Lucky Number 7!! (not Paul Martin)

Main Storylines:

- The Pens enter this game on a 6 game winning streak

- On a related note, Malkin enters the game on a 6 game goal scoring streak, tying a career high from his first 6 games in the league

- Marc-Andre Fleury makes his 22^nd straight appearance, continuing to set career highs

- Zbynek Michalek received no punishment from the league for his hit on Matt Hendricks in the Washington game (meanwhile, Ovechkin got suspended 3 games for hitting Michalek)

- The Pens called up Steve MacIntyre again today and he’s in for Eric Tangradi

- Joe Vitale is making his hometown return and gets to start in St. Louis

- Chris Kunitz is playing in his 500^th career game

- James Neal still isn’t All-Star worthy apparently, as Scott Hartnell got in over him as an injury replacement

Result:

Pens 3  Blues 2 (SO)

Goals:  Neal (27) from Martin, Kunitz

            Sullivan (9) from Engelland, Cooke

            SO Winner: Kunitz

The Good:

- The Pens won their 7^th game in a row and will now get a week off for the All-Star break

- James Neal’s goal was the 100^th of his career.  He also tied his career high in a season with 27.

- The top line continues to be the best in the NHL right now as it totaled 13 shots and produced the opening goal (Neal) and a couple shootout goals (Malkin and Kunitz)

- The Penalty Kill was 3 for 3, including a huge 4 on 3 at the start of overtime.

Marc-Andre Fleury – Fleury was simply unbelievable in this game, making numerous game-saving split saves.  He was the #1 star and made 32 saves on 34 shots.  The Pens simply owe him that game.

The Blues were on the doorstep all night.  Fleury said no.

James Neal – Scored a goal, played solid in both ends, and was a spark plug all night, taking 6 shots.  Neal continues to play at a level I don’t think anyone expected so far.

Evgeni Malkin – Also added 6 shots and scored in the shootout, where he is 5 for 7 this season.  Every time Geno touches the puck is a rush at this point, but the Blues did an impressive job of slowing him down a little bit still.

Zbynek Michalek – He quietly blocked 4 shots and played a huge role on the penalty kill surviving the night as he led the PKers with 4:27 of short-handed time.

The Bad:

- Malkin’s goal scoring streak ended…but I think he’ll survive with a win

- The 2^nd period was very turnover filled and the Pens had a tough time in the neutral zone with the Blues

- Diving calls.  I didn’t think Neal committed a dive when he got called for one, but I thought Malkin definitely went down a little too easy on the call he drew (leading to the Pens PP goal). 

Kris Letang – Not one of his better nights defensively.  He got caught too far up on the Cooke/Jeffrey turnover that led to the 1^st goal.  He then made the bad pass that went the other way on the Blues short-handed breakaway, which turned into a penalty shot goal to tie the game.

Pascal Dupuis - Not necessarily bad, just enormously frustrating.  Dupuis has now gone 13 games without a goal, and missed a golden chance when Neal set him up with a one-timer on a 2 on 1.  His overall play has still been fine, but he's gotta finish when he gets a good chance.

When the top line slows down, he's gonna have to score.

  

The Ugly:

- Matt Cooke’s boarding penalty on Barrett Jackman with a minute left in the 3^rd period.

Steve MacIntyre – Was on the ice for a whole 3:52 and managed to take a tripping penalty during that time.  I’m not sure he serves any purpose at all.

Thoughts:

- In regards to Cooke’s hit, I’m not sure if Jackman was trying to buy a call or if his skates got caught or what, but he didn’t even try to brace himself and turned himself to face the boards when Cooke hit his side.  With it being Cooke, I’m sure Shanahan looks at it, but this will be a very interesting call with Cooke’s reputation in play.

Is an honorable first half going to go down the drain now for Cooke?

- Why on earth did Tangradi get benched for MacIntyre?  I’m not a big fan of Tangradi, but he doesn’t hurt the team usually and he plays a solid 9 minutes.  This is even weirder with Bylsma’s tendency to not change the lineup during a winning streak aside from returns from injury (see how Johnson may never play again).  MacIntyre should stay in the AHL.

- As Lovejoy continues to sit in the press box, I hope Shero takes some time to look towards moving him or Niskanen.  It seems like such a waste to have a solid 3^rd line defender doing nothing when that strength can be used to pick up something else.

- Hopefully the All-Star Break doesn’t cool off the Pens, but I’m very happy to see Fleury get a week off here before he starts losing body parts.

- As Dan Rosen points out, right now the playoff matchups would be 1 Rangers vs. 8 Devils and 4 Flyers vs. 5 Pens.  Exclamation Point.

Pens Record: 28-17-4, 60 pts, 3^rd in the Atlantic, 5^th in the East

Next Game:  1/31 vs Tor, 7pm

Taking Over Broadway, Pens win!

Main Storylines:

- Kris Letang is returning to the lineup for the first time since suffering a concussion in late November

- Arron Asham is out with concussion like symptoms.  Ben Lovejoy will also sit with Letang’s return

- The Pens come in on a 3 game winning streak and hope to keep it going against the best team in the East right now

- Great article on the reformation of Matt Cooke:  http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/7472666/pittsburgh-penguins-matt-cooke-proves-change-possible?eleven=twelve

Result:

Pens 4  Rangers 1

Goals:  Kunitz (14) from Martin, Neal

            Park (4) from Engelland, Cooke

            Malkin (23) from Letang

            Malkin (24) from Neal, Kunitz

The Good:

- Kris Letang’s return went very well, as he recorded an assist and 24:17 of ice time to lead the team

Letang returned to the ice already in All-Star form.

- The Pens extended their win streak to 4 games, and got their first win over the East leading Rangers this season

- The first line continues to be dominant, with all 3 members having a 2 point night.

- The team came out with a great forecheck and worked the Rangers hard, building a 8-0 lead in shots and a 1-0 lead before the Rangers could sustain any pressure against them.

Evgeni Malkin – Despite a very concerted effort by the Rangers in the 1^st period to physically take Malkin off of his game, he persevered and scored yet another highlight reel goal in the 3^rd period to give the Pens a 2 goal lead and added an empty netter as well.  There is simply no player playing at his level of confidence and skill right now.  Malkin is now in the lead for the Art Ross trophy (points).

Lundqvist never stood a chance.

Marc-Andre Fleury – Fleury held tough through some scrambles around the net and held the opposition to just 1 goal for the 4^th time in his last 5 games.

Paul Martin – Despite getting caught on the Rangers goal because he led an offensive rush, Martin played one of his best defensive games of the season.  He got into it physically and had quite a few key poke checks and shot blocks.

The Bad:

- Paul Steigerwald thinking Sullivan scored when in reality it was Richard Park (not sure how you confuse anything about the 2).

- The Pens lost the faceoff battle for the 4^th game in a row (with these results, who cares?)

Eric Tangradi – His fight looked uncomfortable and was also ill-advised with a very quiet Rangers crowd and the Pens up 1-0.  The fight brought the crowd back into the game after the Pens had an 8-0 lead in shots through the 1^st period.  Tangradi looks like a desperate player trying to find his place in the NHL right now.

Always falling backwards...

The Ugly:

- No forwards went to cover on defense for Paul Martin while he was leading the rush on the Rangers only goal.  While it was during a line change, the fact that a defenseman is the furthest guy in the zone has to be picked up on immediately by everyone.

 Thoughts:

- This is the first game this season that the Pens looked like a stronger team than another top team in the standings.  Sure, they have earned wins over the Blackhawks and Canucks, but neither game was necessarily a strong performance.  However, the Pens can beat anyone if they play like they did tonight.

- With Letang back and healthy, the Pens sat Ben Lovejoy.  GM Ray Shero has already stated that he does not want to trade any of his younger defensemen (Samuelsson, Despres, etc), so expect him to look to move one of the current NHL defensemen closer to the deadline.  My guess would be Lovejoy or Niskanen.  Niskanen has more value in both his level of play and since he’s an RFA after this season, so he may be the more valuable trade bait.

- The Pens move into 6^th in the Conference, with NJ having more wins but the Pens having more wins that aren’t in a shootout.  That could be a key stat come playoff time, as NJ already has 8 shootout wins that won’t count towards a tiebreaker while the Pens only have 4.

- With a 2^nd game in as many nights tomorrow against a lowly Canadiens team, I would HOPE Brent Johnson gets the start.  Fleury has played in 19 straight games and this would be a great time to give him a break.

Pens Record: 25-17-4, 54 pts, 4^th in the Atlantic, 6^th in the East

Next Game:  1/20 vs Mtl, 7pm

It's a Winning Streak! Pens win 2-1!

Main Storylines:

- Kris Letang skated with the team this morning and may even return before the All-Star break before the end of the month

- Sidney Crosby has decided to see Dr. Carrick again to work on his balance and movement issues.

- The Pens enter tonight on a 2 game winning streak and in 8^th place in the Conference

Result:

Pens 2  Canes 1  (SO)

Goals:  Malkin (22) from Niskanen, Martin

SO Winner: Neal

Geno = Cam Ward's Boogeyman

 The Good:

- Tyler Kennedy played in his 300^th career game and Paul Martin recorded his 200^th career point

- The Pens did a great job keeping up with a very up-tempo Hurricanes team.  They had issues against Toronto and Carolina earlier in the season in similar games.

- The team got a lot of pucks to the net again, amassing over 40 shots and attempting over 60

- The forechecking was great, especially from Vitale, Dupuis, and Kennedy.

- The PK was a strong 3 for 3, not allowing many chances at all.  Cooke and Michalek had a fantastic game for the unit.

- 3^rd win in a row!!

Evgeni Malkin – Single-handedly tied the game with a beautiful effort, stealing the puck off of Eric Staal and roofing a shot over Cam Ward on the short side.  He was all over the ice in this game and played strong in all 3 zones.  He added a beautiful goal in the shootout as well.

Marc-Andre Fleury – Was a rock in net and made the game look easy tonight, making 25 saves on 26 shots.

The Bad:

- The penalty call on Orpik hitting Skinner was atrocious.  Completely clean hit, point of contact with the shoulder, and Skinner had touched the puck.  The ref apologized to Orpik before the shootout after seeing a replay

- The statisticians?  How on earth Niskanen and Martin got assists on Geno’s goal is beyond me.  Malkin got the puck off of Staal and did it all on his own

- Not being able to see Engelland fight Gleason live since Root Sports had cut away for a commercial at that point.  Yes, it was a slow developing fight, but perhaps they should use a little more discretion.

At least there are pictures so I can see it happened.

- The Pens got dominated in the faceoff circle for the 3^rd straight game (apparently this doesn’t affect winning at all right now), which is a rarity at home

Paul Martin – Martin had a nice trifecta of turning the puck over on the Canes only goal, missing a wide open net, and taking an ill-advised tripping penalty.  He had a pretty strong game other than that…but yeah, that’s a lot.

The Ugly:

- Seeing Skinner laying on the ice.  He came back to play, so hopefully he has no lingering effects, but you hate to see a player go down like that when returning from a concussion.

Hopefully he doesn't react poorly tomorrow morning like Letang did

  

Thoughts:

- All 5 teams in the Atlantic Division won tonight, so the Pens will have to keep it up against the Rangers on Thursday to gain some ground.

- I don’t necessarily equate fighting directly to wins or effort, but it has been a strong gauge of how intensely the Pens have played the last 3 games.  Every game has been hard-hitting and chippy, which was missing during that 6 game losing streak.

- Evgeni Malkin is seriously on another level right now.  You can tell how confident he is with the puck and his patience has increased dramatically when he is carrying it.  The comfort level between him and Neal has made a world of difference over the past week for the whole team.

Pens Record: 24-17-4, 52 pts, 4^th in the Atlantic, 7^th in the East

Next Game:  1/19 @ NYR, 7pm

Pens Sweep the Sunshine State!

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 2^nd 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 3^rd period by avoiding a check, sending Lecavalier into a fit of rage.

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 3^rd 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.

No racial slurs from Barch here.

Tyler Kennedy – It was very nice to see Kennedy score his 6^th 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 3^rd 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.

Falling on the ice, falling as a prospect, where's he gonna land?

 Thoughts:

- 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 4^th line time.  Vitale is meant for the 3^rd/4^th 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.

Creepy, yet awesome. 

 Pens Record: 23-17-4, 50 pts, 4^th in the Atlantic, 8^th in the East

Next Game:  1/17 vs Car, 7pm

Pens '11-'12 Mid-Season Review

Here’s a concise and comprehensive view of the team and players as they hit the halfway point of the season.  I did not include the Washington game, since that was Game 42.  FYI: here was my season preview if you’re curious and feel like comparing:  http://crosbyftw.blogspot.com/2011/10/pens-season-preview-2011-2012.html

Now, let’s start with the team.

 Record:

21-16-4, 46 pts (4^th in the Atlantic, 8^th in the East)

Home:  11-7-2

Road:  10-9-2

- After spending much of the season hovering around the top of the Atlantic and the top of the East, a 5 game losing streak has put the Pens on the edge of the playoff picture, teetering on the edge of panic mode.

- Recent trends aside, the team is on pace for 92 points, which would have MISSED the playoffs last year.

Goals:

Goals For:  124

Goals Against:  111

- Despite the offensive futility that we have seen recently, the Penguins still rank 8^th in goals for in the NHL.  They are on pace to eclipse last year’s total by 20 goals.

- The Pens rank 10^th in goals against right now, despite being top 5 in that category for much of the early season.  They are on pace to allow 26 more goals than they did last year, which may be attributed to a barrage of injuries on the blue line through the season.

Special Teams:

PP:  18.9%

PK:  87.0%

- The powerplay currently ranks 10^th in the NHL, and has been a massive upgrade from last year’s unit.  James Neal has been the biggest contributor on the powerplay.  It’s safe to say when the powerplay scores, the Pens will usually win.

- The penalty kill is the 5^th best unit in the league, which unfortunately has been a drop from 1^st in the NHL last year and 1^st for most of the early season this year.  The Pens made it into mid-November with a ridiculous 96% kill rate before really falling down to Earth in the last month. 

Transactions:

- Traded Marc Letestu to Columbus for a 4^th round draft pick in 2012.

Key Injuries:

- Sidney Crosby – returned for an exciting 8 games, but was IRed again with concussion like symptoms

- Kris Letang – has missed 19 games and counting with a concussion

- Ben Lovejoy – missed 20 games with a broken wrist

- Zbynek Michalek – missed 20 games with a broken hand and other ailments

- Dustin Jeffrey – missed 35 games while recovering from offseason knee surgery

 (These are just the key long injuries, less than 10 games missed each by Malkin, Staal, Martin, Orpik as well, along with many many others)

Highlights:

- Oct 6 – Pens win their opener in Vancouver in a shootout, where Matt Cooke shows his reformed ways with a 2 goal night

- Oct 25 – Fleury earns his 1^st shutout of the season in the midst of a 5 game winning streak for the team as the Pens blank the Isles 3-0 in a game that didn’t have a fight

- Oct 27 – Pittsburgh finds out that they will be hosting the 2012 NHL Entry Draft in June

- Nov 15 – After spotting the Avs a 2-0 and then 3-1 lead in the 1^st period, the Pens come back to score 5 unanswered in a 6-3 victory

- Nov 21 – Sidney Crosby returns to a raucous crowd with 2 goals and 2 assists as the Pens shutout the Isles again, 5-0

- Dec 17 – Coming off of tough losses to Detroit and Ottawa, Malkin puts the Pens on his back and scores 3 goals and 2 assists to help the Pens crush Buffalo, 8-3

Lowlights:

- Nov 17 – Nov 19 – The Pens take their road trip through Tampa and Florida, losing both games as the powerplay goes a combined 0 for 9 and the penalty kill goes 6 for 10

- Dec 5 – Boston thoroughly dominates the Pens in a 3-1 decision, and worst of all, Crosby gets hurt on a few different hits, one even with teammate Chris Kunitz.  Crosby hasn’t played since.

- Dec 29 – The Flyers make their first visit to Pittsburgh with Jagr and Talbot, and beat the Pens 4-2, with goals by Jagr and Talbot.

- Jan 10 – The Pens continue on a 5 game losing streak with a 5-1 loss to Ottawa.  They have scored 6 goals during the streak, which is currently ongoing.  (Remember, I cut this review off after the Sens game)

OVERALL:  If I had to grade this team right now, I would give it a C, maybe a C+.  Until recently, the Pens had been a strong team at the top of the pack, showing off 5 and 4 game winning streaks early in the season while only losing 3 in a row once.  Their current 5+ game slide however has pulled the team apart in every facet ranging from team chemistry to simple offense and defense.  Even with all of the injuries, this team is playing average at best for the product on the ice.  Many of their gaffes are not because of a lack of talent, but because of mental lapses.  Losing as many man games to injuries as the Pens have warrants an expected drop in the standings, but the drop has gone further than just due to injuries at this point.

LOOKING AHEAD:  The Pens will have plenty of chances to turn the season around with 41 games to go.  The key will be to end this losing streak as quickly as possible, and avoid any long losing streaks for the rest of the season.  As we saw with the Devils last year, one or two bad streaks will kill your season no matter how hot you can get.  The Pens still face unknown timeframes for Crosby and Letang, and will now have to deal without Jordan Staal for 4-6 weeks with a knee injury.  GM Ray Shero will have potential long term IR possibilities and potential cap space to work with depending on how quickly Crosby and Letang can come back.  There’s no doubt he will make a move, but the magnitude of it will depend on the long term prognosis for those 2 players (who are both expected to be back this season).  In the meantime, it will be up to Coach Dan Bylsma and the healthy part of the team to turn their season around in the locker room and on the ice.

Revised Prediction:  After saying the Pens would win the Atlantic and finish 2^nd in the East in my preview, I’m gonna go ahead and change that.  I still think the Pens will make the playoffs, but they will be starting on the road in the 1^st round.  I’m estimating somewhere around 43-29-10, 96 points, 6^th in the conference.  Expect some tighter scoring games, and hopefully boosts from the returns of Letang, Crosby, and Staal – in that order – each about 2 weeks apart from each other.

Now, moving on to the players as this gets longer than you feel like reading…(I’ll make it easier to skim through)

Goaltenders

#29 Marc-Andre Fleury  (19 wins, 2.32 GAA, .911 Save %)

Pre-Season Prediction:  41 wins, 2.24 GAA, .916 Save %. 

So Far:  B+.  Fleury’s numbers may not be as fantastic as any of us want, but he has improved greatly in one area this year – he has been very consistent.  His play is trending down a little with the losing streak, but he has given the Pens a chance to be in basically every game.  Expect him to see fewer starts in the 2^nd half though since he has already been in 34 games.

 #1 Brent Johnson  (2 wins, 3.47 GAA, .876 Save %)

Pre-Season Prediction:  11 wins, 2.41 GAA, .917 Save %. 

So Far:  D.  Johnson’s numbers are rather misleading so far.  Don’t get me wrong, they are awful and not the Brent Johnson we are used to seeing, but the defense continually plays their worst every time he gets a start.  Those numbers will improve as the season goes on.

Defensemen

#58 Kris Letang  (22gp, 3g, 16a, +5, 12pim)

Pre-Season Prediction:  14g, 40a

So Far:  A-.  Letang was off to another Norris Trophy type start this season before getting sidelined with a concussion.  Hell, he even scored the game winner in OT after sustaining the concussion (great job, medical team).  He remains out indefinitely, and the Pens could sure use his puck moving skills on the blue line back ASAP.

#44 Brooks Orpik  (33gp, 2g, 5a, -1, 22pim)

Pre-Season Prediction:  0g, 8a. 

So Far:  B.  Orpik had a very slow start to the season as he came back from hernia surgery, and thus his tough guy game came along slowly.  As the team has floundered though, he has stepped up in a big way, hitting everything that moves and calling the team out in the locker room as well.  He is definitely trending up right now.

#7 Paul Martin  (34gp, 1g, 10a, -9, 10pim)

Pre-Season Prediction:  7g, 23a. 

So Far:  D+.  I try really hard to defend Martin sometimes, but that -9 and his $5 mil. cap hit have made it very hard this season.  His play has definitely been subpar for him and we can only hope it improves in the 2^nd half. 

#4 Zbynek Michalek  (21gp, 1g, 4a, -9, 10pim)

Pre-Season Prediction:  2g, 13a. 

So Far:  C.  Michalek has also had a rough season alongside Paul Martin, though he has also missed half of the season due to injuries so far.  His shot blocking is still great, but his defensive zone coverage has lapsed at times depending on his partner.  Here’s hoping he can stay healthy.

#6 Ben Lovejoy  (21gp, 1g, 2a, +1, 11pim)

Pre-Season Prediction:  4g, 11a. 

So Far:  B.  I have been pleasantly surprised with Lovejoy’s play this season, though he certainly was playing better pre-broken wrist compared to recently.  His game largely depends on mistake free hockey, and while his game against Ottawa was the worst of the season, the whole body of work has been strong.

#5 Deryk Engelland  (36gp, 2g, 8a, +3, 30pim)

Pre-Season Prediction:  1g, 4a. 

So Far:  A.  Engelland has improved every facet of his game and has succeeded in shutting down #1 lines and adding offense this season.  Despite his deficiencies as a skater, he has learned how to move the puck up efficiently and has joined the offensive rush successfully on quite a few occasions.  His improvement this season has been spectacular.

#2 Matt Niskanen  (40gp, 2g, 13a, +8, 31pim)

Pre-Season Prediction:  4g, 14a. 

So Far:  A-.  For all the flack he receives, Niskanen has only been a minus player in 9 games this season.  He has been quite consistent, and has added a very useful shot from the point to the powerplay (usually, the 2^nd unit).  His +8 leads the team right now.

#54 Alexandre Picard (17gp, 0g, 4a, +4, 4pim)

Pre-Season Prediction: none

So Far:  B.  Picard has been called up 5 or 6 times at this point and has been a workable part of the defense every time.  He doesn’t dazzle you, but he doesn’t make you cringe, making him a dependable call up.

#47 Simon Despres (14gp, 1g, 3a, +4, 8pim)

Pre-Season Prediction:  none

So Far:  A.  Despres has been very impressive in his call ups and looks ready to take a regular shift in the NHL.  He likes to throw the body like Orpik while adding a bit of an offensive touch to his game as well.  He will certainly make a defender or 2 expendable when he returns from a sprained MCL in a month.

#59 Carl Sneep (1gp, 0g, 1a, +1, 0pim)

Pre-Season Prediction:  none

So Far:  Inconclusive.  1 game, 1 assist, and a +1 is certainly a nice stat line for his NHL debut.

#41 Robert Bortuzzo (6gp, 0g, 0a, +1, 2pim)

Pre-Season Prediction:  none

So Far:  B.  I liked his work in very limited action before he got concussed like the rest of the team.  We’ll see him again.

#37 Brain Strait (1gp, 0g, 0a, Even, 0pim)

Pre-Season Prediction:  none

So Far:  Inconclusive.  Injured in his first game in the NHL, we’ll have to see if he gets back this season.

Forwards

#71 Evgeni Malkin  (34gp, 17g, 28a, +2, 32pim)

Pre-Season Prediction:  42g, 57a. 

So Far:  A-.  Hampered at times by his knee earlier this season, Malkin has roared back and is returning to his top form.  He has shown that he can carry the Pens without Crosby, though the current losing streak is proving to be a trying time.  He is currently 2^nd in points per game in the NHL and expect him to challenge for the Art Ross and even the Hart in the 2^nd half.

#26 Steve Sullivan  (41gp, 7g, 13a, -6, 12pim)

Pre-Season Prediction:  12g, 19a. 

So Far:  C.  Sullivan has stayed healthy, which was more than I expected, but he has been vastly inconsistent throughout the season.  Bylsma has moved him across all of the lines trying to find his place.  He shows great poise with the puck, but needs to start pitching in more for the ice time he is getting.

#18 James Neal  (41gp, 21g, 15a, -4, 40pim)

Pre-Season Prediction:  26g, 24a

So Far:  A.  Neal has absolutely crushed what everyone thought of him at the end of last season.  He has singlehandedly made the powerplay useful with 10 PPG and he leads the team in goals right now.  It may be unrealistic to expect 40 goals out of him, but 30 is easily within reach as Neal has demonstrated he’s a top line winger.

#11 Jordan Staal  (34gp, 15g, 6a, Even, 20pim)

Pre-Season Prediction:  24g, 27a. 

So Far:  B+.  He may have finally found that scoring touch from his rookie year as he has already put up 15 goals this season, but unfortunately, Staal will miss the next 4-6 weeks with a knee injury.  The former Pens Iron Man has had a tough go through the season with nagging injuries, but has produced well when in the lineup.

#14 Chris Kunitz  (41gp, 13g, 14a, +1, 18pim)

Pre-Season Prediction:  29g, 27a. 

So Far:  B.  Kunitz has basically given the team exactly what it expected, and he was even rewarded with a 2 year contract extension early in the season.  He has shown that he doesn’t require Crosby to produce on offense, but he has definitely shown a bit more streakiness this year.

#48 Tyler Kennedy  (30gp, 5g, 14a, Even, 20pim)

Pre-Season Prediction:  17g, 18a. 

So Far:  C.  Like many of the Pens, Kennedy has missed quite a few games due to injuries.  Those injuries don’t seem to explain his 5 goal season thus far though.  He has played well as a role player, but he was a priority signing this offseason for his potential goal scoring, which has disappeared despite a plethora of shots.  Kennedy simply needs to put the puck in the net more in the 2^nd half.

#9 Pascal Dupuis  (41gp, 11g, 14a, +7, 18pim)

Pre-Season Prediction:  11g, 14a. 

So Far:  A.  One of the major bright spots in this season, Dupuis was slotted as a 3^rd or even 4^th line player when the season started.  He has taken that start and crushed my pre-season prediction, meeting them at the half way point.  He is Mr. Consistent for this team, giving it his all and even moving to Center for the first time in his career to help out the team.  His +7 is the highest among forwards and we’ll see if he can keep up this production because the Pens surely need it.

#24 Matt Cooke  (41gp, 7g, 6a, -3, 14pim)

Pre-Season Prediction:  15g, 20a. 

So Far:  B-.  Cooke had a great start to the season, but his offensive production has slowed down as the season has worn on.  One of the most perplexing things about him is, while it’s nice he hasn’t gotten suspended or taken any bad penalties, he also is not the game changing hitter he used to be as well.  Lately we have seen a lot of Cooke arguing with the refs and we’ll have to see how that continues to play out.

#46 Joe Vitale  (37gp, 2g, 7a, -4, 15pim)

Pre-Season Prediction:  2g, 3a. 

So Far:  B+.  Vitale wasn’t expected to be on the NHL team for long, but limited returns from Crosby and Jeffrey have kept him in the lineup.  He has done very well in the faceoff circle and provides a spark of energy when the team has needed it.  His effort is unquestionable, but his talent only keeps him here for so long right now.

#27 Craig Adams  (3g, 5a, -5, 11pim)

Pre-Season Prediction:  3g, 9a. 

So Far:  B.  Adams has simply done his job as he always has.  He has helped the PK stay in the top 5 all season, and has even added some offense at times.  His leadership and gritty forechecking will be a big key in getting the Pens out of their losing streak.

#45 Arron Asham  (38gp, 2g, 9a, -5, 48pim)

Pre-Season Prediction:  16g, 9a. 

So Far:  C+.  Though I was hoping Asham would get on more of a scoring role after last year’s playoffs, he has instead taken the role of resident tough guy for the Pens.  His most well-known moment of the season is certainly knocking Jay Beagle out.  Expect a lot of the same moving forward with him.

#33 Steve MacIntyre  (10gp, 0g, 0a, Even, 2pim)

Pre-Season Prediction:  1g, 1a. 

So Far:  F.  MacIntyre has been pretty much worthless all season.  He doesn’t even have a fight yet.  He was sent down to the minors this week, where I hope he will stay.

#15 Dustin Jeffrey  (6gp, 0g, 0a, Even, 0pim)

Pre-Season Prediction:  9g, 13a. 

So Far:  C.  Jeffrey has missed most of the season with a knee injury, and has been rather invisible when he’s been in the lineup.  Hopefully a healthy 2^nd half will get him back to being the productive player we saw last season.

#12 Richard Park (24gp, 2g, 5a, -2, 10pim)

Pre-Season Prediction:  8g, 6a. 

So Far:  B.  Park turned out to be a very strong signing for Shero in a move to add depth.  He peaked in November, even seeing time on the 1^st line for a stretch, but has played consistently throughout the season.  He’s good to take on 12 minutes a game and help out on the PK when necessary.

#87 Sidney Crosby  (8gp, 2g, 10a, +7, 8pim)

Pre-Season Prediction:  33g, 48a. 

So Far:  B.  His comeback was spectacular and exhilarating, though very short-lived.  He remains out indefinitely with concussion like symptoms, and has begun skating again though he is not symptom free.  It’s hard not to feel for the guy when hockey runs through his veins.  Getting him back…well, I don’t even need to explain that effect.

#19 Jason Williams (7gp, 1g, 1a, +1, 4pim)

Pre-Season Prediction:  none

So far:  C+.  Williams hasn’t done much in his limited time with the Pens, but he has acted as a serviceable 4^th line winger.  He certainly has one hell of a shot, so if he gets called up again, look for more powerplay time from him.

#25 Eric Tangradi (5gp, 0g, 0a, -3, 0pim)

Pre-Season Prediction:  none

So Far:  D.  Tangradi continues to underwhelm me every time he enters the lineup.  His physical game in the defensive zone has picked up, but he doesn’t act as much of a net presence and seems to lack confidence on the ice.  He is starting to get passed up by other top prospects in the organization.

#38 Colin McDonald (2gp, 0g, 0a, +1, 0pim)

Pre-Season Prediction:  none

So Far:  Inconclusive.  A short call up gave him a taste of the NHL.  We’ll see if he returns this season.

That’ll do it for your 2011-2012 Penguins so far.  Here’s hoping the 2^nd half leads us to a strong playoff run.  LET'S GO PENS!!!