He has 33 points in 167 career NHL contests.

I'm not sure what the Penguins have planned for Zigomanis, although I can't help but speculate that they envision him in a 4th line role with the big club since they sent Jeff Taffe to Wilkes Barre 2 days ago. Taffe did clear waivers, so he'll continue to occupy a fill-in role for the big club as needed this season. Zigomanis has size, but in his upper 20's, not a lot of offensive upside.

I'm anxious to hear from Ray Shero or Cliff Fletcher about what they're hoping to get out of this signing.

Penguins Make Roster Moves

A few days ago, I promised I'd talk more about the rumors of the Penguins trying to trade for Marion Gaborik. I'll get to that in a few days, but first, there are a few roster moves the Penguins made today.


First, they waived Jeff Taffe. Okay. No big deal. Hopefully, he'll clear and then will report to Wilkes-Barre. Even though Taffe isn't an impact player, he's a depth player, and we all know that every team needs those guys at some point during the year. That's especially more true in our organization now because most of the guys who were said to be the closest to making the big club in recent seasons -- Stone, Filewich, James, Beech, etc. have fallen out of favor with upper management. Of that list, only James has any kind of remaining favor with the team. Of course, the Penguins have added some new blood recently -- Dustin Jeffrey, Kevin Vellieux, Luca Caputi -- and, in fact, all may really be considered higher end prospects than guys like Filewich and James -- but I think that group is generally green still and not ready for meaningful NHL action as a fill-in due to injury. Taffe was good in that role.



Speaking of Beech, he cleared waivers last week without being claimed. Now, the Penguins have placed him on unconditional waivers, which means that, if he's not claimed this time, the team has the right to terminate his contract altogether in 2 weeks. Apparently, Beech is trying to land himself a gig overseas.

Split in Stockholm: Pens Lose Game 2, 3-1

This won't be a long post, because yesterday's 3-1 Penguins loss in game 2 of their 2-game Stockholm set against the Ottawa Senators can be summed up by pointing primarily to one area that cost the Penguins the game:

The power play.

With 7 more chances yesterday, the Penguins -- for all intents and purposes -- came up empty again. Defenseman Alex Goligoski broke the shutout bid of the Senators and goalie Alex Auld by scoring a power play goal on a laser from the slot with 1 second left in the game, but when it mattered most earlier in the game, the Penguins couldn't convert with the man-advantage for the 2nd game in a row.

They definitely aren't getting enough shots on goal, and that has to change.

On the Senators side, they got a much better performance in the net from Auld when compared to the guy who tried to impersonate an NHL goaltender the night before. He was there for Ottawa when they needed him to be. Behind his play and the 2 power play goals they got from Dany Heatley, they were in control most of the game.

See what a power play that produces can do for you?

The Penguins have some time to work on the PP in practice before their next game, and they'll need it. I'm sure it's something they'll be chewing on during the long flight home from Sweden today before they next suit up on Saturday for the home opener against the New Jersey Devils.

It also would be nice to get Satan going a little bit. He has been quiet. Even Crosby was a little quiet during the first few games. I'm sure he and Satan are feeling each other out still, but hopefully, that won't take too long. Coach Michel Therrein spent a lot of time mixing and matching the lines yesterday in an effort to jump-start the offense, so that didn't help the cause. But we'll see what combinations he goes back to in practice this week.

All in all, the Penguins return from Sweden with the record I expected: 1-1. It isn't easy to sweep teams in a back to back set these days (although the Rangers did it to the Lightning in Prague this past weekend in their opening set there, winning both games 2-1). Let's hope the Penguins can make some headway during their next 4 games, which will be at home.

More later this week. I keep hearing more linking the Penguins to a possible trade for Minnesota star winger Marion Gaborik .......

A Familiar Foe ... A Familiar Result: Pens' Win OT Opener in Stockholm, 4-3

The Penguins 4-3 season-opening victory over the Ottawa Senators in overtime in Stockholm, Sweden yesterday was all about the old and the new.

The Penguins continued their recent dominance over the Senators, dating back to their 4-game sweep of the club in last year's playoffs. That was the "old".

The "new" came from new contributors stepping up yesterday -- namely defenseman Rob Scuderi and winger Tyler Kennedy.

Scuderi scored his first goal in over 90 games early in the 3rd period on a fabulous cross-ice pass from Sidney Crosby, tying the score at 3-3 and building on the Penguins' momentum after killing a 5-3 for over 90 seconds.

Meanwhile, Kennedy -- who hadn't scored in 29 games to end last season, including every playoff game -- potted two goals. He opened up the scoring less than a minute into the game, then ended it in grand fashion 25 or so seconds before the end of the overtime.

MR. KENNEDY certainly knew how to finish what he started.

In all fairness, his goals were well deserved. Filling in on right wing on Evgeni Malkin's line for an injured Petr Sykora (who sat out with a groin problem), Kennedy looked great all over the ice. He skated with speed, won loose pucks with his tenacity, and brought rubber to the net.

Speaking of the old and the new, yesterday's game could be an example of what the Penguins' special teams will see a lot of this year.

Do you want the good news or the bad news first?

The bad news is that the Penguins' went 0-7 on the power play in their first regular season action without defensemen Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney. I'm not overly concerned -- yet -- mainly because I didn't sense difficulty in getting the puck up the ice or into the zone, or in being respected at the point. Those are the things you think the Penguins may miss the most without those guys. Like Crosby said after the game, the boys do need to get more pucks to the net, though.

The good news is that Evegni Malkin scored a shorthanded goal -- on a breakaway no less. With both Malkin and Crosby seeing more time on the penalty killing units this year, you may see more of those. We'll need them, too, because Malkin can get a little adventurous when playing the point on the power play. He got caught carelessly pinching yesterday, and that allowed the Senators to steam up the ice on an odd-man rush that led to a goal against in the second period.

I'll say this ... I'm glad Senators goaltender Martin Gerber doesn't tend goal for the Penguins. Without taking anything away from the Penguins, he was awful yesterday. 3 of the Penguins 4 goals were questionable, in my estimation. All rolled up on him or went off of him into the goal. If you're a goaltender and you get a piece of the puck, you want to stop it altogether. Only the Malkin breakaway goal was one you couldn't fault him on.

Meanwhile, Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 32 of 35 shots for the Penguins, and he was blameless on at least 2 of the Senators' 3 goals, with Dany Heatly and Jason Spezza, respectively, beating him with excellent, clean shots. He wasn't spectacular, but he didn't need to be. He got the job done.

Other tidbits ... Paul Bissonette got the extra forward spot in the lineup, while Bill Thomas was scratched. Eric Godard took a noteworthy -- and worthless -- hooking penalty against Senators forward Chris Neil in the 2nd period after the two were going at it and Neil refused to drop the gloves against him. Unfortunately, the Penguins' paid the price for that goal, as Heatley scored on the power play. Godard just can't take those penalties.

The Penguins' go for the sweep today.

Pesonen Sent to Wilkes-Barre

So much for the hype.

Today, Janne Pesonen was sent to the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, representing Pittsburgh's final cut. He will stay with the team while in Sweden and report to the Baby Penguins upon the team's return to native soil.

I was pretty excited about the Pesonen signing when it was first announed. I thought there was a chance he could stick and make an impact. He may make an impact, but it's not likely to be with the big club.

In truth, if Michel Therein and Ray Shero don't feel Pesonen is going to play on the top 2 lines, he's probably better off in Wilkes-Barre where he can play top minutes. Still, people are kidding themselves if they think Pens' brass brought Pesonen over to add depth to their team. They were hoping to find an unsigned gem they could bring in at a reasonable salary. Kudos to them for trying. It just didn't work out this time.

Let's face it. If Pesonen isn't ready for top line duty in the NHL now, I find it hard to believe he will be able to work that into his game in the AHL all of a sudden.

Sending Pesonen down means that both Paul Bissonette and Fox Chapel kid Bill Thomas are going to stick with the team personnally. Since it looks as if Petr Sykora is going to sit out the season opener because of this lingering groin problem he's dealing with, expect one or both to be in the lineup. Thomas may even get a shot playing on the second line with Geno and Jordan.

Either way, I'm excited to see the two of them in uniform ... and disappointed that the Pesonen experiment doesn't seem like it's going to work out.

Penguins 2008/2009 Season Preview and Predictions

Well boys and girls, it's time to breakdown how I view the local hockey club this season in my 2008/2009 preview. I'm going to take a detailed look at the roster, grading the team's personnel and special teams. I'll also offer a few predicitions on the regular season, including but not limited to where I think the Penguins will finish.



So without further adieu ...



OFFENSE

The Penguins sustained meaningful free agent losses in the off-season, losing Marion Hossa and Ryan Malone, among others. They remain, however, one of the strongest offensive teams in the NHL. They have the best 1-2 punch down the middle in the game in Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin and proven scorers on the wing in Petr Sykora and Miroslav Satan. Does anybody thing Satan is going to finish with 16 goals again this year? I don't think so.

The team also added Ruslan Fedotenko to the mix this season, and he could find himself on the scoresheet upwards of 25 times. And with the Penguins' plan to play Jordan Staal regularly at LW on Malkin's line again, a significant increase in his production is in order. All in all, the Penguins have two strong scoring lines among a top 6 that many teams in the league would love to have.

Don't forget ... the Penguins have a decent collection of 10-goal scorers on the 3rd line in guys like Max Talbot, Pascal Dupuis and Matt Cooke. That's meaningful depth at the NHL level.

The flightless birds also usually are able to trot out some offensive punch from the blueline as well; however, with Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney on the shelf to start the season, the Penguins certainly can't consider themselves as proficient in this area as they usually are. Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski have great potential to pick up a fair amount of the slack because both skate well and are excellent puck movers, but only time will tell whether they can get that done on the ice.

OVERALL GRADE: A-



DEFENSE

Because of their offensive firepower, the Penguins get overlooked as a solid team defensively. Last season, they finished 10th overall in the league in goals against, and were 3rd in the East only behind defensive stalwarts New Jersey and New York. Don't expect that to change this season. Penguins coach Michel Therrein has a good defensive system in place and holds his players accountable in their own end. This includes their superstars up front, Crosby and Malkin.

On the backline, the Penguins have a reliable group filled largely with veterans. Orpik has developed into a steady defender who knows when the right time is to start dishing out "FREE CANDY". Mark Eaton also is a dependable defenseman and excellent shot blocker. Daryl Sydor -- someone many thought the Penguins would have dealt by now -- is an experienced guy who can play both ends of the ice. Hal Gill, although slow afoot, brings a physical edge and adds a great penalty killing dimension because of his size. Rob Scuderi doesn't get noticed a lot, which is exactly what you want from him.

Even Letang showed himself to be fairly capable defensively last season, and that's really not his game. For a smaller defenseman, I've always been impressed with how physical he plays along with wall. He has great leverage and uses it wisely.

Goligoski is a little green in his own zone -- which is to be expected to some degree -- but he'll have to quickly acclimate to Therein's system and be reliable in his own zone. Until he does, the veterans can help cover for him and allow him to bring the offense that the Penguins need from the backline with Gonchar and Whitney out.

Together, this is a solid group, although the grade would obviously be higher if Gonchar and Whitney were in the lineup.

OVERALL GRADE: B



GOALTENDING

After his work in the playoffs last season, and 2 relatively strong regular seasons in a row, few are questioning Marc-Andre Fleury as one of the better netminders in the NHL anymore. To think how young Fleury still is -- he has many great seasons in front of him. Under the watchful eyes of goaltending coach Gilles Meloche, Fleury has honed his game the last few years. He's more in control and relies less on his athleticism except when absolutely necessary. He's also fast becoming a guy that looks ahead and quickly forgets the last goal. And who can forget about his improved puck-handling skills? Fleury is almost near a complete package in the net for the Penguins.

For as strong as Fleury is, the Penguins are another injury away from having to make Dany Sabourin their main netminder. That's a concern for me. Sabourin can be effective in spot starts and small stretches, but he hasn't demonstrated the consistency necessary to take his good size and put that to successful use over a long period. He was given the chance to do that last year when Fleury got hurt and couldn't hold the fort, which is why Ty Conklin got his chance to shine in the first place. Unlike Sabourin, Conklin took advantage of it. There's a legitimate question mark as to whether Sabourin could get the same job done if Fleury gets hurt again.

OVERALL GRADE: A-



POWER PLAY

The Penguins power play has been in the top of the league the last 2 seasons, and has most of the personnel to do it again this year. Crosby, Malkin, Sykora, Satan, and Staal will all see time. In fact 4 of those guys will probably comprise the top unit, with Malkin sliding to the point in Gonchar's absence. Letang will probably man the opposite point. He certainly won't be the quarterback that Sarge is, but he's got a good shot, and he's right handed. That will give the power play a different look. Expect Malkin to be more of the "quarterback" out there in #55's absence.

The second power play unit is likely to feature Sydor and Goligoski at the points, with Sykora and Fedotenko joining Tyler Kennedy up front. Not an intimidating unit, for sure, but when the top power play unit is probably going to play for 75/90 seconds, the 2nd unit matters less.

OVERALL GRADE: A-


PENALTY KILLING

The Penguins penalty kill was really strong after the trade deadline and into the playoffs last year, in part because Gonchar and Orpik really came into their own, and in part because Hal Gill joined the team. Of course, Gonchar is missing from this underrated unit, but Gill returns, and will be joined on the PK by Rob Scuderi and, likely, Mark Eaton. Eaton will help the cause, as he's a reliable shot blocker and intelligent defender.

I still believe the Penguins miss some snarl in front of their net. Orpik brings some of that, but he's always been a more physical player on the boards and in the corners than in front of the goal. Gill also will help in this area, which is critical because your best penalty killer is often your ....

Goaltender. Fleury's work in the Penguins' penalty killing successes down the stretch shouldn't be overlooked. He was great during that period and will need to continue to be mentally sharp around the net. He also needs to make sure he continues to do a good job reducing or eliminating rebounds for the opposing team.

OVERALL GRADE: B


COACHING

Michel Therrein was rewarded in the off-season with a 2 year contract extension on top of the year left on his contract this year. He's led the team to the playoffs the last 2 seasons, and the Cup Final last year. During those years, he's a combined near 35 games over .500.

The Penguins have adopted his system well, largely due to the success they've seen it can bring them. And even though there have been rumblings about him not being a players coach, the guy who was said to have the greatest beef with him -- defenseman Brooks Orpik -- signed a multi-year contract to stay with the team in the offseason. That speaks volumes on that issue, in my opinion.

Therein has 2 capable assistants in Mike Yeo, who controls the offense and directs the power play, and Andre Savard, who assists the defense and penalty killing. Savard has been talked about in a few places as a possible head coaching candidate, but so far, he remains with the team. The continuity having the same staff for nearly 3 years in a row brings to the team should not be underestimated.

OVERALL GRADE: B+


PREDICTION

I believe the Penguins will finish with 46 wins, 25 losses and 11 OTL this season, for a total of 103 points. I expect them to win the Atlantic Division again, and again finish 2nd in the Eastern Conference behind the team I hate more than any other -- the Montreal Canadiens.

A few other Penguin predictions for the season:

Sidney Crosby will lead the league in scoring again, finishing with 124 points in 78 games.

Miroslav Satan will score 34 goals playing with Crosby most of the season.

Jordan Staal will score 29 goals (again) saddling up next to Malkin for most of the season.


Marc-Andre Fleury will win 39 games.


Overall, it should be another successful season for the Penguins. Let the season get underway in earnest today in Stockholm.

LET'S GO PENS!!!!

Letters and More

Well, it's official. Brooks Orpik and Evgeni Malkin will start the season as alternate captains for the Penguins, coach Michel Therrein announed today. I believe Malkin will be a part of the rotating assistant captaincy in Sergei Gonchar's absence. Therrein plans to rotate the "A" around every month until Sarge returns. I believe Orpik will wear the other "A" all season.

I like both choices. Malkin has shown he has increased his ability to speak English, and that he is ready for a greater leadership role. Orpik would be a good captain, let alone an assistant captain. He's not a *rah-rah* guy, but then again, neither is Sid. Orpik let's his play do the talking on the ice and his locker-room respect do the talking off it. He reminds me a little of Jason Smith when he was in his prime for the Oilers. Now, Smith is a bit-player for the Ottawa Senators we'll probably abuse beginning this weekend, just like we did in the playoffs last year when he patrolled the blueline for the Flyers.

In other news, the Penguins beat Jokerit of the Finnish Elite League today in their final exhibition game, 4-1. Malkin, Fedotenko, Kennedy and Dupuis (empty net) got the Penguins goals, while only Dany Sabourin allowed a goal to the Fins, and that on a penalty shot in the 3rd period. Otherwise, he and Fleury slammed the door.

Max Talbot (leg) and Petr Sykora (groin) missed the game, although both are expected to be ready to go on Saturday.

The Penguins finished the preseason 4-0-1, which isn't bad considering they haven't had a lot of time to work on things. We'll see if they can continue that trend going into the regular season.

In other news, Center Kris Beech has apparently refused to report to the Baby Penguins. I'm not sure what the Penguins are going to do with him, but he's obviously unhappy with not making the big club. Personally, I think Beech shoudl be hard pressed to gripe. By all accounts, he didn't stand out in training camp and besides, we all know he's really nothing more than a fringe NHL player anyway. He's never shown himself to be any better than that.

I'd actually like to keep Beech in the organization because he provides us some depth, but if we move him, I can't say I'm going to lose sleep over it.

Ryan Stone also wants to be moved, apparently. The PG's Seth Rorabaugh reports in his Empty Netters blog that Stone didn't clear waivers, or was waived again, or that the team is trying to trade him. Maybe it's a combination of all 3. Regardless, Stone's time with the organization has probably run its course. Like Beech, he's a depth player, so although it would be nice to keep him, it won't slow the organization down much if he's not around.

Until Saturday, when I'll try to preview the Penguins upcoming season .....

Penguins in Stockholm

Sheesh. I've been away too long. That's what happens when you go to Las Vegas. Recovery takes awile. My apologies ...

Needless to say, there have been many happenings in the Penguins' world over the last week or so. Last week, our Boys of Winter knocked off the sad-sack Toronto Maple Leafs in 2 exhibition games by respective 3-2 and 5-4 scores. Winger Ruslan Fedotenko made a big impact on Friday's game with 3 helpers. Crosby scored in that game, as did Janne Pesonen. It was nice to see him on the board. Even Mark Eaton scored. Hey -- like I said, the Penguins were playing the Maple Leafs. Sabourin got the win on Wednesday; Fleury did on Friday.

Probably the most encouraging thing about those games -- and all of the preseason so far -- has been the play of Kris and Go-Go. Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski both have gotten a lot of ice time in the exhibition games, and both have contributed on the scoresheet. The Penguins are going to need each of those two to play significant roles this season, given the unfortunate news that was just made official on Monday.

Defenseman Sergei Gonchar -- the Penguins lynchpin on the backline -- decided to undergo surgery to correct his dislocated shoulder. He's going to have some ligament repair while under the knife, too. Indications are that he'll be gone for the bulk of the regular season, or around 4-6 months. If things go well, he could return in March. Hopefully he won't have any setbacks and will be able to shake the rust off in 2-4 weeks before the playoffs begin. We'll need him more than ever in the postseason.

One thing the Penguins have going for them -- aside from their depth on defense -- is that they won't rely on key injuries as an excuse. They didn't last year, and proved they could win without key players for long stretches. That should give them a lot of confidence as they enter the season with both of their top guns from the point (including Ryan Whitney) on the shelf.

There was one other notable happening last week. The Penguins signed winger Tyler Kennedy to a 2-year contract extension. "KENNEDY" was entering the final year of his contract, and now is signed to play into the time when the new Igloo will open. Kennedy is a useful player with speed, tenacity and some skill who has the potential to improve on his 10-goal total from last season. He'll have to work at it, though, because it looks like he'll be starting the season on the 4th line. And in a different position: center.

On Saturday, the team got on a transcontinental flight for Stockholm, Sweden, where they'll open up the season this coming weekend with a 2-game set against Jarkko Ruutu and the Ottawa Senators. Coach Michel Therein welcomed them to the ground by having them hit the ice for practice. Since then the team has tried to adopt a regular schedule, mixed in with several team building activities, including a stop at a museum. They even have a scavenger hunt set for today.

So much for West Point.

As we get closer to Saturday's opener (2:30 PM EST), the Penguins are trying out Fedotenko on Sidney Crosby's left side. He played the last half of last Friday's exhibition game against the Leafs there and Therrein obviously liked what he saw. I think they're going to take the twosome for another spin in the team's final exhibition tuneup Thursday against Finnish Elite Club Jokerit in Finland.

Fedotenko has the ability to play with Crosby. He's not the best skater, but neither was Ryan Malone, and we know Malone took his turn with Crosby at times during his tenure with the Penguins. More importantly, Fedotenko has the size and game to go up and down the wing, bang in the corners a little bit, set up in front of the net, and clear some space for Sid and Miro to do their thing. I'm anxious to see how Crosby and the Islanders play out.

There's one other thing to mention. I can't neglect to talk about who made the roster out of camp. Aside from the expected players, the Penguins took to Sweden wingers Bill Thomas and Paul Bissonette. Thomas played well in camp and most agree -- this writer included -- that the Pittsburgh product has the potential to play a useful role for the Penguins this season.

Bissonette is the most interesting case, however. This is a guy who the Penguins drafted 3 years ago as a defenseman. He played so poorly that, after camp last year, he wasn't sent down to Wilkes-Barre, but was instead dispatched all the way to the Wheeling Nailers in the East Coast League. To his credit, he worked hard and made his way back to the baby penguins later in the year, and all after changing his position to wing, too. His solid play obviously continued in camp -- so much that the Penguins decided to keep him.

I believe that one of the big reasons the Penguins kept Bissonette is because he provides an element which the team lost some of when the likes of Gary Roberts, Ryan Malone and Ruutu left to join other clubs: toughness. Bissonette can be hard to play against and he isn't afraid to mix it up out there. He's a big, physical guy who will bang well along with wall. I think that's what attracted the Penguins to him the most. He had an opportunity to fill a need and, to his credit, he took advantage of it. I'm eager to see him out there.

Okay. That's enough for now. I'll try to post again before the season opener Saturday. We'll see where the lines stand at that point.

3 more days until my world resumes.