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New Year’s Retrospective

With the Olympics-altered 2009/10 season already half over, I thought it would be interesting to take a look back and see where the Penguins stand on this New Year’s Day as compared to last.  Just like the stock market, past performance is no gaurantee of future returns…but it still helps provide some context on how the team has performed so far when benchmarked against where they were at this point last season. 

Last season, you will recall that the Penguins started out under a different coach and began the season with their top two defensemen out of the lineup (Sergei Gonchar for shoulder surgery and Ryan Whitney for foot surgery).  In their stead, the Penguins had to depend on some very young, NHL-inexperienced defensemen in Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski to step up and help hold the blueline.  They also started the season in Stockholm Sweden, and had to deal with the challenges of international travel during the outset of the regular season.  This made for a tumultuous month of October in which they went 5-4-2.  They recovered quite nicely in November, posting an impressive 9-2-1 record, before slipping to 5-8-1 in December.  By New Year’s Eve last season, the Penguins had compiled the following stats:

New Year’s Eve 2008:

• Games Played:  37
• Record:  19-4-4
• Points:  42 (57% points efficiency)
• Goals For:  118 (3.2 per game)
• Goals Against:  110 (2.98 per game)

This season, the Penguins started the season with a healthy roster, and seemed to pick up right where they left off in June.  The Penguins jumped out to a blistering pace in October, going 11-3-0 for the month and outscoring their opponents 48-31.  Then came November, and the Penguins started to drop like flies to injury, with the Penguins’ defense taking the biggest hit.   In November, the Penguins lost 65 man-games due to injury, including 5 of their 6 regular defensive starters and one player from each forward line.  November man-games lost to injuries included Alex Goligoski (missed 7-games), Sergei Gonchar (missed 7-games), Tyler Kennedy (missed 11-games), Chris Kunitz (missed 9-games), Kris Letang (missed 9-games), Evgeni Malkin (missed 5-games), Jay McKee (missed 6-games), Brooks Orpik (missed 4-games), and Max Talbot (missed 7-games).  Despite this incredible challenge, the Penguins still managed an 8-6-0 record in November, but were outscored 46-44 as their defensive lines at one point consisted of over 80% call-ups from their AHL affiliate.  To their credit, the call-ups performed admirably under the ciircumstances, and 4 of the 6 games lost were early in the month at the outset of the injury maelstrom.  Once the Penguins started to get healthy again, they went on to post an 7-5-1 record in December, outscoring their opponents again 38-29.  Sidney Crosby has been having a very good season so far, and is on pace to score 46-goals, while Jordan Staal is right on pace for another 22-goal season.  As of New Year’s Eve this season, the Penguins have posted the following stats:

New Year’s Eve 2009:

• Games Played:  41
• Record:  26-14-1
• Points:  53 (63.1% points efficiency)
• Goals For:  130 (3.17 per game)
• Goals Against:  106 (2.59 per game)

Observations:  The Penguins have arguably posted better results at this point over last season, even with the short off-season, condensed game schedules, and rash of injuries dealt to them in November.  The Penguins have accumulated more wins and points over last season, and while their offensive production has been on-par with last season (even with Evgeni Malkin missing a couple of weeks), their defensive game has noticeably improved.  This is notable given that while the Penguins played last season without their top-2 defensemen, this season they played most of the month of November with just one of their starting defensemen in the lineup.  The Penguins have also benefitted from a sharper Marc-Andre Fleury and a very solid backup netminder in Brent Johnson.  In season’s past, Marc-Andre Fleury has had slower starts and strong finishes.  This season, while he has had a few disappointing outings, he started the season much stronger in net and is second in the league in wins behind Martin Brodeur.   

The Way Forward:  Last season the Penguins slumped over the holidays losing all 5 games from December 27th through Jan 5th.  This season, the Penguins have so far lost 3 games since December 27th with two games coming up this weekend.  Last season the Penguins would go on to win just 5 games in January, losing 9-games that month (1 in OT), with troubles continuing into mid-February before Coach Therrien was released in favor of Bylsma.  Over the past couple of seasons, the Penguins’ big points drive has come down the stretch as they have headed towards the playoffs.  Last season, for example, they went on an 18-3-4 tear under Coach Bylsma after mid-February.  The season prior, they went 15-6-3 in that same timeframe under Coach Therrien. 

While it is impossible to know what this season holds in store, fans can hope that the Penguins will follow suit from the past 2 seasons and have another strong finish.  However, there are a couple of things that could make this season’s stretch drive quite challenging for the Penguins.  First, coming off from back-to-back extended seasons, there is a real question as to whether the fatigue and/or injury factor will set in for the Penguins.  Perhaps they got over that hump in November, but there still remains a genuinely increasing risk that this could become a factor as the season wears on.  Second, what effect will the Olympic break have on the Penguins (and their opponents, for that matter).  For the stars who have been selected to repesent their countries, the Olympics present a distraction and another risk for fatigue and injury that could impact their performance on return to the NHL.  For those not participating, the break could provide a welcome rest, but at the risk of accumulating a little rust in their games.  The Olympic break also runs the risk of affecting team momentum and chemistry.  The Olympians will have to adjust to playing with new linemates, and all players will see their team’s cohesiveness disrupted at a critical point in the schedule as they run down the stretch towards the playoffs. 

It will certainly be an interesting second half to follow, with the Penguins looking for that ever-elusive 3-peat visit to the Eastern Conference Finals and the Stanley Cup Finals.  While the odds are certainly against them, we have to ask whether there is any team better suited to face this mighty challenge?  We think not. 

 

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Penguins Struck by Lowly Lightning, Shut-Out 2-0

As a Pittsburgh Penguins’ fan, you are undoubtedly beside yourself with frustration after watching your hockey team lose to the last place Tampa Bay Lightning (8-16-9).  If that weren’t depressing enough, they were outshot 29-15 and shut-out 2-0 by a team that normally gives up 33.5 shots and 2.88 goals per game.  Granted the Penguins were playing the second night of back-to-back games, but this was a game that they were “supposed to win”.  These are the games that you can’t lose if you are going to be competitive in the league and be a contender.  Unfortunately, tonight’s loss extends the struggles of a team that had one of their best starts in years, but has fallen prey to a 4-6-1 record during the month of December.  Last season, the Penguins found their glue and played some of their best team hockey as they struggled through seemingly insurmountable injuries to key players.  This season, a series of injuries to role forwards, top defensemen and the #1 goalie has created a more predictable outcome in which the Penguins have (at least temporarily) lost their way.  They appear to have lost their confidence as well which is a hard thing to recover, especially in a tough schedule like the Penguins have had in December. 

Some observations from tonight’s game. 

Offensively, the Penguins have got to start putting traffic in front of the net and shooting the puck.  It is hard to score on a goaltender in today’s NHL if he can see the shot, especially if most of the shots are coming from the outside.   The Penguins also need to stop the fancy pass attempts in the offensive zone and just shoot the puck.  Too many shooting opportunities are being given up in favor of a passing play.  Too many blind passes are being easily picked off and turned over because nobody is home.  The Penguins gave the puck away 11 times tonight.  If the Penguins start thinking shoot instead of trying to make the perfect passing play, they are apt to create more scoring chances off from rebounds rather than wasted puck possession time and turnovers.  The one place where the passing play could be used more effectively is on the breakout through the neutral zone and getting into the offensive zone.  Too often the Penguins are relying on the dump-and-chase.  If you are going to play that game, you need to be able to win the race to the puck in the corners, and that hasn’t been happening.  As a result, it becomes a game of dump and chase it back into your own defensive zone as the opposing team gains possession and heads down the ice.  In the 3rd period tonight, the Penguins fell prey to the Lightning trap and couldn’t find a way past it.  As a result, and despite playing from behind in the 3rd period, the Penguins didn’t register their first shot until 11-minutes in.  They need to find a way to break through the trap or they will be victims of it all season long.  Finally, the Penguins did seem snake bit tonight as they missed the net on the few excellent opportunities that they did have. 

Defensively, the Penguins are leaving the goaltender out to hang too often.  It is unacceptable for one (or sometimes two) opposing players to find themselves open in front of the net with the puck multiple times during a game.  With Hal Gill out of the lineup, this has become much more noticeable lately and tonight was no exception.  Poor decisions were also made with defensemen trying to play the puck when they should take the body, and vice versa.  The Penguins also struggled clearing the puck out of their own zone.  Marc-Andre Fleury did his part as he stopped 27 of 29-shots for a 0.931 save percentage.  Ryan Whitney was back in the lineup for his first game and played quite well given the long layoff with just one AHL conditioning game under his belt. 

So the Penguins finish up 4-games in 6-nights with a 2-2 record.  The remainder of the month won’t be any easier for the Penguins as they take on the Devils on the road on Friday and then the Canadiens at home on Saturday before finishing the month at home against the Bruins on Tuesday.  Somehwere in all of this, they need to find a way to start consistently putting together some wins.  With teams like New Jersey, Philadelphia and New York surging in the standings, the Penguins can ill afford to stay in a funk much longer.

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New NHLPens.com Poll Regarding Pens Defense

With our top 2 defensemen are sidelined for an extended period of time, it is time for a new poll: 

Place your vote.  We will see how the results come in.

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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Gonchar Opts for Surgery, Will Miss 4-6 Months

The Pittsburgh Penguins officially announced this morning that Defenseman Sergei Gonchar has opted to undergo arthroscopic surgery on Thursday to repair his dislocated left shoulder.  The injury was the result of a hit by Tampa Bay forward David Koci during the Penguins’ first pre-season game against the Lightning on September 20.  Gonchar concluded that surgery was necessary after seeking opinions from three separate orthopedic specialists.  The surgery to be performed by UPMC physician Dr. Mark Rodosky will repair cartilage and ligament damage to his left shoulder.  Unfortunately for the Penguins, the recovery time for returning to a contact sport is projected at 4-6 months.

Undoubtedly the team’s leading defenseman, the Penguins will definitely miss Gonchar in the lineup.  The gravity of his loss is underscored by the fact that Defenseman Ryan Whitney is already out of the lineup for the first 3-4 months of the season as a result of recent foot Surgery.  Together, Gonchar and Whitney were the top-2 D-men for the Penguins last season.  Gonchar finished 4th in scoring with 65-points (12G, 53A) and Whitney was 7th with 40-points (12G, 28A).  Gonchar also led Penguins D-men in +/- with a +13, and has been a highly effective quarterback of the Penguins’ power play.  The loss of Gonchar could also have an impact on Evgeni Malkin who has relied on him to help cross the language barrier.   

In Gonchar and Whitney’s absence, the Penguins will have to rely on their defensive depth to step up and fill the gap.  While the Penguins do have good depth when it comes to capable defensemen, they lack the offensive punch that Gonchar and Whitney provided.  The most likely candidate to step up into that offensive role would be Darryl Sydor.  With 1-year remaining on his 2-year contract and little opportunity to be in the top defensive pairing, Sydor was rumored to be asking for a trade going into this season.  Now that Gonchar and Whitney have been sidelined, Sydor will be a critical asset to the Penguins.  At age 36, he is 2-years older than Gonchar and has played offensive D-man role before for the Dallas Stars.   In 7-full seasons with the Dallas Stars, Sydor posted 292-points (60G, 232A) averaging 42-points per season.  His offensive production has dipped in the past few seasons, likely the result of age, position and ice time.  With the Penguins, he has not yet had the opportunities afforded to the top defensive pairing.  This could well be his opportunity to regularly play alongside the team’s elite players and regain his role as a top defenseman in the NHL.   

Aside from Darryl Sydor, the Penguins existing options for scoring defensemen starts to diminish rather quickly.  Mark Eaton, Brooks Orpik and Rob Scuderi are all strong defensively, but will not fill the void when it comes to scoring.  Hal Gill is probably good for 15-20 points, but his size limits his speed and will prevent him from effectively moving up on the rush.  Sophomore Kris Letang had a strong season last year and will likely be called upon to increase his offensive production.  However, it remains to be seen if he can significantly improve on his 17-point (6G, 11A) production from last season.  Rookie Alex Goligoski, the only prospect defenseman that is still with the team, will likely get an opportunity to contribute in the regular season.  After a 38-point (10G, 28A) contribution in Wilkes-Barre last season, he is an exciting prospect.  However, these kinds of numbers do not routinely translate from the AHL to the NHL.

Bottom line, the extended loss of Sergei Gonchar will be a big, noticeable loss for the Penguins.  If the Penguins are unable to find the right amount of offense out of the remaining defensive corps, Ray Shero could find himself looking at possible early season trade options.  While it is too early to speculate much more on that, it is something for Penguins fans to keep in the back of their minds as the season gets underway this weekend.

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Shortened Penguins Roster Arrives in Sweden

The Pittsburgh Penguins arrived in Stockholm, Sweden, at about 3:30 AM this morning (Pittsburgh time) after a tiring 10.5 hour flight (including a refueling layover in Ireland).  Despite the lengthy trip, the team got checked into their hotel, met for a team meal, and then hit the rink at Hovet Arena in Stockholm for practice.  The goal for today is for the team to get adjusted to the 6-hour time change by staying awake through the evening and getting a good night’s sleep tonight.  According to Max Talbot, most players managed to get some sleep on the plane so that fatigue was not much of a factor in this morning’s practice.  The Penguins’ schedule is part of a program put in place by the training staff to help the players adjust to the change. 

The 10-day trip to Sweden comes on the heels of Friday night’s 5-4 pre-season win against the Leafs in Toronto.  Despite playing from behind most of the night, the Penguins won the game late in the 3rd period on goals by Kris Letang and Matt Cooke.  Sidney Crosby, Mark Eaton and Janne Pesonen also scored in the win, advancing the Penguins pre-season record to 3-0-1.  Sidney Crosby picked up the game’s 1st star with 2-points (1G, 1A) and Ruslan Fedotenko got the game’s 3rd start with 3-points (3A).  The Penguins will officially complete their pre-season play on Thursday, October 2nd, playing against the Jokerit of the Finnish Elite League in Helsinki, Finland.

Before boarding the 5PM flight to Stockholm, the Penguins skinnied their roster down to 25-players through assignments to the AHL and injured reserve.  Forward Connor James and defenseman Danny Richmond were both assigned to the Penguins’ AHL-affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Saturday.  Injured defensemen Sergei Gonchar (dislocated shoulder) and Ryan Whitney (foot surgery) have been assigned to the injured reserve and will not make the trip.  The Penguins will have to make one more roster cut by Friday, October 3rd, to get down to a 24-man roster before the season-opener in Sweden on October 4th.  The Penguins will ultimately need to make an additional cut after October 5th to get down to the 23-player roster required by the league for the rest of the regular season.  The league made an exception and allowed 24-players to be on the roster for the games in Sweden, so that the team would have an extra player in-country in case of injury. 

The Penguins remaining 25-man roster for the Sweden trip is comprised of 15 forwards, 7 defensemen and 3 goaltenders.  This includes forwards Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, Petr Sykora, Miroslav Satan, Ruslan Fedotenko, Matt Cooke, Max Talbot, Tyler Kennedy, Pascal Dupuis, Eric Godardm Jeff Taffe, Janne Pesonen, Bill Thomas, and Paul Bisssonnette.  The defensive corps consists of Brooks Orpik, Rob Scuderi, Hal Gill, Mark Eaton, Darryl Sydor, Kris Letang, and Alex Goligoski.  The goaltenders are Marc-Andre Fleury, Dany Sabourin, and John Curry.

After arriving in Stockholm early this morning, the Penguins went to Hovet Arena for practice at about 8AM Pittsburgh time.  The Hovet Arena is located alongside the Globe Arena where the Penguins will practice for the rest of the week, and where the Penguins will face off against the Ottawa Senators next weekend.  After practice, Sidney Crosby, Marc-Andre Fleury and Max Talbot spoke to the press.  The following videos of practice and those interviews are courtesy of PittsburghPenguins.com:

• VIDEO:  Team Practice’s at Hovet Arena
• VIDEO:  Sidney Crosby Post-Practice Interview
• VIDEO:  Marc-Andre Fleury Post-Practice Interview
• VIDEO:  Max Talbot Post-Practice Interview

 

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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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Ryan Whitney Sidelined for 3+ Months

In a surprise development, Pittsburgh Penguins’ defenseman Ryan Whitney underwent surgery on Friday to correct a left foot misalignment that he has secretly been dealing with for some time.  The procedure, an osteotomy, is a surgical operation whereby bone is cut to shorten, lengthen, or change its alignment.  It usually involves taking out a wedge of bone near a joint to correct the alignment and alleviate pain.  The typical recovery time for a procedure like this is 3-5 months, which means (at a minimum) Ryan Whitney won’t play for the Penguins until mid-November.

According to Bob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, Whitney “stunned” General Manager Ray Shero and Coach Michel Therrien when he revealed the problem to them during post season meetings and told them that he had pretty much played the whole season on one skate.  Rossi noted that some teammates, including Siney Crosby and Brooks Orpik, were aware that Whitney was struggling with the problem during the season.  Apparently Whitney had been dealing with the pain since the opening round of the 2007 playoffs against Ottawa.  Despite the use of orthotics and other non-surgical alternatives, Whitney was unable to find relief from the problem.  It is unclear whether the team training staff was cognizant of the full impact of Whitney’s condition on his skating ability. 

 

As one of their top defensemen, the Penguins will certainly miss Ryan Whitney at the beginning of the season.  However, the Penguins have developed significant depth at defense and will be starting training camp with 7 quality, proven d-men that include Sergei Gonchar, Mark Eaton, Brooks Orpik, Kris Letang, Hal Gil, Rob Scuderi and Darryl Sydor.  There has been a lot of speculation that Darryl Sydor has requested a trade, and that options were being looked at.  One might expect that the Whitney situation could alter any early movement of Sydor.  Sydor’s fate may rest upon how well top prospect Alex Goligoski performs in training camp.

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Top 5 Reasons the Penguins Will Excel in 2008-09

Over the past month, there has been a lot of chatter that the Pittsburgh Penguins lost their best chance at the Stanley Cup by losing to the Detroit Red Wings this past season.  Assertions have been made that the Penguins gave up too much in the off-season to be competitive for the cup again in the coming season.  Many have highlighted the acquisition and subsequent loss of Marian Hossa and the departure of Ryan Malone as the main points in their argument.  In fact, the Penguins are poised for another phenomenal season and have a better chance of being a cup contender this season than they did at this point last season.  The following are the top 5 reasons that the Penguins will excel again this coming season:

1. The Core is Intact:  Despite the loss of Hossa, Malone, Roberts, Conklin, Ruutu, Laraque and Hall, the Penguins have kept their core young stars intact.  This team was built around a young, talented core that includes Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marc-Andre Fleury, Jordan Staal and Ryan Whitney.  All of these key players remain in the lineup, and all have been signed to long-term deals with the exception of Jordan Staal who could be signed to a long-term deal in the coming months.  Crosby, Malkin and Fleury have already proven themselves as elite players in this league.  Jordan Staal is on the cusp of a breakout season after posting less than expected numbers last season, but playing a masterful defensive game.  This group of players is the core of the team around which the supporting cast has been built. 
2. Youth, Experience, and Confidence:  The core talent of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Marc-Andre Fleury are just 20 (soon to be 21), 22, and 23, respectively.  Jordan Staal is just 19, Kris Letang is 21, and Ryan Whitney is 25.  These players are still approaching their prime and will only get better in the seasons to come.  Normally with youth comes inexperience and lack of confidence, as was the case over the past two seasons for most of these players.  However, this team gained a tremendous amount of experience and confidence last season as they battled through key injuries to the lineup to come out near the top of the league during the regular season.  Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, Kris Letang and Ryan Whitney were all put in clutch roles while the team played with an injury-riddled lineup, and they all matured and delivered in the process.  In the playoffs, the Penguins went 12-2 through the first 3-rounds of the playoffs before losing in the Stanley Cup Finals.  These young players have learned what it takes to get to the playoffs, and what it takes to go the distance.  They have lived it first-hand.  They will be a better team next season because of it.


3. Offensive Talent:  The Pittsburgh Penguins finished 7th in the league last season in goals for.  This was accomplished despite Sidney Crosby, one of league’s top offensive threats, out of the lineup for the last half of the season and Jordan Staal under-achieving in his offensive play.  Evgeni Malkin took the opportunity to come into his own and had a career season as a result, powering to the top of the league in points.  This coming season, the Penguins will look to have a full season’s service from the double-threat of Crosby and Malkin.  If Crosby and Malkin can both remain healthy, they will likely finish at or near the top of the league in scoring.  The swing factor next season will be Jordan Staal.  I am anticipating that he will break out of his sophomore scoring slump and put up a 25-30 goal season, partially closing the gap left by Ryan Malone.  Petr Sykora will continue to be a sniper on wing with his stellar shot.  Add to the mix newly acquired Miroslav Satan and Rusty Fedetenko, and I expect that the Penguins will best their offensive production from last season, despite the loss of Ryan Malone.  Note that Marian Hossa was not a key contributor in the Penguins’ regular season success, scoring just 3-goals for the Penguins in 12-games.
4. Goaltending:  Marc-Andre Fleury had a slow start last season.  Just after he was starting to return to form and gain some momentum in early December with 4-straight wins, he suffered the high-ankle injury that sidelined him for much of the latter part of the season.  When he returned in late February, few people expected him to be able to bounce back from the injury and lengthy time-off.  He quickly silenced any critics, however, by coming back and playing 13-games to end the season going 10-2-1 and giving up just 18-goals for a 1.38 GAA and impressive 0.945 save percentage.  He then went on into the playoffs and posted a 14-6 record while giving up just 41 goals in 20-games for a 2.05 GAA and 0.934 save percentage.  There is no question that Marc-Andre Fleury is an elite goaltender in this league and that he can perform under the pressure of playoff hockey.  The goaltending of Marc-Andre Fleury is sure to be a key factor that this team will rise to the top of the league again next season. 

5. Defensive System:  Had I said this last season, I would have been laughed at.  Last year I even called out the Penguins’ defense as their biggest shortcoming prior to the start of the season.  Some people still may not believe in the Penguins’ defense, however, over the course of this past season I have become a believer in the defensive system put in place by Coach Therrien that the team plays so well.  The key to the Penguins defensive system is not just the defensive corps itself nor the strategy employed, but the fact that the entire team embraces and plays it.  As a result, it has been effective for the Penguins and flexible enough to allow the offense to kick in when turnovers and scoring opportunities present themselves. 

There is plenty to be excited about if you are a fan of hockey, and even more so if you are a fan of Pittsburgh Penguins’ hockey.  Look for the Pittsburgh Penguins to return to the ice this fall hungrier than ever before to win.  For the reasons noted above, as well as many other reasons, they are poised to excel again this coming season and for the next several seasons to come.

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Penguins Take Game 3, Sweep in Sight

The Pittsburgh Penguins moved one game closer to a sweep of the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night as they won Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals by a score of 4-1.  Marian Hossa continued to prove his playoff worth by scoring his 7th and 8th post-season goals, including the game winner.  Sidney Crosby picked up 2-assists to move into first place in the post-season points race.  Marc-Andre Fleury extended his record to 11-1 as he stopped 17-of-18 shots for a 0.944 save percentage on the night.  With the win, the Penguins become the 4th team in NHL history to win 11 of their first 12 playoff games.  The last team to do so was the 1983 Edmonton Oilers.

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

In the 1st period, the Penguins dashed the Flyers hopes early as they jumped out to a two goal lead on goals by Ryan Whitney and Marian Hossa.  At 5:03 with 30-seconds remaining on a Derian Hatcher hooking penalty, Ryan Whitney attempted a cross-crease pass to Sidney Crosby who was waiting at the far post.  The puck hit a Flyers defenseman instead and deflected into the net on the nearside as Martin Biron slid across the crease to thwart Crosby.  Sidney Crosby and Sergei Gonchar were credited with the assists on Whitney’s first goal of the post-season.  At 7:41, Marian Hossa made a beautiful move at the blueline to get around one defenseman and then shot the puck on net between the legs of the next defenseman.  The shot beat a surprised Biron who looked like he was anticipating a pass from Hossa to Crosby.  Sidney Crosby was credited with the lone assist.  At 10:59, the Flyers drew within 1-goal as R.J. Umberger picked up a rebound of off the post on a wrap-around attempt by Vaclav Prospal and beat Marc-Andre Fleury.  Vaclav Prospal and Daniel Briere were credited with the assists on the play.  The Penguins outshot an anemic Flyers offense 8-5 in the 1st period, converting on 1-of-2 powerplays and killing off 3-penalties.  In the 2nd period, the Penguins stifling defense shut down the Flyers.  In fact, in the 29-minute stretch from R.J. Umberger’s goal in the 1st period through the end of the 2nd period, the Flyers only managed 3-shots on goal.  The Penguins picked up 9-shots on goal in the 2nd, and were 0-for-1 on the powerplay.  Despite it all, the Flyers only trailed by 1-goal as they entered the 3rd period. In the 3rd period, the Flyers managed to get their offense moving a bit more as they outshot the Penguins 10-8.  But it was too little too late as Marc-Andre Fleury shut the door tightly on the Flyers.  At 9:58, Ryan Malone tightened the noose on the Flyers as he picked up his 4th goal of the post-season.  Evgeni Malkin turned over a bad pass by Steve Downie near the blueline and raced up ice.  Petr Sykora collected the puck after it was poked off from Malkin’s stick and fed a nice pass to Ryan Malone for the goal.  Right after the pass, Sykora was leveled by Steve Downie.  Sykora laid on the ice for a moment and was assisted off the ice, but returned in later shifts and appeared to be okay.  Evgeni Malkin picked up the other assist on the play to place him 2nd in post-season points at 18, 1-point behind leader Sidney Crosby.  At 19:06 with Martin Biron on the bench for the extra attacker, Marian Hossa took a feed from Hal Gill and deposited it into the empty net to seal the win for the Penguins.  There were no penalties in the 3rd period. 

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

• VIDEO:  Video Highlights
• VIDEO:  Post-Game Press Conference w/Coach Therrien
• VIDEO:  Post-Game Interviews
• PHOTOS:  In-Game Photos
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Rosters
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Summary
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Boxscore
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Play-by-Play

Sidney Crosby was the 1st star of the game with 2-assists, and Marc Andre Fleury was the #2 star.  Marian Hossa looked great on the ice again as he has silenced the critics of his post-season play by notching his 15th point in 12-games (8G, 7A).  With 1-assist on the night, Sergei Gonchar (10-points) is tied for 2nd among defensemen scoring in the post-season, just 1-point behind Niklas Kronvall of Detroit.  Gonchar made a beautiful sliding poke check to disrupt a Mike Richards’ breakaway chance in the 2nd period.  The Penguins are now just one win away from their first Stanley Cup Finals in 16-years, dating back to the 1991-92 season in which they won it all.   

The Penguins return to the Wachovia Center on Thursday night to try and finish off the Flyers in 4-games.  Detroit is also poised to finish off their series in 4-games against Dallas on Wednesday night in Dallas.  Should the Penguins meet up with the Red Wings in the finals, it would be the first time this year as the two teams did not meet in the regular season.  They did meet up twice in the pre-season. 

 

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