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Malkin and Fleury Shine in 6-3 Win Over Thrashers

The Pittsburgh Penguins returned from a 4-day layoff to beat the Atlanta Thrashers 6-3 as they were powered by the offensive prowess of Evgeni Malkin and the excellent netminding of Marc-Andre Fleury.  Malkin picked up 4-points (2G, 2A) to continue his dominating lead in the league scoring race, while Fleury made several highlight reel saves as he stopped 28-of-31 shots in his first action since November 15th.  Malkin’s 4-point night gives him 53-points (14G, 39A) in 31-games, or 1.71 points per game, putting him on pace for a 140-point season.  He is 7-points ahead of Sidney Crosby who is 2nd in the scoring race, and 10-points ahead of 3rd place Alexander Ovechkin.  Despite beating a team near the bottom of the league standings, the Penguins relished the much needed win after losing 4 of their last 5 games.  Although the win was decisive on the scoreboard, the Penguins were outshot 31-20 in the game and were a bit sloppy in their own end as they gave up 7 turnovers.  Marc-Andre Fleury was outstanding in net and showed no signs of the groin injury that has kept him out of the lineup for over a month. 

In the 1st period, the Penguins hopped out to a quick lead as they scored at 5:32.  Taking advantage of a Thrashers’ player who broke his stick on a shot, the Penguins moved the puck quickly out of their zone and up the ice.  Jordan Staal moved the puck to call-up Tim Wallace who found Matt Cooke streaking toward the blueline with a nice cross ice pass.  Cooke protected the puck as he skated into the Thrashers’ zone and let a quick snap shot that beat Ondrej Pavelec on the short side.  Then at 9:40, Evgeni Malkin embarrassed Todd White as he just walked right through him by the side of the goal to put the puck into the empty side of the net.  Petr Sykora assisted on Malkin’s 13th goal of the season to make it 2-0.  At 19:21, however, the Thrashers cut the lead in half as Marty Reasoner was credited with a goal that caromed recklessly off from sticks and bodies to beat Fleury.  Ilya Kovalchuk and Chris Thorburn were credited with the assists that made it 2-1 after one.  A scuffle in front of the net ensued after the goal as Brooks Orpik and Sidney Crosby roughed it up with Boris Valabik, who had fallen awkwardly onto Orpik’s leg during the play.  The 2-on-1 scuffle led to a pair of penalties to the Penguins to send them into the 2nd period shorthanded.  The Penguins were outshot 9-6 in the period and were 2-for-2 on the penalty kill.  Despite being outshot, Marc-Andre Fleury made a number of beautiful saves including a great glove save on Colby Armstrong to keep the Thrashers in check.

In the 2nd, the Penguins managed to kill off the carryover penalties to Orpik and Crosby before getting a man advantage of their own just 3-minutes into the period, thanks to a holding call on Joseph Crabb.  The Penguins needed just 31-seconds on the powerplay to score on a blast by Evgeni Malkin that appeared to deflect into the net off from Jordan Staal’s leg to make it 3-1.  The powerplay goal was originally given to Malkin, but then later changed to Staal with assists by Malkin and Crosby.  Then at 4:27, former Penguin Colby Armstrong got called for high sticking Evgeni Malkin.  Although it appeared that Malkin showed the referee that there was some blood, Armstrong was assessed a 2-minute minor.  With a little over 30-seconds left on the powerplay, Miroslav Satan found himself all alone in front of goaltender Pavelec and on the receiving end of a beautiful centering pass by Jeff Taffe.  Satan moved the puck to his backhand and easily beat the netminder to make it 4-1.  Ruslan Fedotenko picked up the other assist on the poweplay goal.  At 7:32, with Mark Eaton in the penalty box for hooking, the Thrashers again cut the lead in half as Bryan Little wristed a shot past Fleury to make it 4-2.  Todd White and Vyacheslav Kozlov made the assists on the powerplay goal.  However, just 32-seconds later, the Penguins stole it back on a blistering slapshot by Philippe Boucher to make it 5-2.  Evgeni Malkin picked up his league leading 39th assist on the play along with Petr Sykora.  The goal ended up chasing Pavelec out of the net in favor of former Penguin netminder Johan Hedberg.  The Penguins ended the period being outshot by the Thrashers 10-9, were 2-for-3 on the powerplay and 1-for-2 on the penalty kill.  Fleury was again fabulous in net and made a beautiful kick save and glove save on Eric Perrin with 7:07 left in the period.

Into the 3rd period, the Penguins had to hold off a surging Atlanta Thrashers team as they were outshot 12-5 in the final frame.  The Thrashers came within 2-goals of the Penguins after Miroslav Satan errantly passed the puck to Colby Armstrong loitering all alone in the Penguins zone at 14:55.  Armstrong picked his spot and beat his former teammate Fleury with a slapper to make it 5-3.  But that was the closest they would come as Fleury went on to shut things down despite seeing plenty of rubber in the period.  Late in the period, the Thrashers pulled Hedberg out for the extra attacker but were unable to get one by the Penguins.  With 27-seconds left on the clock, Rob Scuderi moved the puck to Sidney Crosby up the wall who had the chance to put the puck into the empty net, but dished off to Evgeni Malkin instead who easily skated it into the open goal mouth to make it 6-3.  Scuderi and Crosby picked up the assists on the final tally of the game.   

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

Evgeni Malkin picked up 4-points (2G, 2A), while Jordan Staal (1G, 1A), Sidney Crosby (2A) and Petr Sykora (2A) each had 2-points.  Matt Cooke (1G), Miroslav Satan (1G), Philippe Boucher (1G), Tim Wallace (1A), Ruslan Fedotenko (1A), Jeff Taffe (1A) and Rob Scuderi (1A) all contributed with a point.  Petr Sykora led the team with 4-shots on net, while Evgeni Malkin and AHL call-up Ryan Stone each had 3-shots.  Jordan Staal (13/22) led all Penguins with a 59% faceoff win percentage, but collectively the team was outplayed in the faceoff circle winning only 44% of the draws.  The Penguins out-hit the Thrashers 23-17.  Evgeni Malkin led all players with 24:23 of ice time and Rob Scuderi led all Defensemen with 24:00 in ice time.  The active Penguins defense blocked 15-shots on net. 

The Penguins return to Mellon Arena on Saturday night where they will take on the Toronto Maple Leafs.

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Penguins Back in Pittsburgh, Working on Power Play

With the Pittsburgh Penguins’ European vacation now over, they got back to work on Wednesday with their first practice at Mellon Arena in nearly 2-weeks.  The Penguins, who split their opening weekend with the Ottawa Senators, got busy by working on key areas that need improvement.  Chief among those are special teams and the power play.  Having one of the most lethal powerplay units in the league last season, something was definitely missing last weekend as the Penguins went an abysmal 1-for-14 in their first 2-games.  Sergei Gonchar was missing.  With the accomplished defensemen out of the lineup for an extended period of time, the Penguins will need to find other ways to put the punch back in their powerplay. 

Last season, Sergei Gonchar was the highly effective quarterback for the Penguins explosive powerplay.  But with Gonchar out of the lineup and Whitney sidelined too, no other Penguin defenseman possesses the ability to effortlessly move across the blueline and set up Evgeni Malkin for the one-timer or to load up and blast one in hard from the blueline.  It is a time of great opportunity for young defensemen Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski to step up and into the void, but it won’t come easy.  As easy as Gonchar made it look, his skill was one borne out of experience…something the two young defensemen have not yet acquired.  Look for Michel Therrien to try and speed up their development in this role, as he has few other stop-gap options in the current lineup.  He will also stress getting back to basics as a time tested method of getting the powerplay back on track.  The good news is that the season is just getting started and their is plenty of time to work these things out. 

All this being said, I do have to give some credit to the Ottawa Senators for their aggressive penalty kill.  They never allowed the Penguins’ potent offense to get their powerplay set up.  As a result, the Penguins got very few quality scoring chances or set plays where a blast from the blueline could have resulted in a juicy rebound and an ensuing scrum in front of the net.  This could become a problem, however, as other teams scout the Penguins’ injury-shortened blueline and determine that an aggressive penalty kill can effectively defuse their potent offensive line. 

The defensive pairings continue to undergo change as Michel Therrien tries to deal with the loss of Gonchar and Whitney.  The current pairings are Hal Gill/Rob Scuderi, Brooks Orpik/Kris Letang, and Mark Eaton/Darryl Sydor/Alex Goligoski. 

The Penguins get back into action on Saturday night as they play their home opener against the New Jersey Devils.  The Devils will be playing their 2nd game in 2-nights after coming off from their home opener Friday night against the New York Islanders.  The Penguins will have had several days to recover from the European trip, and will hopefully be fully recovered and ready to play.  Petr Sykora, who has yet to play a game due to a groin injury, is questionable for Saturday’s game. 

The Penguins went out today and added center Mike Zigomanis from the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for future considerations.  Drafted 46th overall in 2001 by the Carolina Hurricanes, he was signed as a free agent by Phoenix on July 21, 2006.  In 167 career NHL games, he has scored 33-points (19G, 14A) and accumulated 58-penalty minutes.  Zigomanis will wear #15, and rounds out the Penguins roster at 23.  Forward Jeff Taffe cleared waivers today and will be assigned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.  Kris Beech was placed on unconditional waivers, and will leave the team and play in Europe if he clears the unconditional waiver wire.  The Penguins assigned forward Janne Pesonen and goaltender John Curry to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton as expected.

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Penguins Announce Monday Night Lineup

The Pittsburgh Penguins continue their pre-season play on Monday night as they play Game #2 against the Lightning in Tampa Bay.  While the Pens played most of their A-List talent in Saturday night’s loss to the Lightning, they will field a much different team for Monday night’s game.  Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Miroslav Satan, Jordan Staal, Petr Sykora, Brooks Orpik, Darryl Sydor, and Marc-Andre Fleury will all get the night off while more Penguins’ prospects will get an opportunity to impress the hockey staff.

Winger Ruslan Fedotenko will make his debut as a Penguin on Monday night.  Joining him on the ice will be forwards Janne Pesonen, Ryan Stone, Paul Bissonnette, Max Talbot, Jeff Taffe, Kris Beech, Adam Heinrich, Bill Thomas, Tyler Kennedy, Eric Godard, and Aaron Boogard.  On defense, the Penguins will bring Mark Eaton, Hal Gill, Danny Richmond, Kris Letang, Deryk Engelland and Alex Goligoski.  Dany Sabourin and John Curry will be the goaltending duo.

The lines have not been announced and one hardly knows what Michel Therrien might do, but based on skill sets and training camp pairings I would expect something like the following:

1. Fedotenko – Talbot – Kennedy
2. Stone – Taffe – Pesonen
3. Heinrich – Beech – Godard
4. Bissonnette – Thomas – Boogard

With the defensive pairings possibly as follows:

1. Eaton – Letang
2. Richmond – Goligoski
3. Engelland – Gill

The Lightning Insider is reporting Tampa Bay’s planned roster for Monday night’s game.  It includes forwards Ryan Malone, Steven Stamkos, Radim Vrbata, Vaclav Prospal, Jussi Jokinen, Evgeny Artyukhin. David Koci, Zenon Konopka, Jason Ward, Dana Tyrell, Paul Szczechura and Michel Ouellet.  On defense, the Lightning will play Shane O’Brien, Mike Lundin, Adrej Meszaros, Ty Wishart, Janne Niskala, and Matt Carle.  Coach Melrose plans to play Olaf Kolzig in net with Riku Helenius as backup, as he rotates each of his goalies through 2 full pre-season games. 

After Monday night’s game against the Lightning, the Penguins will return to Mellon Arena to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night.

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Pittsburgh Penguins 2008 Training Camp Preview

After a short summer break, the Pittsburgh Penguins are ready to hit the ice again as they get back to training camp this week.  Over the summer, the team saw some significant complexion changes with the exodus of some key role players.  Yet, despite the loss of Marian Hossa, Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts, Ty Conklin, Jarkko Ruutu, Georges Laraque and Adam Hall, the Penguins have kept their young core of stars intact and have back-filled the losses with some quality, proven role players.  Among the new player acquisitions are Miroslov Satan (RW), Ruslan Fedetenko (LW), Matt Cooke (LW) and Eric Godard (RW).   The Penguins also have depth in their organizational talent pool and added to it by bringing in some new prospects to include Janne Pesonen, last season’s leading scorer in the Finnish Elite League.  So as the Penguins head into training camp, what should you look for in terms of new talent on the team?

Goaltending

There is no doubt who holds the top spot for the Penguins in net, as Marc-Andre Fleury silenced the critics last season with an outstanding run after returning from his extended high ankle injury.  The question will be how soon he finds his form this season, as he has historically had slow starts.  The big surprise last season was the play of Ty Conklin, claiming the #2 spot away from Dany Sabourin after Fleury went on the injured reserve for a couple of months.  To his credit, Dany Sabourin didn’t play all that bad, but Conklin was flat out spectacular and stole the stage from Sabourin.  One could even argue that Conklin’s play was partially responsible for Fleury ratcheting up his game to re-establish his top spot upon his return.  With Ty Conklin now off the roster, Dany Sabourin has the opportunity to re-establish himself as the backup netminder.  But the Penguins will likely be evaluating their options during camp with some netminding depth in the system.  In my opinion, the only potential challenger for Sabourin would be John Curry.  Curry stepped into the void left by Ty Conklin in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and put together an impressive 24-12 run in the regular season.  He went on to backstop the baby Penguins’ 14-9 run into the Calder Cup Finals.  I expect Sabourin will prevail out of camp, but don’t be surpised if Curry finds his way into an NHL game later in the season.

Defense 

The Penguins defensive corps is the one area that remains largely unchanged from last season.  The Penguins have been handed a significant challenge, however, with Ryan Whitney leaving the lineup for a minimum of 3-months (possibly up to 5 months) as he recovers from off-season foot surgery.  Whitney’s role as an offensive defensemen will be missed, and will likely be an area that the Penguins look to address in training camp.  The Penguins will be getting Mark Eaton back into the lineup after missing most of last season with a torn ACL, but Eaton’s forte is in defense and not in offensive production.  There may also be some lingering questions about his durability after 2 back-to-back injury shortened seasons.  Perhaps Kris Letang will find this as an opportunity to increase his offensive game, but he still needs to focus on perfecting his defensive game.  Perhaps Darryl Sydor, rumored to be seeking a trade out of Pittsburgh, will be able to find the niche he was looking for by stepping up his offensive game.  However, I still expect the veteran to leave Pittsburgh at some point this season.  The most likely scenario in my mind will be for Alex Goligoski to find his way into the lineup coming out of training camp.  Goligoski had an impressive year with Wilkes-Barre last season posting 38-points (10G, 28A) in 70 games with a +15 rating.  He also netted 28-points (4G, 24A) in 23 playoff games with a +5 rating.  He also made his NHL debut last season, getting 2-assists in his 3 outings.   Other defensemen to watch at camp would be Alex Grant, TJ Kemp, Deryk Engelland, and Ben Lovejoy.

Offense

The Penguins offense remains strong despite the loss of wingers Marian Hossa and Ryan Malone.  In particular, they are rock solid down the center with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal and Maxime Talbot.  With Hossa and Malone out of the lineup, along with Roberts, Hall, Laraque, and Ruutu, the Penguins will use training camp to assess and shore up the wings.  They will look to off-season acqusitions Miroslav Satan and Ruslan Fedetenko to fill the void in the top lines.  It remains to be seen how well they will mesh with the talented Penguins’ centermen or how long it will take for the chemistry to develop, but it seems likely that they will flourish alongside Crosby and/or Malkin.  Elsewhere on wing, the Penguins have retained Petr Sykora, Jeff Taffe, Pascal Dupuis, and Tyler Kennedy, and have added newcomers Eric Godard and Matt Cooke.  The latter two were acquired to backfill the loss of Georges Laraque and Jarkko Ruutu.  Look for the Penguins management to really test out the combinations in camp, and to evaluate the talent they have within the system to find a set of wingers that work.  Perhaps the biggest and most anticipated wild card is Janne Pesonen, the Left Wing top scorer from the Finnish Elite League.  He will likely be the center of much attention and speculation as to a potential bid in the lineup.  The Penguins also have several NHL-tested prospects as a result of last season’s extensive injuries that will have a viable opportunity to break into the lineup.  This includes Connor James, Jonathan Filewich, Chris Minard, and Ryan Stone.  I would expect as many as 2-3 lower line wing positions in play going into training camp, with the burden being on the prospects to prove their case for being in the lineup. 

After last season’s challenges and ultimate success, I anxiously look forward to the start of the season.  The changes in the complexion of this team add to the excitement and uncertainty of what the new season will bring.  Training Camp will be the first, short glimpse before the season starts in just 3-quick weeks.  This coming season is sure to be exciting and will answer all of our current questions.  WIll Sidney Crosby be 100% recovered from the high ankle injury of last season?  Will Evgeni Malkin power back to the top of the points race after recharging his batteries in the off-season?  Will Jordan Staal ditch the sophomore slump and have a breakout year?  Will Marc-Andre Fleury shake off any early season jitters and will he be able to build on last year’s spectacular playoff run?  How will Miroslav Satan and Rusty Fedotenko fit in and produce?  Who will step up offensively on defense?  Will someone break into the lineup and be an enexpected force this season?  Who will be the enforcer?  Will the Penguins start slow and finish strong?  So many questions that will only be answerd in time!  Hockey is upon us!  Let’s Go Penguins!

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Penguins Unleash Offense, Finish Season Sweep of Sabres

The Pittsburgh Penguins completed a 4-game season sweep of the Buffalo Sabres for the first time in franchise history by beating them soundly 7-3.  The Penguins continue to deal with an injury riddled lineup as Sidney Crosby and Max Talbot both sat out due to aggravation of their high ankle sprains.  However, despite dressing only 3-centers for the game, the Penguins found plenty of offense as 7-different players found the back of the net, including Chris Minard who picked up his first NHL goal.  Tyler Kennedy had a career game posting 3-points (1G, 2A).  Ty Conklin completed his dominance over the Sabres by saving 29-of-32 shots.  The win puts the Penguins back on top of the Eastern Conference in a points tie with the Canadiens, but with the advantage in games won.

In the 1st period, Tyler Kennedy put the Penguins on the board early with an amazing goal at 3:30.  Pascal Dupuis made a pass up ice to Kennedy who broke in on Ryan Miller and put the puck behind his outstretched leg for the goal.  The Penguins were outshot 8-7 in the first, were 0-for-1 on the power play and killed off 2 penalties against Connor James (tripping) and Petr Sykora (holding). 

In the 2nd period, Georges Laraque took a 5-minute elbowing major and a game misconduct on an innocent looking hit on defenseman Nathan Paetsch.  Paetsch laid motionless on the ice for several minutes before finally getting up and leaving the ice under his own power.  In the ensuing 5-minute penalty kill, the Penguins went on the offensive and took control of the game, eventually drawing a penalty on Maxime Afinogenov to even it up 4-on-4.  During the 4-on-4 play, Jeff Taffe beat Ryan Miller to make it 2-0.  Darryl Sydor and Kris Letang were credited with the assists.  Then at 18:08 while on the power play, Sergei Gonchar let a shot rip from just inside the blueline that deflected past a screened Ryan Miller to make it 3-0.  Ryan Whitney and Petr Sykora picked up the assists.  The Penguins outshot the Sabres 14-10 in the 2nd, were 1-for-2 on the power play and killed off the extended penalty to Georges Laraque. 

In the 3rd, the scoresheet filled up as a total of 7-goals were scored between the 2-teams.  The first goal went to the Penguins just 56 seconds into the period when Petr Sykora beat Ryan Miller on the power play to put the Penguins up 4-0.  Ryan Malone made a beautiful play to strip a Buffalo player of the puck and then dish it to Sykora who fired it into a wide open net.  Sergei Gonchar got the other assist.  Then, the Buffalo Sabres showed their first signs of life as they scored an even strength goal at 3:02 from Jochen Hecht with assists by Mike Weber and Maxim Afinogenov.  Then, with the Penguins on the power play, the Sabres’ Daniel Paille managed to skate in and beat Ty Conklin short-handed.  Derek Roy and Henrik Tallinder picked up the assists.  But the Penguins got it back at 8:56 on a power play goal by Evgeni Malkin, his 39th goal of the season.  Darryl Sydor and Tyler Kennedy got credited with the assists.  Then, just over a minute later, Jordan Staal made a great pass to Chris Minard who fired the puck past Ryan Miller for his first NHL career goal to make the score 6-2.  Ryan Stone picked up the other assist.  The goal resulted in Ryan Miller being replaced by former Penguin Jocelyn Thibault.  Just 46-seconds later, the Sabres managed another goal as Daniel Paille made a great play on the doorstep against Ty Conklin.  Steve Bernier picked up the assist.  The Penguins closed out the scoring on a hard shot by Kris Letang that found its way past Thibault.  Tyler Kennedy and Pascal Dupuis got the assists.  The Penguins outshot the Sabres 15-13 in the 3rd, and were 2-for-3 on the power play.  The Penguins had no penalties in the 3rd.

• 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 Show
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Rosters
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Summary
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Boxscore
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Play-by-Play

Tyler Kennedy had a 3-point night (1G, 2A) and several players picked up 2-points, including Darryl Sydor (2A), Pascal Dupuis (2A), Petr Sykora (1G, 1A), Sergei Gonchar (1G, 1A) and Kris Letang (1G, 1A).  Evgeni Malkin notched 1-point (1G) on the night to maintain 2nd place in the NHL scoring race with 93-points, 4-points behind fellow Russian Alexander Ovechkin who picked up 2-goals in his game on Wednesday.  The Penguins improved their record to 40-24-7, for 87-points.  The win tonight regained their lead of the Atlantic Division over the New Jersey Devils (86-points), and the Eastern Conference over the Montreal Canadiens (87-points, but 1 less win than the Penguins).  The Devils (12-games remaining) have a game in hand against the Penguins (11-games remaining).    

The Penguins have a few more days off before hosting the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday, a noon game that will be broadcast as NBC’s game of the week.  The Penguins will hope to get Sidney Crosby and Marian Hossa back for that game, but only time will tell if they are both healthy enough to play. 

Ty Conklin Stops 50-Shots as Penguins Beat Isles 4-2

The Pittsburgh Penguins capped an emotional trade day by beating the New York Islanders 4-2, despite being undermanned in the early going and being outshot 52-20.  Ty Conklin had a stellar night in net as he turned aside 50 shots while Marc-Andre Fleury looked on from the bench.  The Penguins appeared to be playing with a Hossa hangover for much of the game, giving up numerous chances to the Islanders and committing 10-penalties.  But it was the Penguins special teams that had the edge by scoring 2 power play goals and killing off 9-of-10 short-handed situations.  With Colby Armstrong and Erik Christensen out of the lineup and on their way to Atlanta, the Penguins started the game 2-players short while they waited on call-ups Connor James and Jason Smith to arrive at the arena from Wilkes-Barre.   

In the 1st, the Penguins got on the board first as Evgeni Malkin scored his 36th goal of the season from Petr Sykora and Jeff Taffe at 10:50.  Malkin managed to circle around from behind the net to low circle and lifted the puck over Rick DiPietro to make it 1-0.  While on the power play at 17:52, Jeff Taffe picked up his 4th goal of the season as he poked in a rebound that was lost between the legs of an Islanders’ defenseman to the right side of the net.  Tyler Kennedy and Kris Letang were credited with the assists.  Despite leading 2-0 at the end of the period, the Penguins were woefully outshot in the 1st by 23-6.  The Penguins were 1-for-3 on the power play and killed off 4 of their own. 

In the 2nd, the Islanders got back into the game on a goal poked in by Frans Nielsen at 10:26.  Assists were given to Jeff Tambellini and Frederick Meyer.  The Penguins were outshot 11-4 in the 2nd, as they successfully killed off 4-penalties.  The Penguins had no power play opportunities in the period.

In the 3rd, it was Jordan Staal who finally converted on a chance as he picked up his 9th goal of the season on a beautiful feed from Evgeni Malkin at 12:55.  Petr Sykora picked up the other assist.  Then at 16:58, all the way from Wilkes-Barre, it was Connor James picking up his first NHL goal on the power play after taking a dead-on saucer pass over the stick of an Islander defenseman from Ryan Whitney.  At 17:03, a fiesty Tyler Kennedy took on Mike Comrie in a short bout in which Kennedy appeared to finish with the upper hand.  Finally, at 18:43 with Evgeni Malkin in the box for a tripping call, the Islanders’ Ruslan Fedotenko put up the final goal from Josef Vasicek and Trent Hunter to make the score 4-2 Penguins.

• VIDEO:  Game Highlights
• BONUS VIDEO:  Ray Shero Trade Press Conference
• PHOTOS:  In-Game Photos
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Rosters
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Summary
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Boxscore
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Play-by-Play 

The win capped an emotional day for the young Penguins who lost 2-close friends and teammates to the trade just prior to the deadline.  It was a likely distraction for the team as they didn’t have a great deal of time to adjust to the news before having to take the ice.  Despite the lack of offensive dominance, the Penguins took advantage of their chances.  Evgeni Malkin returned to the scoring sheet by picking up 2-points (1G, 1A) and regaining the league lead.  Petr Sykora netted 2-assists before leaving the ice late in the 3rd with an unspecified injury.  Jeff Taffe picked up 2-points (1G, 1A), extending his scoring streak to 3-games.  The Penguins extended their February record to 8-2-3, picking up 19-of-24 available points so far, and drew within 1-point of the Eastern Conference leading New Jersey Devils who picked up a point in an overtime loss.  The Penguins overtook the Ottawa Senators by a point tonight as the Senators lost to Boston. 

The Penguins travel to Boston on Thursday night to take on the Bruins.  New acquisition Marian Hossa is expected to join the team for the game.  “I’m really looking forward to joining this group,” he said. “You look at the centermen and you have Sid, Malkin and (Jordan) Staal. They are some really strong, great young players. They have good goaltending and good moving defensemen.  They create lots of offense. I am really looking forward to playing with these guys.”  It is presumed that Hal Gill and Pascal Dupuis will also be joining the team on Thursday. 

Penguins Battle Hard, But Lose to Senators in OT

The Pittsburgh Penguins missed an opportunity to move into 1st place in the Eastern Conference as they lost to the Ottawa Senators with just 3.2-seconds left in ovetime on Saturday afternoon.  Despite outshooting the Senators 17-8 in the 1st period and building a 3-0 lead through the fist half of the game, the Penguins played a little sloppy late in the 2nd and allowed the Senators to battle back and pick up 2 goals and then one early in the 3rd to send it to overtime.  It looked like the game was destined for a shootout when Daniel Alfredsson scored the game winner with just seconds left on the clock to make it 4-3.  Red hot Evgeni Malkin played like a beast, but failed to put up any points, ending his 10-game points streak.  Despite the loss, the Penguins played a very strong game.

In the 1st period, the Penguins came out and man-handled the Senators with the help of 4-power play opportunities.  Petr Sykora cashed in on the first opportunity just 1:47 into the game.  He was assisted by Ryan Whitney and Ryan Malone.  The goal was Petr Sykora’s 20th of the season, marking the 8th time in his career to reach the 20-goal plateau.  The Penguins were unable to notch another power-play goal in the first, despite some fabulous opportunities.  The Penguins managed to stay out of the penalty box.

In the 2nd, it looked like it was going to be all Penguins as they continued to dominate through the 1st half of the period.  At 4:09, Colby Armstrong came down the right wing and blew a shot to the top of the net above Ray Emery to make it 2-0 on his 9th goal of the season.  Max Talbot and Rob Scuderi were credited with the assists.  Then at 10:20, it was Jeff Taffe who gathered some trash to the right side of a flailing Emery and lifted it into the net.  The goal, Taffe’s 3rd, was assisted by Jordan Staal and Darryl Sydor.  But at 12:47, a misplay by Ty Conklin led to a Cory Stillman goal that put the Senators on the scoreboard and ignited some fire in the lifeless team.  Chris Kelly and Antoine Vermette picked up the assists.  Less than 5-minutes later, the Senators scored again as Dany Heatley picked up his 29th of the season with assists by Cory Stillman and Wayne Redden.  The Senators ended up outshooting the Penguins 11-7 in the 2nd, despite being short-handed twice.  The Penguins were 0-for-2 on the power play and again managed to stay out of the penalty box. 

In the 3rd, it was Dany Heatley again, notching his 30th goal at 6:09 from Randy Robitaille and Jason Spezza to tie it at 3-apiece.  It was the last goal to be scored in regulation as both teams put 7-shots on the board.  The Penguins killed off their only penalty and had no more power play opportunities.  Through 3-periods, Evgeni Malkin had 7-shots on goal but was unable to put one home. 

The Penguins had more opportunities in the overtime frame, missing on 4-shots, including one by Ryan Malone that hit both the left and right goal posts but failed to go in.  Malone, who thought he had scored raised his hands in jubilation, but it wasn’t meant to be.  Play continued as the clock ticked down to 3.2 seconds when Daniel Alfredsson managed to put a backhander past Conklin for the win.  Andrej Meszaros was credited with the assist. 

• VIDEO:  Game Highlights
• VIDEO:  Post-Game Press Conference w/Coach Therrien
• VIDEO:  Post-Game Locker Room Interviews w/Ryan Malone, Colby Armstrong, Ty Conklin
• PHOTOS:  In-Game Photos
• 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 picked up 1-point in the standings, to fall 2-points behind the Ottawa Senators in the Eastern Conference race.  The New Jersey Devils won their game this afternoon against the New York Islanders, to put them 1-point ahead of the Penguions in the Atlantic Division.  Early in the 2nd, the Montreal Canadiens were losing 2-0 to the Columbus Blue Jackets.  The Penguins have an opportunity to bounce back on Sunday as they host the San Jose Sharks in another 3PM matinee game. 

Sabourin Shuts Out Montreal, Penguins Grab Atlantic Lead

The Pittsburgh Penguins won their 1st Sid-less game in the Crosby Era on Saturday night as they shutout the Canadiens 2-0 in Montreal.  Pittsburgh netminder Dany Sabourin picked up his 2nd career shutout as turned aside 31 shots in his first start in the last 12 Penguins’ outings (since Dec 21st).  His first career shutout came earlier this season against the New Jersey Devils on November 5th.  The win elevated the Penguins into sole possession of 1st place in the Atlantic Division and 2nd place in the Eastern Conference, ahead of the New Jersey Devils.  It was also the first time the Penguins have posted a win without Crosby in the lineup, improving that record to 1-2-2.

Just 14 seconds into the 1st period, Penguins forward Colby Armstrong was checked by Roman Hamrlik, fell to the ice and slid hard into the end boards in the same manner and location that Sidney Crosby did the night before.  Armstrong immediately left the ice in pain, but returned for a brief stint later in the game.  After returning to the game, he played a short shift and then left the game for good with a reported bruised hip.  At 6:14, Jeff Taffe scored his 2nd goal of the season after taking a Georges Laraque pass from behind the net and wristing it over the shoulder of Canadiens goaltender Cristobal Huet.  Jarkko Ruutu was credite with the other assist.  The Penguins killed off the only penalty of the period (Laraque, elbowing), and were outshot 9-6. 

In the 2nd, the Canadiens poured it on and outshot the Penguins 17-9.  However, Montreal was unable to get one past Sabourin, who played a near perfect game.  The Penguins were 0-for-2 on the power play and killed off their only short-handed situation.  Neither team scored on a 2-minute 4-on-4 as Streit (holding) and Ruutu (diving) were given matching penalties. 

In the 3rd, the Penguins regained the momentum and offensive edge as they outshot the Canadiens 11-5.  However, the Penguins were unable to beat Huet.  With 1:11 left in the game, Montreal pulled their goaltender to try and get the equalizer.  Evgeni Malkin threw the puck at the empty net from his own blueline and hit the post with about a minute to go, but failed to get the insurance marker.  The with 12.4 seconds left in the game at the end of a long shift, Malkin out-hustled a Canadien player to chase down a cleared puck and backhanded it into the empty net from a sharp angle to seal the victory.  Petr Sykora picked up the assist.  The goal was was only fitting for Malkin, who played one of his most dominating games of the year and proved that he was the on-ice leader for the Penguins in Sid’s absence.  What he couldn’t communicate to his teammates in English, he demonstrated in his level of play and determination.

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

Sidney Crosby didn’t travel with the team to Montreal and was examined Saturday by the team’s medical staff.  No prognosis for Crosby’s return will be made until the swelling subsides sometime next week.

The Penguins return to Pittsburgh where they will host the Washington Capitals on Monday night at Mellon Arena. 

Gonchar Redeems Himself as Pens Rally to Beat Caps in OT

The Pittsburgh Penguins managed to pick up a win in overtime at home on Thursday night against the Washington Capitals, after battling from behind and scoring a late 3rd period goal to tie the game and force the extra play.  Sergei Gonchar scored the game winner in overtime, after a unsavory performance in which two of his misplays resulted in goals for the Capitals.

The first period started with an early bout between Georges Laraque and Donald Brashear at 3:18.  Despite a lot of tussling and dancing, there were no real significant punches thrown and the fight ended in a non-decision and matching fighting majors.  At 12:01, the Penguins got on the board on an awesome play by newcomer Jeff Taffe to beat Brent Johnson.  From within the Penguins own defensive zone, Taffe chipped the puck past a defenseman at the point and took it from his own blueline all the way to the Capitals’ net where he slapped the puck past Johnson high on the stick side.  Assists went to Jarkko Ruutu and Darryl Sydor.  Then at 15:24, the Capitals tied it up when Sergei Gonchar tried to pass the puck behind the net, but mis-judged the angle and ended up putting the puck back out in front of the net.  Donald Brashear found the puck and buried it past Conklin.  At 17:53, the Penguins got a lucky bounce when Colby Armstrong threw the puck on the backhand from behind the goal line and caught Johnson’s feet which redirected the puck into net.  Ryan Whitney and Sidney Crosby were credited with the assists.  Johnson was injured on the play when he fell awkwardly back on his leg and sprained his knee.  He left the game and was replaced by Olie “the Goalie” Kolzig.  The Penguins outshot the Capitals 9-5 in the first. 

In the 2nd period, Pittsburgh stopped skating and it was all Washington as they outshot the Penguins 12-6 and netted 2-goals for the 3-2 lead.  The first came at 5:23 as Brian Pothier was left uncovered in the high slot area by Petr Sykora.  Pothier buried the puck behind Ty Conklin with authority.  Nicklas Backstrom and Viktor Kozlov were credited with the assists.  Then at 18:26, Sergei Gonchar gave up the puck to Nicklas Backstrom on an easy play behind his own net who then skated from behind the net and put the puck on the stick of Alex Ovechkin who beat Ty Conklin with a quick wrist shot to give the Capitals a 3-2 lead.  There were no penalties called in the 2nd. 

In the 3rd period, the Capitals were unable to convert on their only power play chance at 4:23 as Colby Armstrong sat 2 for intereference.  The Penguins got a break late in the period as the Capitals were called for roughing at 15:48.  Trailing by a goal, the Penguins power play converted on a goal by Darryl Sydor with just 4 seconds left in the man-advantage to tie the game at 3.  The goal was Sydor’s first as a Penguin and his 2nd point of the night, doubling his season point total and earning him the game’s 3rd star.  “They were trying to shut things down, but we got a big goal there from Syd (Sydor) to keep us in it,” Crosby said. “Every game isn’t going to have three solid periods and a perfect ending. This is what you have to do sometimes, find ways to win when you’re not playing your best.”

The Penguins outshot the Capitals 11-8 in the 3rd and forced the overtime frame.  Alex Ovechkin only played about a minute of the 3rd period before leaving the game for stitches to repair a cut on his leg.

In overtime, Sergei Gonchar redeemed himself for giving up 2-goals by blasting a shot past Kolzig from the circle on a nice feed from in front of the net by Crosby.  “I had a couple of mistakes, and I didn’t feel great about this one, but I scored a goal and I feel a lot better now,” Gonchar said. “Sid made a great pass. When he started skating toward the net, both defensemen are paying attention to him and not even looking at me. I had a wide-open net.”  It was Crosby’s 2nd assist of the night and it earned him the game’s first star.  Colby Armstrong picked up the other assist, his second point of the night.  Ty Conklin captured his 3rd straight win with 22 saves.  He is now 3-0, despite a 0.892 save percentage and 3.5 GAA.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

  

Additional Game Coverage: 

• VIDEO:  Post Game Press Conference
• VIDEO:  Post Game Locker Room Interviews
• PHOTOS:  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

With the win, the Penguins advance to 19-6-2 and are 2nd in the Atlantic Division and 6th overall in the Eastern Conference.  Just 10-points separate 2nd and 15th place in the Eastern Conference.  The Penguins now head into a back-to-back series with Buffalo, with the Sabres coming to Pittsburgh on Saturday night before hosting the Penguins at Ralph Wilson Stadium on New Year’s Day for the Winter Classic. 

Longest NHL Suspension Handed to Simon

In news from Toronto, the League lowered the hammer on New York Islanders forward Chris Simon today, suspending him for 30 games, without pay, for deliberately kicking Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jarrko Ruutu in the third period of the game on December 15, 2007.  Simon will be eligible to return on February 21, 2008 against the Tampa BayLightning.  The sentence is the longest suspension in NHL history for an on-ice incident.  In handing down the deservedly stiff ruling, NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell stated, “…the deliberate act of kicking an opponent with an exposed skate blade, especially where the opponent is in a vulnerable position, is and always has been a repugnant and totally unacceptable act in the game of hockey.  In addition, while the act itself was extremely dangerous, the fact that this is the 8th incident requiring the imposition of supplementary discipline on  Simon compelled me to impose a very severe penalty in this case.  When a player repeatedly evidences the lack of ability to control his actions and conducts himself in total disregard of the rules, as well the health and safety of other players on the ice, each subsequent incident is deserving of enhanced scrutiny and more severe discipline.  This response serves not only the purpose of imposing appropriate punishment for the player involved, but also the purpose of deterring the player and all other players from engaging in similar conduct in the future – hopefully creating a safer long-term work environment for all NHL players.”  Simon is projected to forfeit $292,683 in salary which will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.  In other news, Left Wing Ryan Malone returned to Pittsburgh to undergo evaluation of an infected cut on his leg by team doctors.  Malone will miss his second consecutive game as the Penguins face off against the Bruins in Boston on Thursday.  Originally it was reported that he missed Tuesday’s game against the Rangers due to the Flu, which has been flowing through the Penguins locker room.  Today it is reported that the leg infection caused the flu-like symptoms that kept Malone off the ice. 

The Penguins, already in Boston for Thursday’s game, practiced at Boston University on Wednesday.  General Manager Ray Shero announced that the Penguins have recalled forward Jeff Taffe from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and re-assigned forward Connor James back to the American Hockey League club.  James was called up and registered 1-shot in 1 game against the New York Islanders on December 15th.  Taffe, who has 21 points (12G, 9A) in 27 games this season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, is tied for 13th in AHL goals scored.  Taffe notched 2-points (1G, 1A) in 3 NHL pre-season games with the Penguins.  Signed by Pittsburgh as a free agent on July 13th, Taffe has 28-points (15G, 13A) in 100 NHL games played over the course of 4-seasons as a member of the Phoenix Coyotes and New York Rangers.

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