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Gonchar Opts for Surgery, Will Miss 4-6 Months

The Pittsburgh Penguins officially announced this morning that Defenseman Sergei Gonchar has opted to undergo arthroscopic surgery on Thursday to repair his dislocated left shoulder.  The injury was the result of a hit by Tampa Bay forward David Koci during the Penguins’ first pre-season game against the Lightning on September 20.  Gonchar concluded that surgery was necessary after seeking opinions from three separate orthopedic specialists.  The surgery to be performed by UPMC physician Dr. Mark Rodosky will repair cartilage and ligament damage to his left shoulder.  Unfortunately for the Penguins, the recovery time for returning to a contact sport is projected at 4-6 months.

Undoubtedly the team’s leading defenseman, the Penguins will definitely miss Gonchar in the lineup.  The gravity of his loss is underscored by the fact that Defenseman Ryan Whitney is already out of the lineup for the first 3-4 months of the season as a result of recent foot Surgery.  Together, Gonchar and Whitney were the top-2 D-men for the Penguins last season.  Gonchar finished 4th in scoring with 65-points (12G, 53A) and Whitney was 7th with 40-points (12G, 28A).  Gonchar also led Penguins D-men in +/- with a +13, and has been a highly effective quarterback of the Penguins’ power play.  The loss of Gonchar could also have an impact on Evgeni Malkin who has relied on him to help cross the language barrier.   

In Gonchar and Whitney’s absence, the Penguins will have to rely on their defensive depth to step up and fill the gap.  While the Penguins do have good depth when it comes to capable defensemen, they lack the offensive punch that Gonchar and Whitney provided.  The most likely candidate to step up into that offensive role would be Darryl Sydor.  With 1-year remaining on his 2-year contract and little opportunity to be in the top defensive pairing, Sydor was rumored to be asking for a trade going into this season.  Now that Gonchar and Whitney have been sidelined, Sydor will be a critical asset to the Penguins.  At age 36, he is 2-years older than Gonchar and has played offensive D-man role before for the Dallas Stars.   In 7-full seasons with the Dallas Stars, Sydor posted 292-points (60G, 232A) averaging 42-points per season.  His offensive production has dipped in the past few seasons, likely the result of age, position and ice time.  With the Penguins, he has not yet had the opportunities afforded to the top defensive pairing.  This could well be his opportunity to regularly play alongside the team’s elite players and regain his role as a top defenseman in the NHL.   

Aside from Darryl Sydor, the Penguins existing options for scoring defensemen starts to diminish rather quickly.  Mark Eaton, Brooks Orpik and Rob Scuderi are all strong defensively, but will not fill the void when it comes to scoring.  Hal Gill is probably good for 15-20 points, but his size limits his speed and will prevent him from effectively moving up on the rush.  Sophomore Kris Letang had a strong season last year and will likely be called upon to increase his offensive production.  However, it remains to be seen if he can significantly improve on his 17-point (6G, 11A) production from last season.  Rookie Alex Goligoski, the only prospect defenseman that is still with the team, will likely get an opportunity to contribute in the regular season.  After a 38-point (10G, 28A) contribution in Wilkes-Barre last season, he is an exciting prospect.  However, these kinds of numbers do not routinely translate from the AHL to the NHL.

Bottom line, the extended loss of Sergei Gonchar will be a big, noticeable loss for the Penguins.  If the Penguins are unable to find the right amount of offense out of the remaining defensive corps, Ray Shero could find himself looking at possible early season trade options.  While it is too early to speculate much more on that, it is something for Penguins fans to keep in the back of their minds as the season gets underway this weekend.

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Shortened Penguins Roster Arrives in Sweden

The Pittsburgh Penguins arrived in Stockholm, Sweden, at about 3:30 AM this morning (Pittsburgh time) after a tiring 10.5 hour flight (including a refueling layover in Ireland).  Despite the lengthy trip, the team got checked into their hotel, met for a team meal, and then hit the rink at Hovet Arena in Stockholm for practice.  The goal for today is for the team to get adjusted to the 6-hour time change by staying awake through the evening and getting a good night’s sleep tonight.  According to Max Talbot, most players managed to get some sleep on the plane so that fatigue was not much of a factor in this morning’s practice.  The Penguins’ schedule is part of a program put in place by the training staff to help the players adjust to the change. 

The 10-day trip to Sweden comes on the heels of Friday night’s 5-4 pre-season win against the Leafs in Toronto.  Despite playing from behind most of the night, the Penguins won the game late in the 3rd period on goals by Kris Letang and Matt Cooke.  Sidney Crosby, Mark Eaton and Janne Pesonen also scored in the win, advancing the Penguins pre-season record to 3-0-1.  Sidney Crosby picked up the game’s 1st star with 2-points (1G, 1A) and Ruslan Fedotenko got the game’s 3rd start with 3-points (3A).  The Penguins will officially complete their pre-season play on Thursday, October 2nd, playing against the Jokerit of the Finnish Elite League in Helsinki, Finland.

Before boarding the 5PM flight to Stockholm, the Penguins skinnied their roster down to 25-players through assignments to the AHL and injured reserve.  Forward Connor James and defenseman Danny Richmond were both assigned to the Penguins’ AHL-affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Saturday.  Injured defensemen Sergei Gonchar (dislocated shoulder) and Ryan Whitney (foot surgery) have been assigned to the injured reserve and will not make the trip.  The Penguins will have to make one more roster cut by Friday, October 3rd, to get down to a 24-man roster before the season-opener in Sweden on October 4th.  The Penguins will ultimately need to make an additional cut after October 5th to get down to the 23-player roster required by the league for the rest of the regular season.  The league made an exception and allowed 24-players to be on the roster for the games in Sweden, so that the team would have an extra player in-country in case of injury. 

The Penguins remaining 25-man roster for the Sweden trip is comprised of 15 forwards, 7 defensemen and 3 goaltenders.  This includes forwards Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, Petr Sykora, Miroslav Satan, Ruslan Fedotenko, Matt Cooke, Max Talbot, Tyler Kennedy, Pascal Dupuis, Eric Godardm Jeff Taffe, Janne Pesonen, Bill Thomas, and Paul Bisssonnette.  The defensive corps consists of Brooks Orpik, Rob Scuderi, Hal Gill, Mark Eaton, Darryl Sydor, Kris Letang, and Alex Goligoski.  The goaltenders are Marc-Andre Fleury, Dany Sabourin, and John Curry.

After arriving in Stockholm early this morning, the Penguins went to Hovet Arena for practice at about 8AM Pittsburgh time.  The Hovet Arena is located alongside the Globe Arena where the Penguins will practice for the rest of the week, and where the Penguins will face off against the Ottawa Senators next weekend.  After practice, Sidney Crosby, Marc-Andre Fleury and Max Talbot spoke to the press.  The following videos of practice and those interviews are courtesy of PittsburghPenguins.com:

• VIDEO:  Team Practice’s at Hovet Arena
• VIDEO:  Sidney Crosby Post-Practice Interview
• VIDEO:  Marc-Andre Fleury Post-Practice Interview
• VIDEO:  Max Talbot Post-Practice Interview

 

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Penguins Hold Off the Leafs Late Comeback

The Pittsburgh Penguins held off a third period comeback to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 in their 3rd pre-season game on Wednesday night at Mellon Arena.  The Penguins played without the services of Sidney Crosby who sat out as a precaution with a sore groin.  Marc-Andre Fleury also took the night off as Dany Sabourin got the nod to backstop the team.  It was a night for Pittsburgh’s special teams as the Penguins picked up 2 powerplay goals and a shorthander.  But a lopsided 3rd period comeback put Pittsburgh on their heels as the Leafs outshot the Penguins 17-3, and scored 2 late goals.  Dany Sabourin maintained his composure, however, and allowed the Penguins to hang on for the win. 

The Penguins struck early in the first as Petr Sykora notched his 3rd pre-season goal at 2:05 on the powerplay.  Assists went to Miroslav Satan and Evgeni Malkin.  Then at 7:52, just as the clock had passed the halfway point on a roughing double-minor to Kris Newbury, Ruslan Fedotenko said hello to Pittsburgh with an unassisted powerplay goal.  Late in the period, Paul Bissonnette and Jamal Mayers went for a short dance with nothing much resulting from it.  The Penguins converted on 2-of-3 powerplay opportunities in the period and went 1-for-1 on the penalty kill as they outshot the Leafs 9-5.

Just 14-seconds into the 2nd period, Ruslan Fedotenko took a trip to the box for elbowing and set up a Leafs power play.  However, at 1:10 Evgeni Malkin playing on the penalty kill spoiled the Leafs chance by dogging the defense and causing a turnover as a Leafs’ player fell to the ice.  With Jordan Staal close at hand, the two played a little give-and-go with the biscuit in front of the crease before Malkin tapped it home on the empty side.  Malkin’s shorthanded goal, with the assist by Staal, put the Penguins up 3-0.  The Penguins went on to outshoot the Leafs 9-7 in the period, were 0-for-3 on the powerplay, and killed off 3 of their own penalties, including 15-seconds of 5-on-3.

In the 3rd, the Penguins stopped skating and the Leafs managed to awake from their earlier slumber.  The Penguins ended up shorthanded 3 times, and failed to convert on 2 man advantages.  The Leafs’ Alexei Ponikarovsky took advantage of the Penguins last penalty, a 2-minute interference call on Brooks Orpik, to get on the board at 15:22.  Assists were given to Josef Boumedienne and Mike Van Ryn.  Then with 11-seconds left in the game and goaltender Justin Pogge at the bench for the extra attacker, Mikhail Grabovski managed to get another one by Dany Sabourin.  The goal was assisted by Nikolai Kulemin and Jason Blake.  However, despite outshooting the Penguins 17-3 in the final frame, the Leafs were unable to get the tying goal. 

Evgeni Malkin was named the game’s first star with 2-points (1G, 1A) and Jordan Staal was the second star with 1-point (1A).  Dany Sabourin stopped 27-of-29 shots on goal.  The Penguins meet up with the Leafs again on Friday night for a rematch in Toronto.  It will be the last pre-season game for the Penguins before they make the trip to Europe on Saturday night to prepare for the season opener in Sweden on October 4th.     

• NHL Official Game Rosters
• NHL Official Game Summary
• NHL Official Play-by-Play
• PODCAST:  Phil Bourque 1st Intermission Report
• PODCAST:  Phil Bourque 2nd Intermission Report
• PODCAST:  Phil Bourque Post-Game Wrap Up

In other news, it was announced today that Sergei Gonchar will be out indefinitely with a dislocated shoulder.  This will likely open the door for prospects Alex Goligioski and/or Danny Richmond to step up as the Penguins head into the beginning of the season.

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Penguins Send 13 Players to AHL, Trim Roster to 29

As anticipated, Pittsburgh Penguins’ General Manager Ray Shero announced the next round of training camp cuts today, sending 13 players to the AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.  The 13 players sent to Wilkes-Barre includes forwards Kris Beech, Ryan Stone, Adam Henrich, Aaron Boogaard, Tim Wallace, Jonathan Filewich, David Gove and Christopher Minard.  It also includes defensemen Deryk Engelland, T.J. Kemp, Ben Lovejoy and Joey Mormina, as well as goaltender David Brown.  The cuts trimmed the Penguins’ training camp roster to 29 players

Of the 29 remaining players, the Penguins have retained 16 forwards, 10 defensemen and 3 goaltenders.  That list includes propsects Janne Pesonen, Connor James, Paul Bissonnette, Bill Thomas, Alex Goligoski, Danny Richmond, and John Curry.  With surgery/injuries affecting the normal Penguins’ defensive lineup, Defensemen Alex Goligoski and/or Danny Richmond could find themselves on the roster as the season starts.  There is potential for one or two positions on wing being open for competition, as well, as training camp and pre-season hockey winds down. 

The current roster includes the following players (by natural position,  not necessarily the position they are being played)

• Left Wing
  • Ruslan Fedotenko
  • Jeff Taffe
  • Matt Cooke
  • Janne Pesonen
  • Paul Bissonnette (Converted from D)
  • Connor James
  • David Gove
• Center
  • Sidney Crosby
  • Evgeni Malkin
  • Jordan Staal
  • Tyler Kennedy
  • Max Talbot
• Right Wing
  • Miroslav Satan
  • Petr Sykora
  • Pascal Dupuis
  • Eric Godard
  • William Thomas
• Defense
  • Sergei Gonchar
  • Ryan Whitney
  • Mark Eaton
  • Hal Gill
  • Kris Letang
  • Brooks Orpik
  • Darryl Sydor
  • Rob Scuderi 
  • Alex Goligoski
  • Danny Richmond
• Goal
  • Marc-Andre Fleury
  • Dany Sabourin
  • John Curry

The Penguins’ prospects will have two more opportunities to impress the hockey staff before the team leaves for Sweden on Saturday night.  It is uncertain whether the Penguins will make the final roster cuts before they leave.  While I wouldn’t be surprised by a few cuts, I don’t expect they will cut to the final roster since they will still have several more days of practice in Sweden and a final pre-season game in Finland on October 2nd before the season starts in Stockholm on October 4th.  I expect that the Penguins coaching staff will keep their options open and guard against any late injuries while on the road overseas.  Therefore, I expect at least 1 or 2 extra forwards and defensemen to make the trip to Sweden.

The Penguins return to Mellon Arena on Wednesday night to host the Toronto Maple Leafs.  The roster for the game has not yet been released.  The game will be aired nationally on TSN.

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Penguins Beat Lightning 3-2 in Penalty Filled Matchup

Despite being outshot 39-24, the Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender duo of Dany Sabourin and John Curry stopped all but 2-shots to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 on Monday night.  In what could have been billed as a battle of mostly third-line players, there were 5-fighting majors, a boarding major, 3-game misconducts for a total of 101-minutes in penalties.  The Penguins beat the Lightning on goals by Kris Letang, Max Talbot and Tyler Kennedy.  Kris Letang contirbuted with 2-points (1G, 1A), as did Alex Goligoski (2A).  Letang and Goligoski played very well with good chemistry together. 

The Lightning struck early as Jussi Jokinen scored the first goal of the game on their first shot just 46 seconds in on a feed by Evgeny Artyukhin, beating Dany Sabourin.  The early goal spurred some much anticipated emotion amongst the largely rookie lineups and ultimately resulted in a fight between Zenon Konopka and Aaron Boogard at 2:06.  The Penguins subsequently failed to convert on two power play opportunities as Evgeny Artyukhin took back-to-back penalties at 4:16 and 7:09.  However, as they say, the third time is a charm.  At 14:36, with Paul Szczechura in the box for tripping, Kris Letang tipped in a shot by Alex Goligoski to tie it up 1-1.  The Penguins failed to convert on another power play opportunity late in the 1st as Ryan Malone sat for a high stick.  But at 18:!9, Max Talbot put the Penguins ahead 2-1 on a nifty even-strength backhander that beat the Lightning’s Olie Kolzig.  Ruslan Fedotenko and William Thomas picked up the assists.  Less than a minute later, Zenon Konopka continued his quest for a fighting hat trick by taking on Danny Richmond.  A total of 30-minutes in penalty time was called in the period, including 20-minutes in fighting majors.  The Penguins were 1-for-3 on the power play, and 1-for-1 on the penalty kill.  Despite the extra man advantage opportunities, the Penguins were outshot 15-9. 

In the 2nd period, the Lightning found the back of the net at 2:56 as former Penguins Michel Ouellet let a wrister go that beat Dany Sabourin.  Dana Tyrell and Ty Wishart got the assists.  With 10:15 left to go in the period, Coach Therrien swapped goalies and put John Curry in net.  At 14:32, David Koci and Paul Bissonnette squared off and each picked up a fighting major.  At 16:59, Ruslan Fedotenko was given a 5-minute major for boarding Janne Niskala.  The Penguins went 0-for-1 on the power play and were 2-for-2 on the penalty kill, including the 5-minute major to Fedotenko.  The Penguins were again seriously outshot by 17-6.   

At 4:12 of the 3rd period, the referees got to doll out the penalties as David Koci slashed Paul Bissonnette and all hell broke lose.  Koci and Bissonnette quickly squared off, while Zenon Konopka was eager to get his fighting hat trick by squaring off with Adam Henrich.  When the dust settled, all four players picked up 5-minute majors for fighting.  Additionally Koci and Bissonnette each got a 10-minute game misconduct.  Zenon Konopka also picked up a mandatory game misconduct for his third fighting major of the game.  In all, 52-minutes in penalties were handed out at this stoppage in play to 4-players.  When play finally resumed, it only took the Penguins 42 seconds to convert the emotion into a goal as Tyler Kennedy beat Kolzig with a wrister from Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski.  The teams finished the period with 5-shots aside. 

• NHL Official Game Summary
• NHL Official Rosters
• NHL Official Event Summary
• NHL Official Play-by-Play
• HockeyFights.com Fight Log
• PENS PODCAST:  Phil Bourque Interviews Ryan Malone
• PENS PODCAST:  Phil Bourque 1st Intermission Report
• PENS PODCAST:  Phil Bourque 2nd Intermission Report
• PENS PODCAST:  Phil Bourque Post-Game Wrap

The Penguins return home to Pittsburgh where they will face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night.  It was reported by Phil Bourque that there will likely be a big cut in the Penguins’ training camp roster announced sometime on Tuesday.  In other news, Sergei Gonchar is expected to get an MRI this week to further evaluate the shoulder injury he received in Saturday night’s pre-season opener.

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Penguins Announce Monday Night Lineup

The Pittsburgh Penguins continue their pre-season play on Monday night as they play Game #2 against the Lightning in Tampa Bay.  While the Pens played most of their A-List talent in Saturday night’s loss to the Lightning, they will field a much different team for Monday night’s game.  Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Miroslav Satan, Jordan Staal, Petr Sykora, Brooks Orpik, Darryl Sydor, and Marc-Andre Fleury will all get the night off while more Penguins’ prospects will get an opportunity to impress the hockey staff.

Winger Ruslan Fedotenko will make his debut as a Penguin on Monday night.  Joining him on the ice will be forwards Janne Pesonen, Ryan Stone, Paul Bissonnette, Max Talbot, Jeff Taffe, Kris Beech, Adam Heinrich, Bill Thomas, Tyler Kennedy, Eric Godard, and Aaron Boogard.  On defense, the Penguins will bring Mark Eaton, Hal Gill, Danny Richmond, Kris Letang, Deryk Engelland and Alex Goligoski.  Dany Sabourin and John Curry will be the goaltending duo.

The lines have not been announced and one hardly knows what Michel Therrien might do, but based on skill sets and training camp pairings I would expect something like the following:

1. Fedotenko - Talbot - Kennedy
2. Stone - Taffe - Pesonen
3. Heinrich - Beech - Godard
4. Bissonnette - Thomas - Boogard

With the defensive pairings possibly as follows:

1. Eaton - Letang
2. Richmond - Goligoski
3. Engelland - Gill

The Lightning Insider is reporting Tampa Bay’s planned roster for Monday night’s game.  It includes forwards Ryan Malone, Steven Stamkos, Radim Vrbata, Vaclav Prospal, Jussi Jokinen, Evgeny Artyukhin. David Koci, Zenon Konopka, Jason Ward, Dana Tyrell, Paul Szczechura and Michel Ouellet.  On defense, the Lightning will play Shane O’Brien, Mike Lundin, Adrej Meszaros, Ty Wishart, Janne Niskala, and Matt Carle.  Coach Melrose plans to play Olaf Kolzig in net with Riku Helenius as backup, as he rotates each of his goalies through 2 full pre-season games. 

After Monday night’s game against the Lightning, the Penguins will return to Mellon Arena to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night.

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Penguins Lose Pre-Season Opener in Shootout

The Pittsburgh Penguins battled back from a 3-1 defecit, but ultimately lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in a shootout when #1 draft pick Steven Stamkos scored the deciding goal on Saturday night.  The Lightning, under new head coach and former ESPN color analyst Barry Melrose, sat many of its veterans for the pre-season opener, including Vinny Lecavalier and Martin St Louis.  Also missing from the lineup were former Penguins’ Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts, Mark Recchi, and Adam Hall.   Pittsburgh played many of its young stars, to include Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal and Marc-Andre Fleury.  They also played newcomer Miroslav Satan, but sat Ruslan Fedotenko in favor of Janne Pesonen who picked up an assist.

The game started with Jordan Staal netting a quick goal just 51 seconds into the first period.  Staal’s goal was assisted by Evgeni Malkin and rookie defesneman Ben Lovejoy.  It was the only goal of the first period as Marc-Andre Fleury turned aside all 10 of the Lightning shots.  The Penguins put up 9-shots.  Defensemen Sergei Gonchar left the game in the first and didn’t return after being hit by 6′6″ heavyweight David Koci.  Gonchar will be evaluated today, but reportedly suffered a shoulder injury.  In response, Eric Godard took Koci’s number and squared off with him in the games’ first fight of the night at 11:54, sending both to the box for 5-minutes (Georges Laraque take note, wherever you are). 

In the second, Marc-Andre Fleury and the Penguins gave up 3-straight goals to the Lightning as Janne Niskala, Wyatt Smith, and Brandon Bochenski all converted at even strength in a span of just under 5-minutes.  The Penguins finally hit back late in the second as Petr Sykora notched a 5-on-3 power play goal at 15:18 to draw within 1.  Miroslav Satan and Jordan Staal picked up the assists.  Ryan Stone stepped into a fight early in the period, but was outmatched against the heavier Zenon Konopka.  After a slow start to the period, the Penguins finished by outscoring the Lightning 12-9. 

In the 3rd period, it was Petr Sykora striking on the power play again as he notched his 2nd of the night at 10:11 during 5-on-4 play.  Janne Pesonen and Alex Goligoski were credited with the assists on the play.  At 12:51, Kris Beach was given a 5-minute major and a game misconduct penalty for boarding, setting up an extended short-handed situation for the Penguins.  However at 17:07, Sidney Crosby notched the go-ahead goal with an unassisted, short-hander.  Unfortunately, with just over a minute to go, Brandon Bochenski scored his second of the night to tie it back up.  Shots were 9-8 Tampa. 

After a scoreless overtime period, the game went to the shootout.  Jussi Jokinen and  Steven Stamkos both converted on the shootout, while Miroslave Satan and Evgeni Malkin were thwarted to give the Lightning the win. 

 

• NHL Official Game Summary
• NHL Official Game Rosters 
• VIDEO:  Janne Pesonen Interview
• VIDEO:  Sidney Crosby Interview
• VIDEO:  Coach Therrien 

The Penguins match up against the Lightning again on Monday night in Tampa Bay.

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Penguins’ Training Camp - Roster Cut by 9

With the shortened training camp, the Pittsburgh Penguins prospects are getting very little time to show their skills as they contend for the few potentially available spots on the roster, most likely 2 or 3 wing positions and possibly a defenseman.  This afternoon, following Day 3 of training camp, the coaching staff made 9 cuts, sending 6 players to the AHL and 3 more to the juniors.  The cuts whittled the training camp roster down to 42 players as the team prepares for the first pre-season game on Saturday night at Mellon Arena against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Heading to Pittsburgh’s AHL affiliate, the WIlkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, are forwards Luca Caputi (LW), Joey Haddad (LW), Dustin Jeffrey (C), Nick Johnson (RW), Mark Letestu (C), and Defenseman Jonathan D’Aversa (D).  The Penguins sent 2 players to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).  Defensemen Alex Grant (D) was sent to the Saint John Sea Dogs and forward Keven Veilleux (C) was sent to Rimouski Oceanic.  Finally, forward Casey Pierro-Zabotel (C) was sent to the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League (WHL). 

Jesse Marshall over at the Faceoff-Factor has done a tremendous job of putting out detailed daily reports from training camp, and the Penguins website provides nice video coverage of daily scrimmages, practice, and locker room interviews.  You can use the following links to track the progress of the team through camp:

• Training Camp Day 1 - Wednesday, 17 Sep 08
  • Report:  Faceoff-Factor Report
  • On-Ice Video:  Scrimmage, Group A Practice, Group B Practice
  • Locker Room Interviews:  Miroslav Satan, Jordan Staal, Sidney Crosby, Ruslan Fedotenko, Hal Gill, Marc-Andre Fleury
• Training Camp Day 2 - Thursday, 18 Sep 08
  • Report:  Faceoff-Factor Report
  • On-Ice Video:  Scrimmage Video, Group A Practice, Group B Practice
  • Locker Room Interviews:  Dany Sabourin, Pascal Dupuis, Eric Goddard, Sidney Crosby, Sergei Gonchar, Darryl Sydor
• Training Camp Day 3 - Friday, 19 Sep 08
  • Report:  Faceoff-Factor Report
  • On-Ice Video:  Group A Practice, Group B Practice
  • Locker Room Interviews:  Max Talbot, Sidney Crosby

The first round of cuts leaves 42 players in camp, to include 24 forwards, 14 defensemen, and 4 goaltenders.  The current roster includes the following players (by natural position,  not necessarily the position they are being played)

• Left Wing
  • Ruslan Fedotenko
  • Jeff Taffe
  • Matt Cooke
  • Janne Pesonen
  • Ryan Stone
  • Paul Bissonnette (Converted from D)
  • Adam Henrich
  • Chris Minard
  • Connor James
  • David Gove
• Center
  • Sidney Crosby
  • Evgeni Malkin
  • Jordan Staal
  • Tyler Kennedy
  • Max Talbot
  • Kris Beech
• Right Wing
  • Miroslav Satan
  • Petr Sykora
  • Pascal Dupuis
  • Eric Goddard
  • Aaron Boogard
  • Jonathan Filewich
  • William Thomas
  • Tim Wallace
• Defense
  • Sergei Gonchar
  • Ryan Whitney
  • Mark Eaton
  • Hal Gill
  • Kris Letang
  • Brooks Orpik
  • Darryl Sydor
  • Rob Scuderi 
  • Deryk Engelland
  • Alex Goligoski
  • TJ Kemp
  • Ben Lovejoy
  • Joey Mormina
  • Danny Richmond
• Goal
  • Marc-Andre Fleury
  • Dany Sabourin
  • David Brown
  • John Curry

On Thursday night, the Penguins held a Town Hall for Season Ticket Holders that included a Q&A session with several players (Orpik, Malkin, Whitney, Fleury, Talbot, Crosby).  It was covered in a video over at the Penguins website on Pens TV.

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Pittsburgh Penguins 2008 Training Camp Preview

After a short summer break, the Pittsburgh Penguins are ready to hit the ice again as they get back to training camp this week.  Over the summer, the team saw some significant complexion changes with the exodus of some key role players.  Yet, despite the loss of Marian Hossa, Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts, Ty Conklin, Jarkko Ruutu, Georges Laraque and Adam Hall, the Penguins have kept their young core of stars intact and have back-filled the losses with some quality, proven role players.  Among the new player acquisitions are Miroslov Satan (RW), Ruslan Fedetenko (LW), Matt Cooke (LW) and Eric Godard (RW).   The Penguins also have depth in their organizational talent pool and added to it by bringing in some new prospects to include Janne Pesonen, last season’s leading scorer in the Finnish Elite League.  So as the Penguins head into training camp, what should you look for in terms of new talent on the team?

Goaltending

There is no doubt who holds the top spot for the Penguins in net, as Marc-Andre Fleury silenced the critics last season with an outstanding run after returning from his extended high ankle injury.  The question will be how soon he finds his form this season, as he has historically had slow starts.  The big surprise last season was the play of Ty Conklin, claiming the #2 spot away from Dany Sabourin after Fleury went on the injured reserve for a couple of months.  To his credit, Dany Sabourin didn’t play all that bad, but Conklin was flat out spectacular and stole the stage from Sabourin.  One could even argue that Conklin’s play was partially responsible for Fleury ratcheting up his game to re-establish his top spot upon his return.  With Ty Conklin now off the roster, Dany Sabourin has the opportunity to re-establish himself as the backup netminder.  But the Penguins will likely be evaluating their options during camp with some netminding depth in the system.  In my opinion, the only potential challenger for Sabourin would be John Curry.  Curry stepped into the void left by Ty Conklin in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and put together an impressive 24-12 run in the regular season.  He went on to backstop the baby Penguins’ 14-9 run into the Calder Cup Finals.  I expect Sabourin will prevail out of camp, but don’t be surpised if Curry finds his way into an NHL game later in the season.

Defense 

The Penguins defensive corps is the one area that remains largely unchanged from last season.  The Penguins have been handed a significant challenge, however, with Ryan Whitney leaving the lineup for a minimum of 3-months (possibly up to 5 months) as he recovers from off-season foot surgery.  Whitney’s role as an offensive defensemen will be missed, and will likely be an area that the Penguins look to address in training camp.  The Penguins will be getting Mark Eaton back into the lineup after missing most of last season with a torn ACL, but Eaton’s forte is in defense and not in offensive production.  There may also be some lingering questions about his durability after 2 back-to-back injury shortened seasons.  Perhaps Kris Letang will find this as an opportunity to increase his offensive game, but he still needs to focus on perfecting his defensive game.  Perhaps Darryl Sydor, rumored to be seeking a trade out of Pittsburgh, will be able to find the niche he was looking for by stepping up his offensive game.  However, I still expect the veteran to leave Pittsburgh at some point this season.  The most likely scenario in my mind will be for Alex Goligoski to find his way into the lineup coming out of training camp.  Goligoski had an impressive year with Wilkes-Barre last season posting 38-points (10G, 28A) in 70 games with a +15 rating.  He also netted 28-points (4G, 24A) in 23 playoff games with a +5 rating.  He also made his NHL debut last season, getting 2-assists in his 3 outings.   Other defensemen to watch at camp would be Alex Grant, TJ Kemp, Deryk Engelland, and Ben Lovejoy.

Offense

The Penguins offense remains strong despite the loss of wingers Marian Hossa and Ryan Malone.  In particular, they are rock solid down the center with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal and Maxime Talbot.  With Hossa and Malone out of the lineup, along with Roberts, Hall, Laraque, and Ruutu, the Penguins will use training camp to assess and shore up the wings.  They will look to off-season acqusitions Miroslav Satan and Ruslan Fedetenko to fill the void in the top lines.  It remains to be seen how well they will mesh with the talented Penguins’ centermen or how long it will take for the chemistry to develop, but it seems likely that they will flourish alongside Crosby and/or Malkin.  Elsewhere on wing, the Penguins have retained Petr Sykora, Jeff Taffe, Pascal Dupuis, and Tyler Kennedy, and have added newcomers Eric Godard and Matt Cooke.  The latter two were acquired to backfill the loss of Georges Laraque and Jarkko Ruutu.  Look for the Penguins management to really test out the combinations in camp, and to evaluate the talent they have within the system to find a set of wingers that work.  Perhaps the biggest and most anticipated wild card is Janne Pesonen, the Left Wing top scorer from the Finnish Elite League.  He will likely be the center of much attention and speculation as to a potential bid in the lineup.  The Penguins also have several NHL-tested prospects as a result of last season’s extensive injuries that will have a viable opportunity to break into the lineup.  This includes Connor James, Jonathan Filewich, Chris Minard, and Ryan Stone.  I would expect as many as 2-3 lower line wing positions in play going into training camp, with the burden being on the prospects to prove their case for being in the lineup. 

After last season’s challenges and ultimate success, I anxiously look forward to the start of the season.  The changes in the complexion of this team add to the excitement and uncertainty of what the new season will bring.  Training Camp will be the first, short glimpse before the season starts in just 3-quick weeks.  This coming season is sure to be exciting and will answer all of our current questions.  WIll Sidney Crosby be 100% recovered from the high ankle injury of last season?  Will Evgeni Malkin power back to the top of the points race after recharging his batteries in the off-season?  Will Jordan Staal ditch the sophomore slump and have a breakout year?  Will Marc-Andre Fleury shake off any early season jitters and will he be able to build on last year’s spectacular playoff run?  How will Miroslav Satan and Rusty Fedotenko fit in and produce?  Who will step up offensively on defense?  Will someone break into the lineup and be an enexpected force this season?  Who will be the enforcer?  Will the Penguins start slow and finish strong?  So many questions that will only be answerd in time!  Hockey is upon us!  Let’s Go Penguins!

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Penguins’ Rookies Beat Toronto 5-2

The 2008 rookie tournament got underway in Kitchener, Ontario, on Saturday with the Penguins’ young talent putting up a decisive win against the Toronto Maple Leafs rookies in their own back yard.  Center Mark Letestu, signed as an undrafted free agent in March 2007, racked up 4 points (1G, 3A) in the win.  Right Winger Jean-Michel Daoust, a friend of Max Talbot’s who signed a tryout contract in Wilkes Barre/Scranton in January, picked up 3-points (1G, 2A).  Huge defenseman Ben Lovejoy added a power play goal in the 5-2 win.  Defenseman Jon D’Aversa and Left Winger Joey Haddad picked up the other two goals.  Defensemen Alex Goligoski (2A), Alex Grant (1A) and Winger Aaron Boogard (1A) also got on the scoresheet.

Scoring opened at 3:31 of the first period with Daoust chipping a loose puck past Maple Leafs netminder James Reimer.  Just 2-minutes later, Ben Lovejoy came down the right wing on the power play and re-directed a Letestu pass into the net.  Jon D’Aversa and Joey Haddad added the 3rd and 4th goals mid-way through the second period.  Mark Letestu picked up his 4th point on the night in the final minutes of the second to finish the scoring.  6′3, 220lb Aaron Boogaard threw in with a fight and handily beat the Leafs’ Joe Cooper.  Rookie netminder John Curry stopped 20 shots to pick up the win.

The Penguins rookie team will face off against the Florida Panthers at 2:00pm today, and take on the Ottawa Senators on Monday at 2:00pm.  Last year, the Penguins’ rookie team went 3-1 and won the Tournament Championship in Kitchener. 

In other news, the Pittsburgh Penguins official training camp opens with physicals on Tuesday.  In their first official meeting of the new season, the players will spend Tuesday going through a spate of physicals, testing and meetings at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) facility on the South Side.  On Wednesday, 17 September, the players will assemble at Mellon Arena at 9AM for their first on-ice practice session.  They will continue to meet daily at Mellon Arena from 9AM-1PM through Friday, 19 September, before heading into 5 pre-season games.  All practice sessions will be open to the public and free of charge, with entry through Gate #1 opening at 8:45 AM.

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