Bortuzzo is Free! Penguins Defeat Devils at Home, 5-1

Main Storylines:

• Marc-Andre Fleury gets the start coming off of Vokoun’s shutout against NYR.  Vokoun starts tomorrow in Washington
• Zach Boychuk makes his Penguins debut in the lineup today.  It’s two weeks early, but if Boychuk fits in, start paying attention to Jeffrey/Tangradi/Lovejoy/Bortuzzo because one of them will have to be moved/waived
• Bortuzzo stays in the lineup while Tangradi, Jeffrey, and Lovejoy are healthy scratches
• Chris Kunitz has been ill over the past few days but remains in the lineup

Result:

Pens 5  Devils 1

Goals:  Sutter (1) from Crosby, Malkin

            Kunitz (2) unassisted

            Letang (2) from Kunitz, Malkin

            Crosby (4) from Kunitz, Dupuis

            Bortuzzo (1) from Crosby, Dupuis

ESPN Recap:  http://scores.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=400442582

Stats:

• Sidney Crosby led the team with 5 shots.  Evgeni Malkin failed to register a shot on net.
• Crosby also had both penalties for the Penguins
• James Neal led the team with 4 hits
• The Pens dominated in faceoffs with Vitale (75%), Crosby (66.7%), Sutter (63.6%) and Malkin (54.5%) all winning a majority of draws
• Every player skated for at least 11 minutes and Paul Martin topped the group with *only* 24:50

The Good:

Bortuzzo is free!!!

• First Line:  Crosby was a stud, Kunitz was sick and still productive, but I’m not starting with either of them. 
• Pascal Dupuis had an absolutely fantastic, yet incredibly quiet, game.  He was the best backchecking forward on the team, strong on both PKs, and gave the defense plenty of help to spring Crosby and Kunitz.  For all the chances the first line had, credit Dupuis for making most of them possible behind the scenes
• On to Chris Kunitz who, despite playing through the flu, had a very strong forechecking game and showed better puck control and vision than he has all season.  He was the recipient of a gift from Anton Volchenkov on his goal and made the primary passes to Crosby and Letang on their goals.  Most importantly, he wasn’t a turnover machine and kept the puck moving forward.
• Now on to that Crosby guy.  Sid had a dismal first period, committing 3 turnovers and a penalty late in the period.  Once he was out of the box in the second period though, his game came to life through speed and forechecking.  He was chaotic around the net and ripped a wicked wrist shot past Brodeur’s glove in the 3rd.  Also, give him a ton of credit for the assist on Bortuzzo’s goal as he blatantly took the puck from Krys Barch to make it happen. 
• Robert Bortuzzo:  After clamoring through training camp and the first 6 games for Bortuzzo’s inclusion in the lineup, I finally get to list him in this section!  Bortuzzo played another solid game, showing no NHL jitters and sticking to safe, simple decisions.  He was responsible with the puck and was rewarded with his first NHL goal on a shot from the point that was deflected by a Devils’ defenseman.  He is everything you can ask for from a 3rd pair defenseman right now and even more!
• Puck Support:  For the second game in a row, the key to the Penguins success was strong puck support, especially in the defensive zone.  There were still turnovers, but not once was there a turnover where no Penguin was around to slide and cover for it.  The Penguins ability to recover from and cover up their mistakes hinges completely on puck support and they are doing a great job of it right now.
• Defense:  Give everyone on the defense credit.  Martin and Orpik played another strong game as the shutdown pair and I doubt even Bylsma in his wildest dreams thought they would be this successful.  Letang and Despres appear to have really learned each other’s game and are demonstrating plenty of skill and chemistry.  Even Bortuzzo and Engelland look plenty capable of moving the puck and protecting the zone.  There is a lot of solid, fundamentally-sound hockey being played by the defense right now.
• Marc-Andre Fleury:  He only had the chance to face 16 shots, but the only one Fleury didn’t stop was Andy Greene alone in front.  He made a couple very strong pad saves and kept the Penguins steady when the offense wasn’t working in the first period.  It was a pedestrian solid game for Fleury.  It’s also good to note that despite only facing 4 shots in the 2nd period, he still didn’t allow a weak goal from lack of action.  His showed 60 minutes of strong focus today.

The Bad:

The 3rd line is starting to improve

• Tyler Kennedy:  TK’s first period was horrendous, but he did improve his play to adequate as the game went on.  Between missing the net and turning the puck over multiple times at center ice, I was surprised his ice time wasn’t cut by Bylsma as the game went on.  TK’s play has declined since the opening weekend and I have a feeling that moving up to the 2nd, down to the 4th, and back to the 3rd line has not helped in the process.

The Ugly:

• Powerplay:  The only goal New Jersey scored was during a Penguins powerplay, of course.  The team is still having major issues with zone entry (it might be time to start dumping it in) and puck movement is still generally awful all around.  Malkin doesn’t belong on the point and while he’s strong defensively, he’s not strong enough to be the main “defenseman” with Letang hanging at the left boards.  The Pens are the first team this season to allow 2 shorthanded goals now.  It’s time to go to Martin-Letang or Despres-Letang on the top powerplay and move Kunitz to the #2 PP unit.  Kunitz in front does nothing when the puck doesn’t get there anyways.

+/- Assessment:

If you’re new to this – instead of going by typical NHL plus/minus, I’m going to go back and watch every goal to determine who actually helped or screwed up.  Game by game results are in the recap and the season results are linked on the right side and below.

Andy Greene? Shorthanded? What?

• 1st GF (Sutter): + for Despres (moves puck to Bortuzzo), Bortuzzo (clears D zone to Malkin), Malkin (cross ice pass to Sutter), Crosby (pulls Gionta away,swats puck), Sutter (chips puck, scores)
• 2nd GF (Kunitz) + for Kunitz (takes fanned pass, goal)
• 1st GA (Greene) – for Dupuis (failed entry at blue line), Crosby (turnover in neutral zone), Malkin (loses Greene)
• 3rd GF (Letang) + for Malkin (forecheck), Kunitz (forecheck, pass), Letang (patience, goal)
• 4th GF (Crosby) + for Bortuzzo (stands up NJ entry into zone), Dupuis (swats puck to Kunitz, pulls dman away), Kunitz (pass to Crosby), Crosby (goal)
• 5th GF (Bortuzzo) + for Crosby (steals puck, pass), Bortuzzo (goal)
• Season +/-: http://www.crosbyftw.com/p/plusminus-spreadsheet.html

Thoughts:

One game in, Boychuk was a solid pickup.

• Location of Turnovers:  Most of the Penguins turnovers were in the offensive zone or on the boards in the defensive zone.  While turnovers suck, they will always happen and those are the best areas possible to lose the puck if it’s going to happen.  In the Penguins’ losses, most of their turnovers occurred at the defensive blue line or in the netural zone.  Now that they are losing the puck around the perimeter, it’s much easier to shift back into a defensive stance after a turnover.  Smart decisions à easier team defense, even when mistakes happen.
• Skating to the Puck:  Another change for the Penguins has been their effort in skating towards passes and towards the puck exiting the defensive zone.  A big problem with neutral zone turnovers is that forwards get trapped heading the wrong way as the puck goes back to the defensive end.  The Pens are showing a renewed commitment to skating back to the puck as their defensemen try to exit the zone though.  This a) helps with puck support if a defenseman loses it, b) makes for easier outlet passes, and c) opens up other forwards.  The best demonstration of this was on Sutter’s goal.  Malkin is skating back towards the defensive zone to give an outlet to Bortuzzo and receive a pass.  Meanwhile, Sutter is on the opposite side moving to the offensive zone.  Malkin gets his pass and has a clear lane to throw the puck across to Sutter in full stride to create the rush.  That movement helps the defense and offense all at the same time.
• Zach Boychuk:  Boychuk had a solid debut with the Penguins, demonstrating good speed and the ability to create room and forecheck for Malkin and Neal.  If nothing else, he backs defenders off so Malkin and Neal can do their thing.  That’s something Tangradi wasn’t able to do at all.  It’ll be interesting to see what kind of chemistry Boychuk can develop with the 2nd line, but he has already outplayed Tangradi there and can give Jeffrey a run for his money.
• Future Roster Moves:  There are still 2ish weeks until Niskanen returns, but a roster move will be necessary when he does come back.  Start thinking, who gets removed from the roster (via trade, waivers, or getting sent down) and which defenseman sits?  My early answer is trade/waive Lovejoy, sit Engelland, keep Jeffrey and Tangradi as healthy scratches.  What would you do?

Thanks Stevie!! (@highheelshockey)

Pens Record: 5-3-0, 10 pts

Next Game:  2/3 @ Was, 12:30pm