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Penguins Look to Outrun Avalanche: Game Preview

The Pittsburgh Penguins (6-4-1) head into game 2 of a 4-game road trip on Thursday night with a stop in Denver to take on the streaking Colorado Avalanche (7-4-0).  After notching a win against a depleted Wild on Tuesday, the Penguins will be looking to capitalize off the momentum gained in Minnesota to win their 2nd straight game and their 4th straight road game.  They will have their work cut out for them as they take on the Avs, who have not yet lost a game at home this season.   

Colorado is in the midst of a 3-game winning streak having beat Minnesota 3-1 on Sunday, and improved to 5-0-0 at the Pepsi Center for the first time since moving from Quebec in 1995.  Avs’ Winger Ryan Smyth, acquired via free agency over the offseason, has 7-points (3G, 4A) in the last 4 home games and has been the spark behind Colorado’s red hot home start.  Joe Sakic, who has 5-points (1G, 4A) in the last 5 games, has excelled against the Penguins on Avs’ ice.  In 16 home games against the Pens dating back to 1989, Sakic has piled up 32-points (14G, 18A).  Colorado is 7-2-0 with two ties against the Pens in its last 11 games in Colorado.

After being kept of the scoreboard in the season-opener in Carolina, Sidney Crosby has picked up at least 1-point in each of the 10 games since, with 17-points (5G, 12A).  He’s tied with Daymond Langkow for 5th in the league in scoring, just 5 points behind NHL scoring leader Henrik Zetterberg.  Sidney Crosby has played against Colorado just once in his career in Pittsburgh in Dec 2005.  Crosby posted an assist in that game to help the Pens win 4-3.  Evgeni Malkin, who trails Crosby by one with 16-points (5G, 11A), has been on fire of late accumulating 9-points (3G, 6A) in his last 4-games.  With his 2 goals against the Wild on Tuesday, Malkin now has 101 career points in just 89 games.  The only active player to reach 100 points quicker was Washington’s Alex Ovechkin, who hit 100 points in just 77 games in 2005-06.

Dany Sabourin, who stopped 28 of 30 shots in the 4-2 win against the Wild on Tuesday, has gotten the nod from Coach Therrien to start against the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday.  It will be Sabu’s 4th start of the season, but his first consecutive start.  Sabourin is 2-0-1 with a 2.06 goals-against average.  Marc-Andre Fleury, the Penguins #1 goaltender has struggled for consistency this season with a 5.99 GAA in his last two starts after giving up just 1 goal in 67 shots in the two prior games.

Penguins winger and man of steel Gary Roberts returned to the lineup against the Wild after missing Saturday’s game against Montreal due to an upper respiratory infection.  Rookie callup Tyler Kennedy played another good game in terms of speed and intensity and is expected back in the lineup on Thursday in place of Georges Laraque (groin). Left wing Jarkko Ruutu and defenseman Alain Nasreddine were healthy scratches against the Wild.  I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Eric Christensen as a healthy scratch against the Avs.

Going head-to-head, the Avalanche have a slight advantage across the board except on the power play.  The Avs have averaged 3.2 goals per game versus the Pens 3.0, and have given up 2.8 goals per game versus the Penguins 3.1.  The Avs’ penalty kill has been slightly more effective at 85.7%, while the Penguins have kept 84% out of their net while undermanned.  The Penguins power-play has been dangerous, scoring a goal in every game.  The Pens are ranked 3rd overall in the league on the power play with a 24.6% effectuveness, while the Avs have struggled at 15.7%.

NHLPens.com Prediction:  This is a tough one to call.  The Avs are undefeated at home and have the numbers in their favor.  The Pens on the other hand are arguably coming off the team’s best performance of the season against Minnesota, albeit a wounded Wild.  The offense got rolling and the defense looked halfway decent for the first time this season.  The Penguins will also be riding the glove of Dany Sabourin who has found consistency in his last 2 games.  I anticipate that the Penguins will benefit from the team cohesion and focus of being on the road, and that coupled with their confidence building play of Tuesday will enable the team to come away with a squeeker of a win.  I am predicting a 4-3 regulation win by the Pens.  The most likely goal scorers for the Penguins include Mark Recchi, Sergei Gonchar, Maxime Talbot and Ryan Whitney. 

Go Pens Go!

Pens Roll Over the Wounded Wild: Game Recap

The Pittsburgh Penguins rolled into St. Paul tonight and took advantage of an abbreviated Minnesota Wild lineup to win their 1st of a 4-game road trip by a score of 4-2.  The Wild, who were missing first line forwards Marian Gaborik, Pavol Dimitra and #1 goalie Niklas Backstrom to groin injuries, lost their 4th consecutive game.  It was also their first loss at home for the Wild this season after going 4-0-0 prior to tonight. 

With the NHL’s unbalanced schedule, this was the first time in their short careers that Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have played in front of fans in the NHL’s Northwest Division.  Malkin and Crosby impressed the crowd as they played together again on the first line and dominated the ailing Wild, putting up 7-points between them.  The game started with the usual first period slumber party by the young Penguins, who were outshot 10-6 in the starting frame.  Backup goaltender Dany Sabourin took the start and looked very good in net for the Penguins. 

The Penguins came alive in the second period on an even strength wrap-around goal by Evgeni Malkin at 3:30 that somehow found its way between Wild tender Josh Harting’s skate and the goal post.  The play was created by Sidney Crosby who was making a move to the front of the net while being ridden by a Wild defenseman.  When the puck came off Crosby’s stick, Malkin grabbed it and shoved it around to the other side of the goal mouth and into the net.  Ryan Malone picked up an assist on the play.  Less than 3 minutes later, the Wild evened the game at 1 apiece on an even strength goal by Stephane Veilleux from Radivojevic and Koivu.  But the tie was short-lived as Malkin struck again on a rebound just 15 seconds later with a diving shot that beat Harting.  The goal, Malkin’s 2nd of the night, put the Penguins ahead by a score of 2-1 and was assisted again by Sidney Crosby and Ryan Malone.  The Penguins outshot the Wild 12-8 in the second. 

In the third period, the Wild evened it up at 6:26 on an even strength tally by Brian Rolston, from Koivu and Burns.  The Wild took advantage of a turnover by Eric Christensen in the neutral zone, and Rolston capitalized on a juicy rebound slapping it into a gaping net as Sabu tried to move back across the goalmouth.  However, the Penguins took the lead for good with a go-ahead power play goal by Petr Sykora on a beautiful set play by Sidney Crosby and Sergei Gonchar at 10:05.  At 14:29, Sidney Crosby scored an even strength insurance marker on a breakaway play during a Wild line change.  The play resulted from a superb up ice pass by Sergei Gonchar and Evgeni Malkin to hit Crosby breaking into the Wild defensive zone.  Crosby skated in on goal and let a quick release that rocketed through the 5-hole of Harting. 

The game was a bonanza for the top line of Crosby, Malkin and Malone.  Crosby finished the night with 4-points (1G, 3A), his 8th career 4-point game, and was named the games 1st star.  It was also his 10th consecutive game of the season with at least a point, tying his career record, and tonight’s production elevated him to 4th in the NHL in scoring with 17-points, just 4-points behind the leader Henrik Zetterburg.  Malkin finished with 3-points (2G, 1A) and was named the games 3rd star.  Malkin now has 6-points (3G, 3A) in his last 3 games.  He looked extremely confident out there tonight and smiled more in tonight’s game than I have ever seen.  Malone and Gonchar each picked up 2-points in assists.  Goaltender Dany Sabourin played a very solid game with 28 saves on 30 shots, and may have earned a start in Thursday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche.

• Click Here for the Official NHL Game Rosters
• Click Here for the Official NHL Game Summary
• Click Here for the Official NHL Boxscore
• Click Here for the Official NHL Play-by-Play
• Click Here of the Penguins Hotline – AUDIO with Bob Grove and Joe Sager
• Click Here for the Penguins Post-Practice Scrum - VIDEO Today’s post practice locker room interviews with Malone, Crosby, Recchi, Kennedy and Eaton
• Click Here for Post Practice Presser – VIDEO Today’s post practice presser with Coach Therrien

The Penguins continue their 4-game road trip with a game against the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night, 1 Nov 07, at 9PM eastern, in what promises to be a much more challenging game for the Penguins.

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