Pens 3 Stars 1
Goals: Neal (10) (PP) from Kunitz, Sullivan
Neal (11) (PP) from Malkin, Letang
Cooke (5)
Top 3:
1) James Neal. In his first game against his former team, Neal played some opportunistic hockey to show Dallas (1st place in the West) what they were missing. Neal scored goals on a Kunitz screen in front of the net, and an attempted pass to Kunitz which was deflected in by a Stars defenseman. Both goals were powerplay goals, as Neal spent 7 of his 21 minutes on the ice during powerplays. He continues to prove that getting the puck to the net leads to goals, whether they are planned or not.
2) Chris Kunitz. Kunitz had a great night on the ice, though a rough night on the scoresheet. He led to 2 disallowed goals, one because he high-sticked the puck in the net, and the other for goalie interference. Despite this, he still had the primary assist on Neal’s first goal and also was the attempted recipient of Neal’s pass that turned into a 2nd goal. One of his best intangibles was on display tonight, as he did a great job with net presence on the powerplay. Facing a very hot goalie in Kari Lehtonen, Kunitz spent most of the night distracting Lehtonen on the crease, to the benefit of Neal and the powerplay. The offense ran through Kunitz tonight, literally.
3) Marc-Andre Fleury. The flower looked solid in net tonight, though he wasn’t tested all that much. He made some key leg saves when the game was tight early on, and that was all he really needed to do since he faced 20 shots all game. The best aspect of Fleury’s game tonight was his rebound control. He continues to improve all aspects of his game and is clearly acting like a goalie in his prime.
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| No soft goals here. |
Bottom 3:
1) Eric Tangradi. Tangradi played in his first NHL game of the season, but did not do much to impress. He received a team low 7 mintues of ice time, and only 2 shifts in the 3rd period after blatantly giving the puck away for a scoring chance early in the period. Tangradi’s physical game needs to improve around the net if he plans to stay up with this team. He should be what Kunitz is now, but for some reason, it is not clicking in the NHL.
2) Kris Letang. Letang played well most of the game, and only makes this list because he had the missed coverage on the only Stars goal. Letang was caught out of place in the high slot in the defensive zone, leaving him helpless to get in anyone’s way as the puck moved in deep on Fleury. Aside from this misplay, Letang looked strong in general, moving the puck around very well on the powerplay. Not much to complain about in a 3-1 win!
3) Joe Vitale. As the team alternates between healthy and not healthy, it appears Vitale is still trying to find his niche on the team. Vitale upped his physical game in this one, but that led to a penalty and him generally look a little lost on the ice at times. Vitale needs to stick to his solid, 2-way game and key in on faceoffs to keep his roster spot. Nothing more, nothing less is expected of him.
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| Whatever you're doing...it's not right. |
Takeaways:
1) Rested and Refreshed. The Penguins clearly benefited from having 5 days off as the whole team looked well-rested and ready to play a full 60 minutes in this one. Dallas has been red hot all season, and the Pens out skated them from start to finish, going in especially hard on the forecheck. A return to a normal schedule should help this team with its injuries and overall play as the season continues on.
2) No Goal, No Problem. Some of the most tenuous moments in a hockey game can occur in the minutes after a goal is disallowed. Often times, these are the minutes where one team will take advantage and one team will fall apart, shifting the balance of the game and leading to an easy end result. The Penguins persevered through 2 no goal calls to promptly score minutes after each one and give the home team and crowd an even bigger boost. This kind of resilience is great to see for a potential championship team.
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| Ridiculous hand-eye...that counts for nothing. |
3) Attack, Attack, Attack. Along the same line with rest, the Penguins forecheck and offensive zone pressure was flat out brilliant tonight. Dallas had issues getting out of their zone and across the red line all night because the Penguins continued to attack relentlessly no matter what the situation or who was on the ice. This is the epitome of Dan Bylsma’s style, and you saw it work perfectly against the Stars. This game was the ideal result for what the coaching staff wants.
Pens Record: 10-3-3, 23 pts.
Goals For: 48
Goals Against: 35
PP %: 23% (15 for 65)
PK %: 93% (43 for 46)
Next Game: 11/12 @ Car, 7pm LET’S GO PENS!!!
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