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Who You Callin’ an Old Man?

 

Conversation has perennially buzzed around the topic of who Ray Shero can get to play with Sidney Crosby, over and over, ad nauseum. Hockey talking heads felt semi-optimistic about the acquisitions of Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin, but it always seemed that these guys were what could be obtained for now; after all, Guerin was in his waning years, 38 at the time he picked up and moved off the Island to the southwest corner of the Keystone State.

Even at the end of a fairy tale Stanley Cup-winning season, speculation was whimsical regarding Guerin, given his age. He played his 1,200th NHL game against the Anaheim Ducks a little over a month ago, just 6 days shy of his 39th birthday.

Well, “The Old Man” has proven to this point that he can not only “hang” with the young guns, but do it with relish night in and night out. In the last handful of games, he has begun to develop a nifty passing style that has helped Sir Sid net a few pretty goals. He breaks the plane of the offensive blue line and quite beautifully slides a pass with not too much speed but just enough on the tape of Sid’s blade. It’s a subtle move, almost mesmerizing to watch as it happens. Keep an eye out for it.

Does he have the legs? You betcha. He’ll tear off up ice in a foot race to try to negate an icing against his team. He’ll haul “ice” to jump in an odd-man break like he’s Tyler Kennedy.

What about his eyesight and his reflexes? Sharp as a tack and spry as a spring. Case in point: the game-winning goal against the Philadelphia Flyers where Sergei Gonchar broke out of the Pens’ end with a blistering tape-to-tape stretch pass to an already flying Sidney Crosby, and who should be coming on strong along with the Pens’ captain, doing his version of the Center Drive? Big Billy Guerin. Sid’s slapper disappeared under netminder Brian Boucher’s pads, but as Guerin’s momentum carried him across the front of Boucher to the left post, he caught sight of the puck and with lightning reflexes, beat Boucher to scoop the puck into the net.

OK, so exciting prose is fine, but what about the stats to appease the skeptics? Hold on to your hat:

• Tallied 6 points in a recent 8-game-stretch (2G-4A), posting his 8th goal of the season against the home game against the Flyers.
• In 51 regular season games with the Penguins, he’s accumulated 33 points (13G-20A).
• Currently ranks among the top 15 in the league with game-winning goals, his latest against the home Flyers game.
• As of the New Jersey game, he is 3rd in scoring on the team (9G-13A for a +7) behind two of the Four Horseman: Crosby and Malkin, and in a footrace with the third, Jordan Staal.
• His (22 points, 9G-13A) just nudged him ahead of Staal (21 points, 10G-11A for a +6) in what seems to be a friendly, healthy, informal competition between these two. Who better to help a young center along in his development?
• He’s posted 5/11 goals-attempts in games that went to a shoot-out with one of those goals deciding the game in the Pens’ favor.

And then there are the intangibles. Pittsburgh fell in love with the eccentric, crocodile-eyed, health nut Gary Roberts not so long ago. Talk was that Roberts was the grizzled veteran needed in a locker room of youthful, inexperienced guys, but Roberts’ disposition could only go so far. Roberts’ exuded the presence of a tightly-strung guy. Guerin brings a nice balance of experience and even-keeled temperament that perfectly nurtures a young captain without smothering him. Guerin simply looks comfortable in his own skin and content with his role on this team. It’s not what he says so much as it is how he carries himself.

Evidence of this is his steady pace of point production and the more obvious feel that he’s at a point in his playing relationship with Sid that they are now reading each other much like Jordan Staal and Tyler Kennedy. Guerin and Crosby are now in concert with each other where it is natural and no longer academic. Guerin is also doing more in front of the net in both even-strengthed and man-advantage situations. Guerin keeps Sid loose and the rest of the team follows. Cementing that bond is the fact that “The Old Man” thinks nothing of dropping the gloves and making an impressive showing to the defense of his team mate, whoever he is.

The prediction here is that Bill Guerin has found a home where he can see himself finishing his career with his head held high. Anyone who was either at the Stanley Cup parade on that sunny June day or was watching it on a TV, could hear the chants of the crowd at the end of the line when Guerin took his turn at the podium. It was a very clear, resounding, emphatic repetitive chant of  “One more year!!” It will be a year-to-year, season-to-season evaluation, but as much as Pittsburgh fell in love with #13, he too seems to have fallen in love with the ‘burgh, gaining a new lease on hockey life as he told WTAE’s Sally Wiggin on parade day, “My heart said I want to come back here.”

A Date with Destiny

Hearken back…

Stanley Cup Finals (2008)…

The Pittsburgh Penguins found themselves like Cinderella at the ball, in the Stanley Cup Finals facing the storied and formidable Detroit Red Wings. For me, it might as well have been USA versus USSR in the 1980 Olympics, it was that gut-wrenching.

We all felt the overwhelming crush of the first game and then the second when our boys found themselves slapped around the ice much like they were in the first round against the Senators the previous season. We stood behind them, willing them to fight to stay alive, and out of sheer will they scratched and clawed to make it a brave game.

We stayed up through the multiple overtime sets when Petr Sykora joked during an intermission that he’d score the sudden-death game-winner–and did.

Maybe, like me, you were one of the ones who got an interesting e-mail the next day from a friend with a doctored photo of Babe Ruth calling his shot superimposed by Petr Sykora at the plate, signaling with  his hockey stick. It was inspiring.

Our boys had a chance.

Back in the ‘burgh, home ice, for Game 6 and a chance to even the series at 3 apiece. I never felt sicker than when that final horn blared the death knell of one hell of a season. It was hard to watch them, stunned, drained, shredded, slumped on the ice, backs against the boards. An epic denouement. Lord Stanley’s Cup was in our house but not in our hands. The photo of Evgeni Malkin standing alone near the Stanley Cup Finals ice stamp was a haunting and compelling image. The scene as all those whited-out Penguins faithful, with class, stayed and stood for the victor as the Red Wings relished in holding the Cup. We felt the sting as if we had been in those skates and sweaters, too.

And we vowed we’d be back.

Stanley Cup Finals (2009)

The path this year began in a high-powered, promising way with one of the best starts in franchise history, and then like that, the bottom fell out. Through 82 games of soul-searching, fumbling, struggling, but never saying die, they pulled themselves up by their skate laces. If nothing else can be said about this team (from the first to last guy), it is one seriously cohesive unit.

In the face of critics and nay-sayers and hand-wringers, they have managed to let it all roll off of broad, matured shoulders. Old souls in young bodies.

They had to earn their way into a playoff spot–unlike last season where they shot to second seed in the conference and home ice.

They had to fight and rally through two physically demanding rounds–unlike last season where they sailed through the first three rounds.

They have progressed steadily but quickly under Dan Bylsma who has shown his ability to read his players individually and collectively, leaving them confident and well-prepared–unlike last season when they didn’t really know any better and really hadn’t an idea just what THAT level of hockey was all about. Detroit was only too happy to initiate them and maybe to their own present and future peril.

At last season’s end, fans and pundits worried out loud about the loss of Hossa, Roberts, and Malone, but as Mark Madden pointed out in his radio talk show on Friday, if Hossa stayed, we might be looking at key players with much shorter contracts and the possibility of Malkin going to another team.

Instead, the loss has paid dividends thanks to Ray Shero’s shrewd dealing:

• To join Sidney Crosby (who when his contract was due took less to make room to keep others in the future), contracts of 4 or more years for Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, and Marc-Andre Fleury completed the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, giving the Pens a solid corps, and defensive insurance in Brooks Orpik.
• Add to that the late season acquisitions of Bill Guerin, Chris Kunitz, and Craig Adams.
• What you find is depth from 1st line to last, especially as the prodigal son Miroslav Satan arose from AHL purgatory to show some of his best work all season in the playoffs.

Let’s not forget that every guy who played this year contributed mightily whether for every game or for a short stint.

• When Gonchar was down, Goligosky answered the bell. Philippe Boucher continues to sniper with a Howitzer.
• Cooke and Kennedy meshed with Jordan Staal to become one of the best shut-down third lines that could generate a spark with their grinding cycle work.
• Max Talbot and Pascal Depuis played anywhere they could be of service, getting time on every one of the four lines and contributing mightily in penalty-kill situations. An unfortunate injury sidelined Mike Zogomanis, but when healthy, he is one of the deadliest in the face-off circle.
• Eric Goddard and Paul Bissonnette enforced when it was needed, but they made skilled contributions as well.
• Ruslan Fedotenko has come on to be a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs and worked throughout the season to try to keep the team sparked and competitive.
• Kris Letang has grown in confidence and skill. He is fearless, and not to be outdone is Mark Eaton whose defensive skill has also morphed into an offensive threat.
• Rob Scuderi and Hal Gill have developed into a strong defensive pairing, facing the likes of Ovechkin and Eric Staal with little difficulty.

It’s scary just how calm and loose this year’s Pittsburgh Penguins team really is. And maybe it’s a little maddening for the reporters who try to get some juicy tidbit out of them in interviews. In the hopes of a spark, they ask about the re-match, feelings about Hossa, the adversity, back-to-back games or too much time between games, and always, they are left a little diappointed. 

These players are even keeled, unflappable, and take it all in stride. It’s good to get back to the Stanley Cup Finals. They don’t think too much about the rivalry or how Hossa left. The adversity has made them stronger, and they know what they can do and the kind of character that’s in the locker room. Each knows he has a specific role to play and plays it with 110% intensity, stressing time and again the need to “play the right way.” Back-to-backs are the nature of the beast. They faced many during the regular season, faced them in the playoffs already. Not a big deal. And too much time? They’re glad it’s not a 10-day lay-off because, well, they’d rather be playing hockey.

They are a better, healthier, and more psychologically ready team than the Penguins of 2008, but they needed the early play-off spanking in 2007 to prepare them for the 2008 run, and they needed the 2008 finals defeat to prepare them for this run.

Yeah, that’s still hard to say (as a fan), but if we are going to be honest with ourselves as the Penguins have been with themselves, then we have to agree. This is going to be one hell of a series.

Lucky Number 13

Fridays and the number 13 are traditionally viewed as a very unlucky combination, but it was a Friday night, and it was Number 13, Bill Guerin, who brought the luck to the team in game 2 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals match-up against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Game 2 had a decidedly different feel to it than Game 1, which saw the Penguins dominate their opponent in every aspect of the game, making it look easy.  The Flyers recovered in the off-day, made adjustments, and were bound and determined to prove that they, too, could be a disciplined team.  And for a while, it seemed to be working.  The Flyers drew first blood barely seven seconds into their power play against the second PK unit of Maxime Talbot and Pascal Dupuis on a weird tip in from a shot at the blue line.  In the first period, the Broad Street Bullies de jour only had one offender in the sin bin versus two from the Pens.  This was a vast improvement from game 1, which saw four Flyers caught for penalties in the first period.

The Penguins continued a steady pace though, and Marc-Andre Fleury did his part to keep the game close, facing a total of 14 shots in the first frame.  His team was rewarded as #13 Bill Guerin hitched a ride on a shift with the original 2-Headed Monster of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.  Even strength at 16:38 in the second period, a 3-on-2 rush initiated by a great Gonchar poke-check in their defensive end sent the puck to a waiting Malkin on the right boards, and they were off.  A smart and sassy wrister from Guerin notched the equalizer.

The newly minted, disciplined Flyers team started to tarnish a little as the third period saw them taking the only penalty in the period on a Jeff Carter hook, and it would prove costly.  Guerin quarterbacked a play from the left side of Martin Biron who had to be mindful of Malkin behind him in the trapezoid.  Crosby was perched in the right circle.  Guerin surveyed the scene and made a shift a little higher in the left circle.  Crosby shifted up as well, allowing Guerin to send him a crisp pass across the front of the goal.  Crosby quickly turned the puck to Sergei Gonchar, who sent it back left again to Kris Letang cheating in on the left circle.  As this was happening, both Guerin and Malkin converged, and Letang’s slapper was fed into the net by Malkin.

That was with 3:47 left in regulation.  The Penguins had life, and the Flyers were seething.  OT was spectacular as Fleury turned away 10 shots and Biron faced 11.  The Flyers slung off their sheep’s clothing starting at 16:55 when the first wolf Mike Knuble reared his ugly head on a cross-checking penalty, which had him and an already-penalized Hal Gill for the Pens hanging out in the sin bin as their teams moved through a 4-on-4 situation.  Twenty-five seconds later at 17:25, one second before Gill was to be let loose, a second wolf emerged as Claude Giroux of the Flyers took a 2-minute slashing penalty and went to join his teammate, Knuble.

This created the perfect 5-on-3 the Pens needed.  Coach Dan Bylsma elected to insert Chris Kunitz in the power play this time, which slid Malkin to the right point with Gonchar on the left.  Guerin and Crosby took the left and right circles.  As Malkin shifted the puck along the blue line to Gonchar, the Sarge made for what looked like a slap shot that instead was slap-passed to a waiting Guerin perched just to Biron’s right off the left post.  The goal was the nail in the Flyers’ coffin as all discipline was thrown out the door, ending with a frustrated Kimmo Timonen taking a 10-minute misconduct penalty.

So what is it about Bill Guerin?  Last season, the cult of Gary Roberts applauded his role as the veteran in the locker room who could guide a young captain in Crosby and a young team in the Penguins to victory.  With Roberts, though, you never knew what you were going to get.  The cold look of a crocodile and the hit of a freight train, Roberts commanded notice.  He scored some key goals, but was seen more as an enigma–something simultaneously awed and feared.

Bill Guerin, by stark contrast, appears to be one of those veterans who fits the category of “still waters run deep.”  He’s not flashy, but he’s reliable.  He doesn’t do anything to command notice in the ways Roberts did, but that makes Guerin even more dangerous than Roberts.  Guerin skillfully flies under the radar of opposing teams, and by the time his presence is realized, it’s too late–kind of like a Stealth bomber.  His body of work in game 2 is a classic example of this.  He only posted two hits and a blocked shot, but he had his finger on the trigger for 8 shots on net, two of which were fatal blows to the Flyers.

From watching interviews, Guerin possesses the same kind of quiet, even-keeled, contemplative personality that Sidney Crosby does, and in that, Sid has a perfect mentor.  Unlike Roberts, Guerin is also one of those two puzzle pieces the Pens have been looking for to complete the Crosby line and end the saga of “Who Can Play with Sid?”  Marian Hossa was not the solution either, truth be told.

It is doubtful that there will be any WWBGD?  like the WWGRD? (What Would Gary Roberts Do?) slogans that seemed to show up everywhere in Pittsburgh last year.  It’s not necessary.  Guerin, now and in the long run, is a better suited veteran (and Crosby linemate) for the Penguins in terms of his poise and his skill.  The Pens are lucky to have Number 13.

Third “Line’s” a Charm

It is now official.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have not one mystical, magical two-headed monster, but TWO of them.

It’s no secret that Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have become the two-headed monster, but in the final, intense run to the playoffs, another two-headed monster reared up in the form of Jordan Staal and Tyler Kennedy. Don’t blink because on the lead PK, the monster transforms to the tandem of Staal and Matt Cooke who have been unleashed, and all three players could conceivably be the “X” Factor for a successful playoff conclusion, the kind that eluded the Pens last year.

Time and again, in games when the team struggled during the birth of its new identity, the third line, most consistently comprised of Staal, Kennedy, and Cooke, has emerged to hit hard, start cycles in the offensive end, wear down opponents, and put some points on the board.

Case in point: in their last game against the New York Islanders, if a tertiary assist existed, it would have gone to the Staal line on the Bill Guerin goal at 11:08 in the third period. Staal and company mercilessly ground down the Islanders’ defensemen with crisp, swift passes around the net, cycling on both circles, and wheeling the puck out to the blue-liners only to start all over again…and again…and again for what had to be one of the longest sustained cycles of the season.

By the time the Crosby line got on the ice, a too-short clear of the puck kept the Isle’s defensemen stranded on the ice. They put up a fight, but it was clear that their legs had turned to lead, and Guerin made them pay for it.

That’s the value of the Penguins’ third line, and under Dan Bylsma, they have methodically honed their craft. With each successive game they play in the Bylsma era, their cycles start sooner, last longer, and really free up the ice for their teammates. They are hitting their stride as a unit at the right time, and truth be told, the third line is the most in-sync unit.

The statistics also show the growth of these three players both individually and as a collective. An analysis of the last 24 games played under Michel Therrien and the 24 games played prior to their last against the Montreal Canadiens under Dan Bylsma shakes out as follows:

• Jordan Staal–Under Therrien: 4 G, 6 A (10 points), 40 shots on net with a 10% shot percentage. Under Bylsma: 7 G, 10 A (17 points), 61 shots on net with an 11.4% shot percentage.
• Matt Cooke–Under Therrien: 4 G, 2 A (6 points), 28 shots on net with a 14.3% shot percentage. Under Bylsma: 5 G, 6 A (11 points), 35 shots on net with a 14.3% shot percentage.
• Tyler Kennedy–Under Therrien: 4 G, 5A (9 points), 65 shots on net with a 6.2% shot percentage. Under Bylsma: 6 G, 9 A (15 points), 57 shots on net with a 10.5% shot percentage.
• Collectively–Under Therrien: 12 G, 13 A (25 points), 133 shots on net with a 9% shot percentage. Under Bylsma: 18 G, 35 A (43 points), 153 shots on net with an 18% shot percentage.

Staal’s shot production has increased considerably (+21), Cooke moderately so (+7), and while Kennedy’s shots on net have decreased (-8), his shot selection has evolved to create better chances to score, increasing his percentage by 4.3%. Under Bylsma, they have 6 more goals, 22 more assists, 20 more shots on net, and they’ve impressively doubled their shot percentage from 9% to 18%.

Watching them individually as well as collectively, these three skate with more confidence and authority. They punish opponents on the boards as they fight for possession of the puck, and each knows innately exactly where the other two are at all times.

Tyler Kennedy’s spark plug style makes him hard to track as one moment he’s on one side of the net, and the next, he’s in the opposite corner, breaching the distant to the puck before the first defenseman arrives, and gaining possession. He has a keen sense of where he is on the ice at all times in relation to Staal and Cooke even when his back is turned, showing very quick visual perception.

Matt Cooke adds the gritty, instigatory element to the line and to the team by extension, and he has really made a study of his role. The turning point was against the Tampa Bay Lightning some games back when he managed to out-best the old salty dog king tormentor and former Penguins forward, Gary Roberts. Cooke managed to get under Roberts’ skin, causing the 40-plus-year-old veteran to pull a rookie mistake and retaliate. Cooke’s brand of physical, scrappy play is to a point now where he is managing to spend less time in the penalty box, showing that he is mastering the subtler points of the art of institgation–and loving it.

Finally, big center man, Jordan Staal, is proving Ray Shero’s theory of creating a strong core from Sid through the lines to Fleury. Staal’s efforts, paired with Matt Cooke, have elevated the PK to a shade above 87%, and in 5-on-3 situations with the fantastic play of defenseman Rob Scuderi, this unit will prove both valuable and formidable in the playoffs.

Even more importantly, Staal’s confidence has sky-rocketed. He now lugs the puck from his defensive end into the offensive zone not as quick to get rid of it as in weeks past. Now, he looks not just to make a play but to generate a sustained play. Confidence is allowing him to “see” options as if he has all the time in the world within a span of mere seconds, and his linemates are operating on the same frequency.

Staal has developed some signature moves that reveal his strength and the true extent of his reach. The most striking thing he added to his repertoire was a few games ago when Kennedy fed him a puck some distance above the left circle just inside the blue line, clearly out of his usual comfort zone of the interior hash mark on the same side. Staal ripped a slap shot that scored. What this shows is a young player who is now ready to challenge himself a little more, to try something new when the opportunity arises. It makes one wonder what his stats might have been, and more importantly where he would be now in his own development, under a full season of Dan Bylsma.

It’d be nice to find out.

Broken Foot No Problem as Talbot Scores Game Winner

The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-2 in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday night to take a 2-0 lead in the series.  Max Talbot, playing his first game back since breaking his foot in Game 3 against the New York Rangers, scored the game winning goal midway through the 3rd period.  The Penguins have become the 8th team in NHL history to go 10-1 in a playoff season, and the first team to do so since the 1995 Detroit Red Wings. 

In the 1st period, the Flyers were dealt some adversity less than 2-minutes into the game when defenseman Braydon Coburn took a puck to the face.  Hal Gill launched a shot from the left point that deflected up off from Evgeni Malkin’s stick and hit Coburn near the left eye.  Coburn dropped to the ice with his hands over his face.  Coburn, obviously cut by the puck, ended up leaving the ice with the help of a trainer and never returned to the game.  After a break to clean some blood off the ice, play resumed for a short bit before Tyler Kennedy and Scott Upshall dropped the gloves at 3:49.  Kennedy looked like a machine as he unloaded some wild swings on Upshall.  After falling to the ice and getting back up again for a little more dancing, the linesmen stepped in an stopped the fight.  At 10:48, just seconds after the expiration of a brief 5-on-3 opportunity, Sidney Crosby threw the puck on net to score a powerplay goal and take the lead 1-0.  Sergei Gonchar assisted on Crosby’s 4th goal of the post-season.  At 16:41 while skating 4-on-4, Sidney Crosby appeared to get his second of the night as he poked the puck at the side of the net, before Martin Biron swept it out of the goal.  The on-ice officials called no goal, but went upstairs and to Toronto to see if the video replay conclusively showed the puck crossing the goal line.  While it appeared to me that the puck had indeed cleared the line, it was ultimately ruled no goal by the NHL.  The Penguins went 1-for-3 on the powerplay and 1-for-1 on the kill in the first period, with shots even at 9 per side.   

Image details: Philadelphia Flyers v Pittsburgh Penguins – Game Two served by picapp.com
In the 2nd period, the battle of the special teams continued as the Flyers evened the score on their 2nd of back-to-back powerplay attempts as Pascal Dupuis sat for interference.  Jeff Carter scores his 5th goal of the post-season from Joffrey Lupul and Jaroslav Modrey.  But at 13:43, the Penguins powerplay hit back as Marian Hossa swatted a rebound past Martin Biron for his 6th goal of the playoffs to restore the Penguins’ 1-goal lead.  Ryan Malone and Sergei Gonchar collected the assists on the play.  But while on the powerplay late in the period, Evgeni Malkin made an ill-advised cross-ice pass at the Flyers blueline that was picked off by Mike Richards, who skated it in on Fleury and beat him high on the glove side shorthanded to even it up at 2.  The Penguins outshot the Flyers 16-13 in the 2nd and were 1-for-3 on the powerplay, 1-for-2 on the penalty kill and gave up a shorthanded goal.  In the final period, the Penguins found a way to get it done 5-on-5.  The Penguins 4th line capitalized on a bobbled clearing attempt by James Dowd as the Flyers turned over the puck in their own end.  After the turnover, Georges Laraque took the puck and played keep away from a back-checking Sammi Kapanen before throwing it to the boards behind the Flyers net.  Gary Roberts raced in behind the net, collected the puck, and backhanded it into the slot onto the stick of Max Talbot who buried it in the net behind Biron.  Talbot’s goal at 8:51 from Roberts and Laraque ultimately proved to be the game winner.  The Penguins got the insurance goal at 19:31 as Jordan Staal put the puck into the empty net with Biron pulled in favor of the extra man.    Sidney Crosby and Sergei Gonchar were credited with the assists on the final goal.  The Penguins outshot the Flyers 134-10 in the final frame and were 0-for-1 on the powerplay. 
Image details: Philadelphia Flyers v Pittsburgh Penguins – Game Two served by picapp.com

• VIDEO:  Video Highlights
• VIDEO:  Post-Game Press Conference w/Coach Therrien
• VIDEO:  Post-Game Interviews
• PHOTOS:  In-Game Photos
• AUDIO:  Mike Lange Highlights
• AUDIO:  Post-Game Rink Rat Report
• AUDIO:  Post-Game Hotline
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Rosters
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Summary
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Boxscore
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Play-by-Play

Sidney Crosby (1G, 1A) and Sergei Gonchar (2A) each had 2-points on the night.  Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin now share the NHL post-season points lead at 17-points.  Coming off a 3-point performance in Game 1, Evgeni Malkin was held without a point in Game 2.  Marian Hossa (1G), Max Talbot (1G), Jordan Staal (1G), Ryan Malone (1A), Gary Roberts (1A) and Georges Laraque (1A) all finished the game with 1-point.  Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 2-of-32 for a 0.938 save percentage as he extended this post-season record to 10-1.  His 10-wins is a league best, as are his 2-shutouts.  His 0.937 save percentage in the post-season is just slightly behind league leader Chris Osgood with 0.939.

The Penguins travel to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Tuesday night, where they will hope to steal at least one of 2-games played there before returning home (if necessary).  The Penguins have kept the possibility of sweeping the Flyers alive, but they will face a big challenge and an unfriendly crowd in the next two games in Philly. 

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Penguins Take 3-0 Series Lead

The Pittsburgh Penguins continued their march through round one of the playoffs as they beat an inspired Ottawa Senators team 4-1 on Monday night to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the series.  Despite the emotional lift of getting Daniel Alfredsson back in the lineup, putting forth their best effort of the series, and scoring first, the Ottawa Senators gave up 2-quick goals early in the 3rd and fell to the Penguins on their own ice.  With the win, the Penguins have earned the opportunity to sweep the series with a win on Wednesday night, and reverse their first round fortunes of last post-season. 

In the 1st period, the Ottawa Senators came out as expected in front of their home crowd with a lot of emotion and energy.  That emotion was fueled by the earlier than expected return of Daniel Alfredsson to the Senators lineup.  While reportedly recovering from a lower body injury (suspected torn MCL), Alfredsson’s presence and puck handling abilities served to inspire his teammates as they put forth the best offensive effort seen so far in this series.  While there were no goals scored in the 1st period, the Senators outshot the Penguins 14-12.  The Penguins went 0-for-2 on the power play in the period and successfully killed off the only penalty (Talbot, goaltender interference). 

In the 2nd, it looked like the Senators would gain the momentum as they scored an even strength goal at 1:11 to take the early lead.  Nick Foligno took a bouncing pass from Jason Spezza, chipped it between the legs of a wandering Ryan Whitney and then beat Marc-Andre Fleury five-hole with a quick wrister.  The lead did not last long, however, as the Penguins bounced back with an even strength goal of their own at 5:39 from Max Talbot.  Marian Hossa moved the puck up the ice to Pascal Dupuis who hit Talbot breaking into the zone.  Talbot moved the puck to his backhand and slipped the puck between the open pads of Martin Gerber to tie it up 1-1.  The Penguins edged the Senators 14-13 in shots in the period, but failed to convert on two man advantage opportunities.     

In the 3rd period, the Penguins re-asserted their dominance in the series as they outshot the Senators 12-7 and scored 3-goals, including 2 in the first minute and a half of the period that broke the spirit of the Ottawa Senators.  Just 12-seconds into the period, Sidney Crosby busted in on a 2-on-1 break and snapped the puck past Martin Gerber stick side.  Marian Hossa and Rob Scuderi picked up the assists on the play.  Then, at 1:30, Jordan Staal chipped a Tyler Kennedy pass up over the the shoulder of Martin Gerber to make it 3-1.  Jarkko Ruutu picked up the other assist.  Finally, at 8:55, Marian Hossa collected a loose puck from a scrum in front of Gerber and deposited it into the net.  The power play goal was assisted by Sidney Crosby and Ryan Malone, and was Hossa’s first post-season goal in 4-years.  The Penguins were 1-for-3 on the power play and succesfully killed off their only short-handed situation.   

• VIDEO:  Game Highlights
• PHOTOS:  In-Game Photos
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Rosters
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Summary
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Boxscore
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Play-by-Play

Max Talbot (1G), Sidney Crosby (1G, 1A), Jordan Staal (1G) and Marian Hossa (1G, 2A) all picked up their first goals of the post-season, and Marc-Andre Fleury was again spectacular in goal stopping 33-of-34 shots.  Evgeni Malkin failed to figure in the scoresheet despite another strong performance.  Gary Roberts did not play due to a groin injury and was replaced by Adam Hall in the lineup.  The Penguins did a tremendous job of handling the pressure of going down 1-0 on their opponents ice, and continued to play their system largely to perfection.  Through 3-games in the series, the Penguins have outshot the Senators 127-90 and have outscored them 13-4.  Marc-Andre Fleury has a 0.956 save percentage and 1.33 GAA in the series. 

The Penguins meet the Senators again in Ottawa on Wednesday night where they will try to finish up the series on the road and make it a clean sweep.   

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Penguins Beat Senators 4-0

The Pittsburgh Penguins won Game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoff series against Ottawa Senators decisively by shutting them out 4-0.  Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was perfect in net, turning aside all 26 shots by the Senators.  Wiley veteran Gary Roberts playing in just his 2nd game since returning from a 42-game hiaitus with a broken leg, scored twice and led the Penguins in setting the tone for the rest of the series.  Evgeni Malkin extended his dominating play into the post season by notching 3-points (1G, 2A), and fueling the Penguins’ offense.       

It only took a little over a minute for the Penguins to prove that this series will not be a repeat of last season’s first round matchup.  With the 4th line scrumming all around the Ottawa net, Gary Roberts quickly posted himself in front of Martin Gerber and backhanded a shot past him to make it 1-0.  Georges Laraque and Max Talbot got the assists on the play.  Then at 12:28, Evgeni Malkin chipped a puck up the boards past a Senator and broke in 2-on-1 with Petr Sykora.  Malkin made a beautiful cross-ice pass to Sykora who buried it perfectly into the open side of the net to make it 2-0.  The Penguins outshot the Senators 10-8 in the 1st period, were 0-for-1 on the power play, and killed off their only penalty.

In the 2nd period, the Penguins poured it on but failed to score despite outshooting the Senators 15-10.  Late in the period, Marc-Andre Fleury gave Martin Lapointe a little stick to the back of the legs that Lapointe took exception to.  As play was called, Lapointe turned around and confronted Fleury with a shove.  Seeing the action, Max Talbot came flying in on Lapointe.  Talbot was assessed a double-minor roughing, while Lapointe only took a 2-minute call.  Despite getting 3-opportunities on the power play, including nearly a minute of 5-on-3, the Senators failed to crack the Penguins defense or solve Marc-Andre Fleury.  The Penguins missed on 2-man advantage opportunities in the 2nd period. 

In the 3rd period, the Penguins again outshot the Senators 10-8 and converted twice, including a power play goal.  The Senators had their chances as the Penguins got in some penalty trouble that gave Ottawa a 50-second 5-on-3 opportunity.  But they failed to take advantage of the golden opportunity they were given.  The Penguins put the game out of reach with their 3rd goal which came at even strength as Evgeni Malkin dominated the offensive zone, moving the puck to Ryan Malone and Ryan Whitney before taking a feed back from Whitney.  The pass hit Malkin’s skate, but he quickly kicked it to his stick and lifted it over the shoulder of Gerber to ignite the crowd and make it 3-0.  At 16:35, Wayne Redden took a swipe at Sidney Crosby as he was battling at the side of the Senators net.  Crosby battled back before being pulled off by two Senator players, clearing the way for Ryan Whitney to come in and put the hurt on a jersey-headed Wayne Redden.  Redden and Whitney took 5 for fighting, while Crosby and Dupuis each took roughing calls (Dupuis got a double-minor).  Dean McAmmond also got a double minor along with Wayne Redden.  When the dust settled, the result was a 2-minute powerplay for the Penguins.  This time, the Penguins converted as Marian Hossa passed the puck to Evgeni Malkin, who threw the puck across the goal mouth and off Gary Roberts skate into the net at 18:25.  With 12-seconds left in the game, Gary Roberts put a hit from behind that angered Cody Bass and a scrum ensued.  Roberts picked up 16-penalty minutes in the fracas (boarding, roughing, unsportsmanlike and a game misconduct).  Cody Bass and Chris Neil each got 2-minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct.  But it was inconsequential as the Penguins skated away to a 4-0 game 1 victory.

• VIDEO:  Game Highlights
• VIDEO:  Post-Game Press Conference w/Coach Therrien
• VIDEO:  Post-Game Interviews w/Gary Roberts, Sidney Crosby, Marc-Andre Fleury, Ryan Whitney, Jarkko Ruutu, and Max Talbot
• PHOTOS:  In-Game Photos
• AUDIO:  Mike Lange Highlights
• AUDIO:  Post-Game Rink Rat Report
• AUDIO:  Post-Game Hotline
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Rosters
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Summary
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Boxscore
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Play-by-Play

The win gives the Penguins a 1-0 lead in the best of 7 series with Ottawa.  Marc-Andre Fleury turned aside 26-shots for his first career playoff shutout, and his 2nd career playoff win as he was named the game’s first star.  He is now 11-2-1 since returning from the high ankle sprain injury.  Gary Roberts scored twice, his first goals since scoring twice on Dec 23rd against Boston, as he played tonight in just his 2nd game back after missing 42-games with a broken leg.  He was named the game’s 2nd star.  Evgeni Malkin’s 3-points earned him the game’s 3rd star.  Ottawa, already suffering from injuries, lost defenseman Anton Volchenkov early in the 2nd period after he was cut in the forehead by a Malkin slap shot.  He didn’t return to the game, and there was a delay as blood had to be cleaned from the playing surface.

The Penguins and Senators return to Mellon Arena on Friday night for game 2 of the series. 

 

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Penguins Win Shootout, Take Atlantic Lead

The Pittsburgh Penguins jumped out to an early lead but ultimately needed a shootout to beat the Atlanta Thrashers on Sunday afternoon, 3-2.  Marc-Andre Fleury, playing in his first full start since returning from his high ankle sprain injury, turned aside all three shots in the shootout to capture the win.  Kris Letang scored the lone shootout goal for the Penguins.  The win puts the Penguins solely in the lead of the Atlantic Division, and in 2nd place in the Eastern Conference behind Montreal.  Montreal and Pittsburgh both have 81-points, but Montreal has a game in hand against the Penguins.   

In the 1st period, it looked like the Penguins were going to walk away with the game quite quickly, as they scored 2-goals in the first 2:09 of the game.  The first goal came just 50 seconds into the game as Ryan Malone dug the puck out of the pads of a floundering Kari Lehtonen and backhanded it into the open net.  The goal was Malone’s 23rd of the season, and marks a career high.  Sergei Gonchar and Evgeni Malkin picked up the assists on the goal.  Then, at 2:09, Max Talbot made a nifty move to skate around a Thrashers’ defensemen and then backhanded the puck past Lehtonen for his 9th of the year.  Jarkko Ruutu and Alex Goligoski were credited with the assists on the play.  At 14:29, the Thrashers got back in the game when Jim Slater beat Marc-Andre Fleury with a slap shot.  Eric Boulton and Joel Kwiatkowski were given assists on the play.  The Penguins outshot the Thrashers 10-8 in the first, were 0-for-1 on the power play and killed off 2-penalties of their own. 

There was no scoring in the second as the Thrashers outshot the Penguins 13-11.  The Penguins were 0-for-1 on the power play and successfully killed off 3-penalties. 

In the 3rd, the Thrashers scored early on a carryover penalty to Evgeni Malkin (interference).  Vyacheslav Kozlov scored on the wrister to tie the game 2-2, with assists by Colby Armstrong and Joel Kwiatkowski.  The Penguins outshot the Thrashers 10-9, and were 0-for-1 on the power play.  The score remained tied through the end of regulation, and again through 5-minutes of sudden death overtime with 3-shots being registered per side.  In the shootout, the Penguins put up Petr Sykora, Kris Letang and Jarkko Ruutu.  Sykora nd Ruutu missed, but Letang used his signature move (the “Donkey Kick”) to beat Lehtonen.  The Thrashers put up Erik Christensen, Eric Perrin and Ilya Kovalchuk, none of whom were able to beat Fleury. 

• VIDEO:  Game Highlights
• VIDEO:  Post-Game Press Conference w/Coach Therrien
• VIDEO:  Post-Game Locker Room Interviews w/Ryan Malone, Marc-Andre Fleury, Kris Letang, Petr Sykora, Pascal Dupuis, Max Talbot
• PHOTOS:  In-Game Photos
• AUDIO:  Mike Lange Highlights
• AUDIO:  Rink Rat Report
• AUDIO:  Hotline
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Rosters
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Summary
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Boxscore
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Play-by-Play
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Shootout Summary

In other news, FSN Pittsburgh showed Sidney Crosby and Gary Roberts both practicing with the team today and looking good.  It was mentioned that Roberts also suffered a high ankle sprain along with the fracture.  No timetable was given for their return, but you just get the feeling that Crosby will be back soon.  There is speculation that he will make the road trip this week with the Penguins and may play next weekend. 

The Penguins hit the road to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night and the Florida Panthers on Thursday night before traveling to Washington, DC, on Sunday to take on the Capitals.   

Penguins Face Uphill Battle as Injuries Mount

Since the beginning of December, the Pittsburgh Penguins have been dealt their fare share of adversity.  Despite injuries to key elements of their lineup, they managed to overcome the struggles and put together a 16-6-1 record since December 1st.  They put together this impressive run despite losing their #1 goaltender, their #1 veteran, their #2 defenseman, and a number of other key members of the lineup.  Now they face a defining moment in their season as their leader, Captain, and arguably the best player in the league will be sidelined for an undetermined period of time with a high ankle sprain.  How do you compensate for the loss of a player like Sidney Crosby, especially with other key players still out of the lineup?  That is the challenge that the Penguins face going forward.

It all started in early December with the loss of #1 goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.  Despite a lackluster start at the beginning of the season, Fleury was hitting his stride on December 7th when he fell akwardly with his leg underneath him in a game against the Calgary Flames.  At the time of the injury, he was coming off from 4-straight wins, giving up just 4-goals in that timespan.  The injury was a high ankle sprain, and the prognosis was 4-6 weeks.  It has now been 6-weeks and his return is still unknown as his rehabilitation has been slower than projected.  He has yet to be able to move vertically in the crease without difficulty.  For many, Fleury’s injury was viewed as a death knell for the Penguins season, as there was little faith in their depth in net.  However, Dany Sabourin and Ty Conklin took it as an opportunity to prove their worth and they both overcame the adversity to push the Penguins to a 1st-place tie in the highly competitive Atlantic Division.

Then on December 8th against Vancouver, Max Talbot left the ice after aggravating his own high ankle sprain that he incurred in mid-November.  Although not a top-line forward, Talbot was off to a career best season and was the Penguins leading goal scorer in the early season.  Talbot was out for a month, returning to action on the 10th of January. 

On December 23rd against the Boston Bruins, the Penguins lost one of their best defensemen when Mark Eaton left the ice with a torn ACL.  The news got worse when the team learned that he would have season-ending surgery to repair the injury. 

A few days later, on December 29th against Buffalo, the Penguins lost their veteran leader Gary Roberts to a broken leg.  The Penguins hope to get him back before the end of the season, but no timeline has been set for his return. 

Sidney Crosby’s injury was on the 18th of January against Tampa Bay, a game which the Penguins lost 3-0.  It was their first regulation loss in 11-games.  Despite the shutout loss and losing Crosby, the team came back the next night to not only beat Montreal, but to shut them out 2-0.  Unfortunately, the Penguins suffered another loss early in that game when Colby Armstrong went hard into the boards and left the game with a bruised hip.  The team has also lost forward Adam Hall with a groin pull that will sideline him at least a week. 

Add to all of the injuries a flu-like illness that has been working its way through the roster and sidelining players like Tyler Kennedy and Erik Christensen, and the level of adversity the team has struggled through has been pretty remarkable. 

Despite it all, the loss of Sidney Crosby will be the biggest hurdle the team has faced.  Crosby leads the team in points, assists, plus/minus and, perhaps most of all, determination.  With Crosby gone, the team will need to find offense from other places within the lineup.  Evgeni Malkin has stated that he wants to lead the team, and will likely be able to do so as well as anyone else on the ice for the Penguins.  He was a tour de force in the game against Montreal, but will be unable to do it alone.  Aside from the offensive leadership and contributions that Crosby provided on-ice, his leadership off the ice will also be missed.  It is unfortunate that veteran Gary Roberts is also out of the lineup.  It seems clear that Sergei Gonchar is a likely candidate to step up into that leadership role with Roberts and Crosby both out. 

The Penguins have called up some players from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to help fill some of the holes in the lineup and to try and provide some depth to the roster.  On Saturday, Ray Shero announced the recall of forwards Chris Minard, Tim Brent and Jonathan Filewich from the American Hockey League affiliate.  Minard has 31-points (17G, 14A) in 39 games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.  Brent leads Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with 35-points (7G, 28A) in 39 games.  Filewich has 17-points (7G, 10A) in 37 games.

Only time will tell if the Penguins can overcome the current adversity it faces.  The schedule is not going to be forgiving with some key divisional games coming up in the next 30-days.  With the Flyers, Devils and Penguins caught in a 3-way tie for the Atlantic Division lead, there is no room for mediocrity.  If they can find ways to win and keep themselves in the playoff hunt, the Penguins will be a team to be reckoned with come April.  If any team can do it, it is this Penguins team.  

Go Pens Go!        

Roberts Breaks Leg as Pens Shutout Sabres

The Pittsburgh Penguins played a very strong game and won the first leg of their indoor/outdoor back-to-back series against Buffalo Saturday night as they shut out the Sabres 2-0.  Despite the win, the Penguins suffered a loss in the 2nd period.  After being honored by Ray Shero at the beginning of the game for scoring 900-points in his NHL career, Gary Roberts left the ice midway through the 2nd period with a broken leg (fibula) after Buffalo’s Tim Connolly fell into him akwardly near the Penguins’ blueline.  Roberts, who left the ice with the aid of his teammates, avoided what appeared to be a likely serious ligament injury, but will still be out for an extended period of time, adding to the Pens’ injury woes.   

Ty Conklin got the nod in net and won his 4th straight game by grabbing his first shutout in nearly 2 years and advanced his record to 4-0.  His last shutout came on January 3rd, 2006, playing for the Edmonton Oilers.  Conklin stopped 26 Buffalo shots, including a few real nail biters, and was puck-handling all night like an accomplished 3rd defenseman. 

The 1st period was evenly matched with neither team scoring a goal.  The shots were even at 8, and the only power play opportunity went to the Buffalo Sabres when Ryan Malone sat for tripping.  It was Malone’s first game after missing 5 due to a leg infection.  He spent most of the night on the 2nd line, with Malkin, Crosby and Armstrong staying together on the top line. 

In the 2nd, the Penguins scored a quick goal just 12 seconds into the period.  Sidney Crosby set up the play perfectly by muscling his way past Jochen Hecht to get the puck at the blue line, and then faked a shot before dishing the puck to Colby Armstrong who was going hard to the net with his stick on the ice.  The puck was redirected into the net off from Armstrong’s stick to put the Penguins up 1-0.   Darryl Sydor picked up the other assist for his 3rd point in the last 2 games.  Midway through the period, the Penguins lost Gary Roberts to the broken leg.  Shots were again tied at 8 per side at the end of the 2nd, with both teams going 0 for 1 on the power play. 

In the 3rd, the score remained 1-0 until the last 22 seconds when Evgeni Malkin put the insurance goal into the open net.  Sidney Crosby unselfishly passed the puck to a wide-open Malkin who skated the puck most of the way to the net before tapping it in.  Colby Armstrong picked up the other assist, giving him 7-points (2G, 5A) in his last 5-games.  Sidney Crosby’s assist gave him 2-points on the night to increase his season total to 52-points.  Shots were 10-9 in favor of Buffalo in the third.  The Penguins were 0-for-3 on the powerplay in the 3rd and successfully killed off 2 penalties, albeit the 2nd one coming with less than 10-seconds to go in the game. 

• VIDEO:  Game Highlights 
• VIDEO:  Post-Game Press Conference w/Coach Therrien
• VIDEO:  Post-Game Locker Room Interviews
• PHOTOS:  In-Game Photos
• AUDIO:  Mike Lange Highlights
• AUDIO:  Post-Game Hotline
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Rosters
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Summary
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Boxscore
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Play-by-Play

The win extends Pittsburgh’s record to 12-5-0 in their last 17-games since beating Ottawa on Thanksgiving Day in the game that has turned their season around.  The Penguins travel to Buffalo for the much anticipated outdoor Winter Classic game to be played at 1PM on New Year’s Day.  The game will be carried live on NBC and CBC.  Current weather forecast is for snow showers with the day’s temperatures ranging from 24-32 degrees.   

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