Penguins Ready for Hungry Coyotes
The Pittsburgh Penguins (2-0-0) return to Mellon Arena tonight as they face off against the Western Conference’s Phoenix Coyotes (1-0-0) at 7:30 PM. This is the only matchup between these two teams this season. Last season, they met only once (in Phoenix) with the Coyotes winning 4-1. The Penguins are looking for their 3rd consecutive win after beating the Rangers 3-2 at home and the Islanders 4-3 in a shootout on the road. The Coyotes will be playing their 2nd game of the season after beating the Los Angeles Kings 6-3.
The financially bankrupt Coyotes come into Mellon Arena under new head coach (and former Penguin) Dave Tippett, who replaced Wayne Gretzky during training camp. The Coyotes, who haven’t made it into the playoffs in 6 years, are a team whose future is unknown; ownership of the franchise is being contested through bankruptcy court and it remains to be seen if the team will stay in Phoenix beyond the end of this season. While the off-ice distractions and fan apathy in Phoenix could be an excuse for continued mediocrity, the Coyotes found a way to use it as a motivator in their season opening win over the Kings. “It was the first time they could say, ‘We’re on the ice. Just go,’ ” said Coyotes’ Coach Tippett. “We can only control what happens on the ice and the other stuff will take care of itself. I think the players were really focused on getting playing. The players did a good job of blocking that stuff out probably the last couple of weeks and getting themselves ready to play.” Phoenix Coyotes captain Shane Doan added, “We have that ‘us against everybody’ thing going….and we’re trying to use it as much as we can.” Doan, who led the Coyotes scoring in 2008-09 with 73-points (31G, 42A), will benefit from quality additions on his line with Radim Vrbata and (former Penguin) Robert Lang joining the team this season. Vrbata had 2-goals and Lang added 1 in the team’s 6-3 drubbing of Los Angeles on Saturday. In fact, 11 different Coyotes found their way onto the scoresheet in that game. With quality netminding from Ilya Byzgalov, upgraded offense, a new coach and adversity that the team can rally around, the Coyotes might just bear watching this season.
The Penguins will be looking to continue to perfect Coach Bylsma’s up-tempo style and system of aggressive puck pursuit. Through two games, the Penguins have done a great job of putting traffic in front of the net and pressuring the defense, something that was missing from their game at this time last season under Coach Michel Therrien. The Penguins also seen to be putting more shots on net, which will help them keep the pressure on opposing team’s defense and goaltending and help create the type of havoc that often times leads to goals. The Penguins have also fared well in the face-off circle so far this season (54.6%), but they will need to keep the pressure on as Phoenix won 60.6% of their faceoffs against the Kings. Marc-Andre Fleury’s timing and positioning appear to be better at this point of the season than it has at early on in season’s past. His play was one of the keys to the Penguins’ win against the Islanders on Saturday night. Look for another up-tempo game that may lack some of the aggressive physicality that you will see in Thursday’s game against the Flyers. The Pens line-up for tonight’s game is expected to be as follows:
Penguins' Forward Lines
1st Line 
2nd Line 
3rd Line 
4th Line 
Penguins' Defensive Pairings
1st Pairing 
2nd Pairing 
3rd Pairing 
Goaltending
#1 Goaltender 
Backup Netminder 
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Pens Look to Conquer Their Demons (and the Devils)
The Pittsburgh Penguins hit the road on Wednesday night eager to put their struggles behind them as they head to New Jersey thirsty for a win against the Devils. After a tremendous start, the Penguins (15-8-4) have struggled in their last 8-games, posting a 3-4-1 record. The Devils, on the other hand, have lost just once in their last 8-games in a 4-1 defeat to the Penguins. Against the Devils, the Penguins are 1-0-1 on the season and 5-0-1 in their last 6-matchups.
The Penguins have struggled to find consistency lately and have been riddled with injuries, particularly in their defensive lineup. Normally feared for their unstoppable powerplay, a double threat powerplay unit that includes the NHL’s top-2 scorers in Crosby and Malkin, the Penguins are simply middle of the pack so far this season on the man advantage. In the 4-3 loss to Buffalo on Monday night, the Penguins went just 1-for-8 on the man advantage, including three 5-on-3 scenarios. On the injured list are 4 of the Penguins’ top defensemen. Having started the season without their top-2 defensemen in Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney, the Penguins made a move to bring in Philippe Boucher in trade for Darryl Sydor. However, Boucher’s services have been lost for the past several games due to an unspecified injury. More recently, the physical presence of Hal Gill has been sidelined for 2-4 weeks with a shoulder injury. This has increased the burden on the young Penguins’ defense as Kris Letang, Alex Goligoski, and now call-up Ben Lovejoy are being called upon to rapidly develop their defensive skills. In addition to the defensive challenges, the Penguins have been playing without the services of #1 goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury as he has been sidelined for several games with an unspecified injury. Fortunately for the Penguins, backup netminder Dany Sabourin has played very well and posted a 2.13 Goals Against Average and a 0.923 save percentage.
Adding to the Penguins injury woes is a lack of offensive consistency on the wings. After starting the season on fire, Miroslav Satan has posted just 2-goals in his last 14-games. Peter Sykora and Pascal Dupuis have also struggled. Sykora has just 4-goals in his last 14-games and Dupuis has just 1-goal in his last 18. Coming off from a 2-goal performance, Ruslan Fedotenko could be starting to develop some chemistry on the Malkin line with 3-goals in his last 3-games, but he has totaled just 5 across his last 14-games. After a brief period of productivity, Max Talbot has also dried up with no goals in his last 12-games. Fireplug Tyler Kennedy is out of the lineup with an injury which has led to a round of call-ups.
New Jersey suffered a huge blow in early November when franchise goaltender Martin Brodeur’s was sidelined until at least March 09 for elbow surgery. Before Brodeur’s early exit to the injured reserve list, he led his Devils to a 6-2-2 record. With Brodeur out of the lineup, the Devils struggled mightily as they dropped 5 of the first 6-games without him. But the Devils have since found what it takes to win without Martin Brodeur in the lineup as they have gone on a 7-1-0 tear in their last 8-games. The Devils have cashed in on their tight defensive play and the stonewall backstop of Scott Clemensen. Clemensen has posted a 6-3-0 record this season with 2.32 goals-against average and 0.922 save percentage. “He’s having an opportunity to play on a regular basis, which has obviously helped him. He played very well in the American League last year, when he was playing. It’s a combination of all those things. He’s a confident person, he’s very calm. He doesn’t get rattled very much,” noted Devils’ coach Brett Sutter.
The Penguins will have their work cut out for them as they face off against the red hot Devils. Unless the Penguins can get some jump out of their wingers and crisp outlet passes by their defensive corps, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin alone will be hard pressed to break through the stifling New Jersey defense. Pittsburgh has been frustrated by teams that employ the trap, and the New Jersey Devils are masters at that tight defensive system. Unless the Penguins can find a way to get through the neutral zone, expect that Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin will be hemmed in all evening. Because of the tight defensive game that the Devils play, the Penguins will need to keep their feet moving to try and draw penalties and then find ways to convert on their powerplay chances. With the New Jersey penalty kill falling in the bottom 5 of the NHL, it could be the deciding factor for the Penguins and an opportunity to get their special teams back on track. When all is said and done, I think we can expect a low-scoring, defensive juggernaut between these two teams.
What better way for Satan to dump his scoring funk than to find a way to beat the devils.
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Penguins Adjust and Shake Things Up
After posting just 7-shots in the final 42-minutes of Game 1, the Penguins are wasting no time in making adjustments. At practice on Sunday, Coach Therrien juggled the lines in an apparent effort to shake things up a bit and to give the Penguins a different look. The practice session on Sunday is a likely a preview to what we will see in Game 2 on Monday night. The Coach’s theme for Sunday’s practice was effort and desire, two things that seemed to wane after the first period of Game 1. In the first period the Penguins looked competitive and hungry, but as the game progressed they stopped skating and started watching too much.
If the lines used in practice hold for Game 2, you can expect to see some interesting changes for Monday night. First, expect to see Sidney Crosby centering Marian Hossa and Ryan Malone. I like this combination as it adds a new dimension to the Penguins top line that may pay dividends. In addition to the speed and playmaking abilities of Crosby and Hossa, you now have Ryan Malone who can post his big body in front of the netminder and give the Detroit defense another element to worry about.
Pascal Dupuis will be moved to a new Penguins second line, centered by Jordan Staal with Tyler Kennedy on the opposite wing. Again, this is another interesting matchup as the long reach and excellent defensive abilities of Jordan Staal will be teamed with the speed and energy of Dupuis and Kennedy.
This means that Evgeni Malkin will now center the 3rd line as he has been struggling of late. He will be flanked by energy man Max Talbot and sniper Petr Sykora. It will be interesting to see what moving him to the 3rd line will do as far as Detroit’s line matchups. Whether Malkin is ailing or just in a funk, the move will either serve to release a little bit of pressure or motivate him to to step his game back up. Again, it will be interesting to see how Detroit reacts to Malkin’s new location in the lineup.
Finally, the Penguins will put 42-year-old Gary Roberts back into the lineup and sit Georges Laraque. Roberts, an experienced and gritty forward, has had a difficult year as he dealt with a broken leg and a high ankle sprain that kept him out of the lineup for the 2nd half of the season. During the Eastern Conference Finals, he again sat out with a bout of pneumonia. Although healthy enough to play on Saturday, Roberts was a healthy scratch. That won’t be the case for Game 2, when Roberts will join fiesty Jarkko Ruutu and Adam Hall on the 4th line. “I’m excited. For me, bringing some emotion, some intensity. I’m obviously not going to change my game at this point. I know what I need to do to be successful. This team we’re playing against is really smart.”
The Penguins will be looking to turn things around in Game 2 and find a way to steal one in Detroit before heading back to Pittsburgh. If Coach Therrien can motivate his team to put in a full 60-minutes of effort like they produced in the first period of Game 1, they could generate a very different outcome. With the line changes and some motivating forces, it will be interesting to see if the adjustments being made by the Penguins coaching staff will yield dividends for the young team. The only way to the Stanley Cup for the Penguins is to win at least 1-game in Detroit. They need to believe that the 1-win must come on Monday night.
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Winter Classic 2008 Primer!
The NHL’s Winter Classic 2008 is finally upon us, and we have compiled the following information as a primer to get you Amped up for the event!
Background:
In the 90-year history of the NHL, only 1 regular season game has ever been played outdoors. That game, dubbed the Heritage Classic, was played in Edmonton on November 23rd, 2003, and featured a north of the border matchup between the Montreal Canadiens and the Edmonton Oilers. It commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Edmonton Oilers joining the NHL in 1979. The Heritage Classic was inspired by a 2001 outdoor game between two college rivals, Michigan State and the University of Michigan, that became dubbed the “Cold War”. The Cold War was such a success that 74,554 spectators crammed into Michigan State’s Spartan Stadium and smashed the world attendance record for hockey. Just 2 years later, the Heritage Classic was played in Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium in a bitingly cold -18ºF with an attendance of 57,167, the largest number of people to ever watch a live NHL game. The Canadiens ended up winning the game by a score of 4-3 . While the Heritage Classic was the first NHL regular season game to be played outdoors, it wasn’t the first NHL game to be played outdoors. That honor belongs to an exhibition game in 1991 between the Los Angeles Kings and the New York Rangers that was played outside of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
With the groundwork laid by the Cold War and the Heritage Classic, the NHL decided in the summer of 2007 to stage the 2nd outdoor regular season game on New Year’s Day, and dubbed it the Winter Classic 2008. They selected two fast skating, talented young teams for the matchup, the Buffalo Sabres and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Buffalo’s Ralph Wilson Stadium was selected as the Venue for the event, marking the NHL’s first outdoor regular season game to be played in the United States. Buffalo’s proximity to the Canadian border only increased its appeal to the NHL. With over 70,000 fans expected, it could come close to the world hockey attendance record set by the Cold War event.
The Weather:
The weather promises to cooperate and will make this event interesting. Monday’s overnight forecast calls for a 90% chance of precipitation, starting out as light rain and changing over to all snow by late morning on New Year’s Day. Temperatures overnight will fall to 31º, and will peak at 36º on New Year’s day. Winds flowing ENE will eventually shift to NNW and increase to 20-30 mph with occassional gusts of 40 mph. Snow accumulations of 2-4 inches are expected. Dan Craig, the NHL’s Facility Operations Manager, indicates that the winds aren’t really going to affect the rink because they put cable up on the tall glass to hold everything in place securely. As for the snow, the NHL will use Zambonis and shovels to keep the ice surface clean prior to the game, and will monitor conditions within the periods and act accordingly.
Unique Rules:
Being a regular season NHL game, all of the normal NHL rules will apply. However, to ensure that neither team is aided or adversely affected by the variabilities introduced by playing outdoors, some unique and noticeable changes will be incorporated. First, to equalize number of minutes each team has attacking or defending each goal, the 3rd period will be broken into two 10-minute segments. At the end of the first 10-minute segment, the teams will switch ends as if it were a period break. The whistle will be blown and the play stopped at the 10-minute mark of the 3rd, regardless of any on-going play on the ice. Second, and along the same lines, if a 5-minute overtime period is required, it will also be divided in half with the teams switching ends after 2:30 of play. Lastly, should the game go all the way to a shootout, each goaltender will be given the option of determining which goal to defend, making it possible for both teams to shoot at the same goal. Another potential change that would be decided in real time could be the length of intermissions between periods, or timeouts within periods. This will be dictated by weather and ice conditions, as determined by the NHL.
The Teams:
The Pittsburgh Penguins (20-16-2) come into the game playing very well, having gone 12-5-0 in their last 17-games after a slow season start. Coming off a win against the Sabres in Pittsburgh on Saturday night, the Penguins currently hold 7th place in the Eastern Conference with 42-points. The Penguins will be without the services of forward Gary Roberts (broken leg), forward Max Talbot (ankle), defenseman Marc Eaton (torn ACL), and starting goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (ankle). While the Penguins have been struggling with lineup injuries through much of December, this will be the first game they play without veteran leader Gary Roberts, who broke his leg in Saturday’s tilt against Buffalo. Petr Sykora, who was out sick on Saturday, is expected to return, along with Ryan Malone who played his first game on Saturday after missing 5 with a leg infection. Third string goaltender Ty Conklin is expected to get rewarded with the start in net for the Penguins after posting a shutout against the Sabres on Saturday night. Conklin is 4-0 in his brief stint with the Penguins.
The Buffalo Sabres (19-16-2) have gone 6-3-1 in their last 10-games, including Saturday night’s loss to the Penguins. Currently in 8th place in the Eastern Conference standings with 40-points, the Sabres have a game in hand against the Penguins. The Sabres will be without the services of forward Drew Stafford who is day-to-day with a concussion. Other than that, the Sabres appear to be very healthy.
Going head to head, these teams are pretty evenly matched. They both favor a fast, open, offensive style of play as was witnessed on Saturday night. The Sabres have the advantage in goals per game at 3.1 versus 2.7 for the Penguins. The teams are nearly equivalent in goals given up per game, with 2.8 for the Sabres versus 2.9 for the Pens. On the power play, the teams are in a statistical lock with the Penguins at 18.9 percent effectiveness versus 18.8 for the Sabres. The Sabres have the advantage on the penalty kill with an 83.6 percent effectiveness versus the Penguins 80.0.
Cool NHL Videos:
- VIDEO: Building the Rink
- VIDEO: Winter Classic Preview Show
- VIDEO: Today’s Press Conference - Practice Skate
- VIDEO: NBC Promo Ad
Final Notes:
Both teams practiced on the outdoor rink today, and from all accounts the rink got a big thumbs up. The Penguins didn’t hit the ice until 3PM after traveling up from Pittsburgh this morning. Coach Therrien gave the Penguins a day off on Sunday so that they could get some rest before the game.
Both teams will be wearing retro-looking uniforms for the game. The Sabres will sport uniforms similar to the ones they wore in the 1980s. The Penguins will be wearing the original powder blue, navy blue and white color scheme the team first used when it entered the NHL 40-years ago in 1967.
Coverage starts on NHL.com at 11AM with live coverage starting at 1PM on NBC and CBC on New Year’s Day. Both the American and Canadian National Anthems will be sung prior to the start of the game. Irish tenor Ronan Tynan will perform “God Bless America” and Sabres singer Doug Allen will sing the Canadian National Anthem. Weather permitting, there will also be a flyover.
Winter Classic 2008
On New Year’s Day, the Buffalo Sabres will host the Pittsburgh Penguins in the much anticipated and widely publicized NHL Winter Classic 2008. The Winter Classic, which will be played outdoors at Buffalo’s Ralph Wilson Stadium, is the NHL’s 2nd outdoor regular season game. The first was the Heritage Classic which was played in November 2003 in
NHL WINTER CLASSIC ADVERTISEMENT
Preparations are on-going around the clock to convert the Buffalo Bill’s football stadium into a 70,000-seat hockey rink. To add to the challenge, the NHL couldn’t start the physical conversion until December 23rd based upon football schedules. Needless to say, the planning has been in work for more than 6-months. One of the challenges is compensating for a 9-inch crown that exists on the football field. The NHL is having to use styrofoam and plywood to create a level foundation for the rink. They also have to establish the infrastructure that you would normally find inside a hockey rink, including the cooling equipment for making ice, locker rooms, etc. Add to that, the challenges of making it broadcast and fan friendly in terms of camera angles and sight lines, and it is no small feat.
NHL VIDEO OF RINK PREPARATIONS
- AUDIO: Pittsburgh Penguins Winter Classic Preview (8:29).
Probably the biggest variable in playing an outdoor game will be the weather. The forecast over the next several days in Buffalo consists of mixed rain and snow with temperatures ranging from the low to mid-30’s. This will undoubtedly be challenging for the preparations. On New Year’s day, the forecast currently calls for snow showers with a low of 24 and a high of 32. Depending on how much it snows, it could make for an even more interesting game.
With 70,000 fans in attendance and millions more watching on TV, this will be a banner event for the NHL and a great game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Buffalo Sabres. The fun begins at 1PM on New Year’s Day on NBC and CBC.
Battle of the Basement, Devils Visit Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (8-10-2) host the New Jersey Devils (8-10-2) Wednesday night in the Atlantic Division’s battle of basement. The Atlantic’s 2-slowest starters this season have identical records of 8-10-2, but the Penguins have the advantage in goals scored to win the points tie for divisional placement. But that won’t help the Penguins if they lose and give up the points tie to the Devils. Who will be the cellar dweller come Thursday morning? Our money is on the Devils to own that distinction.
Much like the Penguins, the Devils have struggled both offensively and defensively. Under 1st-year coach Brent Sutter, New Jersey has doffed the neutral-zone trap in favor of opening up the ice. But the Devils have struggled to find the net, scoring 1/4 fewer goals per game this season than last. To add to their woes, goaltender Martin Brodeur has not been playing to his historical capacity going just 6-10-1 with a 0.894 save percentage and a 2.70 GAA. He has also failed to put up a shutout this season after adding 12 to his career total last season. But Saturday night, the Devils may have turned the corner by beating the red hot Flyers by a whopping 6-2 in Philadelphia. Six different Devils found the back of the net against the Flyers, the most distributed Devils scoring in one game since Feb. 7, 2006. Martin Brodeur made 26 saves in the win to notch his 500th career victory and join Patrick Roy as the only NHL goaltenders to reach that mark. Brodeur needs just 51 more victories to match Roy’s league record of 551 career wins. With the milestone 500th win behind him, the Devils hope that Brodeur will return more to form to help the team dig their way out of their current standing in the Atlantic Division. They also hope the output in Philadelphia will build their offensive confidence as they move forward.
The Penguins are coming off from a disappointing 4-3 overtime loss to the Rangers on Saturday night, a game which they led 2-0 after the 1st period. “We had our chances. It’s just taking advantage of our chances,” said Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, “I hit a post and we had a couple of 2-on-1s (and didn’t score).” Crosby has repeatedly had to find reasons for the team’s extended struggle and winning drought as the team has lost 7 of its last 9 games, despite his personally consistent and stellar play. Crosby had 2-points (1G, 1A) on Saturday to extend his career high point streak to 19 games, and is tied for 2nd in the league in points (30). Sophomore phenom Evgeni Malkin extended his scoring streak to a personal best 13 games, and is tied for the league lead in assists (20) and for 5th in points (27). However, when it comes to scoring distribution, the Penguins have really struggled. Outside of the two young stars, the only Penguins who have been able to find consistent scoring are Petr Sykora and Sergei Gonchar. While the Devils have 7 players with 10+ points, the Penguins have just 4 (Crosby, Malkin, Gonchar, Sykora). A bright spot for the Penguins had been the power play, scoring at least a goal in their first 14 games. But the man-advantage has fizzled of late posting just 4-for-30 in their last 6-games. Marc-Andre Fleury (3.47 GAA) has gotten the call for the last 2-games, but Dany Sabourin may well get the start for this game. Sabourin posted 20 saves in a 5-0 shutout of the Devils on November 5th.
Going head-to-head, the Penguins have the advantage in scoring and special teams, but the Devils have been stingier defensively in 5-on-5 play. Offensively, the Penguins have netted 2.8 goals per game on average, while the Devils have mustered 2.4. Defensively however, the Devils have allowed 2.8 goals per game while the Penguins have struggled and let in 3.1 goals on average. In what could be the determining factor to the game, the Penguins power play (although cool of late) has been effective 21% of the time, while the Devils have only been able to convert on 12.5% of their chances. Similarly, the Penguins have the advantage in killing penalties with an 82.5% effectiveness to the Devils’ 76.7%.
- VIDEO: Click Here for the Penguins’ Post Practice Locker Room Interviews on 11/20/07 with Sidney Crosby, Ryan Whitney, Darryl Sydor, Petr Sykora, Ryan Malone and Brooks Orpik (12:36)
- VIDEO: Click Here for the Penguins’ Post Practice Locker Room Interviews on 11/19/07 with Maxime Talbot and Sidney Crosby (4:21)
NHLPens.com keys to the game: The biggest key to the game will be special teams. The Penguins need to keep their legs moving to draw the Devils into a penalty and enable the Pens’ man-advantage against one of the league’s most penalized teams on the road with one of the league’s least effective penalty killing units. The Penguins need to put a lot of pucks on net and pressure Brodeur early to take away the momentum gained in his 500th win on Saturday. If Brodeur finds his form early, it will be a tough night for the Penguins’ offense. The Pens need to play the game with the same desperation they exhibited in the first period of play against the Rangers, put the puck on net early and often and hope for some lucky bounces. I look for Dany Sabourin to get the call and stand tall against the Devils.
NHLPens.com Prediction: Ever the eternal optimist, I am predicting a Penguins win by a score of 5-3 with 2-goals coming on the power play. Crosby and Malkin will again score with each getting 2-points to keep their streaks alive. The most likely goal scorers are Crosby, Malkin, Hall, Whitney and Talbot.
Penguins Look For 3rd Win in November
The Pittsburgh Penguins (8-10-1) play host to the surging New York Rangers (11-7-1) tonight in another Atlantic Division battle. The Rangers are looking for their 4th consecutive road win after beating the Leafs, Devils and Flyers all on the road over the last 7 days. The Penguins will be looking to add a second consecutive win at home after stopping a 4-game winless streak on Thursday by beating the Islanders 3-2.
After getting off to a slow start, the New York Rangers have been surging and are currently tied with the Flyers for 1st place in the Atlantic with 23 points. The Rangers won just 4 of 11 games in October with 19 goals for and 22 goals against. They have turned it around in November, however, having won 7 of 8 games (including 3 on the road), and have scored 23 goals while giving up just 13. The Rangers were 0-5-1 on the road before last Saturday’s 3-2 shootout win over Toronto. Since then, they have beaten the Devils and the Flyers on the road, ending the Flyers’ 6-0-0 home start. Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist has played extremely well and is near the top of the league with a 1.71 GAA and 0.935 save percentage. He has 4 shutouts in 18 games and has stopped 8 of 9 shots on goal in three shootout games. Lundqvist has started all but 1 of the Rangers’ games, and has logged the most minutes in the Eastern Conference. Lundqvist has had to be good as the Rangers offense didn’t really get their wheels rolling until their win against the Penguins on November 8th. Brendan Shanahan leads the team with 6 goals, and Jaromir Jagr leads with 17 points (4G, 13A).
Pittsburgh has struggled for consistency all season long and has had trouble keeping the puck out of their own net, giving up 58 goals in 19 games. The Penguins have alternated between goaltenders Marc-Andre Fleury (3.43 GAA/12 games) and Dany Sabourin (2.18 GAA/7 games). Fleury, who hadn’t started a home game in nearly three weeks, was in net for the win against the Islanders on Thursday. “I was a little nervous at the beginning,” Fleury said. “I hadn’t been playing in Pittsburgh for a while, so I was a little excited. But things went well, the guys got some goals, we got the lead, so that worked to relax me.” The Penguins have also had little offense outside of Evgeni Malkin (12-game point streak), Sidney Crosby (18-game point streak) and Sergei Gonchar. “We want to contribute and it’s always nice to win, so if you can do that and win, it’s great,” Crosby said. “But for us, we have a job to produce.” In the win against the Isles, big Georges Laraque got the unexpected game winning goal and helped boost the spirit of the young Penguins. The Penguins need offensive contributions from their other forwards as well. Veterans Mark Recchi and Darryl Sydor were healthy scratches against the Islanders, and that enabled Tyler Kennedy and Kris Letang to bring some needed energy to the team. Although they didn’t score, the two young players energized the team and played well.
Going head-to-head, the Penguins have the advantage in goals scored and on the power play. Offensively, the Penguins have averaged 2.7 goals per game while the Rangers have mustered just 2.1 goals per game. Defensively, however, the Rangers are 1st in the league giving up just 1.8 goals per game. The Penguins defensive game has been much less effective giving up an average 3 goals per game. The Penguins offense has cashed in on the power play with a 21.2% effectiveness while the Rangers have struggled at 15.3%. On the penalty kill, the Rangers rank 4th in the league at 89.7% while the Penguins have been 82.4% effective. Sidney Crosby has 22 points in 17 career games against the Rangers. Jaromir Jagr has 30-points (15G, 15A) in 30 games against the Penguins. The teams have split the 2 games played this season, with each winning on its home ice. New York has lost 3-straight and 5 of its last 6 played in Pittsburgh.
- VIDEO: Click Here for 11/17/07 Pre-Game Press Conference w/Michel Therrien
- VIDEO: Click Here for 11/17/07 Pre-Game Locker Room Interview w/Sidney Crosby
- VIDEO: Click Here for 11/16/07 Post Practice Locker Room Interview w/Sidney Crosby
- VIDEO: Click Here for 11/15/07 Post Game Press Conference w/Michel Therrien
- VIDEO: Click Here for 11/15/07 Post Game Locker Room Interviews w/Sidney Crsoby, Georges Laraque, Marc-Andre Fleury and Kris Letang
NHLPens.com Keys to the Game: The Penguins will have to springboard off from the momentum they gained in their 3-2 win over the Isles and come out on fire. They will need to overload the Rangers defense and put a lot of pucks on Henrik Lundqvist to try and break the league’s leading defensive juggernaut. The Penguins will need to use their speed in the offensive zone to create chances and draw penalties. Defensively, the Penguins need a good night in goal by Marc-Andre Fleury, who should get the nod after his last performance. Given the stingey defense of the Rangers, the Penguins will need a near perfect night in goal.
NHLPens.com Prediction: I predict a Penguins win against the Rangers by a score of 3-2. Most likely goal scorers for the Penguins include Evgeni Malkin, Jarkko Ruutu and Sergei Gonchar. I predict that Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin will keep their point streaks alive, with Crosby getting 2 assists.
Penguins Callup Letang, Host Islanders
The Pittsburgh Penguins (7-10-1) host division rival New York Islanders (9-5-0) on Thursday night at the Mellon Arena. The struggling Penguins, who have dropped to last place in the Atlantic Division, have lost 4 straight games and 8 of their last 10. The slide has left many fans and some sports writers questioning the coach’s wisdom in constantly juggling line combinations and poor selection of healthy scratches. In a Pittsburgh Tribune Review article today, columnist Joe Starkey questioned whether benching goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and Colby Armstrong has further contributed to their confidence issues. He suggests that benching low producing veterans Recchi and/or Roberts for a game would make more sense than making scapegoats out of the younger players who need experience and opportunity to play through adversity. I tend to agree with this sentiment. Nothing undermines a team quicker than a coach showing preferential treatment of selected players. The players need consistency of linemates, and consistency of treatment by their coach when players underperform.
The New York Islanders have been playing well of late, having won 6 of 7 before losing 3-2 at Philadelphia on Monday. With some key additions in the off-season, the Islanders appear to be thriving under 2nd year coach Ted Nolan. Perhaps the best off-season acquisition was Mike Comrie who signed as an unrestricted free agent and currently leads the team in scoring with 15 points, 7 coming on the power play. Other key players and point-getters include Miroslav Satan, Bill Guerin and Ruslan Fedetenko. Rick Dipietro (8-4) has played okay in goal for the Isles with a 2.49 GAA and 0.904% save percentage.
The Penguins will try to avoid matching their longest losing streak from all of last season by avoiding a 5th consecutive loss. The Penguins have suffered from inconsistent goaltending and lackluster defense, resulting in just 1 win in 7 games so far in November. They have also failed to get balanced scoring from their offensive lines, with 37% of the points scored so far this season coming from just two players, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Add in Sergei Gonchar and Petr Sykora, and the 4 players combined account for 57% of the team’s points. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are both in the middle of career-high point streaks at 17 and 11 games, respectively. But that hasn’t been enough offense to win games. The Penguins need contributions from other youngsters and veterans alike. Mark Recchi and Gary Roberts each have 2-points in their last 10 games, and Roberts has 10-penalty minutes in his last 3-games.
The Penguins goaltending and defensive corps have had a very rough start. Marc-Andre Fleury, who had 40 wins last season, has gone more than 3-weeks without a win and is 0-4 with a 4.42 goals-against average in his last 5-starts. Coach Therrien has cast a vote of low confidence in Fleury by starting backup netminder Dany Sabourin in 4 of their 7 November outings (3 of which were loses). The Penguins made a move to shore up the defensive ranks by calling up 20-year-old defenseman Kris Letang from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Wednesday. It is hoped that the young defenseman will bring some energy and consistency to bolster the defensive lines. Many had predicted that Letang would make the team cut coming out of training camp, but he ended up being sent down. He played 7 games in his debut with the Penguins last season.
As the team Captain, Sidney Crosby has been looking for a silver lining. “It’s easy to look at the way things have gone the last few games and be critical and be negative, but we probably played our best game in the last few,” said Crosby, ”We deserved to win (against New Jersey), but it didn’t happen.” While their effort against New Jersey on Monday was better, the Penguins will have to find more consistency in their defensive game and more balanced scoring from their offensive lines before they will truly be deserving of a win. Hopefully having a few days off will help as they take on the Isles on Thursday.
Going head-to-head, the Islanders have the slight advantage. The Isles have scored 2.9 goals per game versus the Penguins 2.7, and have given up 2.9 goals per game to the Penguins 3.1. The Islanders special teams have been slightly more effective than the Penguins going 22.2% on the man advantage to the Pens 21.5%. The Isles have an 85.2% effectiveness on the kill to the Penguins 82%.
NHLPens.com Prediction: The Penguins are due for a breakout game and I am predicting that this one will be it. Buoyed by the addition of Letang, the Penguins defense will be more active at blocking shots and clearing the crease. I think the offense will gain momentum off from an improved defensive effort and result in scoring contributions from more than just the usual suspects. I am predicting a 4-1 Penguins win after a slow first period start. Most likely goal scorers include Maxime Talbot, Jordan Staal, Ryan Malone and Sidney Crosby. I think Crosby and Malkin will both extend their point streaks.
Note: The Penguins will induct Paul Coffey into the Pittsburgh Penguins Hall of Fame in a pre-game ceremony.
Penguins Host Devils Tonight
The Pittsburgh Penguins (7-9-1) host the New Jersey Devils (6-8-2) in a battle of the bottom-feeders tonight. Last year, New Jersey finished atop the Atlantic Division with Pittsburgh a close second. With 20% of this season completed, both teams are struggling to get to 0.500 and are locked in a battle for last place in the division. New Jersey currently holds last place with 14-points, but with a win tonight could pass that title to the Penguins who have just 15-points on the season.
After winning the 2006-07 division title with 107 points, its 4th straight 100+ point season, the Devils are tied for fewest victories in the NHL along with Washington, Buffalo and Edmonton. The Devils will be looking to break out of a 5-game road winless streak against the Penguins who have lost their last 3 at home. Martin Brodeur will be looking to record his 500th NHL victory tonight. Brodeur, last year’s Vezina Trophy winner, has struggled against the Penguins this year, giving up 9-goals on 54 shots in the course of 2-games. In 58 games against the Penguins, Brodeur is 31-20-0 with 4-ties and a 2.72 GAA. New Jersey beat Pittsburgh in the first outing by a score of 5-4 on Oct. 17, but were shutout by a score of 5-0 at home November 5th.
The Penguins will be desparately trying to turn their game around after losing 5 of their last 6 games, including the last 3-consecutive games of divisional play. Saturday’s game against Philadelphia hit a season low as the Penguins gave up 4 power play goals to the Flyers in a 5-2 loss. The Penguins have struggled to find any offense outside of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. On Saturday, Crosby extended his point streak to a career-high 16 games by picking up an assist. He leads the team with 25-points (9G, 16A) and trails Henrik Zetterberg of Detroit by 2-points for the league scoring lead. Evgeni Malkin has 23-points (6G, 17A) and is tied for 6th in the league in scoring. “We’ve got to step up in some way,” said Crosby. Regarding Saturday’s performance against the Flyers, he noted “We couldn’t kill our penalties and it hurt us. We can’t get down two and three goals. It makes it easier for a team to play against you.” The Penguins’ best team play of the season came in their last game against the Devils in which they shutout New Jersey 5-0 and received points from all 4-lines. Dany Sabourin was in net for that game and posted his first career shutout. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury gave up 5-goals in the October 17th loss and is 4-9-2 and 3.03 GAA in 15 career games against the Devils.
Going head-to-head, the Penguins have the advantage. Pittsburgh has averaged a 0.5 goal more per game at 2.8 goals to the Devils’ 2.3. On the defensive side, the Devils have been a little more stingy giving up 2.9 goals per game versus the Penguins 3.1. The Penguins, however, have the clear advantage in special team play. They have converted 21.1% of their man-advantages while the Devils are 25th in the league on the power play having converted on just 14.1% of their opportunities. Furthermore, the Devils are 0-for-18 in their last 5-games on the power play. The Penguins have kept the puck out of the net on 81.9% of their short-handed situations, while the Devils have managed 73.9%.
NHLPens.com Prediction: Don’t look for another 5-0 shutout of the Devils, but the Penguins will win this game. I am predicting a 4-2 win against the Devils with 2 Penguins goals coming on the power play. Most likely goal scorers for the Penguins include Evgeni Malkin, Maxime Talbot, Ryan Whitney and Mark Recchi. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin will extend their scoring streaks another game, with Sid picking up at least 2-points in assists.
Penguins Look For Win in Philadelphia
The struggling Pittsburgh Penguins (7-8-1) will look to get their 2nd win in 6-games tonight as they travel to Philadelphia to take on the Atlantic Division leading Flyers (9-6-0). The Penguins will have their work cut out for them, as the Flyers have been perfect at home this season, going 4-0-0. For the Flyers, it will be their first home game since October 20th as they are coming off from a long 8-game road trip. The Flyers won just 3 of those 8 road games after going 6-1 in their first 7-games. One of theose road wins was a 3-1 decision over the Pittsburgh Penguins this past Wednesday night.
The Flyers will be looking to rekindle the momentum that they built in Philadelphia at the beginning of the season, and remain the NHL’s only unbeaten team at home. Despite still sitting atop the Atlantic Division with 18-points, the Flyers are not satisfied with their recent performance after a 3-5-0 stretch on the road. “Ideally you want to come out of any road trip .500 or better,” said coach John Stevens. “I thought we won the games we deserved to win and lost the games we deserved to lose. We just have to come back home and get some rest and get back to work.” The Flyers have not opened a season with five consecutive home victories since the 1986-87 season, in which they won 8-straight. In 2003-04, they had 12 wins and 2 ties in their first 14 home games. In contrast, last season the Flyers did not post its fifth win at home until February 12th, and went on to win an NHL-worst 10 at home. The Flyers are coming off from a 4-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Thursday in which goaltender Martin Biron gave up 4-goals in a 8:20 span. Biron, who stopped 27 shots in a 3-1 win over the Penguins on Wednesday, will be looking to bounce back against the Penguins tonight after being pulled for the first time in Thursday’s game against the Devils. Biron is the only goaltender so far this season to deny the Penguins’ a power-play goal. It’s uncertain if left wing Simon Gagne will be back in the lineup after he sat out Thursday due to dizziness stemming from a collision with Gary Roberts on Wednesday night. Gagne, who led Philadelphia with 41 goals in 2006-07 and has eight points this season, also missed four games due to dizziness after being knocked out of a game at Florida on October 24th.
The Penguins will be looking for some balanced contributions across all of their forward lines. Most of the scoring this season has been limited to the top line with Crosby and Malkin, who have been especially effective on the power play. Half of Crosby’s 24 points have come on the man advantage, tying him for first in the NHL for power play points (with Daniel Sedin). Crosby has put up 24-points (9G, 15A) during his current career-high 15-game point streak. Malkin has 14-points (3G, 11A) in his current career-high nine-game point streak, with 6-points (1G, 5A) coming on the power play. “We can’t rely on one line,” Penguins coach Michael Therrien said. “This is a team effort and we are going to need more contributions from everyone.” The Penguins are coming off from a 4-2 loss to the New York Rangers on Thursday. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has been struggling for consistency all season and is looking to avoid 4 straight losses for the first time since December 2006. Fleury has dominated the Flyers with 9-straight wins, and is 10-3-0 with a 2.75 goals-against average in 14 appearances against them.
Going head-to-head, the Flyers have a slight advantage in goals for and goals against, but the Penguins have the advantage in special teams. The Flyers have scored 2.9 goals per game while allowing 2.4 goals per game. The Penguins have scored 2.8 goals per game, while allowing 2.9. On the power play, the Penguins have converted on 21.7% of their man-advantages, while the Flyers have converted on 20.0% of theirs. On the kill, the Penguins have kept out 85.5% while the Flyers have killed off 82.2% of their short-handed situations. The Penguins have managed to put more shots on goal per game than the Flyers (28.7 to 24.7), and have given up fewer shots to the opposition (30.5 to 34.3).
NHLPens.com Prediction: I think that the Flyers will be a bit road weary and distracted in playing their first home game in 9 after an extended road trip. I expect the Penguins to leap out of the gate to try and put their losing spell behind them, and the lower lines will be looking to prove to Coach Therrien and their fans that they can contribute on the scorecard as well. The key will be for the Penguins to score first (and early) to plant a seed of doubt in Martin Biron’s mind after being pulled in the Flyers’ loss to New Jersey on Thursday. If they can score first, I think the Penguins will win the game by a score of 5-3. Most likely goal scorers for the Penguins in this scenario include Sergei Gonchar, Evgeni Malkin, Gary Roberts, Maxime Talbot and….Jordan Staal. Crosby and Malkin will keep their point streaks alive and the Penguins get at least one point on the power play. However, if the Flyers score first, I think Fleury could suffer from the same “seed of doubt” and the outcome will go the other way with a 4-3 Flyers win. I truly think the outcome is dependent upon who scores first and captures the momentum.
