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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.

Fleury Stands Tall in Net, Penguins Prep for Habs

The Pittsburgh Penguins found a way to win a tough post-Christmas road game in New Jersey on Friday night as Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 37-shots to post his first shutout of the season.  Ruslan Fedotenko got the lone Penguins’ goal on a feed by Evgeni Malkin.  The goal was Fedotenko’s 9th of the season, while Malkin picked up his league leading 44th-assist and 59th point.  Malkin has established an 11-point lead in assists and 12-point lead in points and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.  The Penguins will be back in Pittsburgh tonight as they host the Montreal Canadiens at Mellon Arena.  Last night’s win put the Penguins a point ahead of New Jersey, while a regulation win tonight would put the Penguins 2-points ahead of Montreal.  The Penguins will be looking to build momentum for home-and-home games against the Eastern Conference leading Boston Bruins on Tuesday and Thursday.

Rob Rossi’s Trib Total Media Minute

Coach Therrien Game Day Interview

Hal Gill Game Day Interview

Paul Bissonnette Game Day Interview

Sidney Crosby Game Day Interview

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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. 

  

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. 

Penguins Lose to Canadiens in Lengthy Shootout: Game Recap

The Pittsburgh Penguins managed to eek a point out of the matchup with the Montreal Canadiens after a miserable first 21-minutes of play left them down 3-0.  The Penguins Marc-Andre Fleury was pulled from the net in favor of Dany Sabourin and the Penguins struggled back to tie the game, kept it notted through the overtime frame, and finally lost in an extended shootout on a goal by the Canadien’s 8th shooter.  Rookie call-up Tyler Kennedy had an impressive first game despite getting any points.  His presence was very noticeable and provided a lot of energy to the Penguins re-engineered 4th line. 

In the first period, it was all Montreal as they outshot the slumbering Penguins 14-6.  The Penguins got off on a bad foot after a quick hooking penalty to Adam Hall at 0:49.  The Penguins penalty killing unit was able to prevent the league’s leading power play on that chance, but it had the effect of tilting the ice towards the Penguins net.  At 7:13, the Canadiens capitalized on their momentum with an even strength goal by Mathieu Dandenault, with assists by Kastsitsyn and Komasarek.  At 10:42, it was Jordan Staal who took a trip to the penalty box for elbowing, and this time the Canadiens wasted no time in reminding everyone of their dominance on the man-advantage.  Just 11 seconds into the power play, Andrei Markov put the puck past Fleury to put the Canadiens up 2-0 halfway through the first.  Higgins and Koivu were credited with assist.  The Canadiens went 1 for 3 on the man advantage in the first, while the Penguins were unable to convert on their lone opportunity.     

Just 49 seconds into the second, the Montreal Canadiens struck again on an even strength goal by Michael Ryder that beat Fleury high on the glove side.  Fleury, who allowed three goals on 15 shots, was then pulled by Penguins coach Michel Therrien and replaced by backup tender Dany Sabourin.  Then, a minute later at 1:49 of the second, Montreal’s Alexei Kovalev hit Evgeni Malkin from behind driving him headfirst into the boards along the sidewall.  The hit elicited a fiesty response from the Penguins Captain who jumped on Kovalev in defense of Malkin.  The action sparked the crowd, and more importantly the Penguins players who had not been mentally in the game up to this point.  Kovalev took a double minor for boarding & roughing and Crosby took a penalty for roughing, setting up the Penguins for the man-advantage.  At 3:03, while still on the power-play, the Penguins got on the board with a goal by Petr Sykora that was assisted by Adam Hall and Evgeni Malkin.  “I think we need to play with more emotion and I think that goal and that power play certainly lifted us a bit and got us back in the game,” Crosby said. “I think we rolled on from there.”  A little over 5 minutes later, Sidney Crosby scored a goal of his own at even strength on a nice up ice rush, tic-tac-toe passing play with Evgeni Malkin and Ryan Whitney.  With the score now 3-2, it put the game in reach for the Penguins who finally found their legs and were getting good backstop action from netminder Sabourin.  The Penguins outshot the Canadiens 10-7 in the second and were 1 for 2 on the power play, while the Canadiens went 0 for 2. 

In the third period, both teams played a very tight game with only 10 shots registered between the two.  The Penguins were given an opportunity in the final 4 minutes of the game when the tired Canadiens team made a couple of mistakes that put them a man-down for two consecutive penalty calls.  The Penguins capitalized at 18:08 on a power play goal by Ryan Whitney off from a beautiful feed by Evgeni Malkin to tie the game and send it into overtime.  The play was also assisted by Petr Sykora.  For Malkin, a dominating force on the ice, it was his 3rd assist of the night.  He was credited with the game’s 1st star for his outstanding play. 

In the overtime period, it looked bleak as the Penguins’ Ryan Malone took a hooking call just 15 seconds into overtime.  But the Penguins’ penalty killing unit did a fabulous job in the 4 on 3 and kept the Canadiens to the outside.  The Pen’s held the Canadiens to 3 shots in the 5-minute OT, while only putting up 1 shot of their own, and forced the game into a shootout. 

In the shootout, the Penguins failed to convert despite getting 8 chances against Canadiens’ netminder Cary Price.  Despite facing 8 Pittsburgh Penguins in the shootout, the rookie Canadiens netminder had to only make 3 saves.  Erik Christensen, Petr Sykora, Jarkko Ruutu, Ryan Whitney and Mark Recchi all missed the net and Sergei Gonchar had the puck poke-checked by Price.  The only shots that made it to the net and required a save by Price were from Crosby and Malkin.  “It didn’t feel like I had to touch the puck that much,” Price said. “That’s part of being a goalie, trying to make yourself look big and try to make them hit a small target. Hopefully they either miss the net or hit me.”  Surprisingly, Coach Therrien left productive forward Maxime Talbot sitting on the bench during the shootout.  It was the 8th Canadien shooter who finally found the twine behind Dany Sabourin to win the shootout and the game.  “He made a good move. I thought he was going to go far side,” said Sabourin, “That was a great shootout, both goalies made some great saves. It’s too bad we didn’t get out with the win.”  Sabourin was fantastic in net on the shootout, despite the loss.

• Click Here for the Official NHL Game Roster
• Click Here for the Official NHL Game Summary
• Click Here for the Official NHL Boxscore
• Click Here for the Official NHL Play-by-Play
• Click Here for the Official NHL Shootout Summary
• Click Here for the Pittsburgh Penguins Rink Rat Report (AUDIO:  Mike Lange)
• Click Here for the Pittsburgh Penguins Post Game Hotline (AUDIO:  Bob Grove)
• Click Here for the Post Game Press Conference (VIDEO: Coach Therrien)
• Click Here for Post Game Locker Room Interviews (VIDEO:  Crosby, Whitney, Sabourin)

The Penguins hit the road for a 4-game road trip starting Tuesday night in Minnesota against the Wild, followed by the Colorado Avalanche, New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils. 

Game Preview: Canadiens at Penguins

The Pittsburgh  Penguins (5-4-0) host the surging Montreal Canadiens (5-2-2) toinght at Mellon Arena at 7PM.  Montreal has won their last 3-games including an impressive 7-4 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night, in which they outscored the Canes 5-1 in the first period.  Four of those first period goals came on the man-advantage.  The Habs scored a total of 5-power play goals in Friday’s game to match a franchise record for the 6th time, the most recent of which was in February 1975. 

In their last 3 wins, Montreal has outscored their opponents (Carolina, Boston, Buffalo) 17-7.  With last night’s performance, the Canadiens have the best power play unit in the NHL with 16 goals and a 32.7% effectiveness (16 for 49).  They have been successful by putting the goal on net and then searching for rebounds.  Tomas Plekanec, did just that last night and picked up 4-points all on the power-play (2G, 2A). “We did all the right things and it paid off,” he said after the game.  “There are no secrets to it,” said Montreal coach Guy Carbonneau, “We have guys that can move the puck and make plays. You can pass it around for two minutes, but you can’t score if you don’t shoot it. That’s all we did. Just by shooting the puck a lot, it opened other options.”  Canadiens Goaltender Cristobal Huet has gone 3-1-1 with a 1.97 goals-against average in his last 5 starts, and is 3-0-0 with a 1.46 GAA all-time against Pittsburgh.  It is unknown whether Huet or Rookie Carey Price will get the call tonight.  Price recorded his first career win in his NHL debut against the Penguins in their first meeting this year.  The Canadiens are 4-1-1 against the Penguins since March 26, 2006, and are 14-4-2 with a tie against them since the 2001-02 season.

The Penguins will have to adddress several issues they have had in their game if they expect to win against the Canadiens.  First, they must control the rebounds, either by smothering them in the goal mouth or clearing them via the defensive corps.  If they cannot do that, Montreal will capitalize on attacking the net and feeding on the rebounds.  Next, they have to play a very disciplined game.  Despite having a slight edge in their penalty kill effectiveness, the Penguins cannot spend time in the box against the league’s most potent power play and expect to come out on top.  Third, they need to take a page out of the Canadiens play book and shoot the puck, and then capitalize on the oppotunities that arise from that.  All too often, the Penguins can be found in the offensive zone moving the puck around looking for a play.  Sometimes, you just have to put the puck on the net and good things will happen.  It has worked well for the Canadiens of late, and the Penguins would be well advised to pursue the same strategy. 

Going head-to-head, the Canadiens have the advantage.  They have averaged 3.4 goals per game to Pittsbugh’s 2.9, while only giving up 2.6 goals per game to Pittsbugh’s 3.2.  As mentioned earlier, the Canadiens’ league leading power play is clicking at 32.7%, while the Penguins have a 21.2% effectiveness on the man-advantage.  The Penguins have scored at least one power play goal in each of its 9 games played.  The Penguins have the slight advantage on the Penalty Kill with an effectiveness of 92.9% to the Canadiens’ 81.7%.  Shots per game, both for an against, are pretty much equivalent for both teams.     

The Penguins, who haven’t lost two consecutive games this season, will be looking to rebound from their disappointing 5-2 loss to Toronto on Thursday.  Sidney Crosby has accumulated 12 points (3G, 9A) in an 8-game point streak.  He picked up a point (1A) in the loss to the Canadiens earlier this month, and has recorded 15 points (5G, 10A) in 9-career games against the Canadiens.  Evgeni Malkin, who played on Crosby’s line for the first time on Thursday, has 7 points (2G, 5A) in 5 career games against the Canadiens.  After posting his first season shutout and giving up just 1-goal in 67 shots, Marc-Andre Fleury only made 22 saves on 27 shots against the Leafs.  Fleury made 32 saves in the loss to Montreal earlier this month, and is 4-3-1 with a 4.10 GAA all-time against the Canadiens.  It is unknown yet whether he will start in net, or whether Sabourin will get the call.  This morning, the Penguins announced the recall of center Tyler Kennedy.  Although not stated, I suspect that he may play in lieu of Maxime Talbot who went hard into the boards face-first in the game against the Leafs on Thursday and did not return to the line-up.  Although this may not be the case, as Talbot participated in Friday’s grueling team practice and appeared to have no ill after-effects.  It would be nice to see a line change for once in which Mark Recchi moved off from the top line. 

• Click Here for Today’s Press Conference w/Coach Therrien 
• Click Here for Today’s Post Practice Scrum (Locker Room Interviews w/Crosby & Kennedy) 
• Click Here for More of Today’s Post-Practice Video (Joe Sager and Phil Bourque Analysis, Plus Locker Room Interviews w/Hall & Ruutu)
• Click Here for Yesterday’s Post Practice Video (Locker Room Interviews with Recchi, Crosby, Staal & Orpik))

NHLPens.com Prediction:  Unfortunately, based on the numbers, I believe that the Penguins will post their first consecutive loss tonight.  To have a chance, the Penguins will need to bring their “A” game, stay out of the penalty box, prevent/clear the rebounds,  and put up a much better offensive game than they have of late if they have any hope of getting a point out of tonight’s matchup.  I think the Canadiens have too much momentum on their side, and even though they played last night, will have the jump on the Penguins.  I am predicting a Canadiens win by a score of 3-2 in regulation.  Most likely goal scorers for the Penguins include Petr Sykora and Ryan Whitney.  Crosby will keep his point streak alive with an assist.  Here is to hoping that I am wrong, and that the Penguins pick up the win. 

Go Pens Go!

Canadiens at Penguins: Game Preview

The Pittsburgh Penguins will host the Montreal Canadiens in Pittsburgh on Wednesday night, October 10, 2007.   The two teams will face off at the Mellon Arena with game time set for 7:30PM.  It will be the third game of the season for each organization, both having recorded a win and a loss.  Montreal’s loss came in overtime against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night by a final score of 4-3.  Their win was a 3-2 regulation decision against the Hurricanes on October 3rd.

There was some question as to whether team Captain Sidney Crosby would be in the lineup against the Canadiens after he sustained a nasty bruise from a Francois Beauchemin slapshot to his right foot in Saturday night’s win against the Ducks.  Speculation was fueled by his absence from team practice on Monday, October 8th.  However, he returned to practice today and is expected be in the lineup for Wednesday’s game.  Crosby commented that it felt like he could have broken a bone, as the pain was similar to a break he sustained last year.  However, X-rays were negative, and the pain and swelling have subsided.  “The swelling has gone down and I felt pretty good,” said Crosby, after Tuesday’s practice.  Despite the bruise, Crosby does not plan to wear protective padding in his skate.       

The Penguins will be looking for their star players to deliver in the game against Montreal.  Held without a point in Pittsburgh’s season-opening 4-1 loss to Carolina, Crosby had one assist in the win over the Ducks and will be looking to put a few points on the board.  In his short history, Crosby has delivered some of his most memorable performances while playing Montreal.  He has accumulated fourteen points (5G, 9A) in just 8 games, with the Penguins sporting a 5-2-1 record against the Canadiens in the Crosby era.  A healthy Crosby should not bode well for the Canadiens. 

Other top forwards will be looking to pick up where they left off over the weekend.  Petr Sykora gave the home crowd something to cheer about by scoring two goals and an assist in Saturday’s game against the Ducks.  Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist in that game, adding to an assist he picked up in game one against the Hurricanes.  Sykora and Malkin share the Penguins point lead at 3.  Jordan Staal has yet to register a point, but will likely be hard to keep off the board much longer. 

Key areas that the Penguins need to show improvement in are their defensive game, goaltending and faceoffs.  In two games, the Penguins have given up 8 goals and Marc-Andre Fleury is carrying a 4.80 goals-against average.  Fluery was responsible in game one for giving up too many juicy rebounds.  Several of the goals scored against the Penguins should have been stopped by Fleury, or (better yet) cleared out of the crease by the Pens defense.  This will be an area that they will hopefully improve for game 3.  The current team also continues to struggle on the face-off, with only Adam Hall (53.8%) above the 50% mark on the face-off (on just a few chances).  Crosby (46.9%), Christensen (45.8%), Talbot (40,9%), Malkin (35.3%) and Staal (33.3%) all need to improve to help the Penguins puck possession and control time. 

Montreal (1-0-1) will be playing its third consecutive road game, having picked up three of four available points in the first two games.  Montreal went 0-6 on the power-play against Toronto after converting three times in the season-opener against Carolina.  Canadiens goaltender Cristobal Huet is 3-0-0 with a 1.46 GAA lifetime against Pittsburgh, but in a surprise move Montreal coach Guy Carbonneau is reportedly starting backup goalie Carey Price.  Price, the 5th overall draft pick in 2005, will make his NHL debut against one of the league’s most dangerous offensive teams.  Price went 15-6 with a 2.06 GAA and led Hamilton (AHL) to the Calder Cup championship last season.  Be on the lookout for Montreal’s top scorers in Saku Koivu (2G, 1A), Andrei Markov (1G, 2A), Christopher Higgins (0G, 2A) and Alexei Kovalev (0G, 2A). 

Game Forecast:  With rookie netminder Carey Price in goal on the road for the Habs against the potent scoring talent of the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Pens should have a good offensive outing.  Furthermore, Marc-Andre Fleury and the Penguins defense will be working hard to shore up their game which should contribute to a low scoring affair for the Canadiens.  Based on these factors, NHLPens is predicting a Penguins win by a margin of 3 goals with a final projected score of 5-2.  Likely goal-scorers for the Penguins include Sidney Crosby (2), Jordan Staal, Evgeni Malkin and Maxime Talbot. 

With a couple hundred tickets still available, the rink will be giving out a free Highmark Penguins Baseball Cap to all fans in attendance.  The Penguins will also be showing an encore pre-game presentation from last weekend’s home opener at 7:25PM.  Be sure to check back here for in-game live chat, and the post game analysis and game recap.  If you would like to receive NHLPens.com articles by e-mail, please provide your e-mail address below (you may unsubscribe at any time).