And I thought Steeler fans were the only Pittsburgh sports fans that traveled well.
I was in Columbus, Ohio last night for the Penguins/Blue Jackets contest and the excitement in the city was palpable.
The best part was that it was in large part due to the presence of thousands -- yes, I mean THOUSANDS -- of Penguin fans who descended on the city to watch our flightless waterfowl, the hottest team in the National Hockey League, try to knock off a team in the middle of the Western Conference playoff race. And a team who recently beat both the top teams in each conference at home, the San Jose Sharks and Boston Bruins (and not to mention thrashed the Detroit Red Wings, 8-2, on the road).
Things didn't start out all that well for the Penguins last night, as their relatively lackluster play put them in a 3-0 hole by the time 45 minutes of the game had elapsed.
Kristian Huselius scored in the first on a shot that fooled Fleury after it appeared to be deflected off defenseman Kris Letang's stick.
Jason Williams scored in the 2nd after taking a pass from behind the net on a giveaway behind the net by Fleury and tossing a backhand by #29 from about 25 feet.
New Blue Jacket Antoinne Vermette made a difficult deficit seemingly insurmountable just a few minutes in the 3rd after taking a pass from a teammate who pickpocketed Sergei Gonchar and unleashing a slapper from about 40 feet that beat Fleury far side.
Fleury had to stop that one if the Penguins were to stay in the game against Columbus star rookie goaltender Steve Mason.
Or so I thought.
The Penguins finally started getting penalty calls in the 3rd period, after being victimized by several "homer" calls and being down in that department 4-1 or 5-1 in the first several periods.
And I don't throw out the "homer" label on the officials easily, either. But they zebras simply did not call a good game last night.
Anyway, Gonchar got the Penguins started after hammering a shot from the point past Mason that was deflected on the way. I thought it hit Chris Kunitz, but Gonchar got credit for the goal.
Within a minute, Malkin and Dupuis created a turnover after some hard forechecking behind the Blue Jackets goal. Malkin was ultimatlely able to feed the puck to Dupuis right in front of Mason who was able to bury it to make the game 3-2 before he got buried from behind.
With the Blue Jackets stunned, the Penguins completed the near-improbable comeback just about 2 minutes later when Malkin fed Max Talbot for a shot from the left circle that just squeezed in on the far side to tie the score. Malkin, Talbot and Crosby, who was also on the ice at the time) collapsed behind the Columbus goal in exhiliration after tying the game.
Which means they felt just like me. I was losing my mind -- and all of the goals happened right in front of me in the 3rd.
The Penguins continued to bring the heat for the remainder of the period and had the Blue Jackets on their heels the rest of the game. They ousthot Columbus 19-4 in the 3rd period, but couldn't get the winner.
In overtime, it was more of the same. Kunitz hit the post and Fedotenko set up Letang on a beautiful dipsy-do play but Letang just couldn't finish. In the end, the Penguins lined up for a shootout for 3rd straight game.
Unfortunately, they just ran out of shootout MoJo. Letang, Crosby and Malkin were all stopped by Mason on relatively weak shootout attempts.
Williams and Rick Nash were similarly stopped by Fleury on Columbus' first 2 shots, but Huselius' was able to score between Fleury's wickets for the winner on their 3rd attempt.
The Penguins, in all truthfulness, didn't play all that well. They were strong in the 3rd, but sleepwalked through most of the first 2 periods. And even though Fleury made a few sensational stops, including one on Plum native R.J. Umberger and one at the end of regulation, he wasn't at his best in this one. A fair argument could be made he should have stopped Columbus' first goal, and the 3rd one was a near-killer.
That's why the Penguins should be happy with the point, even though their losing streak came to an end. With losses by Carolina and Florida, the point the Penguins' earned enabled them to stay in 6th place, ahead of those teams, the New York Rangers (who also won) and the Buffalo Sabres, who are doing their best to stay in it (and who beat Carolina). The Montreal Canadiens also lost last night (although their defeat was in OT, so they got a point out of it) and the Philadelphia Flyers fell as well.
The Penguins are one point behind Montreal and 3 behind Philadelphia.
The game was thrilling, even if the end result wasn't everything I and all the other Penguins' faithful who dutifully travelled out there to cheer loudly (and cheer loudly we all did) for the Boys of Winter.
Even Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock said after the game their were way too many Penguin fans in the building.
All I know is that there's no other team in the league that can send that many people into Mellon Arena. Not a single other following. I know I'd puke if I saw that many visiting fans in my favorite team's building.
Last night, the Penguin fans simply represented!
The Penguins now return home for an 8 game home stand starting Saturday against the Ottawa Senators.
Mathieu Garon is expected to start his first game in goal for the Penguins in 18 contests.
RW Petr Sykora also should be back in the lineup.
More over the weekend.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Penguins Win 7th Straight Over Panthers In Shootout, 4-3
A month ago, the question most hockey fans were asking about the Pittsburgh Penguins was how far could they fall.
How quickly things can change.
With their 4-3 shootout victory over the Florida Panthers last night, the Penguins won their 7th straight game -- a season high -- and moved into 6th place in the Eastern Conference, 1 point above the Panthers, 2 ahead of the 8th place Carolina Hurricanes, and 3 ahead of the 9th place New York Rangers.
The Penguins also sit only one point behind the 5th place Montreal Canadiens, who won in overtime last night, and 4 points behind the 4th place Philadelphia Flyers, who also won last evening.
For the first time in a while, things didn't look good for the Penguins last night -- at least on the scoreboard. They opened the scoring on a goal by Evgeni Malkin late in the first period, but watched that lead evaporate over the course of the 2nd period when the Panthers scored 3 goals on 7 shots.
One of those goals -- the 3rd one by defenseman Keith Ballard --- was somewhat controversial as the NHL office in Toronto had to review the play to determine if Ballard kicked the puck in.
Personally, I thought it was a close call. Ballard certainly turned his leg to direct the puck in at the very least. The reverse angle also seemed him to show a slight kicking motion with the leg. However, it's hard to say that what Ballard did was a "distinct kicking motion", which is what the rule requires for the play not to count.
On the other hand, I've seen the boys in Toronto waive off goals with less of a motion than what Ballard did last night. Several times.
In any case, the Penguins faced a 3-1 deficit going into the 3rd period. But they were playing well, and outshooting Florida by a large margin, so they had no reason to lack confidence.
And they came out in the final frame showing it.
Jordan Staal brought the Penguins within 1 when he scored about 2 and 1/2 minutes into the period, banging a rebound of a Matt Cooke shot past Florida netminder Tomas Vokoun. About 4 minutes later, Sidney Crosby capitalized on a rush when he redirected a Bill Guerin pass just enough to get it past Vokoun, off the post, and off Vokoun's body across the goal line to tie the score.
The Penguins continued to bring pressure for much of the 3rd period, but the game remained tied --- as it was at the conclusion of a scoreless overtime. Florida should have considered itself fortunate since it blew the lead and was outshot 50-21.
And Vokoun probably thought he was tired after the Penguins put up 47 shots on him last week.
Kris Letang staked the Penguins to an early advantage in the shootout after deking Vokoun and scoring on the forehand.
Fleury then stopped 2 Panther shots, one by Radek Dvorak and the other by Stephen Weiss, to set the stage for Malkin on the Penguins 3rd attempt.
Malkin approached Vokoun, made a deke, and deftly slid around Vokoun's attempted poke check before depositing the puck into an empty cage to seal the comeback victory for Pittsburgh.
The Penguins just keep rolling at this point, heading into their next game Thursday on the road at Columbus. I'll have an up close and personal recap to post on that game, since I'll be there in person.
The only negative to come from last night's game was the Penguin power play, which came up empty on 6 chances. Personally, I think they need to make some adjustments. They are running everything through Crosby on the near boards. That's fine, except that they are looking for him to be the triggerman in that position all too often. Malkin is much better in that spot because his shot is more dangerous.
More later in the week after my trip west ...
How quickly things can change.
With their 4-3 shootout victory over the Florida Panthers last night, the Penguins won their 7th straight game -- a season high -- and moved into 6th place in the Eastern Conference, 1 point above the Panthers, 2 ahead of the 8th place Carolina Hurricanes, and 3 ahead of the 9th place New York Rangers.
The Penguins also sit only one point behind the 5th place Montreal Canadiens, who won in overtime last night, and 4 points behind the 4th place Philadelphia Flyers, who also won last evening.
For the first time in a while, things didn't look good for the Penguins last night -- at least on the scoreboard. They opened the scoring on a goal by Evgeni Malkin late in the first period, but watched that lead evaporate over the course of the 2nd period when the Panthers scored 3 goals on 7 shots.
One of those goals -- the 3rd one by defenseman Keith Ballard --- was somewhat controversial as the NHL office in Toronto had to review the play to determine if Ballard kicked the puck in.
Personally, I thought it was a close call. Ballard certainly turned his leg to direct the puck in at the very least. The reverse angle also seemed him to show a slight kicking motion with the leg. However, it's hard to say that what Ballard did was a "distinct kicking motion", which is what the rule requires for the play not to count.
On the other hand, I've seen the boys in Toronto waive off goals with less of a motion than what Ballard did last night. Several times.
In any case, the Penguins faced a 3-1 deficit going into the 3rd period. But they were playing well, and outshooting Florida by a large margin, so they had no reason to lack confidence.
And they came out in the final frame showing it.
Jordan Staal brought the Penguins within 1 when he scored about 2 and 1/2 minutes into the period, banging a rebound of a Matt Cooke shot past Florida netminder Tomas Vokoun. About 4 minutes later, Sidney Crosby capitalized on a rush when he redirected a Bill Guerin pass just enough to get it past Vokoun, off the post, and off Vokoun's body across the goal line to tie the score.
The Penguins continued to bring pressure for much of the 3rd period, but the game remained tied --- as it was at the conclusion of a scoreless overtime. Florida should have considered itself fortunate since it blew the lead and was outshot 50-21.
And Vokoun probably thought he was tired after the Penguins put up 47 shots on him last week.
Kris Letang staked the Penguins to an early advantage in the shootout after deking Vokoun and scoring on the forehand.
Fleury then stopped 2 Panther shots, one by Radek Dvorak and the other by Stephen Weiss, to set the stage for Malkin on the Penguins 3rd attempt.
Malkin approached Vokoun, made a deke, and deftly slid around Vokoun's attempted poke check before depositing the puck into an empty cage to seal the comeback victory for Pittsburgh.
The Penguins just keep rolling at this point, heading into their next game Thursday on the road at Columbus. I'll have an up close and personal recap to post on that game, since I'll be there in person.
The only negative to come from last night's game was the Penguin power play, which came up empty on 6 chances. Personally, I think they need to make some adjustments. They are running everything through Crosby on the near boards. That's fine, except that they are looking for him to be the triggerman in that position all too often. Malkin is much better in that spot because his shot is more dangerous.
More later in the week after my trip west ...
Monday, March 9, 2009
Pacify This: Crosby, Penguins Finish Off Ovechkin, Capitals To Finish Road Trip 5-0
One of the more notable storylines for the Penguins going into yesterday's game against the Southeast Division-leading Washington Capitals was the fact that about 500 Capitals' fans bought pacifiers to bring to the game to taunt Penguins' captain Sidney Crosby and otherwise just generally paint him as a whiner following the last game between these two clubs when #87 and Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin exchanged verbal barbs on the ice and after the game, with Ovechkin claiming Crosby talks too much.
Reminds me a lot of the way the juvenile (and jealous) Philadelphia Flyer fans treat Crosby when the Penguins visit there. Who can forget the way they treated Crosby in the game when then Flyer defenseman Derian Hatcher took a stick to Crosby's face and did some fine dental work on 2 of his teeth? More importantly, who can forget what a motivated Crosby did in that game -- scoring 2 goals, including a breakaway winner to finish off Philadelphia.
And so it was for the Crosby in Washington yesterday.
Crosby left the Washington fans crying when he scored the game's opening goal, finishing off a 2-on-1 with RW and linemate Bill Guerin, and then scored the game's final tally when he abused Capitals' netminder Jose Theodore in the shootout before Penguins' goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury slammed the door on Ovechkin to give the Penguins a 4-3 victory and a franchise record 5-0 dossier on their road trip.
Despite all the pre-game talk, there didn't appear to be a whole lot of yapping on the ice between Crosby and Ovechkin. The game was physical, however, and the Penguins led the way in that department, outhitting Washington by a significant margin.
After Crosby's opening goal, the Capitals' tied the score after a brutal giveaway by Penguins' defenseman Kris Letang, who tried a home-run pass to Malkin from behind his own net, only to hit Capitals' center Nicklas Backstrom, who had been stalking him in front of Fleury, in the chest with the puck. Backstrom quickly corraled it and tossed in front to a streaking Alexander Semin who made one deke and buried the puck behind Fleury to tie the score before Letang's defense partner, Mark Eaton, could get to Semin.
The Penguins didn't rest on their laurels, however, and were rewarded when Sergei Gonchar ripped one in from the point on the power play about 8 minutes into the 2nd period, and then Bill Guerin upped the lead to 3-1 when he drilled a wrister behind Theodore in the 2nd period after skating in on a Capitals' defenseman and doing a little toe drag just to change his shooting angle slightly before going top corner.
The Penguins looked to have the game in control going into the 3rd period. But they failed miserably at the first thing they needed to do to open that frame.
Washington opened the period continuing on a power play that started before the 2nd period ended. Unable to kill the penalty, the Penguins let their lead get cut in half when Ovechkin scored on a slapper to the far side from about 45/50 feet.
Then, 45 seconds later, the Penguins' got caught on a terrible line change and left Capitals' forward Brooks Laich alone for a breakaway which he managed to score on by lifting a backhand behind Fleury despite momentarily losing control of the puck about 15 feet out.
To the Penguins' credit, they withstood the momentum surge those 2 quick goals generated for Washington and played strong the remainder of the game and in the overtime. All in all, the Penguins had more good scoring chances throughout the contest. Crosby missed on a mini-breakaway earlier in the game, and Theodore made a few really good saves otherwise, including one on Malkin when he got a pass from Tyler Kennedy and walked down the slot before burying one in Theodore's pads. Guerin also hit the post in the 3rd period.
I must admit ... I was a bit nervous going into the shootout. Washington has skilled stickhandlers and, sure enough, they trotted out all 3 -- Semin, Kozlov and Ovie -- for their shots. Fleury made all of them look like amateurs on this afternoon, however, perhaps in no small part due to the little chat he had at the bench with former Capital Matt Cooke before the shootout began. No doubt that Cooke was spilling some insider secrets there.
After stopping Letang -- who had 2 assists earlier in the game to help make up for his awful giveaway to Backstrom -- on the Penguins' first attempt, Theodore had his showdown with Crosby and, as I already mentioned, Crosby didn't disappoint.
Most Penguin fans will remember Crosby's shootout goal constantly replayed on the highlight clips from a game against Montreal in Pittsburgh 2 years ago when Crosby bore in on then Canadiens' netminder Theodore, gave a little leg kick, deked and roofed a backhander.
Crosby obviously hasn't forgotten, because he used that to set up Thedore yesterday, again giving the leg kick but faking the deke to the backhand before instead going to the forehand and roofing the winner.
The satisfying win for Crosby and the Penguins lifted the Penguins back into playoff position with 74 points, tied with the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers. The Rangers beat Boston, 4-3, yesterday to stay in the hunt.
Most people have the Penguins in 8th. I have them in 6th. The difference is that the people who have them in 8th put them there because they have played one more game than both Florida and New York. But, as far as I know, that has never been enough to be a negative tiebreaker for a team. In fact, the first tiebreaker is victories, and since the Penguins have one more win than both the Panthers and Rangers, I put them ahead. The game in hand both of those clubs have on Pittsburgh means nothing unless they play it and win it, so until they do, the standings should read in order of who owns the tiebreakers, which the Penguins have.
So there.
Either way, it's still a tight Eastern Conference race. The Penguins have gone 11-3-1 in their last 14 and gosh knows where they would be without that stretch or their 5-0 road trip. Probably about 4 points out of the playoff picture. Meanwhile, they are only 4 points behind the 4th place Flyers (although Philadelphia has 3 games in hand).
The Penguins get right back into the mix tomorrow night at home against the Panthers in another big contest. Pittsburgh will need to be careful of the letdown which often follows a long road trip. That's what happened to the Panthers last Thursday when the Penguins beat them. Florida was coming off a 5-game road swing going into that one and their sluggishness showed. Playing the Penguins in such a big game obviously wasn't enough to give them the boost they needed. Let's hope the Penguins don't come out the same way on Tuesday because they need those 2 points and the Panthers have often been a dangerous opponent for them, particularly at home.
Petr Sykora, who missed yesterday's game, should be back for that one.
Let's Go Pens
Reminds me a lot of the way the juvenile (and jealous) Philadelphia Flyer fans treat Crosby when the Penguins visit there. Who can forget the way they treated Crosby in the game when then Flyer defenseman Derian Hatcher took a stick to Crosby's face and did some fine dental work on 2 of his teeth? More importantly, who can forget what a motivated Crosby did in that game -- scoring 2 goals, including a breakaway winner to finish off Philadelphia.
And so it was for the Crosby in Washington yesterday.
Crosby left the Washington fans crying when he scored the game's opening goal, finishing off a 2-on-1 with RW and linemate Bill Guerin, and then scored the game's final tally when he abused Capitals' netminder Jose Theodore in the shootout before Penguins' goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury slammed the door on Ovechkin to give the Penguins a 4-3 victory and a franchise record 5-0 dossier on their road trip.
Despite all the pre-game talk, there didn't appear to be a whole lot of yapping on the ice between Crosby and Ovechkin. The game was physical, however, and the Penguins led the way in that department, outhitting Washington by a significant margin.
After Crosby's opening goal, the Capitals' tied the score after a brutal giveaway by Penguins' defenseman Kris Letang, who tried a home-run pass to Malkin from behind his own net, only to hit Capitals' center Nicklas Backstrom, who had been stalking him in front of Fleury, in the chest with the puck. Backstrom quickly corraled it and tossed in front to a streaking Alexander Semin who made one deke and buried the puck behind Fleury to tie the score before Letang's defense partner, Mark Eaton, could get to Semin.
The Penguins didn't rest on their laurels, however, and were rewarded when Sergei Gonchar ripped one in from the point on the power play about 8 minutes into the 2nd period, and then Bill Guerin upped the lead to 3-1 when he drilled a wrister behind Theodore in the 2nd period after skating in on a Capitals' defenseman and doing a little toe drag just to change his shooting angle slightly before going top corner.
The Penguins looked to have the game in control going into the 3rd period. But they failed miserably at the first thing they needed to do to open that frame.
Washington opened the period continuing on a power play that started before the 2nd period ended. Unable to kill the penalty, the Penguins let their lead get cut in half when Ovechkin scored on a slapper to the far side from about 45/50 feet.
Then, 45 seconds later, the Penguins' got caught on a terrible line change and left Capitals' forward Brooks Laich alone for a breakaway which he managed to score on by lifting a backhand behind Fleury despite momentarily losing control of the puck about 15 feet out.
To the Penguins' credit, they withstood the momentum surge those 2 quick goals generated for Washington and played strong the remainder of the game and in the overtime. All in all, the Penguins had more good scoring chances throughout the contest. Crosby missed on a mini-breakaway earlier in the game, and Theodore made a few really good saves otherwise, including one on Malkin when he got a pass from Tyler Kennedy and walked down the slot before burying one in Theodore's pads. Guerin also hit the post in the 3rd period.
I must admit ... I was a bit nervous going into the shootout. Washington has skilled stickhandlers and, sure enough, they trotted out all 3 -- Semin, Kozlov and Ovie -- for their shots. Fleury made all of them look like amateurs on this afternoon, however, perhaps in no small part due to the little chat he had at the bench with former Capital Matt Cooke before the shootout began. No doubt that Cooke was spilling some insider secrets there.
After stopping Letang -- who had 2 assists earlier in the game to help make up for his awful giveaway to Backstrom -- on the Penguins' first attempt, Theodore had his showdown with Crosby and, as I already mentioned, Crosby didn't disappoint.
Most Penguin fans will remember Crosby's shootout goal constantly replayed on the highlight clips from a game against Montreal in Pittsburgh 2 years ago when Crosby bore in on then Canadiens' netminder Theodore, gave a little leg kick, deked and roofed a backhander.
Crosby obviously hasn't forgotten, because he used that to set up Thedore yesterday, again giving the leg kick but faking the deke to the backhand before instead going to the forehand and roofing the winner.
The satisfying win for Crosby and the Penguins lifted the Penguins back into playoff position with 74 points, tied with the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers. The Rangers beat Boston, 4-3, yesterday to stay in the hunt.
Most people have the Penguins in 8th. I have them in 6th. The difference is that the people who have them in 8th put them there because they have played one more game than both Florida and New York. But, as far as I know, that has never been enough to be a negative tiebreaker for a team. In fact, the first tiebreaker is victories, and since the Penguins have one more win than both the Panthers and Rangers, I put them ahead. The game in hand both of those clubs have on Pittsburgh means nothing unless they play it and win it, so until they do, the standings should read in order of who owns the tiebreakers, which the Penguins have.
So there.
Either way, it's still a tight Eastern Conference race. The Penguins have gone 11-3-1 in their last 14 and gosh knows where they would be without that stretch or their 5-0 road trip. Probably about 4 points out of the playoff picture. Meanwhile, they are only 4 points behind the 4th place Flyers (although Philadelphia has 3 games in hand).
The Penguins get right back into the mix tomorrow night at home against the Panthers in another big contest. Pittsburgh will need to be careful of the letdown which often follows a long road trip. That's what happened to the Panthers last Thursday when the Penguins beat them. Florida was coming off a 5-game road swing going into that one and their sluggishness showed. Playing the Penguins in such a big game obviously wasn't enough to give them the boost they needed. Let's hope the Penguins don't come out the same way on Tuesday because they need those 2 points and the Panthers have often been a dangerous opponent for them, particularly at home.
Petr Sykora, who missed yesterday's game, should be back for that one.
Let's Go Pens
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Penguins/Capitals Preview: The Hatred Continues
The Penguins go for a sweep on their 5-game road trip this afternoon at the Verizon Center against one of their arch-rivals, the Washington Capitals.
The Penguins have never gone undefeated on a road trip longer than 4 games in the history of their franchise, and are looking to beat Washington for the first time this season.
Sergei Gonchar will be back in the lineup today for Pittsburgh, after missing the last game against Florida to be with his wife while she was in childbirth. Coincidentally, maybe one of the reasons why the Penguins have not been able to beat the Capitals this season is because #55 has been missing from their lineup each game?
Meanwhile, there apparently remains some discontent between Penguins' center Sidney Crosby and Capitals' RW Alexander Ovechkin. Both were quoted yesterday leading up to the game as continuing to express differences of opinion about the way each feels the other acts on the ice, with Crosby feeling that Ovechkin taunts too much and goes over the line with his behavior and some of his hits, and Ovechkin feeling that Crosby yaps and whines too much.
Ovechkin, by the way, is expected to return to the Washington lineup after missing the Capitals' last game with a bruised heel, which was the result of a shot he took there in practice on Wednesday from a Capitals' assistant coach.
If it's not one thing between these two teams, it's another. First, Ovechkin and Penguins' center Evgeni Malkin have their feud while Crosby and Capitals' center Alexander Semin exchange barbs through the media. Now, it's Crosby and Ovechkin kicking that can.
Today's game surely should be interesting. I know a lot of the Penguin players are looking at it as a statement game for them because of how they have fared against the Capitals so far this year and because of the fact that they feel like they are playing much more like themselves in recent weeks. Personally, I think Crosby is going to be incredibly motivated to make an impact, and I'm anxious to see him go about reminding everyone that, when it comes time to talk about the best player in the game, the conversation shouldn't only include discussion about his teammate and Ovechkin, but him too.
More importantly, the Penguins need a win. The Carolina Hurricanes won last night to leapfrog them in the Eastern Conference standings. Carolina has won 7 of their last 9 games and the Penguins need to continue to keep pace with them, as well as with the New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens and Florida Panthers. Florida also won last night.
Penguins' RW Petr Sykora is supposedly ailing with an upper-body injury and is said to be a game-time decision.
Recap tomorrow.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Penguins Power Over Panthers, 4-1, For Fifth Straight Win
The Florida Panthers have given the Penguins fits in recent years.
Beat them in games Pittsburgh should have won on their home ice.
Embarassed them as an underdog.
Tonight, the Penguins finally got some payback in a key matchup in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Breaking a 1-1 tie going into the 3rd period with the final 3 tallies, including 2 goals by RW Tyler Kennedy, the Penguins won their 5th straight game, beating Florida 4-1.
With the victory, the Penguins continued to go without a loss 4 games into their 5 game road trip, and moved to 10-3-1 in their last 14.
The Penguins also moved into 6th place in the East. They are tied in points with both the Panthers and the Rangers, but have more wins than both of those teams.
Pittsburgh also sits only 1 point behind the 5th place Montreal Canadiens and 4 points behind the 4th place Philadelphia Flyers.
Not to lose sight of where they have been, they also are only 3 points ahead of the 9th place Buffalo Sabres and 10th place Carolina Hurricanes, so things remain tight.
On the ice tonight, the Penguins played the better game. They carried the play, especially in the last two periods, and threw 44 shots at Florida netminder Thomas Vokoun.
Radek Davorak staked the Panthers to a 1-o lead about 15 minutes into the 2nd period on a cheapie, flipping a shot from in close that squeaked by Fleury off his body.
That was the last puck Fleury would let behind him into the 4 X 6.
Penguins' center Sidney Crosby, returning to the lineup after missing the last 4 games with a groin injury, showed no ill effects from that when he took a puck off the wall from new acquisition and linemate Bill Guerin, blew through the Florida defense, then cut to the left before ripping one far side past Vokoun to tie the game no more than a minute later.
Kennedy broke that logjam about 5 minutes into the final frame, beating Vokoun to the far side with a shot from 20 feet out in the right circle, and defenseman Kris Letang upped the Penguins' lead to 3-1 from about the same spot as he skated in from the point and beat Vokoun.
Kennedy finished the scoring with his second goal, wrapping up a 2-on-1 with Malkin by burying his pass with a one-timer by Vokoun.
The Penguins are playing with as much confidence as they've had all season and look to sweep their road trip against the Washington Capitals on Sunday afternoon. The Capitals are struggling a little bit, having lost their last 3 at home (including tonight to the Toronto Maple Leafs) and playing this evening without Alexander Ovechkin, who sat out with a heel problem following a shot he took there from one of his assistant coaches in practice. Ovechkin said he would "probably" play on Sunday.
NOTES:
Crosby played with both Guerin and Kunitz most of the game, and both were on the first power play unit.
Defenseman Sergei Gonchar missed the game after returning to Pittsburgh to be with his wife while she delivered their next child.
Guerin took #13 and Craig Adams took #27. Alex Goligoski, called up for the game becuase of Gonchar's absence, took #3 after releasing his number for Guerin to wear.
Beat them in games Pittsburgh should have won on their home ice.
Embarassed them as an underdog.
Tonight, the Penguins finally got some payback in a key matchup in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Breaking a 1-1 tie going into the 3rd period with the final 3 tallies, including 2 goals by RW Tyler Kennedy, the Penguins won their 5th straight game, beating Florida 4-1.
With the victory, the Penguins continued to go without a loss 4 games into their 5 game road trip, and moved to 10-3-1 in their last 14.
The Penguins also moved into 6th place in the East. They are tied in points with both the Panthers and the Rangers, but have more wins than both of those teams.
Pittsburgh also sits only 1 point behind the 5th place Montreal Canadiens and 4 points behind the 4th place Philadelphia Flyers.
Not to lose sight of where they have been, they also are only 3 points ahead of the 9th place Buffalo Sabres and 10th place Carolina Hurricanes, so things remain tight.
On the ice tonight, the Penguins played the better game. They carried the play, especially in the last two periods, and threw 44 shots at Florida netminder Thomas Vokoun.
Radek Davorak staked the Panthers to a 1-o lead about 15 minutes into the 2nd period on a cheapie, flipping a shot from in close that squeaked by Fleury off his body.
That was the last puck Fleury would let behind him into the 4 X 6.
Penguins' center Sidney Crosby, returning to the lineup after missing the last 4 games with a groin injury, showed no ill effects from that when he took a puck off the wall from new acquisition and linemate Bill Guerin, blew through the Florida defense, then cut to the left before ripping one far side past Vokoun to tie the game no more than a minute later.
Kennedy broke that logjam about 5 minutes into the final frame, beating Vokoun to the far side with a shot from 20 feet out in the right circle, and defenseman Kris Letang upped the Penguins' lead to 3-1 from about the same spot as he skated in from the point and beat Vokoun.
Kennedy finished the scoring with his second goal, wrapping up a 2-on-1 with Malkin by burying his pass with a one-timer by Vokoun.
The Penguins are playing with as much confidence as they've had all season and look to sweep their road trip against the Washington Capitals on Sunday afternoon. The Capitals are struggling a little bit, having lost their last 3 at home (including tonight to the Toronto Maple Leafs) and playing this evening without Alexander Ovechkin, who sat out with a heel problem following a shot he took there from one of his assistant coaches in practice. Ovechkin said he would "probably" play on Sunday.
NOTES:
Crosby played with both Guerin and Kunitz most of the game, and both were on the first power play unit.
Defenseman Sergei Gonchar missed the game after returning to Pittsburgh to be with his wife while she delivered their next child.
Guerin took #13 and Craig Adams took #27. Alex Goligoski, called up for the game becuase of Gonchar's absence, took #3 after releasing his number for Guerin to wear.
2009 Trade Deadline: ANALYSIS
Heading into yesterday's trade deadline, the Penguins and general manager Ray Shero were the center of a lot of talk.
Would Shero acquire a permanent winger to man-up with center Sidney Crosby?
Was he going to change the composition of his defense by adding more physicality and toughness?
Was he going to add grit or more supplemental scoring, or both, to his forward lines?
More importantly, would the Penguins be a better team after 3 PM on March 4 than they were before the deadline?
On this latter question, there's no doubt that Shero gets a passing grade.
There were no true blockbusters made by the Penguins or, for that matter, any other NHL team. In fact, many of the big names -- including some rumored to be coming to Pittsburgh -- stayed put.
However, the parts Shero did add should do nothing but help the Penguins continue to try and nail down a playoff position -- and make their stay in the postseason meaningful once there.
In adding the New York Islanders' captain, 38-year old RW Billy Guerin, the Penguins added some supplemental offensive support, physicality, a power play presence, and veteran leadership.
One could fairly argue the Penguins were missing all of those elements.
Certainly, Guerin -- who willingly waived his no-trade clause to come to the Penguins -- is a complementary player. He has 16 goals and 20 assists in 61 games so far this year, and is not going to score 30-40 goals like he was capable of in prior seasons with some of his previous 8 clubs. But, and this is surely why Ray Shero acquired him -- he is still skilled and savvy enough to make an impact.
That's the key to this deal for the Penguins and their followers. You can't expect too much from Guerin. Put his role in perspective and it's clear to see that adding him to the roster down the stretch was a pretty low risk move for Shero.
That's part of the reason why the cost was so minimal -- a 5th round conditional draft pick, rising to a 4th rounder if the Penguins make the postseason and to a 3rd rounder (and no higher) if the Penguins advace to the 2nd round of the playoffs.
Guerin, a previous Stanley Cup Winner in 2005 with New Jersey, will be an unrestricted free agent after this season and it's purely speculative to judge whether he will leave or return after this year.
Shero also acquired another player yesterday, C/RW Craig Adams from the Chicago Blackhawks. Adams, 31, was picked up on waiver and also has a Stanley Cup to his resume (winning with Carolina in 2006) and is primarily a checking line center who is willing to do a lot of the dirty work in the corners. He will center the 4th line here, after having fallen out of favor in Chicago because of their emphasis on youth.
Adams isn't a notable addition, but he brings additional grit to the club.
Penguins head coach Dan Bylmsa was not enamored with Bill Thomas for some reason, so Adams will fill that checking role for the Penguins. Not surprisingly, Thomas was sent to Wilkes-Barre yesterday, along with Tim Wallace who had been recalled several days ago and played against the Tampa Bay Lighting.
(I apologize for not posting a recap of the Penguins/Lightning game by the way. I was out of town and focused all my free time solely on the trade deadline. Needless to say, the Penguins again looked solid in winning their fourth in a row to go to 9-3-1 in their last 13).
Speaking of the Baby Penguins, Pittsburgh had to take the notable step of sending veteran RW Miroslav Satan there yesterday to clear his salary off the books to make room for Guerin's. The Penguins will still have to pay Satan his full salary in Wilkes Barre, but it will not count against their cap.
Shero was noncommittal yesterday on what may happen with Satan -- or whether Satan might even report. He said he would talk with Miro and his agent and sort it out in the next few days.
Clearly, however, Satan seems to have played his last game in a Penguin uniform.
I understand the fault the organization has with Satan. He doesn't have enough mustard in his game and doesn't score consistently enough to overlook that. All that said, he has scored 17 times this year -- and not always in a top line role. Casting a veteran scorer like him aside, especially since it seems like he was coming on recently, wasn't an easy decision. But I think it was clear going forward he was not going to be back with the club next year, and the salary cap forced Shero's hand now.
What I found most curious about yesterday was Shero not moving anybody else. I really thought Hal Gill would be traded. I also heard that others may go, including Max Talbot, Ruslan Fedotenko or Pascal Dupuis. Of course, there also was a lot of talk the Penguins might bring in a big scorer, like Martin St. Louis, or a younger, accomplished player with potential for even more growth playing with Crosby, like Alexander Frolov or Alex Ponikarovsky.
Shero made one other deal yesterday, sending minor league defenseman Dany Richmond to St. Louis for minor league defenseman Andy Wozniewski. Wozniewski is a big (6'3") physical defenseman who will go right to the Baby Penguins.
Curiously, Richmond was recently disciplined by the Baby Penguins -- along with top prospect Luca Caputi, Chris Minard, forward Aaron Boogard and defenseman Jon D'Aversa -- for unspecified violations of team rules. Neither Baby Penguins GM Chuck Fletcher, coach Todd Rierden or Shero would release details of what happened with these players, but from what I know, it doesn't seem to be a police matter. Caputi and D'Aversa were sent to the Wheeling Nailers of the East Coast Hockey League, while Minard was Aaron Boogard were suspended by the team.
Tonight the Penguins continue their road trip looking to go 4-0 on the swing with a key game against the Florida Panthers. Guerin and Adams are expected to be in the lineup. It is unknown at this point whether Sidney Crosby's groin will be well enough for him to play.
Recap tomorrow.
Would Shero acquire a permanent winger to man-up with center Sidney Crosby?
Was he going to change the composition of his defense by adding more physicality and toughness?
Was he going to add grit or more supplemental scoring, or both, to his forward lines?
More importantly, would the Penguins be a better team after 3 PM on March 4 than they were before the deadline?
On this latter question, there's no doubt that Shero gets a passing grade.
There were no true blockbusters made by the Penguins or, for that matter, any other NHL team. In fact, many of the big names -- including some rumored to be coming to Pittsburgh -- stayed put.
However, the parts Shero did add should do nothing but help the Penguins continue to try and nail down a playoff position -- and make their stay in the postseason meaningful once there.
In adding the New York Islanders' captain, 38-year old RW Billy Guerin, the Penguins added some supplemental offensive support, physicality, a power play presence, and veteran leadership.
One could fairly argue the Penguins were missing all of those elements.
Certainly, Guerin -- who willingly waived his no-trade clause to come to the Penguins -- is a complementary player. He has 16 goals and 20 assists in 61 games so far this year, and is not going to score 30-40 goals like he was capable of in prior seasons with some of his previous 8 clubs. But, and this is surely why Ray Shero acquired him -- he is still skilled and savvy enough to make an impact.
That's the key to this deal for the Penguins and their followers. You can't expect too much from Guerin. Put his role in perspective and it's clear to see that adding him to the roster down the stretch was a pretty low risk move for Shero.
That's part of the reason why the cost was so minimal -- a 5th round conditional draft pick, rising to a 4th rounder if the Penguins make the postseason and to a 3rd rounder (and no higher) if the Penguins advace to the 2nd round of the playoffs.
Guerin, a previous Stanley Cup Winner in 2005 with New Jersey, will be an unrestricted free agent after this season and it's purely speculative to judge whether he will leave or return after this year.
Shero also acquired another player yesterday, C/RW Craig Adams from the Chicago Blackhawks. Adams, 31, was picked up on waiver and also has a Stanley Cup to his resume (winning with Carolina in 2006) and is primarily a checking line center who is willing to do a lot of the dirty work in the corners. He will center the 4th line here, after having fallen out of favor in Chicago because of their emphasis on youth.
Adams isn't a notable addition, but he brings additional grit to the club.
Penguins head coach Dan Bylmsa was not enamored with Bill Thomas for some reason, so Adams will fill that checking role for the Penguins. Not surprisingly, Thomas was sent to Wilkes-Barre yesterday, along with Tim Wallace who had been recalled several days ago and played against the Tampa Bay Lighting.
(I apologize for not posting a recap of the Penguins/Lightning game by the way. I was out of town and focused all my free time solely on the trade deadline. Needless to say, the Penguins again looked solid in winning their fourth in a row to go to 9-3-1 in their last 13).
Speaking of the Baby Penguins, Pittsburgh had to take the notable step of sending veteran RW Miroslav Satan there yesterday to clear his salary off the books to make room for Guerin's. The Penguins will still have to pay Satan his full salary in Wilkes Barre, but it will not count against their cap.
Shero was noncommittal yesterday on what may happen with Satan -- or whether Satan might even report. He said he would talk with Miro and his agent and sort it out in the next few days.
Clearly, however, Satan seems to have played his last game in a Penguin uniform.
I understand the fault the organization has with Satan. He doesn't have enough mustard in his game and doesn't score consistently enough to overlook that. All that said, he has scored 17 times this year -- and not always in a top line role. Casting a veteran scorer like him aside, especially since it seems like he was coming on recently, wasn't an easy decision. But I think it was clear going forward he was not going to be back with the club next year, and the salary cap forced Shero's hand now.
What I found most curious about yesterday was Shero not moving anybody else. I really thought Hal Gill would be traded. I also heard that others may go, including Max Talbot, Ruslan Fedotenko or Pascal Dupuis. Of course, there also was a lot of talk the Penguins might bring in a big scorer, like Martin St. Louis, or a younger, accomplished player with potential for even more growth playing with Crosby, like Alexander Frolov or Alex Ponikarovsky.
Shero made one other deal yesterday, sending minor league defenseman Dany Richmond to St. Louis for minor league defenseman Andy Wozniewski. Wozniewski is a big (6'3") physical defenseman who will go right to the Baby Penguins.
Curiously, Richmond was recently disciplined by the Baby Penguins -- along with top prospect Luca Caputi, Chris Minard, forward Aaron Boogard and defenseman Jon D'Aversa -- for unspecified violations of team rules. Neither Baby Penguins GM Chuck Fletcher, coach Todd Rierden or Shero would release details of what happened with these players, but from what I know, it doesn't seem to be a police matter. Caputi and D'Aversa were sent to the Wheeling Nailers of the East Coast Hockey League, while Minard was Aaron Boogard were suspended by the team.
Tonight the Penguins continue their road trip looking to go 4-0 on the swing with a key game against the Florida Panthers. Guerin and Adams are expected to be in the lineup. It is unknown at this point whether Sidney Crosby's groin will be well enough for him to play.
Recap tomorrow.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Penguins Acquire Bill Guerin From New York Islanders
The Penguins have acquired veteran power forward Bill Guerin from the New York Islanders for a conditional draft pick -- starting as a 5th rounder, and going to a 4th rounder if the Penguins make the playoffs, then to (and no higher than) a 3rd rounder if the Penguins make the second round.
Guerin has 16 goals and 20 assists in 61 games this year.
Pretty low risk move by the Penguins' GM. Reaction/Analysis to follow, but for now -- with 45 minutes to the deadline -- I'm fairly sure Shero isn't finished.
More to come ....
Guerin has 16 goals and 20 assists in 61 games this year.
Pretty low risk move by the Penguins' GM. Reaction/Analysis to follow, but for now -- with 45 minutes to the deadline -- I'm fairly sure Shero isn't finished.
More to come ....
Trade Deadline Wednesday Morning Update
On the road this morning so this will be fast.
Lots of talk about whether Shero may make a move before the deadline
today.
Word is he had to go to team management for approval to go after
someone big.
A big names being tossed around right now is Alexander Frolov. The
Penguins and Kings have supposedly exchanged offers -- including one
that would send Jordan Staal to LA.
Martin St. Louis' keeps coming up, too.
Penguins still searching for grit. They were looking at Chris Neil
from Ottawa but the Senators supposedly upped the asking price, which
might push the Pens' more towards Laperierre in Colorado. Both of
those guys are getting a lot of interest throughout the league.
A lot of rumor going around about the Penguins inquiring about a lot of
their former players, including Ryan Malone, Jarkko Ruutu and even Gary
Roberts. Don't buy it. Ain't going to happen.
Watch Alex Ponikarovsky in Toronto. He is flying under the radar right
now, but could end up in Pittsburgh.
More this afternoon once my plane lands.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Powerful Penguins Now In Playoff Position After Outshining the Stars, 4-1
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winning streak.
After the Penguins 3rd straight victory yesterday, the Penguins are now (finally) back in playoff position in the Eastern Conference, after leapfrogging the Carolina Hurricanes and Buffalo Sabres to move into 8th place, 1 point behind the 7th place New York Rangers and 2 points behind the 6th place Florida Panthers.
The Pens' are also only 5 points behind the 5th place Montreal Canadiens and 6 points behind the 4th place Philadelphia Flyers.
Pittsburgh, now on an 8-3-1 run in their last 12 games, won it's 2nd straight game on its current five game roadtrip by just manhandling the Dallas Stars in almost every phase yesterday.
Evgeni Malkin led the way for the Penguins with one goal and two assists and, much like the game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night, the Penguins got rolling early thanks to a goal by Jordan Staal. This time, he finished off a 2-on-1 when he buried a rebound of a Malkin shot that went off Stars' netminder Tobias Stephan, who was making his first start since December.
Kris Letang then stoked the Penguins to a 2-0 lead later in the first period when he took a pass from Malkin down the right wing and was moving so fast, he was able to cut around the Stars' defenseman right in front of the goal where he made a nice move to the backhand and roofed the puck to give the Pens' a 2 goal advantage.
Unlike the game against Chicago -- where the Penguins also had a two goal lead but gave it up -- the Penguins poured it on in the second period.
Miroslav Satan scored his second goal in two games by taking advantage of a Stars' turnover deep in their own zone, picking off a flubbed D-to-D cross-ice pass and walking in alone on Stephan before deking him and tossing the puck behind him into an empty cage.
Malkin got the final goal for the Penguins, also in the 2nd, after he took a fortunate bounce of one of the glass partitions behind the Stars' net and whipped a puck past Stephan on the far side.
At that point, the Penguins had 4 goals on 13 shots.
Pittsburgh cruised through the final frame, when the only scoring was Loui Errikson scoring his team leading 29th goal for Dallas after the Penguins got caught chasing a little bit in their own zone and left Errikson alone in front.
Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 22 of 23 shots for his 100th NHL win.
To think that Martin Brodeur, who recently returned after missing 50 games due to elbow surgery, recorded on the same day his 100th (and 2nd straight in his 2nd game back) NHL SHUTOUT. Brodeur, by the way, is 5 wins away from breaking Patrick Roy's all time NHL record.
But back to the Penguins.
The Penguins are showing a lot more confidence out there on the ice. There's no doubt that Dallas has been struggling. The Penguins dealt them their 5th straight loss yesterday -- the first time that has happened in over 5 seasons -- and they have a host of injuries to key players like Sergei Zubov, Brendan Morrow, and Mike Richards, among others, but that shouldn't take away from the complete game the Penguins put out. They are starting to find their rhythm. As long as Fleury can continue to hold the fort, the Penguins might be able to keep up their good run and position themselves in the middle of the playoff pack.
The Penguins continue their road trip on Tuesday night in Tampa Bay against the Lightning (7:30 PM Versus).
Between now and then, there's going to be a lot of focus on Wednesday's trade deadline. The Penguins are said to be in talks with several teams. According to sources, they continue to be looking for another scoring forward, as well as grit up front and on defense.
Only time will tell what Penguins' GM Ray Shero does, but he has long been known to be interested in Ottawa Senators' RW Chris Neil. More recently, there seems to be some sentiment out there that the Penguins also have interest in Colorado Avalanche forward Ian Laperriere.
On the scoring end, they may still be kicking the can with Martin St. Louis of the Lightning (although I think that's less likely now than it was a month ago). They also may be looking at RW Alexei Ponikarovsky in Toronto and maybe even winger Alexander Frolov in Los Angeles.
Shero is said to be fielding calls primarily for Hal Gill, Ruslan Fedotenko and Jordan Staal. Staal is his biggest chip, without question, and whether Shero pulls the trigger on a deal which would move his first ever Penguins' draft choice is the biggest unknown going into Wednesday.
Of course, I'll be monitoring everything closely over the next few days and will do my best to post as soon as I know anything. The only time I don't expect to be able to do that is when I'm on an airplane until about noon EST on trade deadline day.
Let's Go Pens.
After the Penguins 3rd straight victory yesterday, the Penguins are now (finally) back in playoff position in the Eastern Conference, after leapfrogging the Carolina Hurricanes and Buffalo Sabres to move into 8th place, 1 point behind the 7th place New York Rangers and 2 points behind the 6th place Florida Panthers.
The Pens' are also only 5 points behind the 5th place Montreal Canadiens and 6 points behind the 4th place Philadelphia Flyers.
Pittsburgh, now on an 8-3-1 run in their last 12 games, won it's 2nd straight game on its current five game roadtrip by just manhandling the Dallas Stars in almost every phase yesterday.
Evgeni Malkin led the way for the Penguins with one goal and two assists and, much like the game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night, the Penguins got rolling early thanks to a goal by Jordan Staal. This time, he finished off a 2-on-1 when he buried a rebound of a Malkin shot that went off Stars' netminder Tobias Stephan, who was making his first start since December.
Kris Letang then stoked the Penguins to a 2-0 lead later in the first period when he took a pass from Malkin down the right wing and was moving so fast, he was able to cut around the Stars' defenseman right in front of the goal where he made a nice move to the backhand and roofed the puck to give the Pens' a 2 goal advantage.
Unlike the game against Chicago -- where the Penguins also had a two goal lead but gave it up -- the Penguins poured it on in the second period.
Miroslav Satan scored his second goal in two games by taking advantage of a Stars' turnover deep in their own zone, picking off a flubbed D-to-D cross-ice pass and walking in alone on Stephan before deking him and tossing the puck behind him into an empty cage.
Malkin got the final goal for the Penguins, also in the 2nd, after he took a fortunate bounce of one of the glass partitions behind the Stars' net and whipped a puck past Stephan on the far side.
At that point, the Penguins had 4 goals on 13 shots.
Pittsburgh cruised through the final frame, when the only scoring was Loui Errikson scoring his team leading 29th goal for Dallas after the Penguins got caught chasing a little bit in their own zone and left Errikson alone in front.
Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 22 of 23 shots for his 100th NHL win.
To think that Martin Brodeur, who recently returned after missing 50 games due to elbow surgery, recorded on the same day his 100th (and 2nd straight in his 2nd game back) NHL SHUTOUT. Brodeur, by the way, is 5 wins away from breaking Patrick Roy's all time NHL record.
But back to the Penguins.
The Penguins are showing a lot more confidence out there on the ice. There's no doubt that Dallas has been struggling. The Penguins dealt them their 5th straight loss yesterday -- the first time that has happened in over 5 seasons -- and they have a host of injuries to key players like Sergei Zubov, Brendan Morrow, and Mike Richards, among others, but that shouldn't take away from the complete game the Penguins put out. They are starting to find their rhythm. As long as Fleury can continue to hold the fort, the Penguins might be able to keep up their good run and position themselves in the middle of the playoff pack.
The Penguins continue their road trip on Tuesday night in Tampa Bay against the Lightning (7:30 PM Versus).
Between now and then, there's going to be a lot of focus on Wednesday's trade deadline. The Penguins are said to be in talks with several teams. According to sources, they continue to be looking for another scoring forward, as well as grit up front and on defense.
Only time will tell what Penguins' GM Ray Shero does, but he has long been known to be interested in Ottawa Senators' RW Chris Neil. More recently, there seems to be some sentiment out there that the Penguins also have interest in Colorado Avalanche forward Ian Laperriere.
On the scoring end, they may still be kicking the can with Martin St. Louis of the Lightning (although I think that's less likely now than it was a month ago). They also may be looking at RW Alexei Ponikarovsky in Toronto and maybe even winger Alexander Frolov in Los Angeles.
Shero is said to be fielding calls primarily for Hal Gill, Ruslan Fedotenko and Jordan Staal. Staal is his biggest chip, without question, and whether Shero pulls the trigger on a deal which would move his first ever Penguins' draft choice is the biggest unknown going into Wednesday.
Of course, I'll be monitoring everything closely over the next few days and will do my best to post as soon as I know anything. The only time I don't expect to be able to do that is when I'm on an airplane until about noon EST on trade deadline day.
Let's Go Pens.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
5-4 Dujour: Penguins Beat Blackhawks in OT
The Penguins continue to live dangerously.
But continue to win. With 5-4 being their favorite choice of late.
Friday night in Chicago against a young and talented Blackhawks team, the Penguins blew two, 2-goal leads, only to win 5-4 in overtime on an Evgeni Malkin power play goal and send the team to 7-3-1 in its last 11 games.
Jordan Staal opened the scoring for the Penguins in this fast-paced affair, and new acquisition Chris Kunitz, in his first game as a Penguin, gave them a 2-goal lead minutes later.
Kunitz, wearing #14 as he did in Anaheim, also assisted on Staal's goal.
Then, Chicago captain Jonathan Toews took over, scoring the next two goals for the Blackhawks, one late in the first period and one in the first part of the second period.
Both were on power-plays.
About 15 minutes into the second, it was thought that Toews notched his first ever hat trick after deflecting a shot in from the point. That resulted in hundreds of hard-hats thrown on the ice, which the Blackhawks gave away to fans coming into the building.
Unfortunately for them, they couldn't get those hats back after NHL officials in Toronto took a look at the goal and ruled that Toews' stick was above the crossbar when he deflected it in.
Perhaps getting momentum from that, the Penguins notched the next 2 goals quickly, one by Miroslav Satan, who scored in an unusual way for him -- in front of the net getting knocked on his can -- and one by Max Talbot to take a 4-2 lead into the final frame.
The Blackhawks roared back again however, with Towes getting the HT for real on another power play in the first part of the 3rd period. Chicago tied the score with about 5 minutes left. They were strong throughout the entire final frame, outshooting Pittsburgh, 20-4 in those 20 minutes.
Malkin's winner followed in OT to give the Penguins 2 huge points.
Overall, Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 41 of 45 shots. Although I think he would have liked to have back one or two Blackhawks' goals, he played better for most of the game than he has. This game wasn't easy for either goaltender, however, because it was fast-paced, up-and-down action a lot of the game. Chicago netminder Christobal Huet was benched going into the 3rd period, for that matter.
The Penguins moved to 68 points with the victory, 1 point behind the 9th place Carolina Hurricanes, and 2 points behind the 7th and 8th place Florida Panthers and Buffalo Sabres respectively.
After all 3 of those clubs lost yesterday, the Penguins can move into playoff position today with a win against the Dallas Stars (3 PM EST).
Recap tomorrow.
But continue to win. With 5-4 being their favorite choice of late.
Friday night in Chicago against a young and talented Blackhawks team, the Penguins blew two, 2-goal leads, only to win 5-4 in overtime on an Evgeni Malkin power play goal and send the team to 7-3-1 in its last 11 games.
Jordan Staal opened the scoring for the Penguins in this fast-paced affair, and new acquisition Chris Kunitz, in his first game as a Penguin, gave them a 2-goal lead minutes later.
Kunitz, wearing #14 as he did in Anaheim, also assisted on Staal's goal.
Then, Chicago captain Jonathan Toews took over, scoring the next two goals for the Blackhawks, one late in the first period and one in the first part of the second period.
Both were on power-plays.
About 15 minutes into the second, it was thought that Toews notched his first ever hat trick after deflecting a shot in from the point. That resulted in hundreds of hard-hats thrown on the ice, which the Blackhawks gave away to fans coming into the building.
Unfortunately for them, they couldn't get those hats back after NHL officials in Toronto took a look at the goal and ruled that Toews' stick was above the crossbar when he deflected it in.
Perhaps getting momentum from that, the Penguins notched the next 2 goals quickly, one by Miroslav Satan, who scored in an unusual way for him -- in front of the net getting knocked on his can -- and one by Max Talbot to take a 4-2 lead into the final frame.
The Blackhawks roared back again however, with Towes getting the HT for real on another power play in the first part of the 3rd period. Chicago tied the score with about 5 minutes left. They were strong throughout the entire final frame, outshooting Pittsburgh, 20-4 in those 20 minutes.
Malkin's winner followed in OT to give the Penguins 2 huge points.
Overall, Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 41 of 45 shots. Although I think he would have liked to have back one or two Blackhawks' goals, he played better for most of the game than he has. This game wasn't easy for either goaltender, however, because it was fast-paced, up-and-down action a lot of the game. Chicago netminder Christobal Huet was benched going into the 3rd period, for that matter.
The Penguins moved to 68 points with the victory, 1 point behind the 9th place Carolina Hurricanes, and 2 points behind the 7th and 8th place Florida Panthers and Buffalo Sabres respectively.
After all 3 of those clubs lost yesterday, the Penguins can move into playoff position today with a win against the Dallas Stars (3 PM EST).
Recap tomorrow.
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