Sunday, October 30, 2011

Leafs Refuse to Fall, defeat Pens 4-3


Pens lose to Toronto, 4-3
Goals:  Cooke (4) from Asham, Lovejoy
                Kunitz (4) (PP) from Malkin, Letang
                Malkin (2) (PP) from Letang, Neal


Top 3:   
1)  Ben Lovejoy.  Aside from one bad turnover where Brent Johnson bailed him out, Lovejoy played a great overall game.  He was a +1 on the night for the Pens and was not on for a goal against.  He stopped three 2 on 1 chances (why on earth did he face 3 of them), and did a good job of stepping up into the offensive zone to get shots on net.  For his good play, he was rewarded with the least playing time for defensemen…  Regardless, Lovejoy played the most complete game of anyone on the team tonight. 

2)  Chris Kunitz.  Kunitz showed his value in front of the net, scoring on the powerplay off of a Malkin rebound and also providing a great screen for Malkin's goal.  He led the team with 5 shots (and actually had another 4 that he missed) as he continues to slowly adopt Neal’s style of play.  He also led the team with 4 hits, mostly in forechecking situations.  Kunitz is starting to warm up it appears, which might be perfectly timed with 87’s return.  Interestingly enough, Seth Rorabaugh (@emptynetters) did a little comparison of Kunitz with and without Crosby:  http://blogs.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/sports/empty-netters/30642-with-or-without-you-10-28-11  Results:  no difference.
Finally, someone that actually does something in front of the net.

3)  Arron Asham.  Though Asham continues to receive a limited amount of shifts, he made the most of them in Toronto.  He led the team with 3 takeaways, had 3 shots on goal, and added an assist on Cooke’s goal.  Asham played much like Kunitz and had a very strong forechecking effort against a quick Maple Leafs team.  He forced turnovers well and created chances for the offense.  For as quickly as Toronto was moving around the Pens in the neutral zone, I would have liked to see Asham out there more to force their mistakes.


Bottom 3:
1)  Forwards.  As a group, the forwards played their worst defensive game of the season.  The 2 penalty kills aside, both of the Leafs 5 on 5 goals were on account of odd man matchups in the defensive zone where the leafs had 3 forwards on our 2 defenseman.  The Sullivan-Malkin-Neal line was guilty on one of the goals, and the Dupuis-Park-Asham line was on for the other.  I have spent the season praising the forwards for their defensive coverage, but they provided absolutely no help to Johnson and the defense in this game.
Hey BJ, can you just tie up the guy on the crease and play goalie too?

2)  Evgeni Malkin.  It is incredibly difficult on a game by game basis to decide if I want to praise Malkin or smack him on the nose like puppy that can’t be housebroken.  The good: he scored a goal, set up another, and drew a penalty.  The bad:  He took 2 penalties, both of which lead to Leafs goals, he led the team in giveaways, he was slow to backcheck, and he was very careless with the puck in the defensive zone at times.  Malkin is a very polarizing player – he either demonstrates unbelievable skill or frustrates you with unbelievably poor decisions.  This needs to change if he ever wants to return to his Conn Smythe status.

3)  Brooks Orpik.  Orpik had another tough game, though it wasn’t completely all his fault.  He was on for 3 goals against (2 on the PP) and received little help from the forwards in odd man situations.  The main reason I’m putting Orpik here is because he seems to have lost some of his decisiveness from last season.  This could very well be because he is still getting back to speed from his injury, but I think some quicker decision making will go a long way for helping his game, especially in odd man rushes so he can force teams to make a move rather than give them options.


Injury Report:
- Kennedy (concussion), Crosby (concussion), Strait (hyperextended elbow), and Michalek (finger) all remain out.
- Jordan Staal missed the game with a  lower body injury sustained against the Islanders and is day to day.


Takeaways:
1)  Hustle, Hustle, Hustle.  This was the first game that I felt the Pens were outskated and outworked in.  Even then, they still had plenty of chances to tie the game and they were dominating at times, but this was a necessary lesson for the Pens.  Without top players in the lineup, every guy on this team has to skate their hardest every game to get complete wins.  Luckily, that was the last game of a very packed October.  Now the Pens get to rest, get healthy, and have only 2 games in the next 10 days.  A period of refreshing is well earned and seems quite necessary. 
Kessel took a step ahead of Neal in the goal scoring race.

2)  Keys to the Penalty Kill.  Arguably the 2 biggest penalty killers on the team were out against Toronto, and the PK quickly went 0 for 2.  Who are those 2?  Fleury and Staal.  Not that Brent Johnson had much help, but Johnson is a stud backup because of his calm demeanor and his strong positioning.  Fleury’s game is his athleticism and recovery ability.  On the PK, it’s Fleury’s strengths that save a team moreso than Johnson’s.  Meanwhile, Staal and his “pterodactyl” body are a big key to intercepting passes and deterring the opponents PP from moving the puck quickly.  Toronto scored 2 PP goals…in 28 seconds total.  Yikes.

3)  Forwards should Play Defense too.  Staal is going to get a lot of credit here too because of his defensive work and how much we missed it tonight.  The forwards were just downright awful in the defensive zone in this game.  I’m not sure if it was just an off game, or Toronto’s speed/effort kept them on their heels, but the Leafs consistently had a 3rd guy open down low that all of the forwards were missing.  Plain and simple, if their guys are not covered, we’re going to lose.


Pens Record: 8-3-2, 18 pts.
Goals For: 39
Goals Against: 28
PP %:  22% (12 for 54)
PK %:  92% (36 for 39)

Next Game:  11/3 @ SJ, 10:30pm  LET’S GO PENS!!!

Friday, October 28, 2011

Shutout, Shootout, Whatever, Pens win!!


Pens beat Isles 3-2 (SO)
Goals:  Kunitz (3) from Dupuis, Letang
Neal (9) from Kunitz, Malkin
SO Winner: Malkin         


Top 3:   
1)  Marc-Andre Fleury.  Flower didn’t face too much action on the night, only dealing with 19 shots, but he came up big when it mattered.  He stopped a couple of semi-breakaways and continued to be the backbone of the penalty kill, looking fantastic in the 3rd period.  The 2 goals he did allow during regulation were hardly his fault, as they both occurred on defensive breakdowns around the crease.  He finished off the night by stopping all 3 Islanders shooters in the shootout, securing 2 points for the Penguins.  Though he continually scares us with his puck-handling attempts, it’s safe to say Fleury is at the top of his game right now…his game just clearly doesn’t include puck-handling.

2)  Chris Kunitz.  I called Kunitz out last game, and he came to play in this one (I’m aware I have zero influence on this, I don’t care).  He got off to another slow start in the 1st, but came up big with his play on the crease and in the slot, scoring the Penguins first goal and setting up Neal for the game-tying goal.  Kunitz also put 5 shots on net, which is something he had gotten away from early in the season.  Let’s hope he catches Neal’s shooting fire and scores in the same manner.

3)  Evgeni Malkin.  Malkin alternated between Bottom 3 and Top 3 for me all game.  He looked dominant at times with his puck possession and skating skills.  He also looked like a moron at times as he threw out blind passes for turnovers and lost the puck.  In this game, his skill trumped his stupidity as he got an assist on the game-tying goal and also scored the shootout winner.  Malkin has scored on 4 out of his last 6 shootout attempts, demonstrating that his overall game is on the rise.  This was another game where he played without his usual uncontrolled emotions.  I like that.
A rare picture of DiPietro healthy enough to be on the ice...or maybe grabbing his hamstring.


Bottom 3:
1)  Deryk Engelland.  While Engelland wasn’t necessarily at fault for both goals, he certainly did not help for either one.  One would think with Engelland and Orpik paired up, the Islanders wouldn’t be crashing the crease and scoring goals from a foot out.  Well, one would be wrong.  Engelland was on the crease and not touching his man on both goals, not something a man of his size should be allowing.  He finished the night with a -2. 
Not pictured:  Deryk Engelland, wildly out of position.

2)  Steve Sullivan.  It’s one thing that Sullivan isn’t scoring when he puts together a complete 2 way game and dominates in other aspects.  It’s another thing when Sullivan is turning over the puck at the blue line, fanning on shots and passes, and generally not doing anything.  This was amongst the worst games that I’ve seen Sullivan play because it was the first time I’ve seen him hinder the Pens more than help them.  At this point, you have to think he’s trying too hard and pushing too hard (exactly like Neal last spring?).  When he’s on, he’s a great asset on the point for the powerplay.  But when he’s off...it’s a huge, unnecessary risk.

3)  Brooks Orpik.  Orpik ends up here for the same reasons Engelland did.  He was on for both goals and seemed to have difficulty figuring out who to cover with Engelland.  He wasn’t supposed to be covering the goal scorers in either situation, but it was clear that both players weren’t communicating well.  I put more of the onus on Orpik for this, as he is the veteran presence and should be the more vocal one.  I’ll get on the D pairings a little more in a bit.


Random Statistics:
- The Pens last 2 goal comeback was 2 seasons ago
- Neal led the team in shots again, with 6 (and another 4 missed)
- Martin played another quiet , solid game in the defensive zone, leading the team in blocked shots (3)
- All of the Pens won a majority of their faceoffs, with Vitale winning an outstanding 7 out of 8.
- Fleury is now 10-0-2 in his last 12 against NYI
- The Pens have lost 42 man-games to injury this year, the highest amount in the NHL


Random Thoughts:
- In regards to the no goal call in the 1st…it looked like crap to me.  But I will give the official credit for one thing - it was decisive and not discussed.  It’s much harder to argue a call when the official is sure of himself.
- The Penguins stayed amazingly calm, even after facing a 2 goal lead.  The confidence that this team has in each other is something special right now
- The team appeared to be flat for the first 2 periods, leading some in the crowd (which was also flat) to wonder if there was going to be a fight.  Last year’s Pens – drop the gloves.  This year’s – push the tempo and score.
- The Letang to Malkin to Kunitz to Neal goal was absolutely beautiful.  Letang deserves a 3rd assist for that one.  I don’t think they can even pull that off in practice as well.
- After the buzzer to end the 2nd period, Ben Lovejoy skated out to Fleury and gave him a tap on the pads and some words before heading into the locker room.  No clue what he said, but I like the idea behind it.
- Matt Cooke and Brian Rolston of the Islanders also had some words after the 2nd period at center ice, but this also ended calmly and with mutual stick taps.  Same thoughts as the last one.
- The Pens wore pink/purple jerseys for practice and the pregame skate today to support hockey fights cancer.  For as much as I hate the pink puck bunny jerseys, these ones were solid looking.
Hockey may fight cancer...but it can't color coordinate.
 
Injury Report:
- Kennedy (concussion), Crosby (concussion), Strait (hyperextended elbow), and Michalek (finger) all remain out.
- There was some talk about Crosby, as Shero stated he would like to start him off at home when he’s comfortable (and the rumors of 11/11 are starting to pick up very quickly).


Takeaways:
1)  Career Years.  As the Penguins continue on their hot streak, it is a blurry line between determining whether this team just has it all right now or if this is truly a streak.  Many players are performing at or near their career bests, including Fleury, Staal, Neal, Park, and Dupuis.  This is even more impressive for the forwards because most of them are facing tougher situations and competition than they normally would with Geno in and out of the lineup and Crosby out (counterpoint – they are getting more playing time.)  It’s going to be interesting to see how some of these paces continue and how this team reacts to a slump.

2)  Defensive Pairings.  Going into the game, I was not pleased with the D pairings.  I’m adamantly against using Orpik-Engelland together, and love the Orpik-Letang line for balance.  Phil Bourque suggested that Letang-Martin played together to keep continuity between the powerplay and regular shifts.  I don’t buy into that, the powerplay does not constitute enough of the game to warrant that change in pairings.  I’m not sure what the coaches saw, but can we get back to the regular pairings?  Orpik-Engelland lacks puck skills and mobility in the worst ways.

3)  Hockey Culture.  As most know by now, the NHL Draft will be held in Pittsburgh on June 22-23rd at Consol.  Hockey has changed this city in many ways, beginning with Lemieux in ’84, continuing with the Cups in ’91 and ’92, reviving with Crosby in ’05, and peaking with the Cup in ’09.  It is also interesting to see how players and the coaches have changed this city as well.  I notice more and more that people on radio shows and talking about the team in general refer to players by their #’s rather than their names.  Where did that come from?  Coach Dan Bylsma and his press conferences and pregame speeches of course.  We are lucky as a generation to see the Cup Finals in ’08, win the Cup in ’09, host the Winter Classic in ’11, host the Draft in ’12, and I’m sure the All-Star game will not be far behind.  This may always be a football city first…but the Penguins are making a run at it as hard as they can.


Pens Record: 8-2-2, 18 pts.
Goals For: 36
Goals Against: 24
PP %:  20% (10 for 50)
PK %:  97% (36 for 37)

Next Game:  10/29 @ Tor, 7pm  LET’S GO PENS!!!

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Fleury on Long Island, Pens win 3-0!


Pens shutout the Islanders, 3-0
Goals:  Dupuis (3) from Orpik
            Park (3) from Asham
            Staal (6) from Dupuis
               


Top 3:   
1)  Marc-Andre Fleury.  In his 20th career shutout and 3rd against the Islanders, Fleury was absolutely flawless tonight, making 33 saves.  His positioning continues to be impressive and has reached a level that I don’t believe we have seen before.  MAF has shown his athletic abilities on many occasions to save the Penguins, but he is winning these games through calm play and proper positioning, only using his athleticism to bail him out when necessary.  These are supposed to be Fleury’s prime years, and he’s making a strong demonstration that he has arrived as an elite goalie right now.
Not getting a thing past him.
 2)  Paul Martin.  In the first game without Michalek, Martin ate up most of the minutes for the Penguins, playing 27:18.  With the big minutes came some big time plays, as Martin led the team with 4 takeaways and added on 2 blocked shots as well.  He had a couple of strong pinches in the offensive zone and generally played well all over the ice.  This is the Paul Martin that actually earns his $5 mil contract (though I wouldn’t mind some scoring, but that’s pure nitpicking). 

3)  Richard Park.  Park showed up all over the ice in his long island return against his former teammates.  He led the Penguins with 9 faceoffs won (only losing 6) and added a nice goal very early in the 2nd period to build the Penguins’ momentum.  He continues to be dependable on the penalty kill, and was even rewarded in this game with a shift on the powerplay.  Park has become the ultimate utility player, handling any task that Bylsma gives him with ease.


Bottom 3:
1)  Chris Kunitz.  Kunitz looked lost most of the game, playing his worst in the first period and then managing to be a little competent during the rest of the game.  He committed 2 very bad turnovers in the first, one where he passed it across the blue line for an Islander to pick off, and the other when he couldn’t control a puck as he carried it into the zone.  I was getting excited that Kunitz was starting to pick up his play over the past week, but he looked lost as ever tonight.  He may be the first one to start hitting Crosby to get him to return at this rate.

2)  Joe Vitale.  Honestly, Vitale did nothing wrong tonight.  There aren’t many things that go wrong in a 3-0 win.  He was just quiet.  He’s basically on this list because I had no one else to throw here.  He could share this spot with Brent Johnson for all it meant.

3)  Evgeni Malkin.  Malkin, however, does belong on this list (but he did too much well for me to put him at 2).  Malkin was a giveaway/takeaway machine this game, doing each one 3 times.  He looked great at times in both zones and then would follow it up with a completely opposite horrible shift.  One thing I did notice about Malkin compared to most games is he didn’t play with much emotion.  He was very calm and controlled.  It made many of his moves dangerous, but also caused him to lose the puck a few times.  The jury is out on what may come of this potential style.  Also, he was a dismal 2 for 9 on faceoffs tonight.
Almost Geno...almost...

Random Statistics:
- Bylsma coached in his 200th career game (1st one was against the Isles as well)
- Bylsma has the 3rd highest winning % of active coaches with 200 + games (.658)
- Fleury is 9-0-2 in his last 11 decisions vs the Islanders
- Park was the only Penguins center to win more faceoffs than he lost this game
- The Pens lost the faceoff battle for the first time in 9 games
- Niskanen and Engelland each blocked 5 shots


Injury Report:
- Kennedy (concussion), Crosby (concussion) and Strait (hyperextended elbow) all remain out
- Malkin returned to the lineup tonight
- Michalek is out 4-6 weeks with a broken finger sustained in the NJ game


Takeaways:
1)  Who Needs Michalek.  The Penguins rallied around the loss of Michalek for 4-6 weeks to block an astounding 26 shots.  Engelland and Niskanen might as well have sat on the crease with Fleury as they combined for 10 of those blocks on their own.  The defense as a whole looked shaky at times in terms of their puck possession, but they were certainly dedicated to keeping the puck out.  This team won’t lose many games if they are going to show that type of commitment to helping Fleury.

2)  Chemistry, Take Two.  After the last game, I talked about how this team had great chemistry as a whole.  Now I’m going to boil it down to the lines, specifically the Neal-Malkin-Sullivan line.  Under no circumstances should that line be broken up ever.  With Malkin not playing at 100% and Sullivan being completely snakebitten, they still created a great number of opportunities and dominated the offensive zone at times.  If that line ever gets completely healthy and can play at its average, not even its full potential, the Pens will have a first line that can compete amongst the best.  On the backside, I cannot give enough praise to the Orpik-Letang pairing.  They complement each other spectacularly and bring out the better sides of each other’s games.

3)  Last Season is History.  Going into this game, there were still some murmurs about that lovely 300+ penalty minute game from last season.  Neither coach went out of his way to dress enforcers for this one though, so it looks like the brutal travesty that was last season’s rivalry can be put away.  This is a positive step, both for the Penguins who already have enough injuries to deal with, and the NHL as a whole.  Though, can you imagine the videos Shanahan would have made for such a mess?
This team can't score or fight, great.


Pens Record: 7-2-2, 16 pts.
Goals For: 33
Goals Against: 22
PP %:  20% (9 for 44)
PK %:  97% (34 for 35)

Next Game:  10/27 vs NYI, 7pm  LET’S GO PENS!!!

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Can't Trap a Penguin, Pens win 4-1!

Pens defeat Devils 4-1
Goals:  Staal (4) (PP) from Park, Cooke
Kunitz (2) (PP) from Letang, Martin
Staal (5) from Asham, Niskanen
Neal (8) from Park, Michalek


Top 3:   
1)  Jordan Staal.  Over the course of watching Jordan Staal since he surprisingly made the team as an 18 year old, I think tonight was the best overall game I’ve ever seen him play.  2 goals not included, Staal was dominant everywhere on the ice and skating stronger than I’ve seen him in a while.  You could see the hunger in his strides when he entered the offensive zone, and his positioning was superb in the defensive zone.  Staal demonstrated on the PP this game that he has an ability to find and get into open space, which is impressive for such a big guy.  Jordan was just an absolute stud this game.

2)  Marc-Andre Fleury.  Fleury put together another solid effort, while continuing with his career tendency of being allergic to shutouts and allowing a goal (not that it was his fault).  Fleury bailed the defense out on a couple 2 on 1’s as usual and looked great in his positioning again.  Of course, he managed to freak everyone out when he went out to play the puck behind the net and lost it…but no harm no foul, right?  As long as Fleury continues to avoid the weak goal letdown, he’s gonna be on this list every game.
Fleury working on his decapitation skills in the crease.

3)  Brooks Orpik.  Orpik played a very understated and strong game.  This was the first night that the Letang-Orpik pairing returned, and it made a big difference for both players.  Orpik played great in the defensive zone, breaking up passes and stealing pucks, while energizing the crowd with big hits.  Even more beneficial is that he allows Letang to skate around all willy-nilly (yes, I just said that) to play his offensive game.  The return of Orpik is going to make Letang look even better than his hot start demonstrated.


Bottom 3:
1) and 2)  Matt Niskanen and Deryk Engelland.  Niskanen had a rough night, but lucked out as Fleury was there to save his ass.  He had trouble with positioning all night, often getting caught high in the defensive zone while NJ hovered around the slot.  He also had some turnover issues.  I believe a lot this has to do with his new pairing with Engelland, as I’m giving Engelland the exact same treatment.  Engelland was also caught out of position a few times and had issues with turnovers.  There didn’t appear to be much communication between the 2, and NJ attacked heavily every time this pair was on the ice.  Luckily, as with Fleury, no harm no foul!
"You were out of position by thiiiis much"
 3)  Paul Martin.  It’s odd that I’m giving putting 3 defensemen on this list when we only allowed 1 goal, but Martin belongs on here as well.  He led the team in turnovers on a night where his D partner (Michalek) was luckily having a very strong night.  Martin’s turnover on an attempt to clear the puck was the play that led to the Devils’ short-handed goal.  Martin also took an unnecessary interference penalty.  He played well in the offensive zone, but looked a little off in his own end.


Random Statistics:
- Sullivan played in his 900th career game
- Staal scored his 100th career goal
- Michalek blocked a team high 6 shots
- Dupuis attempted 5 shots…0 hit the net
- Neal led the team with 5 shots as usual
- MacIntyre made it up to 5:09 of ice time
- Letang and Martin each had 3 giveaways


Random Thoughts:
- Park has stepped up very nicely into a top 2 center role despite always being a role player throughout his career.  His hard work is making the transition easy and helping Sullivan and Neal greatly
- Lovejoy and Letestu were the healthy scratches tonight.  Lovejoy will probably get back in with some sort of rotation amongst Niskanen and Engelland.  Letestu might have issues cracking the lineup as no forward looked backed
- Vitale played 15 minutes as his ice time continues to increase.  I’m not sure he’s made a mistake on the ice yet this season
- Jeffrey looked much better in his second game, playing over 11 minutes and going 6 for 9 in faceoffs


Injury Report:
- No new news:  Kennedy (concussion), Malkin (knee), Crosby (concussion) and Strait (elbow) all sat out
"We're losing and I can't even name their players...sigh..."
 Takeaways:
1)  Positioning FTW.  The best thing I saw in this game was how well all of the forwards were covering for defensemen stepping into the play.  I noticed it especially with Staal, Kunitz, and Dupuis.  Letang and Martin went in to pinch or led the rush on a few different plays, and those 3 forwards were always very alert in staying back at the blue line or dropping back to cover for them.  That is a big key in helping the Penguins transition game back on defense and will save a lot of odd man rushes throughout the season.

2)  Keep Shooting.  The Pens take a lot of shots from odd angles and seem to pass up on shots from the slot frequently.  The result is they keep scoring from odd angles and everything James Neal shoots goes 5 ft wide or in the net.  This team is doing a good job of pressing the issue and getting pucks on net at angles that goalies can’t control the rebounds.  I’m not sure it will work for the season, but it is working fantastically right now, so keep doing it!

3)  Championship Chemistry.  I saw a tweet when I got home after the game that talked about how Staal isn’t the type of player to put up big stats, but he’s the type of player that’s going to win championships.  It was a good testament to how Shero has built this team.  Even with the flashy players out, there are essentially a lot of winners on this team, and players who will do the dirty work in the corners and in front of the net to win.  Those are the players necessary to win the Cup, and the Pens have an abundance of them.  Bylsma gets a lot of credit for coaching this team through injuries, but Shero deserves just as much for putting the team together.

Pens Record: 6-2-2, 14 pts.
Goals For: 30
Goals Against: 22
PP %:  21% (9 for 42)
PK %:  97% (32 for 33)

Next Game:  10/25 @ NYI, 7pm  LET’S GO PENS!!!