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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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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. 

Sidney Crosby Injured in 3-0 Loss to Tampa

The Pittsburgh Penguins lost much more than a game on Friday night.  They lost their Captain and one of the league’s leading scorers as Sidney Crosby was injured in the 3-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.  The high ankle sprain that has plagued the Penguins this season appears to have claimed another victim, as Crosby slid akwardly into the end boards early in the 1st period.  Crosby gingerly tried to put weight on his right foot as he made his way off the ice, and ultimately had to be helped down the runway into the locker room.  He was unable to return to the game, and in the post-game wrap-up it was announced he will miss 4-weeks.  A high ankle sprain is an injury to the large ligament that connects the two biggest bones in the lower leg, the tibia and fibula.  A more serious injury than the traditional twisted ankle, it is not uncommon for a high ankle sprain to sideline an player for a month or more.  Max Talbot and Marc-Andre Fleury have both spent extended time on the Injured Reserve list this season with the same injury.

In the 1st period, the Tampa Bay Lightning struck quickly as Kyle Wanvig put a wrister past Ty Conklin at 4:34.  Andre Roy and Chris Gratton were credited with the assists.  Three minutes later at 7:37, Sidney Crosby was slashed by Paul Ranger as he drove to the net with the puck.  After the slash, Crosby fell to the ice and took another swipe at the puck as he slid hard into the endboards with his attention focused on the puck.  His right foot got caught akwardly and twisted under as it took the brunt of collision with the boards.  At first, it didn’t appear to be anything more than a tweaked ankle.  But as Crosby made his way towards the bench, it became clear that the injury was more serious and he was unable to put any appreciable weight on it.  As he entered the tunnel to the Penguins locker room, he appeared to be in much more pain and had to be helped down the runway by a couple of staff members.  At 10:51, the Lightning struck again on backhander by Chris Gratton that beat Ty Conklin 5-hole.  Andre Roy and Shane O’Brien picked up the assists.  The Lightning outshot the Penguins 16-10 in the first, taking advantage of multiple bad turnovers by the Penguins.  Both teams were 0-for-2 on the power play. 

There was no scoring in the 2nd-period as the Penguins battled without their Captain to outshoot the Lightning 10-4.  The Penguins could not solve the excellent goaltending of Johan Holmqvist, who picked up the game’s 2nd star. 

In the 3rd, the Lightning poured it on again outshooting the Penguins 14-7 with one getting past Ty Conklin to seal the fate of the game.  Andre Roy scored for the Lightning at 5:32 with assists by Brad Richards and Martin St. Louis to put the game out of reach for the Penguins.  The Penguins killed off 2-shorthanded situations in the third and had no power play opportunities of their own.  Andre Roy’s goal gave him 3-points on the night (1G, 2A) and the game’s 1st star.  Vinny Lecavalier was held pointless for the 4th consecutive game. 

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

Sidney Crosby will be re-examined Saturday by team doctors.  It seems certain that he will miss the Jan. 27 All-Star game in Atlanta.  Crosby has only missed 4-games in his first 2-seasons, and the team is 0-2-2 without him in the lineup.  The loss is the first regulation loss in nearly a month (Dec 21st against the Islanders), and is the first regulation for Ty Conklin.  

The Penguins travel to Montreal to take on the Canadiens on Saturday night before returning home to host the Capitals on Monday night.  With Crosby most certainly out of the lineup, the Penguins will be looking for more contributions from the likes of Jordan Staal, Ryan Malone, Colby Armstrong, Max Talbot and Tyler Kennedy.  These players will have to really step up their games to compensate for the loss of the league’s most potent around player.

Ty Conklin Stays Undefeated as Pens Shutout Panthers 3-0

The Pittsburgh Penguins, riding on the red hot glove of 3rd-string goaltender Ty Conklin, shutout the Florida Panthers 3-0 on Saturday afternoon and extended the Penguins winning streak to 6 games.  Conklin (7-0) maintained his perfect record this season by stopping 35-shots and picking up his 2nd shutout in 4-games.  In his last 6-starts, Conklin has only let in 8-goals.  His save percentage now stands at 0.939 with a 2.0 Goals Against Average, defying his 3rd-string status.  More importantly, the Penguins (23-16-2) have won 75% of their games since Thanksgiving day when they beat the Ottawa Senators and turned their mediocre season around.  The Penguins are showing no signs of letting up, despite key injuries to their lineup.

In the 1st period, the Penguins scored 2-early goals to set the tone for the game.  At 4:26, Tyler Kennedy picked up his 8th goal of the season as he took a great pass from Ryan Malone and put it past Tomas Vokoun to make it 1-0.  Less than 2-minutes later, Evgeni Malkin picked up his 19th goal of the season as he put the puck in a wide open net while on the power-play.  Sideny Crosby made a cross-ice pass to Ryan Whitney, who threw the puck at the net.  Vokoun made the save, but gave up a juicy rebound as he overplayed the save and put himself way outside of the net.  Malkin, who was left alone in the slot had an easy put in to make it 2-0.  Shots were even at 11-11 after 1, and the Penguins were 1-for-3 on the power play.  The Penguins killed off their only penalty of the period (and game) as Adam Hall took a sit for holding.

In the 2nd and 3rd periods the Panthers continued to pressure the Penguins by outshooting them 12-10 in each period.  Yet, despite several good chances, the Panthers just couldn’t solve Ty Conklin.  The Penguins put the game away at 17:19 of the 3rd as Sidney Crosby stripped the puck away from Olli Jokinen in front of the Panthers net, backhanded the puck to Malkin, and then took the pass back from Malkin and wristed it past Vokoun.  The goal was Crosby’s 17th of the season and first regulation goal in 7-games. 

Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby finished the game with a goal and an assist each.  Tyler Kennedy picked up a goal and Ryan Whitney and Ryan Malone each had an assist.  Ty Conklin was named the player of the game with Sidney Crosby getting the 2nd star, and Tyler Kennedy the 3rd star. 

Game Highlight Reel

Additional Coverage: 

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

The Penguins get a couple days off before hitting the road for a 3-game Southeast Division road trip in which they meet up with the Florida Panthers again on Tuesday, the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday and the Atalanta Thrashers next Saturday.  The Penguins are 5-1 against the Southeast Division so far this season. 

    

Penguins Blanked By Rangers

The Pittsburgh Penguins played an uninspired 40-minutes of hockey and were unable to recover in the final 20-minutes as they were shutout by Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers on Tuesday night, by a score of 4-0.  The Penguins, who were missing Ryan Malone due to the flu, played as if most of the team was down with the flu…and perhaps they were.  The Penguins were unable to generate an ounce of offense through the first 2-periods, posting just 3-shots in the 1st and 2-shots in the 2nd period.  In the 3rd, they showed some life as they outshot the Rangers 13-10, but it was too little too late.

The Rangers picked up 2-goals at even strength, and 2 on the power play to walk away with the victory.  Scott Gomez scored twice, an even strength tally at 1:12 of the 1st from Straka and Jagr and a power-play goal in the 2nd from Drury and Rozsival while Adam Hall sat for tripping.  Martin Straka scored at even strength in the second from Staal and Rozsival.  Chris Drury netted the final goal in the 3rd on the power play from Rozsival and Shanahan with Colby Armstrong and Petr Sykora (for Tyler Kennedy) both in the box.  Kennedy took a boarding call and a 10-minute misconduct on a hit to Ryan Hollweg, who also got a 10-minute misconduct for extra curricular activity after the whistle. 

Henrik Lundqvist was in net for the Rangers after sitting out a game with the flu.  Lundqvist had an easy return to the ice, facing only 18 shots on net, almost all of which came in the 3rd period.  It was the lowest shot total of the season for the Penguins who posted a 3-2 win over the Islanders on Saturday night with 40-shots on net.  For Lundqvist, it was his league leading 6th shutout of the season and 13th of his NHL career.  Dany Sabourin made 27 saves for the Penguins.

The Penguins were 0 for 3 on the power play, and gave up 2 of 5 on the penalty kill.  The Penguins had a couple of good scoring chances, but Lundqvist shut the door to remain perfect in net.  Sidney Crosby was held without a point for the 6th time this season, and 4th time in the last 6-games.  He has only managed just 1-goal in in the last 9-games, leading some to speculate that he may be playing through an unspecified injury. 

• PHOTOS:  Penguins In-Game Photos
• Official NHL:  Game Rosters
• Official NHL:  Game Summary
• Official NHL:  Boxscore
• Official NHL:  Play-by-Play

The Penguins travel to Boston to take on the Bruins on Thursday night.  

Pittsburgh Thrashes Atlanta 5-0

After finding their confidence in a character win over the league leading Ottawa Senators on Thursday, the Pittsburgh Penguins put an exclamation point on their rekindled play by shutting out the Atlanta Thrashers 5-0 on Saturday night.  It was the second consecutive shutout for the Atlanta Thrashers, who were 11-5-0 coming into the game after losing the first 6-games of the season.  Marc-Andre Fleury was in net for the Penguins and bounced back to post his second shutout of the season after being pulled in the first period of Thursday’s game against Ottawa.  Despite the Penguins’ scoring melee, Evgeni Malkin’s 15-game point streak came to an end as he failed to notch a point in the game.  On the brite side, however, Jordan Staal finally notched a long overdue goal and played more like the rookie of last year putting 6 shots on goal and was named the 2nd star of the game.

The scoring was initiated at 3:38 of the first period by Jordan Staal as he maneuvered around an Atlanta defenseman in front of the net to poke a rebound past Thrashers rookie netminder Ondrej Pavelec.  The opportunity was created for Staal after Tyler Kennedy threw the puck to the back wall and Gary Roberts picked it up and was rejected on the wraparound attempt.  The goal, assisted by Kennedy and Roberts, was Staal’s 2nd on the season and 1st since October 20th.  The next goal came at 11:53 on the power play from the stick of Ryan Malone, his 3rd goal in 2 games.  Standing in front of the net, Malone collected the rebound from Sergei Gonchar’s point shot and turned to fire it into the open side of the net.  Sergei Gonchar and Kris Letang were credited with the assists.  The 3rd goal came at 15:09, as Colby Armstrong and Sidney Crosby rushed the net.  When the passing lane was closed off, Crosby was forced to shoot the puck.  Pavelec stopped Crosby’s attempt, but the rebound found its way to Armstrong who chipped the puck over the shoulder of Pavelec to put the Penguins up 3-0.  Sergei Gonchar and Sidney Crosby were credited with the assists on the goal, Armstrong’s 2nd of the season and 1st since the season’s home opener.  The Penguins outshot the Thrashers 15-10 in the first period and were 1 for 1 on the power play.  The Penguins killed the only penalty against them in the period, a holding call to Georges Laraque at 7:43. 

In the 2nd period, the Penguins picked up another goal on the power play to make it 4-0 as Sidney Crosby put a blistering shot past Pavelec and into the Thrashers’ net at 8:59.  The play was assisted by Sergei Gonchar and Erik Christensen.  It was Sergei Gonchar’s 3rd assist of the night and his 12th point in his last 8 games to further separate him from the rest of the pack as the NHL’s defense scoring leader.  Gonchar was named the 3rd star of the game.  The goal was also Sidney Crosby’s 2nd point of the night, elevating him to 33-points on the season.  Crosby is tied for 2nd in league scoring with Atlanta’s Ilya Kovalchuk who was kept off the score sheet tonight.  Tampa Bay’s Vinny Lecavalier leads the league in scoring with 37-points after picking up 2-more points tonight.  The Penguins were 1 for 1 on the power play in the 2nd period, and successfully killed off their only penalty.  The THrashers outshot the Penguins 9-7 in the 2nd period. 

In the 3rd period, Ryan Whitney scored the lone goal playing at even strength at 5:01.  The play was assisted by Gary Roberts and Tyler Kennedy, who each picked up 2 assists on the night.  The pair of assists were Kennedy’s first career assists.  Sergei Gonchar left the ice in the 3rd period with a sore groin, and didn’t return.  Hopefully it was just a precautionary measure with the game fully in hand.  You certainly could not tell that Gonchar was hurting as his skating and footwork was again impeccable.  The Penguins were 0 for 1 in the 3rd on the power play, and killed off the only call against them as well, making them perfect on the penalty kill for the game.  The Penguins outshot the Thrashers 12-9 in the 3rd.   

Marc-Andre Fleury’s 28 saves assured his 9th career shutout and earned him the 1st star of the game honors.  Fleury was solid, but was not forced to make many spectacular saves.  His best save came on a deflection by Todd White early in the the 3rd period to keep his shutout alive.  The story of the night, however, has to be Jordan Staal and Colby Armstrong both ending their goal scoring droughts.  Their contributions are critical to balancing the team’s scoring to enable them to post more wins on the season.  Unfortunately, Evgeni Malkin’s 15-game scoring streak came to an end.  Malkin had 22-points (7G, 15A) in his last 15-games, the longest scoring steak by a Russian player in NHL history.  Not only was Malkin held scoreless for just the 3rd time this season, he was also held without a shot on goal.  Fortunately for the Penguins, Malkin’s inability to get on the scoresheet was of no consequence to the game’s outcome. 

• VIDEO:  Click Here for the Pittsburgh Penguins Pre-Game Press Conference with Michel Therrien
• VIDEO:  Click Here for “Inside the Locker Room” Pre-Game with Joe Sager and Phil Bourque interviews with Colby Armstrong and Jarrko Ruutu
• Click Here for the Official NHL Game Rosters
• Click Here for the Official NHL Game Summary
• Click Here for the Official NHL Boxscore
• Click Here for the Official NHL Play-by-Play
• PHOTOS:  Click Here for the Pittsburgh Penguins Game Photo Gallery
• AUDIO:  Click Here for the Pittsburgh Penguins Mike Lange Highlights (1:41)
• AUDIO:  Click Here for the Pittsburgh Penguins Post-Game Rink Rat Report with Mike Lange (2:23) 
• AUDIO:  Click Here for the Pittsburgh Penguins Post-Game Hotline with Bob Grove (49:29)
• VIDEO:  Click Here for the Post-Game Press Conference with Michel Therrien (2:28)
• VIDEO:  Click Here for Post-Game Locker Room Interviews with Sidney Crosby, Jordan Staal, Colby Armstrong, Marc-Andre Fleury (5:27)

The Penguins enjoy a rare 5-nights off before they host the Dallas Stars on Friday, November 30th.  Whereas a team normally enjoys a break, the Penguins probably woud prefer to keep the momentum going and keep playing.  Hopefully they will be able to keep their current style of play alive when the return to the ice next Friday. 

 

Fleury Returns to Form, Shuts Out Rangers 1-0: Game Recap

The Pittsburgh Penguins put their third consecutive win together tonight, thanks to the sharp play of goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.  Fleury made 36-saves against the struggling New York Rangers and posted his 1st shutout of the season, and the 8th of his career.  The Penguins, who were outshot 36-22, should be thankful that Fleury was in net as he allowed them to steal a win on a lone goal by Evgeni Malkin.   

With 2 seconds to go in the first period, Rangers’ Right Winger Ryan Callahan was called for a tripping penalty (his second offense of the night).  The late call allowed the Penguins to start the 2nd period on the man advantage.  As they have done in each of their first 7 games, the Penguins found a way to capitalize on the power play chance.  Evgeni Malkin jumped on a loose puck to flip a wrister past Rangers’ tender Henrik Lundqvist just 44 seconds into the second period.  The goal was Malkin’s 3rd goal and 8th point in 8 games, and was assisted by Sidney Crosby and Ryan Whitney.  Just 24 seconds after Malkin’s goal, Jordan Staal drew a penalty shot call on a breakaway chance, but was unable to put the puck by Lundqvist.  Despite a few post ringers by both teams, the goal by Malkin stood as the game’s only marker. 

Marc-Andre Fleury appears to be settling into his game and is starting to play with the confidence and positional excellence that he exhibited through much of last season.  This comes as a relief to many fans, who were starting to question his reliability after struggling in his first few starts of the season.  But after being benched for a game, and spending some quality soul searching time with Goalie Coach Gilles Meloche, Fleury appears to be returning to the form we saw last year.  He has gone 2-0-0 in his last two games, allowing just 1 goal on 67 shots.  In those 2 games, he has a 0.50 GAA and 0.985 save percentage.  It would appear that Fleury is determined to silence his critics.  He did get some help in the last two games from the post, but maybe they are in some small way a payback for a couple of bad bounces in the early going.  The hockey Gods are now smiling on the flower. 

• Click Here for the Official NHL Game Rosters 
• Click Here for the Official NHL Game Summary
• Click Here for the Official NHL Play-by-Play
• Click Here for the Official NHL Boxscore

The Pittsburgh Penguins return to the Mellon Arena on Thursday when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs for their second matchup of the season.  The Penguins beat the Leafs in Toronto by a score of 6-4 on October 13th.  They will be looking to do it again come Thursday night.