Pens Awaken as Playoffs Approach, Beat Buffalo 5-3.

Main Storylines:

- The Pens have now lost 3 out of their last 4 games and look nothing like the team that dominated the NHL over the last month.  Sloppy defense and poor puck possession seem to be the biggest issues, along with horrible special teams.  They have allowed an avg of 5 goals per game over the past week.

- Brent Johnson, Joe Vitale, and Matt Niskanen all return to the lineup.  Bylsma suggested that Johnson might get one more start this season, so eye up April 3^rd @ Boston for that one.  Simon Despres and Eric Tangradi sit down for the other returns.

If Johnson doesn't start again, I'm sure the Pirates have spots open in the outfield.

- Buffalo provides a very formidable opponent right now.  Ryan Miller is 10-1-2 this month and the Sabres are fighting the Caps for the last playoff spot in the East.  Miller generally has not done well against the Pens, but he is on another level right now.

Result:

Pens  5  Sabres  3  

Goals:  Malkin (48) (PP) from Sullivan, Crosby

            Crosby (5) from Sullivan, Dupuis

            Neal (38) (PP) from Crosby, Malkin

            Sullivan (15) from Dupuis, Crosby

            Staal (25) (EN) from Orpik

               

Stats/Milestones:

- Evgeni Malkin recorded a new career high for goals at 48.

- Pascal Dupuis extended his point streak to a career high 13 games with an assist on Crosby’s goal.  He also added to his career high point total, making it 54 now.

- Sidney Crosby became the 7^th youngest player in NHL history to hit 600 career points.  Just imagine what he could have done if he didn’t miss a year with that concussion…

- James Neal added to his career high totals in goals (38) and points (79).

- Brooks Orpik recorded his 100^th assist on Staal’s empty netter.

The Good:

- After a game in which the special teams was downright horrible, they were the big reason for tonight’s win.  The powerplay went 2 for 3 and the penalty kill was 2 for 2 as we learned a couple lessons.  First, the powerplay seems much better on the rush than when situated in place.  Movement is the key for a group of 5 forwards and they appear to play much worse when they are settled into the zone, go figure.  As for the penalty kill, the forwards were much more aggressive on the points and boards tonight and Buffalo had trouble getting chances because of it.  It was a great game by both units (though I still want to see Dupuis on the 2^nd PP).

- The Pens were also much less predictable in terms of forcing “stretch” passes and their puck possession was much better.  If you take a look at a majority of the rushes, the Pens implemented a lot of weaving to open up players rather than just try to look for a long pass (same on the PP rushes as well).  This helped them a) get the puck into the zone and b) have more players in to forecheck by the time a puck was behind the opposing net.  It worked very well at times, though the Sabres also got some quick rushes the other way because of it.  Regardless, it was a nice change of pace and worked tonight.

"This isn't weaving for weaving's sake"  It's clearly to get Neal wide open.

- It was great to see Brent Johnson get a win and get some confidence back in his game.  He admittedly started very shaky, which will keep him off the list below, but he looked better and better as the game went on and was back to his normal self in the 3^rd period.  That’s the Brent Johnson that we all know as a very dependable backup.  His ability to shake off the bad start and move forward makes him a very valuable veteran (woo alliteration) to this team.

Sidney Crosby – His 3^rd four point night of the season (points 598-601) let us know that he will simply own Ryan Miller no matter the circumstances.  Sid didn’t even score a nice goal, Miller simply let up an awful 5-hotel shot (oddly familiar).  But anyways, Crosby looked like his normal self, making absurdly perfect passes on his backhand and he had some good jump in his skates tonight as well.  No ill effects from that puck to the face appear to be present.

Steve Sullivan – Sullivan scored on a beautiful “chip” from the slot and also had the primary assist on the first 2 goals.  He makes a big difference on the 1^st powerplay as he looks far more comfortable on the point than either Crosby or Malkin.  The big aspect to his game that I did not expect this late in the season is his speed and agility.  I honestly thought he might be dead for the season by this point.  His fluid play and stellar passing have made him a great linemate for all of the stars on this team so far and tonight he shined brightest with it.

Based on the pic, I'm pretty sure Sulli scored this with his mind.

The Bad:

- Both goaltenders were just plain awful in the first period.  Miller’s 5 hole seemed to score on himself when Crosby shot the puck for the Pens 2^nd goal.  Meanwhile, Johnson’s first goal allowed was no gem either.  Many Pens fans will argue that it should have been goalie interference…I’m on the fence, that’s a tough call.  But regardless, Johnson should have gloved and controlled that rebound so it wouldn’t have mattered anyways, that goal is still on him.  His 2^nd goal allowed was even worse as he clearly got caught anticipating a pass and Ennis beat him with on a 5 hole the size of...(inappropriate joke).  Miller and Johnson rebounded very nicely as the game went on though.

Crosby is Miller's kryptonite, no clue how this became a goal.

- How about a broken stanchion to stop the play and tack on almost 2 minutes to the 3^rd period as both teams went to intermission early.  Seen that before?  Actually, that wasn’t bad, just odd.  The bad part was Steigerwald laughing about it and asking whether they would continue play as a 10 year old girl sat behind cracked glass.  Not often that I say Bob Errey is a professional, but he absolutely was in reporting that they would probably go to intermission early and continue the game in the 3^rd because it had to be fixed.

The Ugly:

- I still don’t know how the Sabres 3^rd goal happened.  The puck was cleared up off the boards…no it wasn’t, it bounced somehow off the boards directly in front of Johnson, where only Tomas Vanek was standing.  Root Sports AND MSG cameras all missed it as did 10 out of 12 players on the ice.  Only Vanek and Johnson saw it and Vanek then beat Johnson all alone.  Talk about crazy.

Can't blame BJ on this one.

Thoughts:

- This game had the intensity of a playoff game and it’s about time the Pens reached that intensity after the 2 flops against the Isles.  Some people see the daunting schedule ahead (Flyers, Bruins, Rangers, Flyers) and question whether the Pens can keep the 4^th seed and if they are prepared.  I disagree with that line of thought.  This is the perfect schedule to ramp up into playoff mode and prepare for the grueling journey that is the NHL playoffs.  By the time Game 1 starts, most likely against the Flyers, they will be battle-tested, ready, and already in playoff mode.  That’s what you want, not a team going in after a bunch of layups. 

- The Buffalo crowd, though seemingly half Pens fans, was simply magnificent to listen to on tv.  I hope one day Consol can have a crowd like that.  The crowd seriously made the game more enjoyable on tv, much like the Leafs, Canadiens, and Jets crowds are capable of.  Pens fans need to take notice and make the effort in their own arena to build that kind of atmosphere.

- I meant to include this in my last recap, but it works even better here.  I'm calling BS on everyone that says the Pens struggle without Letang.  I understand he is incredibly important to this team, and undoubtedly makes the Pens much better, but he isn't the cause of their lack of defense over the past week.  The Pens played fine without him a few weeks ago and even tonight.  Letang is a stellar defenseman, I won't dispute that, but the Pens' problems are/were on account of their decision making and execution, not their personnel.  The easy answer isn't always the right one, and that's the case in saying this team can't win without Letang as many did after 2 losses to the Isles.

- Time to look at Sunday, a 12:30pm matchup at home on NBC vs. the Flyers.  First off – I’m never moving to the West Coast because can you imagine watching the Pens at 9:30am every other week?  But moving on, this game is essentially the battle for 4^th place.  Beat the Flyers, and it’s a big 4 point swing that won’t clinch 4^th, but makes it pretty easy to finish off.  Lose it, and every game is a battle the rest of the way.  The Flyers play Saturday vs. Ottawa, so the Pens need to come out extremely hard.  Bryzgalov is not expected to start against the Pens, which is a huge bonus.  Tonight may have been like a playoff game, but Sunday will demonstrate whether the Pens are playoff ready or not.

Pens Record: 48-24-6, 102 pts, 2^nd in the Atlantic, 4^th in the East

Next Game:  4/1 vs Phi, 12:30pm

Maybe Panic a Little, Pens Lose to Isles AGAIN

Main Storylines:

- Well, the Pens are coming off an ugly loss – if you want the reminder, check out my recap of that: http://crosbyftw.blogspot.com/2012/03/dont-panic-yet-pens-lose.html

- Fleury gets the start tonight after getting pulled on Tuesday.  Fleury is pretty much unbeatable in games after he’s pulled, so this bodes very well for the Pens.  On the backup goalie side, Thiessen has been sent down and Brent Johnson returns to normal backup duties.

- Tangradi is in the lineup, Park is out.  Vitale, Niskanen, and Letang all remain out.  Bylsma appears to be reuniting last year’s lines, going with Dupuis-Crosby-Kunitz, Neal-Malkin-Sullivan, Cooke-Staal-Kennedy, and Tangradi-Adams-Asham.

- The PK has been downright awful lately, allowing 5 goals on their last 18 tries.  I don’t even have a clue what has changed to make that happen.

Result:

Isles 5  Pens  3

Goals:  Dupuis (24) (SH) from Adams, Martin

            Staal (24) from Michalek, Martin

            Malkin (47) from Kennedy, Cooke

Stats/Milestones:

- Pascal Dupuis extended his career high scoring streak to 12 games with his short-handed goal and added to his career high point total, making it 52

I think Dupuis would inspire an awesome muppet character.

- Malkin tied his career high in goals at 47 and reached the 100 pt mark for the 3^rd time.  He is only the 4^th Penguin to do so (Lemieux, Jagr, Crosby, no surprises).  He’s the first this year to hit 100 pts and remains 9 points ahead of Stamkos in the Art Ross race.

The Good:

Eric Tangradi – As much as I’m glad to put Tangradi on this list, it also demonstrates how bad the rest of the team was that he starts it off.  Tangradi was one of the rare defensively responsible forwards on the ice against the Isles.  He introduced a physical presence and did a great job on keeping his stick in passing lanes.  He only had 8 shifts, and was still on for a goal against, but I daresay this was one of his better showings in the NHL.  I’m starting to wonder if his offensive game is disappearing bit by bit with his commitment to defense though.

Pascal Dupuis – Easily the hottest player on the team, if not the NHL right now, Dupuis is now on a 12 game point streak.  The only player in the NHL to have a longer streak in the past 2 seasons is that Crosby person everyone talks about.  Dupuis came out full of energy and had a big short-handed goal that brought the Pens back into the game.  My question is, with Dupuis playing lights out hockey, why has he not touched the powerplay?  Not even the first PP line necessarily (thoughts on that later), but the 2^nd PP is Cooke-Staal-Kennedy.  Are you telling me Dupuis can’t supplant Kennedy on there??  It’s asinine that Dupuis isn’t receiving time with the man advantage when the PP is cold and he’s red hot.

He can score down a man, why not up a man?

Tyler Kennedy – I felt Kennedy had one of his better games as well tonight.  He was strong with the puck and looked to pass more than we’ve usually seen him do.  The biggest thing that caught my attention was his speed and effort in the corners; he acted as both gritty TK and skilled TK.  Watching him miss a wide open net on the PP (though it was from like a 10 degree angle) was very frustrating though.  He at least had the right idea in his play even if the scoring results weren’t there.

The Bad:

- In a very disturbing trend, the Pens got dominated in puck possession again.  The Isles knew where to be, won the puck battles, intercepted passes, and made life miserable for the Pens in the neutral zone.  Once the Isles had the puck in the Pens D zone, they had very little trouble keeping it and passing it around.  The first goal was simply pathetic as Mark Streit skated behind the net unfollowed and untouched.  While no Pens followed him, everyone watched him so he could pass the puck to an uncovered Marty Reasoner.  That type of play was one that did not exist when the Pens dominated puck possession, but they seem completely lost when they don’t have the puck.

Chris Kunitz – Kunitz had the worst game I’ve seen him play in a while.  I have to admit, I was very excited to see him reunited with Crosby before the game, but he looked completely off.  He kept misplaying the puck, was missing his hits, and just seemed generally out of position.  Kuni may have been trying a little too hard with Sid.

Martin/Michalek – Just a short blurb.  I saw them paired up once.  A goal was scored seconds later as they both left the front of the net (though Staal was to blame too for leaving his guy in the slot).  Bylsma’s defense is setup to work where the dmen basically are connected by an invisible rubberband.  One defenseman stays in the slot, the other goes to the right.  If the slot guy moves to the left, the guy on the right move back to the slot.  The slot should always be covered.  These 2 have no communication when it comes to that and seem to always abandon the front of the net when paired together.

I guess covering the slot doesn't matter if you won't do anything there anyways.

Evgeni Malkin – Malkin had a nice goal, and played hard in the offensive zone, but I’m going to get on his case for his defensive work here.  I was immensely disappointed with him on the short-handed goal.  I have no problem with him turning the puck over at the point, or that there was a short-handed goal.  The thing that pissed me off was that Malkin stood there after the turnover and just watched as he expected Neal to get the puck.  He didn’t even start to move until the Isles had the puck and a breakaway.  If he starts skating as soon as he sees where the puck is, that play might turn out completely differently. If Geno is going to end up on the point, he has to sprint back to the net immediately on turnovers, he knows that, he’ll tell you himself.

The Ugly:

- Seeing Sidney Crosby take a puck to the face was easily the scariest part of the game.  Luckily he just suffered a bloody nose which didn’t require stitches and he’s okay.  It’s somewhat reassuring that he could take a puck to the face and not be re-concussed.  It’d be nice to have a game where we don’t have to worry about Crosby, that’s for sure.  Maybe when he faces old nemesis Ryan Miller in Buffalo.

Pics I never want to see ever.

- Special Teams pretty much went awry in all facets in this game.  The PP was 0 for 4 and let up a goal.  The PK let up a goal on a fluke bounce off of Engelland’s skate, though at least they did score.  Both units have been struggling lately which is putting the Pens in tough situations no matter how good or bad they are playing.  This was the same formula for losing to Tampa in 7 last year, so brace yourselves if this doesn’t change.

Thoughts:

- A couple thoughts on the lines that Bylsma has used.  First off, the lines change so much in a game that I’m not sure the starting lineup matters anymore, pretty much every possible combination is used, so don’t get too worked up with what the starting lines are.  One thing I was disappointed in though is that Cooke-Crosby-Dupuis has not been used as a line.  Cooke and Crosby clearly have worked well together since Sid’s return.  Add Dupuis as the hottest player on the team and it could be a great spark plug line.  Just my 2 cents on a combination I’d like to see have a few shifts. 

- I’m over the powerplay experiment by now.  There apparently is such a thing as too much talent on one line because the top PP loves to set each other up and defers on far too many shots.  It is almost as if psychologically, the Pens know there is so much talent on the ice that they take less responsibility on themselves individually.  I would rather see 2 very strong lines each playing about a minute, so there is a time factor to press them harder and the talented players on the ice feel more responsible to create things.  My next issue on the PP is WHY IS DUPUIS NOT ON THERE.  Seriously, I’m not crazy enough to put him on the first line, but I can’t comprehend how he hasn’t earned some PP time lately.

Neal watches as the Isles score shorthanded.

- When all is said and done, the Pens don’t deserve to win games in which they play about 15 minutes of good hockey and that’s all they came up with in this game.  There isn’t a single game left this season where playing anything less than 60 minutes will suffice, so the Pens better pick it up immediately.  I was very disappointed with the complete lack of fire they showed to start the game.

- On a happier sidenote, Malkin and Fleury are up for the NHL 13 cover.  You have to vote for one or the other at www.nhl.com/covervote.  My 2 cents here:  Vote for Fleury!!  Malkin gets his trophies: Art Ross, Conn Smythe, soon a Hart probably.  Fleury gets nothing!  So give Fleury the cover!!

- Finally, I need to give credit to the Isles Matt Martin.  Last year, he was trying to beat the crap out of every Penguin on the ice.  This year, though he boarded Brian Strait, he made a very conscious effort to hold Strait up and try to protect him.  I was very impressed with the sportsmanship on the play and it's something that doesn't receive nearly enough attention.  Props to you Matt Martin.

Cooke isn't the only guy to change this year.

Pens Record: 47-24-6, 100 pts, 2^nd in the Atlantic, 4^th in the East

Next Game:  3/30 @ Buf, 7:30pm

Don't Panic Yet, Pens Lose.

Main Storylines:

- The Pens took a physical beating against NJ over the weekend and will be without Ben Lovejoy (out 3-4 weeks, arthroscopic surgery on his knee) and Kris Letang (day to day w/ lower body injury).  Brian Strait and Simon Despres have been called up and enter the lineup tonight.  Steve Sullivan also returns at the expense of Dustin Jeffrey’s spot.

- The Pens have beaten the Isles 13 straight times at home, their longest streak against any team.  This game is the first in a home and home series where the Pens will be on Long Island on Thursday. 

- First place will be potentially and perhaps temporarily available for the Pens.  The Rangers are in action against the Wild tonight and the Pens are just 1 point behind New York.

Result:

Isles 5  Pens  3

Goals:  Kennedy (10) from Dupuis, Strait

            Neal (36) from Kunitz, Malkin

            Neal (37) (PP) from Malkin, Sullivan

Stats/Milestones:

- Pascal Dupuis extended his career high scoring streak to 11 games with the assist on TK’s goal and added to his career high point total, making it 51

- Brain Strait recorded his first point in the NHL on the TK goal as well

- Neal continues to add to his career high point total, which is now at 78.

The Good:

- Well…James Neal is still awesome…and Thiessen didn’t allow any goals in his only period of action…

Even Neal can't smile during losses to the Isles.

James Neal – The real deal piled up 12 shots on net to get his 2 goals, 1 of those being on the powerplay.  He really loves that spot at the bottom of the faceoff circle to a goaltender’s left side, and I’m starting to wonder if anyone will ever actually defend it.  While no one does though, Neal shall continue to play like a stud and put up goals for the Pens.  He’s just 3 shy of 40 now.

The Bad:

- The Pens put up a season high 54 shots but only managed 3 goals…not quite the shooting percentage you want to see. 

- The defense had yet another lackluster game, and in all honesty it was probably their 5^th subpar showing in a row for their talent.  Even with Letang, Niskanen, and Lovejoy hurt, this team runs a better system and has better defensive forwards than it would appear right now.  More on this in the thoughts.

- This will sound rather crazy, but I actually think Bylsma got outcoached in some ways this game.  The Islanders were looking to intercept stretch passes from the defense from the first minute of the game and the Pens never adjusted to it.  90% of the time, the Pens will dictate the play with how Bylsma wants to run the game, but they seemed very reactionary in this game, even when it was tied at 2.

The Ugly:

- The goaltenders got rocked tonight, mostly in a physical sense.  Both Fleury and Nabokov were pulled after 2 periods for various reasons.  Fleury got run over twice – once by Nielsen and once by Paul Martin, and he also took a slapshot off of the mask.  Meanwhile, Nabokov also got run over twice and looked uncomfortable through much of the 2^nd period.  Montoya did not fare much better in Nabokov’s relief as he got run into twice as well.  Hopefully everyone escaped healthy.

Great play was rewarded with a physical beating.

Thoughts:

- First off, give both Isles goalies a tremendous amount of credit for how well they played.  Nabokov looked extremely confident and challenged shooters incredibly well.  Honestly, he looked more fearless than any goalie the Pens have faced in over a month.  He made a ton of great saves in the first 2 periods and then Montoya came in to rob Malkin and Dupuis from making a game of it.  The Isles definitely came ready to play.

- On that note, the Pens, much like their fans, seem to have gotten caught up in the hype of being an offensive juggernaut that will rarely if ever be stopped.  The team’s play as a whole has turned from safe and sounds to high risk/high reward.  With a team this talented, reward will be the likely outcome as we have seen over the past month.  However, it has led to a complete loss of fundamentals.  That loss of fundamentals has in turn led to less puck possession and lackluster coverage in the defensive zone.  Guess what, you can’t make those high risk / high reward plays if you don’t have the puck to begin with.  Forwards are missing their defensive assignments, defenders are getting caught moving towards the puck instead of staying in position; this team has basically taken the mentality of go take the puck, skate it up, make pretty plays, and score.  They have to get back to their defensive fundamentals, especially in terms of positioning and patience, because that is the key to causing turnovers and getting odd man breaks the other way.  If I’m Dan Bylsma, I’m livid with how this team has been leaning on its skill more than its hockey IQ to win games.  This needs to change immediately.

- With that being said, I felt that one of the best dmen tonight was actually Brian Strait.  He looked physically outmatched and a half step slow at times, but he was definitely sticking to the system and keeping everything simple.  It’s a lesson the veteran defensemen could use right now.

- One thing to keep an eye on as we hit the postseason, the PK has been fantastic, but it is a very different creature when Michalek is not on the ice.  He makes a huge difference in coverage down low around the crease.  It was Martin and Engelland on when the Isles scored their powerplay goal tonight.

I realize we're a man down, but this should never happen on the PK.

- Looking at the standings, the Pens are now 3 points behind the Rangers, who are clearly in the driver’s seat to win the Conference.  Both teams have played the same amount of games, as have the Flyers who are 4 points behind the Pens.  The Pens would not win a tie-breaker with either team, so tonight’s loss basically shifted the importance of the Rangers game towards the 2 matchups left with the Flyers instead.  Of course, all of this can change on any given night where all 3 teams play, but the focus right now is definitely keep 4^th at least.

- The Pens have an interesting stretch of games coming up this weekend – at the Isles on Thurs, at Buffalo on Fri and then back home for Philly.  Fleury is pretty much unbeatable after getting pulled, so I am guessing he gets to start on Thursday.  That means Thiessen or Johnson will likely get Friday against a very hot Buffalo team trying to make the playoffs so that Fleury is fresh for Sunday against the Flyers.  Looking ahead, I will not be shocked with a Friday night loss.

Pens Record: 47-23-6, 100 pts, 2^nd in the Atlantic, 4^th in the East

Next Game:  3/29 @ NYI, 7pm

Crosby, Malkin, and Staal, Oh My! Pens Win!

Main Storylines:

- Coming off of a terrible loss in Ottawa last night, the Pens get a chance to rebound and hit the 100 pt mark tonight at home against the Devils.

- Fleury gets the start tonight.  Steve Sullivan is out with a lower body injury, so Dustin Jeffrey finally gets back into the lineup to take his place.  Vitale and Niskanen remain out.  Park and Lovejoy fill their spots respectively.

Result:

Pens  5 Devils  2

Goals:  Kunitz (23) from Malkin

            Staal (23) from Cooke

            Dupuis (23) from Crosby, Adams

            Crosby (4) from Michalek, Dupuis

            Malkin (46) from Staal, Kunitz

Stats/Milestones:

- The Pens have hit the 100 pt mark for the 3^rd straight season, setting a franchise record.  This is also the 10^th straight win at Consol, setting a record there as well.

- Pascal Dupuis extended his career high point streak to 10 games.  He has also set a new career high for points with 50.

Dupuis looks more shocked with every goal he scores.

- Marc-Andre Fleury has now tied his career high in wins with 41 this season.

               

The Good:

- After a horribly disappointing effort on Saturday night against the Senators, the Pens bounced back with a better game, though work still needs to be done. 

- Matt Cooke’s effort on Staal’s goal was simply unreal.  Cooke was the one who initially got the puck into the zone to Staal, and then he was back on the boards to block a clearing attempt by the Devils, where he took the puck and fed Staal for the goal.  It’s little things like that play that show you Cooke isn’t the goon he portrayed himself as last year, but is a legit, smart hockey player.

- Crosby’s breakaway goal was simply vintage Crosby (hey, if every shot can be vintage Ovechkin, Crosby can have those too).  He tapped the puck past Marek Zidlicky on one side and skated past him on the other side to leave Zidlicky confused and in the dust.  Crosby then finished off the breakaway with a goal much to the delight of the home crowd.

- This is the first time that Staal, Malkin, and Crosby have scored in the same game since late 2009.  Wow.

Pascal Dupuis – Joe Vitale’s absence has left me searching for a true grit and energy guy in the lineup.  Somehow, while he kills penalties, plays along superstars, and scores goals, Dupuis has found a way to be that guy as well.  Dupuis showed by far the most energy on the Pens last night and was well-rewarded for it when he pounced on a rebound sitting in the slot to score what was ultimately the game-winner.  His effort is simply unmatched right now and he simply shows an aptitude for playing with any one of the Pens’ 3 big centers.  The biggest luxury with Dupuis might be the fact that he can comfortably rotate onto any line and adjust to the playing styles of Crosby, Malkin or Staal. 

Marc-Andre Fleury – If that Ottawa game didn’t demonstrate the value of having Fleury in net, this one should have.  Fleury stopped 32 of 34 shots he faced and bailed out the defense and the PK on a few occasions.  He faced quite a few “surprise” shots due to bad turnovers (led by Crosby and Letang, making them even bigger surprises) but looked calm and comfortable all night.  The Pens have to admit they were outplayed in a good portion of that game, but #29 in net made sure the scoreboard never said it.

Fleury 1 on 1: No problem.  His backups: goal.

The Bad:

- The turnovers in this game were astounding at times as the Pens couldn’t clear the zone on numerous occasions.  They were sloppy with the puck and never got to their puck possession game that saw them absolutely dominate New Jersey just a week ago.  It appears that some bad habits may have formed during the course of winning over this past week, especially in the defensive zone.

- Ben Lovejoy left after 3 shifts in the 1^st period with a “lower body injury”.  I imagine we will hear more about it on Monday.  Kris Letang also missed a few shifts, but returned to action.

Kris Letang – While Letang had issues just surviving this game as he left the ice due to a hit to the head and after crashing into the boards on a trip, he didn’t play his best when he wasn’t being abused.  Letang as turnover city at times in the D zone, twice giving the puck up to Kovalchuk, the last man you want to see battling Fleury.  On the 2^nd Devils goal, Letang got caught chasing the puck carrier too far from his zone, and while Staal and Adams failed to give him support, he was still out of position.  He also seemed to be headhunting a little and going out of his way for hits.  He took that high stick to the head because he was taking a run at someone and missed – that shouldn’t be forgotten.

The Ugly:

- Who would have guessed that the first 2 goals of the game would be on major gaffes behind the net by Brodeur and Crosby.  Brodeur mishandled the puck (I’m not sure that’s ever been said in his career) behind the net and lost it to Malkin, who fed it to Kunitz with a wide open net for the first goal.  Meanwhile, Crosby gave a gift right back – passing the puck to New Jersey in the slot while Fleury was behind the net for an empty netter basically. 

While both screwed up in the 1st, Crosby got the last laugh.

Thoughts:

- The defense still looks very lackluster as it has for the past week.  Many of the defensemen seem to be trying to play out of their styles and are simply trying to do too much.  I’m not sure how this got started, but it’s a trend that needs to be fixed over the course of this week before the Pens play the Rangers once and the Flyers twice in games that will surely determine the final playoff seedings.  The team would be much better off if we don’t see Orpik leading rushes like Letang would and Letang throwing the body like Orpik would (both of which occurred against NJ).

- The Pens now sit 1 point behind the Rangers for 1^st in the East, and 3 points behind St. Louis for 1^st in the NHL.  This is looking way too far ahead, but with St. Louis only have 4 home losses this season, the road to the Cup might require the President’s trophy as well.  First thing’s first of course - catch the Rangers.

- Though I expected Niskanen to return this week, if both him and Lovejoy miss some time, I hope Simon Despres gets the call up.  He has looked fantastic in all of his NHL games this season and I really think he’s ready to experience a stretch run with this team.  It will both help the team and his own growing process to get some key games in.

Pens Record: 47-22-6, 100 pts, 2^nd in the Atlantic, 4^th in the East

Next Game:  3/27 vs NYI, 7pm

Defense Optional, Pens Let Up 8 in a Loss.

Main Storylines:

- Brad Thiessen gets the start tonight as Fleury rests up for a big Atlantic Division matchup against the Devils tomorrow.

- With the Rangers losing to the Sabres last night, the Pens have a chance to take over 1^st place in the Conference tonight.  The Rangers do play the Leafs though, so no matter what happens the Pens will have one less game played after tonight and be in striking distance of 1^st.

- Tangradi and Lovejoy get back into the lineup as Park gets a healthy scratch and Niskanen sits out with an upper body injury.  Vitale remains hurt as well.

Result:

Sens 8  Pens 4

Goals:  Cooke (18) from Engelland

            Cooke (19) from Crosby, Martin

            Kennedy (9) from Sullivan, Staal

            Crosby (3) from Asham, Dupuis

Stats/Milestones:

- Matt Cooke added to his career high goals total, making it 19 now.  He’s had 7 goals in his last 6 games with Crosby.

How do you score over a 6'7 goalie??

- Pascal Dupuis added an assist to extend his career high scoring streak to 9 games

               

The Good:

- The game is over and the Pens get a chance to rebound immediately against the Devils at home tomorrow night.

- Honorable mention to Engelland and Lovejoy, who didn’t do anything spectacular, but I felt played very solid and responsible games on a night where no one else felt like doing that.  Also, it was very nice to see Sid get his first goal in his 2nd comeback.

One of the rare reasons for everyone to smile tonight.

Matt Cooke – Another 2 goal game for Cooke, his 3^rd since Crosby’s return, has him vying to become the 6^th Penguin to hit the 20 goal mark this season.  He pretty much has kept it simple with Sid, either going directly to the net or getting the puck to the net.  It’s a shame he got called for a complete BS penalty, but that hardly nullifies his new found scoring prowess.

The Bad:

- Forwards in their own end.  Everyone got caught up with watching the puck in the zone on three of the Ottawa goals.  There were signs of this in the Nashville game as the Preds certainly had their chances from in close.  The Pens are going to have to start watching closer for players on the backside sneaking in looking for passes.

- The powerplay.  Ottawa played a very energetic and aggressive large box setup against the Pens and it disrupted them completely.  The powerplay couldn’t complete passes, got very few chances, and allowed a shorthanded breakaway goal to Daniel Alfredsson as well.  This powerplay is simply too talented to get caught by Ottawa’s aggressiveness like they did.  We need to see more instinct and less thinking in those situations.

- Odd Man Rushes.  The Pens allowed a disgustingly high amount of odd man breaks and breakaways to the Sens.  Thiessen surely didn’t bail them out on anything, but the defensive was pretty much horrible in providing support.  There were 2 breakaway goals and 2 odd man rush goals against the Pens tonight.  That’s absolutely pathetic.  You can add another goal to that list where an Ottawa player skated in 1 on 3, got through 3 Penguins, and slid the puck over to a wide over Alfredsson.  A horrible effort on defense by the Pens.

A goal celebration covering half the zone shouldn't be this devoid of Penguins.

- Steve Sullivan left at some point in the late 2^nd or early 3^rd period (I didn’t catch when clearly).  Reports seem to be that whatever injury has is minor, but we shall see tomorrow.

This is the last play I recall seeing Sullivan, maybe overextended something?

The Ugly:

- The anthems before the game were seriously horrendous.  The singer sounded like Ms. Piggy, botched the words, and held both anthems out to a total of over 6 minutes.  She even paused at one portion to ask the crowd to get into it.  The Pens bench was laughing the whole time and it was seriously just an embarrassment to both countries.  I won’t even give you a youtube link because you deserve better than that.

- The Penalty Kill was uncharacteristically inattentive tonight.  Both powerplay goals were scored on cross-ice passes where the Pens simply weren’t watching the backside.  There was just a serious lack of focus by the Pens in the defensive end.  I am just going to call it a lapse in judgment for the night and leave it at that.

Orpik/Michalek – By far the worst pairing of the night, they put up a -4 and simply never got to their styles.  Orpik wasn’t very physical and got caught in the offensive zone a few times, including on Spezza’s breakaway from his own blue line.  Meanwhile, Michalek was wandering too far away from the crease looking for stick checks and checks instead of doing his usual good job of blocking passes and shooting lanes.  Both players simply did not stick to their strengths and Thiessen is the one who paid for it.

Uh yeah, one of you should probably cover the future Hall of Famer.

Brad Thiessen – Speaking of Thiessen, his effort wasn’t exactly sharp either.  He had issues controlling rebounds and simply looked small in the net.  I can’t blame him solely for this game as the Pens gave him no help, but he also has to come up with a couple more big stops along the way.  20 saves on 28 shots looks bad for pretty much anyone.

Thoughts:

- I didn’t want to see Bishop injured for Ottawa necessarily, but after the major dive he took when Cooke skated past him, you couldn’t help but think the Hockey Gods were getting him back for that move.  Especially since Ottawa scored on that powerplay they never should have had.

- This team can clearly score.  This team clearly has a Cup winning goalie in Fleury.  But the defensive effort over the past week has been all over the place.  Winning the Cup requires defensive consistency just as much as goaltending and probably moreso than scoring.  So while this team can light it up, the kind of effort they showed tonight is the type of effort the Caps showed in previous years with early exits in the playoffs.  This needs to be fixed immediately.

- The Pens looked more tired/sluggish than the Senators did today even though Ottawa played last night.  With the Sens slumping, I wonder if the team got caught being a little too excited about the Nashville win and looking ahead to NJ tomorrow night.

- Everyone get over Thiessen getting the start.  The argument that the Pens could get first place is not a reason to start Fleury for every game for the rest of the season.  The playoffs are more important than first place, so Fleury will need to sit sometimes.  He will likely sit March 29^th as well.  Johnson looks to be healthy again, so I’m pretty sure this was Thiessen’s last start and Johnson will get the nod on Thursday.  Regardless, if Fleury goes out in the playoffs, all is lost anyways.  So protect him, not a chance at first place.

Guess what, not many goalies are stopping one timers from the crease

Pens Record: 46-22-6, 98 pts, 2^nd in the Atlantic, 4^th in the East

Next Game:  3/25 vs NJ, 7pm

Officially Playoff Bound! Pens Clinch with a Win!

Main Storylines:

- Fleury gets the start tonight looking for win #40.  He is currently tied with the opposing goalie, Rinne, for the league lead in wins at 39.  Other lineup changes: Park comes in, Tangradi goes out.

- The Pens will clinch a playoff spot tonight if they gain any points tonight.

- Crosby continues his goal “slump” on the season, though his play has certainly been nothing to complain about

- From the Predators side, Alexander Radulov makes his controversial return from the KHL tonight, appearing in his first NHL game since 2008.

Will he disrupt the locker room or take the Preds to the Cup?

Result:

Pens  5  Preds 1

Goals:  Malkin (44) from Neal, Letang

            Dupuis (22) from Letang, Sullivan

            Cooke (17) from Neal

            Kunitz (22) from Neal, Orpik

            Malkin (45) from Neal, Kunitz

Stats/Milestones:

- Things are getting flat out crazy for the Pens in terms of streaks and milestones to the point that it’s time for a new section to cover it!

- Pascal Dupuis scored his career high 22^nd goal and extended his point streak to 8 games now.

Might he be the best value on a team of superstars?

- James Neal recorded a career high 4 assist game and tied his career high 4 point night, which was set all of 2 days ago.

- Marc-Andre Fleury became the first goalie in franchise history to win 40 games in multiple seasons.  He also took over the NHL lead in wins with 40.

- The Pens as a team lead the league in scoring with 244 goals and in goal differential with a +59.  They also won their 9^th straight game at Consol, extending the record streak. 

               

The Good:

- In a game hyped up as a potential Stanley Cup Finals preview, the Pens demonstrated that they might be in a league of their own at this point.  Mind you, Nashville lost to Edmonton in their previous game, so they aren’t playing at their best, but it was still a very impressive win for the Pens.

- Not that anyone expected anything else, but the Pens officially clinched a playoff spot with the win.

James Neal – For all of the impressive goals he has scored, did anyone know Neal could display the patience and passing abilities that he did tonight?  He put up 4 primary assists and was a +4 tonight, highlighted by a beautiful takeaway in the offensive zone as he baited Rinne until setting up Cooke with an easy tip in goal at the last second.  Even Cooke stated he expected Neal to shoot.  Neal leapt up to 5^th in the scoring with his performance.

Marc-Andre Fleury - It's crazy how quietly he goes about his work nowadays.  Another great performance with 29 saves on 30 shots; he just looks so calm and poised in net at this point.  Fleury is entering the prime of his career on fire and the crazy part is he could still get better.  Now if only he'd learn how to play the puck a little better...

A rare moment where Fleury could actually thank Martin. 

Paul Martin – Gotta give credit where it’s due, Martin played a very solid game tonight.  Beyond his +3 (overrated stat, right?), his positioning was much better than it was in the Jets game.  There were a couple of times where Letang got caught pinching, but Martin was there to handle the odd man rush.  He also added 3 blocked shots to his stat line.

Evgeni Malkin – One might argue that Rinne let up some soft goals on Malkin tonight, but hey, when Geno shoots the puck at you 10 times, you’re going to let a couple in.  Despite not even reaching the 20 minute mark in ice time, Malkin accounted for 43% of the Pens shots tonight and scored the first and last goals of the game.  For everyone worried that Crosby would take away from Malkin – it looks like the whole first line has been reenergized/motivated by Sid’s return.

The Bad:

- Matt Niskanen went out half way through the 2^nd period with an upper body injury.  He is day to day but will likely miss the games over the weekend.

- Kris Letang left the ice hunched over early in the 2^nd period and went straight to the locker room.  He ended up returning just a few shifts later, but any potentially injury to Letang should cause concern for Pens fans.

Sidney Crosby – Forget the lack of points, that’s not why I’m listing him here.  Crosby looked a little sluggish and tired in this game.  His patented speed burst wasn’t there and Nashville seemed to have little trouble neutralizing him.  Looks like Sid still has a little bit to go before he’s back into full form.

The Ugly:

- From the Preds side, Pekka Rinne looked less than spectacular after getting pulled in the game before this one.  Not to take away anything from the Pens, but Rinne was not in his usual Vezina form.  Shea Weber also looked off tonight, so I guess I am discounting the win a little bit compared to a usual victory over the Predators.

Weber did more for the Pens than the Preds tonight.

Thoughts:

- The Predators put a lot of work in on the crease and appeared to focus their offense in tight on Fleury.  Radulov got their only goal from a rebound while he was standing on the crease.  The tactic obviously didn’t work, but it’s the type of playing style that could lead to a Pens loss via bad bounces.  The D, especially Orpik and Engelland, will have to be on the watch for that as teams try to figure out the Pens.

Fleury had a lot of company around his blue paint.

- I was very impressed with the healthy ringing of Boos that rained down on Radulov when his goal was announced.  I have complained about the crowd at Consol frequently, but as we get closer to the playoffs, it appears more and more of the regular fans are coming out to actually cheer on the team rather than sit there silently.

- I loved the move of playing Park instead of Tangradi in this game.  It appears Bylsma may be trying to match them up against playing styles for opponents.  I hope Jeffrey enters this rotation as well, but I guess time will tell.

- After being stuck in the 4/5 slot for months, start rooting for who you want in as the 8^th seed as the Pens continue to pressure the Rangers for first!

Pens Record: 46-21-6, 98 pts, 2^nd in the Atlantic, 4^th in the East

Next Game:  3/24 @ Ott, 7pm

Pens Outgun the Jets, Win 8-4!

Main Storylines:

- The Pens are coming off a heartbreaking, no, enraging defeat at the hands of the Flyers with .9 seconds left in overtime.  It was the end of an 11 game win streak, though points have still been earned in 12 straight now (11-0-1, duh).

- Brad Thiessen gets the start tonight after Fleury started 3 games in 4 days.  There is still no word on what is going on with Brent Johnson, not that I’m sure anyone seems to care anymore.

- Crosby is making his return to home ice which will give a boost to the Pens crowd.  Speaking of the crowd, the Jets have chanted “Crosby’s Better” at Ovechkin and “Jordan’s Better” at Eric Staal in their past 2 games, so what will Pens fans do for the Jets?

Result:

Pens  8  Jets 4

Goals:  Kennedy (7) from Crosby, Cooke

            Neal (33) (PP) from Malkin, Crosby

            Neal (34) from Malkin

            Kennedy (8) from Crosby, Cooke

            Malkin (42) from Crosby, Martin

            Neal (35) from Malkin, Orpik

            Malkin (43) from Kunitz, Neal

            Dupuis (21) from Staal, Sullivan

We let Kennedy score?? Twice?? Why have they said Kennedy 4 times?!?

               

The Good:

- Everything offense!  The Pens earned their 12^th win in 13 games, extended their points streak (12-0-1) and simply outgunned the Jets in a shootout (like the old fashioned high scoring shootout games, not the skills competition that ends overtime games).

- Milestones:  Malkin scored his 200^th career goal.  Dupuis scored his career high 21^st goal and extended a career high 7 game points streak.  Neal had a career high 4 points in one game.  Malkin and Crosby matched their combined career high of 9 points in a game together.  The Pens won their 8^th straight game at Consol, a new record for the arena.  Brad Thiessen is now 3-0 in his first 3 starts.

- The Pens became the highest scoring team in the NHL after this game (imagine if we had a winger for Sid!) and are now 2^nd in goal differential to only Boston.

- It was fantastic seeing Tyler Kennedy finally get out of his slump.  The emotion he showed after that first goal was priceless, though not as cool as when Dustin Byfuglien mimicked ripping a monkey off of his own back last year (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kaCxtmP1ec). 

TK just needed a little "release' to get his game going...

James Neal – For anyone that was worried about his 2^nd half slump or post-contract doldrums (I will be the first to admit I belong on this list), set your worries aside.  Neal picked up garbage goals and beautiful goals all the same in recording his 2^nd career hat trick and 1^st ever 4 point night.  He even registered a game high 10 shots.  My only complaint would be that he needs to shoot more on the powerplay, yes – despite having 10 shots, but that would be more constructive criticism than anything.  You can now add me to the list of people who can’t wait to see him record goal #40 soon.

Sidney Crosby – Sure, his shooting is still off, but is any other player in the world capable of looking this good without scoring?!? After turning Cooke into a repeat 2 goal scorer last week, Crosby set up Tyler Kennedy for 2 easy goals in the slot tonight.  Yes, that Tyler Kennedy – the one that misses the net by 15 feet from the slot.  Cooke and Kennedy suddenly make up a line that is putting up points like a first line with Crosby.  Crosby also added a nice assist on Malkin’s 200^th goal and yet another on a beautiful behind-the-back pass to Malkin, who easily set up an uncovered Neal for a PP goal.  His creativity and passing ability is just unbelievable after missing 40 games.

"Who are you and how did you make that pass?!?"

Evgeni Malkin – Nothing like a 5 point night to give you a HUGE lead for the Art Ross trophy, and most likely the Hart as well.  Malkin scored his 200^th career goal with his parents in attendance, much to the delight of his rapidly fist pumping dad.  He was all smiles through most of the game, at least after an inadvertent double minor he took for high sticking.  Malkin is clearly just having a ball playing with an abundance of talent on his line and with Sid back.  He truly looks like he’s having a great time just playing a game, and his play has been phenomenal because of it.

The Bad:

- Goaltending was shaky at best for both teams.  The Thrashers had to pull Pavelec and Thiessen looked a little less than reliable, though he did get the win anyways.

Pavelec wasn't the first and won't be the last to feel this way against the Pens.

Brad Thiessen – Thiessen did enough to get the win, but didn’t look sharp right off the first shot against, where he fought the puck off awkwardly rather than gloving it.  Something about the Jets clearly ends any chance of defense being played, but Thiessen’s play made it clear that he is a backup at best and can’t handle games where the defense doesn’t play well.  He was well protected in his first 2 wins, but he seemed very exposed in this one.  Let’s face it, if Fleury goes down, we’re screwed either way, but I have more faith in Brent Johnson getting hot than I do Thiessen.

Paul Martin – Talk was abound about the fact that Martin had gotten himself back to an Even +/- rating, and then he went out and reverted back to his awful play from the first half of the season.  Wait, he was +1 tonight.  Oh, there is your main argument for +/- being worthless.  Admittedly, I put a lot of stock into that stat because as a defenseman, I’ve always wanted to claim being a plus player.  Martin can do that tonight, but it is certainly not because of anything he did.  He was on the ice for 3 of the Jets goals, getting completely burned twice and not tying up a man on the crease on the 3^rd one.  It wasn’t just that he was on the ice for goals against, but they were largely his fault.  Hopefully this abysmal game was just a fluke from what has been very stellar play over the past month.

One of 5 pics I found with Martin and a Jets goal celebration tonight.

Zbynek Michalek – Maybe Michalek and Martin just spent too much time reminiscing before the game, but Michalek also had trouble staying in position and keeping up with the Jets forwards.  He did manage a +2, but he made no contribution to the offense as he looked hesitant to jump up on pucks near the blue line.  He also went down on a couple of occasions to block shots in situations where the Jets were ready for it and moved around him.  Again, hopefully just a fluke after a very stellar month of play.

Craig Adams – After giving it all in the game against Philly, Adams looked a little off tonight.  His physical game never really got started against a quick set of Winnipeg forwards and they made him pay for it a couple of times as he was a -2 and was on for a powerplay goal against.  It’s very rare to see Adams have a game where he is this off, so I’m not worried about it at all. 

The Ugly:

- The defense for both teams was simply atrocious, bordering on non-existent.  These games are fun to watch, especially when the Pens have so much offensive talent, but that better be a blip on the radar that disappears.

Thoughts:

- The powerplay has pretty much taken on a Jekyl and Hyde type personality.  The first powerplay was awful with way too much passing and no one looking to the net.  The second powerplay was simply gorgeous, registering tons of shots and a goal.  I believe the key to the powerplay is going to be that everyone needs to stay within their roles.  Crosby is pass first, Malkin can pass or shoot, those 2 can be trusted to do their jobs.  Kunitz has to stay in front, and Neal has to shoot every chance he gets.  That 5^th spot, Sullivan or Letang, needs to distribute the puck enough to keep the other guys going, but also take enough shots to keep defenders honest.  It sounds simple, and seems obvious, but the worst powerplays are when one of those guys ditches their role.

It would probably help if Crosby opened his eyes too.

- I miss Joe Vitale.  His energy and effort are a huge spark plug on the 4^th line and Asham-Adams-Tangradi simply don’t have the speed that he has to be an immediate game changer.  The loss of Vitale isn’t a huge deal to a team this talented, but he is more valuable than people realize – mostly when it comes to energy and faceoffs.

- Brent Johnson has been skating before team practices, but there is no timetable for him, and really no information on what is keeping him out.  I would love to see him get healthy enough for a start or 2 before the playoffs, but who knows what we will see.  I have not forgotten how poorly he has played this season, but I would prefer his veteran presence and experience over Thiessen’s play.

Will BJ save this?  Probably not.  But he'll punch you out for questioning him.

- Crosby has 19 assists and is a +14 in 12 games this season.  Just wow.

He has this whole team in disbelief right now.

Pens Record: 45-21-6, 96 pts, 2^nd in the Atlantic, 4^th in the East

Next Game:  3/22 vs Nas, 7pm