Main Storylines:
- The Pens entered the weekend on a 6 game losing streak, out of the Top 8 in the conference, and having scored 6 goals in their last 6 games
- Crosby skated for the first time in over a month on Friday
- The team came out with everyone wearing a “C” for the game day skate after a newspaper article questioned the captaincy situation
- Pittsburgh has generally struggled with Florida road trips, last winning both games in 2009
Result:
Pens 4 Panthers 1
Goals: Sullivan (8) from Cooke
Malkin (18) from Neal, Kunitz
Kennedy (6) from Orpik, Dupuis
Neal (22) from Kunitz
Pens 6 Lightning 3
Goals: Neal (23) (PP) from Martin, Malkin
Park (3), unassisted
Neal (24) (PP) from Malkin, Sullivan
Malkin (19), unassisted
Malkin (20) from Orpik
Malkin (21), unassisted
The Good:
- Wins! The Pens broke their 6 game losing streak by sweeping their Florida trip
- Offense! 10 goals in 2 games after 6 goals in 6 games certainly eases a lot of tension. The Pens had over 40 shots in both games and had over 15 in each first period
- Fights! The Pens dropped the gloves 3 times (officially) this weekend, ending a lull for the agitators and showing some much needed emotion
- The top line accounted for 12 points out of the 21 acquired by Pens players this weekend. Not too bad…
Evgeni Malkin – 4 goals and 2 assists in a weekend (with all but a goal on Sunday) will turn a lot of heads quickly. Malkin jumped up to 2nd in the scoring race, just one point behind Henrik Sedin. He may not be wearing a “K” on his jersey, but he’s acting the part right now. Despite the 5 point effort, his true show of leadership may have been when he embarrassed Lecavalier late in the 3rd period by avoiding a check, sending Lecavalier into a fit of rage.
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| Geno put on quite a show for Pens fans in Florida |
James Neal – Malkin’s partner in crime put up 3 goals and an assist on the weekend. He now has 12 powerplay goals, half of his 24 total, and is a never ending threat next to Malkin. Neal’s 2 PP goals against Tampa were a clear statement that last year’s playoff performance is firmly stuck in 2011.
The Bad:
- The penalty kill only had 2 shifts this weekend, but couldn’t stop Tampa Bay as they attempted a comeback on Sunday
- For a team that practices shootouts and breakaways so frequently, the Pens missed on 4 of them this weekend until Malkin scored on one in the 3rd period against Tampa Bay
- The Pens may have gotten a ton of shots on net, but they also missed a ton as well. There were 13 missed shots in each game, not counting those that were blocked. Peppering a goalie works for now, but accuracy is something to keep an eye on moving forward
Arron Asham – It was nice to see the resident tough guy get into a fight, but his ice time was staggeringly low in both games. He only played 8 minutes against Florida, and 5 minutes against Tampa. Hey Bylsma, just because he can fight doesn’t mean he shouldn’t touch the ice like other goons.
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| No racial slurs from Barch here. |
Tyler Kennedy – It was very nice to see Kennedy score his 6th goal of the season finally against Florida, but his play was still rather lackluster through the weekend. He fanned on an empty net chance and had puck control issues with a few turnovers against Tampa Bay. He still needs to do more with his ice time.
The Ugly:
- The Pens game up a 3 goal lead in the 3rd period to Tampa Bay, but luckily recovered to still win the game.
- The team struggled greatly in faceoffs in both games, losing by a double digit margin each night. As long as they win though, who cares, right?
Dustin Jeffrey – Jeffrey only won 11 of his 34 faceoff attempts, which is not a good sign when that was a big reason he made the team last year. He also managed a -2 against Tampa Bay, which was the worst plus minus possible in the 6-3 win.
Eric Tangradi – I’ve noted frequently that I’m not a big fan of Tangradi and he is doing nothing to change my mind thus far. He attempted to get into a fight, which turned into him falling backward. He was also the man who lost his coverage on 2 of the Tampa goals on Sunday, earning a -2 as well. Errey made great efforts on Sunday to talk about his skating. Yeah, his skating has improved. No, his game has not. The tools are there, but I won’t be impressed until he actually uses them with results.
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| Falling on the ice, falling as a prospect, where's he gonna land? |
- Last time the Pens swept the Florida trip was in the spring of 2009….they did something else that spring as well….
- I was disappointed to see Vitale get scratched. I’d rather see him moved to wing than see Tangradi get 4th line time. Vitale is meant for the 3rd/4th lines. Tangradi may not actually succeed unless he gets used as a top 6 winger for once.
- The team demonstration of solidarity with everyone wearing a “C” at practice on Friday seems to have done the job for now with loosening them up. It will be interesting to see if this is just a short term fix however. The teams that the Pens lost to (NJ x 2, NY, Phi, Was, Ott) are all playing quite well right now. Florida and Tampa are not. Things may not be fixed quite yet.
- Speaking of the C, Crosby did skate finally, but admitted he’s having symptoms still and having issues with balance. The road to recovery is probably still a long one I would imagine.
- The powerplay movement against Tampa was some of the best I've seen out of the Pens this season. That is exactly what they need to do on a regular basis to keep a top 10 powerplay.
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| Creepy, yet awesome. |
Next Game: 1/17 vs Car, 7pm
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