Downward Spiral Continues, Therrien at Risk

The Pittsburgh Penguins continued their downward spiral on Saturday afternoon as they lost 5-3 in a matinee to the Colorado Avalanche in the Mile-High city.  The Penguins have won just 1-game in their last 8, leaving many wondering what it will take to get them out of their on-going funk.  In their last 20-games, the Penguins have gone 6-13-1 and picked up just 13-of-40 possible points.  Coming on the heels of posting one of their best starts in many seasons, the abysmal backslide seems almost incomprehensible.  Some have pointed to the rash of injuries and resulting roster challenges, while others have said that every opponent brings their “A” game when they match up against Pittsburgh.  Unfortunately, while these observations may be true, they are just excuses used to explain what appears to be a lack of focus, desire, effort and execution.  A great team finds ways to pull together at every level and work through adversity to remain competitive for every game.   

A number of things have become fairly evident over the last 20-games:

First, I am convinced that while Miroslav Satan is a generally good player, he is a bad fit for the Crosby line and more so a bad fit for this team.  In 42-games this season, Miroslav Satan has contributed 26-points (12G, 14A) in 42-games.  He has only managed 2-points in the last 10-games, however, and has finally been demoted from the top line.  The problem with Satan is that he is streaky (as advertised), and his inconsistency is punctuated by his incredibly passive style of play.  He appears unable and/or unwilling to get his nose dirty and create the havoc that needs to be created against uber-defensively-minded opponents who are trying to shut down one of the league’s marquee players.  His slow, floating style of play does not complement Crosby’s at all, and it has taken the coach too long to recognize it. 

Second, over the stretch of the past month the Penguins’ defense has at times become lazy and forgotten how to play smart defensive hockey.  We have witnessed the Penguins’ defense often stop skating and start watching the puck and the opponent in their own end.  They then get caught flat-footed and miss an assignment that exposes the goaltender and leads to a goal.  While I would expect to see this occasionally from the young rookie/sophomore defensemen, it is inexcusable when it happens to the more seasoned defensemen.  They need to work harder to tie up their opponents in front of the net and keep the traffic lanes clear.  Also, when given opportunities for a smart clear, they often commit a lazy pass to the open ice or up the wall that never reaches the blue-line before getting picked off and leads to scoring chances and goals against.  The lack of good, consistent defensive coverage has in part contributed to the inconsistent goal-tending that the team has gotten from Marc-Andre Fleury and Dany Sabourin. 

Third, the Penguins’ offense needs to start chipping the pucks along the walls and into the offensive zone while driving to the net down the center of the ice to push back the defense.  They have the speed and talent down the center to be effective.  For too long over this dismal stretch, we have watched the Penguins employ the old dump-and-chase.  Unfortunately, the dump-and-chase is only effective if you skate you butt off and win the chase-race.  If not, you end up just chasing the puck back down the ice.  There is so little puck support breaking into the offensive zone that we often see Evgeni Malkin trying to skate through 3-4 opponents at the blue line only to have the puck stripped away and turned back down the ice.  When the Penguins do manage to get possession in the offensive zone, they often end up playing a tremendous amount of perimeter keep-away, only to see it end in a bad pass attempt turnover and an up-ice rush.  They rarely get traffic and screens set up in front of the goaltender, and they look for the “unexpected pass” play so often that it is now absolutely expected and easily defended against.  Set up traffic in front, fire the puck on net, feed on rebounds and score….especially on the power-play.  Don’t wait for a clear shot at the net when the goaltender has a clear view of the shooter.  He will stop it almost every time. 

These are just a few observations and they can all be addressed in fairly short order within the current roster, with the possible exception of Miroslav Satan who may need to be moved sooner than later.  The coaching staff can fix this if the players buy-in and are responsive.  There-in, however,  may lie the ultimate reason why this funk has continued for so long.  Being on the outside looking in, one has to wonder if the coaching staff still has the ability to instruct, motivate and inspire the players.  Despite closed door player meetings and public comments made by the coach, the continuing inconsistent play and consistently poor results lends to the growing suspicion that the changes will soon come to this organization.  My bets are on a new coaching staff.  While Coach Therrien has done a fine job with this team over the past couple years, one has to wonder if his hand has been played…..as happened when he coached the Canadiens, one has to wonder if his style that was once considered an inspiration to the players has now become a liability, if for no other reason than it is being tuned out by the players.   This was the theory posed by SportsLine writer Wes Goldstein in January 2003when reporting on Therrien’s firing from the Canadiens head coaching position. 

I think we are all looking for answers, but more importantly action from the General Manager.  It is inconceivable to have two of the leagues’ top scorers, and yet have an incurable inability to win games.

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Penguins Look for Answers as Slump Continues

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ woes continued on Saturday as they lost to the Florida Panthers 6-1 and fell to 9th place overall in the Eastern Conference.  The loss was the fourth straight for the Penguins, and their fifth consecutive loss at home.   In just one month, Pittsburgh has plummeted from fourth to ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings and would be out of the playoff picture if the season ended today.  Although the team has shown significant signs of improvement and life in the last 4-games, the results have just not been there.  All of this despite “motivating” public statements by the coach and post-game team meetings by the players.  Chalk it up to a lack of chemistry, lack of 2nd-tier talent, lack of determination, lack of quality coaching, injuries….whatever you want…it just isn’t working for the Penguins right now and something needs to be shaken up, and not just stirred.  If the Penguins don’t find a way to reverse their fortunes soon, they will find themselves in an unrecoverable position in the competitive Eastern Conference.

During the 1st period, it looked as if the Penguins’ forwards were shot out of a cannon and you got the feeling early that this was a statement that they understood the level at which they needed to play.  Everyone except Marc-Andre Fleury, that is, who gave up 2-goals on the first 4-shots by Florida.  The Panthers 1st-goal came at 10:12 as Ville Peltonen wristed his 5th goal of the season past Marc-Andre Fleury on the stick side.  Keith Ballard and Nick Boynton picked up the assists.  Then at 15:20 Nathan Horton wristed another shot past Fleury to make it 2-0.  David Booth and goaltender Craig Anderson got the assists on Horton’s 9th goal of the season.  Pittsburgh ultimately outshot the Panthers 10-5 in the period, but they just couldn’t get the puck past goalie Craig Anderson.  They failed to convert on a lone powerplay 30-seconds into the period, but did manage to kill off two penalties of their own to Gill (interference) and Dupuis (hooking).

In the 2nd period, Coach Therrien sat Marc-Andre Fleury in favor of Dany Sabourin.  The Penguins again came out on fire and you just got the sense that once they found a way to score a goal, the floodgates might open.  That goal came at 1:37 as Ruslan Fedotenko stole the puck deep in the Panthers zone and quickly released it to beat Anderson from a bad angle.  However, despite the apparent momentum gained by the goal, the floodgates never opened.  Instead, the tides turned back on the Penguins after Miroslav Satan took an ill-advised offensive zone roughing call at 7:42.  Just 21-seconds into the powerplay, Bryan McCabe wristed the first Panthers’ shot of the period past Sabourin to make it 3-1.  Cory Stillman and Stephen Weiss were credited with the assists.  Then at 9:29, Evgeni Malkin was called for interference in the offensive zone and the Panthers’ powerplay converted again at 11:24.  This time it was Richard Zednik who got behind Hal Gill and beat Sabourin.  Bryan McCabe and Nick Boynton assisted on the play.  At 11:47, Sidney Crosby and Gregory Campbell got matching minors after exchanging words in the faceoff circle and other pleasantries in the ensuing play.  After the penalties expired, Max Talbot found himself in the faceoff circle with Gregory Campbell and decided to take him to task.  The two whirled around on the ice for a lengthy bout that was largely a draw with maybe a slight advantage to Talbot.  Then, in the ensuing faceoff, Sidney Crosby jumped Brett McLean as the puck was being dropped, pulled his jersey up over his head and drove him face-first into the ice.  While I was happy to see Crosby vent some frustration, I was not happy with the way he went about it.  You don’t jump a guy and then pile drive his jersey covered head into the ice and still expect to get respected by other players in the league.  The officials weren’t too happy with it either as they assessed Crosby 19-minutes in penalties (5-min fighting, 2-min instigator, 2-min unsportsmanlike, and 10-min misconduct).  Then at 18:31, Nathan Horton picked up his 2nd of the night to make it 5-1.  Keith Ballard and Karlis Skrastins got the assists.  The Penguins were outshot 12-11 in the period and were 0-for-1 on the powerplay and gave up two goals on the PK. 

In the 3rd period, Marc-Andre Fleury found his way back into the net for the Penguins as the frustration continued.  At 4:14, Michael Frolik wristed the Panthers’ 6th goal of the game past Fleury.  Cory Stillman and Stephen Weiss picked up the assists on the final goal of the game.  The Penguins outshot the Panthers 9-7 in the final frame, but failed to convert again on the powerplay, extending their man-advantage drought to O-for-24 over the last 6-games.  This is the longest powerplay drought in 5-years. 

• VIDEO:  Game Highlights
• VIDEO:  Coach Therrien Post-Game
• VIDEO:  Crosby Post-Game
• VIDEO:  Fleury Post-Game
• PHOTOS:  In-Game Photos
• AUDIO:  Post-Game Hotline
• Game Rosters
• Game Summary
• Boxscore
• Shot Summary
• Faceoff Summary
• Pittsburgh TOI

The Penguins managed to get Tyler Kennedy back into the lineup for his first game in a month since going out with a sprained knee, and they sat Mark Eaton.  The Penguins have will have Sunday to recoup and reassess before matching up against the New York Rangers on the road on Monday, and then hosting the Atlanta Thrashers on Tuesday.  It is quite clear, however, that there is no quick fix to whatever is ailing the team psyche right now.  The first step is to get a win, and then build from there.

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Penguins Uninspired in 7-3 Loss to Leafs

The Pittsburgh Penguins found themselves in very unfamiliar territory on Saturday night as the Mellon Arena’s “standing-room only” crowd showered them with boos during a sloppy, undisciplined, and uninspired 7-3 loss against the Toronto Maple Leafs.  With the Penguins being outshot 33-13 through the first 2-periods, Marc-Andre Fleury was given little help from his teammates when he needed it most.  Fleury ended up giving up 5-goals, including 2-while the Penguins were short-handed, before being pulled in favor of Dany Sabourin after the 2nd intermission.  Evgeni Malkin’s 1st period goal and 3rd period assist were just enough to negate two sloppy turnovers he committed that led to a pair of Maple Leafs’ goals.  Just to prove that when things go bad they go horribly bad, Eric Godard waited too long to engage the Leafs physically in an attempt to rouse some life in his team.  When Godard finally did drop the gloves, he was left standing alone like a jilted bride at the altar as the Leafs’ Andre Deveaux smartly refused to oblige.  Godard’s actions sent him flying solo into the penalty box and resulted in a Maple Leaf’s powerplay goal to give them a 5-1 lead late in the 2nd.  Early in the 3rd, when the Penguins still had a remote chance of a comeback, Sidney Crosby’s frustrations boiled over in the form of an undisciplined cross-check and the Maple Leafs again made the Penguins pay with a powerplay goal to make it unrecoverable at 7-2.

In the 1st period, the Leafs got out to a great start by peppering Marc-Andre Fleury at every chance they could.  The aggressive play gave the Leafs a 16-6 advantage in shots in the period and put the Penguins firmly on their heels.  At 6:56, call-up Ryan Stone took the game’s first penalty on a 2-minute roughing call.  In the ensuing powerplay, the Leafs converted on a backhander by Dominic Moore, with assists by Pavel Kubina and Tomas Kaberle.  At 9:49, Evgeni Malkin stepped onto the ice and took a nice up-ice pass from Miroslav Satan, crossed the blueline and walked in to beat Vesa Toskala with a nifty backhand maneuver.  Mark Eaton picked up the other assist on the play to tie it 1-1.  The Leafs needed just a little over a minute to regain the lead as Jeremy Williams snapped his 4th goal of the season past Fleury at 11:03.  Jason Blake and Tomas Kaberle racked up the assists.  Then again at 12:56, the Leafs scored again to make it 3-1 as Jonas Frogren’s slap shot got past Fleury again.  Nik Antropov and Matt Stajan contributed on the play and earned the assists.  The Penguins ended up going 0-for-1 on the powerplay and 0-for-1 on the penalty kill in the period.

In the 2nd period, the Leafs continued their offensive onslaught as they outshot the Penguins 17-7.  Things went bad 8:31 into the period when Evgeni Malkin opted to dangerously carry the puck right in front of his own net in traffic rather than go around behind it.  Realizing he made a bad decision, he tried to dump the puck off to a Penguins defensemen.  Instead, he put the puck squarely on the tape of Niklas Hagman right in front of the Penguins’ net.  Hagman wasted no time roofing thepuck over the shoulder of a shell-shocked and surprised Fleury to make it 4-1.  At 14:39, Eric Godard dropped the gloves but was turned down for the dance as mentioned above.  At 16:20, with 19-seconds left on the ensuing powerplay, Pavel Kubina made the Penguins pay as his slap shot found the twine behind Fleury.  Nik Antropov and Tomas Kaberle picked up the assists on the play to make it 5-1 Leafs.  Then at 19:40, Matt Cooke was on the receiving end of a punch to the head by Jaime Sifers.  A scuffle ensued that sent both Cooke and Sifers to the box for roughing, with Sifers getting the extra two for initiating the dust-up with the shot to Cooke’s head.  The Penguins failed to score in the 20-second of thier powerplay at the end of the 2nd, and were 1-for-2 on the penalty kill in the period.  The Penguins late powerplay carried over into the 3rd, but Marc-Andre Fleury would watch it from the bench as he was pulled in favor of Dany Sabourin. 

In the 3rd period, it looked like the Penguins might be able to turn the sinking ship around as they quickly scored on the powerplay just 58-seconds in.  Petr Sykora redirected a pass from Evgeni Malkin into the net behind Vesa Toskala to make it 5-2 with plenty of time left for a miracle comeback.  Kris Letang was also in on the action with an assist.  However, at 5:23 the Leafs eliminated any hail mary momentum that the Penguins were trying to build as they again found the back of the net on a snap shot by Alexei Ponikarovsky that found its way past Dany Sabourin.  Matt Stajan assisted on the Leafs’ 6th goal of the evening to restore the Penguins’ 4-goal defecit.  At 6:19, Sidney Crosby flexed his lumber a few times into a Leafs’ player and earned a seat in the penalty box.  The Leafs responded by rubbing salt in an already sore wound as Nik Antropov wristed their 7th goal of the night into the net.  Alexei Ponikarovsky and Jaime Sifers picked up the assists.  At 9:50, Eric Godard decided he had had enough and he also cross-checked a Leafs’ player and took a game misconduct so that he could get showered up early.  At 17:01, Petr Sykora tipped in a token goal for the Penguins off from a shot by Alex Goligoski to end the scoring at 7-3.  But there was a little more action before this one ended.  At 17:38, Ruslan Fedotenko briefly lost his mind as he took on the much bigger Andre Deveaux.  A surprised Deveaux decided not to turtle away this time like he had earlier with Godard and gave Rusty a few good shots before the linesmen came to his rescue.  Then, as if a 7-3 drubbing wasn’t enough, Brooks Orpik took a nasty stick to the face from Antropov at 18:08 that sent him to the ice with blood running out of his mouth.  The resulting 1:52 of a 4-minute powerplay was fruitless for the Penguins.  The Penguins did manage to outshoot the Leafs 10-7 in the 3rd, but it was utterly useless.     

• VIDEO:  Game Highlights
• VIDEO:  Post-Game Press Conference w/Coach Therrien - “We didn’t show up”
• VIDEO:  Sidney Crosby Post-Game – “We can’t get away with not working hard”
• VIDEO:  Kris Letang Post-Game – “We beat ourselves.  We didn’t show up”
• VIDEO:  Marc-Andre Fleury Post-Game – “Not a good game” 
• PHOTOS:  In-Game Photos
• Game Rosters
• Game Summary
• Boxscore
• Shots Summary
• Faceoff Summary
• Penguins Ice Time Report

The Penguins will have tomorrow to regroup and get their collective act together before heading to Buffalo on Monday to take on the Sabres and then back to Pittsburgh on Tuesday night to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning.

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Crosby Assists Penguins’ Wingers Out of Slump

Sidney Crosby assisted on 4 of his team’s 5 goals on Thursday night to help the Penguins outscore the Carolina Hurricanes 5-2, despite being outshot 36-22 in the game.  For the Penguins, it was a night for their top wingers to snap out of their collective scoring slump as Petr Sykora (2G), Pascal Dupuis (1G), Miroslav Satan (1G) and Ruslan Fedotenko (1G) all put the puck in the net with the assistance of Sidney Crosby and/or Evgeni Malkin.  While accounting for 5-goals tonight, these 4-wingers have together have scored just 5-goals in the prior 10-games.  After Wednesday night’s sub-par shootout performance, Goaltender Dany Sabourin bounced right back to stop 34 of 36 shots on goal, including several fantastic saves late in the game.

The Penguins got rolling at 10:53 of the first period while playing on the powerplay.  With Canes’ Nick Wallin in the box for hooking, Alex Goligoski brought the puck into the Carolina zone and drop passed the puck off the side wall to Sidney Crosby.  Crosby skated the puck to the top of the left circle and passed the puck across to Petr Sykora who was all alone at the top of the right circle.  Sykora unleashed a rising shot that beat Michael Leighton high on the stick side to make it 1-0.  Goligoski and Crosby picked up the assists on Sykora’s 6th of the season.  Then at 12:30, Pascal Dupuis stole the puck on a botched clearing attempt by Josef Melichar and passed the puck to Sidney Crosby as they moved in 2-on-0 on net.  Crosby kept goaltender Leighton moving to the right and then backhanded the puck across the crease to Dupuis, who wristed it into the empty side of the net.  Despite being outshot 11-5 in the period, the Penguins fond themselves up 2-0 going to the intermission.  The Penguins were 1-for-2 on the powerplay and 1-for-1 on the penalty kill. 

In the 2nd period, the Penguins extended their lead with another powerplay goal early in the period.  Working near the blueline, Evgeni Malkin set up Sidney Crosby for a one-timer.  Playing well in front of the net, Leighton stopped Crosby’s blast, but lost the rebound to Petr Sykora who collected it and easily moved the puck behind the goaltender and into the net to make it 3-0.  Crosby and Malkin were credited with the assists.  Carolina bounced right back just 19-seconds later as Tuomo Ruutu returned from the penalty box and avenged the Penguins powerplay goal by wristing a shot past Dany Sabourin.  Sergei Samsonov and Josef Melichar each picked up an assist on the play.  At 6:51, the Penguins regained the 3-goal lead as Miroslav Satan skated into the offensive zone with the puck and again caught Leighton way out in front of his net.  Leighton missed on a poke check as Satan skated behind him to the side of the net and backhanded the puck into the crease.  With Crosby and Dupuis on the doorstep, a Canes’ player went sliding into the net taking the puck with him.  Being the last Penguin to touch the puck, Satan was credited with the goal to make it 4-1.  Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang were credited with the assists on the breakout pass.  At 14:15, Eric Godard was called for a hooking penalty and the Carolina Hurricanes made him pay as Matt Cullen connected for a goal from the high slot area.  Ray Whitney and Rod Brind’Amour picked up the assists.  Finally at 18:27, the Penguins again restored their 3-goal advantage as Evgeni Malkin stole the puck at the Canes’ blueline and let one rip on Leighton, who made the stop but gave up the rebound to Ruslan Fedotenko.  Rusty pounced on the puck and rode with it into the net to make it 5-2.  The Penguins were outshot 11-9 in the period, but connected for 3-goals.  The Penguins were 1-for-1 on the powerplay and 1-for-2 on the kill. 

In the 3rd period, the Penguins were outshot 14-8 but there was no scoring as Dany Sabourin shut the Canes down with several key saves.  The Penguins took 2-penalties in the 3rd, but successfully killed them both off as they went on to win the game by a final score of 5-2. 

• VIDEO:  Game Highlights
• PHOTOS:  In-Game Photos
• Game Rosters
• Game Summary
• Boxscore
• Shots Summary
• Faceoff Summary
• Penguins Ice Time Report

Sidney Crosby collected 4-points (4A) on the night.  Evgeni Malkin (2A) and Petr Sykora (2G) each had 2-points.  Miroslav Satan led the team with 3-shots on net, while 8 other players each had 2-shots on net.  Max Talbot won 70% of his faceoffs (7 of 10), and was the only Penguin above 50% that squared off on more than 1-faceoff.  Rob Scuderi led all Penguins in ice time with 23:38, while Sidney Crosby led all forwards with 22:06.  Janne Pesonen and Chris Minard were called up and filled in for Tyler Kenedy and ike Zigomanis who were injured in New York on Wednesday night. 

The Penguins finish up their 3-game road trip on Saturday night when they take on the Senators in Ottawa.

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Sabourin Victimized by Rangers in Shootout

The Pittsburgh Penguins coughed up a 2-goal lead to a New York Rangers’ rally on Wednesday night to force the overtime, and then lost the game 3-2 in the shootout.  The Penguins got goals from Mark Eaton (yes, you read correctly) and Jordan Staal in regulation, and Kris Letang in the shootout.  Sidney Crosby was held to a point and, in a rare moment, Evgeni Malkin failed to get on the scoresheet.  Dany Sabourin stopped 25 of 27 through 65-minutes of play for a commendable 0.923 save percentage, but turned to swiss cheese in the shootout where he was beaten mercilessly by all 3 Rangers’ shooters. 

In the 1st period the Penguins fired the puck relentlessly on Henrik Lundqvist, getting off 12-shots despite being short-handed for 4-minutes of play.  At 2:46, Mike Godard squared off with Colton Orr for an extended tussle.  While neither player landed any killer blows, Orr appeared to finish with a bit of an edge.  Then at 12:23, Brooks Orpik took 2-minor penalties for tripping and unsportsmanlike conduct as he retaliated against Orr for his physical work over on Sidney Crosby.  Fortunately for the Penguins, less than a minute into the first penalty, the Rangers were called for too many men on the ice.  In the ensuing 4-on-4 play, Sidney Crosby mesmerized the crowd by taking the puck around the back of the net and then passed the puck out to Mark Eaton who jumped up on the play.  Eaton took the pass and deposited into the empty side of the net at 13:56 as Lundqvist was caught hugging the post in anticipation of a Crosby shot.  For Eaton, it was a rare goal on a memorable night as he skated in his 400th career NHL game.  The Penguins outshot the Rangers 12-6 in the first, and were 0-for-2 on the powerplay.

In the 2nd period, the Penguins widened their lead to 2-0 at 9:35.  With traffic in front of the Rangers’ net, Rob Scuderi blasted a shot from the blueline.  Towering in front of the net, Jordan Staal got his stick on Scuderi’s shot and deflected the puck past Lundqvist.  Matt Cooke was credited with the other assist on the play.  Just a minute and a half later, however, the Penguins were dealt a similar hand as Scott Gomez unleashed a hard shot that was deflected past Sabourin by Nikolai Zherdev to make it 2-1.  Wade Redden picked up the other assist on the play.  The Rangers came on stronger late in the period and managed to outshoot the Penguins 9-7.  Both teams were 0-for-1 on the powerplay.

In the 3rd period, the Rangers kept coming as they managed to score the game-tying goal on a wrister at 14:03 from Petr Prucha.  Scott Gomez and Wade Redden were again credited with the assists, their second of the night.  The Penguins were dealt a blow as both Mike Zigomanis and Tyler Kennedy left the game with undisclosed injuries and did not return.  The Penguins continued to battle on and got numerous scoring chances, but were unable to beat King Henry.  Dany Sabourin posted some important saves late to send the game into overtime, and guarantee a point.  The Rangers edged the Penguins in shots in the 3rd period 10-9. 

After a scoreless overtime in which the Penguins outshot the Rangers 3-2, the game went to the shooout for the final decision.  The Rangers chose to shoot first and put Markus Naslund up front.  Naslund skated in and beat Sabourin with the backhand high glove side.  The Penguins then inexplicably fielded Miroslav Satan who has cooled off and is 0-for-3 on the shootout this season…..make that 0-for-4 now.  Next, the Rangers put up Nikolai Zherdev who had the team’s first goal of the night, and he beat Sabourin with a backhander as well.  In a must score situation, the Penguins put up sniper Kris Letang.  Letang came in and roofed a snap shot that beat Lundqvist quite handily and gave the Penguins a thin lifeline on the game.  But it just wasn’t meant to be as Fredrik Sjostrom came in and wristed the 3rd consecutive shootout goal past Sabourin to clinch the game 3-2, just as he did in their last matchup in October.  Despite playing a decent game in regulation, poor Sabu just got taken to the cleaners in the shootout.  

• VIDEO:  Game Highlights
• PHOTOS:  In-Game Photos
• Game Rosters
• Game Summary
• Boxscore
• Faceoff Summary
• Shot Report
• Shootout Summary
• Penguins Ice Time Report

Jordan Staal, Max Talbot, Ruslan Fedotenko and Kris Letang all registered 4-shots on goal, while Evgeni Malkin posted 3 and Sidney Crosby had 2.  In the faceoff circle, the Penguins were horrible.   While Max Talbot was 67% (2 of 3), Jordan Staal was the next best at 47% (9 of 19).  Sidney Crosby was just 31% (5 of 16) and Evgeni Malkin was 17% (1 of 6).  Mike Zigomanis, who leads the NHL in faceoffs, was just 33% (2 of 6) before leaving the game with injury.  Evgeni Malkin led all forwards with 23:23 of ice time, while Kris Letang led the team with an impressive 26:25.  Marc-Andre Fleury and Philippe Boucher remained off the roster with injuries. 

The Penguins make a quick trip down to Carolina overnight where they will take on the Hurricanes on Thursday evening.  It is uncertain who will play in net for the Penguins.  Marc-Andre Fleury is traveling with the team and practicing, but no return time has been announced.  John Curry is also traveling with theteam and was tonight’s backup.

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Sidney Crosby Hat Trick Bedevils New Jersey

The Pittsburgh Penguins bounced back from Friday’s loss to the Buffalo Sabres by posting a 4-1 win against division rival New Jersey Devils on Saturday night.  Team Captain Sidney Crosby netted 4-points (3G, 1A) and proved that he is returning to form by scoring his second career hat trick, his first on home ice.  In the last few games, Sidney Crosby has been playing with the fire and intensity that hasn’t been evident since before he went down last season with the high ankle sprain.  In the words of Devil’s goaltender Scott Clemmenson, Crosby is an elite player who is “scary good” when he outworks everyone on the ice.  Crosby has exploded for 9-points (6G, 3A) in his last 3-outings, and is ranked 2nd in the league with 34-points (13G, 21A) behind Evgeni Malkin who has 39-points (10G, 29A).  Improving their record to 14-6-3, the Penguins are in 5th place in the league with 31-points. 

In the 1st, it took just a little over a minute for the Penguins to get on the board.  AFter splitting the defense, Sidney Crosby eluded a poke-check and backhanded the puck through the Devils’ netminder Clemmenson to take the 1-0 lead.  “The guy never gives up on the play, that’s for sure,” Clemmensen said after the game.  Miroslav Satan and Hal Gill picked up the assists on Crosby’s goal.  The Penguins went on to outshoot the Devils 16-12 in the first period, but went 0-for-2 on the powerplay.  They managed to kill off penalties to Petr Sykora (high stick) and Mark Eaton (holding). 

In the 2nd period, the Penguins finally managed to convert on a powerplay opportunity at 12:34.  After keeping the puck in at the blueline, Evgeni Malkin moved the puck up to Tyler Kennedy who made a tremendous blind pass between his legs to Sidney Crosby.  Crosby dished a pass over the sticks of 2 New Jersey defenders onto the tape of Petr Sykora who was posted on the empty side of the net.  Sykora popped the puck into the net, beating Clemmenson.  Then at 11:29 while skating 4-on-4, Evgeni Malkin blocked a cross-ice pass in front of the Devils’ net and then in a diving play poked the puck to Sidney Crosby on of the side of the net.  Crosby stopped the puck with the back of his stick, moved it to his forehand and chipped it into the net to make it 3-0.  The Penguins again outshot the Devils 12-8, were 1-for-2 on the power play, and 1-for-1 on the kill. 

In the 3rd period, the Devils picked up their game and tried to put pressure on the Penguins.  With the Penguins a bit sloppy in their own end, Mike Rupp took advantage of Rob Scuderi’s mishandling of the puck in front of his own net and laced into the corner of the net, beating Dany Sabourin.  Patrik Elias and Brian Gionta had the assists.  But that was all that the Devils were able to get past Dany Sabourin.  With Clemmonson pulled early for the extra attacker, Sidney Crosby again split the defense and fell to the ice while getting hooked from behind as he steamed towards the empty net.  He still managed to use on hand on his stick as he was sliding down the ice on his stomach to redirect the puck into the empty net for the Hat Trick and the final 4-1 tally.  It was one of the more spectacular empty net goals I have seen.  “It’s nice to do it at home,” Crosby said after the game. “It’s something that you don’t know when it’s going to happen again, so it’s nice.”  Evgeni Malkin and Mike Zigomanis had the assists on the play.  The Penguins were outshot 10-7 in the final frame. 

• VIDEO:  Game Highlights
• VIDEO:  Post-Game Press Conference w/Coach Therrien
• VIDEO:  Crosby Post-Game
• VIDEO:  Sabourin Post-Game
• VIDEO:  Orpik Post-Game
• AUDIO:  Mike Lange Highlights
• AUDIO:  Penguins Hotline Show
• PHOTOS:  In-Game Photos
• Game Rosters
• Game Summary
• Boxscore
• Shots Summary
• Face-off Comparison
• Penguins Ice Time Report

Tyler Kennedy led all players with 7-shots on net.  Sidney Crosby had 6-shots on goal and netted 4-points (3G, 1A).  Petr Sykora had 5-shots on net and 1-goal.  Evgeni Malkin picked up 2 more assists and had 4-shots on net.  Dany Sabourin stopped 29-of-30 shots for an impressive performance with a 0.967 save percentage.  Evgeni Malkin led with 22:54 of ice time across 23 shifts.  Sidney Crosby had 20:14 in ice time and 23 shifts.  Kris Letang led all defensemen with 21:53.  Mike Zigomanis was once again impressive in the faceoff circle winning 11 of 14 for 79% effectiveness.  Pascale Dupuis was a healthy scratch, while Phillipe Boucher and Marc-Andre Fleury were out with injury. 

The Penguins will take a few days off before hitting a 3-game road trip with back to back games against the New York Rangers on Wednesday and the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday, before heading to Ottawa to take on the Senators on Saturday.

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Malkin and Crosby Loom Large in 3rd Period Comeback

In the 1st period, the Islanders got on the scoreboard with a 5-on-4 powerplay goal at 7:45 as Mike Zigomanis sat for a goaltender interference call.  Hal Gill had just left the box 6-seconds prior to the goal after the Penguins managed to kill off 21-seconds of a 5-on-3.  Doug Weight was credited with the goal, but the replay showed that after Dany Sabourin stopped the puck, he inadvertently kicked it into his own net as he tried to close his legs on the puck.  Trent Hunter and Mark Streit picked up the assists on the play.  Then, just over a minute later, Trent Hunter backhanded a goal past Dany Sabourin to make it 2-0.  Hunter beat Kris Letang after taking a chip pass that landed in the feet of Letang, and then surprised Sabourin with a quick backhander.  Assists were given to Andy Hilbert and Joshua Bailey.  At 9:38, Eric Godard picked up a fighting major with Mitch Fritz.  Fritz managed to get Godard tied up in his jersey and neither player was able to do too much damage before being sent to the box;  it wasn’t enough to get the Penguins going.  The Penguins were outshot 12-10 in the first and were 0-for-2 on the man advantage and 1-for-2 on the kill. 

In the 2nd period, the Penguins continued to be outplayed by the Islanders as they were outshot 7-6.  At 9:27 with Evgeni Malkin in the box for a high sticking penalty, the Islanders powerplay connected again as Bill Guerin beat Dany Sabourin to make it 3-0.  Joshua Bailey and Mark Streit picked up the assists.  After the the 3rd goal on 14-shots, Coach Michel Therrien pulled Dany Sabourin and gave rookie John Curry his NHL debut.  Curry stopped all 5-shots against him in the remainder of the period.  As the period wound down, defenseman Brooks Orpik stepped into a slapshot with 19-seconds left that beat the Islanders netminder Joey MacDonald and gave the Penguins something to build on as they entered the 3rd period.  Pascal Dupuis picked up the lone assist on Orpiks 2nd goal of the season.  The Penguins were 1-for-2 on the kill in the period and were afforded no man advantages. 

In the 3rd period, Coach Michel Therrien reunited Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby on the Penguins’ top line.  At 6:18, it paid off as Malkin fed a beautiful cross ice pass through traffic to Crosby who snapped it into the empty side of the net to beat MacDonald and make it 3-2 with plenty of time left in the game.  Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang picked up the assists.  Then at 11:03, Sidney Crosby returned the favor as he drew 3-Islanders to the boards and fed Malkin streaking through the center of the ice.  Malkin walked in unchallenged and beat MacDonald with a quick wrister to tie the game 3-3.  Brooks Orpik picked up the other assist.  Then, just 50-seconds later, Sidney Crosby undressed an Islanders’ defensemen who was looking to set up a play from behind his own net.  Crosby stole the puck at the side of the net and looked as if he was going to shoot on MacDonald.  Instead, he made a perfect blind backhanded pass to the slot.  Malkin, reading the play perfectly, had jumped in from the blueline and made a diving shot that beat MacDonald 5-hole to gain the 1-goal advantage.  Finally, with 18-seconds left and MacDonald pulled for the extra attacker, Evgeni Malkin completed the hat trick with his 10th goal of the season, an empty netter to seal the game 5-3.  Rob Scuderi picked up the lone assist on the play.  The Penguins’ domination in the 3rd period was evident in the 14-6 shot total.  The Penguins were 0-for-1 on the powerplay in the final frame.  John Curry stopped all 6-shots in the 3rd to pick up his first career NHL win. 

• VIDEO:  Game Highlights
• Game Rosters
• Game Summary
• Boxscore
• Shots Summary
• Faceoff Comparison
• Penguins Player Ice Times

Sidney Crosby led all Penguins with 5-shots on net, and had 3-points (1G, 2A).  Evgeni Malkin had 4-shots and picked up 4-points (3G, 1A) to maintain his lead in the NHL points race with 35-points, 5-points ahead of 2nd place Simon Gagne.  Malkin also leads the league in assists with 25, 5-ahead of 2nd place Sidney Crosby and Boston’s Marc Savard.  Max Talbot was a perfect 2-for-2 on faceoffs before he left the game with an apparent foot injury after taking a hard shot to the skate.  Talbot appeared unable to put any pressure on the skate as he left the ice with the help of the team trainer.  Tyler Kennedy won his single apearance in the faceoff circle, while Sidney Crosby (12/28) won just 43% and Mike Zigomanis (8/19) and Jordan Staal (8/19) each won 42%.  Sidney Crosby led the team with 24:39 of ice time, while Malkin registered 21:29.  Amongst defensemen, Brooks Orpik led with 22:09 of ice time with Philippe Boucher following close behind with 21:43.

The Penguins will get Thanksgiving Day off before playing against Buffalo on the road on Friday evening.  They will then return back to Mellon Arena to face the Devils on Saturday night.

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Penguins’ Effort Falls Short Against Canucks

The Pittsburgh Penguins suffered their first regulation loss during the month of November on Saturday afternoon as they fell 3-1 to the Vancouver Canucks.  Despite an apparent groin injury to Canuck’s tender Roberto Luongo early in the first period that sidelined the two-time Vezina finalist, Vancouver held the Penguins to just one goal to win their 3rd straight on the road.  With the loss,  the Penguins’ November record stands at 7-1-1 for 15 of 18 possible points.  While it remains one of the best starts for the Penguins in over 20-years, the Penguins lost a little ground in the Eastern Conference to the red-hot Boston Bruins who are 9-0-1 in their last 10-games.  The Penguins (27) trail the Bruins (32) by 5-points with a game in hand.  The Penguins also trail the Rangers (30) by 3-points with 3-games in hand. 

Despite playing well from behind this season, the Penguins ran out of time on Saturday against Vancouver.  After falling behind 2-0 on a goal in each of the 1st and 2nd periods, the Penguins looked like they might bounce back as they scored just 22-seconds into the 3rd to make it a 1-goal game with plenty of time left on the clock.  Mike Zigomanis connected with a wrister on a pass by Tyler Kennedy to beat backup netminder Curtis Sanford.  Alex Goligoski collected the other assist.  But that was all the Penguins could muster against the tight trapping system of the Canucks, despite outshooting them 8-3 in the 3rd.  The Canucks finished the Penguins off with an empty net goal by Pavol Demitra with 12-seconds left to go in the game.  Pavol Demitra also scored the Canucks first goal of the game in the 1st period.  Daniel Sedin got the Canucks 2nd goal in the 2nd period and assisted on the other 2-goals for a 3-point night.  Daniel’s brother Henrik Sedin assisted on all 3-goals.  The line of the Sedin brothers and Pavol Demitra has been one of the NHL’s hottest, combining for 23 points during their past 5-games.  “It’s a great feeling playing with guys like that,” Demitra said. “As a team, we didn’t really give (the Penguins) anything, not even on their power play. Our (penalty) killers were playing great.”  Dany Sabourin stopped 16-of-18 shots that he faced for a 0.89 save percentage.

“It’s a disappointing game for us,” Penguins coach Michel Therrien said. “We didn’t have the right attitude to play that game. They worked harder than us and deserved to win.”  The Penguins had only 11 shots through two periods and were 0-for-4 on the power-play.  The Penguins failed to get a point from Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin for the 2nd time in three games.  It was only the 3rd time this season that both players were held off from the scoring sheet.  “I think when you get chances, you have to put them in,” Crosby said.  “When a team’s playing tight defensively like that, when you get quality chances you have to put them in.  If not, they come back to hurt you.”  The Penguins played most of the game without gritty Matt Cooke after he was ejected from the game just 25-seconds in after a multi-fight melee that sent 3-players from each team into the penalty box.  Jannik Hansen and Matt Cooke both received game misconduct penalties, although it wasn’t entirely clear why Cooke was sent packing. 

• VIDEO:  Game Highlights
• VIDEO:  Therrien Post-Game Press Conference
• VIDEO:  Crosby Post-Game
• VIDEO:  Sabourin Post-Game
• VIDEO:  Orpik Post-Game
• PHOTOS:  In-Game Photos
• AUDIO:  Penguins Post-Game Hotline Show with Grover
• Game Rosters
• Game Summary
• Boxscore
• Faceoffs Report
• Shots Summary

The Penguins get a few days off before playing 3-games in 4-nights starting on Wednesday as they travel to New York to take on the Islanders.  They then head to Buffalo to take on the Sabres on Friday night before hosting the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.

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Penguins Recover and Beat Flyers 5-4 in Shootout

The Pittsburgh Penguins gave up 4-consecutive goals in the 2nd period and blew a 3-goal lead before rallying from behind to tie the game late in the 3rd on Thursday night.  The Penguins went on to beat the Philadelphia Flyers 5-4 after a lengthy shootout that saw a total of 12-shooters and just 1-goal.  Sidney Crosby was the hero in regulation as he tied the game on his second goal of the night with just 2:33 left in the game.  Rookie defenseman Alex Goligoski, shooting in the 6th position, was the hero of the shootout as he beat Martin Biron to give the Penguins their 5th straight win.

In the 1st period, the Pens got on the scoreboard first as Matt Cooke collected his first career goal as a Pittsburgh Penguin.  Taking a chip pass from Kris Letang, Tyler Kennedy broke into the offensive zone with Matt Cooke.  Kennedy passed the puck off to Cooke who shot the puck against the grain and beat Martin Biron on the far side.  Cooke’s goal was the only one of the period as the Penguins were outshot 7-6, went 0-for-2 on the powerplay and 2-for-2 on the kill.

In the 2nd period, it looked as if the Penguins might open the game up as they scored two quick goals in the first 4-minutes of play.  The first came off the backhand of Evgeni Malkin at 1:11 as he took a pass from Ruslan Fedotenko, undressed defenseman Matthew Carle and chipped the puck up over Biron’s shoulder to make it 2-0.  Petr Sykora picked up the assist along with Fedotenko.  Then at 3:51, Sidney Crosby produced a carbon copy of Malkin’s backhander while on the powerplay.  Breaking into the Flyer’s zone, Crosby walked through 3 Flyers and went backhand over Biron’s shoulder on the short side to make it 3-0.  Petr Sykora and Miroslav Satan were credited with the assists on the play.  But then the Penguins went dormant as the Philadelphia Flyers turned their game on.  The first goal for the Flyers came at 7:46 from Jeff Carter with assists by Scott Hartnell and Scottie Upshall.  Hartnell passed the puck from the side boards to Jeff Carter near the circle, who threw it on net where it somehow trickled through Fleury and into the net.  Then it got ugly as the Penguins gave up back-to-back short-handed goals to Simon Gagne.  The first came at 8:52 as Gagne blocked a shot by Alex Goligoski and then took off on the breakway where he beat Marc-Andre Fleury handily.  Then at 13:56, 4-Penguins players got trapped deep in the Flyers zone as the Flyers broke out on a 3-on-1 shorthanded opportunity.  Simon Gagne took a cross-ice pass and beat Fleury again glove side.  Finally, at 19:54 with Mark Eaton in the box for an interference call, the Flyers scored a flukey goal by Joffrey Lupul that arced up in the air over Fleury’s head and dropped down into the net behind him.  Timmo Kimonen and Matthew Carle were credited with the assists.  The 4-unanswered goals gave the Flyers a 4-3 lead going into the 3rd and was enough to chase Fleury from the net in favor of backup netminder Dany Sabourin.  The Flyers outshot the Penguins 17-10 in the 2nd.  The Penguins were 1-for-4 on the powerplay but gave up 2 shorties in the process.  They were also 1-for-2 on the kill.

Late in the 3rd period, the Penguins finally started to pour it on as they managed to outshoot the Flyers 11-8.  With 8:43 left on the clock, Evgeni Malkin fell awkwardly onto his left leg and ankle behind the Flyers net.  He got up in obvious pain and skated off the ice, only to return on his next shift with no apparent issues.  The video replay showed what could surely have been a nasty knee or ankle injury, so we are hoping that there are no long term effects from the fall.  With 2:33 left on the clock, Sidney Crosby converted on a loose puck that bounced off from Max Talbot’s stick and out in front of the net.  Crosby’s goal, from Talbot and Malkin, tied the game and forced the overtime frame.  After a scoreless overtime period, the game went to the shootout.  It took 6-shooters per side to get the final decision as Martin Biron and Dany Sabourin fended off shooter after shooter.  Finally, shooting in the Penguins’ 6th position, Alex Goligoski found the moves to get Biron to open up and beat him 5-hole for his first shootout goal of his career and the win. 

• VIDEO:  Game Highlights
• VIDEO:  Post-Game Press Conference w/Michel Therrien
• VIDEO:  Post-Game w/Sidney Crosby
• VIDEO:  Post-Game w/Alex Goligoski
• VIDEO:  Post-Game w/Dany Sabourin
• PHOTOS:  In-Game Photos
• Rosters
• Game Summary
• Boxscore
• Shootout Details
• Faceoff Summary
• Shots Summary

Sidney Crosby (2G), Evgeni Malkin (1G, 1A) and Petr Sykora (2A) each picked up 2-points in the win.  Mike Zigomanis (7-for-11) led the team in faceoffs at 64%.  Sidney Crosby (15-for-27) was 56% on the faceoff.  Sidney Crosby led the team in shots on net with 6-shots, while Evgeni Malkin had 5-shots.  Alex Goligoski had 4-shots on net.   

The win is the Penguins 5th straight win, extending their record to 10-4-2.  The Penguins host the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night at Mellon Arena.

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TK Gets 2 Goals as Pens Win Shootout on the Island

The Pittsburgh Penguins won their 3rd straight game on Saturday night by coming from behind and beating the New York Islanders 4-3 in a shootout on the island.  After a largely flat 1st period, the Penguins picked it up to score 2-goals in the 2nd and poured it on in the 3rd to tie the game and send it into overtime.  The Penguins got contributions from their lower lines as their offense was powered by the 3rd and 4th lines in regulation.  After a scoreless sudden death, Petr Sykora notched the only goal in the shootout to snatch the victory for the Penguins and improve their record to 8-4-2.  The win puts them in 2nd place in the Atlantic Division behind the New York Rangers.

The Penguins gave up the first goal of the game to the Islanders as Doug Weight picked up his 3rd of the season at 16:23 of the 1st period, an even strength goal from Bill Guerin and Andy Hilbert.  The goal beat backup tender Dany Sabourin, playing in just his 3rd game of the season.  The Penguins were outshot 5-3 in the lackluster opening frame, with the Islanders getting the only powerplay opportunity as Max Talbot sat for slashing at 9:20.  The Weight goal gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead going into the 2nd period. 

In the 2nd period, the Penguins offense started to click.  Tyler Kennedy picked up his 4th goal of the season at 2:16 on a beautiful give-and-go passing play with Mike Zigomanis that tied up the Islanders defense and caught goaltender Joey MacDonald out of position to give TK an open side to shoot at.  He didn’t miss on the golden opportunity.  Matt Cooke picked up the other assist on the game-tying goal.  At 8:15, the Islanders regained the lead as Tim Jackman collected a rebound after a 2-on-1 break and beat Sabourin.  Doug Weight and Andy Sutton picked up the assists.  Then at 14:30, the Islanders added another goal as Andy Hilbert was left all alone in front of the net and collected a pass into the crease and backhanded it in past Sabourin to make it 3-1.  Kyle Okposo and Andy Sutton got the assists on the play.    But a minute and a half later, Jordan Staal exorcised some hockey demons as he used his long stride to gain the breakaway and powered to the front of the net where he backhanded a goal between the pads of MacDonald to make it 3-2.  Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang were each credited with an assist.  The Penguins were given 4 powerplay opportunities in the 2nd, but failed to convert on any of them.  They managed to stay out of the box themselves, but were still outshot 12-8.

In the 3rd period, the Penguins finally took control of the game and dominated the Islanders by outshotting them 18-1.  At 16:45 it paid off as Tyler Kennedy beautifully redirected an Alex Goligoski slapshot for his 2nd goal of the night and 5th of the season.  The goal tied the game at 3-3 and ultimately sent it into overtime.  The Penguins had the only penalty of the period as Petr Sykora sat 2 minutes for hooking.  New York squandered a lead in the third period for the fourth time in five games.

After a scoreless overtime period in which the Islanders outshot the Penguins 4-3, it went to the shootout.  The Islanders opted to shoot first and sent out Doug Weight who put a backhander on net that Sabourin stopped.  Petr Sykora came out first for the Penguins and beat MacDonald with a backhander high on the glove side.  Bill Guerin’s wrister was then stopped by Sabourin, giving Miroslav Satan the opportunity to end the game.  Satan attempted to beat MacDonald with a quick snap shot, but failed.  Finally Trent Hunter had to score to keep the Islanders alive, but Sabourin appeared to stop the wrist shot as he slid most of the way into his own net.  The puck had lodged itself into his pads at the knee.  The referee immediately called it no goal, but they then went upstairs and to Toronto for an extended video review.  In the end, there was no way to tell by the video review whether the goal (hidden inside of Sabourin’s equipment) had actually crossed the line, although it was likely very close.  In accordance with NHL rules, no clear evidence showing that the puck had crossed the goal line, the ruling by the on-ice official stood and the game was ended.  “It was a tough call,” Sabourin said. “It was pretty close. The puck was in my pad where my knee was. There’s no way (referees) could see the puck.”

• VIDEO:  Game Highlights
• PHOTOS:  In-Game Photos
• Game Rosters
• Game Summary
• Boxscore
• Faceoffs Summary
• Shot Summary
• Penguins Ice Time Report
• Shootout Details

NOTES:  Tyler Kennedy led the team with 6-shots on net, and scored a pair of goals.  Miroslav Satan had 4-shots on net and a shootout attempt but came up empty against his former team.  Jordan Staal had 3-shots and connected on his first.  In the faceoff circle, Maxime Talbot (2/2), Matt Cooke (1/1) and Ruslan Fedotenko (1/1) were all perfect in their limited faceoffs.  Evgeni Malkin (3/4) was 75% , Mike Zigomanis (7/11) was 64% and Jordan Staal (11/21) was 52%.  Sidney Crosby (9/25) was only 36% on the faceoff.  Kris Letang led the team in ice time with an impressive 31 shifts and 29:49 on ice, and was even on plus/minus.  Sidney Crosby (26 shifts) and Evgeni Malkin (24 shifts) led all forwards with 24:14 of ice time each.  Matt Cooke and Mike Zigomanis led the team in plus/minus with a +2 rating each.  Mark Eaton and Sidney Crosby trailed the team with each registering a -2 rating in the game.  Dany Sabourin stopped 19 of 22 shots and was perfect in the shootout.  Hal Gill passed a milestone by skating in his 800th NHL game.

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