Pens Get Revenge on Isles, Push Winning Streak to 4

Main Storylines:

• A week ago, the Isles made the Pens look like were in serious trouble early this season.  After putting together 3 straight wins, the Pens have a chance to show something different to the Isles.
• No lineup changes despite rumors of Lovejoy playing.  Fleury gets the start.

Result:

Pens 4  Islanders 2

Goals:  Neal (6) (PP) from Crosby

            Despres (2) from Kunitz, Letang

            Sutter (2) from Cooke

            Dupuis (3) (EN) from Martin

ESPN Recap:  http://scores.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=400442603

Stats:

• Brooks Orpik led the team with 5 blocked shots
• Evgeni Malkin had 3 recorded giveaways (a very high number for how the NHL records giveaways)
• Joe Vitale was the only center to win more than 50% of his faceoffs (5/7)
• Paul Martin and Brooks Orpik each had 8:36 on the penalty kill, they played 25:13 and 22:43 respectively
• No forward played more than 17:15 (Malkin was the leader) or less than 10:18 (Kennedy at the low end)

The Good:

This, all day.

• Penalty Kill:  After getting torched twice by the Isles PP a week ago, the Penguins MADE ADJUSTMENTS and switched to a more aggressive style.  Over the past week it has been pretty successful and was perfect last night.  The key to the Pens PK now is aggressive forwards covering the points and then everyone collapsing in the slot when the puck is deep in the zone.  There were numerous scrambles last night in front of the crease and the Pens outmanned and outworked the Isles every single time (with help from Fleury) to stay perfect on the night.
• Brandon Sutter:  Sutter played his best game of the year by far in my opinion.  His penalty killing and defensive coverage were better than most of the actual defensemen, he drew a penalty in the defensive zone, and he added a goal to boot.  The third line is starting to come around as they get more time together and Sutter is beginning to show some chemistry with Cooke.  Sutter is trending up big time right now.
• Marc-Andre Fleury:  “Start Vokoun!” “Start Fleury!” Who cares who starts if they both play as well as they have the last 4 games.  Fleury was the main reason the PK was a huge success last night and he made a ridiculous glove save on Matt Martin point blank.  He didn’t allow a bad goal and he did a fantastic job of staying patient/calm when there were puck scrambles in the slot and on the edge of the crease. 
• Tanner Glass:  Not only was his penalty kill work great, but he drew yet another penalty in the offensive zone by cycling the puck in the corner with Vitale and Adams.  Glass has done a great job of using his big frame to his advantage to protect the puck in the offensive zone and really does put his limited TOI to use.  This was a fantastic signing by Shero that isn't getting enough attention.  I also like how he tried to fight Colin McDonald (who declined) and still took on Matt Martin without question.

The Bad:

Sid? Want borscht to fix face?

• Evgeni Malkin:  Through this young season, every time Malkin improves one aspect of his game, another part suffers.  His defensive play was strong and he did a great job backchecking throughout the night.  However, his offensive zone puck possession took a dive and he turned the puck over far too much going up the ice.  Malkin was also limited to only 4 faceoffs last night (going 2 for 4).  I’m not sure whether that was planned by Bylsma or just due to the flow of the game.
• Kris Letang:  The only reason Letang ended up in this section is because he had to deal with Michael Grabner.  Yes, I realize Grabner is fast and can blow by pretty much any defenseman in the league.  However, every defenseman should know that and be prepared for it.  On Grabner’s goal, Letang was not only burned by Grabner, but was also out of position to begin with as he gave Grabner the inside lane instead of pushing him to the outside.  If he’s going to be an elite defenseman, that can’t happen.  Getting burned by Grabner will happen from time to time, but exacerbating it with bad positioning is careless.

The Ugly:

Don't look at me, I'm hideous.

• Sidney Crosby’s Face:  Raise your hand if you had a panic attack when Crosby took that puck to the face.  Luckily he came back just minutes later and appears to be fine, but that may have been the scariest point of the season for the Pens.  With the puck coming off of Brian Strait’s stick, who was of course waived by the Penguins earlier this season, #BlameShero.

+/- Assessment:

• 1st GF (Neal): + for Crosby (intercepts clear, pass), Neal (changes angle, shoots)
• 2nd GF (Despres): + for Letang (opens Despres for breakout, passes to Kunitz), Kunitz (pass to Despres), Despres (goal)
• 3rd GF (Sutter): + for Cooke (backcheck, steals puck, pass to Sutter), Sutter (goal)
• 1st GA (Grabner): – for Letang (gives Grabner the middle, loses him, then doesn’t cover him in front)
• 2nd GA (Boyes): – for Orpik (fans on bouncing puck), Dupuis (loses man on man coverage)
• 4th GF (Dupuis): + for Martin (knocks puck up), Dupuis (goal)
• Season +/-: http://www.crosbyftw.com/p/plusminus-spreadsheet.html

Thoughts:

Obligatory "Bortuzzo is awesome" pic.

• 3rd Line:  The third line as a whole had their best game since opening weekend.  Kennedy wasn’t fantastic but was much better than his previous 3 games and actually held onto the puck for once.  Cooke was great on the penalty kill and he looked energized by the additional playing time.  One thing with Cooke though, he seems to be having a lot of problems with backhanded clears this year.  Sutter was mentioned above and looked great last night.
• 2nd Line Wing:  Boychuk was okay but may have played himself out of the lineup for a game with a couple missed shots and a giveaway.  His speed is an incredible asset but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Bylsma go back to Jeffrey for the Washington game.  The Pens can afford to be fickle with that winger spot since Malkin and Neal take care of themselves and I imagine it will all depend on how much a player adds each game.  Boychuk is going to have to eventually add more than just speed to stay in the lineup.
• 3 Goal Leads:  The Penguins had another little 3rd period collapse last night.  This is the 3rd game where they have blatantly relaxed after taking a 3 goal lead (1st NYR game, Caps game, last night).  Yet again, things went awry as they looked up the middle more, tried lower percentage passes, and backed off of their aggressive nature.  Luckily with a 3 goal lead, it won’t bite them too much, but it’s a very bad habit in the long run.
• Roster Moves:  Despres had a nice bounce back game to re-solidify his spot in the lineup and neither Bortuzzo nor Engelland has done anything to jeopardize their spots.  Niskanen’s return will force a very interesting decision but I still lean towards sitting Engelland.  Hopefully with Despres bouncing back, the organization is preparing to move Lovejoy, whether it is via trade or on waivers.
• Who Starts Thursday:  Do you start Vokoun or Fleury against the Caps? Vokoun has played *better* than Fleury this season and had a strong game against the Caps on Sunday.  Fleury is coming off of a strong start and is the *#1* starter on this team.  The Pens do have upcoming back to back games this weekend.  I personally say start Fleury, then split the weekend games, and work from there.

Pens Record: 7-3-0, 14 pts

Next Game:  2/7 vs Was, 7pm