Main Storylines:
- Tomas Vokoun starts against his former team. He was perfect in his last start, making 28 saves to shut out NYR.
- The lineup remains the same with Dustin Jeffrey, Eric Tangradi, and Ben Lovejoy as healthy scratches. Matt Niskanen is still out of the lineup with an ankle injury.
- Ovechkin before the game: “I'm standing here, I have only 3 points. It kind of embarrasses me, but it is what it is.”
Result:
Pens 6
Caps 3
Goals: Kunitz (3) from Martin, Crosby
Cooke
(1) from Engelland, Bortuzzo
Letang
(3) from Sutter, Cooke
Kunitz
(4) from Crosby, Malkin
Kunitz
(5) (PP) from Malkin, Neal
Kunitz
(6) (PP) from Crosby, Letang
Stats:
- Chris Kunitz had the first 4 goal game of his career
- PP was 2 for 3, PK was 3 for 4
- The Pens won only 33% of faceoffs in the 1st but were at almost 50% (34/71) by the end of the game
- Evgeni Malkin was a team worst 5/14 (35.7%) on faceoffs
- Paul Martin and Robert Bortuzzo led with 4 blocked shots each (Pascal Dupuis next with 3)
- Tyler Kennedy was the only player under 10 minutes played with 9:51. He only played 2:02 in the 3rd.
- Brooks Orpik led with 28:11 of playing time
The Good:
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| I want whatever Kunitz has. |
- Chris Kunitz: Do I even need to explain this one? Kunitz added another 4 goals while “ill”, had solid puck control, and was a forechecking machine. Obviously his 4 goals take the cake, but the biggest change in his game has simply been a massive decrease in turnovers. Just an unreal performance by Kunitz, his first 4 goal game of his career.
- Sidney Crosby: There is no question in my mind that Crosby played his best game of the year on Sunday. The Pens’ captain had 3 assists and put his name back in the hat for “most-skilled grinder” in the world. His defensive effort was superb and he displayed a plethora of creativity and hard work in the offensive zone. Crosby was a force in all 3 zones against the Caps.
- James Neal: Neal only had 1 assist and was a little lost on the Mike Green goal against, but he had a very strong defensive game overall. I had him marked down 4 times for great poke checks or backchecks in the defensive zone and another 2 times for strong puck support going into the offensive zone. It won’t show up on the scoresheet, but Neal played a very strong and responsible game to help out his linemates more than himself.
The Bad:
- Kris Letang: Letang looked great in the offensive zone and showed two things that will elevate his game even further: patience and a wrist shot. His defensive game was inconsistent though as he demonstrated awareness issues and committed multiple turnovers. When the Pens started using Bortuzzo and Despres less, it looked like it hurt Letang’s game more than anything. He doesn’t appear to have good chemistry with Engelland when they are on the ice together.
The Ugly:
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| Vokoun had a great game, don't let Edzo say otherwise. |
- Simon Despres: As a young defenseman in the league, Despres will face many ups and downs. Sunday’s game was certainly a down as he took two penalties, was manhandled in the defensive zone and saw his TOI decrease as the game went on. Here are my notes on Despres from the game: “bad pass, misses a check, gets out of position, can’t clear, getting manhandled, loses puck in neutral zone, high stick penalty, delay of game penalty.” I’ll just leave it at that; he’ll work through it (as long as Bylsma doesn’t switch him for Lovejoy next game).
- Fluke Goals: Though Eddie Olcyzk wanted to blast Tomas Vokoun for the Capitals’ second goal, it’s hard to blame a goalie when the puck shoots out at a 60 degree angle from the glass. The Pens have seen their fair share of both good and bad bounces like that, so while it was ugly, I wouldn’t want Vokoun to play any different.
- Third Period: With a 5-2 lead, the team reverted back to some bad habits like they did in the first Rangers win of the year on opening weekend. There were more passes up the middle, more players skating away from passes, and team as a whole got a little cocky about their abilities. With a team this talented, Dan Bylsma’s biggest challenge all season is going to be keeping everyone focused and in control for 60 minutes every game. It’ll be something to watch all year and it's my biggest determining factor on if he's the right coach to win another Cup with this team.
+/- Assessment:
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| Green scores one for Mother Earth. |
- 1st GF (Kunitz): + for Crosby (faceoff win), Martin (shot), Kunitz (deflection)
- 1st GA (Green): – for Neal (drifts from slot), Cooke (lets point guy go free), Letang (doesn’t pay attention to Green)
- 2nd GF (Cooke): + for Sutter (puck retrieval), Bortuzzo (pass), Engelland (shot), Cooke (deflection)
- 2nd GA (Carlson): - for no one, skaters played it right, bad bounce for Vokoun
- 3rd GF (Letang): + for Boychuk (brings in puck, gets it to the net), Cooke (puck retrieval), Sutter (pass), Letang (patience, goal)
- 4th GF (Kunitz): + for Malkin (outlet pass), Crosby (pass back to Kunitz), Kunitz (goal)
- 5th GF (Kunitz): + for Malkin (starts play, primary pass), Letang (returns puck to Malkin), Neal (pass to Malkin, creates room in slot), Kunitz (goal)
- 3rd GA (Ribeiro): - for Despres (penalty), Letang (fans on clear), Sutter (fans on poke check)
- 6th GF (Kunitz): + for Malkin (knocks puck to Neal), Neal (sends puck to Letang on point), Letang (passes to Crosby), Crosby (rotates and feeds Kunitz), Kunitz (goal)
- Season +/-: http://www.crosbyftw.com/p/plusminus-spreadsheet.html
Thoughts:
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| 2 game assessment: waiver wire success |
- Powerplay Setup: The powerplay FINALLY made some sense (and produced 2 goals) as Letang was at the point, Malkin on the right boards, Neal in the slot, Kunitz drifting between the crease and the left faceoff circle, and Crosby moving as he pleases around the lower half of the zone. There will still be plenty of scares with only Letang at the point, but at least now every player is in a position that is comfortable for him. I’ll be the first one to call myself an idiot for considering moving Kunitz off the top PP now that he looks competent with the puck again. I have a feeling this will continue to trend up and down though because the Caps didn’t look all that well-prepared for the Pens on special teams yesterday.
- Trade Thoughts: Credit to Alex R (@Alb4619) for sparking this thought, but could we maybe see Kennedy traded this season? He’s a restricted free agent after this season and is quickly losing playing time and Bylsma’s confidence it looks like. Kennedy has proven himself as an NHL player, is still young, and could actually bring something back in a trade (unlike Tangradi or Lovejoy right now). It’s something to ponder and Shero may even be able to throw one of those other two players into the mix with TK. Again, just a thought.
- Who Gets Benched: This section will stay in until Niskanen returns because either Despres, Bortuzzo, or Engelland will inevitably get benched when Nisky is healthy again (and there’s still Lovejoy there too). Sunday’s game was bad for Despres but I’m still a firm believer that he has to play through everything to solidify himself in the NHL. We all know my thoughts on Bortuzzo, I had him listed above Engelland coming out of camp. Engelland has played well though and Bylsma clearly trusts him. I’m sure it will turn into a “play well and you stay, play poorly and you sit” situation, so right now Despres is the leading candidate to sit in my mind, for better or worse.
- 2nd Line Wing Watch: Boychuk has solidified himself as the 2nd line winger for now and his speed is an incredible asset with Malkin and Neal. I can’t imagine Jeffrey or Tangradi getting into the lineup without an injury right now. Ray Shero should send a bottle of champagne to Jim Rutherford and some wine to the 12 or so other GMs that passed on Boychuk.
Pens Record: 6-3-0, 12 pts
Next Game: 2/5 @ NYI, 7pm
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