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Stanley Cup Finals Preview – Penguins vs Red Wings

This is it!  The 2008 Stanley Cup Finals will commence Saturday night at Joe Louis Arena as the Eastern Conference Champion Pittsburgh Penguins take on the Western Conference Champion Detroit Red Wings.  Finishing #1 in the league during the regular season with 115 points, Detroit has the home ice advantage over the #4 Penguins, who finished with 102-points.  The Penguins advanced to the Cup Finals by sweeping the #13 Ottawa Senators, beating the #9 New York Rangers in 5-games, and dispatching the #11 Philadelphia Flyers in 5-games.  The Red Wings advanced by beating the #17 Nashville Predators in 6-games, sweeping the #10 Colorado Avalanche, and finishing off the #8 Dallas Stars in 6-games.  The Cup Finals promise to be a highly-skilled battle of youth versus experience between two-teams that haven’t met since the pre-season, and have never met in the post-season.  So how do these two teams match up?  Let’s take a look.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have been virtually unstoppable in the playoffs having lost just 2-of-14 games.  The Penguins continue to excel on the play of their special teams, their defense and stellar netminding.  Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has been phenomenal in net in the playoffs, leading the league with a 0.938 save percentage, a 0.857 win percentage, and 3 shutouts.  He is also 2nd in goals against average at 1.70 behind Detroit’s Chris Osgood (1.60).  The Penguins lead the league in post-season goals per game at 3.64, as well as goals-against per game at just 1.86, and own the best power play of all remaining teams at 24.6%, second only to Calgary who was sent golfing in round 1.  The Penguins’ penalty kill has been highly effective at 87.3%, and is tied with Detroit.  The Penguins have found balanced scoring across all 4-lines with all 13 forwards recording at least one goal, and all 19 players scoring at least one point in 14 playoff games.  The Penguins’ star players have lived up to their expectations as Sidney Crosby (4G, 17A) leads the league with 21-points, and Evgeni Malkin (9G, 10A) and Marian Hossa (9G, 10A) are not far behind with 19-points each.  Of late, JOrdan Staal has come alive and has 7-points (6G, 1A) in 14-games.  The only significant weakness that the Penguins have exhibited in the playoffs has been their performance in the face-off circle, where they trail the league at 46.7%.  It hasn’t burned them yet, as they have won 12 of their 14 games and have outscored their opponents convincingly 51-26.  They will now be facing off against a more evenly matched Detroit team, who is the league’s leader in the face-off circle at 55.7%.

The Detroit Red Wings dominated the league throughout the regular season and have carried that tradition forward into the post-season, dispatching their opponents by winning 12-of-16 games and outscoring them 55-31.  The Red Wings have gotten balanced contributions from their lineup with 8-players scoring 10-points or more in the post-season, including 3 defensemen.  Henrik Zetterburg (11G, 10A) is tied for the league lead with Sidney Crosby at 21-points and Pavel Datsyuk (9G, 10A) has also been hockey gold scoring 19-points.  Both players are Selke Trophy finalists for this season’s top NHL defensive forward.  In the post-season, Zetterberg is a +15 and Datyuk is a +12.  Johan Franzen who has missed 5-games with concussion-symptoms still leads the league with 12-goals and will be a force to be reckoned with upon his return.  He has been given the green light to return to practice, but is unlikely for game 1.  The Red Wings also have 5-time Norris Tropy winner and 2008 finalist Niklas Lidstrom, who is paired with Brian Rafalski for a potent defensive combination.  The Red Wings goaltending job was handed over to Chris Osgood after a 2-2 start by Dominik Hasek.  Osgood leads the league with 1.60 goals against average over 12 starts, has a tremendous 10-2 record, and has been a major component of the Red Wings’ post-season success.   

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This series will be a battle of size and youth against experience.  The average age of the Penguins is 4.4 years younger than the Detroit Red Wings.  But along with the durability of youth comes inexperience.  The Penguins roster contains just 3-Stanley Cup winners to include Gary Roberts (Calgary 88-89), Darryl Sydor (Dallas 98-99 and Tampa Bay 03-04) and Petr Sykora (New Jersey 99-00).  The Red Wings have 10 players who have hoisted the Cup, some of them multiple times, to include Chris Chelios (2x), Pavel Datsyuk, Kris Draper (3x), Dominik Hasek, Tomas Holmstrom (3x), Niklas Lidstrom (3x), Kirk Maltby (3x), Darren McCarty (3x), Chris Osgood (2x) and Brian Rafalski (2x).  One has to wonder which stokes the fire of desire more….knowing the exhiliration of having hoisted the Cup before, or the desire to achieve one’s dream for the first time?  In addition to youth and experience, size may well become a factor.  On average, the Penguins outweigh the Red Wings by 13lbs and are nearly 1 3/4″ taller.  Height and weight could be an advantage for the Penguins if the game gets physical.  It could also potentially be a liability in terms of speed and agility, however, I think the Penguins youth would likely trump any limitations there.  Both teams are replete with skilled players, however, the Penguins have the edge in potential with 13 former 1st round draft picks in the lineup.  The Red Wings, with no shortage of proven talent, are playing with 3 former first round picks.   

The keys to this series is likely to be all about defensive play and goaltending.  If Marc-Andre Fleury can continue to play with confidence of steel, the Red Wings could get frustrated and start to feel snake bit.  He will need the help of the Penguins defense, though, to keep the traffic in front of him down to a minimum.  They will need to prevent mad scrambles in front of the net, the only scenario where Fleury has shown any real signs of vulnerability in the post-season.  The Penguins offense will also have to be masters of the backcheck to try and create turnovers and odd man chances.  It seems unlikely that the Red Wings will be caught in many defensive lapses, however.  On the other end of the ice, the Penguins will have to find a way to penetrate the Red Wings’ stingey defense and then solve a red hot Chris Osgood.  The Penguins certainly have the firepower, skill and depth in Malkin, Crosby, Sykora, Malone and Hossa, but they have have to fight for every inch of ice against this defensively superior Red Wings team.  The Penguins will need Jordan Staal to continue his offensive surge of late to add pressure to the Detroit defense, and will also need strong contributions from the energy line with Laraque and Ruutu.  While the penalty kills are equally effective for both teams, the Penguins have a noticeable advantage on the powerplay (24.6% vs 21%).  The Penguins may have to rely on their special teams to help crack the defensive advantage of the Red Wings.  If the Penguins can use their speed and size to their advantage, they may be able to pull the Red Wings into penalty trouble and make them pay, although I will note that it would be uncharacteristic of the Red Wings to do so. 

In summary, I believe that the Penguins will face their toughest challenge of the year in the Detroit Red Wings.  They will need to find a way to put youth and size to their advantage by playing a physical game against the Red Wings to try and wear the “old guys” down and create opportunities.  They will need to find ways to break through the stifling defense of the Detroit Red Wings, put a lot of pressure on Chris Osgood, and hopefully put a dent in his confidence.  The Penguins underrated defense will have to continue to perform like they did in game 5 against the Flyers and find ways to stop Zetterberg and Datsyuk from getting quality opportunities on net. 

This series could go either way, and I fully expect it to go the distance and be an exciting series.  I believe that the skill levels and depth are fairly even, making it hard to see a clear advantage for either team.  As such, I don’t see either team scoring a blowout in any game.  However, with bias, I am going to choose youth and size as the discriminator and pick the Penguins to win the Stanley Cup in 7 hard fought games.

Image details: Philadelphia Flyers v Pittsburgh Penguins – Game Five served by picapp.com

Let’s Go Pens!

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Penguins Complete Sweep, Advance to Round 2

The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Ottawa Senators 3-1 on Wednesday night to complete a 4-game series sweep and became the first team to advance to round two of the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs.  For the Penguins it was sweet redemption for last year’s early exit in in the first round of the playoffs courtesy of these same Ottawa Senators.  This season, a more experienced, complete and confident Penguins team took full advantage of a wounded and struggling Ottawa as they outshot them 161-112 and outscored them 16-5 in 4-games.  The victory completed the first playoff series sweep for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 16-years, and its first playoff series win since 2001.  The last sweep came in 1992 as the Penguins swept Boston and then Chicago enroute to its second consecutive Stanley Cup victory.

There was no scoring in the 1st period despite the Penguins 14-5 domination in shots.  The Penguins were afforded one power play opportunity in the period, but failed to convert.  Marian Hossa notched 7 of the Penguins’ shots on goal for the period. 

In the 2nd period, the Penguins got on the board early as they converted on a power play opportunity at 1:40.  Evgeni Malkin collected his own rebound after Martin Gerber stopped his shot on a Sidney Crosby cross-crease pass and tapped the puck in on his second attempt.  It was Malkin’s 2nd goal of the series and 7th point.  Sergei Gonchar and Sidney Crosby picked up the assists.  Then at 10:31, Cory Stillman beat Marc-Andre Fleury to tie it up.  Wayne Redden and Anton Volchenkov were credited with the assists.  At 15:28, the Penguins regained the lead on an even strength goal by Jarkko Ruutu, his first of the playoffs.  Tyler Kennedy caught Ruutu with an up ice pass that almost gave him a clean breakaway.  With Senators’ defenseman Brian Lee tying him up as he drove to the net, Ruutu quickly spun around to the backhand and slipped the puck through Gerber’s five-hole to make it 2-1.  Kennedy had the only assist on the play.  Late in the period, Antoine Vermette had a tying goal disallowed as the video reply clearly showed that he put the puck into the net off his skate with a distinct kicking motion.  The Penguins again outshot the Senators 16-8 and went 1-for-3 on the power play.  The Penguins killed off a lone hooking penalty to Ryan Malone. 

In the 3rd period, the Senators pressed to stay alive but came up short.  The Penguins offensive effort let up as the Senators outshot them 9-4, but it wasn’t enough to make the difference in the game.  At 19:52 with Gerber pulled from the net for the extra attacker, Sidney Crosby took advantage of a turnover and shot the puck into the empty net from mid-ice to seal the game and the series.

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

The Penguins’ stars more than lived up to expectations in this 4-game series.  Leading the pack was Captain Sidney Crosby who put up 8-points (2G, 6A).  On his heels was Evgeni Malkin with 7-points (2G, 5A).  Ryan Malone (2G, 3A) and Marian Hossa (1G, 4A) each put up 5-points, Petr Sykora (3G) added 3-points, and Sergei Gonchar (1G, 1A) had 2-points.  Marc-Andre Fleury let in just 5-goals on 112-shots for an incredible 0.955 save percentage and 1.26 goals against average.  Just as importantly, the Penguins found contributions from the lower lines as well with Jarkko Ruutu (1G, 1A), Max Talbot (1G, 1A), Gary Roberts (2G), and Jordan Staal (1G) all contributing. 

The Penguins will now get a lengthy rest while the other first round series play out.  The Penguins will face off against one of Boston, New Jersey or the New York Rangers next, depending upon how the series’ play out.  If Boston can overcome their 3-1 defecit and beat Montreal, the Penguins would meet them in the 2nd round.  Otherwise, the Penguins will play the winner of the New Jersey Devils/New York Rangers series.  Regardless of who they meet, the Penguins will maintain the home ice advantage.  The series will begin sometime next week.

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Ruutu Powers Pens Past Islanders 3-1

The Pittsburgh Penguins avenged their recent loss to the New York Islanders by beating them 3-1 on Thursday night to take over 1st place in the Eastern Conference.  Sidney Crosby returned to round out Pittsburgh’s offensively laden top-2 lines, but it was Jarkko Ruutu who put up the points by scoring a short-handed goal and two assists to power the Penguins into the Eastern Conference lead over an idle Montreal Canadiens.  Despite the win, the Penguins were yet again dealt adversity as Marian Hossa left the game in the 3rd period with an unspecified upper body injury after being hit from behind.  Hossa briefly left the game in the 2nd period after taking a hip-check to his previously injured knee, but returned and appeared to be fine. 

In the 1st period, Evgeni Malkin notched his 45th goal of the season to put the Penguins up 1-0 at 6:53.  Jarkko Ruutu and Georges Laraque picked up the assists on the play.  The goal was Malkin’s 103rd point of the season to draw him within 4-points of Alexander Ovechkin in the race for the NHL scoring title.  At 16:31, the Islanders tied it up on a goal by Josef Vasicek that eluded Marc-Andre Fleury.  Bill Guerin and Freddy Meyer were credited with the assists.  Shots were 11-10 in the first period in favor of the Penguins, who were 0-for-1 on the power play.

In the 2nd period, Jarkko Ruutu made a beautiful play to fool the Islanders’ goaltender and then scored on the wraparound with an unassisted short-hander.  It was a penalty laden period with a total of 14 infractions being called between the 2-teams for 40-minutes in penalty time.  The Penguins outshot the Islanders 11-5 in the period.

At 6:40 of the 3rd period, Georges Laraque took a nice breakaway pass from Jarkko Ruutu and chipped the puck past the Islanders’ tender to make it 3-1.  Despite being out of a playoff position, the Islanders didn’t give up and outshot the Penguins 13-7 in the final period.  Marc-Andre Fleury managed to weather the storm, and despite having 1:10 of empty net time, the Penguins failed to connect for a 4th goal.

• VIDEO:  Game Highlights
• VIDEO:  Post-Game Press Conference w/Coach Therrien
• VIDEO:  Post-Game Locker Room Interviews w/Jarkko Ruutu, Georges Laraque, Marc-Andre Fleury
• PHOTO:  In-Game Photos
• AUDIO:  Mike Lange Highlights
• AUDIO:  Rink Rat Report
• AUDIO:  Post-Game Hotline
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Rosters
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Summary
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Boxscore
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Play-by-Play

Marc-Andre Fleury recorded his 6th consecutive win and his 8th win in 9 starts since returning from his high ankle injury.  Jarkko Ruutu recorded his 4th goal and 6th point in the last 6-games.  The Penguins took a step closer to clinching the Atlantic Division title by expanding their lead to 6-points over the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers who are locked in a battle for 2nd place.  The Penguins host the surging New York Rangers in a Sunday matinee, the first of a back-to-back, home-and-home series with the Rangers.   

Penguins Explode in 3rd, Bury Devils 7-1

The Pittsburgh Penguins exploded for 5-goals in the 3rd period to bury the New Jersey Devils 7-1 and take over 1st place in the Atlantic Division.  Evgeni Malkin broke the 100-point mark as he picked up 3-points (2G, 1A) to pull back within 4-points (102) of Alexander Ovechkin (106) for the NHL scoring lead.  Ryan Malone had 2-points (2G), Marian Hossa had 3-points (3A), Pascal Dupuis had 2-points (1G, 1A), Petr Sykora had 3-points (1G, 2A), and Sergei Gonchar had 2-points (2A).  Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 24-of-25 shots to notch a win against the Devils.  The Penguins trail the Montreal Canadiens by 1-point for the Eastern Conference lead, but have a game in hand against the Habs. 

In the 1st period, Jarkko Ruutu put the Penguins on the board first at 1:30 as he scored his 5th goal of the season, and 3rd goal in his last 3-games.  Marian Hossa and Darryl Sydor picked up the assists.  At 9:04, the Devils got the equalizer as Brian Gionta beat Marc-Andre Fleury on a short-handed opportunity to make it 1-1.  John Madden picked up the lone assist.  The Devils outshot the Penguins 13-8 in the first.  The Penguins killed off their only penalty and were 0-for-2 on the powerplay, but did give up the short-hander.  

In the 2nd period, Ryan Malone put the Penguins back in the lead as he took a beautiful feed from Pascal Dupuis and beat Martin Brodeur with a short-handed goal of their own.  Brooks Orpik picked up the other assist.  Both teams picked up 7-shots in the period.  The Penguins were 0-for-1 on the power play and successfully killed off 2-penalties as they picked up a short-handed goal.

In the 3rd period, the Penguins put the hurt on the Devils by scoring 5-goals.  The Penguins chased Martin Brodeur from the net after scoring 2-goals on 4-shots in the 3rd before peppering back-up goaltender Kevin Weekes and scoring 3-goals on 9-shots.  The first goal came on the powerplay at 3:00 as Ryan Malone deflected a Sergei Gonchar blast to score his 26th of the season and 2nd of the night.  Marian Hossa got the other assist.  Less than 2-minutes later, Pascal Dupuis got his 12th goal of the season as he sent Martin Brodeur to an early shower.  Marian Hossa got his 3rd assist and Sergei Gonchar got his 2nd assist of the night.  Then at 8:24, Evgeni Malkin scored his 43rd goal of the season and notched his 100th point and beat Kevin Weekes on the man-advantage.  Kris Letang and Petr Sykora assisted on the play.  Then at 11:21, Evgeni Malkin and Petr Sykora connected as Malkin beat Weekes again to make it 6-1.  But Sykora and Malkin weren’t done with Weekes as Petr Sykora took a Malkin feed at 18:18 to put an exclamation point on the Penguins offensive explosion.  Ryan Whitney was credited with the other assist.  The Penguins outshot the Devils 13-5 in the 3rd and were 2-for-3 on the power play, despite failing to score on a 5-minute boarding major to Travis Zajac after he pummeled Sergei Gonchar head first into the boards. 

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

The Penguins travel to New York to take on the Islanders on Monday night before reuniting with the Devils for a rematch in New Jersey on Tuesday night. 

Penguins Beat Lightning 4-2

The Pittsbirgh Penguins scored 2-quick goals in the opening minute of the 3rd-period to beat the down-and-out Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 on Thursday night.  Evgeni Malkin picked up 2-points (1G, 1A) to record his 99th point of the season, and fell just short of his 100th on an empty net goal by Marian Hossa that came just after the buzzer sounded to end the game.  The win ties the Penguins in points with the New Jersey Devils who have a game in hand.  The Penguins will have a chance to put themselves ahead of the Devils when they meet on Saturday at Mellon Arena and again on Tuesday in New Jersey. 

In the 1st period, the Penguins got on the board first as Jarkko Ruutu jumped on a rebound from a Brooks Orpik shot and notched his 4th goal of the season at 14:20.  Max Talbot was credited with the other assist.  After he put the puck in net, Ruutu took a high stick to the face from Dan Boyle.  Boyle was only assessed a 2-minute penalty despite the fact that Ruutu was bleeding and required 10-15 stitches before returning to the game.  Shots were even at 8 in the 1st, and both teams failed to convert on one man-advantage opportunity.

In the 2nd, the Lightning evened the score at 4:18 on a Vincent Lecavalier powerplay goal as Jarkko Ruutu sat for a boarding call.  Jussi Jokinen and Filip Kuba picked up the assists on the play.  Evgeni Malkin put the Penguins back in the lead at 10:05 as he scored his 42nd of the season on a bad-angle backhander that he lifted above a sprawling Mike Smith.  Ryan Whitney had the lone assist.  The Penguins were outshot 6-4 in the 2nd, went 0-for-1 on the powerplay, and 1-for-2 on the penalty kill.

In the 3rd, the Penguins scored twice in the 1st minute of play to put the game out of reach for the Lightning.  The first goal came at 0:35 as Jordan Staal buried a rebound off from a Pascal Dupuis shot for his 12th goal of the season.  It was Staal’s 3rd-goal and 4th-point in the last 5-games.  Pascal Dupuis has been on fire for the Penguins as he recorded his 7th assist in the last 4-games.  Just 16-seconds later, Petr Sykora netted his 26th of the season off from a feed from Evgeni Malkin and Ryan Malone.  A minute later, the Lightning got the final tally on a powerplay goal by Filip Kuba as Petr Sykora sat for slashing.  Martin St. Louis and Jussi Jokinen picked up the assists.  The Penguins outshot the Lightning 11-7 in the final frame and were 0-for-1 on the powerplay and 1-for-2 on the penalty kill. 

• 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 Rink Rat Report
• AUDIO:  Post-Game Hotline
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Rosters
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Summary
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Boxscore
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Play-by-Play 

Evgeni Malkin’s 99th point puts him 3-points behind Alexander Ovechkin in the NHL scoring race, with a game in hand.  The Penguins host the New Jersey Devils in a Eastern Conference showdown at Mellon Arena on Saturday night. 

Penguins Tripped Up By Rangers

After playing two games in which they outscored their opponents 14-4, the Pittsburgh Penguins lost 5-2 on Tuesday night to the New York Rangers.  Penguins’ goaltender Ty Conklin gave up 5 goals on 30 shots and fell short of the performance he has routinely provided for the Penguins this season.  The red hot line of Evgeni Malkin, Petr Sykora and Ryan Malone also failed to record a point after putting up a combined 14-points in just the last 2-games.  The loss prevented the Penguins from re-taking the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference lead from the idle New Jersey Devils. 

In the 1st period, the Rangers outshot the Penguins and established a 2-0 lead on goals by Sean Avery and Ryan Callahan just 40-seconds apart.  At 11:07, Sean Avery scored his 14th goal of the season to open the scoring.  Jaromir Jagr and Michal Rozsival got the assists on the play.  Then at 11:47, Ryan Callahan beat Ty Conklin to make it 2-0.  Chris Drury and Martin Straka were credited with the assists.  The Penguins were outshot 12-8 in the first and failed to convert on the lone power play advantage of the period.

In the 2nd period, it looked as if the Penguins might rejoin the game after they scored 2 early goals to tie the game 2-2.  At 1:38, Jarkko Ruutu picked up his 3rd goal of the season as he beat Henik Lundqvist with a backhander.  Ryan Whitney and Darryl Sydor were credited with the assists.  Then at 3:11, Jordan Staal wristed a goal past Lundqvist to tie it up.  Newcomers Pascal Dupuis and Marian Hossa assisted on the tally.  But a little less than a minute later, the Rangers regained the lead on an unassisted wrister by Fredrik Sjostrom.  The Penguins outshot the Rangers 11-9 in the 2nd, despite being short-handed 2-times as Dupuis (hooking) and Staal (tripping) each sat for 2-minutes. 

In the final frame, the Rangers added 2-more goals to put the game out of reach for the Penguins.  At 5:37, Sean Avery scored his 3nd goal of the night to make it 4-2 on a feed from Daniel Girardi and Brandon Dubinsky.  Then at 11:29, Martin Straka collected his 14th of the season on a feed from Chris Drury.  The Rangers outshot the Penguins 9-5 in the 3rd as neither team was given a man-advantage. 

• VIDEO:  Game Highlights
• PHOTOS:  In-Game Photos
• AUDIO:  Mike Lange Highlights
• AUDIO:  Post-Game Hotline
• AUDIO:  Post-Game Rink Rat Report
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Rosters
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Summary
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Boxscore
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Play-by-Play

The Penguins return home to host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday evening before hosting the New Jersey Devils on Saturday in a continuing battle for the Eastern Conference title. 

 

Gonchar Scores 600th Point as Pens Beat Habs 5-4

The Pittsburgh Penguins  traveled to Montreal on Thursday night and picked up their 3rd straight win by beating the Canadiens 5-4, despite falling behind 4-3 early in the 3rd period.  Sergei Gonchar scored the game winning goal midway through the 3rd to pick up his 50th point of the season, and 600th of his career.  Evgeni Malkin picked up 3-more points (1G, 2A) to extend his lead to 4-points over Alexander Ovechkin in the Art Ross scoring title race.  Malkin has surged to the top by scoring 41-points in his last 21-games.  He now has 82-points (35G, 45A) on the season.  The win puts the Penguins back in a tie with New Jersey for the Atlantic Division lead, and just one point behind the Eastern Conference leading Ottawa Senators who lost in a shootout on Thursday. 

In the 1st period, the Penguins came out strong and outshot the Canadiens 15-8.  In the barrage, the Penguins managed to beat Cristobal Huet twice.  The first goal came at 6:46 as Ryan Whitney picked up his 12th of the year from Evgeni Malkin and Petr Sykora.  The 2nd goal came late in the period as Jarkko Ruutu gathered up a Canadiens’ turnover and beat Huet at 18:47 to give the Penguins a 2-goal lead.  The Penguins were 0-for-1 on the powerplay and committed no penalties of their own. 

In the 2nd, the Canadiens got back in the game on an early goal by Saku Koivu at 3:27.  Sergei Kostitsyn and Ryan O’Byrne were credited with the assists.  At 6:59, Ryan Malone restored the 2-goal lead by picking up his 20th of the year, a power play goal.  Ryan Whitney and Petr Sykora contributed with assists.  Late in the 2nd, the Canadiens drew within one again as Christopher Higgins tipped in a pass from Alex Kovalev while Jarkko Ruutu sat for hooking.  Andrei Markov was credited with the other assist.  The Penguins outshot the Canadiens 8-7 in the 2nd, and were 1-for-1 on the man advantage but gave up a goal on a lone penalty kill. 

In the 3rd, it looked like the Canadiens were going to build off from their recent come from behind victory as they quickly put up 2-goals to take the lead from the Penguins.  The Canadiens tied up the game just 21-seconds into the period when Michael Ryder put a wrist shot past Dany Sabourin.  Mark Streit and Josh Gorges had the assists for Montreal.  Then at 3:25 while Tyler Kennedy sat for a hooking call, Roman Hamrlik scored his 4th of the season to put the Canadiens ahead.   Saku Koivu and Alex Kovalev were credited with assists on the go-ahead goal.  However, after serving a high-sticking penalty, Evgeni Malkin emerged from the penalty box and loitered in the neutral zone where he took a long up-ice pass from Ryan Malone and steamed in on Huet to beat him 5-hole and restore the tie.  The goal was Malkin’s 35th of the season.  At 10:58, just 36-seconds after the Malkin goal, Sergei Gonchar lit the lamp with a power play goal, his 50th point of the season and 600th of his career.  The play was set up by Evgeni Malkin and Ryan Whitney.  It would prove to be the game-winning goal as the Canadiens were unable to get another one past Sabourin.  The Penguins finished the 3rd outshooting the Canadiens 7-6, and were 1-for-2 on the power play and 1-for-2 on the penalty kill.

• VIDEO:  Game Highlights
• 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

Evgeni Malkin and Ryan Whitney each picked up 3-points (1G, 2A each).  Ryan Malone had 2-points (1G, 1A) and Petr Sykora had 2-points (2A).  The Penguins improved their record to 35-21-5 for 75-points.  The only team in the Eastern Conference with more points is the Ottawa Senators who have 76-points.  Two Western Conference teams have more points than the Penguins…..the Dallas Stars with 79-points and the Detroit Red Wings with 89-points.  The Penguins are now 7-2-1 in February, picking up 15 of 20 possible points on the month.

The Penguins head back to Mellon arena for two weekend matinees.  They will host the Ottawa Senators on Saturday at 3PM for a chance to pull ahead of them in the standings, and possibly into the Conference lead.  Then on Sunday at 3PM, they will host the San Jose Sharks.  After that, they will head to the Island on Tuesday and Boston on Thursday to close out the month of February. 

  

Penguins Rattle Sabres 4-1, Regain Atlantic Lead

The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-1 on Sunday night to regain the Atlantic Division lead alongside the New Jersey Devils.  After 59 games, the Penguins and the Devils amazingly share the exact same record (33-21-5) with 71-points, just 2-points behind the Eastern Conference leading Ottawa Senators.  Penguins goaltender Ty Conklin had another superb night in net as he turned aside 36-shots on goal to claim the game’s 1st star, and kept the Penguins in the game despite an offensive onslaught by the Sabres early on.  Red hot Evgeni Malkin continued his surge as he picked up 2-more points (1G, 1A) to pull within 1-point of Alexander Ovechkin for the NHL scoring lead.   

In the 1st period, it was all Buffalo as they outshot the Penguins 17-6.  Despite the lopsided play, Ty Conklin stood on his head, kept everything out of the net and kept the Penguins in the game.  The rest of the Penguins team continued their lackluster play of late throughout much of the period.  Aside from failing to keep their feet moving, they made some bad passes that resulted in turnovers.  As a result, the Sabres had the Penguins chasing the play through much of the period.  The Penguins managed to weather a lone penalty kill when Georges Laraque took a questionable roughing call at 3:05. 

In the 2nd, the Penguins got on the board first with a breakaway chance by Jarkko Ruutu as he emerged from the Penalty box at 7:28.  At the expiration of his 2-minute hooking call, Ruutu stepped onto the ice and skated to his own blueline before wheeling around towards the Sabres net and taking a long up-ice pass from Ryan Malone for the breakaway on Buffalo netminder Ryan Miller.  Ruutu made a couple of moves and then beat Miller on the backhand.  Rob Scuderi picked up the other assist.  Just 2-minutes later, Petr Sykora scored a power play goal on a 2-on-1 break with Evgeni Malkin to put the Penguins up 2-0.  Malkin attempted the shot, but it was deflected by the lone Sabres’ defenseman and bounced in front of Sykora who whacked it out of the air and into the net behind Miller.  At 14:45, Buffalo drew within one when Thomas Vanek wristed a power play goal while Colby Armstrong sat for an unsportsmanlike conduct call.  Derek Roy and Jason Pominville were credited with the assists.  The Penguins were outshot 10-6 in the 2nd and were 1-for-2 on the power play and 2-for-3 on the penalty kill. 

In the final frame, Evgeni Malkin picked up his 34th goal of the season at 8:13 as he drove the net hard and poked in a rebound as Max Talbot and Petr Sykora crashed the net.  Malkin’s momentum carried him into the net with the puck after the goal was scored, but the hungry scorer was quick to come back out with a fist pump and a bounce off the glass to celebrate.  Talbot and Sykora were credited with the assists.  Trailing by 2-goals, the Sabres pulled Miller with 57-seconds left to go in the game.  Colby Armstrong took advantage of the open cage by flipping the puck past two defenders from the blueline, with the puck finding its way right into the middle of the net.  Ryan Malone was credited with the assist, his 2nd of the night.  The Penguins outshot the Sabres in the 3rd 13-10 and were o-for-1 on the powerplay and 1-for-1 on the kill.

• VIDEO:  Video Highlights
• 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

“Certainly we had to weather a bit of a storm early, but I think we got our legs under us as the game went on,” said Conklin, now 15-4-3. “We capitalized on our breaks.”  Coach Therrien was quick to credit Conklin on his play, “When your goalie’s giving you the performance like Ty gave us, it gives your team some confidence.  He’s a big part of the reason why we had success.”  One has to hope that the Penguins have awoken from their brief slumber over the period of 2 and a half games and will regain their momentum from the win over the Sabres. 

During the game, a Buffalo announcer stated that he had spoken with Crosby between periods and he had indicated that he could be back as soon as Tuesday when the Penguins host the Panthers.  However, the Penguins official website noted on Sunday night that Crosby is still expected to be out through the end of the month.  Nonetheless, the fact that he has started full contact practice with the team is very encouraging news.  It was also stated that Gary Roberts could be back within a week, although, one has to wonder if he will spend any time at WBS getting back into game shape.

The Penguins are back on the ice Tuesday night as they take on the Florida Panthers at Mellon Arena. 

Pens Lose to Caps 6-5 in Shootout, But Regain 1st Place

The Pittsburgh Penguins suffered an overtime shootout loss to the Washington Capitals on Monday night in a spirited high scoring affair.  Despite the score, the Penguins were outshot 30-15 by the Capitals and were fortunate to pick up a point on the night to move them back into 1st place in the Atlantic Division.  Goaltender Dany Sabourin started in net for the Penguins, but was chased out after 4-goals in favor of Ty Conklin.  Conklin gave up 1-goal in regulation and 2 in the shootout, which cost the Penguins the additional point.  Evgeni Malkin (2G, 1A), Ryan Malone (1G, 2A) and Sergei Gonchar (3A) all had a great game and picked up 3-points each on the night.

In the 1st period, the Penguins got on the board first with a goal by Max Talbot at 4:30, his 8th on the year, as he walked out from behind the goal line and stuffed one in between Olaf Kolzig’s pads.  Jordan Staal and Erik Christensen were credited with the assists.  At 10:43, the Capitals struck back with a goal by Tomas Fleischmann, with assists by Boyd Gordon and Alexander Semin.  The Capitals found the net again at 16:04 as Viktor Kozlov beat Dany Sabourin.  Alexander Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom picked up the assists.  Just 45 seconds later, Evgeni Malkin scored his 25th on the year to even the game at 2-2.  Ryan Malone was credited with the lone assist.  During the period, Alexander Ovechkin rushed in and tried to level Evgeni Malkin as Malkin came around the back of the Caps’ net with the puck.  Ovechkin was only able to clip Malkin and sent himself back first into the boards.  Malkin let him know he didn’t appreciate it by bumping Ovechkin at the end of the shift.  The Penguins were 0-for-2 on the power play, and were outshot 9-6 in the first frame.  Jarkko Ruutu picked up a 2-minute unsportsmanlike penalty at the end of the period, giving the Capitals a power play to start the 2nd period.

At the beginning of the 2nd, Washington capitalized on the Ruutu penalty as Alexander Ovechkin chipped the puck past Dany Sabourin at 1:48.  Tomas Fleischmann and Nicklas Backstrom were credited with the assists.  At 3:34, with Washington’s Laich in the penalty box, Evgeni Malkin got his second of the night to tie the game at 3-3.  Ryan Malone and Sergei Gonchar were given assists on the play.  Then at 6:13 with Alexander Semin in the box, Petr Sykora scored a goal on a beautiful cross ice pass from Ryan Whitney to make it 4-3.  Sergei Gonchar got the other assist.  A little over a minute and a half later, Washington tied it again at 4-4 as Alexander Ovechkin picked up his second of the night, with assists by  Nicklas Backstrom and Milan Jurcina.  After the goal, Coach Michel Therrien pulled Dany Sabourin from net in favor of Ty Conklin.  The Penguins were outshot 10-5 in the second, but made hay with their powerplay, going 2-for-3 on the man advantage. 

In the 3rd, the Penguins put the power play to work again as Ryan Malone scored on the man-advantage at 5:04 to make it 5-4.  Sergei Gonchar and Evgeni Malkin picked up the assists.  But the lead wouldn’t last as the Caps, operating on the power play with Staal in the box (holding the stick), picked up the tying goal from Viktor Kozlov.  Matt Pettinger and Nicklas Backstrom were credited with the assists.  The Penguins were outshot 11-3 in the 3rd, but managed to hold on to the 5-5 tie to force the overtime.

In the overtime, the Penguins were given a golden opportunity as two Caps players took penalties giving the Penguins a rare 5-on-3 man-advantage in the sudden death.  But the Penguins were unable to score, and only managed 1-shot in the 5-minute overtime to force the shootout.

The Penguins put up Christensen, Letang and Ruutu for the shootout, while the Capitals countered with Kozlov, Ovechkin and Semin.  Kozlov, Christensen and Letang all missed on their shootout attempts.  As the second shooter for the Caps, Ovechkin scored.  Ruutu followed as the Penguins 3rd shooter and scored to keep the Penguins alive.  But Alexander Semin was the final shooter for the Caps and beat Ty Conklin to win the game. 

• VIDEO:  Video Highlights
• PHOTOS:  In-Game Photos
• AUDIO:  Post-Game Hotline
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Rosters
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Summary
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Boxscore
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Play-by-Play
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Shootout Details

The Penguins have a few days off before traveling to Philadelphia to take on the Flyers on Thursday night.  The game against the Flyers is their last before the All-Star break.