I remember the 2006/2007 season, when the Pittsburgh Penguins matched up against arch division rival Philadelphia 8 times, and beat the Flyers like a drum all 8 matchups.
Our Boys of Winter are beginning to learn what it's like to have the shoe on the other foot.
In their 4th matchup of the year against division foe New Jersey -- and the first for the Penguins on the road at the Prudential Center -- the Devils beat the Penguins again, and did it by way of shutout for the 2nd game in a row, this time 2-0.
New Jersey got an early goal from Stefan Berkfors less than 2 minutes into the game when he beat Pittsburgh backup goaltender Brent Johnson with a seeing-eye shot from the near boards that went through 3 Penguin players in the path of the puck and somehow got behind #1.
That was Berkfors' 4th goal this year against Pittsburgh.
In contrast, the Penguins have scored only TWO goals as a team against the Devils and netminder Martin Brodeur in 4 games now.
While New Jersey getting an early goal would seem to be the kiss of death, the game didn't necessarily play out that way last night. In fact, last night's contest was the Penguins best effort, by far, against New Jersey this year.
For example, Pittsburgh tossed 32 shots on net last night.
The problem was that Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur played.
Again.
And, in his 17th straight start, was at the top of his game.
Again.
Anyone who questions whether or not he's worthy of being Team Canada's #1 netminder -- ahead of local product Marc-Andre Fleury, who some feel is deserving of being the starter given his success the last few years -- should check themselves at the door.
Brodeur made Bergfors' goal stand up until late in the third period when Jamie Langenbrunner scored an empty netter to finish the Penguins' off.
What was unfortunate about the empty net goal -- aside from it allowing the Devils to move up 4 points on the Penguins in the Atlantic -- was that it came shorthanded, with the Penguins on their first power play of the game.
That's right ... FIRST.
And ONLY.
It was a glorious opportunity for Pittsburgh, but their league-basement man-advantage again failed them.
Personally, I didn't like the fact that it seemed like all they wanted to do was blast away from the point on that 6-on-4.
I think there's too much risk in that situation of a play going the other way for an empty netter, and that's exactly what happened.
Plus, Brodeur was playing too good to think your chances of getting one by him were high -- even with 2 Penguins screening him in front.
I would have rather seen the Penguins work low and crash the net.
As it is, the Penguins now have given 8 points to New Jersey in the standings this year. Take those 8 points away from them and add 8 points to Pittsburgh's total, and the Pens' would be up on them by TWELVE in the standings.
Ugh.
Anyway, the Pens' returned home after the game, where they are scheduled to practice today and tomorrow before departing for the Sunshine state to play games against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday (3:00 PM EST) and the Florida Panthers on Sunday (5:00 PM EST).
More over the weekend.
Have a safe, happy, and healthy New Year, everyone.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Sidney Crosby Commercial To Air During Friday's Winter Classic
For those who don't know -- and, prior to this morning, I was one of those -- Penguins' center and Captain Sidney Crosby will appear in a spot for Reebok sometime during the NBC broadcast of this Friday's Winter Classic between the Philadelphia Flyers and Boston Bruins in Fenway Park, home of Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox.
And it's a great spot, really --- touching upon Crosby growing up, his family, the relationship between he and good friend/teammate Max Talbot, and the infamous dryer Crosby used to shoot pucks at in his basement while a kid.
Here's a link to it:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid24928316001?bctid=59647089001
When it comes down to it, the spot is for Reebok clothing, with whom Crosby has a large endorsement deal, but I hesitate to call it a commercial because: 1) It's such a long feature (almost 3 minutes); and 2) It's hardly about the product.
I'm not sure whether the entire thing will be shown, or whether a shorter version will play in more typically 30 or 60 second commercial form.
We'll see. Either way, just a great production.
And it's a great spot, really --- touching upon Crosby growing up, his family, the relationship between he and good friend/teammate Max Talbot, and the infamous dryer Crosby used to shoot pucks at in his basement while a kid.
Here's a link to it:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid24928316001?bctid=59647089001
When it comes down to it, the spot is for Reebok clothing, with whom Crosby has a large endorsement deal, but I hesitate to call it a commercial because: 1) It's such a long feature (almost 3 minutes); and 2) It's hardly about the product.
I'm not sure whether the entire thing will be shown, or whether a shorter version will play in more typically 30 or 60 second commercial form.
We'll see. Either way, just a great production.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Pens' Crosby, Fleury -- But Not Staal -- Named To 2010 Team Canada Olympic Roster
To nobody's surprise, Pittsburgh Penguins' Captain Sidney Crosby was named today to the 2010 Team Canada Olympic Team roster.
Crosby will also serve as one of Team Canada's alternate captains, with defenseman Scott Niedermayer wearing the "C".
Also to almost nobody's surprise, Pens' netminder Marc-Andre Fleury was named to the team.
While Fleury's idol Martin Brodeur is likely to be the #1 man in Vancouver, time will tell who gets to serve in the #2 role -- hometown Canuck Roberto Luongo or Fleury.
Meanwhile, the Penguins' player who was on the bubble for making the squad -- center Jordan Staal -- was not named to the team.
Instead, among the other bubble players I named in this space yesterday, Philadelphia Flyers' center Mike Richards, Boston Bruins' center Patrice Bergeron and Dallas Stars' LW Brendan Morrow all made the team.
While I didn't think these three guys would make it, I suppose I can understand how Morrow -- and, even to a lesser extent, Richards -- made the team. Both are physical, two-way guys who are captains of their respective clubs.
Bergeron is the guy that puzzles me the most.
While Bergeron is a skilled player and while he can play multiple positions, he's unlike Richards and Morrow -- and, more importantly, unlike Staal -- in that he's just a finesse guy.
Staal is much more in the ilk of Richards and Morrow than Bergeron is. We all know Team Canada has skill and finesse in abundance, so I'm not sure why they went for Bergeron exactly, but I suppose it is what it is.
Unless he's later named as an injury replacement (something unlikely, but not completely out of the realm of possibility), it looks like Staal is going to get a few extra weeks off this year.
Truth be known, the Penguins will be the ones who benefits from a healthy, rested Staal down the stretch. With Crosby and Malkin likely playing big minutes and key roles for their respective clubs in the Olympics, Pittsburgh will probably need #11 more than ever at that time.
Penguins/Devils recap tomorrow.
Crosby will also serve as one of Team Canada's alternate captains, with defenseman Scott Niedermayer wearing the "C".
Also to almost nobody's surprise, Pens' netminder Marc-Andre Fleury was named to the team.
While Fleury's idol Martin Brodeur is likely to be the #1 man in Vancouver, time will tell who gets to serve in the #2 role -- hometown Canuck Roberto Luongo or Fleury.
Meanwhile, the Penguins' player who was on the bubble for making the squad -- center Jordan Staal -- was not named to the team.
Instead, among the other bubble players I named in this space yesterday, Philadelphia Flyers' center Mike Richards, Boston Bruins' center Patrice Bergeron and Dallas Stars' LW Brendan Morrow all made the team.
While I didn't think these three guys would make it, I suppose I can understand how Morrow -- and, even to a lesser extent, Richards -- made the team. Both are physical, two-way guys who are captains of their respective clubs.
Bergeron is the guy that puzzles me the most.
While Bergeron is a skilled player and while he can play multiple positions, he's unlike Richards and Morrow -- and, more importantly, unlike Staal -- in that he's just a finesse guy.
Staal is much more in the ilk of Richards and Morrow than Bergeron is. We all know Team Canada has skill and finesse in abundance, so I'm not sure why they went for Bergeron exactly, but I suppose it is what it is.
Unless he's later named as an injury replacement (something unlikely, but not completely out of the realm of possibility), it looks like Staal is going to get a few extra weeks off this year.
Truth be known, the Penguins will be the ones who benefits from a healthy, rested Staal down the stretch. With Crosby and Malkin likely playing big minutes and key roles for their respective clubs in the Olympics, Pittsburgh will probably need #11 more than ever at that time.
Penguins/Devils recap tomorrow.
Double Edged Sabre: Jekyll & Hyde Penguins Suffer Come-From-Ahead Loss To Buffalo, 4-3
It was the tale of two games last night for the Pittsburgh Penguins at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo against the Sabres.
For the first 30 minutes, the Penguins were at the top of their game, looking like the elite squad that they are and controlling play offensively and defensively.
In those 30 minutes, they ran up a 3-0 lead on goals by Jordan Staal, Bill Guerin and Chris Kunitz.
So much for the hype surrounding goaltender Ryan Miller's first game against Pittsburgh this year. Those 3 goals -- on only 11 shots -- chased Miller to the bench and left him in a fit of rage throwing his helmet down the runway after being pulled.
Backup goaltender Patrick Lalime entered the game in Miller's place and that's when the second game started.
While I think everyone agrees that the Sabres got a break to get them going in the second period when they were awared a penalty shot that Drew Stafford converted after Pens' defenseman Jay McKee was ruled to have closed his hand on the puck in the crease, I think there's a different reason for the momentum switch.
The Penguins stopped skating.
That played a bigger factor in giving the Sabres life, in my opinion, than the McKee call. That penalty -- while seemingly unjust, since McKee didn't appear to close his hand on the puck, but only had it shoved under his body by a Sabres' player -- shouldn't have been enough to permit Buffalo to turn things around so drasticly for the remaining 30 minutes.
As it was, Stafford converted the penalty shot, scored a second goal a few minutes later, then set up Paul Gaustad's goal to tie the score about 7 minutes into the 3rd period.
Jason Pominville finished the Penguins' come-from-ahead defeat by scoring on a power play for the Sabres a few minutes later to make the score final at 4-3.
The Penguins were able to ring up a good amount of shots on Lalime (27) in about 39 minutes and, admittedly, had some good chances, but I still feel their cycling game and board work left a lot to be desired the rest of the way. They gave the Sabres a chance to skate and they were able to use that to their advantage in denting Pittsburgh goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury just enough to win.
Fleury finished with 20 stops on 24 shots.
So, with the season nearing its midpoint, the Penguins lost their first game this season when scoring 3 or more goals.
Captain Sidney Crosby said after the game that he felt the Penguins deserved a better fate.
Maybe.
Only if you judge their first game last night and forget about their second.
Fortunately, this was only the Penguins' first loss to come that way this year. Last season, there were so many defeats when the Pens ran out to 2 and 3 goal leads, only to turn them into heartbreaking losses.
Tonight's game against New Jersey will either be good or bad for the Penguins.
Good because they can get back on the horse and re-focus quickly against a tough opponent.
Bad because that opponent has owned them this year thusfar and, with just one more poor performance, they would skid to three straight losses.
Maybe Brent Johnson will change the Penguins' luck, both in general and against the Devils. I expect to see him between the pipes tonight.
I'll have a post up later today after Team Canada's olympic roster is announced. Will Jordan Staal make the squad? We shall see.
NOTES:
Defenseman Mark Eaton returned to the lineup last night after missing three games with a knee injury. He sustained that injury -- coincidentally enough -- the last time the Pens' played the Sabres. Martin Skoula was a healthy scratch to allow Eaton back in the lineup.
Meanwhile, up front, Ruslan Fedotenko was a healthy scratch -- something he hasn't taken a turn at over the last few regular seasons, despite inconsistent play. Rusty has only 6 goals this year, but also hasn't been the most responsible guy in his own zone, and that could be what's frustrated head coach Dan Bylsma the most. Tyler Kennedy returned to the lineup after being scratched the last game.
For the first 30 minutes, the Penguins were at the top of their game, looking like the elite squad that they are and controlling play offensively and defensively.
In those 30 minutes, they ran up a 3-0 lead on goals by Jordan Staal, Bill Guerin and Chris Kunitz.
So much for the hype surrounding goaltender Ryan Miller's first game against Pittsburgh this year. Those 3 goals -- on only 11 shots -- chased Miller to the bench and left him in a fit of rage throwing his helmet down the runway after being pulled.
Backup goaltender Patrick Lalime entered the game in Miller's place and that's when the second game started.
While I think everyone agrees that the Sabres got a break to get them going in the second period when they were awared a penalty shot that Drew Stafford converted after Pens' defenseman Jay McKee was ruled to have closed his hand on the puck in the crease, I think there's a different reason for the momentum switch.
The Penguins stopped skating.
That played a bigger factor in giving the Sabres life, in my opinion, than the McKee call. That penalty -- while seemingly unjust, since McKee didn't appear to close his hand on the puck, but only had it shoved under his body by a Sabres' player -- shouldn't have been enough to permit Buffalo to turn things around so drasticly for the remaining 30 minutes.
As it was, Stafford converted the penalty shot, scored a second goal a few minutes later, then set up Paul Gaustad's goal to tie the score about 7 minutes into the 3rd period.
Jason Pominville finished the Penguins' come-from-ahead defeat by scoring on a power play for the Sabres a few minutes later to make the score final at 4-3.
The Penguins were able to ring up a good amount of shots on Lalime (27) in about 39 minutes and, admittedly, had some good chances, but I still feel their cycling game and board work left a lot to be desired the rest of the way. They gave the Sabres a chance to skate and they were able to use that to their advantage in denting Pittsburgh goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury just enough to win.
Fleury finished with 20 stops on 24 shots.
So, with the season nearing its midpoint, the Penguins lost their first game this season when scoring 3 or more goals.
Captain Sidney Crosby said after the game that he felt the Penguins deserved a better fate.
Maybe.
Only if you judge their first game last night and forget about their second.
Fortunately, this was only the Penguins' first loss to come that way this year. Last season, there were so many defeats when the Pens ran out to 2 and 3 goal leads, only to turn them into heartbreaking losses.
Tonight's game against New Jersey will either be good or bad for the Penguins.
Good because they can get back on the horse and re-focus quickly against a tough opponent.
Bad because that opponent has owned them this year thusfar and, with just one more poor performance, they would skid to three straight losses.
Maybe Brent Johnson will change the Penguins' luck, both in general and against the Devils. I expect to see him between the pipes tonight.
I'll have a post up later today after Team Canada's olympic roster is announced. Will Jordan Staal make the squad? We shall see.
NOTES:
Defenseman Mark Eaton returned to the lineup last night after missing three games with a knee injury. He sustained that injury -- coincidentally enough -- the last time the Pens' played the Sabres. Martin Skoula was a healthy scratch to allow Eaton back in the lineup.
Meanwhile, up front, Ruslan Fedotenko was a healthy scratch -- something he hasn't taken a turn at over the last few regular seasons, despite inconsistent play. Rusty has only 6 goals this year, but also hasn't been the most responsible guy in his own zone, and that could be what's frustrated head coach Dan Bylsma the most. Tyler Kennedy returned to the lineup after being scratched the last game.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Previewing the Penguins' Back-To-Back Matchups Against Buffalo and New Jersey; PLUS Pens' Olympic Roster Buzz
The Pittsburgh Penguins begin a challenging-to-say-the-least set of back-to-back contests tonight at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo against the Sabres.
And not just because their team plane had to divert away from Buffalo International Airport to land in Niagra Falls, NY on the way north.
Or because their team bus from Niagra Falls to Buffalo got stuck about three blocks from their hotel and had to be pushed by none other than Head Coach Dan Bylsma and company.
No, the Pens' have a tough set of 2 games in 2 nights because both Buffalo and the squad the Penguins match up against the following night -- their Atlantic Division rivals, the New Jersey Devils -- are among the better ones in the Eastern Conference and NHL.
Unlike the last time Pittsburgh faced the Sabres, when Buffalo started backup Patrick Lalime and the Penguins won in a shootout, the Boys of Winter will face starter and #1 netminder Ryan Miller tonight.
Miller has a sub 2.00 GAA this season thusfar and if the Vezina Trophy for the league's best netminder were voted on today, he'd probably turn up first on enough ballots to take it home.
He and the rest of the Sabres' well-balanced roster will present a challenge for Pittsburgh this evening, as will Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils the following night.
As I have written in this space recently after their latest home loss to New Jersey, the Pens' have just not fared well against the Devils this year thusfar, losing two 4-1 games and being on the wrong end of a 4-0 shutout.
That's 12-2 for those who are counting.
What Pittsburgh has not been able to do this year against the Devils so far -- and what has to be driving Bylsma crazy -- is their inability to break the famous New Jersey trap.
The Penguins have simply not done enough to break through the neutral zone or, failing that, dump pucks in and retrieve them without being promptly turned around by Brodeur's fancy stickwork.
Of course, a timely power play goal or two would also help against a team that is so stifiling at even strength.
Both of these games are good litmus tests for the Penguins, and it certainly won't be easy having to play them in a back-to-back situation, but I'm anxious to see how Pittsburgh fares.
There certainly should be extra buzz surrounding Pittsburgh on this current road trip, as they are likely to find out who on the remainder of their roster gets named an Olympian for the 2010 hockey tournament in Vancouver.
Pens' defenseman Sergei Gonchar and center Evgeni Malkin have already and not surprsingly been named to Team Russia's roster.
Forward Sidney Crosby is a lock for Team Canada, whose roster will be announced tomorrow at noon.
The Penguins have two other likely candidates, though, and two others whose chances seem to have increased by the week and are generating the most buzz right now.
Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has probably settled the debate about whether he should be named to Team Canada with the other two likely netminders, Brodeur and Vancouver's Roberto Luongo.
Meanwhile, defenseman Brooks Orpik has shaken off a slow start to play exceedingly well the last 20-25 games, and appears to have sewn up one of the blueline spots for Team USA.
The other two potential Penguin candidates are center Jordan Staal and RW Bill Guerin, with the former battling for one of the last spots on Team Canada, and the latter battling for one of the final positions on Team USA.
Team USA General Manager Brian Burke has long planned to load his team with a mostly new breed of young and up-and-coming forwards. However, he has gone on record as saying that he would still probably take one or, at the most, two players from the 'old guard' of Team USA -- guys like Mike Modano, Keith Tkachuk and Guerin.
Of those three, Guerin has clearly been the best player this year, and even dating to last year's post-season.
For proof, see the stat lines in this piece by the Pittsburgh Tribune Review:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/s_659778.html
In addition to the fact that Guerin can still produce relatively well on the scoresheet at age 39, he brings excellent leadership on the ice and in the locker room.
That probably isn't lost on Burke. It certainly isn't lost on several other commentators who think Guerin should be on the team. Here is one of those:
http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/more_sports/guerin_the_man_to_lead_us_gold_rush_aHKrztpBE9qVykgr8lLATI
Staal is the other guy on the bubble, and he's such an attractive candidate because he excels at both ends and has demonstrated the ability to raise his game when the stakes are the highest.
Witness his work in the Stanley Cup Finals the last two years.
2 seasons ago, when the Penguins fell to the Detroit Red Wings in six games, Staal may have been the Penguins' best player.
This past year, when the Penguins reversed the result against the 'Wings and took home THE CUP, Staal was again one of the Penguins best players. Some would say that, with the exception of Fleury, Staal WAS the Pens' best player in games 6 and 7 with everything on the line.
Staal's competition for a final spot on Team Canada's roster is fierce, however. He's battling for about 2 spots with a group that probably includes Phoenix Coyotes' winger Shane Doan, Boston Bruins' center Patrice Bergeron, Los Angeles Kings' RW Ryan Smyth, Dallas Stars' LW Brendan Morrow, and Philadelphia Flyers' center Mike Richards.
All of these guys have similar goal and assist statistics this year, but Richards has scored the most points of the group. He's a great two-way player and penalty killer, but his reputation for leadership has taken a hit this year with the near season-long skid his Flyers have suffered. There also have been reports he's not getting along with teammates and enjoying the community a little too much (along with several other Flyers' young players).
Personally, I think those transgressions will keep him off Team Canada this year.
Bergeron is too much of a perimeter finesse player to be selected, in my opinion.
Smyth is a warrior and started off this year strong for the new look Kings but he's missed 6 weeks or so with an injury and it's hard to know how he's going to come back from that. He's a veteran and may need some time to get in tune once more.
Perhaps too much time.
Doan is a good candidate. He's the Coyotes' Captain and has produced year in and year out without a load of help. Phoenix has been a surprise this year, and they currently sit 5th in the Western Conference. Doan deserves some of the rewards for that.
Morrow is a similar player, but after missing most of last year with an injury, his stock just isn't quite as high as it used to be.
Carrie Underwood's fiance -- also known as Mike Fisher -- also is a strong candidate. He's having probably the best season of his career, scoring at a near point-per-game pace, even in the absence of Senators' stars Jason Spezza and now Daniel Alfredsson. And don't forget that Dany Heatley isn't there any longer.
Fisher also has continued to be a real strong defensive player. He's evolving into a relatively high end #2 center in this league.
We all know what Staal brings to the table, so I won't review his qualifications here, but suffice it to say, it's going to be interesting to see what Team Canada Executive Director Steve Yzerman -- a big Staal fan -- does.
It says here that Staal makes the team as the 13th forward.
And while I think the Penguins would probably be better served with Guerin getting a few weeks off in late February, I think he's going to make the Team USA squad, too.
We'll find out for sure when that group is announced at the conclusion of this year's Winter Classic between the Bruins and Flyers on New Year's Day.
Recap of the Pens'/Sabres matchup tomorrow.
Let's Go Pens!
And not just because their team plane had to divert away from Buffalo International Airport to land in Niagra Falls, NY on the way north.
Or because their team bus from Niagra Falls to Buffalo got stuck about three blocks from their hotel and had to be pushed by none other than Head Coach Dan Bylsma and company.
No, the Pens' have a tough set of 2 games in 2 nights because both Buffalo and the squad the Penguins match up against the following night -- their Atlantic Division rivals, the New Jersey Devils -- are among the better ones in the Eastern Conference and NHL.
Unlike the last time Pittsburgh faced the Sabres, when Buffalo started backup Patrick Lalime and the Penguins won in a shootout, the Boys of Winter will face starter and #1 netminder Ryan Miller tonight.
Miller has a sub 2.00 GAA this season thusfar and if the Vezina Trophy for the league's best netminder were voted on today, he'd probably turn up first on enough ballots to take it home.
He and the rest of the Sabres' well-balanced roster will present a challenge for Pittsburgh this evening, as will Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils the following night.
As I have written in this space recently after their latest home loss to New Jersey, the Pens' have just not fared well against the Devils this year thusfar, losing two 4-1 games and being on the wrong end of a 4-0 shutout.
That's 12-2 for those who are counting.
What Pittsburgh has not been able to do this year against the Devils so far -- and what has to be driving Bylsma crazy -- is their inability to break the famous New Jersey trap.
The Penguins have simply not done enough to break through the neutral zone or, failing that, dump pucks in and retrieve them without being promptly turned around by Brodeur's fancy stickwork.
Of course, a timely power play goal or two would also help against a team that is so stifiling at even strength.
Both of these games are good litmus tests for the Penguins, and it certainly won't be easy having to play them in a back-to-back situation, but I'm anxious to see how Pittsburgh fares.
There certainly should be extra buzz surrounding Pittsburgh on this current road trip, as they are likely to find out who on the remainder of their roster gets named an Olympian for the 2010 hockey tournament in Vancouver.
Pens' defenseman Sergei Gonchar and center Evgeni Malkin have already and not surprsingly been named to Team Russia's roster.
Forward Sidney Crosby is a lock for Team Canada, whose roster will be announced tomorrow at noon.
The Penguins have two other likely candidates, though, and two others whose chances seem to have increased by the week and are generating the most buzz right now.
Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has probably settled the debate about whether he should be named to Team Canada with the other two likely netminders, Brodeur and Vancouver's Roberto Luongo.
Meanwhile, defenseman Brooks Orpik has shaken off a slow start to play exceedingly well the last 20-25 games, and appears to have sewn up one of the blueline spots for Team USA.
The other two potential Penguin candidates are center Jordan Staal and RW Bill Guerin, with the former battling for one of the last spots on Team Canada, and the latter battling for one of the final positions on Team USA.
Team USA General Manager Brian Burke has long planned to load his team with a mostly new breed of young and up-and-coming forwards. However, he has gone on record as saying that he would still probably take one or, at the most, two players from the 'old guard' of Team USA -- guys like Mike Modano, Keith Tkachuk and Guerin.
Of those three, Guerin has clearly been the best player this year, and even dating to last year's post-season.
For proof, see the stat lines in this piece by the Pittsburgh Tribune Review:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/s_659778.html
In addition to the fact that Guerin can still produce relatively well on the scoresheet at age 39, he brings excellent leadership on the ice and in the locker room.
That probably isn't lost on Burke. It certainly isn't lost on several other commentators who think Guerin should be on the team. Here is one of those:
http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/more_sports/guerin_the_man_to_lead_us_gold_rush_aHKrztpBE9qVykgr8lLATI
Staal is the other guy on the bubble, and he's such an attractive candidate because he excels at both ends and has demonstrated the ability to raise his game when the stakes are the highest.
Witness his work in the Stanley Cup Finals the last two years.
2 seasons ago, when the Penguins fell to the Detroit Red Wings in six games, Staal may have been the Penguins' best player.
This past year, when the Penguins reversed the result against the 'Wings and took home THE CUP, Staal was again one of the Penguins best players. Some would say that, with the exception of Fleury, Staal WAS the Pens' best player in games 6 and 7 with everything on the line.
Staal's competition for a final spot on Team Canada's roster is fierce, however. He's battling for about 2 spots with a group that probably includes Phoenix Coyotes' winger Shane Doan, Boston Bruins' center Patrice Bergeron, Los Angeles Kings' RW Ryan Smyth, Dallas Stars' LW Brendan Morrow, and Philadelphia Flyers' center Mike Richards.
All of these guys have similar goal and assist statistics this year, but Richards has scored the most points of the group. He's a great two-way player and penalty killer, but his reputation for leadership has taken a hit this year with the near season-long skid his Flyers have suffered. There also have been reports he's not getting along with teammates and enjoying the community a little too much (along with several other Flyers' young players).
Personally, I think those transgressions will keep him off Team Canada this year.
Bergeron is too much of a perimeter finesse player to be selected, in my opinion.
Smyth is a warrior and started off this year strong for the new look Kings but he's missed 6 weeks or so with an injury and it's hard to know how he's going to come back from that. He's a veteran and may need some time to get in tune once more.
Perhaps too much time.
Doan is a good candidate. He's the Coyotes' Captain and has produced year in and year out without a load of help. Phoenix has been a surprise this year, and they currently sit 5th in the Western Conference. Doan deserves some of the rewards for that.
Morrow is a similar player, but after missing most of last year with an injury, his stock just isn't quite as high as it used to be.
Carrie Underwood's fiance -- also known as Mike Fisher -- also is a strong candidate. He's having probably the best season of his career, scoring at a near point-per-game pace, even in the absence of Senators' stars Jason Spezza and now Daniel Alfredsson. And don't forget that Dany Heatley isn't there any longer.
Fisher also has continued to be a real strong defensive player. He's evolving into a relatively high end #2 center in this league.
We all know what Staal brings to the table, so I won't review his qualifications here, but suffice it to say, it's going to be interesting to see what Team Canada Executive Director Steve Yzerman -- a big Staal fan -- does.
It says here that Staal makes the team as the 13th forward.
And while I think the Penguins would probably be better served with Guerin getting a few weeks off in late February, I think he's going to make the Team USA squad, too.
We'll find out for sure when that group is announced at the conclusion of this year's Winter Classic between the Bruins and Flyers on New Year's Day.
Recap of the Pens'/Sabres matchup tomorrow.
Let's Go Pens!
Monday, December 28, 2009
Pens' Fall To Maple Leafs, 4-3
Coming into the Pittsburgh Penguins' first post-Christmas game against the Toronto Maple Leafs last night at Mellon Arena, Pens' head coach Dan Bylsma hadn't been happy about the team's recent defensive play.
After some shoddy work against New Jersey early in the week, then 47 shots against by the Ottawa Senators mid-week, he had fair reason to be concerned.
And that was before considering the number of pucks the Maple Leafs typically put on goal. Despite the fact that they are muddling around 8th place in the conference, Toronto came into the contest leading the league in average shots on goal per game (around 34).
Saying all that, had I known before last night's game that Pittsburgh would have held the Blue and White to 27 shots, I would have thought the Penguins would emerge victorious.
Thanks to a late goal with under 90 seconds to play by Maple Leafs' defenseman Ian White -- which provided the final margin of victory in their 4-3 win -- Toronto had other things in mind.
Pittsburgh started off slow in the first period last night, and paid for it when they got behind the 8-ball on an early goal by Toronto defenseman Luke Shenn -- his first of the season.
Shenn threw a point shot past a screened Marc-Andre Fleury that went in off the far post.
Matt Cooke evened the contest later in the period when he beat Toronto goaltender Vesa Toskala on the far side on a 2-on-1 rush.
Forward Lee Stempniak put Toronto up by one again with a power play goal before the period expired. It was the 9th game in the last 12 that the Penguins have allowed a man-advantage goal to their opponent.
In the second frame, the teams traded goals, with Sidney Crosby notching his 23rd of the year for Pittsburgh -- also on the power play -- and Jason Blake beating Fleury between the legs on a relatively weak shot from high in the slot to put the Maple Leafs back up by one going into the third period.
While Fleury probably wished he had that goal back, he was strong in the third period and kept the Penguins in the game until they tied the score at 3 on a goal by Mike Rupp -- his 10th of the year -- with about 2 minutes to go.
But White's laser, top-corner slap shot goal from about 45 feet less than a minute later squashed the Penguins' hope of turning what looked like it was going to be a loss into one point -- and perhaps two.
And with that, the Penguins begin a 4-game road trip with a sour taste in their mouth, starting Tuesday in Buffalo and continuing Wednesday in New Jersey, before embarking to Florida to match up on back-to-back days against the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning this weekend.
We'll see if Pittsburgh bounces back strong this week, as they did when they pounded the Senators a few days ago after losing a disappointing game to New Jersey last Monday.
NOTES:
Penguins RW Tyler Kennedy was a healthy scratch last night, as Eric Godard returned to the lineup for Pittsburgh. Kennedy, with only one goal in his last 13 games -- and that one in his first game back -- has struggled since. Max Talbot skated in his place on the third line with Jordan Staal and Cooke.
After some shoddy work against New Jersey early in the week, then 47 shots against by the Ottawa Senators mid-week, he had fair reason to be concerned.
And that was before considering the number of pucks the Maple Leafs typically put on goal. Despite the fact that they are muddling around 8th place in the conference, Toronto came into the contest leading the league in average shots on goal per game (around 34).
Saying all that, had I known before last night's game that Pittsburgh would have held the Blue and White to 27 shots, I would have thought the Penguins would emerge victorious.
Thanks to a late goal with under 90 seconds to play by Maple Leafs' defenseman Ian White -- which provided the final margin of victory in their 4-3 win -- Toronto had other things in mind.
Pittsburgh started off slow in the first period last night, and paid for it when they got behind the 8-ball on an early goal by Toronto defenseman Luke Shenn -- his first of the season.
Shenn threw a point shot past a screened Marc-Andre Fleury that went in off the far post.
Matt Cooke evened the contest later in the period when he beat Toronto goaltender Vesa Toskala on the far side on a 2-on-1 rush.
Forward Lee Stempniak put Toronto up by one again with a power play goal before the period expired. It was the 9th game in the last 12 that the Penguins have allowed a man-advantage goal to their opponent.
In the second frame, the teams traded goals, with Sidney Crosby notching his 23rd of the year for Pittsburgh -- also on the power play -- and Jason Blake beating Fleury between the legs on a relatively weak shot from high in the slot to put the Maple Leafs back up by one going into the third period.
While Fleury probably wished he had that goal back, he was strong in the third period and kept the Penguins in the game until they tied the score at 3 on a goal by Mike Rupp -- his 10th of the year -- with about 2 minutes to go.
But White's laser, top-corner slap shot goal from about 45 feet less than a minute later squashed the Penguins' hope of turning what looked like it was going to be a loss into one point -- and perhaps two.
And with that, the Penguins begin a 4-game road trip with a sour taste in their mouth, starting Tuesday in Buffalo and continuing Wednesday in New Jersey, before embarking to Florida to match up on back-to-back days against the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning this weekend.
We'll see if Pittsburgh bounces back strong this week, as they did when they pounded the Senators a few days ago after losing a disappointing game to New Jersey last Monday.
NOTES:
Penguins RW Tyler Kennedy was a healthy scratch last night, as Eric Godard returned to the lineup for Pittsburgh. Kennedy, with only one goal in his last 13 games -- and that one in his first game back -- has struggled since. Max Talbot skated in his place on the third line with Jordan Staal and Cooke.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Merry Christmas: Penguins Go Into Break On Strength Of Abusive 8-2 Win Over Ottawa
Ottawa Senators goaltender Pascal LeClaire returned to the lineup last night against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Mellon Arena after missing 16 games with a fractured cheekbone thanks to a puck he took in the face while sitting on the Senators' bench about 6 weeks ago.
And he thought his luck was bad then.
The Penguins peppered him for 6 goals on 24 shots in 2 periods before chasing him to the bench on their way to an 8-2 defeat of the Senators that was as abusive on the scoreboard as it looked on the ice.
Evgeni Malkin led the way for the Penguins with his 4th career hat trick. His new linemates, Bill Guerin and Chris Kunitz, also had strong games.
Guerin had 2 goals and 2 assists, and Kunitz scored once while adding three helpers.
Sidney Crosby also had 3 assists in the win, while goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury played a game as good as any Penguin, stopping 45 of a whopping 47 shots, including 23 of 24 in the first period.
Think head coach Dan Blysma is going to stay with the new lines (at least for now) when the Penguins next play on Sunday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs?
Uh, yeah.
Malkin opened the scoring last night and -- get this -- did it on a power play just about 5 minutes in, finishing a cross-ice feed from Crosby to give Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead.
Defenseman Anton Volchenkov blistered a point shot by a screened Fleury to tie the score later in the period, but that was as close as they would get to the Penguins thereafter, as Pittsburgh scored 5 times in the second period to run away with the game.
Guerin got the first of those 5, going to the net and banging in his own rebound. Like Malkin's goal, Guerin's also was on the power play.
With the Penguins tallying twice on the man-advantage already, everyone should have known it was going to be a good night at that point.
Ruslan Fedotenko upped the lead to 3-1 by finishing off a play that was made possible by an outstanding individual effort by Jordan Staal.
Staal laid a hard bodycheck on Senators' forward and former Penguin Alexei Kovalev in Pittsburgh's zone, stealing the puck and immediately skating up the ice. Staal found Talbot at the blueline and continued driving to the net before getting the puck back, drawing the last Senators' defender toward him, then sliding the puck to Feds, who was wide open at the right hash.
Rusty made no mistake and buried it. LeClaire had no chance.
Kunitz made the score 4-1 with a power play goal about 4 minutes later deflecting in a Bill Guerin shot past LeClaire, then Guerin followed that up by finishing off a 3-on-1 when Crosby -- making more moves than May West with the puck and looking like he was going to shoot -- dished it to him for, basically, an open netter.
Malkin finished the Pens' 2nd period barrage by blowing the puck by a beleaguered LeClaire after Kunitz stole the puck at the Senators' blueline and quickly found Malkin to LeClair's left for the goal.
Sergei Gonchar made it 7-1 in the 3rd period by taking a nice pass from LW Matt Cooke low in the cornrer and one-timing it from the slot past Brian Elliott -- LeClair's replacement in goal for the Senators.
Malkin finished off the Penguins' signature offensive game of the season with the hat trick on a play that would have left any goaltender quivering in his wake:
A 2-on-0 with Malkin and Crosby.
Shorthanded, no less.
Elliott should have just left the crease when he saw those two coming down on him uncontested.
Chris Kelly scored late for Ottawa to make it 8-2, but all that goal did was dent Fleury's personal statistics a little.
The Penguins obviously bounced back nicely after their disappointing performance 2 nights before against New Jersey and, with the win, moved back into a tie with them atop the Atlantic Division and overall NHL standings going into their 3-day Christmas break.
What a way to celebrate this holiday season.
Merry Christmas.
And he thought his luck was bad then.
The Penguins peppered him for 6 goals on 24 shots in 2 periods before chasing him to the bench on their way to an 8-2 defeat of the Senators that was as abusive on the scoreboard as it looked on the ice.
Evgeni Malkin led the way for the Penguins with his 4th career hat trick. His new linemates, Bill Guerin and Chris Kunitz, also had strong games.
Guerin had 2 goals and 2 assists, and Kunitz scored once while adding three helpers.
Sidney Crosby also had 3 assists in the win, while goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury played a game as good as any Penguin, stopping 45 of a whopping 47 shots, including 23 of 24 in the first period.
Think head coach Dan Blysma is going to stay with the new lines (at least for now) when the Penguins next play on Sunday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs?
Uh, yeah.
Malkin opened the scoring last night and -- get this -- did it on a power play just about 5 minutes in, finishing a cross-ice feed from Crosby to give Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead.
Defenseman Anton Volchenkov blistered a point shot by a screened Fleury to tie the score later in the period, but that was as close as they would get to the Penguins thereafter, as Pittsburgh scored 5 times in the second period to run away with the game.
Guerin got the first of those 5, going to the net and banging in his own rebound. Like Malkin's goal, Guerin's also was on the power play.
With the Penguins tallying twice on the man-advantage already, everyone should have known it was going to be a good night at that point.
Ruslan Fedotenko upped the lead to 3-1 by finishing off a play that was made possible by an outstanding individual effort by Jordan Staal.
Staal laid a hard bodycheck on Senators' forward and former Penguin Alexei Kovalev in Pittsburgh's zone, stealing the puck and immediately skating up the ice. Staal found Talbot at the blueline and continued driving to the net before getting the puck back, drawing the last Senators' defender toward him, then sliding the puck to Feds, who was wide open at the right hash.
Rusty made no mistake and buried it. LeClaire had no chance.
Kunitz made the score 4-1 with a power play goal about 4 minutes later deflecting in a Bill Guerin shot past LeClaire, then Guerin followed that up by finishing off a 3-on-1 when Crosby -- making more moves than May West with the puck and looking like he was going to shoot -- dished it to him for, basically, an open netter.
Malkin finished the Pens' 2nd period barrage by blowing the puck by a beleaguered LeClaire after Kunitz stole the puck at the Senators' blueline and quickly found Malkin to LeClair's left for the goal.
Sergei Gonchar made it 7-1 in the 3rd period by taking a nice pass from LW Matt Cooke low in the cornrer and one-timing it from the slot past Brian Elliott -- LeClair's replacement in goal for the Senators.
Malkin finished off the Penguins' signature offensive game of the season with the hat trick on a play that would have left any goaltender quivering in his wake:
A 2-on-0 with Malkin and Crosby.
Shorthanded, no less.
Elliott should have just left the crease when he saw those two coming down on him uncontested.
Chris Kelly scored late for Ottawa to make it 8-2, but all that goal did was dent Fleury's personal statistics a little.
The Penguins obviously bounced back nicely after their disappointing performance 2 nights before against New Jersey and, with the win, moved back into a tie with them atop the Atlantic Division and overall NHL standings going into their 3-day Christmas break.
What a way to celebrate this holiday season.
Merry Christmas.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Penguins Fall Victim To Goaltender Brodeur's NHL Record 104th Shutout In Losing First Place Showdown, 4-0
Goaltender Martin Brodeur and his New Jersey Devils' teammates have come together to shut out a lot of teams during Brodeur's 16 seasons with the club.
Last night at Mellon Arena was, in one way, just another game where Brodeur victimized an opponent and rejected everything thrown at him.
In another way, his shutout last night was unlike any of the others in his career that preceded it.
Brodeur broke a record that had been in place for 40 years and may not ever be broken again, stopping 35 shots last night in their 4-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was Brodeur's 104th career shutout, breaking goaltender Terry Sawchuk's previous record of 103 and lifting New Jersey to first place in the Atlantic Division and NHL with 53 points.
There wasn't much to write home about for the Penguins in this one. New Jersey got an early lead and bedeviled the Pens the rest of the way, adding 3 goals in the second period and allowing Brodeur to cruise to the record.
While the Pens' tossed 35 pucks at Brodeur last night, they didn't really challenge him. Their best scoring opportunity came with about 90 seconds left in the game when Sidney Crosby hit the post. Otherwise, the Devils' neutral zone trap bottled them up all night long.
Brodeur's conterpart at the other end of the ice, Pens' netminder Marc-Andre Fleury, didn't fare nearly as well, being pulled just over halfway through the game after letting up 4 goals on 16 shots.
Fleury stumbling in a big game was a surprise, and even more so since he had been on quite a roll lately. In his last 10, he was 8-1-1 with a 1.80 GAA.
This was the third time in 3 tries that New Jersey beat the Penguins with relative ease this year, and all 3 games have been at Mellon Arena. Add the prior two 4-1 victories to last night's 4-0 win, and the Devils have outscored the Penguins 12-2 this season so far.
Maybe Pittsburgh will fare better on the road against these guys?
Whatever it is, the Penguins better figure it out, because if the Penguins and Devils run neck-and-neck all season, head-to-head matchups could make the difference in settling tiebreakers at the end of the regular season.
As things stand now, the Penguins would actually be EIGHT points up on New Jersey had they won their 3 games with the Devils instead of losing them all.
The Penguins next game is Wednesday, again at home, against the Ottawa Senators.
NOTES:
Penguins' center Jordan Staal took a puck in the honker in the second period and was in obvious pain as he left a trail of blood on the ice. As expected for a hockey player, he returned to the game for the third period with a full face shield and quite a bit of stitches for his trouble.
While no formal word has been announced, it appears that the knee injury sustained by defenseman Mark Eaton in Saturday night's 2-1 shootout win over the Buffalo Sabres isn't going to be a long term thing, but maybe more a matter of 2 weeks.
What? Did you think I'd give you any other timetable?
Last night at Mellon Arena was, in one way, just another game where Brodeur victimized an opponent and rejected everything thrown at him.
In another way, his shutout last night was unlike any of the others in his career that preceded it.
Brodeur broke a record that had been in place for 40 years and may not ever be broken again, stopping 35 shots last night in their 4-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was Brodeur's 104th career shutout, breaking goaltender Terry Sawchuk's previous record of 103 and lifting New Jersey to first place in the Atlantic Division and NHL with 53 points.
There wasn't much to write home about for the Penguins in this one. New Jersey got an early lead and bedeviled the Pens the rest of the way, adding 3 goals in the second period and allowing Brodeur to cruise to the record.
While the Pens' tossed 35 pucks at Brodeur last night, they didn't really challenge him. Their best scoring opportunity came with about 90 seconds left in the game when Sidney Crosby hit the post. Otherwise, the Devils' neutral zone trap bottled them up all night long.
Brodeur's conterpart at the other end of the ice, Pens' netminder Marc-Andre Fleury, didn't fare nearly as well, being pulled just over halfway through the game after letting up 4 goals on 16 shots.
Fleury stumbling in a big game was a surprise, and even more so since he had been on quite a roll lately. In his last 10, he was 8-1-1 with a 1.80 GAA.
This was the third time in 3 tries that New Jersey beat the Penguins with relative ease this year, and all 3 games have been at Mellon Arena. Add the prior two 4-1 victories to last night's 4-0 win, and the Devils have outscored the Penguins 12-2 this season so far.
Maybe Pittsburgh will fare better on the road against these guys?
Whatever it is, the Penguins better figure it out, because if the Penguins and Devils run neck-and-neck all season, head-to-head matchups could make the difference in settling tiebreakers at the end of the regular season.
As things stand now, the Penguins would actually be EIGHT points up on New Jersey had they won their 3 games with the Devils instead of losing them all.
The Penguins next game is Wednesday, again at home, against the Ottawa Senators.
NOTES:
Penguins' center Jordan Staal took a puck in the honker in the second period and was in obvious pain as he left a trail of blood on the ice. As expected for a hockey player, he returned to the game for the third period with a full face shield and quite a bit of stitches for his trouble.
While no formal word has been announced, it appears that the knee injury sustained by defenseman Mark Eaton in Saturday night's 2-1 shootout win over the Buffalo Sabres isn't going to be a long term thing, but maybe more a matter of 2 weeks.
What? Did you think I'd give you any other timetable?
Monday, December 21, 2009
News And Notes As Penguins Get Ready For Showdown With Devils
As the Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils -- the top 2 teams in the National Hockey League -- face off to settle that spot and the lead in the Atlantic Division tonight at Mellon Arena (7:30 PM EST), there are a few things to catch up on surrounding the team.
First, speaking of leading the league in the race for the President's Trophy, has everyone else come to realize that the Penguins have become an outstanding hockey club in close games the last several years?
This first developed under former coach Michel Therrein, and was at least in part due to the team's ability to crack down and play better defense in their own zone.
Of course, the first step to winning close games is actually being in them.
Once the Penguins learned to do that, their skill and youthful savvy started taking over. For as young as the Penguins' core is, nobody can dispute the meaningful, high-stakes experience that same core already has under their collective belts.
This year alone, the Penguins are 14-4 in one goal games.
Even taking away their 6 shootout victories, they still are 8-4 in the remaining 12 one-goal contests they have played in.
Winning close games over the last several seasons has helped make the Penguins one of the best teams in the game, and makes them feel comfortable whenever things get tight late in a key game ... or in a game 7. One needs to look no further than last year's playoff run to see that.
Winning 2 games 7's on the road -- including the Stanley Cup Final -- will ice any team's veins.
The next thing I wanted to mention is the Forbes Magazine story publicized over the weekend that the Penguins were ranked as having the best fans in the NHL.
That's no surprise to this author, but I bet it's a surprise to fans of teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens, just to name two storied league franchises known for having loyal, rabid followings.
Forbes' rankings were based on average home attendance as a percentage of arena capacity, team merchandise sales, and local television ratings as a percentage of the area's population.
Obviously, with the Penguins selling out every game for about two full seasons running, selling Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin jerseys like they are going out of style, and long having local TV ratings that are among the best in the league, their spot at the tope of the list can't be a surprise.
Here's the piece from Forbes:
http://www.forbes.com/2009/12/17/nhl-best-and-worst-fans-business-sports-nhl-fans.html
Third, there's still no word on the status of Pens' defenseman Mark Eaton, who injured a knee in Saturday night's 2-1 shootout victory over the Sabres.
Eaton is supposed to have an MRI today, and that should reveal the status of his injury -- if the Penguins announce the results, that is. I did hear that Eaton was on crutches after the game, so chances are he'll be out of the lineup for at least a little while.
Eaton is the only defenseman to suit up for every game this season. It looks like that streak is going to come to an end, and Martin Skoula will be back in the lineup tonight in his place.
Lastly, while Eaton left the contest Saturday night, forward Max Talbot returned to the lineup after having been a healthy scratch the last two games.
Enforcer Eric Godard watched from the press box in Talbot's place.
No word on what HCDB is going to do with his lineup from that standpoint against the Devils tonight.
Recap tomorrow.
Let's Go Pens!
First, speaking of leading the league in the race for the President's Trophy, has everyone else come to realize that the Penguins have become an outstanding hockey club in close games the last several years?
This first developed under former coach Michel Therrein, and was at least in part due to the team's ability to crack down and play better defense in their own zone.
Of course, the first step to winning close games is actually being in them.
Once the Penguins learned to do that, their skill and youthful savvy started taking over. For as young as the Penguins' core is, nobody can dispute the meaningful, high-stakes experience that same core already has under their collective belts.
This year alone, the Penguins are 14-4 in one goal games.
Even taking away their 6 shootout victories, they still are 8-4 in the remaining 12 one-goal contests they have played in.
Winning close games over the last several seasons has helped make the Penguins one of the best teams in the game, and makes them feel comfortable whenever things get tight late in a key game ... or in a game 7. One needs to look no further than last year's playoff run to see that.
Winning 2 games 7's on the road -- including the Stanley Cup Final -- will ice any team's veins.
The next thing I wanted to mention is the Forbes Magazine story publicized over the weekend that the Penguins were ranked as having the best fans in the NHL.
That's no surprise to this author, but I bet it's a surprise to fans of teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens, just to name two storied league franchises known for having loyal, rabid followings.
Forbes' rankings were based on average home attendance as a percentage of arena capacity, team merchandise sales, and local television ratings as a percentage of the area's population.
Obviously, with the Penguins selling out every game for about two full seasons running, selling Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin jerseys like they are going out of style, and long having local TV ratings that are among the best in the league, their spot at the tope of the list can't be a surprise.
Here's the piece from Forbes:
http://www.forbes.com/2009/12/17/nhl-best-and-worst-fans-business-sports-nhl-fans.html
Third, there's still no word on the status of Pens' defenseman Mark Eaton, who injured a knee in Saturday night's 2-1 shootout victory over the Sabres.
Eaton is supposed to have an MRI today, and that should reveal the status of his injury -- if the Penguins announce the results, that is. I did hear that Eaton was on crutches after the game, so chances are he'll be out of the lineup for at least a little while.
Eaton is the only defenseman to suit up for every game this season. It looks like that streak is going to come to an end, and Martin Skoula will be back in the lineup tonight in his place.
Lastly, while Eaton left the contest Saturday night, forward Max Talbot returned to the lineup after having been a healthy scratch the last two games.
Enforcer Eric Godard watched from the press box in Talbot's place.
No word on what HCDB is going to do with his lineup from that standpoint against the Devils tonight.
Recap tomorrow.
Let's Go Pens!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Penguins Win 5th Straight, Beat Sabres In Shootout 2-1
I apologize for not getting a game preview up before tonight's game against the Buffalo Sabres.
I really wanted to do that, since Buffalo is not a team the Penguins had seen yet so far this year, and since the Sabres have been playing somewhat unexpectedly well this season, sitting at the top of the Northeast Division.
Regardless, the teams played their first game this year mostly as expected in a highly competitive contest. So competitive, in fact, that the game wasn't settled after 65 minutes of high-energy hockey, after which the game was tied 1-1.
What wasn't competitive was the shootout, where the Penguins are now 6-0 this season and added the Sares as the latest casualty to their list of shootout vicitms on the strength of defenseman Kris Letang's outstanding goal -- and 2nd straight shootout winner.
Jason Pomenville and Chris Kunitz scored in regulation during the game and, watching the action -- especially in the third period -- I could have sworn there was going to be another goal in regulation. I thought that because the teams were trading so many power play chances in that frame, and really the entire contest.
But, kudos to the Penguins' PK unit, who wiped out EIGHT Buffalo man-advantages in the game -- including a 4-on-3 chance in overtime.
Pittsburgh's penalty killing has been a real strong suit of the team this year and they really came through last night for certain.
The power play, on the other hand, failed in all 5 attempts it had against the Sabres and backup netminder Patrick Lalime.
Lalime started in place of Buffalo star goalkeeper Ryan Miller, since Miller had started the last 2 contests -- including the night before -- and the Sabres were finishing a 3-games-in-4-nights stretch. While that was a little bit of a break for the Penguins, Lalime certainly played well, even if the Penguins didn't challenge him as much as they typically do opposing goalies.
On the other end, Pens' goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was spectacular. He stopped 30 of 31 shots in regulation and looked strong doing it.
Fleury has been a big reason why the Penguins have won 5 in a row, 6 of their last 7 on the road, and 13 of their last 17 overall. He's playing really well.
The Penguins lost defenseman Mark Eaton to a yet-to-be-disclosed injury in the 2nd period. He left the game and did not return.
I'll post more on his status when I hear something about it.
More Monday.
I really wanted to do that, since Buffalo is not a team the Penguins had seen yet so far this year, and since the Sabres have been playing somewhat unexpectedly well this season, sitting at the top of the Northeast Division.
Regardless, the teams played their first game this year mostly as expected in a highly competitive contest. So competitive, in fact, that the game wasn't settled after 65 minutes of high-energy hockey, after which the game was tied 1-1.
What wasn't competitive was the shootout, where the Penguins are now 6-0 this season and added the Sares as the latest casualty to their list of shootout vicitms on the strength of defenseman Kris Letang's outstanding goal -- and 2nd straight shootout winner.
Jason Pomenville and Chris Kunitz scored in regulation during the game and, watching the action -- especially in the third period -- I could have sworn there was going to be another goal in regulation. I thought that because the teams were trading so many power play chances in that frame, and really the entire contest.
But, kudos to the Penguins' PK unit, who wiped out EIGHT Buffalo man-advantages in the game -- including a 4-on-3 chance in overtime.
Pittsburgh's penalty killing has been a real strong suit of the team this year and they really came through last night for certain.
The power play, on the other hand, failed in all 5 attempts it had against the Sabres and backup netminder Patrick Lalime.
Lalime started in place of Buffalo star goalkeeper Ryan Miller, since Miller had started the last 2 contests -- including the night before -- and the Sabres were finishing a 3-games-in-4-nights stretch. While that was a little bit of a break for the Penguins, Lalime certainly played well, even if the Penguins didn't challenge him as much as they typically do opposing goalies.
On the other end, Pens' goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was spectacular. He stopped 30 of 31 shots in regulation and looked strong doing it.
Fleury has been a big reason why the Penguins have won 5 in a row, 6 of their last 7 on the road, and 13 of their last 17 overall. He's playing really well.
The Penguins lost defenseman Mark Eaton to a yet-to-be-disclosed injury in the 2nd period. He left the game and did not return.
I'll post more on his status when I hear something about it.
More Monday.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Penguins Sweep Home And Home Over Flyers On Strength of Crosby, Power-Play
Yes, I said power play.
The Pittsburgh Penguins actually scored TWO power-play markers last night in regulation -- just enough to keep them in a 2-2 tie with the Flyers before winning the game in the shootout, 3-2 and sweeping the home-and-home series from their cross-state rivals to keep Philadelphia firmly in the Atlantic Division basement.
More importantly, their victory also lifted Pittsburgh into first place in the Atlantic, first place in the Eastern Conference, and yes -- first place in the National Hockey League. They have 49 points on a 24-10-1 record, and are 12-4 in their last 16 games.
Last night's game was certainly more competitive -- at least on the scoreboard -- than Tuesday night's contest was between these two clubs and, while there was only one fight in the game (unlike the 3 that happened in 16 seconds during their game 2 days ago), the Flyers certainly brought more energy and more offense.
Pens' goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was forced to have a strong game as a result, and he came through swimmingly, stopping 31 of 33 Philadelphia shots.
Bill Guerin and Sidney Crosby scored for Pittsburgh in regulation -- as mentioned, both on the power-play, which went 2-for-5 -- offsetting tallies by Jeff Carter and Claude Giroux for Philadelphia.
After 60 minutes, the sides enjoyed a very unusual period of 3-on-3 hockey during 2 minutes of the overtime, thanks to offsetting minor penalties on Pens' defenseman Brooks Orpirk and Flyers' agitator Daniel Carcillo.
Watching the 3-on-3 was odd, and you could tell it was for the players, too. They didn't really know what do to out there.
In the shootout, the Penguins won it after only 2 rounds.
After Philadelphia center Daniel Briere failed to get a shot off on his team's -- and the shootout opening -- attempt against Fleury, Pittsburgh defenseman Kris Letang abused Flyer goaltender Brian Boucher with an easy goal after making 2 fakes and a deke which left Boucher's knees buckling.
I loved how Pens' color commentator Bob Errey described Letang's moves:
"He gave him the head and shoulders"
Giroux also failed to get anything resembling a shot off on the Flyers' 2nd attempt, which left the shootout's potential fate in the hands of Flyer giant-killer Crosby.
Coming into the game, Crosby hadn't missed on a single shootout attempt all season, and you could tell the gods were with him again last night in the Wachovia Center, as Crosby came down on Boucher and half-fanned on his shot, but the puck still fluttered up over Boucher's glove and into the net to seal the win for the Penguins.
Crosby could be seen visibly laughing at his goal on the way back to celebrating with his teammates.
With the home-and-home sweep over Philly in their pocket, the Penguins will now go on the road to Buffalo to face the Sabres and sizzling hot goaltender Ryan Miller for the first time this year on Saturday night, before coming home for three straight home games during Christmas week.
More this weekend.
The Pittsburgh Penguins actually scored TWO power-play markers last night in regulation -- just enough to keep them in a 2-2 tie with the Flyers before winning the game in the shootout, 3-2 and sweeping the home-and-home series from their cross-state rivals to keep Philadelphia firmly in the Atlantic Division basement.
More importantly, their victory also lifted Pittsburgh into first place in the Atlantic, first place in the Eastern Conference, and yes -- first place in the National Hockey League. They have 49 points on a 24-10-1 record, and are 12-4 in their last 16 games.
Last night's game was certainly more competitive -- at least on the scoreboard -- than Tuesday night's contest was between these two clubs and, while there was only one fight in the game (unlike the 3 that happened in 16 seconds during their game 2 days ago), the Flyers certainly brought more energy and more offense.
Pens' goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was forced to have a strong game as a result, and he came through swimmingly, stopping 31 of 33 Philadelphia shots.
Bill Guerin and Sidney Crosby scored for Pittsburgh in regulation -- as mentioned, both on the power-play, which went 2-for-5 -- offsetting tallies by Jeff Carter and Claude Giroux for Philadelphia.
After 60 minutes, the sides enjoyed a very unusual period of 3-on-3 hockey during 2 minutes of the overtime, thanks to offsetting minor penalties on Pens' defenseman Brooks Orpirk and Flyers' agitator Daniel Carcillo.
Watching the 3-on-3 was odd, and you could tell it was for the players, too. They didn't really know what do to out there.
In the shootout, the Penguins won it after only 2 rounds.
After Philadelphia center Daniel Briere failed to get a shot off on his team's -- and the shootout opening -- attempt against Fleury, Pittsburgh defenseman Kris Letang abused Flyer goaltender Brian Boucher with an easy goal after making 2 fakes and a deke which left Boucher's knees buckling.
I loved how Pens' color commentator Bob Errey described Letang's moves:
"He gave him the head and shoulders"
Giroux also failed to get anything resembling a shot off on the Flyers' 2nd attempt, which left the shootout's potential fate in the hands of Flyer giant-killer Crosby.
Coming into the game, Crosby hadn't missed on a single shootout attempt all season, and you could tell the gods were with him again last night in the Wachovia Center, as Crosby came down on Boucher and half-fanned on his shot, but the puck still fluttered up over Boucher's glove and into the net to seal the win for the Penguins.
Crosby could be seen visibly laughing at his goal on the way back to celebrating with his teammates.
With the home-and-home sweep over Philly in their pocket, the Penguins will now go on the road to Buffalo to face the Sabres and sizzling hot goaltender Ryan Miller for the first time this year on Saturday night, before coming home for three straight home games during Christmas week.
More this weekend.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Penguins Demolish Flyers Inside And Out, Win 6-1
I said yesterday at this pulpit that the matchup between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers last night was likely to have an energetic feel to it.
One that had the possibility of lifting a team up to an inspiring victory.
I was right.
It just wasn't the Flyers who took advantage of the opportunity to uplift themselves.
Instead, the Penguins rose up to their rivals and throttled the Flyers inside and out to the tune of a 6-1 win at Mellon Arena last night.
They jumped on the Flyers early with an early power play tally by Sidney Crosby, then followed that up by tangling in 3 separate fights over a 16 second span, before squashing any momentum Philadelphia attempted to gain by resorting to Saturday-night wrestling tactics with a goal 16 seconds after the last fight by Bill Guerin for a 2-0 lead.
After Jordan Staal scored shorthanded later in the first period to up their advantage to 3-1, Pittsburgh ran away with things the rest of the game, with Staal adding another tally to go with one by Ruslan Fedotenko and a second shorthanded goal by Evgeni Malkin for the 6-1 result.
Crosby added 2 assists in the game. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 26 of 27 shots, while the Penguins launched 35 at Philadelphia netminder Brian Boucher. Boucher -- starting in place of Ray Emery who's injured and out 6 weeks -- was playing again on a second-straight night after winning the night before in Boston, and looked overmatched.
Perhaps that's why the Flyers poached their second backup goaltender from another team in the last 4 days, pulling former Carolina Hurricanes' netminder Michael Leighton off waivers almost immediatley after signing former Tampa Bay Lightning goalie John Grahme to a tryout contract.
After the game -- Philadelphia's 11th loss in their last 14 games -- the Flyers not only were bruised on the scoreboard and beat up physically by a team that leads the league in hits, they were questioning themselves inside.
Their new coach, Peter Laviolette, called the defeat "really disturbing".
Their captain, Mike Richards, came right out and said the team wasn't playing with enough heart.
Their fans believe the ship is going down quickly. Here's what one of them on a Flyers' comment board had to say after last night's beating:
"This team is terrible, and really, since their run 2 years ago, which really only happened because of Biron and Umberger, this team has gone completely downhill. Maybe instead of getting rid of guys like Biron, Umberger, Upshall, Lupul, and Knuble, they should have unloaded Richards, Carter, Briere, Gagne, and Hartnell - none of them play with any heart, emotion, or common hockey sense. Where has Briere gone? And can Gagne play more than 10 games a season? This team is nothing more than a punchline."
Another:
"What, it took Richards one of the worst stretches in years and the coach getting fired for him to realize that they don't have any heart? I could've told him that a month ago. Or last year, up 3-0 at home in the playoffs, after Dan Carcillo freaking destroys Maxime Talbot in a fight, they lost. In a clinching game! I've been following and/or watching this team for 27 years, and I'm telling you, Jeff Carter and Daniel Briere are two of the softest players I've ever seen. The toughest skill players the Flyers have are Richards and Giroux. The toughest players, period, are Laperriere and Carcillo. The Flyers are scared to trade Jeff Carter, but I wouldn't be afraid. He's never going to be a guy who wins you games that matter -- his game hasn't changed in five years."
One more:
"Last night's game demonstrated the vast gap between the Pens' talent and heart vs and the Flyers' talent and heart. The Pens skate hard for 60 minutes and when a Pens player is on the ice their legs are moving. The Flyers skate then coast then skate then coast, and too many Flyers are standing around waiting for the puck instead of just skating for the puck. The fact that the Flyers are still "talking" about the need to play and skate hard speaks volumes. Simply put, the Flyers' "star" players aren't used to working hard to win and talent alone doesn't cut it at this level. The coaching change hasn't gotten the players' attention so it's a matter of time before one or more of these highly-paid, under-performers gets traded."
Think Philadelphia is going to give more on Thursday night in the second half of this back-to-back set against The Boys of Winter?
That remains to be seen, but the Penguins would be wise to come out with the same intensity that night and keep their foot on the gas pedal.
Something else they should do is continue to roll with the changes they unveiled to their man-advantage unit.
The power play went 1-for-4 last night and looked really good. They had great puck movement and there were a lot of open lanes for good scoring opportunities. And that happened against a fairly good penalty-killing team, too.
We'll see how the next contest unfolds. I'll recap it Friday.
NOTES:
With a complete complement (say that 5 times fast) of 13 healthy forwards, the need to dress enforcer Eric Godard last night, and Max Talbot's uneven play since returning from off-season shoulder surgery, #25 watched from the press box last night. I wouldn't be surprised to see him back in the lineup on Thursday, and perhaps Craig Adams sitting in his place in somewhat of a sitting rotation.
One that had the possibility of lifting a team up to an inspiring victory.
I was right.
It just wasn't the Flyers who took advantage of the opportunity to uplift themselves.
Instead, the Penguins rose up to their rivals and throttled the Flyers inside and out to the tune of a 6-1 win at Mellon Arena last night.
They jumped on the Flyers early with an early power play tally by Sidney Crosby, then followed that up by tangling in 3 separate fights over a 16 second span, before squashing any momentum Philadelphia attempted to gain by resorting to Saturday-night wrestling tactics with a goal 16 seconds after the last fight by Bill Guerin for a 2-0 lead.
After Jordan Staal scored shorthanded later in the first period to up their advantage to 3-1, Pittsburgh ran away with things the rest of the game, with Staal adding another tally to go with one by Ruslan Fedotenko and a second shorthanded goal by Evgeni Malkin for the 6-1 result.
Crosby added 2 assists in the game. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 26 of 27 shots, while the Penguins launched 35 at Philadelphia netminder Brian Boucher. Boucher -- starting in place of Ray Emery who's injured and out 6 weeks -- was playing again on a second-straight night after winning the night before in Boston, and looked overmatched.
Perhaps that's why the Flyers poached their second backup goaltender from another team in the last 4 days, pulling former Carolina Hurricanes' netminder Michael Leighton off waivers almost immediatley after signing former Tampa Bay Lightning goalie John Grahme to a tryout contract.
After the game -- Philadelphia's 11th loss in their last 14 games -- the Flyers not only were bruised on the scoreboard and beat up physically by a team that leads the league in hits, they were questioning themselves inside.
Their new coach, Peter Laviolette, called the defeat "really disturbing".
Their captain, Mike Richards, came right out and said the team wasn't playing with enough heart.
Their fans believe the ship is going down quickly. Here's what one of them on a Flyers' comment board had to say after last night's beating:
"This team is terrible, and really, since their run 2 years ago, which really only happened because of Biron and Umberger, this team has gone completely downhill. Maybe instead of getting rid of guys like Biron, Umberger, Upshall, Lupul, and Knuble, they should have unloaded Richards, Carter, Briere, Gagne, and Hartnell - none of them play with any heart, emotion, or common hockey sense. Where has Briere gone? And can Gagne play more than 10 games a season? This team is nothing more than a punchline."
Another:
"What, it took Richards one of the worst stretches in years and the coach getting fired for him to realize that they don't have any heart? I could've told him that a month ago. Or last year, up 3-0 at home in the playoffs, after Dan Carcillo freaking destroys Maxime Talbot in a fight, they lost. In a clinching game! I've been following and/or watching this team for 27 years, and I'm telling you, Jeff Carter and Daniel Briere are two of the softest players I've ever seen. The toughest skill players the Flyers have are Richards and Giroux. The toughest players, period, are Laperriere and Carcillo. The Flyers are scared to trade Jeff Carter, but I wouldn't be afraid. He's never going to be a guy who wins you games that matter -- his game hasn't changed in five years."
One more:
"Last night's game demonstrated the vast gap between the Pens' talent and heart vs and the Flyers' talent and heart. The Pens skate hard for 60 minutes and when a Pens player is on the ice their legs are moving. The Flyers skate then coast then skate then coast, and too many Flyers are standing around waiting for the puck instead of just skating for the puck. The fact that the Flyers are still "talking" about the need to play and skate hard speaks volumes. Simply put, the Flyers' "star" players aren't used to working hard to win and talent alone doesn't cut it at this level. The coaching change hasn't gotten the players' attention so it's a matter of time before one or more of these highly-paid, under-performers gets traded."
Think Philadelphia is going to give more on Thursday night in the second half of this back-to-back set against The Boys of Winter?
That remains to be seen, but the Penguins would be wise to come out with the same intensity that night and keep their foot on the gas pedal.
Something else they should do is continue to roll with the changes they unveiled to their man-advantage unit.
The power play went 1-for-4 last night and looked really good. They had great puck movement and there were a lot of open lanes for good scoring opportunities. And that happened against a fairly good penalty-killing team, too.
We'll see how the next contest unfolds. I'll recap it Friday.
NOTES:
With a complete complement (say that 5 times fast) of 13 healthy forwards, the need to dress enforcer Eric Godard last night, and Max Talbot's uneven play since returning from off-season shoulder surgery, #25 watched from the press box last night. I wouldn't be surprised to see him back in the lineup on Thursday, and perhaps Craig Adams sitting in his place in somewhat of a sitting rotation.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Previewing the Pens/Flyers Home-And-Home Renewal Of The Commonwealth War
I found a lot of yesterday's talk surrounding the Pittsburgh Penguins upcoming home-and-home set with their arch rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers, quite interesting.
As most people know -- and as most Penguin fans, myself included, have joyously enjoyed -- the Philadelphia Flyers have struggled this season.
Coming into the year, many experts and publications figured the Flyers, with a high-octane offense, a solid core of defenseman including new stud addition Chris Pronger, and new fiesty goaltender Ray Emery, to be one of the best teams in the NHL.
The Hockey News even picked them to win The Stanley Cup.
If you ask me, they picked the wrong Pennsylvania team.
If you don't ask me and instead just look at the standings, you'll see the Flyers middling along at .500 and tied for last in the Atlantic Division standings.
They're tied for second last in the Conference and the league for heaven's sake, ahead of only the woeful Carolina Hurricanes.Due to their failure to meet expectations this season, and amidst questions about the team's leadership, they have already canned their coach, John Stevens, and replaced him with John Torterella.
How did the Flyers respond to that move?
They promptly went out and lost 4 of their next 5, scoring only 4 goals in the process.
Even with a 3-1 win last night, they've tallied only 7 goals in their last 6.
Couple all of that with the fact that the Penguins have won 9 of their last 11 home contests against Philadelphia, one might think things look good for The Boys of Winter tonight.
But that's where the talk yesterday comes in.
For as much as the Flyers have slumping, I believe it's folly to rule them as an easy "W" for the Pens' tonight -- just as I believe it's premature to write them off for the season.
Playing a big rival like Pittsburgh could energize Philadelphia, so it will be important tonight for the Pens' to get up on the Flyers early, put their foot on Philly's collective throats and not let guys like Jeff Carter (with only 2 goals in his last 14 games) and Mike Richards get going.
In doing that, the Penguins are going to roll out some changes to their power play tonight.
HCDB has moved Evgeni Malkin to the left point, where he will play on the back end with Sergei Gonchar. Geno may spend as more time along the right wall than actually at the point, but positionally at least, that's where he'll be in the group of 5 that's out there.
Blysma also is going to have LW Matt Cooke on the first power play unit to do some of the dirty work in front of the net and handle the puck retrieval in the corners.
I'm anxious to see how things work. At least some changes have been made, because we all now the Pens' man-advantage needs them.
Like Sarge said, imagine how good the Penguins would be if their power play was actually clicking.
Even around the middle of the pack in the league.
Recap tomorrow.
Let's Go Pens!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Weekend Recap: Kunitz Returns; Penguins Beat Panthers, 3-2 (Again)
There's no truth to the rumor that I didn't post a recap of Saturday night's Penguins' 3-2 win over the Florida Panthers because it was the third time in three tries Pittsburgh beat the Panthers in OT by the same score this year.
Admittedly, while the game Saturday evening at Mellon Arena played out mostly to script when compared to the prior 3-2 overtime victories the Pens' have put on the Panthers to-date this year, I simply got tied up unexpectedly yesterday and didn't get a post out.
In any event, Evgeni Malkin delivered the Penguins their victory against the Panthers this time, hammering home a slap shot on -- get this, a power play -- early in the OT to deliver Pittsburgh's latest heartbreak to the cats from the sunshine state.
If someone would have told me the Pens would actually score on their man-advantage opportunity in overtime, I wouldn't have believed them. In fact, I was hoping at the time they'd decline the penalty.
Good thing they didn't beacuse that tally -- Malkin's first in 6 games -- was the only one they scored on in the contest, after failing on five prior attempts.
Even in the unlikely event that his goal gets Pittsburgh's stagnant power play going, hopefully the tally will at least get Malkin going a bit. It was only his 9th of the season (Sidney Crosby has 20 by comparison), and he hasn't had a great deal of confidence out on the ice lately.
Another guy who will -- with any luck -- get going now a little bit after a goal is Ruslan Fedotenko.
Fedeotenko scored an easy tap-in goal on a nice feed from Geno in the second period for his first tally in 14 contests.
Pascal Dupuis continued his hot streak in the game, also, scoring in the first period. It was his 9th goal of the year.
Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 29 of 31 shots, while the Penguins -- true to form -- launched another 40 at Panthers' netminder Tomas Vokoun.
The game Saturday night marked the return to the lineup of LW Chris Kunitz. It was the first time #14 suited up in about a dozen games, and he looked pretty good for a guy that missed a lot of time. He was physical, and had some good scoring chances, too. I can't be surprised that he didn't convert them, but I wasn't disappointed in Kunitz's overall play Saturday night after missing so much time.
There was some talk that Max Talbot, who hasn't played all that well since returning to play after off-season shoulder surgery, might be a scratch for Kunitz, but #25 did suit up, and Eric Godard sat in the press-box for the game instead.
It will be interesting to see if Head Coach Dan Bylsma makes the same decision for their upcoming home-and-home set against the rough-and-tumble Philadelphia Flyers this week.
I think not.
I suspect we're more likely to see Craig Adams take a seat for these contests.
I'll preview the next 2 games against the Flyers tomorrow.
Admittedly, while the game Saturday evening at Mellon Arena played out mostly to script when compared to the prior 3-2 overtime victories the Pens' have put on the Panthers to-date this year, I simply got tied up unexpectedly yesterday and didn't get a post out.
In any event, Evgeni Malkin delivered the Penguins their victory against the Panthers this time, hammering home a slap shot on -- get this, a power play -- early in the OT to deliver Pittsburgh's latest heartbreak to the cats from the sunshine state.
If someone would have told me the Pens would actually score on their man-advantage opportunity in overtime, I wouldn't have believed them. In fact, I was hoping at the time they'd decline the penalty.
Good thing they didn't beacuse that tally -- Malkin's first in 6 games -- was the only one they scored on in the contest, after failing on five prior attempts.
Even in the unlikely event that his goal gets Pittsburgh's stagnant power play going, hopefully the tally will at least get Malkin going a bit. It was only his 9th of the season (Sidney Crosby has 20 by comparison), and he hasn't had a great deal of confidence out on the ice lately.
Another guy who will -- with any luck -- get going now a little bit after a goal is Ruslan Fedotenko.
Fedeotenko scored an easy tap-in goal on a nice feed from Geno in the second period for his first tally in 14 contests.
Pascal Dupuis continued his hot streak in the game, also, scoring in the first period. It was his 9th goal of the year.
Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 29 of 31 shots, while the Penguins -- true to form -- launched another 40 at Panthers' netminder Tomas Vokoun.
The game Saturday night marked the return to the lineup of LW Chris Kunitz. It was the first time #14 suited up in about a dozen games, and he looked pretty good for a guy that missed a lot of time. He was physical, and had some good scoring chances, too. I can't be surprised that he didn't convert them, but I wasn't disappointed in Kunitz's overall play Saturday night after missing so much time.
There was some talk that Max Talbot, who hasn't played all that well since returning to play after off-season shoulder surgery, might be a scratch for Kunitz, but #25 did suit up, and Eric Godard sat in the press-box for the game instead.
It will be interesting to see if Head Coach Dan Bylsma makes the same decision for their upcoming home-and-home set against the rough-and-tumble Philadelphia Flyers this week.
I think not.
I suspect we're more likely to see Craig Adams take a seat for these contests.
I'll preview the next 2 games against the Flyers tomorrow.
Friday, December 11, 2009
In Spite Of Themselves, Penguins Stop Mini-skid, Defeat Canadiens, 3-2
Defenseman Alex Goligoski returned to the lineup for the Pittsburgh Penguins in their game against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre last night, and the hope was that his presence might help the Pens' power play woes.
But after another miserable performance on the man advantage -- going o-for-5, including failing on 3 straight chances in the 3rd period with the game tied at 2 -- it seems that the only recourse Pittsburgh has is to start declining penalties.
And they should, because they're a much better 5-on-5 team, as evidenced by their overall 41-21 shot advantage last night and the fact that LW Pascal Dupuis got the game-winner at even strength with about 6 minutes left in the final frame as soon as the Pens' final man-advantage expired.
End result? Pittsburgh-3; Les Habitants-2.
The Penguins stopped a 2-game losing streak with the victory, and halted the Canadiens 3-game winning streak.
It also raised the Pens' record against the Canadiens to 3-0 this season, and put them into a tie with New Jersey at the top of the Atlantic Division. Both teams have 43 points, one point behind the NHL leaders: the San Jose Sharks and Washington Capitals.
Sergei Gonchar helped Pittsburgh set the tone early last night, capitalizing on the tempo they set from the outset by scoring 6 minutes in.
Sarge broke down the slot uncovered and took a beautiful backhand saucer pass in the slot from Bill Guerin before depositing a backhander by Montreal netminder Carey Pricce.
RW Matt D'Agostini and Defenseman Roman Hamrlik then scored a few minutes apart in the middle of the 2nd period for the Canadiens to give them a 2-1 lead, but Matt Cooke tied the game with just a few minutes left in the frame by deflecting in a Gonchar shot from the point.
That set the stage for Dupuis' game-winner in the third, which actually was the result of a misplay by Price when he tried to glove #9's rising slapshot, but only had it deflect off his glove and down into the net behind him.
Things got interesting for a moment a minute or so later when Montreal thought they tied the game by whacking a loose puck around the net past Penguins' goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, but referee Chris Lee lost sight of the puck and blew the whistle (or was in the process of blowing the whistle) just as the puck was being knocked in.
While that's the second time in the last few games the Penguins got a little bit of a break like that, it is what it is. If the referee is in the process of blowing the whistle, it doesn't matter if the puck goes in before the sound is heard.
You couldn't tell that to the Canadiens' fans last night, though.
No matter. The Penguins regained some of their equilibrium with the win, and return home to face the Florida Panthers on Saturday night, before they will quickly get re-acquainted with their arch rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers, in a home-and-home series next week.
NOTES:
LW Chris Kunitz has practiced with the team for 4 straight days, and could return to the lineup on Saturday. If not then, he'll certainly return next week. Getting Kunitz back would give the Penguins a completely healthy bunch for the first time in months, and it will be interesting to see who HC Dan Blysma decides to sit down. I think he might very well scratch LW Ruslan Fedotenko. Blysma has already had to have one-sit down with Feds about his play already this season, and he clearly is slumping. Time will tell.
More this weekend.
But after another miserable performance on the man advantage -- going o-for-5, including failing on 3 straight chances in the 3rd period with the game tied at 2 -- it seems that the only recourse Pittsburgh has is to start declining penalties.
And they should, because they're a much better 5-on-5 team, as evidenced by their overall 41-21 shot advantage last night and the fact that LW Pascal Dupuis got the game-winner at even strength with about 6 minutes left in the final frame as soon as the Pens' final man-advantage expired.
End result? Pittsburgh-3; Les Habitants-2.
The Penguins stopped a 2-game losing streak with the victory, and halted the Canadiens 3-game winning streak.
It also raised the Pens' record against the Canadiens to 3-0 this season, and put them into a tie with New Jersey at the top of the Atlantic Division. Both teams have 43 points, one point behind the NHL leaders: the San Jose Sharks and Washington Capitals.
Sergei Gonchar helped Pittsburgh set the tone early last night, capitalizing on the tempo they set from the outset by scoring 6 minutes in.
Sarge broke down the slot uncovered and took a beautiful backhand saucer pass in the slot from Bill Guerin before depositing a backhander by Montreal netminder Carey Pricce.
RW Matt D'Agostini and Defenseman Roman Hamrlik then scored a few minutes apart in the middle of the 2nd period for the Canadiens to give them a 2-1 lead, but Matt Cooke tied the game with just a few minutes left in the frame by deflecting in a Gonchar shot from the point.
That set the stage for Dupuis' game-winner in the third, which actually was the result of a misplay by Price when he tried to glove #9's rising slapshot, but only had it deflect off his glove and down into the net behind him.
Things got interesting for a moment a minute or so later when Montreal thought they tied the game by whacking a loose puck around the net past Penguins' goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, but referee Chris Lee lost sight of the puck and blew the whistle (or was in the process of blowing the whistle) just as the puck was being knocked in.
While that's the second time in the last few games the Penguins got a little bit of a break like that, it is what it is. If the referee is in the process of blowing the whistle, it doesn't matter if the puck goes in before the sound is heard.
You couldn't tell that to the Canadiens' fans last night, though.
No matter. The Penguins regained some of their equilibrium with the win, and return home to face the Florida Panthers on Saturday night, before they will quickly get re-acquainted with their arch rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers, in a home-and-home series next week.
NOTES:
LW Chris Kunitz has practiced with the team for 4 straight days, and could return to the lineup on Saturday. If not then, he'll certainly return next week. Getting Kunitz back would give the Penguins a completely healthy bunch for the first time in months, and it will be interesting to see who HC Dan Blysma decides to sit down. I think he might very well scratch LW Ruslan Fedotenko. Blysma has already had to have one-sit down with Feds about his play already this season, and he clearly is slumping. Time will tell.
More this weekend.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
The Winger Situation
On an off-day for the Pittsburgh Penguins as they prepare to face the Montreal Canadiens on the road tomorrow night, I'm feeling the need to spout off a bit on the current status of a few of the guys the Penguins pay to produce while playing alongside a few of the greatest hockey players on the planet.
I will admit ... there really shouldn't be much to complain about in the grand scheme of Penguin nation at this point of the season. Pittsburgh has one of the best overall records in the game and looks as if it will continue to be an annual Stanley Cup contender well into the near future.
I'm generally not a complainer, either.
However, that doesn't mean there aren't issues worth talking about. Isn't that floor one of the things this soapbox provides me anyway?
It's clear that the Penguins have chosen to develop the core of their team down the middle of the roster. With Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal and Marc-Andre Fleury anchoring the middle of the ice, Pittsburgh is probably as well positioned at those spots than any team in the game. They have committed significantly on the financial end to ensure that, too.
In the salary-cap era, however, those financial committments don't leave as much to go around at the other positions, and one area where the Penguins have had a deficit in talent the last few years is on the wing.
Worse, unless some of their prospects at wing develop into reliable contributors -- something that's possible with players like Luca Caputi and Eric Tangradi -- that may not change much in the future, because of the contracts Pittsburgh has with Crosby, Geno, Gronk and #29. As such, it's critical that the Penguins get at least average production from their wingers, and rely on the fact that playing with two-world class linemates in the middle should only help.
Well, right now, the Penguins are not getting even average production from two of their more notable wingers, Ruslan Fedotenko and Chris Kunitz.
Fedotneko, in particular, is struggling mightily right now. Feds has 1 goal in his last 18 contests, and only 10 points on the season.
The Russian Tank has never been a big scorer in his career during the regular season, averaging just under 20 goals and about 40/45 points per year.
But this year, he's on a pace for notably less than that -- about 10 goals and 25 points, despite getting a majority of his playing time this season on Malkin's left side.
Kunitz also has continued to fail to meet expectations offensively -- an unfortunate trend that started in last year's post-season when he scored only 1 goal in 24 playoff games despite playing just about every one with the Penguins' #1 center.
Kunitz has been hurt the last month or so, but he still was struggling to score consistently prior to that. He has only 3 goals in about 20 games.
Projected over a full season, that adds up to about 12 tallies.
Before Kunitz was acquired from the Anaheim Ducks, he was a regular 25 goal/55 point man. Bringing him to Pittsburgh to play with Sidney Crosby should have only resulted in him increasing those numbers.
Or so I thought.
There are other parts of Kuntiz's game that are valuable, and both he and Fedotenko are better post-season performers than they are during the regular season. That is important, after all.
But neither #14 or #26 gets paid for their post-season performance, and therein lies the rub.
Carrying Fedotenko this season isn't much of a risk for Pittsburgh. He even agreed to take a pay cut to stay on a one-year deal at 1.8 million, so the Penguins don't have a lot tied up in him.
Kunitz, however, is a different story, and that's why, even though he's produced more than Feds this season, his play frustrates me even more.
Kuntiz gets 3.5 million dollars, and is on a deal that has, I think, 3 seasons remaining on it. I've said it in this forum before and I'll say it again -- Pittsburgh doesn't pay Kunitz 3.5 million dollars to just create space for Crosby.
Mike Rupp can probably do that -- he skates well enough to -- and score 3 times as often as Kunitz.
For what Kunitz is being paid, he has to deliver more. Fedotenko also has to up his production if the Penguins are going to continue to be one of the better teams in the league.
While I'm not a guy who gives up on players at the drop of a hat, I think Pens' GM Ray Shero has to consider moving one or both of these guys if they don't improve. Soon.
Again, the salary cap era dictates this as much as anything.
Time will tell whether Shero has something up his sleeve regarding these two guys. I've already heard rumors that he's exploring the trade market for Fedotenko, hoping to get a draft pick in return. And I'm sure he'll be eying a winger or two at the trade deadline again this year.
That's probably something Penguins' fans should get used to.
For now, Pittsburgh has to count on Kunitz and Fedotenko to realize that their teammates need more from them, and raise their games accordingly.
If they don't, they might find themselves on a far-less championship-worthy club sooner rather than later.
I will admit ... there really shouldn't be much to complain about in the grand scheme of Penguin nation at this point of the season. Pittsburgh has one of the best overall records in the game and looks as if it will continue to be an annual Stanley Cup contender well into the near future.
I'm generally not a complainer, either.
However, that doesn't mean there aren't issues worth talking about. Isn't that floor one of the things this soapbox provides me anyway?
It's clear that the Penguins have chosen to develop the core of their team down the middle of the roster. With Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal and Marc-Andre Fleury anchoring the middle of the ice, Pittsburgh is probably as well positioned at those spots than any team in the game. They have committed significantly on the financial end to ensure that, too.
In the salary-cap era, however, those financial committments don't leave as much to go around at the other positions, and one area where the Penguins have had a deficit in talent the last few years is on the wing.
Worse, unless some of their prospects at wing develop into reliable contributors -- something that's possible with players like Luca Caputi and Eric Tangradi -- that may not change much in the future, because of the contracts Pittsburgh has with Crosby, Geno, Gronk and #29. As such, it's critical that the Penguins get at least average production from their wingers, and rely on the fact that playing with two-world class linemates in the middle should only help.
Well, right now, the Penguins are not getting even average production from two of their more notable wingers, Ruslan Fedotenko and Chris Kunitz.
Fedotneko, in particular, is struggling mightily right now. Feds has 1 goal in his last 18 contests, and only 10 points on the season.
The Russian Tank has never been a big scorer in his career during the regular season, averaging just under 20 goals and about 40/45 points per year.
But this year, he's on a pace for notably less than that -- about 10 goals and 25 points, despite getting a majority of his playing time this season on Malkin's left side.
Kunitz also has continued to fail to meet expectations offensively -- an unfortunate trend that started in last year's post-season when he scored only 1 goal in 24 playoff games despite playing just about every one with the Penguins' #1 center.
Kunitz has been hurt the last month or so, but he still was struggling to score consistently prior to that. He has only 3 goals in about 20 games.
Projected over a full season, that adds up to about 12 tallies.
Before Kunitz was acquired from the Anaheim Ducks, he was a regular 25 goal/55 point man. Bringing him to Pittsburgh to play with Sidney Crosby should have only resulted in him increasing those numbers.
Or so I thought.
There are other parts of Kuntiz's game that are valuable, and both he and Fedotenko are better post-season performers than they are during the regular season. That is important, after all.
But neither #14 or #26 gets paid for their post-season performance, and therein lies the rub.
Carrying Fedotenko this season isn't much of a risk for Pittsburgh. He even agreed to take a pay cut to stay on a one-year deal at 1.8 million, so the Penguins don't have a lot tied up in him.
Kunitz, however, is a different story, and that's why, even though he's produced more than Feds this season, his play frustrates me even more.
Kuntiz gets 3.5 million dollars, and is on a deal that has, I think, 3 seasons remaining on it. I've said it in this forum before and I'll say it again -- Pittsburgh doesn't pay Kunitz 3.5 million dollars to just create space for Crosby.
Mike Rupp can probably do that -- he skates well enough to -- and score 3 times as often as Kunitz.
For what Kunitz is being paid, he has to deliver more. Fedotenko also has to up his production if the Penguins are going to continue to be one of the better teams in the league.
While I'm not a guy who gives up on players at the drop of a hat, I think Pens' GM Ray Shero has to consider moving one or both of these guys if they don't improve. Soon.
Again, the salary cap era dictates this as much as anything.
Time will tell whether Shero has something up his sleeve regarding these two guys. I've already heard rumors that he's exploring the trade market for Fedotenko, hoping to get a draft pick in return. And I'm sure he'll be eying a winger or two at the trade deadline again this year.
That's probably something Penguins' fans should get used to.
For now, Pittsburgh has to count on Kunitz and Fedotenko to realize that their teammates need more from them, and raise their games accordingly.
If they don't, they might find themselves on a far-less championship-worthy club sooner rather than later.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Penguins Stormed By Hurricanes In 3-2 Defeat
The Carolina Hurricanes went into the game last night against The Boys Of Winter as winners of only 6 of their 28 games this season all year long and by far and away the worst record in the National Hockey League.
Worse still, none of their whopping 6 wins had come on the road.
So, of course, they walked right into Mellon Arena, ran up an early 3-0 lead on sloppy and sluggish Pittsburgh and ultimately turned that into a 3-2 victory over a team that all too often plays down to its opposition.
Something about the Penguins coming down from their intense game Saturday night against the Chicago Blackhawks?
Yeah.
Defenseman Andrew Alberts of all people got Carolina going last night with his first goal in 67 regular season games by finishing a 3-on-2 after he walked mostly uncontested towards the net (hard to blame Pittsburgh for choosing to leave him alone) before dangling the biscuit and tossing a backhander past Pens' goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury at nearly the 5-minute mark of the first.
'Canes winger Jussi Jokinen somehow managed to split the Pittsburgh defense -- barely -- on a play later that period before tossing a wrister over Fleury's shoulder to up the Hurricanes lead to 2-0.
When Carolina winger Ray Whitney scored to make it 3-zip early in the 2nd period, you could hear the groans throughout Mellon Arena.
Those groans changed to cheers about 5 minutes later though, as Sidney Crosby -- who returned somewhat unexpectedly last night after missing only one game with his groin problem -- and Mike Rupp scored about 50 seconds apart to make it a hockey game again, both throwing wrist shots underneath and between the legs of Carolina goaltender Manny Legace.
Legace probably wished he had both goals back at first, but that was before he remembered he was undefeated in his career against Pittsburgh. After there was no scoring in the 3rd period and that 3-2 score became final, Legace raised that mark to 4-0.
Fleury only stopped 18 of 21 Carolina shots for the Pens, while Legace rejected 30 of the 32 Pittsburgh put on the board.
The loss left Pittsburgh again now tied with the New Jersey Devils for the top spot in the Atlantic, after the Devils' 3-0 shutout win against the Sabres -- a record tying 103rd career whitewashing for New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur.
Hey, at least the Philadelphia Flyers continue to sputter. After unceremoniously firing head coach John Stevens last week after 6 losses in 7 games (including 2 straight shutouts) and hiring Peter Laviolette to replace him, they've promptly gone out and lost their next two, including last night's 3-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens where their supposed high-octane offense only put up 13 shots all game.
I actually like Laviolette as a coach and thought he may get a call from Pittsburgh when former coach Michel Therrein was on the hot seat last year, so it's probably only a matter of time before he rights the ship there in Philadelphia.
In Pittsburgh, righting the ship is what the Penguins need to do. With 2 straight losses going into Thursday night's game against the Habs, they want to stop that trend before it becomes somethign like what the Flyers are dealing with.
Pittsburgh will probably have defenseman Alex Goligoski back for that game Thursday night. GoGo began practicing with the team full tilt again yesterday.
More later this week.
Worse still, none of their whopping 6 wins had come on the road.
So, of course, they walked right into Mellon Arena, ran up an early 3-0 lead on sloppy and sluggish Pittsburgh and ultimately turned that into a 3-2 victory over a team that all too often plays down to its opposition.
Something about the Penguins coming down from their intense game Saturday night against the Chicago Blackhawks?
Yeah.
Defenseman Andrew Alberts of all people got Carolina going last night with his first goal in 67 regular season games by finishing a 3-on-2 after he walked mostly uncontested towards the net (hard to blame Pittsburgh for choosing to leave him alone) before dangling the biscuit and tossing a backhander past Pens' goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury at nearly the 5-minute mark of the first.
'Canes winger Jussi Jokinen somehow managed to split the Pittsburgh defense -- barely -- on a play later that period before tossing a wrister over Fleury's shoulder to up the Hurricanes lead to 2-0.
When Carolina winger Ray Whitney scored to make it 3-zip early in the 2nd period, you could hear the groans throughout Mellon Arena.
Those groans changed to cheers about 5 minutes later though, as Sidney Crosby -- who returned somewhat unexpectedly last night after missing only one game with his groin problem -- and Mike Rupp scored about 50 seconds apart to make it a hockey game again, both throwing wrist shots underneath and between the legs of Carolina goaltender Manny Legace.
Legace probably wished he had both goals back at first, but that was before he remembered he was undefeated in his career against Pittsburgh. After there was no scoring in the 3rd period and that 3-2 score became final, Legace raised that mark to 4-0.
Fleury only stopped 18 of 21 Carolina shots for the Pens, while Legace rejected 30 of the 32 Pittsburgh put on the board.
The loss left Pittsburgh again now tied with the New Jersey Devils for the top spot in the Atlantic, after the Devils' 3-0 shutout win against the Sabres -- a record tying 103rd career whitewashing for New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur.
Hey, at least the Philadelphia Flyers continue to sputter. After unceremoniously firing head coach John Stevens last week after 6 losses in 7 games (including 2 straight shutouts) and hiring Peter Laviolette to replace him, they've promptly gone out and lost their next two, including last night's 3-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens where their supposed high-octane offense only put up 13 shots all game.
I actually like Laviolette as a coach and thought he may get a call from Pittsburgh when former coach Michel Therrein was on the hot seat last year, so it's probably only a matter of time before he rights the ship there in Philadelphia.
In Pittsburgh, righting the ship is what the Penguins need to do. With 2 straight losses going into Thursday night's game against the Habs, they want to stop that trend before it becomes somethign like what the Flyers are dealing with.
Pittsburgh will probably have defenseman Alex Goligoski back for that game Thursday night. GoGo began practicing with the team full tilt again yesterday.
More later this week.
Monday, December 7, 2009
From One Conference Finalist To Another: Penguins News And Notes
As the Pittsburgh Penguins prepare to face their 2nd conference finalist in 2 games tonight as the Carolina Hurricanes visit Mellon Arena (7:30 PM, EST), there remains a buzz in town after the Pens' 2-1 OT loss to last year's other Western Conference finalist -- the Chicago Blackhawks -- on Saturday night in Pittsburgh.
While the game was somewhat unexpectedly low-scoring, the tempo and intensity was what you would expect from the two separate-conference superpowers. The Pens' had several good chances and hit a few posts, but couldn't crack Chicago backup netminder Antti Niemi. Niemi was stellar throughout the game.
Thanks to Jordan Staal's late heroics in the third period off a set face-off play, though, the Pens' were at least able to get a deserved point. It's tough to be critical of them -- especially in a game star center and Captain Sidney Crosby sat out because of a groin problem (he's day-to-day) -- but had they been a little smarter and tighter defensively, they might have gotten two points, since both of Chicago's tallies were the result of Penguin mistakes.
Penguins' villian Marion Hossa was just plain abandoned coming off the boards in the Pens' zone in the first period, and that allowed him to score uncontested on a rebound, while Pittsburgh was weak on its 4-on-4 coverage around the goal on Hawks' forward Kris Versteeg's game winner in overtime.
Still, a great teaser over the weekend if these two teams are to see each other again.
That would only be in the Stanley Cup Final, of course.
Tonight, while the Pens match up against the Hurricanes -- their final Eastern Conference foe on their way to the Stanley Cup last season -- The Igloo is likely to be lacking the same vibe as it had on Saturday night.
Carolina is easily the worst team in the National Hockey league this season. They've won only 6 contests all year, while losing 22.
Plain and simple, they are an absolute shadow of the team Pittsburgh saw last year.
Still, the Penguins should exercise caution. Crosby will probably sit out again, and we've seen the Pens' play down to their opposition at times.
One thing Pittsburgh has going for them is that they won't have to suit up LW Chris Bourque tonight.
After Matt Cooke returned from his 2-game suspension on Saturday night -- and even with Crosby out -- the Penguins instead chose to play call-up Mark Letetsu and, by extension, ended their experiment with the son of Hall-of-Fame legend defenseman Ray Bourque by waiving the winger.
Better still, the Washington Capitals -- from whom the Penguins claimed Bourque -- re-claimed him, so Pittsburgh won't be sending him to Wilkes-Barre.
Bourque had 3 assists in 20 games and was never able to make a consistent impact up front for Pittsburgh on the forecheck or otherwise.
Letetsu will probably stay with the Penguins until Crosby returns -- probably later this week -- but it shouldn't be long before we see LW Luca Caputi called up.
Caputi has been playing great in Wilkes-Barre for the last 6 weeks or so. He's dominating on the top line and showing an edge to his game that he'll need to succeed in the NHL.
Recap tomorrow.
Let's Go Pens!
While the game was somewhat unexpectedly low-scoring, the tempo and intensity was what you would expect from the two separate-conference superpowers. The Pens' had several good chances and hit a few posts, but couldn't crack Chicago backup netminder Antti Niemi. Niemi was stellar throughout the game.
Thanks to Jordan Staal's late heroics in the third period off a set face-off play, though, the Pens' were at least able to get a deserved point. It's tough to be critical of them -- especially in a game star center and Captain Sidney Crosby sat out because of a groin problem (he's day-to-day) -- but had they been a little smarter and tighter defensively, they might have gotten two points, since both of Chicago's tallies were the result of Penguin mistakes.
Penguins' villian Marion Hossa was just plain abandoned coming off the boards in the Pens' zone in the first period, and that allowed him to score uncontested on a rebound, while Pittsburgh was weak on its 4-on-4 coverage around the goal on Hawks' forward Kris Versteeg's game winner in overtime.
Still, a great teaser over the weekend if these two teams are to see each other again.
That would only be in the Stanley Cup Final, of course.
Tonight, while the Pens match up against the Hurricanes -- their final Eastern Conference foe on their way to the Stanley Cup last season -- The Igloo is likely to be lacking the same vibe as it had on Saturday night.
Carolina is easily the worst team in the National Hockey league this season. They've won only 6 contests all year, while losing 22.
Plain and simple, they are an absolute shadow of the team Pittsburgh saw last year.
Still, the Penguins should exercise caution. Crosby will probably sit out again, and we've seen the Pens' play down to their opposition at times.
One thing Pittsburgh has going for them is that they won't have to suit up LW Chris Bourque tonight.
After Matt Cooke returned from his 2-game suspension on Saturday night -- and even with Crosby out -- the Penguins instead chose to play call-up Mark Letetsu and, by extension, ended their experiment with the son of Hall-of-Fame legend defenseman Ray Bourque by waiving the winger.
Better still, the Washington Capitals -- from whom the Penguins claimed Bourque -- re-claimed him, so Pittsburgh won't be sending him to Wilkes-Barre.
Bourque had 3 assists in 20 games and was never able to make a consistent impact up front for Pittsburgh on the forecheck or otherwise.
Letetsu will probably stay with the Penguins until Crosby returns -- probably later this week -- but it shouldn't be long before we see LW Luca Caputi called up.
Caputi has been playing great in Wilkes-Barre for the last 6 weeks or so. He's dominating on the top line and showing an edge to his game that he'll need to succeed in the NHL.
Recap tomorrow.
Let's Go Pens!
Friday, December 4, 2009
Crosby Stays Red-Hot; Pens' Defeat Avalanche, 4-1
The rumblings started about a month ago.
Despite a near point-per-game pace at that point, people wondered.
"What's wrong with Sidney Crosby?"
Please.
With 20 points in his last 10 games, 11 points (and 7 goals) in his last 3, and now 19 total markers on the season -- including 2 goals and a helper in last night's 4-1 Pens' win over the Colorado Avalanche -- those people have gone back into their closets to contemplate coming out in another way.
Evgeni Malkin also was big on the scoreboard for Pittsburgh last night, with 3 assists, and the third head of their triumverate -- Jordan Staal -- got into the act too, with an empty net goal and an assist.
8 points from The Big 3 in one game is just about too much for anyone to handle.
End result aside, however, Colorado did give the Penguins plenty to handle for the first two periods last night.
They took a 1-0 lead on a goal by T.J. Galiardi in the first period and, despite a beautfilly executed 2-on-1 by Crosby and Mike Rupp which led to a goal by #87 with 7 seconds left in the first to tie the score, took Pittsburgh into the 3rd period tied at 1-1. They contained the Penguins in the neutral zone a lot of that time, and used a grinding, counter-attacking game to keep Pittsburgh bottled up.
That's when the effects of the Avalanche playing in -- and traveling from -- Florida the night before really started to catch up to them.
The Pens' outshot Colorado 14-1 in the final frame, and got 3 goals to show for it, including a power play marker from RW Bill Guerin 7 minutes in that put them in the driver's seat, then 2 empty net goals by Crosby and Staal to finish off the Avalanche.
Pittsburgh actually more than doubled the Avs' shot total on the night, 33-16.
Galiardi's goal was the only one that got past Pens' starting netminder Marc-Andre Fleury, who won his league-leading 17th game.
Pittsburgh -- winners of 8 of their last 10 -- is now 20-9 on the season, and 5 points up on the New Jersey Devils in the Atlantic Division.
They also remain tied with the Washington Capitals atop the Eastern Conference, 3 points behind the league-leading San Jose Sharks for the top spot league-wide.
Next up for the Pens' is the matchup many people have been waiting to see --Saturday night against the just-as-hot Chicago Blackhawks.
Chicago is 8-1-1 in their last 10. And with players like Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and some guy named Marion Hossa (remember him?), they are the chic pick to go the distance in the West this year.
Some are even going as far to say that Saturday's matchup between these two clubs is a Stanley Cup preview.
I think it's still pre-mature for that, but it's fun for everyone to talk about. Needless to say, there should be an extra buzz in the Igloo tomorrow night.
I may have a hard time getting up a recap of that game, because I expect to be out of town, but I'll see what I can do.
NOTES:
Defenseman Alex Goligoski, it was revealed by head coach Dan Blysma yesterday, is dealing with a new injury, not a recurrance of the groin problem that originally sidelined him for 6 games several weeks ago. However, he is skating on his own and "progressing" towards a return soon -- maybe late next week.
LW Chris Kunitz on the other hand, still isn't skating, and there's now speculation that he may not return until late December from his similarly undisclosed lower body injury. But really -- who's missing Kunitz? With Max Talbot playing well with Sidney Crosby right now, Kunitz's absence hasn't been significant at all, and truthfully, I'm not sure that bodes well for him. Kunitz has not scored a great deal since joining the Penguins in the deal that sent defenseman Ryan Whitney to the Ducks, and while he's contributed in other ways, his annual 3.5 million dollar salary is far too much in the salary cap era for a player to not get on the scoreboard more. The thinking was that, even though he wasn't scoring, Kunitz helped Crosby's game beacuse he opened up space for him. Crosby's game has taken off now without Kunitz, so what does that say about how much he truly means to #87? You can pay someone a lot less than Kunitz is getting just to create room on the ice. Personally, I think Pens' GM Ray Shero should consider moving #14, maybe to a team like the Maple Leafs. Toronto GM Brian Burke is a fan of Kunitz and his style of play, and has the cap room.
Matt Cooke, who missed last nights' contest serving the 2nd game of his 2-game suspension, should return against the Blackhawks, which will mercifully put winger Chris Bourque back in the press-box. Bourque has not had any meaningful impact with the ice time he's received in about 20 or so games this season. Credit GM Ray Shero for taking a crack at him -- or at least brining in some degere of organizational depth -- but right now, Bourque simply doesn't deserve to be in the lineup.
Despite a near point-per-game pace at that point, people wondered.
"What's wrong with Sidney Crosby?"
Please.
With 20 points in his last 10 games, 11 points (and 7 goals) in his last 3, and now 19 total markers on the season -- including 2 goals and a helper in last night's 4-1 Pens' win over the Colorado Avalanche -- those people have gone back into their closets to contemplate coming out in another way.
Evgeni Malkin also was big on the scoreboard for Pittsburgh last night, with 3 assists, and the third head of their triumverate -- Jordan Staal -- got into the act too, with an empty net goal and an assist.
8 points from The Big 3 in one game is just about too much for anyone to handle.
End result aside, however, Colorado did give the Penguins plenty to handle for the first two periods last night.
They took a 1-0 lead on a goal by T.J. Galiardi in the first period and, despite a beautfilly executed 2-on-1 by Crosby and Mike Rupp which led to a goal by #87 with 7 seconds left in the first to tie the score, took Pittsburgh into the 3rd period tied at 1-1. They contained the Penguins in the neutral zone a lot of that time, and used a grinding, counter-attacking game to keep Pittsburgh bottled up.
That's when the effects of the Avalanche playing in -- and traveling from -- Florida the night before really started to catch up to them.
The Pens' outshot Colorado 14-1 in the final frame, and got 3 goals to show for it, including a power play marker from RW Bill Guerin 7 minutes in that put them in the driver's seat, then 2 empty net goals by Crosby and Staal to finish off the Avalanche.
Pittsburgh actually more than doubled the Avs' shot total on the night, 33-16.
Galiardi's goal was the only one that got past Pens' starting netminder Marc-Andre Fleury, who won his league-leading 17th game.
Pittsburgh -- winners of 8 of their last 10 -- is now 20-9 on the season, and 5 points up on the New Jersey Devils in the Atlantic Division.
They also remain tied with the Washington Capitals atop the Eastern Conference, 3 points behind the league-leading San Jose Sharks for the top spot league-wide.
Next up for the Pens' is the matchup many people have been waiting to see --Saturday night against the just-as-hot Chicago Blackhawks.
Chicago is 8-1-1 in their last 10. And with players like Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and some guy named Marion Hossa (remember him?), they are the chic pick to go the distance in the West this year.
Some are even going as far to say that Saturday's matchup between these two clubs is a Stanley Cup preview.
I think it's still pre-mature for that, but it's fun for everyone to talk about. Needless to say, there should be an extra buzz in the Igloo tomorrow night.
I may have a hard time getting up a recap of that game, because I expect to be out of town, but I'll see what I can do.
NOTES:
Defenseman Alex Goligoski, it was revealed by head coach Dan Blysma yesterday, is dealing with a new injury, not a recurrance of the groin problem that originally sidelined him for 6 games several weeks ago. However, he is skating on his own and "progressing" towards a return soon -- maybe late next week.
LW Chris Kunitz on the other hand, still isn't skating, and there's now speculation that he may not return until late December from his similarly undisclosed lower body injury. But really -- who's missing Kunitz? With Max Talbot playing well with Sidney Crosby right now, Kunitz's absence hasn't been significant at all, and truthfully, I'm not sure that bodes well for him. Kunitz has not scored a great deal since joining the Penguins in the deal that sent defenseman Ryan Whitney to the Ducks, and while he's contributed in other ways, his annual 3.5 million dollar salary is far too much in the salary cap era for a player to not get on the scoreboard more. The thinking was that, even though he wasn't scoring, Kunitz helped Crosby's game beacuse he opened up space for him. Crosby's game has taken off now without Kunitz, so what does that say about how much he truly means to #87? You can pay someone a lot less than Kunitz is getting just to create room on the ice. Personally, I think Pens' GM Ray Shero should consider moving #14, maybe to a team like the Maple Leafs. Toronto GM Brian Burke is a fan of Kunitz and his style of play, and has the cap room.
Matt Cooke, who missed last nights' contest serving the 2nd game of his 2-game suspension, should return against the Blackhawks, which will mercifully put winger Chris Bourque back in the press-box. Bourque has not had any meaningful impact with the ice time he's received in about 20 or so games this season. Credit GM Ray Shero for taking a crack at him -- or at least brining in some degere of organizational depth -- but right now, Bourque simply doesn't deserve to be in the lineup.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Penguins v. Avalanche Preview And A Trade Rumor
Tonight the Pittsburgh Penguins welcome to Mellon Arena the first of two consecutive up-and-coming opponents from the Western Conference, the Colorado Avalanche.
The Chicago Blackhawks visit the Igloo Saturday night.
As many know, Colorado was one of the hottest teams in the NHL during the first 4-6 weeks of the season. The Penguins were battling them for the top spot in the league during much of that time.
Since then, the Avs have cooled off conisderably.
While they still sit 2nd in the Northwest Division with a very respectable 15-8-6 record, they are actually playing below .500 hockey the last month or so.
Goaltender Craig Anderson has probably been their best player this year so far. Anderson, signed as a free agent from the Florida Panthers in the offseason, is the biggest reason why Colorado is where they are in the standings -- even if he, like the rest of the team, has taken a step backwards of late.
No word on whether Anderson will play tonight. He started the Avs game last night in Florida -- a 6-5 shootout loss -- and was injured with a minute left in overtime. As a result, the Penguins may see backup Peter Budaj tonight. Budaj is 1-1-1 with a 4.29 GAA, which tells you everything about how little Colorado plays him, or how little they actually trust him to play).
Pittsburgh may have seen Budaj anyway since tonight's game for the Avs is the second of a back-t0-back set that calls for travel up the entire east coast.
Up front, the Avs are led by center Paul Stastny, the son of one of my all-time favorite NHL players, Peter Stastny.
The latest edition in the Stastny clan is an excellent young player who excels at dishing the puck more than he does shooting, but he is a dangerous player the Penguins will have to watch. He has 7 goals and 23 assists this season.
Center Matt Duchesne, the Avs 3rd overall draft pick from this year, also is worth watching. He has 17 points this year so far and has definitely made an impact for Colorado coming right out of the draft.
Colorado also relies on Wojtek Wojlski and veteran Milan Hedjuk for offense. Hedjuk missed the game last night in Florida -- his 3rd consecutive absence from the lineup -- but Avs rookie coach Joe Sacco, who's contributions to Colorado's success this season so far also shouldn't be overlooked, hopes Hedjuk will return tonight.
Don't forget about some other surprise contributors for the Avalanche this year, either, including rookie center Ryan O'Reilly and right wing David Jones.
Defenseman Kyle Quincy -- a former Detroit Red Wing draft pick and a guy the Los Angeles Kings waived last season because, basically, they have so many good young defenseman -- leads the Avs backline with 3 goals and 16 points in 29 games so far this season.
I'll have a game recap tomorrow.
Let's Go Pens!
NOTES: There's a relatively large trade rumor circulating right now that involves the Penguins and Kings. I place little stock in it at this point, but in the spirit of keeping my readers informed about what I'm hearing, I wanted to at least mention it.
The rumor has the Pens sending center Jordan Staal and defenseman Alex Goligoski to the Kings for RW (and LA Captain Dustin Brown) and defenseman Jack Johnson.
Again, this is just a RUMORED deal, and one that involves two clubs playing really well. I don't see a deal like this happening at this point, and as a result, am not going to comment on it further until I get a sense that the rumor has more traction. If that's the case, you'll hear more from me. IF the Penguins were to make a move, I think it would be more likely for them to make a deal involving a guy like Ruslan Fedotenko or Pascal Dupuis (or even impending unrestricted free agent Sergei Gonchar) than a swap of Staal and GoGo for Brown and Johnson. Not that a deal involving any of those other 3 Penguins is necessarily close, but I would expect it to be more likely than the Pens/Kings rumor circulating around.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Ovechkin Out (And Suspended?) After Another Knee-On-Knee Hit
Normally, I don't do posts about other NHL-related happenings in this forum, but I can't help but speak out on what happened last night in the game between the Washington Capitals and Carolina Huricanes at the RBC Center in Carolina.
There is somewhat of a Penguins' connection after all.
Capitals' and league star -- and Pens' nemesis -- RW Alexander Ovechkin laid a knee-on-knee hit on Hurricanes' defenseman Tim Gleason that left both players in pain on the ice for several minutes with potentially significant injuries. Both were unable to put any weight on their injured legs after the hit and could not leave the ice on their own power.
Take a look at the hit for yourself:
http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Steven-Hindle/Ovechkin-Hurt--Tossed-for-Knee-on-Knee-Hit-with-Tim-Gleason--Video/98/24635
In Pittsburgh, we've seen this before, haven't we?
I know I still haven't forgotten the knee-on-knee hit that Ovechkin laid on Pens' star defenseman Sergei Gonchar in game 4 of last year's Eastern Conferencee semifinal.
That hit was the same sort of thing that Ovechkin did last night -- it just wasn't a play coming from behind the net.
Ovechkin goes to check a player leading with his shoulder at first and then -- in a desperate attempt to be like a bull and make some kind of contact even if the opponent does a good job trying to skirt the check -- ends up making knee-on-knee contact.
I don't think Ovechkin tried to hurt Gleason last night the way he may have ended up doing so. But I've said before that Ovechkin is somewhat of a reckless player and something needs to be done about it. He hits to hurt -- which is the way you should hit -- but he clearly doesn't play in control with his body and ends up recklessly throwing it around as a result.
Ovechkin was assessed a 5-minute major for kneeing and a game misconduct for what he did last night.
Aside from the Gonchar hit last year, we've seen Ovechkin take some runs at Evengi Malkin the last few seasons. As we all know, even though the All-Star game last season appeared to bury the hatchet between them, the two were known rivals.
Some of those hits and collisions were outright headhunting, as far as I was concerned, and -- there's no question -- I called for someone on the ice to seek retribution because you can't have those types of hits on one of your best players, no matter who is delivering them.
People are bringing that up again with Ovechkin after his latest foray into the realm of illegality, and asking whether he's finally gone too far:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/story?columnist=burnside_scott&id=4702269
Now, I'll be the first to say that Ovechkin is an exciting player -- maybe the most exciting in the game. He plays with flair and does a good job doing it. He's a star attraction for the Capitals and the league as a whole.
But while his physicality also is a general asset in his game, it can be a detriment for him as well because he doesn't play in control with it.
Now, after last night, look at the potential consequences?
He could (and should) be suspended.
He could be out of the lineup for an extended period of time.
And, if he did something as significant as tear a knee ligament, he could miss not only the entire 2010 Winter Olympics for his country -- an event Ovechkin has spoken on publicly as being hugely important to him -- but also potentially the Stanley Cup playoffs.
As a fan of a huge rival in Pittsburgh and the league in general, I'm extremely interested in how everything plays out.
I'll likely have more on this once the answers to some of the above questions are known.
For now, it looks as if Ovechkin will likely have a lot of time to think about all of the above.
There is somewhat of a Penguins' connection after all.
Capitals' and league star -- and Pens' nemesis -- RW Alexander Ovechkin laid a knee-on-knee hit on Hurricanes' defenseman Tim Gleason that left both players in pain on the ice for several minutes with potentially significant injuries. Both were unable to put any weight on their injured legs after the hit and could not leave the ice on their own power.
Take a look at the hit for yourself:
http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Steven-Hindle/Ovechkin-Hurt--Tossed-for-Knee-on-Knee-Hit-with-Tim-Gleason--Video/98/24635
In Pittsburgh, we've seen this before, haven't we?
I know I still haven't forgotten the knee-on-knee hit that Ovechkin laid on Pens' star defenseman Sergei Gonchar in game 4 of last year's Eastern Conferencee semifinal.
That hit was the same sort of thing that Ovechkin did last night -- it just wasn't a play coming from behind the net.
Ovechkin goes to check a player leading with his shoulder at first and then -- in a desperate attempt to be like a bull and make some kind of contact even if the opponent does a good job trying to skirt the check -- ends up making knee-on-knee contact.
I don't think Ovechkin tried to hurt Gleason last night the way he may have ended up doing so. But I've said before that Ovechkin is somewhat of a reckless player and something needs to be done about it. He hits to hurt -- which is the way you should hit -- but he clearly doesn't play in control with his body and ends up recklessly throwing it around as a result.
Ovechkin was assessed a 5-minute major for kneeing and a game misconduct for what he did last night.
Aside from the Gonchar hit last year, we've seen Ovechkin take some runs at Evengi Malkin the last few seasons. As we all know, even though the All-Star game last season appeared to bury the hatchet between them, the two were known rivals.
Some of those hits and collisions were outright headhunting, as far as I was concerned, and -- there's no question -- I called for someone on the ice to seek retribution because you can't have those types of hits on one of your best players, no matter who is delivering them.
People are bringing that up again with Ovechkin after his latest foray into the realm of illegality, and asking whether he's finally gone too far:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/story?columnist=burnside_scott&id=4702269
Now, I'll be the first to say that Ovechkin is an exciting player -- maybe the most exciting in the game. He plays with flair and does a good job doing it. He's a star attraction for the Capitals and the league as a whole.
But while his physicality also is a general asset in his game, it can be a detriment for him as well because he doesn't play in control with it.
Now, after last night, look at the potential consequences?
He could (and should) be suspended.
He could be out of the lineup for an extended period of time.
And, if he did something as significant as tear a knee ligament, he could miss not only the entire 2010 Winter Olympics for his country -- an event Ovechkin has spoken on publicly as being hugely important to him -- but also potentially the Stanley Cup playoffs.
As a fan of a huge rival in Pittsburgh and the league in general, I'm extremely interested in how everything plays out.
I'll likely have more on this once the answers to some of the above questions are known.
For now, it looks as if Ovechkin will likely have a lot of time to think about all of the above.
Pens' 2nd Straight Hat Trick Leads To 2nd Straight Win And Home-And-Home Sweep of Rangers
I'm going to start off this blog entry with a nearly mind-blowing statistic.
Mike Rupp has scored as many goals this year as Evegni Malkin.
That's right.
Malkin has 8 goals.
And after his hat trick last night in New York against the Rangers led the Penguins to a 5-2 victory and sweep of their home-and-home series against the Blueshirts, Rupp now has 8 goals as well.
Rupp has snuck up on just about everyone this year. When Pens' GM Ray Shero signed him to a free agent contract in the off-season, the signing probably didn't even show up on the radar of 90% of Penguin nation.
Rupp was a big forward who could skate fairly well for a guy his size, and was willing to drop the gloves and be a physical presence for his teammates.
Nobody, and I mean nobody expected what he's given the team so far this year.
That includes his teammates, and probably even Rupp himself.
This from Jordan Staal, who Rupp played with last night on the 3rd line subbing for suspended LW Matt Cooke:
"I had no idea how good he was [before this season]. I mean, 'Rupper' is a really good player."
After his performance last night, Rupp has twice as many goals than a more notable free-agent signee (returnee), Ruslan Fedotenko, who has only 4 tallies after getting more ice time with better players.
Last night, #17 just got better and better as the game went on.
It started off, however, with a 1-0 Rangers lead and a goal in the 2nd period by superstar RW Marion Gaborik -- New York's prize offseason free agent signing.
Gaborik was inexplicably left alone in front of the net by Pens' defenseman Kris Letang and, after the puck came to him, got off a great uncontested shot that Pittsburgh netminder Marc-Andre Fleury made a great blocker save on. Then, Letang whiffed at a stick check on Gaborik's rebound instead of taking the body and let #10 get another near uncontested shot from the lip of the crease.
Gaborik made no mistake this time, going even higher on the blocker side to score.
About 10 seconds later, the Penguins' hottest forward -- center and Captain Sidney Crosby -- tied the game when he took a quick pass mid-flight from RW Bill Guerin, stormed into the Rangers zone and tossed a backhand high, near glove side past stunned New York goaltender King Henrik Lundqvist.
After last night's performance, Crosby has 8 points in his last 2 contests, and 16 points in his last 10.
He's now tied for 3rd overall in league scoring, 4 points behind San Jose Sharks' Center Joe Thornton.
After Crosby tied the score, Rupp began his onslaught.
He converted a set play off a faceoff when lefty Jordan Staal took a draw in the right faceoff circle and surprisingly went forward towards the net. All the New York players on the face-off must have instantly went color blind because even though Gronk won the draw rather cleanly, they all started skating the other way as if they had the puck.
Staal quickly passed the puck across the crease to Rupp, lined up on the left side of the circle and immediately breaking to the net on the drop of the puck.
Rupp -- also a lefty -- got off a nice backhand effort that Lundqvist stopped, but with nobody there to check him, he got off another nice backhand on the rebound that went off the post and in to give Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead.
Before the period was over, though, Gaborik was heard from again, scoring his league-leading 21st goal of the season (by the end of November, folks), again being somewhat left alone to Fleury's left and depositing a wrister by #29.
At that point, I wanted to send a Memo to the Penguins defense:
HOW DO YOU POSSIBLY FORGET WHERE GABORIK IS?!?!?!?!
Rupp made that point moot, however. After sustained what appeared to be a meaningful left knee injury, he returned to the ice and gave the Pens' a 3-2 lead by leading a 3-on-2 rush down the far boards, letting Staal and Kennedy drive to the net, then veering towards the net before depositing a top shelf wrister past Lundqvist.
Crosby quickly got the Pens' 4th goal by deflecting a Mark Eaton point shot off the ice and behind Lundqvist, before Rupp finished his magical night off with a deserved hat trick by getting the empty netter.
Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 29 of 31 shots for his league-leading 16th win -- again, the Pens' first in New York since March 1, of 2007.
The Pens' are 3-0 against the Rangers this year, and have taken 6 straight overall from them dating to last season.
With their 7th win in 9 games, Pittsburgh now has an 19-8 record, and remains tied with Washington atop the Eastern Conference standings. No team has more wins.
They also are 3 points up on New Jersey in the Atlantic Division.
The Pens' will be tested in their next 2 contests, against the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday and Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday. Each of those games will be at The Igloo.
Both of those squads have 35 points, although the Avs' have cooled somewhat after a hot start, and will be playing in Florida against the Panthers the night before they face off against Pittsburgh, so that can only help the cause.
NOTES: After returning to the lineup on Saturday night against the Rangers, defenseman Alex Goligoski did not make the trip and did not play last evening. He either sustained a recurrence of his prior lower body injury or sustained a new one -- related or not. He's listed as day-to-day right now, but I wouldn't expect to see him again this week. Defenseman Jay McKee took his place in the lineup, returning after missing 6 games for an infected finger.
Pittsburgh's power play wen o-for-5 on the night, missing a chance to blow the game wide open in the second period with multiple consecutive man advantages. Here's a thought for Head Coach Dan Blysma: How about putting Rupp on the power play?
Mike Rupp has scored as many goals this year as Evegni Malkin.
That's right.
Malkin has 8 goals.
And after his hat trick last night in New York against the Rangers led the Penguins to a 5-2 victory and sweep of their home-and-home series against the Blueshirts, Rupp now has 8 goals as well.
Rupp has snuck up on just about everyone this year. When Pens' GM Ray Shero signed him to a free agent contract in the off-season, the signing probably didn't even show up on the radar of 90% of Penguin nation.
Rupp was a big forward who could skate fairly well for a guy his size, and was willing to drop the gloves and be a physical presence for his teammates.
Nobody, and I mean nobody expected what he's given the team so far this year.
That includes his teammates, and probably even Rupp himself.
This from Jordan Staal, who Rupp played with last night on the 3rd line subbing for suspended LW Matt Cooke:
"I had no idea how good he was [before this season]. I mean, 'Rupper' is a really good player."
After his performance last night, Rupp has twice as many goals than a more notable free-agent signee (returnee), Ruslan Fedotenko, who has only 4 tallies after getting more ice time with better players.
Last night, #17 just got better and better as the game went on.
It started off, however, with a 1-0 Rangers lead and a goal in the 2nd period by superstar RW Marion Gaborik -- New York's prize offseason free agent signing.
Gaborik was inexplicably left alone in front of the net by Pens' defenseman Kris Letang and, after the puck came to him, got off a great uncontested shot that Pittsburgh netminder Marc-Andre Fleury made a great blocker save on. Then, Letang whiffed at a stick check on Gaborik's rebound instead of taking the body and let #10 get another near uncontested shot from the lip of the crease.
Gaborik made no mistake this time, going even higher on the blocker side to score.
About 10 seconds later, the Penguins' hottest forward -- center and Captain Sidney Crosby -- tied the game when he took a quick pass mid-flight from RW Bill Guerin, stormed into the Rangers zone and tossed a backhand high, near glove side past stunned New York goaltender King Henrik Lundqvist.
After last night's performance, Crosby has 8 points in his last 2 contests, and 16 points in his last 10.
He's now tied for 3rd overall in league scoring, 4 points behind San Jose Sharks' Center Joe Thornton.
After Crosby tied the score, Rupp began his onslaught.
He converted a set play off a faceoff when lefty Jordan Staal took a draw in the right faceoff circle and surprisingly went forward towards the net. All the New York players on the face-off must have instantly went color blind because even though Gronk won the draw rather cleanly, they all started skating the other way as if they had the puck.
Staal quickly passed the puck across the crease to Rupp, lined up on the left side of the circle and immediately breaking to the net on the drop of the puck.
Rupp -- also a lefty -- got off a nice backhand effort that Lundqvist stopped, but with nobody there to check him, he got off another nice backhand on the rebound that went off the post and in to give Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead.
Before the period was over, though, Gaborik was heard from again, scoring his league-leading 21st goal of the season (by the end of November, folks), again being somewhat left alone to Fleury's left and depositing a wrister by #29.
At that point, I wanted to send a Memo to the Penguins defense:
HOW DO YOU POSSIBLY FORGET WHERE GABORIK IS?!?!?!?!
Rupp made that point moot, however. After sustained what appeared to be a meaningful left knee injury, he returned to the ice and gave the Pens' a 3-2 lead by leading a 3-on-2 rush down the far boards, letting Staal and Kennedy drive to the net, then veering towards the net before depositing a top shelf wrister past Lundqvist.
Crosby quickly got the Pens' 4th goal by deflecting a Mark Eaton point shot off the ice and behind Lundqvist, before Rupp finished his magical night off with a deserved hat trick by getting the empty netter.
Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 29 of 31 shots for his league-leading 16th win -- again, the Pens' first in New York since March 1, of 2007.
The Pens' are 3-0 against the Rangers this year, and have taken 6 straight overall from them dating to last season.
With their 7th win in 9 games, Pittsburgh now has an 19-8 record, and remains tied with Washington atop the Eastern Conference standings. No team has more wins.
They also are 3 points up on New Jersey in the Atlantic Division.
The Pens' will be tested in their next 2 contests, against the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday and Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday. Each of those games will be at The Igloo.
Both of those squads have 35 points, although the Avs' have cooled somewhat after a hot start, and will be playing in Florida against the Panthers the night before they face off against Pittsburgh, so that can only help the cause.
NOTES: After returning to the lineup on Saturday night against the Rangers, defenseman Alex Goligoski did not make the trip and did not play last evening. He either sustained a recurrence of his prior lower body injury or sustained a new one -- related or not. He's listed as day-to-day right now, but I wouldn't expect to see him again this week. Defenseman Jay McKee took his place in the lineup, returning after missing 6 games for an infected finger.
Pittsburgh's power play wen o-for-5 on the night, missing a chance to blow the game wide open in the second period with multiple consecutive man advantages. Here's a thought for Head Coach Dan Blysma: How about putting Rupp on the power play?
Monday, November 30, 2009
Cooke Suspended 2 Games; McKee Expected to Return Tonight
The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without the services of LW Matt Cooke against the New York Rangers this evening (7:30 PM EST) at Madison Square Garden after the National Hockey League announced yesterday that it was suspending Cooke 2 games for his "deliberate" hit to the head-area of Rangers rookie forward Artem Anisimov in Saturday night's 8-3 Pens' win over New York.
I'm slightly surprised by the suspension, but not a great deal, given that the league is attempting to crack down on hits like this. I will take umbrage, however, with those who say that Cooke left his feet in making the hit. Take a look for yourself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXixraReToU
Cooke is in the air, but mostly after the hit, and as a result of it. In making contact, he doesn't elevate himself any more than any other typical hit that occurs throughout the game.
I'm also not certain that the hit was as much to the head as it was to the upper chest area. It looked to me like he was searching for the upper-center mass of Anisimov rather than the head, although I would like to have seen the hit from another angle.
The problem for Cooke on this play, as I see it -- and probably as the league sees it, too -- is the fact that Anisimov is looking the other way. The NHL is really watching defenseless hits, especially to the head (or "head area"), and that's what sealed Cooke's fate the most on this one.
That, and the fact that Cooke is what the league calls a "repeat offender" since he has been suspended previously.
With Cooke out, tonight's rematch against the Rangers may take on a slightly less hostile flavor. At least Brashear and others won't be out to get Cookie on every shift.
While Pittsburgh will be missing #24's services tonight, they are likely to see a return to the lineup of #74 Jay McKee.
McKee has missed about the last 10-12 days with a finger infection, believed to be sustained as a result of blocking a shot at the end of the last game he played.
Interestingly, I heard McKee the other day talking about how his hand swelled up so much as a result of the infection, he had to go to the hospital and have cuts relieve the pressure.
Still, McKee has obviously recovered well enough to get back on the linuep ahead of schedule. Initially, it was thought he'd be out up to 4 weeks. The Pens' will surely welcome his shot blocking and defensive presence back into the lineup.
With Pittsburgh returning D-men Ben Lovejoy and Deryk Engelland to Wilkes Barre after the returns of Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski over the weekend, it looks as if Martin Skoula will take a seat as a healthy scratch again, as he did for the first 6 or so weeks of the season when the Pens' backline corps was healthy.
It's somewhat of a shame to sit Skoula, given how good he's performed. I mean, let's be honest about it. Skoula played well while in the lineup, with 3 goals and 7 points in 18 games, and deserves a lot of credit for his showing out there.
He also was a plus-one during that period -- which inculdes the stretch when the Penguins were slumping becasue of all the regulars they were missing.
Pittsburgh will need everyone tonight, though, because they haven't won on MSG ice since March 1 of 2007.
Henrik Lundqvist, certain to start in goal for the Rangers tonight, is 12-1-1 on home ice against the Pens' in his career.
It certainly won't be an easy task for the Boys of Winter this evening, despite how easy they made things seem on Saturday.
Recap tomorrow.
Let's Go Pens!
I'm slightly surprised by the suspension, but not a great deal, given that the league is attempting to crack down on hits like this. I will take umbrage, however, with those who say that Cooke left his feet in making the hit. Take a look for yourself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXixraReToU
Cooke is in the air, but mostly after the hit, and as a result of it. In making contact, he doesn't elevate himself any more than any other typical hit that occurs throughout the game.
I'm also not certain that the hit was as much to the head as it was to the upper chest area. It looked to me like he was searching for the upper-center mass of Anisimov rather than the head, although I would like to have seen the hit from another angle.
The problem for Cooke on this play, as I see it -- and probably as the league sees it, too -- is the fact that Anisimov is looking the other way. The NHL is really watching defenseless hits, especially to the head (or "head area"), and that's what sealed Cooke's fate the most on this one.
That, and the fact that Cooke is what the league calls a "repeat offender" since he has been suspended previously.
With Cooke out, tonight's rematch against the Rangers may take on a slightly less hostile flavor. At least Brashear and others won't be out to get Cookie on every shift.
While Pittsburgh will be missing #24's services tonight, they are likely to see a return to the lineup of #74 Jay McKee.
McKee has missed about the last 10-12 days with a finger infection, believed to be sustained as a result of blocking a shot at the end of the last game he played.
Interestingly, I heard McKee the other day talking about how his hand swelled up so much as a result of the infection, he had to go to the hospital and have cuts relieve the pressure.
Still, McKee has obviously recovered well enough to get back on the linuep ahead of schedule. Initially, it was thought he'd be out up to 4 weeks. The Pens' will surely welcome his shot blocking and defensive presence back into the lineup.
With Pittsburgh returning D-men Ben Lovejoy and Deryk Engelland to Wilkes Barre after the returns of Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski over the weekend, it looks as if Martin Skoula will take a seat as a healthy scratch again, as he did for the first 6 or so weeks of the season when the Pens' backline corps was healthy.
It's somewhat of a shame to sit Skoula, given how good he's performed. I mean, let's be honest about it. Skoula played well while in the lineup, with 3 goals and 7 points in 18 games, and deserves a lot of credit for his showing out there.
He also was a plus-one during that period -- which inculdes the stretch when the Penguins were slumping becasue of all the regulars they were missing.
Pittsburgh will need everyone tonight, though, because they haven't won on MSG ice since March 1 of 2007.
Henrik Lundqvist, certain to start in goal for the Rangers tonight, is 12-1-1 on home ice against the Pens' in his career.
It certainly won't be an easy task for the Boys of Winter this evening, despite how easy they made things seem on Saturday.
Recap tomorrow.
Let's Go Pens!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
After Sluggish, 3-2 Post-Thanksgiving Loss To Islanders, Reinforced Penguins, Crosby Bounce Back To Destroy Rangers, 8-3
I was in a very foul mood the day after Thanksgiving.
After thoroughly enjoying a nice Thanksgiving meal the day before, I watched my favorite hockey team look like they were overstuffed birds themselves in a post-turkey day 3-2 matinee defeat to the New York Islanders on Long Island.
Which made the 2nd leg of their back-to-back New York run last night -- a 8-3 pasting of the New York Rangers at Mellon Arena-- that much more satisfying.
Pittsburgh was listless and sluggish against the Islanders all afternoon on Friday. Despite their relative poor play, they actually entered the 3rd period with a 2-1 lead on goals by Evgeni Malkin and Matt Cooke.
Rather than show the killer instinct they are so often known for, however, they imploded in a third period that the Islanders completely controlled.
New York outshot Pittsburgh by a whopping 18-5 margin in that final frame and it paid off on an early goal by Sean Bergenheim before star rookie John Tavares finished off the Pens' by scoring with about 6 minutes left to give the Islanders the win.
Pittsburgh actually wasted a pretty nice showing by backup goaltender Brent Johnson -- who started the game in place of starter Marc-Andre Fleury and stopped 34 of 37 shots.
The Pens' mustered only 21 on Isles' netminder Dwayne Roloson.
Their performance that afternoon apparently didn't leave only a sour taste in my mouth, though.
The Boys of Winter looked like a ticked off group last night back on home ice after the results they got the day before and the Rangers paid for it.
The Rangers really had no chance last night. They stuck with Pittsburgh early and didn't let the game get out of hand, but with the Pens' pressing the onslaught throughout, they were just too much for New York.
After starting star goaltender Henrik Lundqvuist the night before in a 5-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, New York went with backup Steve Valliquette last night, and he surely had nightmares of #87 when he went to bed after the game.
Crosby had the hat trick and 5 points for the Penguins.
Typically, his HT came on a night when Pittsburgh hosted hat-giveaway night at The Igloo, which meant there were about 87 times more hats than usual thrown on the ice when Sid got his third goal in the final frame.
He was joined on the scoresheet last night by Malkin, Mark Eaton, Pascal Dupuis, Max Talbot, and one of three reinforcements who returned to the lineup against the Rangers, Tyler Kennedy.
Kennedy returned after missing 12 games, and was joined on the ice by defenseman Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski last night -- who played after missing 8 and 6 games, respectively -- and those two wasted no time getting on the scoresheet, adding 2 helpers each.
Fleury stopped 22 of 25 shots in returning to the net for the Pens'.
Pittsburgh has had a lot of success against New York at Mellon Arena the last few years, and last night was no exception, but things haven't been so easy for them at Madison Square Garden lately, which is where both clubs will square off in their next game -- the second part of a home-and-home -- on Monday night.
Not surprisingly, the Rangers tried to set the tone for that one towards the end of last night's blowout loss, first sending Donald Brashear and then Ryan Callahan after Pens' LW Matt Cooke -- who leveled Rangers forward Artim Anisimov with a hard shoulder-to-chest hit when Anisimov had his head turned -- and then sending Sean Avery to jump Ruslan Fedotenko from behind.
The Pens' responded by sending out Eric Godard ---- on the ensuing 7 minutes worth of power play time they had to end the game.
That right there says it all about their dominance last night.
We'll see how the rematch goes Monday. It was definitely nice to see the Penguins quickly get back on track with their 6th win in 8 games, though.
More this week.
After thoroughly enjoying a nice Thanksgiving meal the day before, I watched my favorite hockey team look like they were overstuffed birds themselves in a post-turkey day 3-2 matinee defeat to the New York Islanders on Long Island.
Which made the 2nd leg of their back-to-back New York run last night -- a 8-3 pasting of the New York Rangers at Mellon Arena-- that much more satisfying.
Pittsburgh was listless and sluggish against the Islanders all afternoon on Friday. Despite their relative poor play, they actually entered the 3rd period with a 2-1 lead on goals by Evgeni Malkin and Matt Cooke.
Rather than show the killer instinct they are so often known for, however, they imploded in a third period that the Islanders completely controlled.
New York outshot Pittsburgh by a whopping 18-5 margin in that final frame and it paid off on an early goal by Sean Bergenheim before star rookie John Tavares finished off the Pens' by scoring with about 6 minutes left to give the Islanders the win.
Pittsburgh actually wasted a pretty nice showing by backup goaltender Brent Johnson -- who started the game in place of starter Marc-Andre Fleury and stopped 34 of 37 shots.
The Pens' mustered only 21 on Isles' netminder Dwayne Roloson.
Their performance that afternoon apparently didn't leave only a sour taste in my mouth, though.
The Boys of Winter looked like a ticked off group last night back on home ice after the results they got the day before and the Rangers paid for it.
The Rangers really had no chance last night. They stuck with Pittsburgh early and didn't let the game get out of hand, but with the Pens' pressing the onslaught throughout, they were just too much for New York.
After starting star goaltender Henrik Lundqvuist the night before in a 5-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, New York went with backup Steve Valliquette last night, and he surely had nightmares of #87 when he went to bed after the game.
Crosby had the hat trick and 5 points for the Penguins.
Typically, his HT came on a night when Pittsburgh hosted hat-giveaway night at The Igloo, which meant there were about 87 times more hats than usual thrown on the ice when Sid got his third goal in the final frame.
He was joined on the scoresheet last night by Malkin, Mark Eaton, Pascal Dupuis, Max Talbot, and one of three reinforcements who returned to the lineup against the Rangers, Tyler Kennedy.
Kennedy returned after missing 12 games, and was joined on the ice by defenseman Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski last night -- who played after missing 8 and 6 games, respectively -- and those two wasted no time getting on the scoresheet, adding 2 helpers each.
Fleury stopped 22 of 25 shots in returning to the net for the Pens'.
Pittsburgh has had a lot of success against New York at Mellon Arena the last few years, and last night was no exception, but things haven't been so easy for them at Madison Square Garden lately, which is where both clubs will square off in their next game -- the second part of a home-and-home -- on Monday night.
Not surprisingly, the Rangers tried to set the tone for that one towards the end of last night's blowout loss, first sending Donald Brashear and then Ryan Callahan after Pens' LW Matt Cooke -- who leveled Rangers forward Artim Anisimov with a hard shoulder-to-chest hit when Anisimov had his head turned -- and then sending Sean Avery to jump Ruslan Fedotenko from behind.
The Pens' responded by sending out Eric Godard ---- on the ensuing 7 minutes worth of power play time they had to end the game.
That right there says it all about their dominance last night.
We'll see how the rematch goes Monday. It was definitely nice to see the Penguins quickly get back on track with their 6th win in 8 games, though.
More this week.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Pens' Silence Hot Price, Canadiens, 3-1
The Montreal Canadiens came into Mellon Arena last night on a bit of hot streak, going undefeated in their last 4 games.
Their goaltender Carey Price also had been rolling of late, with a 4-1-1 record and a 2.11 GAA in his last 6 starts.
And all of this despite the fact that the team has lately been ravaged by injuries to key players (and otherwise), much like the Penguins. Last night, they were missing Scott Gomez, Brian Gionta, and Andre Markov, among others.
Well, fate caught up to Montreal and Price last night.
The Penguins took advantage of the Canadiens and their goaltender -- and the fact that the contest was the Habs' 4th in the last 6 nights, including the 2nd half of a back-to-back -- to the tune of a 3-1 victory.
For Pittsburgh, they continued their own little streak, as the victory represented their 5th win in their last 6 games.
It was obvious Montreal didn't have a lot in the tank, as they only launched 19 shots at Pens' netminder Marc-Andre Fleury -- 18 of which he stopped -- and fell behind 3-0 to the Penguins before they made a dent on the scoreboard.
Sidney Crosby got the Pens' first tally and his 12th of the season when he wired a laser wrist shot top corner glove side on Price from the top of the left wing circle about half way through the first period.
I think he surprised Price because Sid isn't known for ripping those from there.
Guerin got the Pens' 2nd goal more than 6 minutes into the 2nd period when Evgeni Malkin drew 2 Canadiens' players to him, slipped the puck to Billy around the goal line, and #13 drove to the net and stuffed the rebound of his own shot past Price.
Crosby was front-and-center again on the Pens' 3rd goal, later that period, when he led a rush that actually was 3-on-4, but with everyone's eyes on him driving down the near boards -- and trying to catch Jordan Staal and Matt Cooke steamrolling to the net -- Crosby threw a spin-o-rama backhand pass to trailer Sergei Gonchar.
Gonchar basically broke down the slot alone, deked Price, and slipped a backhander past him for the 3-0 advantage.
Max Pacioretty broke Fleury's shutout bid with a nice shot on a 3-on-2 with about 12 minutes to go, but that's as close as the Habs' got.
At 17-8, the Pens' are tied with the Chicago Blackhawks and Washington Capitals for 2nd overall in the NHL standings, 2 points behind the San Jose Sharks.
Pittsburgh leads the Atlantic by 3 points over the New Jersey Devils.
The Pens' next game is Friday afternoon on Long Island against the Islanders. It's possible we may see defenseman Kris Letang and/or RW Tyler Kennedy return in that one.
Prior to that, though, everyone can sit back and enjoy a Thanksgiving Feast today on FSN Pittsburgh.
FSN is replaying 5 games from the Pens' Stanley Cup run last season all day today.
They are showing game 6 against the Philadelphia Flyers, game 7 against the Washington Capitals, and games 4, 6 and 7 against the Detroit Red Wings.
I'll take that over Thanksgiving football anytime.
Happy Turkey Day everyone.
More over the weekend.
Their goaltender Carey Price also had been rolling of late, with a 4-1-1 record and a 2.11 GAA in his last 6 starts.
And all of this despite the fact that the team has lately been ravaged by injuries to key players (and otherwise), much like the Penguins. Last night, they were missing Scott Gomez, Brian Gionta, and Andre Markov, among others.
Well, fate caught up to Montreal and Price last night.
The Penguins took advantage of the Canadiens and their goaltender -- and the fact that the contest was the Habs' 4th in the last 6 nights, including the 2nd half of a back-to-back -- to the tune of a 3-1 victory.
For Pittsburgh, they continued their own little streak, as the victory represented their 5th win in their last 6 games.
It was obvious Montreal didn't have a lot in the tank, as they only launched 19 shots at Pens' netminder Marc-Andre Fleury -- 18 of which he stopped -- and fell behind 3-0 to the Penguins before they made a dent on the scoreboard.
Sidney Crosby got the Pens' first tally and his 12th of the season when he wired a laser wrist shot top corner glove side on Price from the top of the left wing circle about half way through the first period.
I think he surprised Price because Sid isn't known for ripping those from there.
Guerin got the Pens' 2nd goal more than 6 minutes into the 2nd period when Evgeni Malkin drew 2 Canadiens' players to him, slipped the puck to Billy around the goal line, and #13 drove to the net and stuffed the rebound of his own shot past Price.
Crosby was front-and-center again on the Pens' 3rd goal, later that period, when he led a rush that actually was 3-on-4, but with everyone's eyes on him driving down the near boards -- and trying to catch Jordan Staal and Matt Cooke steamrolling to the net -- Crosby threw a spin-o-rama backhand pass to trailer Sergei Gonchar.
Gonchar basically broke down the slot alone, deked Price, and slipped a backhander past him for the 3-0 advantage.
Max Pacioretty broke Fleury's shutout bid with a nice shot on a 3-on-2 with about 12 minutes to go, but that's as close as the Habs' got.
At 17-8, the Pens' are tied with the Chicago Blackhawks and Washington Capitals for 2nd overall in the NHL standings, 2 points behind the San Jose Sharks.
Pittsburgh leads the Atlantic by 3 points over the New Jersey Devils.
The Pens' next game is Friday afternoon on Long Island against the Islanders. It's possible we may see defenseman Kris Letang and/or RW Tyler Kennedy return in that one.
Prior to that, though, everyone can sit back and enjoy a Thanksgiving Feast today on FSN Pittsburgh.
FSN is replaying 5 games from the Pens' Stanley Cup run last season all day today.
They are showing game 6 against the Philadelphia Flyers, game 7 against the Washington Capitals, and games 4, 6 and 7 against the Detroit Red Wings.
I'll take that over Thanksgiving football anytime.
Happy Turkey Day everyone.
More over the weekend.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
