The Pittsburgh Penguins begin a challenging-to-say-the-least set of back-to-back contests tonight at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo against the Sabres.
And not just because their team plane had to divert away from Buffalo International Airport to land in Niagra Falls, NY on the way north.
Or because their team bus from Niagra Falls to Buffalo got stuck about three blocks from their hotel and had to be pushed by none other than Head Coach Dan Bylsma and company.
No, the Pens' have a tough set of 2 games in 2 nights because both Buffalo and the squad the Penguins match up against the following night -- their Atlantic Division rivals, the New Jersey Devils -- are among the better ones in the Eastern Conference and NHL.
Unlike the last time Pittsburgh faced the Sabres, when Buffalo started backup Patrick Lalime and the Penguins won in a shootout, the Boys of Winter will face starter and #1 netminder Ryan Miller tonight.
Miller has a sub 2.00 GAA this season thusfar and if the Vezina Trophy for the league's best netminder were voted on today, he'd probably turn up first on enough ballots to take it home.
He and the rest of the Sabres' well-balanced roster will present a challenge for Pittsburgh this evening, as will Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils the following night.
As I have written in this space recently after their latest home loss to New Jersey, the Pens' have just not fared well against the Devils this year thusfar, losing two 4-1 games and being on the wrong end of a 4-0 shutout.
That's 12-2 for those who are counting.
What Pittsburgh has not been able to do this year against the Devils so far -- and what has to be driving Bylsma crazy -- is their inability to break the famous New Jersey trap.
The Penguins have simply not done enough to break through the neutral zone or, failing that, dump pucks in and retrieve them without being promptly turned around by Brodeur's fancy stickwork.
Of course, a timely power play goal or two would also help against a team that is so stifiling at even strength.
Both of these games are good litmus tests for the Penguins, and it certainly won't be easy having to play them in a back-to-back situation, but I'm anxious to see how Pittsburgh fares.
There certainly should be extra buzz surrounding Pittsburgh on this current road trip, as they are likely to find out who on the remainder of their roster gets named an Olympian for the 2010 hockey tournament in Vancouver.
Pens' defenseman Sergei Gonchar and center Evgeni Malkin have already and not surprsingly been named to Team Russia's roster.
Forward Sidney Crosby is a lock for Team Canada, whose roster will be announced tomorrow at noon.
The Penguins have two other likely candidates, though, and two others whose chances seem to have increased by the week and are generating the most buzz right now.
Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has probably settled the debate about whether he should be named to Team Canada with the other two likely netminders, Brodeur and Vancouver's Roberto Luongo.
Meanwhile, defenseman Brooks Orpik has shaken off a slow start to play exceedingly well the last 20-25 games, and appears to have sewn up one of the blueline spots for Team USA.
The other two potential Penguin candidates are center Jordan Staal and RW Bill Guerin, with the former battling for one of the last spots on Team Canada, and the latter battling for one of the final positions on Team USA.
Team USA General Manager Brian Burke has long planned to load his team with a mostly new breed of young and up-and-coming forwards. However, he has gone on record as saying that he would still probably take one or, at the most, two players from the 'old guard' of Team USA -- guys like Mike Modano, Keith Tkachuk and Guerin.
Of those three, Guerin has clearly been the best player this year, and even dating to last year's post-season.
For proof, see the stat lines in this piece by the Pittsburgh Tribune Review:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/s_659778.html
In addition to the fact that Guerin can still produce relatively well on the scoresheet at age 39, he brings excellent leadership on the ice and in the locker room.
That probably isn't lost on Burke. It certainly isn't lost on several other commentators who think Guerin should be on the team. Here is one of those:
http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/more_sports/guerin_the_man_to_lead_us_gold_rush_aHKrztpBE9qVykgr8lLATI
Staal is the other guy on the bubble, and he's such an attractive candidate because he excels at both ends and has demonstrated the ability to raise his game when the stakes are the highest.
Witness his work in the Stanley Cup Finals the last two years.
2 seasons ago, when the Penguins fell to the Detroit Red Wings in six games, Staal may have been the Penguins' best player.
This past year, when the Penguins reversed the result against the 'Wings and took home THE CUP, Staal was again one of the Penguins best players. Some would say that, with the exception of Fleury, Staal WAS the Pens' best player in games 6 and 7 with everything on the line.
Staal's competition for a final spot on Team Canada's roster is fierce, however. He's battling for about 2 spots with a group that probably includes Phoenix Coyotes' winger Shane Doan, Boston Bruins' center Patrice Bergeron, Los Angeles Kings' RW Ryan Smyth, Dallas Stars' LW Brendan Morrow, and Philadelphia Flyers' center Mike Richards.
All of these guys have similar goal and assist statistics this year, but Richards has scored the most points of the group. He's a great two-way player and penalty killer, but his reputation for leadership has taken a hit this year with the near season-long skid his Flyers have suffered. There also have been reports he's not getting along with teammates and enjoying the community a little too much (along with several other Flyers' young players).
Personally, I think those transgressions will keep him off Team Canada this year.
Bergeron is too much of a perimeter finesse player to be selected, in my opinion.
Smyth is a warrior and started off this year strong for the new look Kings but he's missed 6 weeks or so with an injury and it's hard to know how he's going to come back from that. He's a veteran and may need some time to get in tune once more.
Perhaps too much time.
Doan is a good candidate. He's the Coyotes' Captain and has produced year in and year out without a load of help. Phoenix has been a surprise this year, and they currently sit 5th in the Western Conference. Doan deserves some of the rewards for that.
Morrow is a similar player, but after missing most of last year with an injury, his stock just isn't quite as high as it used to be.
Carrie Underwood's fiance -- also known as Mike Fisher -- also is a strong candidate. He's having probably the best season of his career, scoring at a near point-per-game pace, even in the absence of Senators' stars Jason Spezza and now Daniel Alfredsson. And don't forget that Dany Heatley isn't there any longer.
Fisher also has continued to be a real strong defensive player. He's evolving into a relatively high end #2 center in this league.
We all know what Staal brings to the table, so I won't review his qualifications here, but suffice it to say, it's going to be interesting to see what Team Canada Executive Director Steve Yzerman -- a big Staal fan -- does.
It says here that Staal makes the team as the 13th forward.
And while I think the Penguins would probably be better served with Guerin getting a few weeks off in late February, I think he's going to make the Team USA squad, too.
We'll find out for sure when that group is announced at the conclusion of this year's Winter Classic between the Bruins and Flyers on New Year's Day.
Recap of the Pens'/Sabres matchup tomorrow.
Let's Go Pens!
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