Pittsburgh Penguins

[blayze]

Very insightful stuff here mounD.

I think Letang and his puck-moving ability is one of the key cogs in that Penguins wheel and it's often overlooked because of the attention on Crosby/Malkin.

[mounD]

Very insightful stuff here mounD.

I think Letang and his puck-moving ability is one of the key cogs in that Penguins wheel and it's often overlooked because of the attention on Crosby/Malkin.

Thanks guys, I owe Blayze for the good idea on what to write about...

[Dakkster]

That writing is way too good for just this forum. It deserves a bigger audience!

[mounD]

That writing is way too good for just this forum. It deserves a bigger audience!

Thanks so much dude, I appreciate that.

[mounD]

A whole slew of news and updates for everyone today...

- The Penguins waived Steve MacIntyre and he has cleared waivers as of today. MacIntyre will report to the Wilkes-Barre Penguins on Monday.

http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=611345

- The Penguins have reassigned Forward Colin McDonald to Wilkes-Barre of the AHL.

http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=611245

- In somewhat of a snub to James Neal and MAF, the Penguins will only send one player to this year's All-Star Game in Ottawa: Evgeni Malkin.

http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=611383

- Sam Kasan of Penguins.NHL.com addresses the Penguins' recent 6-game losing streak.

GM Ray Shero:

"Our expectation despite injuries is to go into every game with the mindset to win the game," Shero said. "That can't change. We never look at injuries as an excuse. The 20 guys we put on the ice, I believe in that group to win the game and find a way to win. We've gone through this before. We still have good players on the ice and I expect them to win games."

http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=611398

- Ray Shero addresses the Sidney Crosby situation. Not much in the way of new updates, but a good read nonetheless.

Shero:

"I'm happy he's joining the team on the trip," Shero said. "Sid is a hockey player and he wants to play hockey. He wanted to join our team because we're in a tough stretch. He badly wants to play and be out there. But he's not cleared to play. We want to be very careful. Once he's cleared to play, he'll be the most excited guy on the ice."

http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=611340

[mounD]

Ray Shero offered some comments about his club and the playoffs earlier today:

"We're making the playoffs, put it that way," Shero told Josh Yohe of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on Thursday. "Anything less is unacceptable. Just making the playoffs is never our goal."

"I like the team we have now," Shero said. "We have good hockey players. We just need to play better. And hopefully I have all those guys back by the trade deadline so I don't have to make a deal."

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=611410

[blayze]

That writing is way too good for just this forum. It deserves a bigger audience!

Agreed 100%.

mounD - I would advise you to send a PM to Dobber, ask him for his thoughts on your piece, and hint to him that you would like to take a more prominent role writing for the site.

[mounD]

Agreed 100%.

mounD - I would advise you to send a PM to Dobber, ask him for his thoughts on your piece, and hint to him that you would like to take a more prominent role writing for the site.

I'm flattered, and that would be an amazing opportunity.

I might just have to put your idea into motion...

Thanks!

[mounD]

In a story in the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, Penguins' beat-writer Dejan Kovacevic suggests that there is a rift amongst players in the Pittsburgh locker room. Among other things, the article states:

"A few, certainly not all, of Crosby's teammates are of the mind that he's been symptom-free for a while, though they have no medical basis for that. Some think he should be playing. Some simply think he should be doing more to communicate, or at least be as visible as concussed defenseman Kris Letang.


Last week in Pittsburgh, according to three sources, a group of players held a 45-minute meeting to discuss a temporary captaincy. Another source disputed that any such meeting occurred. If it did, were those players kidding?"

Here is the story from PuckDaddy:

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-pu...tml#more-22385


- In an apparent response to the media suggesting the Penguins are growing weary of Sid's recovery, Penguins players and Fans adopt the "C" campaign, in support of their Captain Sidney Crosby.

http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=611592

Great video from practice of Pens' players with the 'C' on their jerseys:
http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=611576

** Sidney Crosby addressed the media regarding his recovery from concussion-symptoms.

http://burningantsblog.com/slewfooters/?p=4545

[mounD]

- Steve MacIntyre and Joe Vitale are the Scratches tonight.

-STAT OF THE GAME: In the Penguins last 7 games @ FLA, they have averaged nearly 40 Shots on Goal / Game.

Line Combinations [via Penguins.nhl.com]:

Kunitz-Malkin-Neal
Dupuis-Jeffrey-Kennedy
Cooke-Park-Sullivan
Tangradi-Adams-Asham

Niskanen-Lovejoy
Martin-Michalek
Orpik-Engelland

Fleury in goal. Clemmensen in net for Florida.

[mounD]

- Cooke/Jeffrey/Kennedy gets the start tonight for the Penguins. If you haven't already gathered that Bylsma switches up his lines a lot, then you haven't been following the team. Good to see Jeffrey getting an opportunity with some solid wingers.

- Fleischmann muffs an opportunity all alone in the slot just after the 1:00 mark of the first period, and the puck trickles wide. Disaster averted.

-Dupuis and Sullivan combine for a chance at the 1:54 mark; Sullivan fires a shot off the side of the net. Good pressure from the Penguins early; perhaps the Penguins can maintain this pressure for a full 60 minutes, that's what it takes.

- James Neal with a bomb from the blueline, yet a relatively innocent save for Clemmensen at the 3:12 mark of the period. Neal is without a goal in his last 6 games, all Penguins losses; he really needs to pick up his game in order to help this team.

- Asham and Barch drop the mitts at the 4:39 mark as the intensity slowly builds in this contest. Both fighters get a couple good shots in, including Asham with a solid right-hand in the waning moments of the fight. Penguins are clearly here to win this game.

- Tangradi coming down the left wing has perhaps his best scoring chance this season at the 5:08 mark of the period. Clemmensen is up to the task and gloves the puck with confidence. Tangradi has been playing with some serious confidence these past three games.

- Dupuis gets his stick tangled up in Kopecky's skates and is called for tripping at 5:40 of the period. Penguins will have to go to work against the Panthers 9th ranked Powerplay.

-Matt Cooke with a Shorthanded breakaway off a turnover is unable to convert with a high short blocker-side just after the 6 minute mark, and the game remains scoreless. The Penguins have 4 shorthanded goals this season.

- Jason Garrison with a very deceptively quick one-timer off the right wing boards is unable to convert. Big save from MAF on the PK. Penguins kill off the man-advantage.

- Kunitz/Malkin/Neal Line with some really good pressure around the 8:30 mark of the period. Penguins unable to get a quality scoring chance out of the pressure, but some great passing between Neal and Malkin especially.

- Lovejoy with a hard shot from the point around the 9:40 mark, and Clemmensen is up to the task with the right pad. Penguins are outshooting the Panthers 9-3 to this point yet have been unable to convert. Sound like a similar story?

- Malkin line creating some chances near the 11:40 mark, a pass to Michalek produces a deceptive shot from the point and Clemmensen flashes the pad, giving up a big rebound. Penguins keep pressure and manage to draw a penalty at 11:33 of the period. Now would be a good time to convert on the PP.

- James Neal fires a shot off the pipe 15 seconds into the Powerplay chance, and the Panthers manage to clear the puck. Still unable to convert on prime scoring chances...

- Neal fires ANOTHER shot off the opposite post off a feed from Malkin near the 13:00 mark of the period. This guy is absolutely SNAKEBITTEN right now. Just after, Malkin hits ANOTHER post just for good measure. Are the hockey gods against the Penguins right now?

- All the chances result in another PP chance, the Penguins go back on the PP at 13:39 of the First Period. Let's hope their luck with posts is better this time around. Penguins unable to get anything going with the 2nd unit out for the first minute of the man-advantage.

- Kunitz dishes to Malkin in the slot near the 15 minute mark, streaking toward the net but his shot goes wide. Penguins have had plenty of great opportunities on the Powerplay so far tonight, but have nothing to show for it. Malkin's line is getting great shots every time they're on the ice right now.

-As of the 17 minute mark of the First Period the Pittsburgh Penguins are leading the Panthers 15-4 in SOG, yet the game is scoreless. Penguins Shot totals obviously don't include the THREE posts hit in succession on their first PP chance. Sheesh.

- Kunitz has a breakaway off a turnover, and the winger is unable to beat Clemmensen off the crossbar on a crafty little deke. The Penguins inability to convert on their prime scoring chances continues... on Friday the 13th...

- I'm not sure if the Penguins could have dominated the First Period more than they did, but they still have nothing to show for their play over the first 20 minutes. Two breakaways, four goal posts, 18 Shots on Goal, and a slew of glorious opportunities weren't enough to give the Penguins even the slightest advantage where it really matters: on the scoreboard.

- Evgeni Malkin led all Penguins forwards with 8:13 TOI [3:08 on the PP] and had 1 SOG [shot wide on a couple GREAT opportunities]. James Neal registered 3 Shots on Goal [and two Goal posts] in 7:26 TOI [just under 2 minutes on the PP]. Chris Kunitz had 2 SOG in 7:24 TOI [3:08 on the PP]. Paul Martin led all Penguins D-men with 8:15 TOI. Zbynek Michalek registered 2 SOG in 6:56 TOI.

First Period Totals:

Penguins 0 - Panthers 0

SOG: 18-6 PIT
HITS: 15-12 PIT
FOW: 12-9 FLA

[STONE.]

Hey buddy,

Looks like (according to leftwinglock.com) that Niskanen's getting all the PP time lately -- how has he looked?

[mounD]

- Steve Sullivan scores his 8th of the season off a Clemmensen turnover into an empty-net at 1:49 of the second period to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead. Finally something to show for all the chances the Penguins have had in this hockey game. Assist to Matt Cooke on the goal.

- Kunitz with a shot off the rush at 3:28 of the period, and Clemmensen manages to make the save while sliding to his left. The Penguins continue to pressure heavily in this game.

- Brooks Orpik has been a monster this season. Even with time missed, he is currently third overall in the NHL with 119 Hits on the season.

- Tangradi and Gudbranson drop the mitts at 4:47 of the second period for the second fight of tonight's game. Although it wasn't a great showing, it's good to see the toughness from Tangradi. He's showing everything in his arsenal in order to stay in this Pens' lineup.

- James Neal with a blast off the left wing at 5:50 of the period, Clemmensen snags the puck with his glove to negate the chance. Neal has 5 SOG in the game to go along with a couple posts, solid effort but he needs to produce.

- Geno has a chance all alone streaking to the net, and he goes with the quick snapshot glove-side. Clemmensen flashes the glove, and the puck tips wide of the net. Penguins continue to put their feet on the gas pedal.

- MAF with a big save on Santorelli at the 7:30 mark after some really good sustained pressure from the Panthers. Soon after in a scrum around the net, the Penguins get a break when the linesemen whistle the play dead on a high-stick on the puck call. Sweet relief...

- Richard Park draws an interference penalty at 9:12 of the period, going around Stephen Weiss. The Penguins go back on the PP, where they have been very threatening this evening. Penguins now lead 26-10 in SOG.

- Neal with a heavy wrist-shot around the 10:30 mark after some great puck movement on the Penguins Powerplay, Clemmensen again up to the task with the blocker save. Panthers are able to kill off the Penguins powerplay for the third time tonight.

- Neal and Malkin continue to move the puck well with eachother, and to be fair Chris Kunitz has been effective as well; Neal is firing pucks from all over the place and Malkin is more than happy to distribute. It's too bad we won't get to see this pair together in the ASG. Tonight the pair have 9 SOG [Florida has 8 as a team], three goal posts, and even more glorious scoring chances put wide. A truly deadly offensive tandem.

- Quick bout of pressure from the Panthers produces a few SOG toward their totals, but MAF has been strong when called upon in tonight's contest. He's only faced 12 SOG at the 15 minute mark of the Second Period, but he's been busy enough to stay focused. Worrying about Fleury is a bit silly at this point.

- Campbell centers the puck to Stephen Weiss all alone in the slot around the 17 minute mark, and MAF stones the opportunity. Moments later Fleury shuts the door on Kris Versteeg in dramatic fashion. Campbell is distributing the puck very well in this last sequence, forcing Fleury to make three great saves to maintain the lead in this hockey game.

- The Panthers have really come on strong in the last few minutes of the Second Period. MAF again with a big save just before the 19:00 mark, unable to locate the puck under his equipment.

- Geno and Kunitz with a 2-on-1 with just under a minute remaining. Malkin fires a slapshot coming down the wing, then banks the rebound off Clemmensen from behind the net to give the Penguins a 2-0 lead at 19:25 of the period. Absolute clutch goal at the perfect moment - MAF had just made a series of huge saves in the minutes prior.

-The Penguins played very well over the first half of the period, not allowing many scoring chances to the Panthers; over the last few minutes of the period the Panthers were threatening nearly every shift, but Fleury was able to keep the Penguins ahead in the game. Malkin's goal with under a minute remaining in the period is absolutely huge for the Penguins' confidence going into the Third. Penguins hold a 2-1 advantage in SOG [familiar, eh?].

- James Neal leads all Penguins forwards through two periods with 15:30 TOI [4:26 on the PP], 7 SOG, 1 Assist and a +1 rating. Evgeni Malkin skated 14:34 TOI [4:40 on the PP], 1 Goal, 5 SOG and +1 rating as well. Eric Tangradi has again made his presence felt in limited action, registering 2 SOG and 5 PIM in 6:01 TOI [0:44 on PP]. Paul Martin leads all Penguins D-men with 16:04 TOI, 1 SOG; Z. Michalek has 3 SOG and a +1 rating in 13:51 TOI.

Through Two Periods:

Penguins 2 - Panthers 0

SOG: 32-17 PIT
HITS: 27-21 PIT
FOW: 24-20 FLA

See you in after the Third Period for some more Play-by-Play and Game Analysis...

[mounD]

Hey buddy,

Looks like (according to leftwinglock.com) that Niskanen's getting all the PP time lately -- how has he looked?

I would say lately he's more splitting that PP1 time with Paul Martin, but he's looked pretty solid lately. He hasn't been producing at his earlier clip, but I'm certain that he's still a solid play while Letang is on the shelf. This Penguins team is too good to keep losing games like they have been.

Cheers.

[mounD]

- The Penguins have to be pleased with where they are going into the third period. Finally, the offensive pressure has translated into scoring goals, and the Penguins hold a 2-0 lead going into the final frame. Malkin's line tonight with 3 Points, 15 Shots and +3 combined rating.

- Tyler Kennedy scores an early third period off a 4-on-2 rush, created by some great defensive play. Dupuis fed Orpik across the slot, and a one-touch pass back to TK caught Clemmensen deep in his net. A high shot glove-side :36 into the period gives the Penguins a 3-0 lead. What a start to this Third Period...

- Penguins go on the Powerplay for the fourth time tonight at .... of the period. Malkin early in the Powerplay looks to be in beast-mode, feeding Neal for a great opportunity [8th SOG tonight] around the 2-minute mark.

-Good puck movement on the Powerplay tonight from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Malkin has been especially dominant, playing all over the ice distributing passes and firing pucks with authority. A couple more opportunities for Geno during the Powerplay only bolster how great his night - and his whole line's night - has been.

- Penguins are 0-4 on the PP tonight but have 8 SOG with the man-advantage, including four goal posts - all in the First Period.

- Orpik and Engelland are seriously throwing the body right now. A couple big hits around the 5:00 minute mark of the period and the Penguins are establishing their physical game with a sizable lead in this hockey game. Orpik will be among the league-leaders all season if he remains healthy.

- Jason Garrison's shot is deflected by Repik into the net behind MAF at the 6:55 mark of the Third Period to make this game 3-1 Penguins. The Panthers moved the puck well in the offensive zone, and Michael Repik's beautiful deflection tipped the puck past Fleury short-side.

- Good decision by Bylsma getting Orpik/Engelland and Craig Adams' line out there for the big "momentum" shift after the Panthers goal. Shows me that Bylsma has a great feel for the hockey game, and he understands his players well enough to know when they are used most effectively. Subtle, but an example of great coaching for sure.

- Tangradi bowling his way to the net at the 8:28 mark of the period produces a pretty decent chance; using the "power" move Tangradi used his 220 lb. frame to get a backhander off. Clemmensen scooped up the rebound and play whistled. Tangradi has been solid again; I really think he's making lineup decisions a bit trickier right about now.

- As of the 10 minute mark of the Third Period the Penguins hold a 39-19 advantage in Shots on Goal. It looks like the Penguins will surpass their 7-game average [40.6 Shots on Goal in last 7 games @ FLA] in tonight's game.

- MAF with a big save off a Samuelsson deflection just after the 10:30 mark of the period. Just getting a piece of the puck, Fleury managed to keep the puck out and maintain the Pens' 2 goal lead.

- Fleury with another big save on Campbell around the 12:30 mark of the Third. Moments later Fleischmann muffed ANOTHER opportunity with an open net streaking down the left-wing. Stephen Weiss with a beautiful feed to set him up, but Flash again can't finish.

-A Tyler Kennedy shot is deflected by Jeffrey at the 13:46 mark of the period for a somewhat innocent opportunity Clemmensen had no trouble with. Tyler Kennedy wins the ensuing Faceoff, good on ya TK.

-Stephen Weiss puts a puck over the net around the 15:00 mark after some good pressure from the Panthers.

- James Neal snaps a puck shortside and scores his 22nd goal of the season at 15:13 of the Third to give the Penguins a 4-1 lead on their 40th shot of the hockey game. Managing to poke the twine for the first time in 7 games, Neal is off the schneid after hitting two goal posts early in the game - 1 Goal and 1 Assist so far tonight.

- Evgeni Malkin and James Neal were brilliant together in tonight's game, both playing catalyst for what has been an anemic Penguins offense for the past 6 hockey games. Both players had numerous chances, and the play of their line was threatening all game. Kudos to Neal, Malkin and Kunitz for a quality 60-minute effort.

- The Penguins defeat the Florida Panthers 4-1, snapping a 6 game losing streak and attaining the team's first win of 2012. Outstanding performances abounded, and some of those will be discussed below:

Game Statistics:

Penguins 4 - Panthers 1

SOG: 41-26 PIT
HITS: 34-26 PIT
FOW: 37-23 FLA

Three Stars:

1. James Neal was absolutely AMAZING in tonight's game. Even after hitting two goal posts early in the game, he was able to turn on beast-mode and registered 1G, 1A, 9 SOG and a +2 rating ina whopping 23:28 TOI [2+ minutes more than Malkin]. Scoring a goal for the first time in 7 games, it's great to see James Neal back in our First Star consideration.

2. Evgeni Malkin was similarly impressive tonight; Geno was dominant all over the ice, and his line's strong play - offensively and defensively - created TONS of chances for the Penguins tonight. Malkin scored 1G, added 7 SOG and finished the game with a +2 rating in 21:18 TOI.

3. Marc-Andre Fleury got back to his winning ways tonight, and was very strong when called upon all night. With some important saves - in the third period especially - on Florida's big-name players [Versteeg, Campbell, Weiss] MAF easily gets my Third Star honors tonight. The quirky, yet sublimely talented netminder stopped 25/26 Shots for his 20th Win on the season.

HM: Chris Kunitz had quite a fine game, alongside Evgeni Malkin and James Neal tonight. Kuni registered 2 Assists, 3 SOG and a +2 rating in 19:14 TOI [6:04 on the PP]. The whole Kunitz-Malkin-Neal line was dominant in all facets of play.


Post-game Thoughts:

Glad to see the Penguins get back to their winning ways, and play very well defensively for the majority of the game. Until late in the game - when the Panthers got a large portion of their quality scoring chances - the Penguins defenders were effective in maintaing gap, forwards backchecked well, and the team produced offense from turnovers. Overall, tonight's game was the best 60-minute effort from the Penguins in quite some time.

The whole show of support for Sidney Crosby this morning - in which players all wore Crosby's "C" on their practice jerseys to show solidarity with their concussed captain - clearly translated into a better, more inspired effort from the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight. It's really good to see Crosby back skating, even if it's not a full practice or anything like that. It's even better to see the Penguins rally around their captain and earn a real character win tonight in Florida.