Lightning 2 Pens 1

Quick - name something more embarrassing than the Pirates starting rotation.  After this game, I hope the Penguins powerplay came to your mind.

Luckily, the penalty kill is still solid as the Penguins began the game with Paul Martin taking an interference penalty just 39 seconds into the game.  The Penguins killed it off, but could not escape the Lightning taking an early lead just a couple of minutes later.  Steve Downie retrieved the puck with a pileup in front of the net, where Mike Rupp was sitting in front of Marc-Andre Fleury's left pad.  Downie sent a soft backhander that Fleury could not reach and the puck snuck into the corner of the net to give Tampa Bay a 1-0 lead.  Martin St. Louis expanded the lead to 2-0 when he came streaking down the right side and snuck a perfectly placed shot on the short side of Fleury just a few minutes later.

The Penguins then received 2 powerplay chances over the next 5 minutes, but could not convert anything.  They had difficulty getting and retaining the puck in the zone during each powerplay.  Even once they had possession, the powerplay looked lifeless as players stood in their positions and created no passing lanes or good chances.  It was almost as if the powerplay was so shocked that they made it into the zone that they were stunned and did not know what to do.  The 2 missed chances put the Pens on a 3 for 62 stretch (4.8%) to end the period.

I found the problem...the Pens powerplay diagram

The second period started off completely with the Penguins.  They had the first 8 shots of the period and didn't allow a shot on Fleury until half way through the period.  The period was bookended by Penguins powerplays...which were both horrendous.  On the first powerplay, the Lightning managed to clear the puck 4 times.  As Mike Lange said, you aren't going to score when the puck is in your own end that many times.  The 2nd powerplay ended as Neal took a holding penalty towards the end of it.  The Penguins again could not do anything, having difficulty even getting it past the red line.  The period ended with the Lightning still up 2-0.

The Penguins finally got on the scoreboard less than 5 minutes into the 3rd period, as Mike Rupp took what appeared to be a harmless shot from the left boards that Roloson did not see because of a screen by his defenseman.  The goal was Rupp's first in 14 games.  The period continued on with teams getting chances at both ends.  Kovalev took a bad cross-checking penalty late in the game with 4:24 left in the game, but the Penguins killed it with ease.  The Pens put on a frantic effort to try and tie the game within the last minute, but could not find a way to beat Roloson.

3 Stars:
#3 - Downie
#2 - St. Louis
#1 - Roloson


Notes/Thoughts
- Bob Errey made a great point (wait, what?) about Paul Martin on the powerplay.  He isn't a threat to shoot and tends to just feed right or left.  Tampa's penalty kill visibly shifted when he had the puck which took away space from all of the passing options, and Martin still wouldn't shoot.

- Tampa Bay clinched a playoff spot with the victory and pulled within 5 points of the Penguins.  Meanwhile, the Pens missed a golden chance to gain 2 points on the Flyers, who also lost.

- Back to the powerplay woes:  Tampa Bay knew we couldn't score on the powerplay and it appeared we knew that fact too.  No confidence or movement with the puck.  Meanwhile, Tampa Bay was sitting at the blue line knowing that we had no clue how to gain possession beyond there.  This requires a drastic change before the playoffs.

- It was nice to see Rupp score, but more "secondary" (maybe tertiary at this point?) scoring is necessary.  If the Kunitz-Staal-Kennedy line is neutralized, there appears to be no offense on this team.  It's not going to be a hard game plan for an opposing coach.

Gameday: Pens @ Lightning, 7:30pm, FSN

Let's all have a moment of silence for FSN, which will become ROOT sports at midnight.

Now on with the game.  The Pens (45-24-8, 98 pts) are on a little Florida road trip this weekend and will start by facing the Tampa Bay Lightning (41-24-11, 93 pts).  This could be a preview of the first round of the playoffs as the Penguins are comfortably in 4th place with this 5 point lead over the Lightning and Tampa sits comfortably in 5th place with a 4 point lead over 6th place Montreal.  As Dan Bylsma stated today, this is a game in which both teams are going to want to make a statement in case they see each other for elimination in two weeks.

Tampa Bay is coming off of a 5-2 win over Ottawa in which Dominic Moore came out with a 3 point night.  Dwayne Roloson got the start last night and made 31 saves.  Roloson will start again tonight, but has pretty dismal numbers against the Penguins lately.  Roloson has lost his last 4 against the Penguins a 5.40 GAA.  The Lightning as a team haven't fared well against the Penguins, losing their last 2 against them.  Tampa does get a boost tonight with the return of Ryan Malone from a groin injury.  (Remember when people were upset we didn't re-sign him?  Where are those people now?)

The Penguins will be making a lineup change of their own tonight.  It appears Mike Comrie will back in the lineup in the place of Arron Asham.  Personally, I'm in favor of this move because Comrie may at least flash some skill while Asham just seems out of place on this team.  In the long run, I don't think either of these guys will be wearing a Penguins jersey next year.  It appears the Penguins will go with the same defensive pairs as the last game. 

Neal-Letestu-Kovalev
Kunitz-Staal-Kennedy
Dupuis-Talbot-Conner
Rupp-Adams-Comrie

Letang-Orpik
Martin-Michalek
Lovejoy-Niskanen

Fleury

Healthy scratches should be Asham, Godard, and Engelland.  Bylsma is starting to go with less of the enforcer grit and more of the skating in the corners grit.  This is definitely a shift towards a playoff lineup as everyone gets healthy.

Prediction:  3-2 win for the Pens.  This is a bad matchup for Roloson, especially in back to back nights.  Also, the Pens will be fired up after that loss to the Flyers, while Tampa is going to be slow to start after playing a less talented Ottawa team last night.

Looking back at the Trade Deadline

Montoya...with confidence

As teams are settling into playoff spots (well, at least in the East), I wanted to take a look back at the trades made during the seemingly month long trade deadline and see how they actually impacted teams.  Players are listed by the team they went to and with the stats (as of 3/28) they have accumulated since.  (Minor league deals not included)

NYI: Al Montoya (17 gp, 8-4-4, 2.35 gaa, .923 save %)
Pho:  2011 6th round pick

Winner: NYI, no question.  The Isles picked up a young goalie with potential in a season during which they have used 6 different goalies.  Montoya has played fantastic for them, and may be their future (insert Rick DiPietro joke here).

At least someone is successful in Nashville

Nsh:  Mike Fisher (21 gp, 3g, 3a, -2, 8 pim)
Ott:  2011 1st round, 2012 3rd round

Winner:  Ottawa gets the early win.  Fisher has not made the huge impact Nashville was expecting, but the playoffs could change that.  Ottawa got a great return and didn't really lose anything from their team play.


Chi:  Michael Frolik (20 gp, 2g, 5a, -3, 4 pim), Alexander Salak (minors)
Fla:  Jack Skille (9 gp, 0g, 1a, -11, 4 pim), Hugh Jessiman (minors), David Pacan (minors)

Winner:  Leaning Florida.  No one has really done anything out of this trade, but Florida did pick up some pieces that they may be able to rebuild with.


Phi:  Kris Versteeg (20 gp, 6g, 2a, +4, 12 pim)
Tor:  2011 1st round, 2011 3rd round

Winner:  Toronto/Tie.  Though this can be argued because Versteeg has played pretty well, the asking price was steep.  This is another deal where the true winner will be decided in the playoffs, but I'd lean towards Toronto right now even though both teams got what they wanted.

Google Image result for Ruutu

Ana:  Jarkko Ruutu (16 gp, 1g, 1a, even, 10 pim)
Ott:  2011 6th round

Winner:  Tie.  Anaheim has put Ruutu to use as a pest and a penalty killer, and he has played respectably with the low penalty total.  Ottawa did manage to get a return on a player they didn't want anymore though.


TB:  Eric Brewer (17 gp, 1g, 0a, even, 24 pim)
StL:  Brock Beukeboom (minors), 2011 3rd round

Winner:  St. Louis.  Brewer hasn't done a whole lot to improve Tampa Bay and St. Louis picked up some potential in Beukeboom and a pick to boot.


Col:  Brian Elliott (9 gp, 2-5-1, 3.73 gaa, .890 save %)
Ott:  Craig Anderson (14 gp, 8-4-1, 1.99 gaa, .942 save %)

Winner:  Ottawa.  Just look at those stats.  If I need to explain it, go purchase hockey for dummies.


Bos:  Tomas Kaberle (17 gp, 1g, 6a, +5, 2 pim)

You mean we don't golf in April?

Tor:  2011 1st round, Joe Colborne (minors), 2012 2nd round

Winner:  Leaning Toronto.  Kaberle has played well for Boston, but here is another case where the price was steep.  Boston has a solid grasp on 3rd in the conference, but anything short of winning the Cup makes this trade questionable.


Bos:  Boris Valabik (minors), Rich Peverley (16 gp, 2g, 2a, -3, 0 pim)
Atl:  Blake Wheeler (16 gp, 5g, 8a, +1, 10 pim), Mark Stuart (16 gp, 1g, 0a, -5, 24 pim)

Winner:  Atlanta.  Blake Wheeler has played very well for the Thrashers and is one of the reasons they stayed in the playoff race as long as they did.

No wins for Easter?

Col:  Erik Johnson (17 gp, 3g, 7a, -7, 17 pim), Jay McClement (17 gp, 0g, 1a, -10, 10 pim)
StL:  Chris Stewart (19 gp, 11g, 4a, even, 13 pim), Kevin Shattenkirk (19 gp, 1g, 8a, +4, 10pim)

Winner:  St. Louis.  Here's another slam dunk based on the numbers.  Stewart and Shattenkirk transitioned seamlessly into the Bues locker room.  Johnson and McClement got sent to a sinking ship and couldn't slow the freefall.


Dal:  Alex Goligoski (15 gp, 4g, 7a, +3, 12 pim)
Pit:  James Neal (15 gp, 1g, 4a, even, 4 pim), Matt Niskanen (13 gp, 1g, 1a, +1, 14pim)

Winner:  Leaning Dallas.  What started as an easy slam dunk for Pittsburgh when the trade was made swung quickly to the Stars based on Goligoski's play.  Also, Neal has been slow to produce, though useful in shootouts.  This one could change if Neal gets time on Crosby's wing.


TB/Ott:  Curtis McElhinney (5 gp, 3-2, 2.14 gaa, .932 save %)
Ana:  Dan Ellis (10 gp, 6-3-1, 2.69 gaa, .902 save %)

Winner:  Anaheim and Ottawa.  McElhinney went from TB to Ottawa via waivers.  McElhinney has played very well when he's been in, but Ellis gives Anaheim a win for his impact.  Ellis proved to be incredibly useful as Jonas Hiller went down and the Ducks have needed him in some big situations.

Look at that great hooking technique

Pit:  Alex Kovalev (14 gp, 1g, 2a, +2, 14 pim)  
Ott:  2011 7th round

Winner:  Pittsburgh.  Kovalev hasn't done what many Pens fans have expected or wanted, but he has been key in shootouts which is enough to warrant a 7th round pick.


Car: Cory Stillman (14 gp, 3g, 8a, +2, 4 pim)
Fla:  Ryan Carter (8 gp, 2g, 1a, +2, 16 pim), 2011 5th round

Winner:  Carolina.  Stillman made an immediate impact with the Hurricanes and helped keep them in the race this long.  Even if they don't make the playoffs, they only gave up spare parts that weren't worth much.


Mtl:  Brent Sopel (7 gp, 0g, 0a, -1, 0 pim), Nigel Dawes (9 gp, 0g, 1a, -6, 0 pim)
Atl:  Ben Maxwell (5 gp, 1g, 1a, even, 0 pim), 2011 4th round

Winner:  Tie.  Hard to pick a winner in this one, no impact on either side.  Montreal gained depth for the playoffs and Atlanta picked up a younger player and a pick.

Tears of joy follow trades from Florida

NYR:  Bryan McCabe (13 gp, 1g, 4a, +3, 2 pim) 
Fla:  Tim Kennedy (minors), 2011 3rd round

Winner:  NYR.  The Rangers didn't really give up much for McCabe, who has given them a defenseman who can take on plenty of minutes and provide a big shot from the point.  I'm rather surprised Florida couldn't get more for him.


Was:  Dennis Wideman (13 gp, 1g, 6a, +6, 6 pim)
Fla:  Jake Hauswirth (minors), 2011 3rd round

Winner: Washington.  After a -26 start to the year, Wideman looks reinvigorated and excited to play hockey outside of Florida.  Washington only gave up expendable parts for what could be a key piece to their defense and powerplay.


Van:  Chris Higgins (8 gp, 2g, 2a, -2, 2 pim), 2013 3rd round
Fla:  Evan Oberg (minors)

Winner: Leaning Vancouver.  It's hard to evaluate this one since Oberg hasn't played for Florida yet, but Higgins provides the Canucks with depth plus they got a pick out of the deal, so I'd have to lean towards the Cancusk right now.


Van:  Maxim Lapierre (13 gp, 1g, 0a, -2, 6 pim), MacGregor Sharp (minors)
Ana:  Joel Perrault (minors), 2012 3rd round

Winner: Tied.  Another difficult one to judge since Lapierre is mostly a depth guy and Anaheim hasn't seen results yet.  Lapierre hasn't done enough to warrant favoring Vancouver in this one though.


Ana:  Brad Winchester (13 gp, 1g, 0a, -6, 19 pim)
StL:  2012 3rd round

Winner: St. Louis.  A 3rd pick was a great return for Winchester...who doesn't appear to be doing too much for the Ducks.


Pho:  Rostislav Klesla (11 gp, 1g, 0a, -4, 10 pim), Dane Byers (minors)
Cls:  Scottie Upshall (14 gp, 4g, 1a, -7, 8 pim)

Winner: Phoenix.  Neither player has wowed anyone, but the difference here is that Phoenix surged after the trade and Columbus went into a freefall.  Both teams were fighting for a playoff spot at the deadline and now Phoenix is pretty well set and Columbus is out.


NJ:  David Steckel (12 gp, 0g, 0a, -1, 2 pim), 2012 2nd round
Was:  Jason Arnott (7 gp, 2g, 3a, +5, 6 pim)

Winner: Leaning Washington.  This one is still tough because a 2nd rounder was a big pick to throw in to this trade, but the early returns definitely favor the Caps as Arnott made a big impact immediately.  His play in the playoffs will be the deciding factor.

Penner was not picked up for his intelligence

Edm:  Colten Teubert (minors), 2011 1st round, 2012 3rd round 
LA:  Dustin Penner (12 gp, 2 g, 4a, +4, 0 pim)

Winner:  Leaning Edmonton.  Edmonton got a fantastic return for Penner, who hasn't done much on the scoresheet yet.  With LA losing Anze Kopitar for the season, the Penner trade may have been done in vain for that price.


Chi:  Chris Campoli (12 gp, 1g, 4a, +5, 2 pim)
Ott:  Ryan Potulny (7 gp, 0g, 0a, even, 0 pim), 2011 2nd round

Winner: Tied.  Chicago got a very useful defender in Campoli, who has added more offense than expected already.  Meanwhile, Ottawa got rid of a player they had no use for and got a high pick with a player back.


Atl:  Radek Dvorak (12gp, 0g, 1a, even, 4 pim), 2011 5th round
Fla:  Niclas Bergfors (14 gp, 1g, 6a, +5, 2 pim), Patrick Rissmiller (5 gp, 0g, 0a, -1, 0 pim)

Winner:  Florida.  Bergfors on his own has been worth more than Dvorak and a pick, let alone with Rissmiller.  Dvorak failed to give the Thrashers any sort of playoff boost and Florida has 2 pieces to build with next season.


Cal:  Fredrik Modin (4 gp, 0g, 0a, -3, 2 pim)
Atl:  2011 7th round

Winner: Atlanta.  Modin played 4 games and then went onto the IR with a back injury and may be done for the season.  At least it was only a 7th rounder for Calgary.

Flyers 5 Pens 2

Well...at least the run of shootouts is over? 

The city was revved up for the big match up with 1st place Philadelphia, and a chance to tie for 1st in the conference.  The Penguins struck first in the 1st period when Alex Kovalev sent a wrister from below the right faceoff circle past Flyers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.  It only took the Flyers 3 minutes to tie the game, however, when a Braydon Coburn shot was tipped by Jeff Carter, hit the post behind Marc-Andre Fleury, went off of the back of Fleury's leg and in the net.  This was the start of many odd and awkward bounces that would prove to do the Penguins in.

Tied 1-1 in the 2nd period, Tyler Kennedy gave the Penguins the lead again when he sent a soft shot along the ice that snuck under Bobrovsky's pads.  It was a weak goal, but it turned out to be the last one Bobrovsky allowed before the Flyers onslaught began.  Scott Hartnell tied the game just 4 minutes later on the powerplay.  Less than a minute later, Claude Giroux gave the Flyers the lead for good with a hard wrist shot from the slot past Fleury's blocker side. 

Tigger would have been easier to catch...damn you black and orange

The 3rd period provided the Penguins with ample opportunities to score as they had 3 powerplay chances.  However, the only scoring was done by Ville Leino, who had 2 goals to give the Flyers a 5-2 win.  One of Leino's goals bounced off of his body, and the other bounced off of the back of Fleury yet again.  It was a game of bounces, and one that favored the Flyers completely.

3 stars:
#3 - Briere
#2 - Hartnell
#1 - Leino

Notes/Thoughts:
- The Flyers finished the inaugural season at Consol by winning all 3 games there.

- Mark Letestu's return made a big difference in the faceoff circle as he went 12-5 and the Penguins won the faceoff battle for the first time in a few games

- Arron Asham had a team low 9 minutes of ice time, and personally, I don't especially think he fits well with this team.  I would rather see Comrie or Tangradi get the ice time and add some scoring potential.  Or in Tangradi's case, he has just as much grit as well.

- Deryk Engelland continues to be the defensive healthy scratch.

- Sidney Crosby has been cleared to skate with the team in game day skates, but no contact still.  He has been ruled out for the regular season but not for the playoffs yet.

Gameday: Pens vs. Flyers, 7pm, FSN

Who would have guessed that in a season riddled with injuries, where Jordan Staal didn't play until January and Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin haven't played since January, the Penguins would get a late March matchup vs. Philly for 1st in the division and conference (tiebreaker notwithstanding).  The top of the conference is suddenly log jammed with Washington, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia all within 2 points of each other.

Tonight, it'll be the 4th place Penguins (45-23-8, 98pts) vs. the 1st place Flyers (45-20-10, 100pts).  Pittsburgh has won 4 in a row, all in shootouts, as they've marched up behind the Flyers.  Meanwhile, Philly isn't playing their best hockey right now, losing a close 2-1 game to Boston on Sunday night where they let up the winner with 4 minutes left in the game.

The Penguins received some good news today as Brent Johnson returned to practice and Mark Letestu will be playing in tonight's game.  Inherently, Brad Thiessen was sent back down to the minors.  There was also some bad news as the MRI on Dustin Jeffrey's knee showed damage, but there is no clear prognosis yet.

The lines for tonight are expected to be:

Neal-Letestu-Kovalev
Kunitz-Staal-Kennedy
Dupuis-Talbot-Conner
Rupp-Adams-Asham

Letang-Oprik
Michalek-Martin
Niskanen-Lovejoy

Fleury

It appears Comrie gets the bump for Letestu and Engelland remains out of the lineup.


Prediction:  3-2 Pens IN REGULATION.  Philadelphia is starting to hurt themselves with the overtime play and I expect they will push the envelope to put some ground between them and the Penguins.  However, Bylsma's defensively minded team takes advantage of those scenarios, so expect to the Pens to come up with a big regulation victory here.

Pens 2 Panthers 1 (SO)

The way these games are going lately, I'll be able to just skip 3 periods of recap and go straight to the shootout...

Entering a Sunday afternoon matchup with the Florida Panthers, you had to think this game couldn't be nearly as slow as the Devils game 2 days ago.  You were right, this time it took the Penguins only 6 minutes to get their first shot of the game in what was yet again, another dull first period.  The only plays of note were Matt Niskanen taking a hooking penalty, to which the Panthers promptly responded by taking an obvious too many men on the ice call during their powerplay.  It was nice to see Brooks Orpik return to the team at least.

The 2nd period brought on some scoring to the dismay of those of you who wanted to see consecutive games where both goalies get shutouts.  Ryan Carter opened the scoring by deflecting a shot from the point past Marc Andre Fleury to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead with 5 minutes left in the 2nd period.  The goal broke Fleury's shutout streak of just over 150 minutes, which is a new team record.  This ruins the impossible trivia question of who had the shutout streak previously (Jocelyn Thibault with 137 minutes...how many people even remember he was a Penguin?)  The Penguins answered back quickly, as Alex Kovalev did a great job of dropping the puck in the corner for Ben Lovejoy who skated in on Tomas Vokoun alone and wristed the puck over his left shoulder.  The goal was Lovejoy's 3rd of the season, and 2nd against the Panthers.

The third period was scoreless yet again, though play was moving quickly back and forth.  The Penguins put on some late pressure on the Panthers, but as was the case most of the day, they missed the net frequently and had a majority of their shots blocked.  Going to overtime, Tomas Vokoun left the game with a strained lower back and Scott Clemmensen came in.  Neither team got a solid scoring chance, and the Pens took it to a shootout for the 4th time in a row.

He must have been too dehydrated for the shootout.

The shootout went:
Letang - miss
Santorelli - miss
Kovalev - goal
Bergfors - miss
Neal - goal

PENS WIN!
3 Stars:
#3 - Lovejoy
#2 - Kovalev
#1 - Fleury

Notes/Thoughts:
- How on earth did Kovalev earn the #2 star and what is his value going to be when shootouts don't exist in the playoffs?

- Speaking of low value players...does Mike Comrie do anything?

- The Pens set an NHL record with 4 straight shootout victories.

- Pittsburgh clinched a playoff spot when Carolina lost on Saturday night.

- The Penguins are having enormous issues getting clean shooting lanes and getting the puck on net lately.  This team was getting around 40 shots a game to start the season and seem to be putting all of those into defender's shins now.

- Another issue lately has been the faceoff numbers.  The Penguins are still managing to control possession, but have been beaten badly in the faceoff circle the past 2 games.  Missing Letestu and Jeffrey is very noticeable in this department.

- The defenseman have done a great job of pushing the offense lately.  Michalek led the team with 6 shots, and Lovejoy and Niskanen were frequently seen deep in the offensive zone.  Bet you weren't thinking of those defensemen for their offensive skill.

- Everyone who said trade Fleury in october...please hang yourself.

- The Penguins will play Philly on Tuesday with a chance to tie for the division and conference lead (but Philly has both the tiebreaker and a game in hand)

Pens 1 Devils 0 (SO)

Both definitions work as the Devils have offended hockey fans everywhere

Coming off of an exciting shootout win over Philadelphia the night before, Pens fans were excited and ready to go for their Friday night matchup at home against New Jersey.  After the first period, everyone had to be prodded awake.  The Penguins and Devils combined for 5 shots in the first period (Pittsburgh winning that battle, 3-2).  The first shot wasn't even recorded until 10 minutes into the period.

The second period was a much quicker period but still resulted in 0's for both sides.  The Devils had 2 powerplays, which resulted in more Penguins chances than for the Devils.  Meanwhile, the Penguins also had a powerplay but did not do much on it.  The Penguins generally dominated play throughout the period, but could not beat Martin Brodeur.  Brodeur made some impressive saves, especially on a tip in attempt by Max Talbot from the crease.

Frantic back and forth play continued into the third period.  The Penguins survived 2 big penalty kills late in the period to send the game to overtime for the third game in a row.  Overtime was dominated by the Penguins for the 2nd night in a row, but Martin Brodeur and his trusty crossbar were up to the task.  Alex Kovalev put a strong backhander past Brodeur that dinged off the crossbar.  Minutes later, Paul Martin had a fantastic redirection that Brodeur got his right pad on.  It was time for the Penguins to go to a shootout for the 3rd game in a row.

The Penguins decided to go first.  Kris Letang had Brodeur beat with a deke, but rang it off the crossbar with the first shot.  Fleury then stoned Brian Rolston to keep it tied after one round.  Kovalev started the 2nd round with a quick shot that was stopped by Brodeur.  Kovalchuk followed that up by taking a similar quick shot which was stopped by Fleury.  James Neal finally put one past Brodeur by patiently waiting until Brodeur went down and roofing it under the crossbar.  Patrick Elias was then stopped by Fleury for a PENS WIN!

You know what he ate this morning

3 Stars:
#3 - Neal
#2 - Brodeur
#1 - Fleury



Notes/Thoughts:
- Fleury has 4 shutouts on March 25th.  Two of those are against New Jersey.

- After a horrendously boring first period, it was nice to see real hockey after that.

- That's pretty much it, it's hard to recap a 0-0 shootout win.  WOOO PENS!!

Gameday: Pens vs. NJ, 7pm, FSN, NHLNet

A couple quick notes before we get into the game preview:
- The Penguins can clinch a playoff spot tonight with any combination of gaining 3 potential points on Carolina. (Pens win, Hurricanes lose in regulation or OT, or Pens lose in OT and Hurricanes lose in regulation)

- Mike Comrie will return to the lineup for the first time in 5 months after hip surgery to replace an injured Dustin Jeffrey, who is being examined by doctors today.

I serached Mike Comrie and came up with this...who am I to argue?

- Brent Johnson is still day to day with an upper body injury, and Brad Thiessen remains with the team and will be the backup to Marc-Andre Fleury tonight.

The Penguins (43-23-8, 94 pts, 4th in the East) come back home tonight to host a cooled off New Jersey Devils team (34-35-4, 72 pts, 12th in the East).  Two weeks ago, the Devils may have been the most feared team in the NHL as they went 22-3-2 and made a huge run into the playoff race.  However, the Devils have now lost 3 of their last 4 and appear to be running out of steam.  Zach Parise is expected to return to the team soon, but not this weekend and probably not in time to give them a badly needed boost.  With 9 games left, the Devils can max out at 90 points, which does not appear like it will be enough to make the playoffs in the East anymore.

The Penguins meanwhile are coming off of a 2-1 shootout victory over Philadelphia last night (game recap in the previous post).  Pittsburgh is 4-1 in their last 5 games and Coach Dan Bylsma has frequently stated that they are still eyeing up the top seed in the conference.  They are currently 4 points behind the Flyers for 1st in the conference and division.  It doesn't matter quite yet, but odds are the Flyers will hold the tiebreaker because they have more non-shootout wins.

Pittsburgh currently leads the season series with the Devils 2-1-1, with 2 games left to play.  The two victories came early in the season and the two losses were once NJ hit their hot streak.  In their last meeting, NJ won 2-1 in overtime on a Ilya Kovalchuk powerplay goal.

The Penguins had an optional skate this morning, so here's my best guess at the lines:

Kennedy-Staal-Kunitz
Neal-Comrie-Kovalev
Dupuis-Talbot-Conner
Rupp-Adams-Asham

Letang-Lovejoy
Martin-Michalek
Engelland-Niskanen

Fleury

On the injury front, Letestu, Crosby, Orpik, and Tangradi all skated this morning.  Orpik and Letestu appear to be about 2-3 games away.  Crosby still has no timetable, nor has one been mentioned for Tangradi.

Thoughts:
- Personally, I was not impressed with Asham last night, as he did not appear to contribute much and then took an unnecessary cross-checking penalty in the 3rd.

- Engelland's diminishing ice time has led to heavy minutes by the other 5 defensemen.  It will be interesting to see if fatigue plays a factor in the game tonight.

- I am excited to see Comrie back in the lineup as he may be a potential spark for Kovalev and may provide a better center for Neal.  I'm expecting big things out of that line tonight.


Prediction:  3-1 Pens.  New Jersey is pretty much out of gas and the Penguins are playing with some confidence right now after wins over Philly and Detroit.  It's time to get another win, this time in regulation.

Pens 2 Flyers 1 (SO)

If the recent play of the Penguins continues, everyone better load up on antacids for the playoffs because there are going to be some loooong, stress-filled nights.  As expected, the Penguins and Flyers played a tight checking game that went down to the wire.

The first period was tense and got off to a quick start as Tyler Kennedy had an early breakaway but was stopped by Sergei Bobrovsky.  Both teams traded chances back and forth for a few minutes and the Penguins killed off a penalty about midway through the period.  The scoring finally opened up with 5 minutes to go.  Mike Richards ended up scoring an odd goal on a puck that bounced off of his skate, off of his stick and up over Marc-Andre Fleury's shoulder.  Fleury had no clue where the puck even went until he saw it in the net.

The Penguins ended the first period on the powerplay as Andreas Nodl was called for goalie interference when he bowled over Fleury.  In all honesty, Ben Lovejoy had cut him off to the net and Nodl really had no where to go despite his best efforts to stop, but we all know how iffy goalie interference can be.

The penalty call turned out to be a key in the game as the Penguins tied the game up on the powerplay.  Kris Letang made a pass up to Chris Kunitz along the boards, and Kunitz sent it across the slot to Tyler Kennedy, who wristed a hard shot past Bobrovsky.  The 2nd period was littered with more back and forth chances, and a powerplay for each team, but the period ended tied at 1.  One thing to note from the 2nd period was that Dustin Jeffrey went down awkwardly in the corner and could not skate off the ice.  As Paul Steigerwald pointed out on the broadcast, it was eerily similar to Malkin's injury, and I would not be surprised to see him out for the season.

The third period was all Penguins the whole way.  Despite even being on a penalty kill early in the period, the Penguins did not allow the Flyers to get a shot on goal until about half way through the period.  Max Talbot had a breakaway on that penalty kill, but Bobrovsky came up with another big save.  The Pens pushed the issue until the final buzzer, but as typical with games in March, this one was going to overtime.

Overtime came and went, the Penguins played dominantly in the first half and then the Flyers came on strong in the 2nd half, but neither team could get one behind a goaltender.  It was on to a shootout.  The Flyers opted to shoot first as Ville Leino was stopped by Fleury and then Kris Letang was stopped by Bobrovsky.  The second round saw Fleury stone Claude Giroux and then Alex Kovalev put the Pens ahead by a goal.  Daniel Briere tied it up on the next shot, sliding a puck through Fleury's 5-hole, and then James Neal missed to send the shootout to extra rounds.

In the 4th round, Mike Richards sent a snapshot at Fleury's 5 hole which was stopped.  Chris Kunitz then came down the ice and scored on a similar shot on Bobrovsky.  PENS WIN!

3 Stars:
#3 - Kunitz
#2 - Kennedy
#1 - Bobrovsky

Thoughts/Notes:
- Bobrovsky played very well in this game and kept the Flyers in it throughout.  Going towards the playoffs, I would certainly fear him more than Boucher.

- Kovalev looked a little better for the Penguins today, taking more shots and getting himself in better position to shoot.  He had a couple of golden opportunities but was robbed by Bobrovsky twice from a few feet away.

- James Neal continues to look good but can't seem to find his scoring touch.  He missed the net wide right a few times in this one, but appears to be an adjustment away from being a real difference maker.

- Ben Lovejoy and Kris Letang were paired up for much of the game.  It frequently seemed liked Letang never left the ice.  He ended up playing almost 28 minutes, 2nd to Paul Martin's close to 30 minutes.  On the other end, Deryk Engelland only played 11 minutes in this game and has seen his ice time drop recently.

- Kennedy's goal was his 18th of the season as he continues to set new career highs.  Where would this team be without the way he and Chris Kunitz have stepped up (especially on Staal's wings now).

Gameday: Pens @ Flyers, 7pm, FSN, NHLNet

Tonight brings us one of the most heated rivalries as the Penguins (42-23-8, 92 pts, 4th in the East) visit the Philadelphia Flyers (44-19-9, 97 pts, 1st in the East).  This is the first of 2 matchups in 6 days between the teams and will go a long way in determining which team will finish 1st in the Atlantic.

Both teams are coming off of emotional and unpredictable rivalry games.  The Penguins beat Detroit 5-4 in a shootout in their last game after blowing a 4-0 lead.  Meanwhile, the Flyers faced an early 3-0 deficit against Washington before coming back with 4 goals to take the lead.  Philadelphia then squandered the lead in regulation and lost the game in a shootout.  Clearly no lead is safe with either of these teams on the ice.

The Flyers are expected to start Sergei Bobrovsky in net tonight.  He started for Philly on Tuesday as well but was pulled after letting up 3 goals on 9 shots.  He has 26 wins on the season, a 2.61 GAA, and a .914 save percentage.  The Flyers are making a push to keep him as the starting goalie, but backup Brian Boucher is starting to put together better stats for the team.  Getting to Bobrosvky early and rattling his shaky confidence is a big key for the Penguins tonight.

Note:  Remember back when we were a month into the season and Bobrovsky still had more wins in Consol than any Penguins goalie?  Times have changed.

Philadelphia will be without Jody Shelley (surgery for a fractured orbital bone) and Chris Pronger (wrist surgery).  The Pronger injury is normally a big loss, but much less so in this game since he does not have Crosby or Malkin to neutralize (also, because Alex Kovalev seems to neutralize the Penguins on his own).  Philly has also listed Kimo Timonen as day to day with neck soreness, but he is expected to play still.

The Penguins don't practice until after the Flyers, so I don't have the exact line combinations yet, but here's what I would expect:

Kunitz-Staal-Kennedy
Neal-Jeffrey-Kovalev
Conner-Talbot-Dupuis
Rupp-Adams-Asham

Letang-Niskanen
Martin-Michalek
Engelland-Lovejoy

Fleury

On the injury front, Comrie, Tangradi, and Orpik are all skating with the team now and taking regular shifts in practice.  Crosby has continued to skate and drawn praise from his teammates for how quickly he is picking his game back up.  However, he has not been cleared to practice with the team yet and there is no timetable, so temper your expectations a bit.

Keys to the game:
- Penalty Kill.  The Penguins have allowed 4 powerplay goals since Matt Cooke departed for the season.  While these were against the Rangers and Red Wings, 2 very talented teams, those results are unacceptable for a team that wants to make a run at 1st place.

- Alexei Kovalev.  Has been a non-factor since the Toronto shootout win and is starting to actually harm the team.  He took the penalty that allowed the Red Wings to tie up the game on Monday.  His hesitancy to shoot has led to him being dropped off of the 1st powerplay line.  It's time for him to pick up his game.

- Jordan Staal.  Has played tremendously with Kunitz and Kennedy, creating a true bona fide first line for the Penguins for the first time since Malkin went out.  The Flyers have great depth at forward, and Staal is going to have to neutralize Claude Giroux's line (who is already a Penguin killer) while adding some offense of his own.

Prediction:  Three big questions exist for this game.  1) How will Bobrovsky bounce back for the Flyers?  2) Can the Penguins keep up with a Flyers team that has scoring depth on all 4 lines?  3)  Can the Penguins penalty kill get back on track?  I think question #3 hurts the Penguins tonight and they are in for a tough battle but a close loss.  3-2 Flyers.

About this Matt Cooke guy

So the reactions are quite varied over the Matt Cooke suspension.  Cooke received a 10 game suspension (rest of the regular season) plus the first round of the playoffs for his elbow to the head of Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh.  Too short?  Too long?  Just right?  Depends who you ask.

Penguins fans of course are not happy with the suspension and mainly point to the playoff aspect as the issue.  It appears many believe Cooke certainly deserves a suspension, and 10 games is reasonable, but missing a playoff round is costly.

On the other side of the fence, you basically have the rest of the NHL intermixed with a few analysts here and there.  Cooke has drawn a lot of ire as repeat offender and must learn to control his play at some point before someone is severely injured (again...with all due respect to Marc Savard).

Then you have people sitting on the fence.  A popular sentiment is that the suspension is excessive, but is still reasonable because the NHL needs to send a message and make a statement to its players that this type of play will not be allowed.  Much of this group will tell you that if Ray Shero and Mario Lemieux are also speaking out against the Cooke hit, then does anyone really have a right to say anything against the suspension?

So let's take a look at Cooke's history.  Let's begin with the fact that it's rather interesting that Cooke has had issues with suspensions.  Cooke actually started turning heads back in 2004 even though he entered the league in 1999.  In 2004, Cooke was promoted to the Vancouver Canucks top line because Todd Bertuzzi was suspended for the ugly Steve Moore incident (youtube that if you don't know what I'm talking about).  Cooke led the team in playoff scoring that year and was immediately re-signed to a 3 year contract.  Go figure, a suspension gives Cooke a big break.

Now let's take a look at Cooke's suspensions:
Nov. 2008:  Suspended 2 games for a check to the head of Artem Anisimov.
Jan. 2009:  Suspended 2 games for a headshot on Scott Walker.
Feb. 2011:  Suspended 4 games for a hit from behind on Fedor Tyutin.
Mar. 2011:  Suspended 10 games and 4-7 playoff games for an elbow to the head of Ryan McDonagh.
*Keep in mind, this doesn't include the headshot Cooke gave to Marc Savard in Mar. 2010, which went without penalty despite most people, including teammates, believing it would lead to a suspension.

Cooke made it through 9 years in the NHL before having major incidents, and now they have become a regular occurrence over the past 2+ years.  It is clear that his actions need to be curbed somehow.

And now comes the major sticking point of the argument, Cooke deserves the suspension, but it is unfortunate that the Pens have to deal with that loss for the first round of the playoffs.  No one can question that Cooke needs to learn a lesson and learn it fast, but he does provide some invaluable play to the Penguins.

Beyond Cooke's use as a "pest" against other teams, he can actually play hockey when he wants to.  He is good for about 30 points a season, has a strong forechecking game, and most importantly, can handle the biggest penalty kills.  Cooke has regularly played with Craig Adams and Zbynek Michalek as the Penguins top 5 on 3 penalty killing unit.  For that matter, in the roughly 75 minutes of hockey that the Penguins have played without Cooke, they have allowed 4 powerplay goals.  Not exactly the stats you would expect from the NHL's #1 penalty killing team for much of the season.

So my take on the suspension?  It's appropriate and unfortunate.  I guess that is the risk you take when employing Matt Cooke nowadays.  When he's on his game and playing smart, he's a great spark plug and role player.  But he has to learn this lesson, and I hope he learns a little bit more of it every time the Penguins struggle on the penalty kill.  He knows his place on this team.  The question is whether he values that more than his "big hit" potential.  If he doesn't, the time will come where he won't have a place on this team anymore.

Pens 5 Wings 4 (SO)

I'm not sure one recap will do this game justice, as it truly was 2 different games.  Pittsburgh and Detroit played a really tight, fast paced game for the first 15 minutes.  Then, the flood gates slowly opened for the Penguins.  Pascal Dupuis opened up the scoring with 5 minutes left in the 1st period with a relatively weak wraparound backhander that slid through Jimmy Howard's 5 hole.  Chris Kunitz made it 2-0 just four minutes later, deking from his right to left and catching Howard out of position.

The second period started with another stretch of tight, playoff like hockey.  Again, the Penguins began to open the flood gates, led off by Dupuis scoring his 2nd of the night, shorthanded.  Less than 3 minutes later, Tyler Kennedy backhanded a puck from the edge of the crease over Howard's right pad to make it 4-0 Pens.  That put an end to Howard's game as the Wings put Joey MacDonald in to jolt the team.

Game #2 basically started when MacDonald entered the net.  The Penguins only registered a couple of shots the rest of the period and the Wings finally got on the board with a Henrik Zetterberg backhander late in the 2nd period.  This gave Detroit a huge boost going into the locker room, though at 4-1, I don't think any of us realized how big of a boost it was.

The third period turned into a game of survival for the Pens.  Valtteri Filppula scored 2 minutes into the 3rd period to cut the deficit down to 4-2.  The Wings were bringing the kitchen sink and then some on the Penguins.  With Kris Letang in the penalty box 8 minutes into the 3rd, Daniel Cleary tipped a Tomas Holmstrom shot past Johnson to make it 4-3 on the powerplay.  Somehow, the feeling of dominating the Red Wings turned into hoping we could escape the game with a point even though we were leading.  Of course, the Wings tied the game at 4 with another goal on the powerplay as Alex Kovalev was called for holding and Mike Modano finished the comeback.

The rest of the period was just a complete onslaught by the Red Wings, with Brent Johnson making several great saves to keep the Penguins in the game.  The Penguins had a late powerplay with 3 minutes left in the period, but as usual, they could not capitalize.  Overtime led to a few chances for each team, but no result.  James Neal finally won the game for the Penguins in a shootout, scoring the only goal on the last shot of the 3rd round.

Stars:
#3 - Filppula
#2 - Dupuis
#1 - Neal

Notes/Thoughts:
- The Penguins powerplay has been atrocious lately, going 2 for their last 48.
- The penalty kill has allowed 4 goals since Matt Cooke was thrown out.  Albeit, 2 of those were on 5 on 3's against NY, still a big difference.
- It was nice to see James Neal win the game.  He has played well and physical but hasn't gotten any breaks.  I don't believe he is one to worry about.
- Kovalev, on the other hand, looks to be more harm than help sometimes.  He took a costly penalty that allowed the Wings to tie the game.  He also seems to be hesitant to shoot, which is what the Penguins need him to do.
- Brent Johnson played much better than 4 goals allowed will ever show.

Gameday: Pens @ Wings, 7:30pm, Versus

The nice thing about the Pens' losses lately is that they have been on the first day of a back to back set.  There's nothing better than being able to correct your mistakes and get a big win before that losing feeling sets in.  (Note: I shall retract this statement if we lose tonight since we are off until Thursday.)  Tonight the Penguins (41-23-8, 90 pts, 4th in the East) will head to "Hockeytown" to play the Wings (43-21-8, 94 pts, 2nd in the West).

This was a popular pick for the Stanley Cup Finals in the preseason, so perhaps we will get out Crosby-less preview of it tonight.  Both teams are solid for the playoffs and will be clinching spots in a matter of days, but Detroit is facing pressure from San Jose and the Penguins from Boston to keep their spots.

Detroit is going to be without Pavel Datsyuk, Johan Franzen, and Jiri Hudler tonight, so they surely will have no sympathy for our oft-injured lineup.

Speaking of injuries, here is a fun way to handle one on the ice (via penguins.nhl.com and nhlnetwork):

http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=35&id=103869

The big news of the day that we are waiting on is the Matt Cooke suspension.  He had an in person hearing at 1:30pm today which means he's likely getting 5 games or more.  My prediction: the rest of the season.  As such, Arron Asham will return to the lineup tonight.  Additionally, Brent Johnson gets the start in net after Fleury played yesterday.

The Pens just held an optional skate today, so I'm not sure what to expect with the lines.  Instead, I'll give you an injury report:
- Crosby has continued skating and working out off of the ice without any issues.  Things are looking positive with him, but still no timetable.
- Letestu is out for roughly a week with a lower body injury.
- Tangradi has been cleared to skate again.
- Comrie is practicing with the team finally, but Bylsma has said that he has a lot of strength to build up.
- Oprik is skating regularly and should return to team practices next week.

Tonight's Prediction:  Since these teams are so accustomed to playing each other in the playoffs, expect a playoff type atmosphere and a low scoring defensive game.  Brent Johnson has played very well in the few opportunities he's had since Fleury got his game back, so expect him to be the difference.  3-2 Pens.

Rangers 5 Pens 2

By the end of the season, most people will not remember this game as a loss.  Most people will remember it as the straw that broke the camel's back for Matt Cooke.  The Penguins played a strong game for 2 periods, tied 1-1 with the NY Rangers after Jordan Staal scored on a breakaway in the first period.

Less than 5 minutes into the 3rd, it was time for chaos.  Cooke blatantly threw his elbow into the face of Ryan McDonagh from a lateral position.  Textbook case for a suspension.  Cooke was given a 5 minute major and game misconduct.  As Pens fans groaned, the NHL sighed, and 29 teams stood up in outrage, Chris Kunitz sent a wrist shot past Henrik Lundqvist to make it 2-1 Pittsburgh while shorthanded.

Things were looking good right?  The Penguins have the best penalty kill and just scored on it, who cares if it's a 5 minute major.  Who cares you ask?  Everyone cares when Matt Niskanen takes a 4 minute double minor for high sticking 2 minutes later after cutting Ryan Calahan's nose.  Two 5 on 3 goals later (one by Callahan), the Penguins were down 3-2 and momentum was completely with the Rangers.

All was not lost though, down a goal, the Pens earned a powerplay with about 4 minutes left.  Mind you, the Pens powerplay is operating at just under 5% over the past 3 weeks.  So of course, the Penguins don't score on the powerplay.  To make it worse, as Derek Stepan is leaving the penalty box, he receives a perfect outlet pass from...yes, Ryan McDonagh, to take a breakaway in on Fleury and score the Rangers 4th goal.

The Pens pulled Fleury in the last minute, but to no avail, as Brandon Dubinsky scored an empty netter to finish the game at 5-2.

3 Stars:
#3 - Dubinsky
#2 - Lundqvist
#1 - Callahan

Notes/Thoughts:
- Matt Cooke...really?   A week after the GM meetings?  How stupid are you?

Pens 5 Sens 1

A pair of 5-1 wins have gotten Pens nation up and going as we head down the stretch.  We'll ignore the fact that both games were against the only teams officially eliminated from the playoffs.  Everyone was curious to see how Kovalev would do against the Sens.  Well, despite a welcome back video on the jumbotron produced by Ottawa, the fans booed him heavily the first time he touched the puck.  He played a solid game, you could tell he was pressing a bit to show up the fans, but regardless, we got the win.

The goal scoring started mid way through the first as Paul Martin blasted a slapshot at the net which was deflected by Tyler Kennedy off a post and in the net.  The goal was Kennedy's 16th, setting a new career high for goals in a season and he also has a new career high in points with 38 thus far.  The rest of the period was pretty quiet with the Penguins largely domination playing.  Brent Johnson wasn't really tested.  The only excitement the rest of the way was Deryk Engelland fighting Chris Neil in what looked to be an exhausting and even matchup.

The second period started with an explosion of offense.  After some good forechecking work around the net by Chris Kunitz and Kennedy, the puck squirted loose on the top of the crease to Jordan Staal who buried it into a wide open net.  Less than a minute later, Zbynek Michalek took a tripping penalty and Ottawa scored 6 seconds into their powerplay as Ryan Shannon put in a Nick Foligno rebound.  Less than a minute after that, Ben Lovejoy, clearly threatened by Michalek's offense as of late, blasted a low slapshot past Craig Anderson to make it 3-1 Pens.  Four minutes later, Dustin Jeffrey took a shot that glanced off of Matt Cooke's skate to give the Pens a 4-1 lead.  Finally, everyone decided to relax.  The Pens had 2 powerplays and Ottawa had 1 the rest of the period, but neither team succeeded.

The third period was pretty quiet as the game was not exactly in doubt.  As Bob Errey told you 30 times if you were watching the broadcast, Ottawa has not won a game in which they've been behind after 2 periods.  Just in case, Zbynek Michalek decided to show up Lovejoy and score yet again half way through the period.  That's Michalek's 3rd goal in 4 games after going 0 for 92 before that.  Final: 5-1 Pens.

3 Stars:
#3 - Staal
#2 - Kunitz
#1 - Kennedy

Notes/Thoughts:
- When on a line together, Kunitz-Staal-Kennedy have shown a great ability to forecheck teams into turnovers that have led to goals.  Kunitz had 3 assists and both Staal and Kennedy had a goal and assist.

- The Penguins looked like they were in early season form, getting 41 shots on Anderson much like they did in the first half of the season

- Who would you consider to actually be the first line on this team nowadays?  It's hard to tell.

- Potter played well in his debut with the Penguins.  He was promptly sent down along with Steve Wagner today though, so expect Niskanen to be back this weekend.

Gameday: Pens @ Sens, 7:30pm, FSN

There is an unusual amount of random notes/thoughts to cover today due to the GM Meetings in Florida this week, so I'll start with a short gameday preview and then list all the randomness.

Welcome back to Ottawa, Alexei Kovalev!  Based on the media and my friends, it appears many people would like to leave you there after this game, but I have not given up on you yet.  Tonight, the 4th place Pens (40-22-8, 88 pts) visit the last place Senators (25-35-9, 59 pts).  The Penguins are coming off of a dominant 5-1 win over...last place in the NHL, Edmonton.  Meanwhile, Ottawa is coming off of a 6-4 loss to Buffalo.  Despite the records, don't be fooled, Ottawa is playing above their talent level right now.  The Senators had won 3 in a row before losing to Buffalo and are actually 6-4 in their last 10.  (Compare to the Pens, who are 4-3-3).

The lines tonight have not been announced and one of the forwards will have to sit from Sunday.  Additionally, defensemen Corey Potter and Steve Wagner have been called up because Matt Niskanen did not make the trip with the flu and Paul Martin missed the game day skate.  Despite this, Martin is expected to play tonight according to Bylsma (penguins.nhl.com).  Finally, Brent Johnson gets the start tonight.  My best guess on lines:

Kovalev-Letestu-Neal
Kennedy-Staal-Cooke
Dupuis-Jeffrey-Kunitz
Rupp-Adams-Talbot

Letang-Potter
Martin-Michalek
Lovejoy-Engelland

Johnson

Thoughts:

- Personally, I would rather see Conner play than Rupp or Talbot (maybe I'll give Talbot a pass for his good Edmonton game).  Conner brings a lot of energy and speed to the lineup, and Rupp and Talbot both have been off lately.

- I'm expecting a big game out of Kovalev tonight.  He clearly did not like Ottawa at the end and I imagine he will have a chip on his shoulder going there tonight.

- I think it's time to get Lovejoy and Engelland more ice time because Letang, Martin, and Michalek are logging major minutes at this point in the season and they might need a bit of a rest going into the postseason.

- I don't like the idea of starting Johnson tonight.  I know he needs time and Fleury needs rest, but we don't have another game until Sunday.  On top of that, we play back to backs Sun-Mon and Thurs-Fri next week.  I'd rather not see Fleury collect dust when he'll need the breaks next week.

Notes:
- As everyone heard the big news yesterday, Crosby was on the ice for 15 minutes and has been symptom free with exercise for a few days.  Bylsma reported today that Crosby had no symptoms after skating, and he is expected to skate again today (penguins.nhl.com)

- The rough prognosis on Crosby is about 3 weeks if EVERYTHING goes perfectly, no symptoms, etc.  That would put us at about a week before the playoffs (and right before a game against the Islanders).  As Sid said himself, all we can do is take it day to day and hope things go well.

- As you could guess, the biggest topic at the GM meetings is hits to the head and concussions.  Mario Lemieux made some waves by putting out a letter publicly that suggests that team owners should be fined for repeat offenders (gee, I wonder if the Isles inspired this).  Early rumors are that the NHL is not happy that he released the letter publicly, but many teams are backing the idea.

- Former Penguins GM Craig Patrick was honored at a dinner last night at the GM meetings.  Many of the speakers talked about his role with the 1980 US gold medal team.  No word on if Hartford has figured out the Francis trade he pulled off yet.

Oh yeah, Prediction:  4-2 Pens.  Kovalev scores 2, the Pens powerplay puts up another goal, and Sergei Gonchar questions how much $5.5 million is really worth.  LET'S GO PENS!!!

Weekend Recap: Canadiens 3 Pens 0 and Pens 5 Oilers 1

The nice thing about writing a blog that no one reads and I don't get paid for is that I can do it at my own leisure.  So in lieu of St. Patty's day celebrations, here is your late recap!


Canadiens 3  Pens 0

I don't even want to recap this game.  There isn't a positive thing to say about this one.  Fleury was pulled after 3 goals on 12 shots.  The first goal was less than a minute into the game when Montreal won an offensive zone faceoff and Tomas Plekanec somehow came in on Fleury by himself.  Fleury went for his usually effective poke check, but Plekanec pulled the puck away and backhanded it past a vulnerable Fleury.  The Pens survived the rest of the first period, but still played listlessly and didn't get much on Carey Price.

The second period started even worse if that's possible, with the Canadiens scoring in less than 30 seconds.  Kris Letang's outlet pass from the zone was intercepted and quickly turned into a tic tac toe goal by Scott Gomez, Brian Gionta, and the goal scorer Travis Moen.  About 6 minutes later, Zbynek Michalek made an uncharacteristic turnover in the slot to Jeff Halpern, who passed it along to Mike Cammalleri for an easy 3-0 lead.  A frustrated Fleury was pulled at this point.

The rest of the game contained little action.  The Pens tightened up on defense and Brent Johnson only saw 8 shots in the game.  Carey Price saw a total of 26 shots and stopped them all.  The Penguins did have a couple of chances in the last half of the game, but nothing spectacular.  The only excitement the rest of the way was Max Talbot's fight...which actually turned into Paul Mara crushing him in the 2nd period.

3 Stars:
#3 - Plekanec
#2 - Cammalleri
#1 - Price

Notes/Thoughts:

- F this, let's move on to the Edmonton game (both my actual thought and recap thought)


Pens 5  Oilers 1
Though clearly a major difference in the standings between Montreal (6th in the East) and Edmonton (last in everything everywhere), the game after a demoralizing loss is important.  For a team that is missing 2 stars in Crosby and Malkin, every bump in the road is magnified because they are that much harder to recover from.  You'll hear the phrase "character win" about 23,868 times in the next month.  So here's time #1, it was a big CHARACTER WIN for the Penguins.

The first period was a bit tense.  The Pens outplayed Edmonton through most of the period, but had trouble hitting the net.  It was one of those periods where you worry about how much you can dominate a team and not score before they get a lucky break that puts you in a hole.  Late in the period, that lucky break looked to be there as the Oilers went on a 5 on 3 powerplay for 1:46.  But alas, the Penguins have been one of the best penalty killing teams all season and flexed that strength against Edmonton.  Craig Adams, Matt Cooke, and Zbynek Michalek took the ice for a majority of the penalty kill and played fantastic, blocking shots and breaking up numerous passes.  The NHL can say what they want about Cooke, yeah he's dirty at times, but you have to give him credit, he can play the game and is great defensively.

The Penguins managed to kill the 5 on 3 and received a huge boost in momentum, finally waking up a seemingly hungover crowd.  With less than a minute left, that momentum was put to use as Tyler Kennedy got the puck to Chris Kunitz in front of the net all alone.  Kunitz skated across the front of the crease and backhanded the puck through Devan Dubnyk's 5 hole to give the Pens a 1-0 lead going into the first intermission.

Pittsburgh continued rolling with momentum in the 2nd period.  Ben Lovejoy sprung Max Talbot for a breakaway about 6 minutes into the period and he scored on a beautiful deke as he was falling to the ground.  The goal was Talbot's 8th of the season and hopefully will get him started on a run to the playoffs that he badly needs if he wants to stay with this team next year.

Marc-Andre Fleury also put on a show of his own in the 2nd period, stopping a point blank slapshot about half way through the period from Gilbert Brule purely on reaction time as he kicked out his right pad.  Fleury was on top of his game throughout the game as he often is after a game in which he's been pulled. 

The game was essentially put away at the end of the 2nd when Tyler Kennedy wristed a puck that trickled through Dubnyk's 5 hole, and Jordan Staal dove to poke it past the goal line for his 8th goal of the season.  The third period started with a similar goal being scored on Fleury as Ryan Jones poked the puck in from behind him.  With the game at 3-1, the Penguins tightened up and Zbynek Michalek put the game out of a reach with a hard slapshot from the blue line.  Michalek's goal was his 2nd in 3 games after scoring none in his previous 92.  The scoring finished with Chris Kunitz ending the Penguins awful 5 game powerplay drought by one timing a James Neal pass past Dubnyk.

Notes/Thoughts:
- The Pens played with 13 forwards and 5 defensemen because Matt Niskanen was out with the flu.
- Mark Letestu had a tough game and that Kovalev-Letestu-Neal line looks questionable.
- Related to that, Kennedy-Staal-Cooke looked fantastic and they are hitting on all cylinders right now.

Pens vs. Canadiens, 2pm, FSN

Happy St. Patty's Day in Pittsburgh!  Grab a beer before you proceed.

The Penguins (39-21-6, 86 pts) face off against the Montreal Canadiens (37-24-7, 81 pts) in the only afternoon matchup of the day.  The Penguins are coming off a 3-1 win over Buffalo in which Zbynek Michalek and James Neal both scored their first goals as Penguins.  Montreal meanwhile is coming off of a tough 4-1 loss to St. Louis, where they saw former goalie Jaroslav Halak shut the offense down completely.  Both Pittsburgh and Buffalo have pretty much solidified their entry in the playoffs this year, so it's a fight for seeding at this point.  Pittsburgh wants to keep pace with 1st place Philadelphia, who is 4 points ahead.  Meanwhile, Montreal is starting to creep up on Tampa Bay for 5th in the East, now only 3 points behind the Lightning.

The starting goalies for today will be Marc-Andre Fleury for the Penguins and Carey Price for the Canadiens.  Winner gets to strike a pose.  After some early season "controversy" over these goalies showing off after wins, they joked it out at the All-Star game and can proceed playfully.  The latest controversy surrounding the Canadiens has been surrounding the Zdeno Chara hit on Max Pacioretty.  Pacioretty is out for the season with a severe concussion and fractured vertebrae after Chara put him into the turnbuckle at full speed.

On the injury front for the Penguins, Orpik, Asham, and Comrie continue to skate with strength coach Mike Kadar before practices, but are all 3 are still games away from returning.  Kunitz returned to the lineup in the Buffalo game and looked very strong, throwing 2 big hits on his first shift.  Lines are expected to be the same as they were for the Buffalo game, though they changed frequently throughout the game.  Expect them to start as:

Neal-Letestu-Kovalev
Cooke-Staal-Kennedy
Kunitz-Jeffrey-Dupuis
Rupp-Adams-Talbot

Letang-Niskanen
Martin-Michalek
Engelland-Lovejoy

Fleury


Prediction:  Pens pull off yet another tight game.  I wouldn't be surprised to see OT in this one (but is anyone ever with a Pens game lately?), 3-2 Pens!

Is it time to eliminate 3 point games?

Now that we're past the trade deadline (and I've purchased NHL Center Ice), we've hit that time of year where playoff positioning is shaking out and teams are desperate for every point they can possibly get.  So far in March, that has led to a significant increase in overtime games, and thus 3 point games.  For those not familiar with the points system in hockey, teams get 2 points for a regulation win or an overtime win, 1 point for an overtime loss, and 0 points for a regulation loss.  Therefore, one can argue that teams should push for overtime in order to hedge their bets and get at least 1 point, especially in a tight playoff race.

Here are the monthly stats for overtime games in the NHL so far:

Oct - 33 overtime games out of 156, or 21% of games

Nov - 41 out of 201, 20%

Dec - 54 out of 208, 26%

Jan - 44 out of 185, 24%

Feb - 43 out of 191, 23%

Mar (so far) - 25 out of 66, 38%

Though there have only been 66 games in March so far, it appears we will surpass the amount of overtime games from October by the end of this week.  This leads to quite a few extra points for losing and has caused some mind-boggling playoff races, namely in the West.

Here are the standings as of 3/10.  I've added overtime records and also shootout wins since the new tiebreaker is who has more non-shootout wins.

Eastern Conference	Record	Points	OT Record	SO Wins
1. Philadelphia	41-19-6	88	4-6	2
2. Washington	38-20-10	86	9-10	3
3. Boston	38-20-8	84	2-8	1
4. Pittsburgh	39-21-8	86	10-8	5
5. Tampa Bay	38-21-8	84	14-8	6
6. Montreal	37-23-7	81	6-7	2
7. NY Rangers	35-30-4	74	10-4	7
8. Carolina	31-26-10	72	9-9	4
9. Buffalo	32-26-8	72	12-8	5
10. Toronto	29-28-10	68	6-10	4
11. Atlanta	28-28-11	67	12-11	3
12. New Jersey	30-32-4	64	8-4	3
13. Florida	27-31-9	63	9-9	4
14. NY Islanders	26-32-10	62	10-10	3
15. Ottawa	23-34-9	55	1-9	1
Western Conference	Record	Points	OT Record	SO Wins
1. Vancouver	43-16-9	95	6-9	3
2. Detroit	39-20-8	86	11-8	4
3. San Jose	39-22-6	84	10-6	5
4. Chicago	37-24-7	81	7-7	5
5. Calgary	36-24-9	81	10-9	8
6. Dallas	36-23-8	80	10-8	5
7. Los Angeles	37-25-5	79	8-5	7
8. Phoenix	34-23-11	79	6-11	4
9. Minnesota	35-25-5	77	7-7	2
10. Anaheim	36-26-5	77	10-5	4
11. Nashville	33-24-10	76	6-10	6
12. Columbus	31-26-9	71	8-9	4
13. St. Louis	30-28-4	69	7-9	4
14. Colorado	26-32-8	60	8-8	3
15. Edmonton	23-37-8	54	4-8	2

Just take a look at some of the OT numbers there.  Atlanta has played in 23 overtime games this season out of their 67 (34%).  Tampa Bay has played in 22.  The lowest number of overtime games belongs to Ottawa with 10 out of 66 (15%).

Now let’s take a look at some of the win and loss totals in overtime.  Tampa Bay and Atlanta show up again, getting 14 and 12 wins respectively in overtime.  For Tampa Bay, that’s 14 out of 38 wins in extra time, or 37%.  Meanwhile, the leaders in overtime losses are Atlanta and Phoenix, both with 11.  

So based on the NHL’s system, Tampa Bay has gotten 22 points just for being tied after 60 minutes, and has received an additional 14 points for winning in overtime.  So a total of 36 of Tampa Bay’s 84 points (43%) have been earned via overtime.

Compare Tampa Bay to a team like Philadelphia.  The Flyers have been involved in 10 overtime games, and have gone 4-6 in such games.  Therefore, Philadelphia has received 10 points just for going to overtime, and an additional 4 points for wins in overtime.  Philly has earned only 14 out of their 88 points (16%) beyond regulation time.

Now if you look at the standings, Tampa Bay is only 4 points behind Philly.  Why should Tampa Bay, who routinely requires extra time to earn their points, be anywhere near Philly in the standings when the Flyers get their work done in regulation most of the time.  The flaw in the system is that the failure to win in regulation can act as a reward for many teams, but there is no adequate reward for teams that actually do win in regulation.

My suggested solution would be to implement a new points system, where winning in regulation would earn 2 points, winning in overtime would earn 1 point, and losing in overtime or regulation would earn 0 points.  This system would reward teams for winning in 60 minutes, reward teams at a discounted rate for needing more than 60 minutes to win, and stop rewarding teams for losing.  

**It should be noted that a similar system that is mentioned often is one where teams would receive 3 points for a regulation win, 2 points for an overtime win, 1 point for an overtime loss, and 0 points for a regulation loss.  The reason I don’t buy into this system is that the losing team is still rewarded in overtime.  Isn’t winning the whole point of the game?  (And having fun, yeah yeah…)

Here are the standings as they would be under my suggested point system.  The record is listed as (Wins-Losses-OT Wins).

Eastern Conference	Record	Points
1. Philadelphia	36-25-5	77
2. Boston	36-28-2	74
3. Washington	29-30-10	68
4. Pittsburgh	29-29-10	68
5. Montreal	31-30-6	68
6. Tampa Bay	24-29-14	62
7. NY Rangers	25-34-10	60
8. Carolina	22-36-9	53
9. Buffalo	20-34-12	52
10. Toronto	23-38-6	52
11. New Jersey	22-36-8	52
12. Florida	18-40-9	45
13. Ottawa	22-43-1	45
14. Atlanta	16-39-12	44
15. NY Islanders	16-42-10	42
Western Conference	Record	Points
1. Vancouver	37-25-6	80
2. San Jose	29-28-10	68
3. Chicago	30-31-7	67
4. Detroit	28-28-11	67
5. Los Angeles	29-30-8	66
6. Dallas	26-31-10	64
7. Minnesota	28-32-7	63
8. Phoenix	28-34-6	62
9. Anaheim	26-31-10	62
10. Calgary	26-33-10	62
11. Nashville	27-34-6	60
12. Columbus	23-35-8	52
13. St. Louis	23-37-7	51
14. Colorado	18-40-8	44
15. Edmonton	19-45-4	42

Now, the records look a little odd in the conversion, because of the large amount of overtime games in this season.  Theoretically, they would even out more once the system is implemented because no team would want to go to overtime.

Another interesting thing to note about the records is that there are only 5 teams in the NHL right now that have more regulation wins than they have total losses (overtime and regulation).  Those 5 are Philadelphia, Boston, Montreal, Vancouver, and San Jose.  Two more have an equal amount, Pittsburgh and Detroit.

Under this system, the playoff races would still be tight and exciting.  Additionally, teams would have no encouragement to go to overtime, making for some great 3^rd periods of hockey.  Finally, teams would be properly rewarded for winning in regulation time and would not be rewarded for losing a game.  So the question is…how do I get this into an NHL meeting?