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!
Monday, November 30, 2009
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.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Penguins Replay 3-2 OT Victory Over Panthers
If the Penguins felt a sense of DeJa Vu last night after their 3-2 OT victory against the Florida Panthers, they'd be right.
Back on October 23, the Panthers took a 2-0 lead over Pittsburgh and carried that advantage into the 3rd period, before things collasped into a 3-2 overtime defeat at the hands of the Penguins.
That's exactly what happened last night, except the setting was sunny Florida under the debut of the Panthers new 3rd jerseys -- jerseys which, coincidentally, resembled the Pens' third jerseys, all the way down to the color scheme and circle center logo.
Like at the end of the contest in October, Sidney Crosby again won last night's game in overtime, this time on a 4-on-3 power play when he banged home an Evgeni Malkin rebound to give Pittsburgh's its 4th win in its last 5 contests.
The Pens' were on a power play thanks to a 4-minute, double-minor high sticking penalty assessed to the Panthers' best player last night -- forward Nathan Horton.
Because that call occurred with less than 4 minutes to go in the OT, Pittsburgh had a man advantage for the balance of the extra period, and after about a minute of controlling play in Florida's zone, Crosby tallied a man-advantage goal for the Pens' in their 4th consecutive game.
Horton and defenseman Keith Ballard got the Florida goals in the first and second period, before Pittsburgh's role players went to work in the 3rd.
Pascal Dupuis banged home his 6th goal of the season about half way through the frame when his rebound shot bounced off Panthers' netminder Tomas Vokun's shoulder and rolled up over him and over the goal line before the net was knocked off its moorings.
Then, with under 3 minutes to play and the Penguins having controlled play in Florida's zone for a good 90 consecutive seconds, Mike Rupp scored his 5th of the year by slipping a behind-the-net pass from Malkin under Vokoun uncontested from the crease after just about every Panther defender had zoned in on Geno behind the goal.
That set the stage for Crosby's heroics.
Dupuis has been playing strong hockey the last 2-3 weeks. He's now tied for 2nd on the team in goal-scoring.
And Rupp -- also having a great year for a role player of his caliber -- is breathing down his neck.
The Penguins outshot Florida last night 45-21. Vokoun was brilliant most of the game, as he often is against Pittsburgh. Had the Panthers not gone into shutdown mode in the final period, they might not have subjected him to a 22-3 shot differential during that frame and the OT, and they might have walked away with more than a point. As it is, even Vokoun couldn't do it all for them.
With the victory, the Penguins now have 32 points, to the tune of a 16-8 record. Only the San Jose Sharks, with 35, have more.
It's nice to see the Penguins get on a little run as they start to get more and more players back, especially since they have a 3 games in 4 nights stretch sandwiched around Thanksgiving that begins with a home game against the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday night, a Friday afternoon matinee against the upstart New York Islanders, and a home contest Saturday evening against the arch-rival New York Rangers.
Sometime during that stretch, it stands to reason the Pens' will see the return of at least one -- and perhaps two -- of RW Tyler Kennedy, D Kris Letang, or LW Chris Kunitz.
Letang is probably the most likely to return first. Kennedy was poised to return, but Dan Blysma seemed to indicate he's not quite ready just yet. Kunitz's absence has probably been the least talked about, but he's expected to hit the ice again soon, as well.
The injuries to defenseman Jay McKee and Alex Goligoski are likely to last until the middle of next month.
More over the holiday.
Back on October 23, the Panthers took a 2-0 lead over Pittsburgh and carried that advantage into the 3rd period, before things collasped into a 3-2 overtime defeat at the hands of the Penguins.
That's exactly what happened last night, except the setting was sunny Florida under the debut of the Panthers new 3rd jerseys -- jerseys which, coincidentally, resembled the Pens' third jerseys, all the way down to the color scheme and circle center logo.
Like at the end of the contest in October, Sidney Crosby again won last night's game in overtime, this time on a 4-on-3 power play when he banged home an Evgeni Malkin rebound to give Pittsburgh's its 4th win in its last 5 contests.
The Pens' were on a power play thanks to a 4-minute, double-minor high sticking penalty assessed to the Panthers' best player last night -- forward Nathan Horton.
Because that call occurred with less than 4 minutes to go in the OT, Pittsburgh had a man advantage for the balance of the extra period, and after about a minute of controlling play in Florida's zone, Crosby tallied a man-advantage goal for the Pens' in their 4th consecutive game.
Horton and defenseman Keith Ballard got the Florida goals in the first and second period, before Pittsburgh's role players went to work in the 3rd.
Pascal Dupuis banged home his 6th goal of the season about half way through the frame when his rebound shot bounced off Panthers' netminder Tomas Vokun's shoulder and rolled up over him and over the goal line before the net was knocked off its moorings.
Then, with under 3 minutes to play and the Penguins having controlled play in Florida's zone for a good 90 consecutive seconds, Mike Rupp scored his 5th of the year by slipping a behind-the-net pass from Malkin under Vokoun uncontested from the crease after just about every Panther defender had zoned in on Geno behind the goal.
That set the stage for Crosby's heroics.
Dupuis has been playing strong hockey the last 2-3 weeks. He's now tied for 2nd on the team in goal-scoring.
And Rupp -- also having a great year for a role player of his caliber -- is breathing down his neck.
The Penguins outshot Florida last night 45-21. Vokoun was brilliant most of the game, as he often is against Pittsburgh. Had the Panthers not gone into shutdown mode in the final period, they might not have subjected him to a 22-3 shot differential during that frame and the OT, and they might have walked away with more than a point. As it is, even Vokoun couldn't do it all for them.
With the victory, the Penguins now have 32 points, to the tune of a 16-8 record. Only the San Jose Sharks, with 35, have more.
It's nice to see the Penguins get on a little run as they start to get more and more players back, especially since they have a 3 games in 4 nights stretch sandwiched around Thanksgiving that begins with a home game against the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday night, a Friday afternoon matinee against the upstart New York Islanders, and a home contest Saturday evening against the arch-rival New York Rangers.
Sometime during that stretch, it stands to reason the Pens' will see the return of at least one -- and perhaps two -- of RW Tyler Kennedy, D Kris Letang, or LW Chris Kunitz.
Letang is probably the most likely to return first. Kennedy was poised to return, but Dan Blysma seemed to indicate he's not quite ready just yet. Kunitz's absence has probably been the least talked about, but he's expected to hit the ice again soon, as well.
The injuries to defenseman Jay McKee and Alex Goligoski are likely to last until the middle of next month.
More over the holiday.
Monday, November 23, 2009
After Bounceback Win Over Thrashers, Pens Finish Road Trip In Florida Tonight
The hallmark of a good team is when it bounces back from an embarrassing performance.
That's exactly what the Pittsburgh Penguins did against the Thrashers on Saturday night in defeating Atlanta, 3-2.
In a game that wasn't as close as the score indicates, the Penguins were strong in almost all facets. They controlled play for extended stretches, capitalized on their scoring chances, and got excellent goaltending from the same guy who was shelled in Ottawa on Thursday night, Marc-Andre Fleury.
Fleury stopped 31 shots in the game, and made several strong saves throughout the contest on some of the Thrashers' better scorers, including one of the best goal-scorers in the league, Ilya Kovalchuk.
For the Penguins, Martin Skoula scored twice -- his first 2-goal game in 8 seasons -- and Evgeni Malkin added one for the Penguins.
Pittsburgh even scored a power-play goal for the third straight game and -- despite getting defenseman Brooks Orpik back into the lineup after missing almost 2 weeks with a lower body ailment -- didn't lose anyone else to injury.
Going into the final leg of their 3-game road trip against the Panthers in Florida tonight, the Penguins jumped back into first place in the Atlantic Division, ahead of the New Jersey Devils, with 30 points.
Make no mistake, however. Despite winning 3 of their last 4, the Penguins have no room to rest tonight against a Florida club that is extremely hot. After a miserable start to the season, they have 8 victories in their last 11 games.
I've heard some talk that RW Tyler Kennedy may return to the lineup tonight as well. He's been practicing the last few days. Because his absence has been much longer than anticipated, it remains to be seen if the Pens' medical staff will be careful with him and sit him out for a few more days.
LW Chris Kunitz and defenseman Kris Letang also are very close to returning to the lineup. We should see them any game now.
Recap of tonight's Pens/Cats contest tomorrow.
Let's Go Pens!
That's exactly what the Pittsburgh Penguins did against the Thrashers on Saturday night in defeating Atlanta, 3-2.
In a game that wasn't as close as the score indicates, the Penguins were strong in almost all facets. They controlled play for extended stretches, capitalized on their scoring chances, and got excellent goaltending from the same guy who was shelled in Ottawa on Thursday night, Marc-Andre Fleury.
Fleury stopped 31 shots in the game, and made several strong saves throughout the contest on some of the Thrashers' better scorers, including one of the best goal-scorers in the league, Ilya Kovalchuk.
For the Penguins, Martin Skoula scored twice -- his first 2-goal game in 8 seasons -- and Evgeni Malkin added one for the Penguins.
Pittsburgh even scored a power-play goal for the third straight game and -- despite getting defenseman Brooks Orpik back into the lineup after missing almost 2 weeks with a lower body ailment -- didn't lose anyone else to injury.
Going into the final leg of their 3-game road trip against the Panthers in Florida tonight, the Penguins jumped back into first place in the Atlantic Division, ahead of the New Jersey Devils, with 30 points.
Make no mistake, however. Despite winning 3 of their last 4, the Penguins have no room to rest tonight against a Florida club that is extremely hot. After a miserable start to the season, they have 8 victories in their last 11 games.
I've heard some talk that RW Tyler Kennedy may return to the lineup tonight as well. He's been practicing the last few days. Because his absence has been much longer than anticipated, it remains to be seen if the Pens' medical staff will be careful with him and sit him out for a few more days.
LW Chris Kunitz and defenseman Kris Letang also are very close to returning to the lineup. We should see them any game now.
Recap of tonight's Pens/Cats contest tomorrow.
Let's Go Pens!
Friday, November 20, 2009
Penguins Embarrassed By Senators, 6-2
I sure hope the Penguins weren't counting on Sergei Gonchar or Max Talbot to be their saviors.
If they were, they need to go back to the drawing board.
Despite the return of both key regulars to the Pittsburgh lineup last night, the Penguins went out and promptly got flattened by the Ottawa Senators, 6-2.
Last night's game reminded me a bit of the game the Penguins played on the road against the Los Angeles Kings several weeks ago.
Pittsburgh was undefeated on the road at 7-0 going into that game and held a 2-1 lead going into the 3rd period, but I felt all along that the Penguins were getting outplayed in that contest and that it was only a matter of time before it caught up with them.
Last night -- the Pens' 4th straight loss away from home dating back to the Kings' game -- was no different.
Again, the Penguins were in the game going into the third period, at least on the scoreboard (even if they were down 2-1, instead of ahead), but they weren't playing well and the Senators finally got rewarded in the final frame for their energy, forecheck and general all-around desire all over the ice.
Jordan Staal had staked Pittsburgh to a 1-0 lead just over a minute into the contest, completing a nice tic-tac-toe play started when Gonchar passed the puck from his own end up the far wing off the boards to Bill Guerin. Guerin one touched the biscuit to an on-rushing Pascal Dupuis. Dupuis broke towards the goal and Staal joined the play just ahead of a backchecker to create somewhat of a 2-on-1.
Dupuis fed it to Staal who re-directed the puck with his long reach past Senators' netminder Pascal LeClaire.
Before last night, the Penguins had only lost a single game in regulation when scoring first under HCDB.
So much for that theory.
Matt Carkner scored later that period to tie the game -- in what would be the first of the next SIX straight goals for Ottawa -- culminating a good 45 seconds or so of consecutive play in the Pens' zone.
Milan Michalek scored in the second period to make it 2-1 Ottawa in a frame where the Penguins failed to score on 3 key power plays -- and looked bad doing it -- to try and recapture some momentum.
One of those man advantages carried into the 3rd period. Not only did Pittsburgh continue to fail miserably with their power play, they let Chris Kelly walk out of the penalty box and score on a breakaway as soon as it was over.
At that point, the wind came out of the sails for the Penguins. Chris Phillips scored twice after that -- one a horrible angle goal, and then a 2nd one that had Fleury looking half-hearted like the rest of the team. That 2nd goal by Phillips promptly chased #29 to the bench.
Jonathan Cheechoo got a 6th tally on Fleury's replacement, Brent Johnson, before Evgeni Malkin finally took advantage of a power play late in the game and got a goal which was meaningless except for the fact that it marked the Penguins 2nd power play goal in 2 games.
Hey, baby steps, boys and girls. Baby steps.
I was extremely disappointed in the Pens' performance last night. Despite outhitting Ottawa, the Senators notably outworked them, especially on the forecheck. Pittsburgh didn't show enough desire to get loose-pucks and were lazy all over the ice. And not only did they seem half-hearted in the defensive zone, they didn't seem to bear down in the offensive zone, either. I don't know if it was an expectation that with #55 or #25 coming back, things would be easy, or whether it was overlooking the Senators a little bit, or something else, but suffice it to say -- neither of those things should have happened.
You can't count on Gonchar or Talbot to make everything right. And Ottawa has been playing decent hockey this season. They are only 5 points behind the Penguins in the standings.
The Pens' contingent of AHL defensemen also didn't audition as well last night as they have the last few games. Deryk Engelland, in particular, struggled noticably. He was a minus 4 on the night.
Fleury is now 2-6 in his last 8 games, and 3-7 in his last 10. The whole team isn't playing as well as it, and he's certainly a part of that.
Pittsburgh has no choice but to just try and forget about this one. They should focus their energy on trying to bounce back Saturday night in Atlanta against an improving Thrashers' team that can light the lamp.
Hopefully they'll get a result better than the follow up to the Kings' game, which was a 5-0 beating at the hands of the San Jose Sharks.
More over the weekend.
If they were, they need to go back to the drawing board.
Despite the return of both key regulars to the Pittsburgh lineup last night, the Penguins went out and promptly got flattened by the Ottawa Senators, 6-2.
Last night's game reminded me a bit of the game the Penguins played on the road against the Los Angeles Kings several weeks ago.
Pittsburgh was undefeated on the road at 7-0 going into that game and held a 2-1 lead going into the 3rd period, but I felt all along that the Penguins were getting outplayed in that contest and that it was only a matter of time before it caught up with them.
Last night -- the Pens' 4th straight loss away from home dating back to the Kings' game -- was no different.
Again, the Penguins were in the game going into the third period, at least on the scoreboard (even if they were down 2-1, instead of ahead), but they weren't playing well and the Senators finally got rewarded in the final frame for their energy, forecheck and general all-around desire all over the ice.
Jordan Staal had staked Pittsburgh to a 1-0 lead just over a minute into the contest, completing a nice tic-tac-toe play started when Gonchar passed the puck from his own end up the far wing off the boards to Bill Guerin. Guerin one touched the biscuit to an on-rushing Pascal Dupuis. Dupuis broke towards the goal and Staal joined the play just ahead of a backchecker to create somewhat of a 2-on-1.
Dupuis fed it to Staal who re-directed the puck with his long reach past Senators' netminder Pascal LeClaire.
Before last night, the Penguins had only lost a single game in regulation when scoring first under HCDB.
So much for that theory.
Matt Carkner scored later that period to tie the game -- in what would be the first of the next SIX straight goals for Ottawa -- culminating a good 45 seconds or so of consecutive play in the Pens' zone.
Milan Michalek scored in the second period to make it 2-1 Ottawa in a frame where the Penguins failed to score on 3 key power plays -- and looked bad doing it -- to try and recapture some momentum.
One of those man advantages carried into the 3rd period. Not only did Pittsburgh continue to fail miserably with their power play, they let Chris Kelly walk out of the penalty box and score on a breakaway as soon as it was over.
At that point, the wind came out of the sails for the Penguins. Chris Phillips scored twice after that -- one a horrible angle goal, and then a 2nd one that had Fleury looking half-hearted like the rest of the team. That 2nd goal by Phillips promptly chased #29 to the bench.
Jonathan Cheechoo got a 6th tally on Fleury's replacement, Brent Johnson, before Evgeni Malkin finally took advantage of a power play late in the game and got a goal which was meaningless except for the fact that it marked the Penguins 2nd power play goal in 2 games.
Hey, baby steps, boys and girls. Baby steps.
I was extremely disappointed in the Pens' performance last night. Despite outhitting Ottawa, the Senators notably outworked them, especially on the forecheck. Pittsburgh didn't show enough desire to get loose-pucks and were lazy all over the ice. And not only did they seem half-hearted in the defensive zone, they didn't seem to bear down in the offensive zone, either. I don't know if it was an expectation that with #55 or #25 coming back, things would be easy, or whether it was overlooking the Senators a little bit, or something else, but suffice it to say -- neither of those things should have happened.
You can't count on Gonchar or Talbot to make everything right. And Ottawa has been playing decent hockey this season. They are only 5 points behind the Penguins in the standings.
The Pens' contingent of AHL defensemen also didn't audition as well last night as they have the last few games. Deryk Engelland, in particular, struggled noticably. He was a minus 4 on the night.
Fleury is now 2-6 in his last 8 games, and 3-7 in his last 10. The whole team isn't playing as well as it, and he's certainly a part of that.
Pittsburgh has no choice but to just try and forget about this one. They should focus their energy on trying to bounce back Saturday night in Atlanta against an improving Thrashers' team that can light the lamp.
Hopefully they'll get a result better than the follow up to the Kings' game, which was a 5-0 beating at the hands of the San Jose Sharks.
More over the weekend.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Talbot, Gonchar Expected To Return Tonight
While the Penguins lost yet ANOTHER player to injury yesterday, they are expected to gain two back for the start of their 3-game road trip in Ottawa against the Senators tonight.
Hey, at least the numbers are finally trending the right way.
Head Coach Dan Bylsma announced yesterday that the Pens' would be down another defenseman because Jay McKee had an infected finger.
McKee will be out of the lineup for anywhere from 2 weeks (what else were you expecting?) to maybe 3-4 weeks.
While I have no information to confirm when the injury happened, McKee did block a shot late in the Anaheim game on Monday night that left him on the bench in noticable pain. That shot might have clipped a digit, but it would seem to me to be premature to diagnose the finger as 'infected' so soon thereafter.
In any event, it doesn't appear that the Penguins will need to further deplete the blueline of their minor-league AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre any more because they expect stud defenseman and power play quarterback Sergei Gonchar to get back in the lineup tonight after missing 12 games to a broken bone in his wrist.
Sarge was cleared for contact just several days ago. Fortunately, the nature of the injury wasn't one which forced Gonchar into hibernation. He's been skating for a while, and thus able to stay in game shape. Once the bone was confirmed to have healed, it didn't take him long to get game-ready.
On top of #55 hitting the ice tonight, the Pens are also expected to have Stanley Cup Hero Max Talbot play for the first time this year.
Talbot, who had off-season shoulder surgery on July 7, was cleared for contact last week and is ready to go, 4 and 1/2 months into an estimated 4-6 month recovery period.
It's hard to know exactly where either one will go in the lineup at this point.
On the back end, Pittsburgh still has so many people out, it's likely to continue to be a mish-mash out there.
I would guess that Gonchar will just step into McKee's spot and play with Ben Lovejoy.
Regardles, you'll certainly see him on the Pens' power play, and he can only help that miserable unit of late get better.
Up front, where Talbot will play is anyone's guess.
Bylsma could immediately go back and pair him with Malkin and Fedotenko, on the same line that was so effective in last year's post-season.
Or, Blysma could keep Geno and Sidney Crosby together since those two have provided a recent spark to the Penguins offense to the tune of 11 goals in the team's last 2 contests.
In that situation, Talbot might play with Jordan Staal and Bill Guerin on the 2nd line, or he could play with Matt Cooke on the 3rd line.
While only time will tell where #25 plays, what there's little doubt about is that Talbot will instantly bring back the heart-and-sole energy that only he can bring to the Penguins -- and not just on the ice, but in the locker room, too.
It will be great to see both Mad Max and Sarge out with the boys again. Let's just hope nobody else goes on the shelf.
Recap tomorrow.
Let's Go Pens!
Hey, at least the numbers are finally trending the right way.
Head Coach Dan Bylsma announced yesterday that the Pens' would be down another defenseman because Jay McKee had an infected finger.
McKee will be out of the lineup for anywhere from 2 weeks (what else were you expecting?) to maybe 3-4 weeks.
While I have no information to confirm when the injury happened, McKee did block a shot late in the Anaheim game on Monday night that left him on the bench in noticable pain. That shot might have clipped a digit, but it would seem to me to be premature to diagnose the finger as 'infected' so soon thereafter.
In any event, it doesn't appear that the Penguins will need to further deplete the blueline of their minor-league AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre any more because they expect stud defenseman and power play quarterback Sergei Gonchar to get back in the lineup tonight after missing 12 games to a broken bone in his wrist.
Sarge was cleared for contact just several days ago. Fortunately, the nature of the injury wasn't one which forced Gonchar into hibernation. He's been skating for a while, and thus able to stay in game shape. Once the bone was confirmed to have healed, it didn't take him long to get game-ready.
On top of #55 hitting the ice tonight, the Pens are also expected to have Stanley Cup Hero Max Talbot play for the first time this year.
Talbot, who had off-season shoulder surgery on July 7, was cleared for contact last week and is ready to go, 4 and 1/2 months into an estimated 4-6 month recovery period.
It's hard to know exactly where either one will go in the lineup at this point.
On the back end, Pittsburgh still has so many people out, it's likely to continue to be a mish-mash out there.
I would guess that Gonchar will just step into McKee's spot and play with Ben Lovejoy.
Regardles, you'll certainly see him on the Pens' power play, and he can only help that miserable unit of late get better.
Up front, where Talbot will play is anyone's guess.
Bylsma could immediately go back and pair him with Malkin and Fedotenko, on the same line that was so effective in last year's post-season.
Or, Blysma could keep Geno and Sidney Crosby together since those two have provided a recent spark to the Penguins offense to the tune of 11 goals in the team's last 2 contests.
In that situation, Talbot might play with Jordan Staal and Bill Guerin on the 2nd line, or he could play with Matt Cooke on the 3rd line.
While only time will tell where #25 plays, what there's little doubt about is that Talbot will instantly bring back the heart-and-sole energy that only he can bring to the Penguins -- and not just on the ice, but in the locker room, too.
It will be great to see both Mad Max and Sarge out with the boys again. Let's just hope nobody else goes on the shelf.
Recap tomorrow.
Let's Go Pens!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
ANALYSIS: Penguins At The Quarter Pole
With the Penguins 2009/2010 season officially 25% in the books, it's a good time to take a look at where the flightless birds are right now, and where they are going for the next 6 or so weeks. At the end of my quarter-pole analysis, I'll list 3 players who I think have overachieved so far this season, as well as 3 who I feel have underachieved at this point.
Pittsburgh is currently tied for first in the Atlantic Division with 28 points and a 14-7 record. They've lost more than 3 times as many regulation games under head coach Dan Bylsma in just about the same number of games this season as they did during the close of the regular season last year after he took over as coach. Of course, all that does is emphasize how outstanding Blysma did last year down the stretch of the 82-game slate, losing just a couple times in about 23 or 24 games.
Still, the Penguins have little to complain about. No team in the league has more wins than they do, and only 3 have more points, despite their recent rash of injuries (more on that in a bit).
The Penguins have scored 66 goals, and given up 58. Again, only 3 teams have scored more. However, about 16 teams have let up fewer goals, which puts Pittsburgh in the middle of the league pack from a goals against standpoint. Obviously, they could stand to tighten things up somewhat defensively.
Their penalty killing sits a respectable 11th overall in the league, at a 82.1% kill rate.
Do I even have to talk about the power play? Ugh.
Okay. The Pens' man advantage is clicking (failing?) at an embarrassing 13.3%, good for 29th out of 30 teams league-wide.
I'd like to chalk up their failures on the PP to the rash of injuries they have sustained, but they've been subpar on the power play all season long -- even when they were 9-1 and 11-2 on the year.
Imagine how lethal Pittsburgh would be if they actually got the power play going?
Pens' assistant coach Tony Granato, who controls the power play, needs to get the guys back to basics. Have Gonchar and Malkin drill the puck to the goal, create screens, and have guys like Guerin, Kunitz, Staal and others look for garbage.
Okay. The injuries. Some would say that has been the main storyline for the first quarter of the Penguins' season, and it would be hard to argue with that. They've lost multiple key players in the last month, at times even losing one player per game. Sergei Gonchar, Evgeni Malkin, Tyler Kennedy, Brooks Orpik, Chris Kunitz, Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski have all missed time with injuries.
Of course, that doesn't include Max Talbot, who has yet to play this year -- but is a good candidate to get back in the lineup tomorrow night against Ottawa -- because of off-season shoulder surgery.
Just look at those names. Almost every one was a key contributor to the Penguins' Stanley Cup Championship last season.
With all due respect, we're not talking about losing Eric Godard and Craig Adams to injury here.
The good news is that none of the injuries these guys sustained are truly long term injuries. Malkin has already returned. As I mentioned, Talbot is next. Within another game or two, Gonchar should return. Orpik and Letang will probably join him on the blueline right around the same time. Kennedy is looking at mid-to-late next week, probably. Goligoski is probably the only guy that will be out into early December.
In truth, because some of those guys (Malkin, Gonchar, Orpik) will likely see Olympic action in February and March, the time they've missed may end up helping the Pens in the long run.
Looking forward into the next quarter of the season, the Penguins first have to worry about getting -- and staying -- healthy. Once they do that, they can focus on "getting to their game" as HCDB likes to say. That involves skating quickly north-south, being aggressive on the forecheck, pinching in at the points along the wall when necessary, and firing 35 shots per game on the net.
The other thing they have to do going forward -- as mentioned above -- is fix their power play. That would help against any opponent, but certainly against some of the marquee teams they'll be facing in the next 20 or so games -- like Colorado and Chicago, for example. Pittsburgh also has a few contests against their arch-rival Flyers in the next stretch, and they'll need their special teams going for those games as well.
THREE OVERACHIEVERS SO FAR:
1) RW Tyler Kennedy: TK has quickly developed into an even more important player for Pittsburgh than he already was. He had 8 points in 12 games before missing the last 3 or so weeks with a lower body injury, and was really adding a scoring punch to the 3rd line, with potential to have an even greater impact if he gets a spot on one of the top lines -- something not out of the question now that Bylsma has switched his line combinations.
2) F Mike Rupp: Rupp scored 3 goals all of last season with New Jersey, and already has 4 with Pittsburgh this year, including one of the best, highlight-reel tallies scored by a Penguin player this season. He's shown good hands, decent skating ability, and the aggressiveness he was advertised to bring to the table. He's been an excellent fit in Bylsma's system on the 4th line thusfar.
3) D Alex Goligoski: It's hard to label GoGo as an overachiever, because everyone knows how much talent he has, but before leaving the lineup recently due to injury, I think it's fair to say he was exceeding everyone's already-growing expectations. He has 14 points in 20 games and sits 5th overall in the league in plus/minus at +11. He leads all blueliners leaguewide in goals with 6.
THREE UNDERACHIEVERS SO FAR
1) D Kris Letang: Letang is more of a two-way player than most give him credit for. Still, his great talent should be translating to more than just 1 goal and 7 points in 17 games. He continues to not shoot the puck enough. The Pens need him to rip it more often, especially because he's a right-handed shot.
2) D Brooks Orpik: I've heard some criticism of Orpik in Penguin nation, and while some of what I've heard is probably more than Orpik deserves, I agree that he's not on top of his game right now. He's hitting with the same frequency and ferocity as usual, but is minus 6 -- a stark contrast to the +4 rating his usual partner, Gonchar, has put up. Like the team as a whole, he needs to tighten up defensively a little.
3) F Chris Bourque: This was a tough call between Bourque and Jordan Staal, who had a chance to step up his game in Malkin's absence but didn't notably do so, but I'll give Gronk the benefit of another quarter and go with Bourque here. Bourque was a waiver wire pick up who has played in 13 games for Pittsburgh so far, but doesn't really have a whole lot to show for it. He's a guy who has scored a little in the taste of NHL action he got while in the Washington Capitals organization, but hasn't found a way to make an impact on the scoresheet for the Penguins yet. He has been skating well and going up and down the wing, but he's not an especially physical forechecker, and hasn't proven to add a great deal if he's not putting at least a few points on the board. A guy the Penguins signed coming off a training camp tryout, -- and a guy who's been playing well in Wilkes Barre all season -- W Ryan Bayda, probably would have been a better fit than Bourque. When Kennedy gets back, I'd expect Bourque to be waived. If he clears, he'll see action with the Baby Penguins.
That's my view at the quarter pole. Hopefully the Pens' can keep their latest winning run going at the start of a 3-game road trip beginning in Canada's Capital tomorrow night.
Let's Go Pens!
Pittsburgh is currently tied for first in the Atlantic Division with 28 points and a 14-7 record. They've lost more than 3 times as many regulation games under head coach Dan Bylsma in just about the same number of games this season as they did during the close of the regular season last year after he took over as coach. Of course, all that does is emphasize how outstanding Blysma did last year down the stretch of the 82-game slate, losing just a couple times in about 23 or 24 games.
Still, the Penguins have little to complain about. No team in the league has more wins than they do, and only 3 have more points, despite their recent rash of injuries (more on that in a bit).
The Penguins have scored 66 goals, and given up 58. Again, only 3 teams have scored more. However, about 16 teams have let up fewer goals, which puts Pittsburgh in the middle of the league pack from a goals against standpoint. Obviously, they could stand to tighten things up somewhat defensively.
Their penalty killing sits a respectable 11th overall in the league, at a 82.1% kill rate.
Do I even have to talk about the power play? Ugh.
Okay. The Pens' man advantage is clicking (failing?) at an embarrassing 13.3%, good for 29th out of 30 teams league-wide.
I'd like to chalk up their failures on the PP to the rash of injuries they have sustained, but they've been subpar on the power play all season long -- even when they were 9-1 and 11-2 on the year.
Imagine how lethal Pittsburgh would be if they actually got the power play going?
Pens' assistant coach Tony Granato, who controls the power play, needs to get the guys back to basics. Have Gonchar and Malkin drill the puck to the goal, create screens, and have guys like Guerin, Kunitz, Staal and others look for garbage.
Okay. The injuries. Some would say that has been the main storyline for the first quarter of the Penguins' season, and it would be hard to argue with that. They've lost multiple key players in the last month, at times even losing one player per game. Sergei Gonchar, Evgeni Malkin, Tyler Kennedy, Brooks Orpik, Chris Kunitz, Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski have all missed time with injuries.
Of course, that doesn't include Max Talbot, who has yet to play this year -- but is a good candidate to get back in the lineup tomorrow night against Ottawa -- because of off-season shoulder surgery.
Just look at those names. Almost every one was a key contributor to the Penguins' Stanley Cup Championship last season.
With all due respect, we're not talking about losing Eric Godard and Craig Adams to injury here.
The good news is that none of the injuries these guys sustained are truly long term injuries. Malkin has already returned. As I mentioned, Talbot is next. Within another game or two, Gonchar should return. Orpik and Letang will probably join him on the blueline right around the same time. Kennedy is looking at mid-to-late next week, probably. Goligoski is probably the only guy that will be out into early December.
In truth, because some of those guys (Malkin, Gonchar, Orpik) will likely see Olympic action in February and March, the time they've missed may end up helping the Pens in the long run.
Looking forward into the next quarter of the season, the Penguins first have to worry about getting -- and staying -- healthy. Once they do that, they can focus on "getting to their game" as HCDB likes to say. That involves skating quickly north-south, being aggressive on the forecheck, pinching in at the points along the wall when necessary, and firing 35 shots per game on the net.
The other thing they have to do going forward -- as mentioned above -- is fix their power play. That would help against any opponent, but certainly against some of the marquee teams they'll be facing in the next 20 or so games -- like Colorado and Chicago, for example. Pittsburgh also has a few contests against their arch-rival Flyers in the next stretch, and they'll need their special teams going for those games as well.
THREE OVERACHIEVERS SO FAR:
1) RW Tyler Kennedy: TK has quickly developed into an even more important player for Pittsburgh than he already was. He had 8 points in 12 games before missing the last 3 or so weeks with a lower body injury, and was really adding a scoring punch to the 3rd line, with potential to have an even greater impact if he gets a spot on one of the top lines -- something not out of the question now that Bylsma has switched his line combinations.
2) F Mike Rupp: Rupp scored 3 goals all of last season with New Jersey, and already has 4 with Pittsburgh this year, including one of the best, highlight-reel tallies scored by a Penguin player this season. He's shown good hands, decent skating ability, and the aggressiveness he was advertised to bring to the table. He's been an excellent fit in Bylsma's system on the 4th line thusfar.
3) D Alex Goligoski: It's hard to label GoGo as an overachiever, because everyone knows how much talent he has, but before leaving the lineup recently due to injury, I think it's fair to say he was exceeding everyone's already-growing expectations. He has 14 points in 20 games and sits 5th overall in the league in plus/minus at +11. He leads all blueliners leaguewide in goals with 6.
THREE UNDERACHIEVERS SO FAR
1) D Kris Letang: Letang is more of a two-way player than most give him credit for. Still, his great talent should be translating to more than just 1 goal and 7 points in 17 games. He continues to not shoot the puck enough. The Pens need him to rip it more often, especially because he's a right-handed shot.
2) D Brooks Orpik: I've heard some criticism of Orpik in Penguin nation, and while some of what I've heard is probably more than Orpik deserves, I agree that he's not on top of his game right now. He's hitting with the same frequency and ferocity as usual, but is minus 6 -- a stark contrast to the +4 rating his usual partner, Gonchar, has put up. Like the team as a whole, he needs to tighten up defensively a little.
3) F Chris Bourque: This was a tough call between Bourque and Jordan Staal, who had a chance to step up his game in Malkin's absence but didn't notably do so, but I'll give Gronk the benefit of another quarter and go with Bourque here. Bourque was a waiver wire pick up who has played in 13 games for Pittsburgh so far, but doesn't really have a whole lot to show for it. He's a guy who has scored a little in the taste of NHL action he got while in the Washington Capitals organization, but hasn't found a way to make an impact on the scoresheet for the Penguins yet. He has been skating well and going up and down the wing, but he's not an especially physical forechecker, and hasn't proven to add a great deal if he's not putting at least a few points on the board. A guy the Penguins signed coming off a training camp tryout, -- and a guy who's been playing well in Wilkes Barre all season -- W Ryan Bayda, probably would have been a better fit than Bourque. When Kennedy gets back, I'd expect Bourque to be waived. If he clears, he'll see action with the Baby Penguins.
That's my view at the quarter pole. Hopefully the Pens' can keep their latest winning run going at the start of a 3-game road trip beginning in Canada's Capital tomorrow night.
Let's Go Pens!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Penguins Roll Over Anaheim, 5-2
I thought Halloween was a few weeks ago.
Now I'm not so sure, because strange things happened last night at Mellon Arena in the Penguins' 2nd straight victory, a 5-2 triumph over the struggling Anaheim Ducks.
First, the Penguins actually scored a power play goal -- by RW Bill Guerin. It was their first in 8 games and 29 chances.
Okay, so they failed in their other 6 tries with the man-advantage. You have to start somewhere.
More importantly, it doesn't appear that any Penguin player suffered any additional injuries in the game -- or even in walking to their cars in the parking lot afterwards.
Deservedly so, since the Penguins pretty much dominated the Ducks from start to finish last night. Anaheim looked disorganized and uninspired most of the night. They took undisiciplined penalties and, even though the Penguins only put up 26 shots, gave out an inordinately large number of quality scoring chances that the Penguins weren't able to completely capitalize on.
Speaking of quality scoring chances not capitalized on, can someone PLEASE give Chris Bourque a set of hands for Christmas???
Bourque had at least 2 more glorious scoring opportunities last night. This guy couldn't hit the broad side of a barn right now. He's getting up and down the ice well, and has played as gritty along the wall and in the corners as advertised, but he's not getting 2nd line minutes just to do that.
As far as those who actually did score for Pittsbugh last night are concerned, Matt Cooke staked the Pens to a 1-0 lead just over a minute into the game by tossing a backhander from the slot past Ducks' netminder Jean-Sebastien Giguere.
Guerin got the power play tally about 4 minutes later to make it 2-0 when he ripped a one-timer past Giguere from the top of the right wing circle on a set up by Sidney Crosby.
Todd Marchant got Anaheim back in the game with a shorthanded breakaway goal later in the period after a giveaway by Evgeni Malkin combined with a sloppy line change freed up Marchant to walk in on Pittsbugh goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury unconstested.
Jordan Staal returned the favor for the Penguins 4 minutes into the 2nd frame with a shorthanded breakaway goal of his own, going backhand to forehand before beating Giguere top corner blocker side to re-up the Penguins lead to 2 goals, this time 3-1.
Martin Skoula scored his first as Penguin on a point shot in the 3rd period and, after Teemu Selanne tallied one for Anaheim with just a few minutes to go, Cooke finished off the Ducks with an empty netter for his second of the night to make the final 5-2.
The Pens' win, combined with the Flyers stopping the New Jersey Devils' 8 game unbeaten and 9-game road winning streaks, lifted them into a tie for first in the Atlantic Division with the Devils with 28 points. That's also good for a tie for 2nd in the NHL's overall standings at 14-7.
Interestingly, the Penguins are just one of a handful of teams that have yet to suffer an overtime defeat this season so far.
I want to give some due credit to the triumverate of AHL guys the Penguins trotted out on their blueline last night.
Nate Guenin -- called up from Wilkes Barre to make his Penguin debut in place of the latest injured backeline casualty, Alex Goligoski -- joined fellow Baby Penguin blueliners Ben Lovejoy and Derek Engelland in the lineup last night, and all 3 acquitted themselves quite nicely.
I thought Guenin was particuarly steady, which is a bit of a reversal of the way he has been playing at WBS this season.
Guenin may have been the best of the 3 of them in training camp, but because he hasn't played as well for the Baby Penguins, Engelland and Lovejoy were called up first.
In any event, while it's too early to proclaim them all NHL caliber, they have held their own so far. Hopefully they can continue to do that for the next week or so until Sergei Gonchar, Kris Letang and Brooks Orpik start rejoining the lineup.
Pittsburgh's next game on Thursday against the Senators marks the beginning of a 3-game road trip that will see them play in Atlanta and Florida, in addition to visiting Ottawa, before coming home for a pre-Thanksgiving day tilt against the Montreal Canadiens.
Hopefully they can keep their MoJo going.
I plan to have a full report tomorrow on the Penguins at the quarter pole of the season.
Now I'm not so sure, because strange things happened last night at Mellon Arena in the Penguins' 2nd straight victory, a 5-2 triumph over the struggling Anaheim Ducks.
First, the Penguins actually scored a power play goal -- by RW Bill Guerin. It was their first in 8 games and 29 chances.
Okay, so they failed in their other 6 tries with the man-advantage. You have to start somewhere.
More importantly, it doesn't appear that any Penguin player suffered any additional injuries in the game -- or even in walking to their cars in the parking lot afterwards.
Deservedly so, since the Penguins pretty much dominated the Ducks from start to finish last night. Anaheim looked disorganized and uninspired most of the night. They took undisiciplined penalties and, even though the Penguins only put up 26 shots, gave out an inordinately large number of quality scoring chances that the Penguins weren't able to completely capitalize on.
Speaking of quality scoring chances not capitalized on, can someone PLEASE give Chris Bourque a set of hands for Christmas???
Bourque had at least 2 more glorious scoring opportunities last night. This guy couldn't hit the broad side of a barn right now. He's getting up and down the ice well, and has played as gritty along the wall and in the corners as advertised, but he's not getting 2nd line minutes just to do that.
As far as those who actually did score for Pittsbugh last night are concerned, Matt Cooke staked the Pens to a 1-0 lead just over a minute into the game by tossing a backhander from the slot past Ducks' netminder Jean-Sebastien Giguere.
Guerin got the power play tally about 4 minutes later to make it 2-0 when he ripped a one-timer past Giguere from the top of the right wing circle on a set up by Sidney Crosby.
Todd Marchant got Anaheim back in the game with a shorthanded breakaway goal later in the period after a giveaway by Evgeni Malkin combined with a sloppy line change freed up Marchant to walk in on Pittsbugh goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury unconstested.
Jordan Staal returned the favor for the Penguins 4 minutes into the 2nd frame with a shorthanded breakaway goal of his own, going backhand to forehand before beating Giguere top corner blocker side to re-up the Penguins lead to 2 goals, this time 3-1.
Martin Skoula scored his first as Penguin on a point shot in the 3rd period and, after Teemu Selanne tallied one for Anaheim with just a few minutes to go, Cooke finished off the Ducks with an empty netter for his second of the night to make the final 5-2.
The Pens' win, combined with the Flyers stopping the New Jersey Devils' 8 game unbeaten and 9-game road winning streaks, lifted them into a tie for first in the Atlantic Division with the Devils with 28 points. That's also good for a tie for 2nd in the NHL's overall standings at 14-7.
Interestingly, the Penguins are just one of a handful of teams that have yet to suffer an overtime defeat this season so far.
I want to give some due credit to the triumverate of AHL guys the Penguins trotted out on their blueline last night.
Nate Guenin -- called up from Wilkes Barre to make his Penguin debut in place of the latest injured backeline casualty, Alex Goligoski -- joined fellow Baby Penguin blueliners Ben Lovejoy and Derek Engelland in the lineup last night, and all 3 acquitted themselves quite nicely.
I thought Guenin was particuarly steady, which is a bit of a reversal of the way he has been playing at WBS this season.
Guenin may have been the best of the 3 of them in training camp, but because he hasn't played as well for the Baby Penguins, Engelland and Lovejoy were called up first.
In any event, while it's too early to proclaim them all NHL caliber, they have held their own so far. Hopefully they can continue to do that for the next week or so until Sergei Gonchar, Kris Letang and Brooks Orpik start rejoining the lineup.
Pittsburgh's next game on Thursday against the Senators marks the beginning of a 3-game road trip that will see them play in Atlanta and Florida, in addition to visiting Ottawa, before coming home for a pre-Thanksgiving day tilt against the Montreal Canadiens.
Hopefully they can keep their MoJo going.
I plan to have a full report tomorrow on the Penguins at the quarter pole of the season.
Monday, November 16, 2009
GoGo Next One To Be Shelved As Pens Prepare For Rematch Against The Ducks
I must admit ... I've been particulary concerned about my health lately.
I mean, I have this blog thing going where I write about the Pittsburgh Penguins, and since they currently have the karma of a black cat breaking a mirror as he walks under a ladder, I figure it's only a matter of time before the I go on the shelf with an injury that will keep me from blogging for ... oh ... about 2 weeks.
At this point, I'm sure they're missing various ushers, Penguin patrol girls, and even a season ticket sales agent or two, so it's only a matter of time before I get nailed.
I haven't seen an injury bug like this bite the Penguins in quite a long time, but not surprisingly, the injury list A-G-A-I-N grew today with word from head coach Dan Bylsma that defenseman Alex Goligoski would miss tonight's game with an unspecified lower body injury.
While details on the exact nature of the injury haven't been revealed, there has been talk in various internet circles that GoGo was favoring a groin and in obvious discomfort at the end of the big comeback win against the Bruins on Saturday evening.
Whatever the nature of the injury, Blysma suggested that #3 would likely be out of the lineup not just tonight but for probably (not surprisingly) about 2 weeks or so.
Losing Goligoski is a blow, because he's been great for the Penguins this year so far. He's near the top of the rankings among NHL defensemen in points and plus/minus, and has done a really good job acclimating himself to full-time duty in the league.
Losing him also won't help the abysmal Penguin power play, which after going scoreless on it's last near 30 opportunities, is now clicking at a terribly foul 12.3% conversion rate,
That's good for 3rd last in the NHL, folks.
Thus, even while the Penguins have the good fortune of getting defending Art Ross and Conn Smythe Trophy winner Evgeni Malkin back in the lineup, the Penguins offset that with the loss of another key regular.
Defenseman Nate Guenin was called up from Wilkes-Barre Scranton and will play tonight in the Penguins 2nd game in 2 weeks with the Anaheim Ducks, who the Penguins beat, 4-3, back on 11-3 in California.
With Sergie Gonchar, Brooks Orpik, Kris Letang and Goligoski on the shelf, the Pens' are now missing their top 4 blueliners, and that's difficult for any team -- even a defending Stanley Cup Champion -- to overcome.
For now, the Penguins just have to hope that they can tread water, stay somewhere around .500 during this stretch, and pray they start getting their key guys back soon.
At least it shouldn't be long. For example, Gonchar was cleared for contact yesterday, and may return this Saturday when the Pens' play the Thrashers in Atlanta.
Max Talbot continues to skate and may return next week.
Orpik, Letang, and Kunitz may return around the same time. Hopefully Kennedy will be fully recovered from his still-undisclosed problem by then, too.
More tomorrow. For now I have to go to the doctor ...
I mean, I have this blog thing going where I write about the Pittsburgh Penguins, and since they currently have the karma of a black cat breaking a mirror as he walks under a ladder, I figure it's only a matter of time before the I go on the shelf with an injury that will keep me from blogging for ... oh ... about 2 weeks.
At this point, I'm sure they're missing various ushers, Penguin patrol girls, and even a season ticket sales agent or two, so it's only a matter of time before I get nailed.
I haven't seen an injury bug like this bite the Penguins in quite a long time, but not surprisingly, the injury list A-G-A-I-N grew today with word from head coach Dan Bylsma that defenseman Alex Goligoski would miss tonight's game with an unspecified lower body injury.
While details on the exact nature of the injury haven't been revealed, there has been talk in various internet circles that GoGo was favoring a groin and in obvious discomfort at the end of the big comeback win against the Bruins on Saturday evening.
Whatever the nature of the injury, Blysma suggested that #3 would likely be out of the lineup not just tonight but for probably (not surprisingly) about 2 weeks or so.
Losing Goligoski is a blow, because he's been great for the Penguins this year so far. He's near the top of the rankings among NHL defensemen in points and plus/minus, and has done a really good job acclimating himself to full-time duty in the league.
Losing him also won't help the abysmal Penguin power play, which after going scoreless on it's last near 30 opportunities, is now clicking at a terribly foul 12.3% conversion rate,
That's good for 3rd last in the NHL, folks.
Thus, even while the Penguins have the good fortune of getting defending Art Ross and Conn Smythe Trophy winner Evgeni Malkin back in the lineup, the Penguins offset that with the loss of another key regular.
Defenseman Nate Guenin was called up from Wilkes-Barre Scranton and will play tonight in the Penguins 2nd game in 2 weeks with the Anaheim Ducks, who the Penguins beat, 4-3, back on 11-3 in California.
With Sergie Gonchar, Brooks Orpik, Kris Letang and Goligoski on the shelf, the Pens' are now missing their top 4 blueliners, and that's difficult for any team -- even a defending Stanley Cup Champion -- to overcome.
For now, the Penguins just have to hope that they can tread water, stay somewhere around .500 during this stretch, and pray they start getting their key guys back soon.
At least it shouldn't be long. For example, Gonchar was cleared for contact yesterday, and may return this Saturday when the Pens' play the Thrashers in Atlanta.
Max Talbot continues to skate and may return next week.
Orpik, Letang, and Kunitz may return around the same time. Hopefully Kennedy will be fully recovered from his still-undisclosed problem by then, too.
More tomorrow. For now I have to go to the doctor ...
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Malkin's Return Helps Penguins Snap Losing Skid, Power Past Bruins in Comeback OT Win
WHEW!
Less than one second away from a 5-game losing streak, the Pittsburgh Penguins finished off their most exciting game of the year last night at Mellon Arena against the Boston Bruins by tying the game on a goal by RW Bill Guerin with 4 tenths of a second on the clock and then won the contest in overtime on Pascal Dupuis' 2nd goal of the game to cap a remarkable comeback in a game they looked all but out of.
It sure didn't look good for the Penguins in the final 30 seconds last night. With their goalie pulled and down by one, Pittsburgh couldn't even get out of their own end. Finally, with about 6 seconds left, they got a break and made a final rush up ice, led by Evgeni Malkin in his first game back in the lineup after missing two weeks to rest a sore shoulder.
Malkin -- who finished with 3 assists on the night -- passed cross-ice to Guerin, who made no mistake with an absolute LASER off the far post and past stunned Bruins' netminder Tim Thomas just before the green light came on.
Then, in OT, Thomas failed to properly corral a dump in for his defenseman before Jordan Staal swooped in behind the net, took the biscuit and fed it right in front to Dupuis, who deposited the mail into an empty cage before Thomas could get back in the crease.
In all fairness, the Penguins probably would have been able to polish off Boston in regulation if not for the help the Bruins got from the zebras late in the third period.
The Penguins were up by a goal at 4-3 with about 7 minutes left when Matt Cooke got called for a double high-sticking minor becuase Bruins' forward Byron Bitz ran into his stick while trying to check Cooke. The problem was that Bitz missed Cooke completely along the near boards, but still got cut as a result of running into Cooke's twig. Cooke was actually trying to avoid Bitz in a crowd and had his stick up above his head like he was dodging and weaving a Walmart black friday crowd on his way to the $499 42 inch plasma.
Then, as if that wasn't enough, Sidney Crosby got caught for a lame tripping call about a minute later when a Boston player stumbled over his stick after Crosby lost his balance and was on the ice. Crosby wasn't reaching for or otherwise playing the puck, the man, or anything related to the action while on the ice, but was simply in the act of falling at the time. Horrible call -- especially when you're already down a man.
Sure enough, the Bruins tied the score when David Krejci found a rebound and beat Pens' starting backup goaltender Brent Johnson to the high short sidewith 5+ minutes to play.
Worse, a minute later, just after the Boston power play expired, defenseman Zdeno Chara took a shot from the point that was deflected by Marco Sturm past a lost Johnson for a 5-4 lead.
Things looked bleak for the Penguins, but that just set the stage for a little Malkin magic, Guerin's late game heroics, and Dupuis' 100th NHL goal for the winner.
The Pens' had battled back and forth with Boston all game. They opened the scoring in the first on a 'Mike Rupp-style' goal in tight from -- of all people -- defenseman Jay McKee. Just like Rupp did about a month ago, McKee found himself in on a 2-on-1 and, using his teammate as a decoy, deked to the backhand in tight and unexpectedly roofed a water-bottle shot that beat a beleaguered Thomas early.
The goals simply alternated at that point. Blake Wheeler got one for Boston. Dupuis scored his first to give the Pens' the lead again before the first frame ended. Then Michael Ryder scored next on a tough short side wrister to even things at 2 in the second period before Crosby nicely deflected an Alex Goligoski shot past Thomas to put Pittsburgh up by one again.
Derek Morris tied the score for Boston late in the second, but Eaton put Pittsburgh back up again in the third before the Bruins went on the late power play, took the lead, and then gave the Penguins the final baton for the win.
Obviously, neither Johnson or Thomas were on top of their game tonight. Both looked out of position at times, and both went down early on many shots. That's not to say there weren't times when both made a big save here or there but in the aggregate, I think both netminders would rather not watch the tape of their play from last night.
At least the Penguins can stop doubting their ability to win -- or to put the puck in the net. Malkin's return was obviously a big boost, and it couldn't have come at a better time, not just because of their 4-game losing streak going into the contest, but because they learned during the game-day skate that they'd be down another key player for a while.
HCDB announced that LW Chris Kunitz would be out for 2 weeks with a lower body injury which he has been dealing with for a while. No greater word on the nature of the injury, but it's hard to be surprised that it's a 2-week malady. That seems to be what everyone in the organization has.
Again, Pens' fans should be thankful it isn't for longer, but really ... can they get a break?
I suppose losing Kunitz when he wasn't playing made up for the fact that the Penguins escaped Thursday's loss at New Jersey without losing anyone.
In any case, the Pens' will try to move forward and built off this big, late-game comeback win in their next game against the Anaheim Ducks on Monday at The Igloo.
The Penguins, of course, beat Anaheim, 4-3, at the beginning of their road trip just 2 weeks ago. Since then, the Ducks have continued to struggle, but they remain a dangerous opponent any time you match up against them because of their top-end talent.
Tomorrow, I'll talk about the Penguins' miserable (and that's being charitable) power play, which is O-for in the last 7 or 8 games now.
That's something the Penguins need to get turned around, and quickly. For tonight, though, they can -- and should -- enjoy a fantastic win they deserved.
Hopefully, that was the start of the MoJo coming back .....
Less than one second away from a 5-game losing streak, the Pittsburgh Penguins finished off their most exciting game of the year last night at Mellon Arena against the Boston Bruins by tying the game on a goal by RW Bill Guerin with 4 tenths of a second on the clock and then won the contest in overtime on Pascal Dupuis' 2nd goal of the game to cap a remarkable comeback in a game they looked all but out of.
It sure didn't look good for the Penguins in the final 30 seconds last night. With their goalie pulled and down by one, Pittsburgh couldn't even get out of their own end. Finally, with about 6 seconds left, they got a break and made a final rush up ice, led by Evgeni Malkin in his first game back in the lineup after missing two weeks to rest a sore shoulder.
Malkin -- who finished with 3 assists on the night -- passed cross-ice to Guerin, who made no mistake with an absolute LASER off the far post and past stunned Bruins' netminder Tim Thomas just before the green light came on.
Then, in OT, Thomas failed to properly corral a dump in for his defenseman before Jordan Staal swooped in behind the net, took the biscuit and fed it right in front to Dupuis, who deposited the mail into an empty cage before Thomas could get back in the crease.
In all fairness, the Penguins probably would have been able to polish off Boston in regulation if not for the help the Bruins got from the zebras late in the third period.
The Penguins were up by a goal at 4-3 with about 7 minutes left when Matt Cooke got called for a double high-sticking minor becuase Bruins' forward Byron Bitz ran into his stick while trying to check Cooke. The problem was that Bitz missed Cooke completely along the near boards, but still got cut as a result of running into Cooke's twig. Cooke was actually trying to avoid Bitz in a crowd and had his stick up above his head like he was dodging and weaving a Walmart black friday crowd on his way to the $499 42 inch plasma.
Then, as if that wasn't enough, Sidney Crosby got caught for a lame tripping call about a minute later when a Boston player stumbled over his stick after Crosby lost his balance and was on the ice. Crosby wasn't reaching for or otherwise playing the puck, the man, or anything related to the action while on the ice, but was simply in the act of falling at the time. Horrible call -- especially when you're already down a man.
Sure enough, the Bruins tied the score when David Krejci found a rebound and beat Pens' starting backup goaltender Brent Johnson to the high short sidewith 5+ minutes to play.
Worse, a minute later, just after the Boston power play expired, defenseman Zdeno Chara took a shot from the point that was deflected by Marco Sturm past a lost Johnson for a 5-4 lead.
Things looked bleak for the Penguins, but that just set the stage for a little Malkin magic, Guerin's late game heroics, and Dupuis' 100th NHL goal for the winner.
The Pens' had battled back and forth with Boston all game. They opened the scoring in the first on a 'Mike Rupp-style' goal in tight from -- of all people -- defenseman Jay McKee. Just like Rupp did about a month ago, McKee found himself in on a 2-on-1 and, using his teammate as a decoy, deked to the backhand in tight and unexpectedly roofed a water-bottle shot that beat a beleaguered Thomas early.
The goals simply alternated at that point. Blake Wheeler got one for Boston. Dupuis scored his first to give the Pens' the lead again before the first frame ended. Then Michael Ryder scored next on a tough short side wrister to even things at 2 in the second period before Crosby nicely deflected an Alex Goligoski shot past Thomas to put Pittsburgh up by one again.
Derek Morris tied the score for Boston late in the second, but Eaton put Pittsburgh back up again in the third before the Bruins went on the late power play, took the lead, and then gave the Penguins the final baton for the win.
Obviously, neither Johnson or Thomas were on top of their game tonight. Both looked out of position at times, and both went down early on many shots. That's not to say there weren't times when both made a big save here or there but in the aggregate, I think both netminders would rather not watch the tape of their play from last night.
At least the Penguins can stop doubting their ability to win -- or to put the puck in the net. Malkin's return was obviously a big boost, and it couldn't have come at a better time, not just because of their 4-game losing streak going into the contest, but because they learned during the game-day skate that they'd be down another key player for a while.
HCDB announced that LW Chris Kunitz would be out for 2 weeks with a lower body injury which he has been dealing with for a while. No greater word on the nature of the injury, but it's hard to be surprised that it's a 2-week malady. That seems to be what everyone in the organization has.
Again, Pens' fans should be thankful it isn't for longer, but really ... can they get a break?
I suppose losing Kunitz when he wasn't playing made up for the fact that the Penguins escaped Thursday's loss at New Jersey without losing anyone.
In any case, the Pens' will try to move forward and built off this big, late-game comeback win in their next game against the Anaheim Ducks on Monday at The Igloo.
The Penguins, of course, beat Anaheim, 4-3, at the beginning of their road trip just 2 weeks ago. Since then, the Ducks have continued to struggle, but they remain a dangerous opponent any time you match up against them because of their top-end talent.
Tomorrow, I'll talk about the Penguins' miserable (and that's being charitable) power play, which is O-for in the last 7 or 8 games now.
That's something the Penguins need to get turned around, and quickly. For tonight, though, they can -- and should -- enjoy a fantastic win they deserved.
Hopefully, that was the start of the MoJo coming back .....
Friday, November 13, 2009
Pens' Lose 4th Straight, With Second 4-1 Home Loss To New Jersey This Season
Playing shorthanded as the Pittsburgh Penguins are right now is challenge enough.
Face-off against some of the hottest, best teams in the NHL at the same time and it's a recipe for a 4-game losing streak.
Which, coincidentally, is exactly what the Penguins now have, after a 4-1 loss to the streaking New Jersey Devils last night at Mellon Arena -- a defeat which skid them to 4 straight defeats following previous losses to the Boston Bruins, and the red-hot Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks during the last week.
New Jersey didn't ease up on the accelerator against Pittsburgh last night, either. It was their second 4-1 win in Pittsburgh over the last 2 and 1/2 weeks, their 7th straight overall, and 9th straight on the road.
And it was good enough to lift them over the Penguins into the Atlantic Division lead with 26 points, while the Penguins sit with 24, tied for 5th in the NHL overall standings.
What? You didn't expect the Devils to have sympathy for Pittsburgh's injury woes, did you?
Hey, at least the Penguins didn't lose anyone last night.
The Devils have injuries too -- missing guys like Paul Martin, Jay Pandolfo, and Johnny Oduya -- but they aren't playing without their top 3 defenseman, one of the top 3 players in the game, and one of their top goal scorers.
Take Andy Greene, Zach Parise, Jamie Langenbrunner and a few additional guys out of the Devils lineup, then you start to approach the depleted group they faced wearing the skating Penguin last night.
Pittsburgh actually had a better effort against New Jersey than they did in recent games.
They even got the first goal, a garbage marker by Ruslan Fedotenko in the first period, who did what every Penguin should be doing right now -- barrage the net and bang rebounds in.
Sidney Crosby assisted on the play -- his first point in 5 games.
Unfortunately, the Penguins could muster no more, but they weren't without chances.
Defenseman Martin Skoula hit the post in the first period. Chris Bourque had an open net he couldn't convert from a bad angle in the 2nd period.
Crosby also had not one, not two, but THREE nice chances in the 3rd. 2 of them hit iron, and another one in the slot was blocked.
As if that weren't enough evidence of the lady luck they were missing last night, after Niclas Bergfors had tied the game in the second period, the Devils got their second goal from Greene on a point shot that went right off the skate of defenseman Ben Lovejoy -- making his season debut for the Penguins, by the way -- and past netminder Marc-Andre Fleury.
When Parise scored about 4 minutes into the 3rd period on a nice top corner shot to finish off a 2-on-1, I knew it would be tough sledding for the Pens the rest of the way.
David Clarkson finished it with an empty netter for the Devils.
And with that, the Penguins chose to have a closed-door team meeting after the game.
No word if they called in a medicine doctor to do some voodoo in the hopes of getting them healthy faster.
I'd even settle for Mr. Myagi working on Ralph Macchio's leg in The Karate Kid right now.
As it is, all the Penguins can do is look forward to their next game, at home on Saturday night against the same Bruins team that whitewashed them on Tuesday.
The Penguins have to find a way to get goals. They've scored only one in their last 10 periods. That's not going to win any hockey games.
Perhaps Evgeni Malkin can help that. He's now participating fully in practice after missing the last two weeks with a shoulder injury and, at this point, is expected back in the lineup that night.
Defenseman Brooks Orpik, by the way, appears as if he's going to be on the shelf for 2 weeks with what is being described only as a 'lower body injury'.
It's somewhat ironic. He, Talbot, Gonchar and Letang will probably all come back around the same time -- somewhere between 10 days from now and Thanksgiving. Kennedy will probably have returned by then, so assuming nobody goes down, it won't be long before Pittsburgh has a full complement of bodies back.
Good thing, because right now, it's obvious they are just trying to stay above water.
More over the weekend.
Face-off against some of the hottest, best teams in the NHL at the same time and it's a recipe for a 4-game losing streak.
Which, coincidentally, is exactly what the Penguins now have, after a 4-1 loss to the streaking New Jersey Devils last night at Mellon Arena -- a defeat which skid them to 4 straight defeats following previous losses to the Boston Bruins, and the red-hot Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks during the last week.
New Jersey didn't ease up on the accelerator against Pittsburgh last night, either. It was their second 4-1 win in Pittsburgh over the last 2 and 1/2 weeks, their 7th straight overall, and 9th straight on the road.
And it was good enough to lift them over the Penguins into the Atlantic Division lead with 26 points, while the Penguins sit with 24, tied for 5th in the NHL overall standings.
What? You didn't expect the Devils to have sympathy for Pittsburgh's injury woes, did you?
Hey, at least the Penguins didn't lose anyone last night.
The Devils have injuries too -- missing guys like Paul Martin, Jay Pandolfo, and Johnny Oduya -- but they aren't playing without their top 3 defenseman, one of the top 3 players in the game, and one of their top goal scorers.
Take Andy Greene, Zach Parise, Jamie Langenbrunner and a few additional guys out of the Devils lineup, then you start to approach the depleted group they faced wearing the skating Penguin last night.
Pittsburgh actually had a better effort against New Jersey than they did in recent games.
They even got the first goal, a garbage marker by Ruslan Fedotenko in the first period, who did what every Penguin should be doing right now -- barrage the net and bang rebounds in.
Sidney Crosby assisted on the play -- his first point in 5 games.
Unfortunately, the Penguins could muster no more, but they weren't without chances.
Defenseman Martin Skoula hit the post in the first period. Chris Bourque had an open net he couldn't convert from a bad angle in the 2nd period.
Crosby also had not one, not two, but THREE nice chances in the 3rd. 2 of them hit iron, and another one in the slot was blocked.
As if that weren't enough evidence of the lady luck they were missing last night, after Niclas Bergfors had tied the game in the second period, the Devils got their second goal from Greene on a point shot that went right off the skate of defenseman Ben Lovejoy -- making his season debut for the Penguins, by the way -- and past netminder Marc-Andre Fleury.
When Parise scored about 4 minutes into the 3rd period on a nice top corner shot to finish off a 2-on-1, I knew it would be tough sledding for the Pens the rest of the way.
David Clarkson finished it with an empty netter for the Devils.
And with that, the Penguins chose to have a closed-door team meeting after the game.
No word if they called in a medicine doctor to do some voodoo in the hopes of getting them healthy faster.
I'd even settle for Mr. Myagi working on Ralph Macchio's leg in The Karate Kid right now.
As it is, all the Penguins can do is look forward to their next game, at home on Saturday night against the same Bruins team that whitewashed them on Tuesday.
The Penguins have to find a way to get goals. They've scored only one in their last 10 periods. That's not going to win any hockey games.
Perhaps Evgeni Malkin can help that. He's now participating fully in practice after missing the last two weeks with a shoulder injury and, at this point, is expected back in the lineup that night.
Defenseman Brooks Orpik, by the way, appears as if he's going to be on the shelf for 2 weeks with what is being described only as a 'lower body injury'.
It's somewhat ironic. He, Talbot, Gonchar and Letang will probably all come back around the same time -- somewhere between 10 days from now and Thanksgiving. Kennedy will probably have returned by then, so assuming nobody goes down, it won't be long before Pittsburgh has a full complement of bodies back.
Good thing, because right now, it's obvious they are just trying to stay above water.
More over the weekend.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Penguins Look To Stop Bleeding Tonight Against Red-Hot Devils
To be sure, the Penguins have somewhat of a challenge tonight when they return home on a 3 game losing streak for the first game after their coast-to-coast road trip to face the New Jersey Devils (7:30 PM EST) -- a team who has won 6 straight games, and has yet to lose on the road this season (8-0).
On top of that trend-setting, the Penguins are expected to be minus another regular, defenseman Brooks Orpik, tonight.
Orpik, injured in the game Tuesday night at Boston, was evaluated yesterday in Pittsburgh, but there still isn't a great deal of clarity about the nature of his problem. For now, he's listed as day-to-day.
Pittsburgh will almost surely call up a defenseman from the Baby Penguins to take Orpik's place in the lineup tonight. My bets are on Ben Lovejoy.
So, with that, tonight's defense corps should have a whole ONE player who suited up for the Penguins in game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last season --- Mark Eaton.
That says something about the current state of affairs, doesn't it?
About the only thing HCDB and his team may have going for it tonight is that the Devils played last night, in New Jersey, while the Penguins were resting at home.
Hey -- I'll take it. Pittsburgh needs all the edge it can get right now.
Evgeni Malkin has been cleared for contact, but probably won't return tonight. Saturday against Boston is more likely for him.
Tyler Kennedy probably won't play tonight either.
Recap tomorrow.
Let's Go PENS!
On top of that trend-setting, the Penguins are expected to be minus another regular, defenseman Brooks Orpik, tonight.
Orpik, injured in the game Tuesday night at Boston, was evaluated yesterday in Pittsburgh, but there still isn't a great deal of clarity about the nature of his problem. For now, he's listed as day-to-day.
Pittsburgh will almost surely call up a defenseman from the Baby Penguins to take Orpik's place in the lineup tonight. My bets are on Ben Lovejoy.
So, with that, tonight's defense corps should have a whole ONE player who suited up for the Penguins in game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last season --- Mark Eaton.
That says something about the current state of affairs, doesn't it?
About the only thing HCDB and his team may have going for it tonight is that the Devils played last night, in New Jersey, while the Penguins were resting at home.
Hey -- I'll take it. Pittsburgh needs all the edge it can get right now.
Evgeni Malkin has been cleared for contact, but probably won't return tonight. Saturday against Boston is more likely for him.
Tyler Kennedy probably won't play tonight either.
Recap tomorrow.
Let's Go PENS!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Penguins Limp Home After Road Trip With Another Loss And Another Injury
The winds of change can blow quickly in the NHL.
A few weeks ago, the Penguins were riding high as the top team in the NHL, healthy, undefeated on the road, and looking unlike the victim of any Stanley Cup Hangover.
After last night's second straight shutout loss -- this time 3-0 to the Boston Bruins -- the Penguins have now lost 4 of 5, dropped 3 straight on the road, and lost yet another key player to an injury.
This time it was defenseman Brooks Orpik, who left the game early in the first period after absorbing a hit behind the Penguins' net that knocked him hard into the boards.
It looked like #44 could have either injured his left shoulder or arm, or even potentially his hip. Orpik left the game and did not return. He will be re-evaluated in Pittsburgh today.
The Pens again struggled to generate offense. They had 27 shots, but never really tested Boston netminder Tim Thomas.
They have gone 7 periods without a goal -- a figure that isn't being aided by their power play, which is fast plummeting down the league rankings after another O-fer (0-for-2) performance last night.
Pittsburgh's power play is now scoreless (0-for-23) in the last 6 games overall.
Not helping the cause is the recent play of Penguins' Captain Sidney Crosby.
Crosby has gone pointless in five straight contests for the first time in his career.
Not coincidentally, the Penguins have lost 4 of those games, including the first 3 game losing streak under Dan Bylsma.
What's probably most concerning to me, however, is the lack of emotion the Penguins seem to have. It's almost as if they seem resigned to the fact that they aren't going to have a chance to win many games until they start getting players back off the injured list. I don't see any passion or emotion in their play. I don't even see a scrap to try and jump-start the bench.
Is Max Talbot the only person on the team capable of that?
The Penguins need to get it together again quickly. They have a New Jersey Devils team coming into Pittsburgh on Thursday that is 8-0 on the road themselves this year. Pittsburgh needs to stop the bleeding and stop it rapidly because good teams don't go into long funks. They stop them before they really get bad. Unlike the 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 seasons when they rarely lost more than 3 straight, the Pens' didn't do a good job of that last fall and look where it put them in December, January and February. Teams aren't going to be able to rally to overcome that kind of consistent poor play all the time.
There's no doubt that the injuries are hurting the Penguins, but all the contributions they were getting from throughout their lineup -- from guys like Bill Guerin all the way down to Mike Rupp -- have been missing in the last week +. That needs to change.
Despite their recent slump, the Penguins still sit 3rd overall in the NHL standings, and first in the Atlantic Division, so it's certainly too soon for abject panic. But momentum is fickle, and it's important that the Penguins get it going in the right direction again.
Soon.
More later this week.
A few weeks ago, the Penguins were riding high as the top team in the NHL, healthy, undefeated on the road, and looking unlike the victim of any Stanley Cup Hangover.
After last night's second straight shutout loss -- this time 3-0 to the Boston Bruins -- the Penguins have now lost 4 of 5, dropped 3 straight on the road, and lost yet another key player to an injury.
This time it was defenseman Brooks Orpik, who left the game early in the first period after absorbing a hit behind the Penguins' net that knocked him hard into the boards.
It looked like #44 could have either injured his left shoulder or arm, or even potentially his hip. Orpik left the game and did not return. He will be re-evaluated in Pittsburgh today.
The Pens again struggled to generate offense. They had 27 shots, but never really tested Boston netminder Tim Thomas.
They have gone 7 periods without a goal -- a figure that isn't being aided by their power play, which is fast plummeting down the league rankings after another O-fer (0-for-2) performance last night.
Pittsburgh's power play is now scoreless (0-for-23) in the last 6 games overall.
Not helping the cause is the recent play of Penguins' Captain Sidney Crosby.
Crosby has gone pointless in five straight contests for the first time in his career.
Not coincidentally, the Penguins have lost 4 of those games, including the first 3 game losing streak under Dan Bylsma.
What's probably most concerning to me, however, is the lack of emotion the Penguins seem to have. It's almost as if they seem resigned to the fact that they aren't going to have a chance to win many games until they start getting players back off the injured list. I don't see any passion or emotion in their play. I don't even see a scrap to try and jump-start the bench.
Is Max Talbot the only person on the team capable of that?
The Penguins need to get it together again quickly. They have a New Jersey Devils team coming into Pittsburgh on Thursday that is 8-0 on the road themselves this year. Pittsburgh needs to stop the bleeding and stop it rapidly because good teams don't go into long funks. They stop them before they really get bad. Unlike the 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 seasons when they rarely lost more than 3 straight, the Pens' didn't do a good job of that last fall and look where it put them in December, January and February. Teams aren't going to be able to rally to overcome that kind of consistent poor play all the time.
There's no doubt that the injuries are hurting the Penguins, but all the contributions they were getting from throughout their lineup -- from guys like Bill Guerin all the way down to Mike Rupp -- have been missing in the last week +. That needs to change.
Despite their recent slump, the Penguins still sit 3rd overall in the NHL standings, and first in the Atlantic Division, so it's certainly too soon for abject panic. But momentum is fickle, and it's important that the Penguins get it going in the right direction again.
Soon.
More later this week.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
M*A*S*H Unit Finishes Road Trip In Boston Tonight
I'm back boys and girls. Sorry for the absence. I thought it might be difficult to get things up here while I was away the last 4 days --- and I was right. My apologies. It may have been a good thing, though, because there certainly hasn't been a lot of positives to come out of Penguin camp lately.
After absorbing consecutive 5-2 and 5-0 road defeats to the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks, respectively, the Penguins will finish their coast-to-coast road trip in Boston tonight against the Bruins.
The losses to the Kings and Sharks represented not only the Penguins' first and second road defeats of the season after starting the year 7-0 away from the Mellon, they marked the first games this season where the Penguins have given up more than 4 goals.
That sequence also was the first time Pittsburgh has failed to get at least one point in consecutive games since Dan Bylsma took over behind the bench in February.
Needless to say, there isn't much the Penguins want to take from those two games -- other than what can happen if they play unmotivated, undisciplined, without energy and get average goaltending in the process. While the Penguins were leading the Kings 2-1 in the third period in their game Thursday night, the result was mostly a mirage at that point, because Los Angeles had the much better of the play. After breaking out with 4 goals in the final frame, they finally justified the way the ice was tilted with the result on the scoreboard.
Pittsburgh was never in the game against San Jose from the beginning. Marc-Andre Fleury was pulled just minutes into the 2nd period and at that point, the Pens' were already down 3-0 to one of the best teams in the NHL.
What's really hurt the Penguins is the injuries they've been suffering, although they're not unlike most other teams in that regard, as this year has been one of the worst for injuries to key players in recent memory. Star players like Alexander Ovechkin, Jonathan Towes, Daniel Sedin, Cam Ward, Marion Hossa, Marc Savard, and many more have all missed chunks of time this season already.
Look at the Detroit Red Wings for heaven's sake. They're losing key players every few games, and their injuries are expected to be even more long-term. It's certainly not helping their cause in the standings.
Of course, injuries are no excuse ..... but they are at least an explanation.
The latest casualty for Pittsburgh came Saturday night when defenseman Kris Letang left the game against the Sharks early in the contest after falling on his right shoulder and arm.
Letang accompanied the team to Boston, but then flew from there back to Pittsburgh where word came yestrday that he has a shoulder contusion and will be out about 2 weeks.
Letang joins regulars -- and key contributors -- Evgeni Malkin, Sergei Gonchar, Tyler Kennedy and Max Talbot on the shelf.
The bright news is that all of these guys should be back within the next several weeks. Malkin and Kennedy likely will be the first to get back.
Malkin is probably about 5 days away. He's been skating and was hoping to return Thursday at home against New Jersey, but he also hasn't been cleared for contact yet. That clearance may come today or tomorrow, after which I would expect that Bylsma will want to get #71 back up to speed with multiple full-participation practices.
Kennedy continues to skate, but it's not looking like he'll play tonight. It may be Thursday for him, or maybe the weekend.
Talbot is still probably a few weeks away. He's still wearing a red no-contact jersey in practice, but should be cleared to bang bodies again soon.
Gonchar is hoping for a return around Thanksgiving.
Letang should be ready around the same time.
Heck, the Penguins' injury bug has been so bad, it reached the near-pinnacle of their organization, when team President David Moorehouse suffered a heart attack while with the team in San Jose on Saturday. Moorehouse was admitted to the hospital there, but is okay now, and is expected to make a full recovery.
What else is hurting Pittsburgh is that, in the absence of so many of the Penguins' important contributors, star center Sidney Crosby has struggled.
Crosby is pointless in his last 4 games, and really needs to pick his game up.
Bylsma changed a lot of the line combinations in practice yesterday -- including Sid's, who played with Ruslan Fedotenko and Matt Cooke -- and we may see some of those different units tonight as the Pens' try to salvage a .500 trip.
Defenseman Deryk Engelland -- recalled last Friday because defenseman Alex Goligoski was battling an illness -- will probably play tonight in Letang's place, instead.
It will be interesting to see how we come out this evening. Even with a half-cast, the Penguins have to play with more focus and more intensity. They need to pay attention to detail and win a close, low-scoring game.
Recap tomorrow.
Let's Go Pens'!
After absorbing consecutive 5-2 and 5-0 road defeats to the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks, respectively, the Penguins will finish their coast-to-coast road trip in Boston tonight against the Bruins.
The losses to the Kings and Sharks represented not only the Penguins' first and second road defeats of the season after starting the year 7-0 away from the Mellon, they marked the first games this season where the Penguins have given up more than 4 goals.
That sequence also was the first time Pittsburgh has failed to get at least one point in consecutive games since Dan Bylsma took over behind the bench in February.
Needless to say, there isn't much the Penguins want to take from those two games -- other than what can happen if they play unmotivated, undisciplined, without energy and get average goaltending in the process. While the Penguins were leading the Kings 2-1 in the third period in their game Thursday night, the result was mostly a mirage at that point, because Los Angeles had the much better of the play. After breaking out with 4 goals in the final frame, they finally justified the way the ice was tilted with the result on the scoreboard.
Pittsburgh was never in the game against San Jose from the beginning. Marc-Andre Fleury was pulled just minutes into the 2nd period and at that point, the Pens' were already down 3-0 to one of the best teams in the NHL.
What's really hurt the Penguins is the injuries they've been suffering, although they're not unlike most other teams in that regard, as this year has been one of the worst for injuries to key players in recent memory. Star players like Alexander Ovechkin, Jonathan Towes, Daniel Sedin, Cam Ward, Marion Hossa, Marc Savard, and many more have all missed chunks of time this season already.
Look at the Detroit Red Wings for heaven's sake. They're losing key players every few games, and their injuries are expected to be even more long-term. It's certainly not helping their cause in the standings.
Of course, injuries are no excuse ..... but they are at least an explanation.
The latest casualty for Pittsburgh came Saturday night when defenseman Kris Letang left the game against the Sharks early in the contest after falling on his right shoulder and arm.
Letang accompanied the team to Boston, but then flew from there back to Pittsburgh where word came yestrday that he has a shoulder contusion and will be out about 2 weeks.
Letang joins regulars -- and key contributors -- Evgeni Malkin, Sergei Gonchar, Tyler Kennedy and Max Talbot on the shelf.
The bright news is that all of these guys should be back within the next several weeks. Malkin and Kennedy likely will be the first to get back.
Malkin is probably about 5 days away. He's been skating and was hoping to return Thursday at home against New Jersey, but he also hasn't been cleared for contact yet. That clearance may come today or tomorrow, after which I would expect that Bylsma will want to get #71 back up to speed with multiple full-participation practices.
Kennedy continues to skate, but it's not looking like he'll play tonight. It may be Thursday for him, or maybe the weekend.
Talbot is still probably a few weeks away. He's still wearing a red no-contact jersey in practice, but should be cleared to bang bodies again soon.
Gonchar is hoping for a return around Thanksgiving.
Letang should be ready around the same time.
Heck, the Penguins' injury bug has been so bad, it reached the near-pinnacle of their organization, when team President David Moorehouse suffered a heart attack while with the team in San Jose on Saturday. Moorehouse was admitted to the hospital there, but is okay now, and is expected to make a full recovery.
What else is hurting Pittsburgh is that, in the absence of so many of the Penguins' important contributors, star center Sidney Crosby has struggled.
Crosby is pointless in his last 4 games, and really needs to pick his game up.
Bylsma changed a lot of the line combinations in practice yesterday -- including Sid's, who played with Ruslan Fedotenko and Matt Cooke -- and we may see some of those different units tonight as the Pens' try to salvage a .500 trip.
Defenseman Deryk Engelland -- recalled last Friday because defenseman Alex Goligoski was battling an illness -- will probably play tonight in Letang's place, instead.
It will be interesting to see how we come out this evening. Even with a half-cast, the Penguins have to play with more focus and more intensity. They need to pay attention to detail and win a close, low-scoring game.
Recap tomorrow.
Let's Go Pens'!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Continuing the Road Trip Reunion Tour: Pens' Face Scuderi, Kings
Free agency can be wicked in professional sports.
Ties are made with teams.
Bonds are made with fans.
Championships bring everyone together.
Then, money enters the picture.
Players change teams.
Sometimes they want to.
And sometimes they don't want to, but have no choice but to get their first (and/or maybe last) big contract.
When Defenseman Rob Scuderi left the Penguins this summer to sign a 5-year, 15+ million dollar free agent contract with the Los Angeles Kings -- who the Penguins continue their road trip against tonight in L.A. at the Staples Center (10:30 PM EST) -- it was one of the more unique situations I've seen in NHL free agency.
Scuderi wanted to stay in Pittsburgh. The fans wanted him to stay. Pens' GM Ray Shero wanted him to stay.
But all three knew that there just wasn't going to be enough money to do that in the salary cap era. They knew that Scuderi's play had hit a peak level in his career, and that he would be in great demand throughout the league after the spotlight shone so brightly on his stellar defensive work during Pittsburgh's run to the Stanley Cup.
Basically, everyone was resigned to the fact that Scuderi was likely to leave.
And when he got the big payday, there were almost tears about it.
Not just tears of sadness.
Sure, it was tough to lose a player of Scuds' caliber.
But also tears of happiness.
Scuderi's teammates were happy to see him get what he deserved.
Even Pens' GM Ray Shero was genuinely excited to see #4 get a big payday, even if it regretfully could not have been in Pittsburgh.
And so, Scuderi and the Kings will bring a strong 9-4-2 record into their game against the Pens' tonight, in what surely will be a tough contest for Pittsburgh.
Their general lack of success on the west coast notwithstanding, the Penguins can actually look back to their last win in LA without having to walk into the last century.
After a near decade of ineptitude there, Pittsburgh beat the Kings on the road a few years ago early in the season on an OT goal by Evegni Malkin.
The Kings have gone through growing pains the last several years under coach Terry Murray, but they are developing into a formidable young group -- a lot like the Pens' were 3 years ago when they broke through with a strong regular season and playoff appearance, even if they bowed out early in round 1 to the Ottawa Senators.
Los Angeles is led by the NHL's leading scorer. That's right. It's not Alexander Ovechkin who leads the league. It's 24-year old slovakian Anze Kopitar, a big skilled centerman who has 11 goals and 13 assists so far this season. Kopitar brings everything to the ice and the Penguins will have their hands full with him tonight.
But he's not the only one they have to be concerned with.
Veteran Ryan Smyth is having a great year thusfar, as well. He has 19 points in 15 games and sure doesn't look his age.
Add in Kings' Captain Dustin Brown, skilled but inconsistent LW Alexander Frolov, and young blueline star Drew Doughty, and Los Angeles again has people to watch on the ice.
Jonathan Quick, 9-3 this year, is likely to get the nod in goal for the Kings.
Watch out for the rough stuff tonight, too. The Kings have some guys that aren't afraid to mix it up, including Raitis Ivanans and Wayne Simmons. Eric Goddard and secret weapon Mike Rupp may have to answer the bell.
Either way, it will be important for Pittsburgh to get to their game tonight, and do so quickly. They have a good habit of doing that, and of course, are poised to set an NHL record for most consecutive road victories to start a season (8) if they are victorious tonight.
The odds are good, I would say. Head Coach Dan Bylsma has only lost 6 -- that's right, SIX -- games out of 40 regulation contests since he stepped behind the bench to lead the Boys of Winter.
I'll see if I can get a recap up tomorrow and keep in tune to the big Pens'/Sharks matchup Saturday night, but I'll be traveling for the next 3 days beginning tomorrow with sketchy availability. I'll do my best.
Regardless, you know the word.
Let's Go Pens!
Ties are made with teams.
Bonds are made with fans.
Championships bring everyone together.
Then, money enters the picture.
Players change teams.
Sometimes they want to.
And sometimes they don't want to, but have no choice but to get their first (and/or maybe last) big contract.
When Defenseman Rob Scuderi left the Penguins this summer to sign a 5-year, 15+ million dollar free agent contract with the Los Angeles Kings -- who the Penguins continue their road trip against tonight in L.A. at the Staples Center (10:30 PM EST) -- it was one of the more unique situations I've seen in NHL free agency.
Scuderi wanted to stay in Pittsburgh. The fans wanted him to stay. Pens' GM Ray Shero wanted him to stay.
But all three knew that there just wasn't going to be enough money to do that in the salary cap era. They knew that Scuderi's play had hit a peak level in his career, and that he would be in great demand throughout the league after the spotlight shone so brightly on his stellar defensive work during Pittsburgh's run to the Stanley Cup.
Basically, everyone was resigned to the fact that Scuderi was likely to leave.
And when he got the big payday, there were almost tears about it.
Not just tears of sadness.
Sure, it was tough to lose a player of Scuds' caliber.
But also tears of happiness.
Scuderi's teammates were happy to see him get what he deserved.
Even Pens' GM Ray Shero was genuinely excited to see #4 get a big payday, even if it regretfully could not have been in Pittsburgh.
And so, Scuderi and the Kings will bring a strong 9-4-2 record into their game against the Pens' tonight, in what surely will be a tough contest for Pittsburgh.
Their general lack of success on the west coast notwithstanding, the Penguins can actually look back to their last win in LA without having to walk into the last century.
After a near decade of ineptitude there, Pittsburgh beat the Kings on the road a few years ago early in the season on an OT goal by Evegni Malkin.
The Kings have gone through growing pains the last several years under coach Terry Murray, but they are developing into a formidable young group -- a lot like the Pens' were 3 years ago when they broke through with a strong regular season and playoff appearance, even if they bowed out early in round 1 to the Ottawa Senators.
Los Angeles is led by the NHL's leading scorer. That's right. It's not Alexander Ovechkin who leads the league. It's 24-year old slovakian Anze Kopitar, a big skilled centerman who has 11 goals and 13 assists so far this season. Kopitar brings everything to the ice and the Penguins will have their hands full with him tonight.
But he's not the only one they have to be concerned with.
Veteran Ryan Smyth is having a great year thusfar, as well. He has 19 points in 15 games and sure doesn't look his age.
Add in Kings' Captain Dustin Brown, skilled but inconsistent LW Alexander Frolov, and young blueline star Drew Doughty, and Los Angeles again has people to watch on the ice.
Jonathan Quick, 9-3 this year, is likely to get the nod in goal for the Kings.
Watch out for the rough stuff tonight, too. The Kings have some guys that aren't afraid to mix it up, including Raitis Ivanans and Wayne Simmons. Eric Goddard and secret weapon Mike Rupp may have to answer the bell.
Either way, it will be important for Pittsburgh to get to their game tonight, and do so quickly. They have a good habit of doing that, and of course, are poised to set an NHL record for most consecutive road victories to start a season (8) if they are victorious tonight.
The odds are good, I would say. Head Coach Dan Bylsma has only lost 6 -- that's right, SIX -- games out of 40 regulation contests since he stepped behind the bench to lead the Boys of Winter.
I'll see if I can get a recap up tomorrow and keep in tune to the big Pens'/Sharks matchup Saturday night, but I'll be traveling for the next 3 days beginning tomorrow with sketchy availability. I'll do my best.
Regardless, you know the word.
Let's Go Pens!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Penguins Beat Ducks To Tie NHL Record For Most Consecutive Road Wins To Start Season
The road warriors march on.
The Pittsburgh Penguins tied an NHL record last night with the most consecutive victories to open up a season on the road by beating the Anaheim Ducks, 4-3, at the Honda Center in Anaheim.
The Boys of Winter are now 7-0 away from Mellon Arena this season.
The Pens' weren't able to generate their ususal shot barrage in this one, but they got goals when they needed them -- and got them without #87 registering a single point all evening.
After failing to capitalize on FOUR power plays in the first period, the Pens' entered the opening intermission, not surprisingly, down 1-0. However, the Pens' got the next two on goals in the second period, and both were from near the same area -- high in the slot on the edge of the left wing circle. Mike Rupp got the first by flipping a shot past Anaheim goalie Jonas Hiller to tie the score just a few minutes into the 2nd frame.
That goal was Rupp's 4th of the season, which is one more than he had all of last year with New Jersey.
Defenseman Kris Letang put the Pens' up by one at near the halfway point when he beat Hiller with a wrister on a delayed penalty.
Later in the 2nd, Corey Perry tied the score again for the Ducks by tallying his second of the night.
Then things got interesting.
Just past the 7 minute mark of the 3rd, the Pens' were buzzing in the Ducks' zone and Jordan Staal tried to get a puck from the far wall to the slot to Tyler Kennedy -- who did return to the lineup last night, after all. Staal's pass was broken up on the way and was drifting away from TK. Kennedy lunged to tap the puck back to the point, though, where defenseman Alex Goligoski was waiting and completely wired a slapshot past Hiller from 50 feet to give Pittsburgh a 3-2 lead.
About 20 seconds later, however, Ducks' center Saku Koivu got away with inteference when he shoved Pens' D Brooks Orpik down from behind on a play behind the net when Orpik didn't have the puck. Teemu Selanne, who Orpik was eyeballing, then fed the puck back to Koivu out towards the short side of the goal, to the left of Pens' netminder Marc-Andre Fleury. Koivu then, just like that, somehow snuck the puck underneath Fleury or between him and the post to again tie the score.
Orpik complained vociferously to the official, but no matter. The Pens' retook the lead right back less than a minute later on bullet point slapper from Pascal Dupuis, similar to the goal GoGo scored. Pittsburgh had controlled the play in the Ducks' zone for a good 30-45 seconds, with Dupuis, Orpik and others passing the puck around like they were on a power play, even though they really weren't. Ultimately, Dupuis took advantage of the traffic in front of Hiller and made his shot count.
That was Dupuis' second goal in two games.
While the Ducks' buzzed the Pens' zone for the final four minutes, they couldn't get the tying marker. And some credit for that has to go to Sidney Crosby because, while he didn't tally a point last night, he literally stacked his legs in the crease to stop a shot from Anaheim defenseman Scott Niedermayer while Fleury had gotten himself out of the play trying to reach for -- but failing to get -- a loose puck.
Dad Troy Crosby -- a former Montreal Canadiens' goaltender -- was certainly proud after that one.
So, despite being outshot 29-27, the Penguins came away with their first victory in California since 1997. With it came the spoils of again being on top of the NHL standings with a league-best 12 wins and 24 points.
No team has scored more than the Pens' this season, and only 5 have given up less goals. Fleury's GAA presently sits at 2.14
Pittsburgh will go for the NHL record for most consecutive road wins to start a season on Thursday in Los Angeles against the Kings and former Penguin' defenseman Rob Scuderi (10:30 PM EST).
The Pittsburgh Penguins tied an NHL record last night with the most consecutive victories to open up a season on the road by beating the Anaheim Ducks, 4-3, at the Honda Center in Anaheim.
The Boys of Winter are now 7-0 away from Mellon Arena this season.
The Pens' weren't able to generate their ususal shot barrage in this one, but they got goals when they needed them -- and got them without #87 registering a single point all evening.
After failing to capitalize on FOUR power plays in the first period, the Pens' entered the opening intermission, not surprisingly, down 1-0. However, the Pens' got the next two on goals in the second period, and both were from near the same area -- high in the slot on the edge of the left wing circle. Mike Rupp got the first by flipping a shot past Anaheim goalie Jonas Hiller to tie the score just a few minutes into the 2nd frame.
That goal was Rupp's 4th of the season, which is one more than he had all of last year with New Jersey.
Defenseman Kris Letang put the Pens' up by one at near the halfway point when he beat Hiller with a wrister on a delayed penalty.
Later in the 2nd, Corey Perry tied the score again for the Ducks by tallying his second of the night.
Then things got interesting.
Just past the 7 minute mark of the 3rd, the Pens' were buzzing in the Ducks' zone and Jordan Staal tried to get a puck from the far wall to the slot to Tyler Kennedy -- who did return to the lineup last night, after all. Staal's pass was broken up on the way and was drifting away from TK. Kennedy lunged to tap the puck back to the point, though, where defenseman Alex Goligoski was waiting and completely wired a slapshot past Hiller from 50 feet to give Pittsburgh a 3-2 lead.
About 20 seconds later, however, Ducks' center Saku Koivu got away with inteference when he shoved Pens' D Brooks Orpik down from behind on a play behind the net when Orpik didn't have the puck. Teemu Selanne, who Orpik was eyeballing, then fed the puck back to Koivu out towards the short side of the goal, to the left of Pens' netminder Marc-Andre Fleury. Koivu then, just like that, somehow snuck the puck underneath Fleury or between him and the post to again tie the score.
Orpik complained vociferously to the official, but no matter. The Pens' retook the lead right back less than a minute later on bullet point slapper from Pascal Dupuis, similar to the goal GoGo scored. Pittsburgh had controlled the play in the Ducks' zone for a good 30-45 seconds, with Dupuis, Orpik and others passing the puck around like they were on a power play, even though they really weren't. Ultimately, Dupuis took advantage of the traffic in front of Hiller and made his shot count.
That was Dupuis' second goal in two games.
While the Ducks' buzzed the Pens' zone for the final four minutes, they couldn't get the tying marker. And some credit for that has to go to Sidney Crosby because, while he didn't tally a point last night, he literally stacked his legs in the crease to stop a shot from Anaheim defenseman Scott Niedermayer while Fleury had gotten himself out of the play trying to reach for -- but failing to get -- a loose puck.
Dad Troy Crosby -- a former Montreal Canadiens' goaltender -- was certainly proud after that one.
So, despite being outshot 29-27, the Penguins came away with their first victory in California since 1997. With it came the spoils of again being on top of the NHL standings with a league-best 12 wins and 24 points.
No team has scored more than the Pens' this season, and only 5 have given up less goals. Fleury's GAA presently sits at 2.14
Pittsburgh will go for the NHL record for most consecutive road wins to start a season on Thursday in Los Angeles against the Kings and former Penguin' defenseman Rob Scuderi (10:30 PM EST).
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Ryan Whitney To Face Former Team Tonight As Pens' Enter November On The West Coast
Coming off a franchise-record 11 wins in the month of October, the Pittsburgh Penguins have to be feeling fairly good about themselves, despite the fact that several key injuries are trying to derail their strong start to this season.
Tonight, the Penguins put their season-long undefeated road record (6-0) on the line in Anaheim against the Ducks to begin a 4-game trip, most of which will be spent in California.
The Penguins have won only one -- that's right, ONE -- game in Cali in the last 12 seasons, and that was in Los Angeles a few years ago when Evgeni Malkin won the game in overtime and continued his then-assault on the NHL record book for goals in the most consecutive games to start a career.
For as much as I enjoy catching the Penguins late night, that's a lot of night owl losses I've seen over the years.
Tonight will mark the first game for Anaheim defenseman Ryan Whitney against his former club.
Whitney, who was traded to the Ducks last February in the deal that netted Chris Kunitz and Eric Tangradi for the Pens', has 1 goal and 7 points this season, and will undoubtedly see more ice time tonight given that Anaheim's leading backline scorer, James Wisniewski, will miss tonight's contest after being suspended 2 games for delivering a blow to the head of Phoenix Coyotes winger Shane Doan in a loss to the 'Yotes on Saturday night.
The Ducks haven't played very well overall this year, but as everyone knows after seeing them dispatch last year's Presidents' Trophy-winning San Jose Sharks in round 1 of the 2008/2009 postseason and after seeing them take the Red Wings to 7 games in round 2, they remain a challenging opponent.
They are led up front by Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Perry, in particular, has had a strong start to this season.
The Ducks have still-talented veteran complementary players, too, in Teemu Selanne and free agent signee Saku Koivu. Of course, when talking about still-talented veterans, you can't talk about Anaheim without mentioning their captain, Scott Neidermayer. He's still a force for them on the blueline and in the locker room.
And don't forget about one of the most underrated goaltenders in the game -- Jonas Hiller. Anyone who has watched him the last few years knows how good he really is. There's a reason he has pushed former Conn Smythe Trophy Winner J.S. Giguere out of the net in Anaheim.
Undoubtedly, the Penguins are in for a challenge tonight, but their chances could be aided by the return to the lineup of RW Tyler Kennedy.
Kennedy, who has missed the last few games with an undisclosed injury, began practicing recently. There's no official word that he will return to the lineup tonight, but if he does, it certainly would give Pittsburgh a boost. If he doesn't make it back on the ice this evening, I think it's likely he'd return Thursday against the Los Angeles Kings.
Recap tomorrow.
Let's Go Pens'
Tonight, the Penguins put their season-long undefeated road record (6-0) on the line in Anaheim against the Ducks to begin a 4-game trip, most of which will be spent in California.
The Penguins have won only one -- that's right, ONE -- game in Cali in the last 12 seasons, and that was in Los Angeles a few years ago when Evgeni Malkin won the game in overtime and continued his then-assault on the NHL record book for goals in the most consecutive games to start a career.
For as much as I enjoy catching the Penguins late night, that's a lot of night owl losses I've seen over the years.
Tonight will mark the first game for Anaheim defenseman Ryan Whitney against his former club.
Whitney, who was traded to the Ducks last February in the deal that netted Chris Kunitz and Eric Tangradi for the Pens', has 1 goal and 7 points this season, and will undoubtedly see more ice time tonight given that Anaheim's leading backline scorer, James Wisniewski, will miss tonight's contest after being suspended 2 games for delivering a blow to the head of Phoenix Coyotes winger Shane Doan in a loss to the 'Yotes on Saturday night.
The Ducks haven't played very well overall this year, but as everyone knows after seeing them dispatch last year's Presidents' Trophy-winning San Jose Sharks in round 1 of the 2008/2009 postseason and after seeing them take the Red Wings to 7 games in round 2, they remain a challenging opponent.
They are led up front by Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Perry, in particular, has had a strong start to this season.
The Ducks have still-talented veteran complementary players, too, in Teemu Selanne and free agent signee Saku Koivu. Of course, when talking about still-talented veterans, you can't talk about Anaheim without mentioning their captain, Scott Neidermayer. He's still a force for them on the blueline and in the locker room.
And don't forget about one of the most underrated goaltenders in the game -- Jonas Hiller. Anyone who has watched him the last few years knows how good he really is. There's a reason he has pushed former Conn Smythe Trophy Winner J.S. Giguere out of the net in Anaheim.
Undoubtedly, the Penguins are in for a challenge tonight, but their chances could be aided by the return to the lineup of RW Tyler Kennedy.
Kennedy, who has missed the last few games with an undisclosed injury, began practicing recently. There's no official word that he will return to the lineup tonight, but if he does, it certainly would give Pittsburgh a boost. If he doesn't make it back on the ice this evening, I think it's likely he'd return Thursday against the Los Angeles Kings.
Recap tomorrow.
Let's Go Pens'
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Weekend Split: Penguins Win Thriller over Blue Jackets; Have Door Slammed by Wild
Entering this weekend's games, the Penguins sat in a very comfortable position with a 10-2 record, having gotten to "their game" pretty quickly over the first near-month of hockey this year under head coach Dan Bylsma. But with the number of occupants in the Penguin infirmary growing by the day, it seems, it was apparent that Pittsburgh would face challenges to maintain their pace going forward.
Those challenges were on display throughout the weekend, as the Penguins rallied to beat the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night in Ohio, but fell short of being able to crack Minnesota netminder Nicklas Backstrom in a loss to the Wild at Mellon Arena last night.
The Penguins played 50 or so minutes of mostly uninspiring hockey against the Blue Jackets two nights ago, despite the fact that Nationwide Arena in Columbus was packed with thousands and thousands of Penguin fans who traveled to see their favorite team wear their powder blue 3rd jerseys on the "road" for the first time since the 2008 Winter Classic played at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo, NY.
Late in the 3rd period, the Penguins trailed 3-1. Star Rick Nash had 2 markers for Columbus, and the only goal scorer for the Penguins at that point was, of all people, Chris Kunitz, who -- after scoring his first of the season in the Pens' 6-1 victory over Montreal two days earlier -- notched his second in 2 games during the 2nd period.
Pittsburgh was obviously either feeling the effect of those injuries or just a letdown after their domination of the Canadiens on Wednesday, because they otherwise should have been rolling over a Columbus squad that was 1-4 in its last 5 games.
As it was, the Penguins had to settle for a near-reprise of last year's game in Columbus, where the Penguins were down 3-0, only to rally and force overtime with 3 quick-strike goals in the 3rd period.
This time, Ruslan Fedotenko scored to bring the Penguins within one with about 3 minutes to go by taking a rebound of a Brooks Orpik point shot off the back boards behind the net and depositing it into the empty cage.
Then, just 30+ seconds later, with the Pens' again buzzing in the Blue Jackets' zone, Sidney Crosby got the puck down low in the Columbus zone and found Alex Goligoski in the high slot 35/40 feet out. GoGo drilled a beautiful wrister top corner glove side over Columbus netminder Steve Mason to tie the score and give the suddenly energetic birds a lot of life.
After a scoreless overtime, the Penguins flipped the script from last year when they lost the game to the Blue Jackets in the shootout, despite their rally.
Crosby was the only person to score this time around, getting a goal on the Pens' second attempt with a shot that Mason stopped at first, but permitted to trickle just enough over the goal line.
Brent Johnson, the Pens' backup goaltender playing in his 3rd game this season, stoned all three Columbus shooters to wrap up the victory.
Johnson is now be a perfect 6-for-6 in shootout attempts against this year, by the way.
After walking out of that building with 2 points they probably didn't deserve, the Penguins' had a team meeting for 10 minutes to talk about their play.
The standard is high for the Stanley Cup champions, indeed.
The meeting must have sent a message to most of the team, because the Penguins' came out last night against the Wild and played much better hockey.
The problem was that Minnesota -- a team that had been winless in eight (8) road contests this year thusfar -- decided to start Backstrom in goal, and he swallowed up basically everything the Penguins threw at him like a $500 Dyson vacuum cleaner.
Pittsburgh outshot the Wild 35-15 on the night, but could only dent Backstrom in the 2nd period on a goal by Pascal Dupuis.
Dupuis' goal was the result of a nice set up off the face-off, when the Penguins' Craig Adams won the puck to the far wall, where defenseman Martin Skoula stepped up, retrieved the biscuit, then fed it to and open and waiting Dupuis, who had stepped a strike or so back from his spot on the right side of the face-off circle after the puck went the other direction. Dupuis one timed a laser low to the far side past Backstrom, who didn't even really move on the play because it happened so fast.
Pittsburgh brought a lot of ruckus against the Wild netminder in the game -- especially in the third period -- but just weren't able to crack him. They had some good chances throughout the entire contest, really. Staal had one uncontested at the lip of the crease that he just pushed wide. Guerin hit the post on one play. The Pens' just weren't able to finish and Backstrom made it look easy most of the rest of the time. He plays so in control and reads the play so well; it's hard to get pucks by him unless you beat him up high or generate traffic in front of him.
Not a complex formula -- and not one different than the way to beat most goaltenders, to be sure -- but one the Penguins' were nevertheless not able to do well enough last night.
Marc-Andre Fleury didn't play poorly on the other end, despite stopping only 13 shots. The Wild got a break on their first goal -- a rebound score by Klye Brodziak, who the puck just came to while he was standing to Fleury's right, wide-open, and then a pin-point laser by Eric Belanger past Fleury's blocker with .6 seconds left in the first period.
The loss left the Penguins at 11-3 -- still in first place in the Atlantic Division by 5 points, and still tied with the Colorado Avalanche for the top spot in the league with 22.
At this point, it should be plain to see that the Pens' are going to face increasing challenges going forward while they are shorthanded. Especially in light of the fact that the Pens' leave today for a 4-game road trip, including 3 night-owl games on the west coast this week against Anaheim, Los Angeles and San Jose. I mean, let's face it. The guys they currently are missing -- Evgeni Malkin, Sergei Gonchar, Tyler Kennedy and Max Talbot -- are key components of their group.
Having one or two out is something they can (and did) overcome. When you start to miss 4 key guys, it gets more difficult.
The good news is that Kennedy is close to returning. His undisclosed injury still hasn't been revealed, but he skated recently for 25 or so minutes and was said to feel good. He'll travel with the team this week and probably rejoin the lineup at some point.
Geno, Gonchar, and Talbot, of course, won't return on the trip.
There's no doubt the Penguins are going to have to reach deeper to get things done for the next several weeks, and not let the fruits of their good labor during the first month of the season start to unravel in the way things did for them in November that last year.
More this week.
Those challenges were on display throughout the weekend, as the Penguins rallied to beat the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night in Ohio, but fell short of being able to crack Minnesota netminder Nicklas Backstrom in a loss to the Wild at Mellon Arena last night.
The Penguins played 50 or so minutes of mostly uninspiring hockey against the Blue Jackets two nights ago, despite the fact that Nationwide Arena in Columbus was packed with thousands and thousands of Penguin fans who traveled to see their favorite team wear their powder blue 3rd jerseys on the "road" for the first time since the 2008 Winter Classic played at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo, NY.
Late in the 3rd period, the Penguins trailed 3-1. Star Rick Nash had 2 markers for Columbus, and the only goal scorer for the Penguins at that point was, of all people, Chris Kunitz, who -- after scoring his first of the season in the Pens' 6-1 victory over Montreal two days earlier -- notched his second in 2 games during the 2nd period.
Pittsburgh was obviously either feeling the effect of those injuries or just a letdown after their domination of the Canadiens on Wednesday, because they otherwise should have been rolling over a Columbus squad that was 1-4 in its last 5 games.
As it was, the Penguins had to settle for a near-reprise of last year's game in Columbus, where the Penguins were down 3-0, only to rally and force overtime with 3 quick-strike goals in the 3rd period.
This time, Ruslan Fedotenko scored to bring the Penguins within one with about 3 minutes to go by taking a rebound of a Brooks Orpik point shot off the back boards behind the net and depositing it into the empty cage.
Then, just 30+ seconds later, with the Pens' again buzzing in the Blue Jackets' zone, Sidney Crosby got the puck down low in the Columbus zone and found Alex Goligoski in the high slot 35/40 feet out. GoGo drilled a beautiful wrister top corner glove side over Columbus netminder Steve Mason to tie the score and give the suddenly energetic birds a lot of life.
After a scoreless overtime, the Penguins flipped the script from last year when they lost the game to the Blue Jackets in the shootout, despite their rally.
Crosby was the only person to score this time around, getting a goal on the Pens' second attempt with a shot that Mason stopped at first, but permitted to trickle just enough over the goal line.
Brent Johnson, the Pens' backup goaltender playing in his 3rd game this season, stoned all three Columbus shooters to wrap up the victory.
Johnson is now be a perfect 6-for-6 in shootout attempts against this year, by the way.
After walking out of that building with 2 points they probably didn't deserve, the Penguins' had a team meeting for 10 minutes to talk about their play.
The standard is high for the Stanley Cup champions, indeed.
The meeting must have sent a message to most of the team, because the Penguins' came out last night against the Wild and played much better hockey.
The problem was that Minnesota -- a team that had been winless in eight (8) road contests this year thusfar -- decided to start Backstrom in goal, and he swallowed up basically everything the Penguins threw at him like a $500 Dyson vacuum cleaner.
Pittsburgh outshot the Wild 35-15 on the night, but could only dent Backstrom in the 2nd period on a goal by Pascal Dupuis.
Dupuis' goal was the result of a nice set up off the face-off, when the Penguins' Craig Adams won the puck to the far wall, where defenseman Martin Skoula stepped up, retrieved the biscuit, then fed it to and open and waiting Dupuis, who had stepped a strike or so back from his spot on the right side of the face-off circle after the puck went the other direction. Dupuis one timed a laser low to the far side past Backstrom, who didn't even really move on the play because it happened so fast.
Pittsburgh brought a lot of ruckus against the Wild netminder in the game -- especially in the third period -- but just weren't able to crack him. They had some good chances throughout the entire contest, really. Staal had one uncontested at the lip of the crease that he just pushed wide. Guerin hit the post on one play. The Pens' just weren't able to finish and Backstrom made it look easy most of the rest of the time. He plays so in control and reads the play so well; it's hard to get pucks by him unless you beat him up high or generate traffic in front of him.
Not a complex formula -- and not one different than the way to beat most goaltenders, to be sure -- but one the Penguins' were nevertheless not able to do well enough last night.
Marc-Andre Fleury didn't play poorly on the other end, despite stopping only 13 shots. The Wild got a break on their first goal -- a rebound score by Klye Brodziak, who the puck just came to while he was standing to Fleury's right, wide-open, and then a pin-point laser by Eric Belanger past Fleury's blocker with .6 seconds left in the first period.
The loss left the Penguins at 11-3 -- still in first place in the Atlantic Division by 5 points, and still tied with the Colorado Avalanche for the top spot in the league with 22.
At this point, it should be plain to see that the Pens' are going to face increasing challenges going forward while they are shorthanded. Especially in light of the fact that the Pens' leave today for a 4-game road trip, including 3 night-owl games on the west coast this week against Anaheim, Los Angeles and San Jose. I mean, let's face it. The guys they currently are missing -- Evgeni Malkin, Sergei Gonchar, Tyler Kennedy and Max Talbot -- are key components of their group.
Having one or two out is something they can (and did) overcome. When you start to miss 4 key guys, it gets more difficult.
The good news is that Kennedy is close to returning. His undisclosed injury still hasn't been revealed, but he skated recently for 25 or so minutes and was said to feel good. He'll travel with the team this week and probably rejoin the lineup at some point.
Geno, Gonchar, and Talbot, of course, won't return on the trip.
There's no doubt the Penguins are going to have to reach deeper to get things done for the next several weeks, and not let the fruits of their good labor during the first month of the season start to unravel in the way things did for them in November that last year.
More this week.
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