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“Energy Guys” Make Their Presence Known

Introducing Another Great Post by Guest Blogger Chaiwoman:

Sean Avery’s reunion tour with his old team seemed to put him face to face with just about every guy in a black and gold uniform on Saturday.  It was a gritty, scrappy, hard-hitting, nasty penalizing afternoon game against the New York Rangers (sans the blue jerseys), as the Pittsburgh Penguins treated fans to a win largely due to their “energy guys.”

Start with the brilliant tactics of Tyler “Mr.” Kennedy, who appeared to take Avery by surprise after a couple of test hits in a match that left Avery looking puzzled and Kennedy grinning like the Cheshire Cat.  Later, Kennedy would say that he and Avery talked about and agreed “to go”.  Kennedy’s sacrifice was brilliant for several reasons:

1. He took Avery’s agitation game out of commission for five minutes, giving his teammates one less pain to deal with;
2. It generated some momentum given how the scrap developed and who it was against;
3. The Penguins’ power play three minutes later was not affected by his absence since he is not a major contributor on special teams; and
4. Though they did not score on the power play, the energy was still high, and Maxime Talbot revved up for a great feed from Ruslan Fedotenko to put the Pens on the board.

Coach Bylsma talked after the game about Kennedy’s fight and the penalties in general saying that he was not so much concerned about how many penalties they take as he is about the kinds of penalties and when they occur.  He called Kennedy an “energy guy,” and the timing and make-up of his penalty created energy for the team.

As a matter of fact, Coach Bylsma has the luxury of four “energy guys,” in Tyler Kennedy (13G,16A), Matt Cooke (10G, 18A), Maxime Talbot (11G, 9A), and Pascal Dupuis (10G, 14A) for a total of 101 points thus far.  All have a similar skating style but run the gamut in levels of agitation against opposing players.  All have had stints up on the top line with Sidney Crosby and have provided sparks at various times, chipping in goals and assists at opportune times.  All have shown their utilitarian ability to skate on lines 1 through 4 with the same intensity, effort, and yes, energy.  In Saturday’s game, three of the four energy guys contributed for 2 goals and 2 assists in the win.  This is what you need heading into the playoffs.

With Matt Cooke up on the Malkin line for a second consecutive game, he scored the Pens’ second goal off a great effort that started with a Malkin feed and ended with both Cooke and Talbot creating havoc in front of Rangers netminder Henrik Lundqvist.  During Kennedy’s stint in the sin bin, Bylsma moved Pascal Dupuis up onto the Staal line with Fedotenko and Staal, and the line never missed a beat as Dupuis provided his usual style of quick feet and hard forechecking.  He and Cooke also figure in the strong and now offensively-minded Penguins penalty kills.

Their energy is infectious, and something about it on Saturday permeated the entire team even sparking Ruslan Fedotenko who earned the #1 star of the game with a solid three-point performance (1G, 2A) to break out of his slump.  It should be noted that in his two assists, Feds set up the goal scorers (Talbot and Crosby) in exactly the same way with crisp, well-timed tape-to-tape passes in a quick transition.  Riding high off his own goal-scoring contribution the previous game, defenseman Hal Gill seemed to have more jump as he involved himself with confidence in a short-handed rush.  In 18 games under Bylsma Gill has registered 16 shots on goal compared to his last 18 games under Therrien (7 shots), improving his shot production almost 2-1.

Bylsma has been very consistent in his basic line format with Talbot centering the 4th line and Dupuis flanking him on one side.  However, he does not shy away from plugging these two into other situations that create offensive opportunities and aggressive defensive back-checking.  All four of these energy guys add an important layer that positions a team like the Penguins for a deep run in the playoffs.

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Post Season Within Reach

As the clock winds down on the 2008/09 NHL regular season,  the Pittsburgh Penguins post season hopes are looking up.  Just a little over one month ago, the Penguins’ prospects were not so good as they meandered outside of playoff position.  However, since bringing in a new coach, a new philosophy, a healthy veteran defenseman, and some experienced wingers, the Penguins have had a tsunami-like surge and could conceivably finish as high as 4th place in the east.  While we are doubtful that the Penguins will be able unseat the gritty Philadelphia Flyers for a home-ice advantage, the Penguins chances of finishing the season in 5th – 8th playoff postion are very good;  the Penguins would have to stumble significantly in the final 7-games to drop out of playoff contention.  With that in mind, Penguins fans like myself are looking at the potential first round playoff matchups for the ideal foe.  I have taken a look at a number of factors that are influencing my thoughts of late and thought I would share them with you. 

Momentum, the Mighty Mo’:  I am a firm believer that you have to have momentum going into the playoffs to be successful.  You can’t limp into the post-season and expect your fate to change overnight once you get there.  We can get a pretty good assessment of momentum by looking at a teams’ last 20-games.  The Penguins, having gone 14-3-3 and won 70% of their last 20-games, have developed the most momentum down the stretch of any team in the East.  While the current top-4 teams in the East have all had great overall seasons, what kind of momentum are they bringing as we head down the final stretch into the playoffs? 

• Boston:  7-9-4, or 0.35 winning percentage
• New Jersey:  13-6-1, or 0.65 winning percentage
• Washington:  11-7-2, or 0.55 winning percentage
• Philadelphia:  12-7-1, or 0.60 winning percentage

As a result of their late season slump, the once unstoppable Boston Bruins are carrying the least momentum heading into the playoffs.  With nearly a week’s rest on their side since their last game, the Bruins will be looking to turn that momentum around in their final 9-games.  One team not currently in the top-4 that we should all keep an eye on, however,  is the Carolina Hurricanes.  The Canes are riding a 5-game winning streak and have gone 14-4-2 in their last 20-games, practically matching the Penguins.  The Hurricanes could end up overtaking the Flyers for a home ice position, and a Penguins-Hurricanes matchup in the first round is still in the realm of the possible. 

Playoff-Experienced Goaltending:  Great goaltending is a “must have” for the playoffs.  Most teams that make it into a top-4 playoff position have done so with great goaltending on their side.  As we all know, playoff hockey is much more intense than regular season hockey and the pressure affects players differently.  That is why you hear the term “playoff proven” used to signify players that have been able to maintain their high performance levels in competitive post season play.  As with any player, the pressure cooker environment of playoff hockey can take the luster off from a goaltenders’ regular season shine.  That is why having a playoff-experienced and proven goaltender is so important.  So how do the current top-4 teams stack up in terms of playoff-experienced goaltending?

• Boston:  Fernandez/Thomas combined have 1,001 playoff minutes and 6-8 record
• New Jersey:  Brodeur/Weeks combined have 10,987 playoff minutes and 98-77 record
• Washington:  Theodore/Johnson combined have 3,390 playoff minutes and 24-32 record
• Philadelphia:  Biron/Nittymaki combined have 1,110 minutes and 9-8 record

While Boston’s Tim Thomas leads all NHL goaltenders in regular season Save Percentage (0.931) and Goals Against Average (2.11), the 34-year old 5-year veteran of the NHL lacks playoff experience.  Will he be able to continue his level of performance in the pressure cooker of post season play?  While I don’t discount what he has been able to do in the regular season, his lack of playoff experience could be a risk for the slumping Bruins.  Similarly, Philadelphia lacks significant playoff experience in net.  The Washington Capitals have more playoff experience in Jose Theodore and Brent Johnson.  However, the surging New Jersey Devils’ Martin Broduer brings the most to the table in terms of playoff-experience and should be the most feared goaltender in the Eastern Conference playoffs.  The Penguins combination of Fleury and Garon bring 1,550 minutes of playoff experience and a 15-10 record, with Garon having only 12 minutes of playoff time.  As we saw last season, Marc-Andre Fleury can be lethal when he is on his game, and his play of late suggests that he is getting in the groove at the right time, just as he did before last season’s amazing run through the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Goal Differential, Offensive/Defensive Strength:  A complete team is one that combines both a strong offense and a tight defense.  If you have too much of one and not enough of the other, the imbalance can be a team’s undoing.  A good measure for evaluating a team’s combined offensive/defensive strength is to look at their goal differential, or their goals for (GF) versus their goals against (GA).  A larger goal differential demonstrates a better combined offensive/defensive strength for a team.   The following is the offensive/defensive strength of each of the current top-4 teams as demonstrated over their last 20-games. 

• Boston:  58 GF – 54 GA = +4 Goal Differential
• New Jersey:  59 GF – 50GA = +9 Goal Differential
• Washington:  59 GF – 61GA = -2 Goal Differential
• Philadelphia:  64 GF – 52GA = +12 Goal Differential

While Boston has the NHL’s most impressive goal differential over the entire season (+72), over the past 20-games the Bruins have faltered and rank 3rd amongst the current top 4.  The Philadelphia Flyers lead the pack with +12 differential in the last 20-games.  Washington has struggled the most amongst the top 4 with a -2 differential in their last 20-games.  By comparison, the Pittsburgh Penguins have 68 GF and 54 GA for a +14 Goal Differential over their last 20-games, which is better than any of the top-4 teams in the East over that timeframe.

Summary:  While I have not addressed special teams, my early assessment is that a matchup against the Boston Bruins or the Washington Capitals would be more favorable to the Penguins in terms of being able to take advantage of momentum, goaltending experience, and goal differential over the last 20-games.  It is those same factors that would make a match up against the New Jersey Devils less favorable, while the Philadlphia Flyers momentum and goal differential make them less favorable, as well. 

In terms of exciting rivalries, a Penguins/Flyers matchup never disappoints and a Penguins/Capitals matchup would be a close second!  Let’s hold on for the next couple of weeks and see where it all ends up! 

 

 

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Getting to Know Geno

I ran across the following video over on Pens TV.  It is The Penguins Show with Alyonka.  In this series, Alyonka joins Evgeni Malkin in the kitchen to make some Russian cuisine.  Alternating between his broken English and his native tongue (with subtitles), Geno has a good time joking around with Alyonka in the kitchen.  Geno spills his thoughts on the MVP race,  jokes about Labron James, and marvels at the overcooked perogies in the end!  There is even a cameo appearance by Chris Letang.  Enjoy!

The Best Offense…

…is a good defense.

Tonight’s game against the Calgary Flames had a lot in it to like, and it all stemmed from disciplined, defensive play by all of the players. The result was quick and fluid transitions up ice with good chances on net.

In their 2-0 win, two Penguins defensemen answered the bell and found the back of the net. Kris Letang, continuing to shine on the primary power play, made it deja vu all over again, scoring backdoor under the Bylsma system that has taken the reins off the defense and involved them in the offense. Letang’s chance came after a pinball action of the puck as Malkin, Crosby, and Kunitz took turns buzzing the net in a tight cycle. The Flames’ Kiprusoff did his best, but in the end he could not account for the sneaky Letang.

Hal Gill, who as the months wore on under Michel Therrien seemed to be dying on the vine, getting slower and slower with each game, on the recieving end of several healthy scratches, has shown increasing energy under Bylsma. It became evident in the Kings game, but tonight, it was glaringly apparent that he has arisen from the ashes in what is decidedly his best game of the season. Gill showed speed, which is impressive for his 6 foot 7 frame, and tonight, he showed mental acuity being everywhere he needed to be and at least in one place no one expected him to be…except Evgeni Malkin. Gill hit Geno with a long pass on a break-out initiated by co-defenseman Rob Scuderi, and from eyes at the back of his helmet, Geno laid an across-the-body dump pass to a trailing Gill who sent it beautifully over Kiprusoff’s right shoulder.

It looked like an encore performance on the penalty front as early in the game, the Pens seemed to be letting the Flames get under their skin like the Flyers did on Sunday. They fought through it, regained their discipline, and managed to reduce their number of penalties to five this time out. The PK continues to impress and keep the team in the game. The Staal-Cooke primary PK duo continues to work fluidly and aggressively, frustrating Flames by keeping them at bay. The Talbot-Dupuis duo provides a high-octane PK. It’s like watching the release of the hounds. They go to ground and are tenacious as well as tireless. It will not be long before one or both of these tandems hits some short-handed goals.

After Malkin’s high-sticking double minor at 16:44 of the second period, the team stayed out of the box, and an exciting third period ensued, replete with run-and-gun five-on-five hockey and lots of hits. Brooks Orpik led the team in that department, laying out 10 of the team’s 44 smacks, energizing the crowd.

Marc-Andre Fleury was stellar between the pipes, getting a well-deserved shut-out and the Number 1 star of the game. Literally standing on his head in a few multiple shot and scrum instances, with the help of his defense, he was able to see the puck well, get the proper angles, and absorb more than he deflected.

At this point in the season, the Pens are playing strong hockey against Western Conference teams. They’ve beaten three of the last four Western Conference teams (Dallas, L.A. and Calgary) and eeked out one point from Columbus in an OT loss. If they continue to take care of business against their remaining Eastern Conference opponents, it has the makings of a good omen.

Not Brothers, No Love: Pens 1–Flyers 3

No worries. Here’s why.

It couldn’t last. There needed to be a regulation loss under Dan Bylsma, and while many who walked out of the arena today would likely have preferred it was against someone else, it wasn’t. Given the history and loathing between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers, one would have expected much more energy in the building. The atmosphere was surreal, and the puck always seemed to be just a few inches out of reach; it wasn’t clicking. It was the antithesis of the Kings game.

Speaking from direct experience as one who was in attendance this afternoon, the fans even had an off day. It was as if the early game kept them from that all-important second cup of coffee to make everything right with the world. There were many moments when it was pretty quiet all the way around and others where it was downright cranky. Even when prompted by the usual “make noise!” admonishments from the jumbotron, the noise meter didn’t break much of a sweat.

It wasn’t that Philly’s 5-on-5 game was that spectacular, but they had three ingredients that neutralized the Pens while jacking up their frustration level:

1. Solid goaltending. Biron was in the zone and he was in a miserly mood as he absorbed shot after shot with almost no chance for a crumb of a rebound.
2. Discipline. They knew how to instigate when the refs weren’t looking–OK, maybe the refs were looking sometimes but not seeing (the boos as they came onto the ice to start the third period raised the noise meter), and the Flyers waited until the Pens visibly retaliated, drawing a whopping eight penalties.
3. Cloaking the blue line on the penalty kill. It was the hockey version of a basketball half-court press with three Flyers draping their defensive blue line while one guy cruised just ahead of them enough to agitate the puck carrier, rendering the Pens to powerless play.

To the Penguins’ credit, they did have a couple of bright spots on which to hang their helmets:

1. Marc-Andre Fleury’s play was solid even in the midst of bodies seemingly always crowding him in front of the net obscuring his view. He managed to deflect several straight line sniper shots across his bow on a zero degree line, often from deep off the right circle. At times it looked as if the Flyers were trying to slice through his cervical spine with the puck.
2. The Staal line was the most consistent of the four offensive lines today. Staal, Cooke, and Kennedy combined for 8 of the Pens’ 28 shots on net compared to a mystifying 0 (yes, that’s zero) shots on net by Malkin and Crosby combined. The third line also seemed to have the best luck of at least starting to cycle in the Flyers’ end on a few occasions. Cooke and Staal also worked well together on their PK shifts, again looking to break free and work more in the Flyers’ real estate. Finally, Staal led the team in face-off percentage today winning 60% of his duels followed by Crosby at 54%.

The weakest link remains the power play, and the fans let the team know it today. Too often it looked like the PP of old–pass, pass, pass, pass, and pass some more. Too many passes at too slow a speed. Passing is fine, but the point of passing is that it moves faster than the guy on skates so that he cannot cover his zone properly, thereby opening up shooting lanes. Not so today, and the Flyers made the Pens pay for it. Too many chances at shots were given over in favor of at least one more pass. In that respect, it is no wonder that Biron had a good day–he had all day.

It’s better that the Pens rankle a bit over today’s loss against that bitter rival, though. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that they will see these guys again soon. The regulation loss is checked off the list, and now they can reset and prepare to begin another win streak.

No worries.

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Team Effort = Pens 4 — Kings 1

Friday night’s matchup against the L.A. Kings was a nearly textbook team performance by the Pittsburgh Penguins under Dan Bylsma’s system. While specific players, and many, could be mentioned for their stellar play, the main focus here is in the overall cohesion and fluidity of a group of 19 guys who played in that game.

The one blemish on this performance was their propensity for drawing the attention of the refs and ending up in the penalty box a little more than one would like, including Dan Bylsma, who commented midway through the game that they really had not had the chance to get their five-man flow going.

That being said, it was a thing of beauty to watch how the defensemen worked in concert with at least one back-checking forward at all times to keep Marc-Andre Fleury feeling safe, secure, and confident as he absorbed more shots than he deflected. That is, when the puck managed to even get that close. It is clear that whoever is on the ice, from a first line player to a fourth line man, all heads are always up, lanes are covered, and they are in constant motion, making the Pens look downright indefatigable. As a result, the Kings were involuntarily generous on the giveaways in both the neutral zone and just inside the blue line if they were lucky enough to get that far.

What else was noticeable defensively is that no matter how close the puck got to the net, three guys were on it, eyes sharp and sticks persistent. The reward was puck possession and a smooth transition up ice.

The offensive play was no different. Gone are the days of trying to force passes more east-west than north-south up a narrow strip of neutral zone as if the boards were electric fences to be avoided. The transition game had men situated strategically along the boards or approaching the boards and available for the defenseman to move the puck north-south using the boards as an extra guy. This stretched out the opponents who had to travel farther to make plays, and it gave the Pens a lot of ice to work with. The result is a speedy puck and a lot of long possessions in the Kings’ defensive zone–often deep in that zone–for maddeningly long periods of time. If ever a torture device for wearing down an opponent was ever devised, this is it.

Special teams got a workout with the Pens having to battle against seven penalty kills, six with the Kings having a man advantage and one 5-on-3 situation, which resulted in the Kings’ only goal. The penalty kill has also transformed into a more offensive and aggressive machine.

Players are more active in the defensive zone, and lately, they seem to be always looking for the chance to make a two-man short-handed breakaway. They are also not looking to just dump the puck and retreat as their first option. It’s nice to see that whoever breaks goes in hard and, often with a second man, tries to at least tie the puck up  behind the net to chew up time. This effort is not without an eye to the opposing net, and when they lose that battle, they recover with lightning speed. Before tonight’s game, the Penguins’ penalty kill has improved by 5% from 80% to 85%, a substantial jump.

The power play seems to be coming on as well though the improvement is not as significant as on the PK. On the primary line, Malkin is where he needs to be: off the right circle, and Crosby seems to really relish speeding around between the corners and the back of the net, sometimes venturing to the half-wall. He’s got the goalie’s head snapping back and forth in an attempt to keep track of him. Gonchar is truly the quarterback dictating dizzying puck movement, and Letang is proving to be an apt pupil under his tutelage. The final piece of the puzzle is the nice problem of having any one of three guys in front of the net creating havoc: Guerin, Kunitz, or Sykora. It’s coming together.

Nothing should be taken away from the Kings though. They are a big, tough team that refused to give up. The hits kept coming, and the onslaught persisted as they would pick themselves up time and again, wave after wave, to battle into the Pens’ defensive zone. The team has a lot of heart and the potential to do better next season if they do not break into the playoff picture this year, which is all but impossible now.

The Penguins are peaking at the right time, and fans are starting to see a glimpse of what Pittsburgh really has for a team.

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What a Difference a Month Makes!

One month ago, the Pittsburgh Penguins were licking the wounds of a 6-2 beating at the hands of the lowly Toronto Maple Leafs and wondering what had gone terribly wrong with their season.  Less than a year after coming within 2 wins of hoisting the Stanley Cup, the Penguins found themselves on the outside looking in with the very real prospect that they wouldn’t even make it into the post-season.  Now, just a month later, the reality is much different. 

A lot of things have changed in a month. 

First, the Penguins got a new “interim” head coach as Michel Therrien was put out to pasture in favor of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton head coach Dan Bylsma.  The coaching situation was complicated in Pittsburgh, as Therrien had done an outstanding job with the Penguins youth by instilling discipline and a defense-minded system.  It was a coaching methodology that appeared to work very well last season when the entire team bought into it.  This season, however, Therrien’s system and coaching methods seemed to get lost on the team and the result was some pretty uninspiring play.  Whether it was the loss of so many of last season’s players or the inability of the coaching staff to adapt to a maturing young team, Therrien’s style was no longer proving effective for the Penguins.  Bylsma stepped in and unshackled the Penguins offense and insisted that the team find fun in the game again, even if it meant more risk taking defensively.  So far, it has worked quite well.  Sidney Crosby looks like…..well, Sidney Crosby again.  The passion appears to have returned to his game in the last month.  The results have been there as well, as the team has gone 10-1-3 since the shake-up, garnering 23 of 27 possible points and making a playoff berth look more likely than not. 

Second, Ray Shero pulled the trigger to bring in some extra talent and experience up front in Left Wing Chris Kunitz and veteran Right Wing Bill Guerin.  The Penguins gave up Defenseman Ryan Whitney for Chris Kunitz and a minor league prospect player.  With tremendous potential, Whitney provided the bargaining power the Penguins needed to draw a much needed top-6 winger to the team.  Moreover, with the return of Sergei Gonchar, the Penguins had significant depth at defense and really had to make a play to shore up some holes on wing.  The Penguins then picked up Bill Guerin for a conditional 5th round pick, which would become a 3rd round pick depending on how far the Penguins make it in the post-season (assuming they get into the post season).  Again, both of these moves have paid off quite handsomely so far and have brought new life to the top line of the Penguins, giving Sidney Crosby the grit and speed he has lacked on his wings.  In just 9 games, Kunitz has put up 11-points (5G, 6A).  Guerin has notched 8-points (2G, 6A) in just 6-games with the team.  Just as important, in the past 9-games, Sidney Crosby has accumulated 17-points (6G, 11A).  The chemistry of the new top line has been almost instantaneous, and exciting. 

Third, Marc-Andre Fleury has found more consistency in his game and has looked more like the goaltender who powered his team through the playoffs last season.  While far from perfect, his positional play has been much better in recent weeks and his play was instrumental in a few overtime shootout wins.  His record has improved to 28-16-6.   

Although the playoffs are still not a lock, the Penguins are surging in the standings at the right time and they even have an outside chance of stealing a home-ice berth.  With today’s win over the Bruins, the Penguins are sitting in 5th place in the East and are just 2-points behind the 4th place Philadelphia Flyers.  With 3 games in hand for Philadelphia, it seems unlikely that the Penguins will be able to unseat the Flyers, but if they keep rolling like they have in the last month, anything is possible.  They Penguins have just 11-games left in the regular season, with the next 6 at Mellon Arena for the home ice advantage.   Of the 11-games, 6 will be played against teams that are currently not in a playoff position. 

If the Penguins can make the playoffs, they have certainly put momentum on their side by being the hottest team in the league at the moment.  They have the best record over their last 10-games of any team in the league right now.  If they can carry that kind of momentum into the post season, they will be a dangerous foe come April.

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We’re Back!

I apologize for the break in coverage here at NHLPens.com, as my day job has kept me on the road and out of town for much of the last month.  As such, I have not had time to post updates.  Starting on March 10th, I plan to resume my normal coverage for the remainder of the season and post-season.  The Penguins have looked good since their recent coaching and roster changes.  They could prove to be a dangerous team in the post season!